U.S. indie-rock band Beirut to hit the stage in SeoulBeirut started out as a bedroom recording project of Santa Fe songwriter Zach Condon, later developing into a six-member band that combines indie, rock and folk elements into flowing ballads and harmonious instrumental interludes.While taking more upbeat, accessible turns in the years after the band’s 2006 debut, Condon’s songs have held on to their languorousness, which the band leader describes as part of the “uniqueness” he considers key to

Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul is the first hotel the Banyan Tree Group has built in the heart of the city. The group, which operates hotels and resorts in more than 20 countries around the world, built the hotel at the foot of Seoul’s Mount Namsan last year, envisioning an “urban resort.” Home to a high-end social community of Korea, the mountain area presents a feeling of exclusiveness to those who visit the hotel. Offering an incomparable and unforgettable view of Mount Namsan and the surroundi

JERUSALEM (AP) ― The U.N.’s cultural agency said it is pulling funding for a Palestinian youth magazine that published an article suggesting admiration for Hitler.The magazine, Zayzafouna, published an article in February written by a teenage girl who presented four role models: a medieval Persian mathematician, a modern Egyptian novelist, the Muslim warrior Saladin and the Nazi leader.UNESCO said in a statement it “strongly deplores and condemns” the “unacceptable” material and would cease fund

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― The big dig for San Francisco’s multibillion dollar transportation terminal has unearthed some artifacts from during and after the city’s heady Gold Rush days, including opium pipes from a Chinese laundry and a chipped chamber pot found in a backyard outhouse.The 70 artifacts have city archeologists eager for more and local residents pondering the ground beneath their feet.“It’s not often that you get a chance to stop for a moment and have a window into what used to be,” sai

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Grammy-winning blues and soul legend Etta James, famous for her hit “At Last,” was taken to a California hospital on Friday for complications related to leukemia, her publicist told AFP.“Etta James was taken to the hospital night before last (December 21). She was having trouble breathing so they intubated her. Her condition remains the same,” said her publicist Lupe De Leon.Last week, De Leon said that James, 73, was in the end stage of her cancer and would not undergo furth

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Steven Spielberg’s new film “War Horse” is almost deliberately old-fashioned, pitting noble beast against the horrors of war, with sweeping, emotional set pieces ― and dividing critics as Hollywood’s awards season looms.The movie, which got a Golden Globe nomination this month ahead of its Christmas Day release in the United States, is even made on good old celluloid in a snub to the digital revolution.“I think that movies like that don’t get made much any more, you know the

Dutch-born entertainer Johannes Heesters, who made his name performing in Adolf Hitler’s Germany and was dogged later in his long career by controversy over his Nazi-era past, died Saturday, his agent said. He was 108.The tenor Heesters made his debut on the big stage at the Volksoper in Vienna, Austria in 1934. His career took off in Berlin where, starting in 1935 ― two years after the Nazis took power ― he became a crowd favorite at the Komische Oper and Admiralspalast.He died in a clinic in t

NEW YORK (AP) ― A debuting Swedish soprano and a cartwheeling Roberto Alagna took over leading roles as Des McAnuff’s atomic-scientist production of Gounod’s “Faust” continued its run at the Metropolitan Opera.As Marguerite, the maiden seduced and abandoned by Faust, Malin Bystrom got off to a slow start Friday night with a muted “King of Thule” song and a jewel aria that was too soft-grained to sparkle.But she improved as the evening wore on, bringing pathos to the spinning song, desperation to

LONDON (AP) ― It will be a traditional Christmas weekend for Queen Elizabeth II’s extended family, which now includes the former Kate Middleton, with the quiet holiday break to be followed by a year’s worth of festivities to mark the queen’s 60th year on the throne.Most of the senior royals, including Prince William and his wife, now formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge, will be dispatched across the globe to help the aging monarch celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in grand style.Elizabeth and

‘Arrow, the Ultimate Weapon,’ ‘Jekyll & Hyde,’ Super Junior top their genresAlthough bestsellers aren’t necessarily the most superior or well-made ― especially when it comes to the diverse culture sector ― sales performance is nevertheless an important barometer of public opinion.Despite the lingering impact of the economic downturn and inflation, more Koreans were willing to open their wallets to go to concerts and the movies, and buy books and records, year-end statistics show, with overall sa

