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2008 Movie International Watch List (by Nikki Finke)
So alongside The Black List is The International Watch List, which just came out with its 2008 roster. It's an unofficial list of the American film industry's favorite foreign feature and short films from the past year according to the judgment of over 50 US film executives and their assistants were asked to vote for up to five foreign feature films and five foreign short films. The International Watch List includes all the features and shorts that received two or more votes. Considered were foreign features and foreign shorts released in theaters internationally or shown at an international film festival in 2008, and directed by a foreign filmmaker. The stated aim of The International Watch List is "to highlight new filmmaking talent from abroad, to inspire creativity and spread the word about the international favorites of the year":
FEATURE FILMS
15 Votes
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
by Tomas Alfredson (Cinetic Media/Christina Bazdekis)
13 Votes
MARTYRS
by Pascal Laugier (ICM/Nathan Ross & Robert Lazar)
8 Votes
BEFORE THE FALL
by F. Javier Guti閞rez (Paradigm/Marc Helwig)
GOMORRAH
by Matteo Garrone (ICM/Jeff Berg & Nathan Ross)
THE CHASER
by Hong-jin
7 Votes
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
by Ari Folman (CAA/Maha Dakhil)
6 Votes
JCVD
by Mabrouk El Mechri (Endeavor/Elia Infascelli-Smith)
THE SQUARE
by Nash Edgerton (ICM/Doug MacLaren)
5 Votes
HUNGER
by Steve McQueen (CAA/Beth Swofford)
JERUSALEMA
by Ralph Ziman (ICM/Nathan Ross)
4 Votes
KISSES
by Lance Daly (AP Watt Ltd/Rob Kraitt)
CLASS
by Laurent Cantet
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD
by Jee-Woon Kim (CAA/Spencer Baumgarten)
2 Votes
SLEEP DEALER
by Alex Rivera (CAA/Stuart Manashil)
TERRIBLY HAPPY
by Henrik Ruben Genz (Conspiracy/Melinda Jason)
THE SONG OF SPARROWS
by Majid Majidi
ZIFT
by Javor Gardev (WMA/Carolyn Sivitz)
SHORT FILMS
10 Votes
AFTERVILLE
by Fabio Guaglione & Fabio Resinaro (The Safran Company/Peter Safran)
8 Votes
OF CATS AND WOMEN
by Jonas Govaerts (The Safran Company/Tom Drumm)
5 Votes
TREEVENGE
by Jason Eisener (UTA/Jason Burns)
3 Votes
I LOVE SARAH JANE
by Spencer Susser (Endeavor/Bryan Besser)
THE RAIN HORSE
by Sebastian Godwin (Independent Talent Group/Jessica Sykes)
Source: deadlinehollywooddaily.com, thanks to Mark Russell at Korea Pop Wars |
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December 22, 2008
Kim Gok wins Grand prize at Seoul fest
Director KIM Gok抯 Exhuasted received the Grand prize from the Seoul Independent Film Festival which ended on December 19. Exhuasted is a film about a prostitute in an industrial area.
The Best film award went to PARK Ji-youn抯 animation The Things She Can抰 Avoid in the City. The imaginative story of a struggling woman in the city previously competed at the Melbourne International Animation Festival, Women抯 Film Festival in Seoul, and Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival.
KIM Gok directed the 2006 productions Geo-Lobotomy and a short film which is part of the omnibus film If You Were Me 3, both co-directed with KIM Sun.
Credits: Yi Ch抋ng-ho (KOFIC)
Remaining awards:
Kodak award: Land of the Scarecrows (ROH Gyeong-tae)
Award for excellence: 3xFTM (KIM Il-rhan), 125 Jeon Seung-chul(PARK Jung-bum)
Special award: AHN Seul-ki
Maverick award: Self-Referential Traverse (KIM Gok, KIM Sun)
Audience award: Old Partner (LEE Chung-ryoul)
English subtitles support: Lioness(es) (HONG Jae-hee), Crane Elephant (JUNG Ji-suk),
Fish (BYUN Byung-jun), Life on Call (CHOI Chang-hwan)
Source: www.koreanfilm.or.kr |
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December 22, 2008
"Treeless Mountain" wins Best film award in Dubai
On December 19, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) announced that Kim So-yong's "Treeless Mountain" was selected as the best film at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival. Treeless Mountain was awarded during the closing ceremony on the 18th. KIM's film played in the Asia-Africa competition section.
