American critic falls for indie K-films
Darcy Paquet launches Wildflowser Film Awards The local film industry has been on a roll recently. The shooting for the Hollywood blockbuster “Avengers: The Age of Ultron” is still underway in Korea, suggesting that the country and its capital city is an attractive location for international moviemakers. A number of Seoul-based directors, including Bong Jun-ho […]
‘Fatal Encounter’ slated for N. American release in May
Will top Korean actor Hyun Bin ignite “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in films in North America? His soon-to-be released film, “The Fatal Encounter,” is expected to be shown on 25 screens in North America starting May 23, Lotte Entertainment said Monday. The release in North America follows just a month after the film’s release […]
Korean stars grace Hollywood movies
A record number of actors will play major roles in US blockbusters Are Korean actors increasingly wanted in Hollywood, or is it a sheer coincidence that a record number of them will have the opportunity to feature in Hollywood films this year? So far five Korean actors — Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jung Ji-hoon, Bae […]
Nichkhun, Tiffany are dating
Nichkhun from K-pop band 2PM and Tiffany from Girls’ Generation are dating, their agencies said Friday. JYP Entertainment, Thail and-born Nichkhun’s agency, admitted that the two stars had been close friends in Korea since they first met in the United States and they recently started dating. SM Entertainment, Tiffany’s agency, also explained that the two […]
K-pop meets old popular music
Collaboration makes ‘trot’ hot The music genre “trot” seems hardly mainstream today. Although it is regarded as the “root” of K-pop, the oldest form of Korean popular music has had to live so far the life of an outcast, whilst its offspring enjoyed global stardom. Such tags as “boring” and “for the elderly only” always […]
K-snack to whet global appetite
At Jeong Wol-seon’s “tteokbokgi(떡볶이)” store in Tongin Market, northern Seoul, she sells a slightly different version of “tteokbokgi” or the spicy rice cake snack. It’s a fried, spicy version without the soupy sauce. It’s also the one that John Kerry, U.S. secretary of state, picked up with a toothpick to taste while he was in […]
Crayon Pop’s new video appears on Billboard
Crayon Pop’s new video “Uh-ee” has graced Billboard’s main page. In its article, posted on March 31, pop magazine Billboard said the K-pop girl group has unleashed “mind-bogging, non-stop dance routine” in the video. “Crayon Pop truly shines in the accompanying music video, performing a routine one could liken more to aerobics than a pop […]
Watch out! Scene stealers in Korean dramas
They are neither protagonists nor directors. A few even have “critical flaws” in their looks: a beer belly, poor teeth or just plain ugly. Without them, however, it’s doubtful how many Korean TV dramas or films were or will be able to meet viewers’ ever increasing expectations. They are collectively called “scene stealers,” a cinematic […]
Lee Byung-hun to appear in ‘Terminator’ sequel
Korean actor Lee Byung-hun will appear in Hollywood blockbuster “Terminator: Genesis,” in which he will act with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke and Emilia Clarke among others. This is the fifth sequel of the famous sci-fi action flick “The Terminator” released in 1984. Lee’s management agency said on Tuesday he recently decided to take an offer […]
Intensifying competition results in trashy dramas
The rating success of television dramas has always been vitally important to major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS. The race for top ratings intensified when cable channels like jTBC, TV Chosun, MBN and Channel A entered the drama industry a few years ago, becoming major forces in K-drama. The ratings war drives many broadcasters […]