LONDON (AP) ― Fighting back tears, singer George Michael appeared outside his London home Friday to acknowledge that he had nearly died during his month-long battle with pneumonia.He said it had been “touch and go” while he was in the intensive care unit of a Vienna hospital battling an extremely dangerous form of pneumonia but that his representatives had “played it down” to avoid alarming his fans.“They spent three weeks keeping me alive basically,” said the singer, who appeared to have lost w

NEW YORK (AP) ― Sandra Bullock wasn’t looking to return to acting when Stephen Daldry called about “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”Bullock’s last film, 2009’s “The Blind Side,” was the kind of career apogee of which most actresses dream, winning her a best actress Academy Award in what essentially amounted to a coronation of Bullock as America’s most beloved female movie star.But the accomplishment ― which would normally be followed by a wave of projects to capitalize on the momentum ― was s

Jenkins creates her own genre in 8th album Katherine Jenkins“Daydream” (Warner Music)While “junior Sarah Brightman” might not be the worst nickname for a popera diva, Katherine Jenkins may have longed for a chance to establish her own identity. The Welsh musician does more than that in her eighth studio album “Daydream,” which sees the record-breaking multi-platinum-selling mezzo soprano not only returning to her musical roots, but creating her very own musical genre once and for all. As her mos

Korea’s Jeju Island was officially proclaimed one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature this week, as the chief of the Swiss-based organization congratulated Jeju via an email, officials here said Thursday.According to Korea’s National Committee for Jeju New7Wonders of Nature, Bernard Weber, chairman of the New7Wonders Foundation, sent an email to the head of the committee Chung Un-chan to inform him of the official result. Jeju became one of the provisional winners earlier this month, but the foun

Although most feel the urge to offer a helping hand to the poor and the homeless at this time of year, fewer people have been able to open their wallets due to the lingering impact of the economic downturn, unemployment and inflation over the past few years. None of this seemed to matter, however, to a gray-haired couple who made a repeat visit to the Salvation Army building in central Seoul this week to donate 200 million won (about $180,000). The couple in their 90s, who refused to disclose th

LONDON (AP) ― Thieves have stolen a large bronze sculpture by one of Britain’s most important modern sculptors from a London park.The sculpture by Barbara Hepworth, called “Two Forms (Divided Circle),’’ was discovered missing Tuesday morning after it was ripped from its plinth in south London’s Dulwich Park.Local government officials said they will ask police and their metal theft unit to investigate the matter immediately.The theft came after Metropolitan Police on Monday dedicated a unit to ta

Local, global producers increasingly take part in the search for new talentWith the world-wide popularity of Korean pop music, local auditions to find new singers are becoming bigger, serving as a golden ticket for producers and musician aspirants alike. Audition programs became big in Korea following the success of “Superstar K: Season 1,” which was aired on cable channel M.net beginning July 2009. The program’s success led major broadcasters MBC and SBS to start their own programs “Star Auditi

Actress Kim Hye-ja will receive the first artist award established by the Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation for her work on screen as well as charity activities, the foundation said Tuesday. Kim, the heroine of director Bong Joon-ho’s crime film “Mother,” will be the first winner of the “Beautiful Artist Award” established by the foundation this year. The Shin Young-kyun foundation was set up in October last year, based on a donation made by the veteran actor and former legislator Shin

The Korean Culture and Information Service published “K-Classics: A New Presence on the World’s Musical Stage” on Monday, as the last publication in its English-language book series for foreigners to better understand Korean culture. The fourth book highlights the growing influence of young Korean classical musicians who have been bagging top prizes at international competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth International Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition. The full-color

Over the past four decades, the Korea Culture and Information Service has grown into an organization with 24 overseas offices, promoting the nation’s culture and image all over the world.The state-run organization held a festival on Monday to celebrate its 40th anniversary, entertaining some 400 guests from in and out of the country with photographs of Korea’s past and present, performances by K-pop stars and Korean modern dancers, and a fashion show of Korea’s traditional hanbok. The Monday’s f