"Treeless Mountain" already received the Special jury award at the 9th Tokyo Filmex in November this year. Treeless Mountain tells the story of two young sisters who are moved around by their mother.
"Treeless Mountain" is KIM's second film. Her debut film "In Between Days" premiered at the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival. Among its awards are the Special jury prize for independent vision of the Sundance Film Festival, and the FIPRESCI award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Credits: Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)
http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/ |
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December 22, 2008
Kim Ha-neul in first action film
Actress Kim Ha-neul has said that she is excited about trying her hand at playing an action character. She has been cast in the upcoming film "My Girlfriend is an Agent".
The spy comedy is directed by Sin Tae-ra and the male lead is played by Kang Ji-hwan. The story is about two secret agents who fall in love while hiding their profession from each other. The film is scheduled for a 2009 release.
Kim Ha-neul was in cinemas earlier this year with the melodrama "Lovers of 6 Years" and starred in the popular comedy "My Tutor Friend" alongside Kwon Sang-woo. Kang Ji-hwan has ample experience with action scenes after his fight scenes with So Ji-sub in "Rough Cut". Sin Tae-ra directed last year's praised "Black House".
Credits: Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC), image from empas.com |
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December 23, 2008
Lee Byeong-heon, Jung Ji-hoon (Rain) Come to U.S. TV
Two of Korean cinema's top stars are to host a Discovery Channel documentary series on the rise of Korean pop culture titled 'Hip Korea'. Lee Byeong-Heon ("The Good, the Bad, the Weird") and JUNG Ji-hoon (Rain, "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK") will each host an episode that will be broadcast globally on the Discovery Network in 2009.
The airings should enhance the already popular leads' star-appeal and recognition, particularly in the U.S., where both actors are appearing in Hollywood blockbusters. LEE is cast as Storm Shadow in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, while Rain has already appeared in the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer and will make his Hollywood leading role debut in the upcoming Wachowski-produced Ninja Assassin.
'Hip Korea' will be broadcast in two episodes. The first, 'Seoul Vibes', has JUNG guiding audiences through Seoul hot spots Hongdae, Cheongdam-dong, and the Cheonggye stream. The second, 'Seoul Savvy', hosted by LEE, visits the up-market Apgujeong district, and the arts and crafts zones of Insa-dong and Samcheong-dong.
Production of these 45-minute documentary segments were supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Previous segments in the Discovery series focused on Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan and director John Woo. The series is set to launch in January on Discovery Networks worldwide.
Credits: Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC) |
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December 23, 2008
"Breathless" in Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has selected actor-director Yang Ik-joon's feature debut "Breathless" to compete in its prestigious competition section. The film will have its international premiere at the fest, following on its world premiere last October at Pusan.
IFFR, which runs Jan. 21 |
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December 23, 2008
Gina Kim Project Goes to CineMart
Korean director Gina Kim'a latest project-in-development, a remake of KIM Ki-young's 1960 classic The Housemaid, is selected to take part in Rotterdam's co-production market, CineMart. The market runs Jan 25 |
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December 26, 2008
Korea in No Hurry to Open Up to Japanese Pop Culture
Seoul and Tokyo on Thursday discussed a greater opening of Korea to Japanese pop culture imports, but Seoul appeared in no great hurry to make access for entertainment from the former colonial power easier. The culture ministers from the two countries spoke on the sidelines of a three-way meeting with their Chinese counterpart in Jeju on Thursday.
Asked by Japanese reporters when Korea's terrestrial networks will open their doors to Japanese pop imports, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon said this was being done step by step "in consideration of Korean sentiment and socio-cultural aspects. I understand that there are partial restrictions on some age groups and broadcasting timelines. I think this matter needs consultation between the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to build future-oriented bilateral relations."
Japanese Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Tamotsu Aoki said, "We can watch Korean dramas and films and listen to K-pop on Japanese TV. The restaurant run by Bae Yong-joon -- the most famous Korean actor in Japan -- is near my house. I hope it'll be possible to narrow differences in national sentiment in Korea and Japan through meetings like this one."
