PARIS (AFP) ― French choreographer and dancer Roland Petit, who helped set up Les Ballets des Champs-Elysees and formed several other dance companies, died Sunday in Geneva at the age of 87, the Paris Opera Ballet said.President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to what he called “an immense creator who left his mark on the art of dance in the 20th century.” Sarkozy in a statement expressed his condole

DALLAS (AP) ― A small fire above the stage forced pop star Rihanna to cut her Dallas concert short.The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the fire broke out near a lighting truss as Rihanna was finishing the ballad “California King Bed” and descending below the stage for a costume change. The newspaper says the production crew quickly extinguished the fire, but the Friday night show was canceled any

Riders head toward Place de la Concorde, where the revolutionary guillotine once stood in Paris. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)PARIS ― When my editor emailed me about doing a story on Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris, I immediately tried to think of an excuse not to do the story. Navigating through the streets of Paris on a bike? I couldn’t imagine a worse way to spend an afternoon.First, a little bac

 

Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay is consistently one of the finest from California. But this one from the winery’s Saratoga line ― designed to showcase the Santa Cruz Mountain terroir ― is a real find at this price. The fruit is right there in the first sip. Light on the oak, the 2007 Saratoga Chardonnay carries a gentle lilt of citrus and a touch of anise. Like its big brother, it is Burgun

A Korean-language class in session at the King Sejong Institute in Istanbul on June 25ISTANBUL ― At many K-pop fan group and Korea-related community meetings in Turkey, it is not difficult to find young Turkish people speaking Korean phrases. Most of the Korean-speaking youngsters are self-taught: using Internet sites that teach Korean or learning by watching Korean dramas and picking up words and

  Korea Fans holds a weekly screening of Korean films at the King Sejong Institute in Ankara on June 26 (Kim Hoo-ran/The Korea Herald)Korea studies at university level suffers from lack of resourcesANKARA ― More than 40 people are packed in a classroom at Ankara University Tomer on a recent Sunday paying close attention to a presentation on Korean totem poles, “jangseung.” The 10-minute presentati

NEW YORK (Yonhap News) ― In Midtown Manhattan, the root of Korean food’s popularity stems from the sizzle that fills the air at Koreatown’s many restaurants, whether it be from the crackling heat of stone pot bibimbap or the hot sputter of galbi beef ribs on the grill.Many New Yorkers have been introduced to Korean food here in K-town, yet many would equate it with do-it-yourself tabletop grilling

LONDON (AFP) ― The final Harry Potter film has its world premiere in London on Thursday, an action-packed finale bringing the curtain down on a saga that has enthralled audiences worldwide.“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ― Part 2” will see the boy wizard take on the evil Lord Voldemort in an epic showdown.Stars from the highly successful film series will walk down the red carpet in London fo

Enchanted by K-pop, Korean dramas, more Turks turn to Korean cultureISTANBUL ― A diehard fan of Korean actor Song Il-gook, Gulhan Yucasu took an 18-hour bus ride to Istanbul to attend a Songdaslarim Turkey Fan Club meeting on June 24. Wearing a headscarf worn by some Muslim women in Turkey, Yucasu’s eyes light up when she talks about her heartthrob. She became Song’s fan some five years ago as did

Dylan said in May that Chinese officials asked him for a song list but didn’t censor it.HONG KONG (AP) ― Radiohead has taken a tentative step into censored Chinese cyberspace, even though the British rock band has been critical of China’s human rights record.Radiohead recently launched a page on the “weibo” site of leading Chinese Internet portal Sina.com. “Weibo,” which translates as “microblog,”

KANSAS CITY, Missouri ― Playboy model hopefuls from as far as Florida and Canada line the halls of a Kansas City, Mo., studio, fanning themselves, trembling in their silk robes and waiting for their moment with Jodi Vander Woude.“I promise this will be painless,” Vander Woude assures them.Vander Woude is a photographer for Playboy Enterprises. Every month, she travels across the country doing cast

The bad boys of Motley Crue are making news again.But this time the headlines have nothing to do with infighting, drugs, jail, rehab or a sex tape.The hair metal heroes ― traditionally reviled by pundits ― are being lauded on a near daily basis since launching the U.S. leg of their 30th anniversary tour earlier this month.Publications ranging from Rolling Stone to the Hollywood Reporter to the Kan

EMERYVILLE, California (AFP) ― Pixar, a pioneer of computer animation that has made a dozen profitable feature films and become one of the most successful studios on the planet, is celebrating its 25th birthday.Born in the early 1980s as George Lucas’s computer graphics division, the company took off after it was purchased by Apple founder Steve Jobs in 1986 and christened “Pixar.”That year, the h

 

LOS ANGELES ― Tal Ronnen catered the vegan wedding for Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi. Casino mogul Steve Wynn tapped him to add vegan dishes to the menus at all 22 restaurants at the luxurious Wynn and Encore resorts in Vegas. Former McDonald’s executives invited him onboard to help launch a chain of healthful fast-food restaurants later this year. And when Oprah decided to try the vega

If the only Beaujolais you’ve ever encountered is Beaujolais Nouveau and you’ve never tasted a Beaujolais cru, then this is the wine to make you fall head over heels for the region.Unfined and unfiltered, Domaine Chignard’s Fleurie “Les Moriers” from the great 2009 vintage carries the scent of wild sweet strawberries. It’s so lush and vivid, tasting of blueberries, black cherries and plums. The vi

YANGON (AP) ― The military-backed government of Myanmar has deported Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh, who stars as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an upcoming movie, officials said Tuesday.The Malaysian actress arrived in the country’s main city, Yangon, on June 22 and was deported the same day because she was on a blacklist, a government official said.The official, who declined to be ide

The Naeroyfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, is the narrowest and the most dramatic fjord in Europe and its landscape is included in the UNESCO'S World Heritage List. (Visitnorway.com)BERGEN ― Once in a while, you might wish you to be fully immersed in nature without a connection to the outside world. True moments between you and the great outdoors, after all, revive the strength lost in the daily

AMSTERDAM (AP) ― The Van Gogh Museum said Tuesday its experts now believe one of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings previously thought to be a self-portrait actually depicts his brother, Theo.If true, it would be the only known painting of Theo, although Vincent made several sketches of his brother, who supported him financially and was his lifelong confidant and friend.“People have often thought it was