Korean time-slip comedy draws over 6m viewers

A Korean comedy film about an old woman who suddenly recovers her physical youth has exceeded the 6 million audience mark in local theaters, the movie’s local distributor said Wednesday.Starring Shim Eun-kyoung, “Miss Granny” has attracted 6.03 million viewers through Tuesday, the 21st day after opening, pushing the animated Disney film “Frozen” down from the No. 1 spot on the daily box-office chart, CJ Entertainment said. It cited official box-office data from the Korean Film Council.“‘Miss Gra

FilmFeb. 12, 2014

Hugh Jackman to host Tony Awards again

NEW YORK (AP) ― Neil Patrick Harris has given way to Hugh Jackman at the Tony Awards. Producers of the annual telecast celebrating the best of Broadway said Tuesday that Jackman will once again take up hosting duties for the next awards on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall.It will be Jackman’s fourth time hosting the Tonys. He previously emceed the show from 2003-2005. Jackman, best known for being the hairy Wolverine in “The X-Men” franchise, was last on Broadway with a one-man show in 2011 that

TelevisionFeb. 12, 2014

NBC’s Tom Brokaw diagnosed with cancer

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Veteran TV newsman Tom Brokaw has been diagnosed with cancer, NBC News said Tuesday. The Mayo Clinic discovered last summer that Brokaw has multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow, NBC News said. His doctors are optimistic about his treatment and encouraged by his progress since the August diagnosis, the network division said. In a statement released by NBC, Brokaw said he remains, in his words, “the luckiest guy I know.” “With the exceptional suppo

TelevisionFeb. 12, 2014

Warm clothes for freezing city at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) ― It was once again winter ― cold, cold winter ― that dominated the mood on the fifth day of New York Fashion Week Monday, with designers presenting variations of warm clothes on a particularly freezing day. Carolina Herrera, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s The Row, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, Thom Browne and Zac Posen were among the designers presenting their fall-winter collections on Monday. Shows were being held at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents at Lincoln Center and at va

CultureFeb. 12, 2014

Korean designers appeal with diversity

 Korean designers have delivered vibrant appeals for Korean fashion with elegant tailoring, twists to classic looks and various mix-matched styles.Four designers showcased fall and winter collections for 2014 at Concept Korea on Tuesday, a show held for the ninth year to promote Korea’s design talent at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. The major fashion event is being held from Feb. 6-13 at various venues throughout the city. The Concept Korea show for fall-winter 2014 collections was

Arts & DesignFeb. 12, 2014

Pevonia opens spa at Ritz-Carlton in Seoul

Spa cosmetics brand Pevonia has opened its first Korean branch at The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul. The Pevonia Spa, launched in 1991 by family members of LVMH Moet Hennessy, is one of the world’s leading spa brands with skin care products provided at more than 10,000 spas of top hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries.The Pevonia skin care products are made from natural ingredients free of chemical materials such as parabens, alcohol, lanolin, mineral oil, artificial colors and formaldehyde, and m

Arts & DesignFeb. 12, 2014

What age actors command highest salaries

A new study found that actresses in their 20s earn more than their male counterparts, while older actors make more than their female colleagues, business and technology news website Business Insider reported. The researchers reviewed earnings records for 265 actors and actresses between 1968 and 2008. The study revealed that actresses hit their salary peak at age 34, while actors make the most money per film at the average age of 51.“There is still a discrepancy in earning power between men and

EntertainmentFeb. 12, 2014

DIY publishers break out in Korea

The difficulty of finding a voice in a country that doesn’t speak her language is all too familiar to Doria Garms-Sotelo. The aspiring journalist, whose husband is in the U.S. Army, has called Korea home for the past nine years. She has used that time to hone her writing skills and complete a book on a topic that is close to her heart. “I lived in Sri Lanka from 1988 to 1993. It was the bloodiest time of the war there. I just want tell people, and teach them, about Sri Lanka.”And therein lay the

Expat LivingFeb. 11, 2014

Quirky stage play to woo audience this Valentine’s

A group of expats is presenting the stage play “Almost, Maine” for the first time in Korea starting on Friday.The play, written by John Cariani, premiered in 2004 and is a romantic comedy that deals with love and how people fall in and out of it.“People fall in love and stumble out of it again. (The play) is quirky and awkward and has some kind of magic in it,” said Teala Penner, who heads the project.The different scenes are all intended to take place at the same time: 9 p.m. The setting is in

Expat LivingFeb. 11, 2014

Photography mag runs ‘Love’ special

Photographers in Korea has run a special issue for February, based on the theme of love.“Since February is the month of ‘Love,’ I wanted to invite more than the usual number of photographers for (the) issue and allow more participation and a special challenge,” said Joe Wabe, the magazine’s design and art director“We wanted to display the meaning of love in various different ways according to each photographer’s concept of it.”The issue features 31 entries on the subject, with themes encompassin

Expat LivingFeb. 11, 2014

Browsing records of Korean art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea opened a digital museum library on Tuesday that offers a comprehensive collection of materials on modern and contemporary Korean art. The two-story library, set up in the Seoul branch of the MMCA, features a collection of research materials including art books, exhibition catalogues, pamphlet files and artists’ books. The Seoul Museum opened in November last year. It is open to citizens, art students, experts and foreigners.The first floo

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014

Magna Carta copy arrives in U.S. for exhibition

HOUSTON (AP) ― It was care fit for a king: The yellowing parchment was fitted inside a custom-designed aluminum and steel case with monitors, then wrapped in specially made packaging. Once it was on the plane, a canon chancellor nervously tracked the flight as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean. That document, a rarely seen copy of the Magna Carta, had never before left England’s shores and only once been outside its home in the Hereford Chapel near the Welsh border. Now, the famous charter, written

CultureFeb. 11, 2014

Jazz festival to feature Haden, Palmieri, other legends

The Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 will take place at Olympic Park, Seoul, on May 17 and 18. (Private Curve)Big names in the world of jazz, as well as several renowned musicians from around the world, will make their way to Seoul this spring.Three-time Grammy winner and jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz piano legend Eddie Palmieri and famous Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice will perform at the Seoul Jazz Festival 2014 to be held at Olympic Park in Seoul on May 17 and 18.Haden, Palmieri and Rice are

PerformanceFeb. 11, 2014