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.chosun.com/w21dat ... 2/200812260007.html |
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Related Article TV Networks Rebuff Media Overhaul Plan
December 26, 2008
Broadcasting Unionists on Strike
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Unionized broadcasting workers walked off the job Friday protesting the "seven evil bills to control the media," referring to moves by the governing Grand National Party (GNP) to allow newspaper companies and chaebol to own TV companies.
"We will carry out the strike despite any suppression. We believe that this is the way to secure true journalism," the National Union of Media Workers (NUMW) said in a statement.
The bills seek to allow print media to own shares in broadcaster companies, and permit conglomerates to buy up to 20 percent of the shares of a network and up to 49 percent of a news channel.
Unionized workers at major networks MBC, EBS, CBS and SBS ― whose workers are NUMW members ― vowed to protect their companies from "invasion" by chaebol and three conservative newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo.
The government threatened a stern response, saying it will deal with the "illegal strike" according to law and principle. "The strike represents certain networks using the electric airwaves, which is public property, for their personal benefits, and this is unethical and will not be tolerated," said Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min.
The strike is expected to result in reruns, or even blackouts, as many production crew workers are participating in the walkout.
MBC is in particular trouble, as its main news anchors Park Hae-jin, Kim Joo-ha and Lee Jung-min decided to leave their posts, alongside the two anchors from "Sports News," Kim Jung-geun and Hur Il-ho. The production of popular program "Infinity Challenge" and drama "East of Eden" will also face problems. MBC announced that executive staff producers and also non-union members will work on some of the programs for the time being.
SBS unionists will have their anchors and reporters wear black suits during news programs to support the strike. The NUMW said that all hosts and anchors on live programs will join the "Black Campaign."
Meanwhile, the state-run network KBS's union has not expressed any official statement, saying it will decide on its stance in January. The KBS union dropped out of the NUMW last August.
This is the first time in nine years for broadcast networks to go on strike ― the last time was in opposition to media bill revisions in July, 1999.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/12/117_36811.html
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December 27, 2008
Wonder Girls Voted Favorite Korean Singers
The Wonder Girls have been named as Koreans's favorite singers for the second year running, the Seoul Shinmun reported Wednesday. According to the paper, Gallup Korea conducted interview with 4,330 people aged 13-59 nationwide from June to November to select the top 10 singers, and the manufactured girl group ranked first with 22.2 percent of the vote.
Wonder Girls
Boy band Big Bang took second place, also the same as last year, with 21.2 percent. The top 10 list includes three trot -- a retro form of Korean pop -- singers: Jang Yoon-jung, in third with 9.9 percent, Tae Jin-ah and Park Hyun-bin. Meanwhile, diva Lee Hyo-lee ranked fifth, while world star Rain and TVXQ took seventh and ninth.
The Wonder Girls were popular with all age groups, chiefly with those in their teens and 20s. There was a larger gap between age groups in terms of preference for Big Bang. While the boy group won overwhelming support from teenagers at 56.2 percent, and a rollicking 63.9 percent of teenage girls and gained more votes than the Wonder Girls among those in their 20s, the tally plummeted to 16.7 percent among those in their 30s.
Those in their 40s picked Jang Yoon-jung as their favorite, and those in their 50s Tae Jin-ah.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.chosun.com/w21dat ... 2/200812270001.html |
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December 24, 2008
[YEAR-END REVIEW] Celebrity suicides shock the nation in 2008
A string of celebrity suicides in 2008 sent shockwaves across the nation, gripped devout fans and raised fears of copycat suicides. The suicide of an iconic actress this year also provoked political bickering over whether to penalize cyberspace libel.
A couple of high-profile rulings on mercy killing and adultery touched off heated national debates this year as well.
High-profile suicides
The most shocking of the suicide cases was the death of Choi Jin-sil, Korea's long-beloved iconic actress.
On Oct. 2, Choi, 39, was found hanging in a shower stall at her residence in Seoul with a bandage tightened around her neck, ending her 20-year career on the silver screen.
Her death came in the midst of internet rumors that she had lent billions of won to Ahn Jae-hwan, a renowned actor, and then blackmailed him. Ahn also killed himself about a month before her death.
Choi had felt increasingly suicidal, with the persisting rumors deepening her depression and denting her confidence which had been restored by a successful 2007 comeback.
Her ugly divorce in 2004 with former pro baseball player Cho Sung-min, had tarnished her image and forced her to go on a hiatus.
Ahn was found dead on Sept. 8 in his minivan in Seoul, where he had locked himself in and burned two charcoal briquettes. He died from toxic fumes, according to police.
The actor had agonized over snowballing debts from a series of moribund businesses, which led him to desperately seek money, even from loan sharks, his close associates said.
Their deaths were followed by another string of high-profile suicides, including those by transgender actress Jang Chae-won, homosexual model Kim Ji-hu and former government official Kim Young-cheol in October and singer Lee Seo-hyun this month.
Choi's death touched off a politically-charged debate on whether to tighten rules in cyberspace, as her case was just the latest in a series of celebrity suicides apparently caused by cyber-bullying.
Jeong Da-bin, an actress famed for her girlish image, was found hanging in her boyfriend's house in February last year. She apparently killed herself partially because of mental suffering from malicious internet messages.
Her death came immediately after pop singer Yuni hanged herself in January. Yuni had also been agitated by defamatory internet messages criticizing her plastic surgeries and personal life.
The ruling Grand National Party and the government have sought ways to combat cyberspace defamation, including criminalizing libel on the internet and expanding the mandatory use of real names.
Opposition parties, however, upbraided such moves, citing the possibility of hampering freedom of expression.
Celebrity deaths also prompted concerns about the so-called Werther effect, referring to copycat suicides. Such concerns turned into reality with reports of a few people killing themselves in the same way Choi did.
"Celebrities, in many cases, may have to stifle their emotions given that they are public figures. This makes them unfortunately accumulate and harbor their stress, triggering suicidal thoughts," said Min Sung-gil, a psychiatrist at the Severance Hospital in Seoul.
"Many tend to think that they cannot solve the problems, and may choose to kill themselves if famous figures were found to have committed suicide after suffering the same problems they have."
Ruling on mercy killing
The lawsuit filed by a family in May to have a Seoul hospital stop life-sustaining treatment for their 75-year-old mother led society to question whether to allow those in a permanent vegetative state with no chance of recovery to have their life-sustaining machines turned off.
The family said treatment for their mother Kim Ok-kyung was "a meaningless act of life extension," and that Kim would have chosen to face natural death if given the conscious wish not to be artificially kept alive.
The Seoul Western District Court made the ruling on Nov. 28 to remove the respirator from Kim based on her previous statements, religious belief and conscious wishes to die naturally.
Severance Hospital, which has treated Kim for nearly eight months, said it will appeal the ruling.
Korea's penal code criminalizes any form of ending another's life as murder. Even with prior consent from patients or family members, withholding life-saving items such as water, food, medicine and a respirator can constitute a crime if a third person takes issue with it.
Previously, a local court convicted a wife and two doctors for letting a patient in critical condition leave the hospital without due medical treatment. In 1997, despite doctors' strong warnings, the wife demanded that the hospital release her 58-year-old husband suffering from a hematoma, or blood clot in his head, citing her poor economic situation.
Medical experts showed a generally positive response to the court ruling. Some say it is better to stop the meaningless extension of life for an unconscious patient with no hope of recovery, given the burden on patients and families.
Religious circles remain cautious, saying "No human being has the right to end his or her own life." They worry that if any form of euthanasia is given a green light by the court, it could forge a society where people disregard life.
Adultery case
A high-profile adultery case involving a celebrity couple - Park Cheol and Oak So-ri - has rekindled the debate on whether to repeal the law criminalizing extramarital affairs.
The Korean penal code defines adultery as a crime punishable by up to two years behind bars. Last week, a lower court handed Oak a suspended sentence of eight months in jail.
The Constitutional Court ruled in October that the decades-old adultery law is constitutional, its fourth ruling upholding the law. The court pointed to the initial purpose of the law, which it says is to safeguard marriages - "the bedrock of society."
What is noteworthy about the ruling, however, is that there were more justices in the nine-justice court against the law than those in favor. Five justices ruled the law unconstitutional, but scrapping the law requires at least six to vote against it.
Since its enactment in 1953, a total of three rulings, excluding this year's, were made in 1990, 1993 and 2001. All of them were in favor of the law, saying that the protection of family values outweighs individuals' rights to make decisions about their sex lives.
Supporters of the law have argued that the law is a legal bulwark protecting family values in Korea which, they claim, has two-fold moral standards. Many believe that a man committing adultery is acceptable to an extent, but it is intolerable if committed by a woman, a legacy of Korea's long-revered Confucian values.
Before the nation was industrialized, women were wholly dependent on men's earnings, making marriage a crucial way for women to support themselves. But most modern women can now support themselves, making the adultery law increasingly obsolete, experts say.
Those against the law contend that it is inappropriate for the state to meddle in a person's sex life as it is an expression of emotion that cannot be legally stifled.
They also say the law has been abused as a means of revenge or to secure more alimony. Others argue the process of proving adultery cases has violated human rights.
By Song Sang-ho ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2008/12/24/200812240039.asp
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December 25, 2008
[HERALD INTERVIEW] YouTube star hopes to inspire others
In late 2005, a YouTube video showing a mysterious guitarist attracted huge attention with more than 7 million views. The man in the video played a difficult rock version of Pachelbel's Canon in a room with his face obscured by a baseball cap and sunlight pouring in behind him.
After eight months, an article in the New York Times finally revealed that he was Korean Lim Jeong-hyun who was studying at Auckland University in New Zealand. In the article titled "Web Guitar Wizard Revealed at Last," the reporter Virginia Heffernan wrote that Lim's virtuosity made him "find beauty in the speed and accuracy that the new internet world demands."
"The New York Times article was a trigger," recalled Lim, 25, who is currently in Seoul preparing for the next semester at Yonsei University as an exchange student.
"I had no intention to hide my identity. I just wanted to hide my ugly hair that day," he said with a smile. "I didn't know much about YouTube at that time and couldn't understand the situation that an ordinary person like me can be spotlighted that much."
The video was copied and posted on YouTube by a fan from a Korean music site where Lim originally uploaded it in October 2005.
After the revelation of his identity, he was interviewed by several international newspapers and television channels such as the Los Angeles Times, Reuters and CNN. As one of the site's most-viewed videos, Lim's guitar playing video is widely considered an early example of the social impact of YouTube and the viewing number is still growing - surpassing 53 million as of December.
Even though the comments and videos linked to the video are all about praise and admiration, he said he is more attracted by some harsh criticism on his fingering. "The main reason for my filming videos is to show my playing to people and listen from them," he said.
After first picking up a guitar eight years ago when he was a high school student, he is self taught - except for one month of lessons. It took three weeks for him to master the "Canon Rock," arranged by a Taiwanese guitarist Jerry Chang, which demands high dexterity.
Thanks to the popularity he gained through the YouTube video, he has held several concerts at home and abroad over the last three years, and released his first song "Mission," which was inspired by his tour around the world in 2007.
In November, his dream came true when he went on stage with Joe Satriani, the legendary American guitarist who played with the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. In preparation for YouTube Live, which featured a variety of YouTube celebrities, the concert organizer asked Lim to submit a list of musicians who he wanted to play with.
"Of course, on the top of the list was my favorite guitar master Joe Satriani. And they made it. It was a superb stage," Lim said, "I was a little nervous though. The concert was streamed live in San Francisco and Tokyo to the world. You never knew how many people were watching my performance."
On the stage he played a Korean Peninsula-shaped guitar with the country's national flag engraved on it. "I also wanted to introduce Korea to the world," he said.
So far, Lim has released four digital singles in Korea and is often asked to become a professional musician. But he has never thought about it. "I feel no need to choose one thing and give up another. I want to have a job related to my major, information science, and continue music. It will be great though, if it's about music," he said. "When I'm fully ready, I hope to release my regular album containing songs that I create."
"The most important thing that I can earn from my YouTube popularity is I have found my own color in everything. I have become much more confident and energetic.
"I feel great when people say they become interested in guitar or they start guitar again after watching my video. And more broadly I would like to be a person who can inspire other people, especially youngsters, to try new things and have a dream," he said.
By Lee Ji-yoon ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2008/12/25/200812250044.asp |
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December 24, 2008
[YEAR-END REVIEW (3) POP MUSIC] An over-produced, lackluster year in pop music
Much of 2008 was an uneventful year in music. Making good use of the recent nostalgic craze, boy bands were excavated from the rubble of the 90s, Mariah Carey scored her 18th number one hit, Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy," finally hit retailers after 17 years, and rapper Lil' Wayne sold a million records in a single week.
On the home front, the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival last July was a very British and very muddy affair. Six bands from the U.K. performed under heavy rain that turned the venue into a gigantic mud puddle, harkening back to the days of Woodstock. Domestic bands like Jaurim and Crying Nut played second fiddle to headliners Travis and Ellegarden.
The year also saw Korean music demigod Seo Taiji come out of retirement to present "Moai," the first single from his three-part "mystery project." The reclusive rocker used his regained popularity to kick start an ambitious concert that united him with renowned orchestra conductor Tolga Kashif, called "The Great Seo Taiji Symphony."
Kashif, who gained wide acclaim for his classical interpretation and arrangement of the music of Queen, presented new takes on Seo's past hits.
So popular was the concert, the promoters re-organized an encore performance later this December that was considered a success but didn't see the same attendance figures.
There were three major international artists who held concerts in Korea for the first time as well. Following "The Great Seo Taiji Symphony," the year's other high profile music event was legendary piano-rock singer-songwriter Billy Joel's first concert in Seoul at the Olympic Gymnastics Gymnasium. The Bronx singer was host to 17,000 fans - made up of two generations of the young and the old, revealing the broad age range of devoted Korean followers.
On the other end of the spectrum, legendary metal band Judas Priest held their first concert in Seoul in September. Korean fans well into their 40s relived their salad days as wild, head-banging metal heads. However, fans were critical of domestic promoters for organizing a heavy metal performance in a seated venue as opposed to a standing one.
English acid-jazz pioneers Jamiroquai also held their first ever concert in Korea at the Olympic Hall last November. Front-man Jay Kay performed mostly the band's mainstream hits of recent years, which disappointed many fans of their earlier, jazzier and funkier work from the early 90s.
As far as content of music in 2008 goes, there was an ugly trend the music industry rushed in - digitally enhanced vocals. Particularly in the case of several high-profile rap artists who embraced and in many cases abused the hack studio tool known as Auto-Tune. Hip-hop has moved away from the concept of two turntables and a microphone, and closer to relying heavily on ProTools and a laptop.
Though this sort of implementation of high-tech armchair production tools in music is nothing new, the likes of Kanye West and Lil' Wayne took it to new heights with their Auto-Tune dominated releases this year. What kind of trends the music industry will adopt next year, be it on the business side or the creative side, it will surely be more of the same.
This year also saw a lot of changes in the way consumers purchased music. While the use of the internet to obtain music is nothing new, it gained a stronger foothold this year with more consumers turning to online services such as iTunes.
Making these online options more attractive were special releases, bonus tracks and other extras to lure music lovers. The industry also saw a continuing decline of CD sales both domestically and internationally. But even as CD sales floundered, some labels and major acts made the head-scratching choice of releasing their albums through an exclusive retailer.
AC/DC, the aging hard rockers who emerged from an 8-year sabbatical, chose to release their much anticipated album "Black Ice" solely through Wal-Mart.
The superstore followed this up with an exclusive 3-disc summer release from arena-rockers Journey entitled "Revelation." While Wal-Mart targeted the classic rock market for the most part, reigning consumer electronics behemoth Best Buy lassoed the chance to be the exclusive retail distributor of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy."
While classic rock legends embraced such establishment-friendly outlets like Wal-Mart and Best Buy, other artists continued to explore the financial viability of internet distribution. Nine Inch Nails' front-man Trent Reznor pulled a Radiohead and released his band's latest album, "The Slip," online, while artists like Metallica, who fostered what many believed to be an anti-internet stance after the band had fought against Napster many years ago, heartily embraced the Web with their latest release, "Death Magnetic."
Deviating from the doom and gloom of the music industry, all music lovers can look forward to the next month of the new year when Korea host a slew of exciting concerts. Upcoming events include the Swell Season, formed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who garnered an Academy Award for best song for the feature film "Once," and the R&B sensation, Ne-Yo.
By Song Woong-ki ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEW ... 24/200812240046.asp |
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Korea, Japan, China Hold Culture Meeting on Jeju
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 17:22:33
The culture ministers of Korea, Japan and China arrived on Jeju Island Wednesday for a three-day meeting.
It抯 the second such meeting between the three countries and is aimed at strengthening cooperation in cultural exchange.
The meeting started on Wednesday with bilateral talks between Korea抯 Culture Minister Yu In-chon and his Chinese counterpart Cai Wu.
The two signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperating to promote the gaming industry and agreed to strengthen cooperation in tourism.
The ministers of all three countries will meet tomorrow to discuss issues such as the holding of a joint film festival and the establishment of an Asia-Pacific center for intangible cultural assets.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio
http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/ne ... &key=2008122423 |
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NEWS INDEX page 76
December 28, 2008: Kang Wins Grand Prize for KBS Entertainment
Dec 28: TV Strike Leading to Program Disruptions
Dec 29: Pop idols dominate the charts in 2008
Dec 25: Park Jin-young抯 Sexy Concert a Success
Dec 26: 揈ast of Eden |
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December 28, 2008
Kang Wins Grand Prize for KBS Entertainment
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
TV host Kang Ho-dong reacts
after receiving the Grand Prize
from KBS Entertainment Awards,
Saturday. / Yonhap
Former ssireum (Korean wrestling) champion and now popular television host Kang Ho-dong won the KBS Entertainment Awards Grand Prize Saturday.
The 38-year-old stood up as soon as he heard his name called and hugged his colleagues, including fellow host, friend and comedian Yoo Jae-suk. "Jae-suk, is it okay for me to accept this award?" Kang asked as he stood on stage for his acceptance speech. Yoo smiled from the audience and gave a thumbs up.
The two hosts and friends have been competing for the grand prizes major networks give out at their year-end events, and it was evident that Yoo was just as happy as Kang for his win. The competitions will continue with the SBS and MBC Awards next week.
"I would like the share the honor with my good friend Yoo, who has shown me what it takes to become a good host," he added.
Kang was given the award for his dedication as the main host in the hit program "One Day Two Nights," a favorite for its humor as its six hosts journey Korea, visiting village after village. "I made my debut on KBS in ssireum. Now, 20 years later, I have been given an award for entertainment. I am so grateful and not sure if I am even qualified," said Kang.
He wrapped up his speech by promising that he will continue with "One Day Two Nights" for another year.
Kang was a ssireum champion for three consecutive years from 1990. In 1993, he became a comedian through major network MBC and has now become one the country's most popular comedians and television hosts.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/12/178_36895.html |
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December 28, 2008
TV Strike Leading to Program Disruptions
Several Korean broadcasters are facing disruptions in their airing schedule, as a strike by media unionized workers against the ruling Grand National Party's move to revise media law entered its third day.
After unionized MBC workers walked off the job, the broadcaster's morning news show saw its running time cut and its evening current affairs program was replaced by another show.
Though senior MBC staff not belonging to the union are filling in for workers on strike, more programs are expected to face disruptions in the airing schedule.
Unionized workers at other broadcasters including SBS and CBS say they will join the strike, though the broadcasters have been airing programs as scheduled so far.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio |
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December 29, 2008
Pop idols dominate the charts in 2008
Wonder Girls were among the biggest artists
of the year.[JoongAng Ilbo]
In the Korean pop scene, 2008 was a banner year for popular boy and girl bands like Big Bang and Wonder Girls.
Big Bang抯 揌aru Haru (Day By Day) |
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December 25, 2008
Park Jin-young抯 Sexy Concert a Success
Singer/producer Park Jin-young is cited one of Korea抯 sexiest singers. When he抯 on stage, he expresses his sexuality in the most natural and intoxicating way. His latest concert entitled 揃ad Party |
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