asia song festival 2008

Asian Pop Stars to Gather in Seoul in October

Some 20 pop stars from 12 countries including Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines will gather at the 5th Asia Song Festival Oct. 3-5 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sangam, Seoul.

/ Courtesy of KOFICE

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Asian pop stars, such as TVXQ, w-inds and Fahrenheit, will shine in Seoul as the Asia Song Festival celebrates its 5th anniversary.

The 5th Asia Song Festival promises to be bigger and better, with three days of events from Oct. 3-5 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sangam, Seoul.

Organized by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) and Seoul Metropolitan Government, the festival gathers 20 pop stars from 12 countries including Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines on one stage.

The festival kicks off with a free concert featuring ``Best New Asian Artists'' Oct. 3 at the Peace Plaza at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Performers include Korean boyband SHINee, Japanese girl group Berryz Kobo, Yoga from Taiwan, Peck from Thailand, BX from Mongolia, Rynn Lim from Malaysia and Jocie Guo Mei Mei from Singapore.

On Oct. 4, big-name pop stars TVXQ, Fahrenheit and w-inds will perform at the main concert of the Asia Song Festival. It will be held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the World Cup Stadium.

TVXQ is once again Korea's representative at the Asia Song Festival, having performed in three of the last four festivals. The five-member group, whose popularity is soaring around Asia, is preparing for the release of their fourth album this fall.

Fahrenheit is one of the hottest boy bands from Taiwan. The group, composed of Wu Chun, Jiro Wang, Calvin Chen and Aaron Yan, has had two chart-topping albums since 2006. Fahrenheit members, especially Chun, are extremely popular around Asia for their roles in Taiwanese dramas such as ``KO One," ``Romantic Princess,'' ``Hana Kimi'' and ``Tokyo Juliet.''

W-inds is one of the most popular J-pop groups around Asia, having performed in Taipei, Shanghai and Beijing. Members Ryohei Chiba, Keita Tachibana and Ryuichi Ogata visited Seoul in 2006, after being invited to perform at the Mnet KM Music Festival awards show.

Other performers at the festival include Korean girl group Girls Generation, Hong Kong star Karen Mok, Anson Hu from China, Agnes Monica from Indonesia, Ho Quynh Huong from Vietnam, Ice from Thailand and Rivermaya from the Philippines.

``This event will grow into one brand that represents cultural exchange and cooperation within Asia in the near future. The Asia Song Festival is perfect for fostering stronger global competitiveness in the music industry,'' said Shin Hyun-taik, chairman of KOFICE.

Organizers expect 10,000 people from other countries to attend the concert, up from 4,000 last year.

Aside from the two concerts, there will be an Asia Music Industry Leaders Forum with top Asian music and entertainment executives at the Seoul Hyatt Hotel. There is also an Asian Pop Music Outdoor Showcase Oct. 3-5 at the Peace Plaza.

The Asia Song Festival has been steadily gaining interest since it started in 2003. Past performers included top Asian stars such as BoA, F4, Ayumi Hamasaki, Kelly Chen, Leon Lai, A-Mei, and Arashi.

People wishing to attend can download ticket vouchers from the festival homepage www.asf.or.kr (Korean only). The voucher will be exchanged for an actual ticket on the day of the concert, with picture ID verification.

Foreign nationals can apply for tickets by sending an e-mail to asf_ticket@hotmail.com by Sept. 12. The e-mail should include name, nationality, passport number, contact information, e-mail address and date of birth. It should be written in English, Chinese or Japanese.

The Seoul World Cup Stadium is located near World Cup Stadium Station Subway Line 6. For information, visit www.asf.or.kr.

is radio dead?

Is Radio Dead? Not at SFX Seoul

"Babel'' by Kim Seung-young is one of the sound art works at Sound Effects Seoul Radio 2008, which runs through Aug. 26. / Courtesy of SFX Seoul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Is radio dead? It depends on whom you ask. Many may no longer listen to radio since their ears are perennially plugged into their iPod, portable media players or DMB phones. But hop in a taxi and it's a different story, with drivers keeping updated on traffic and news via the radio.

According to the organizers of Sound Effects Seoul Radio 2008 (SFX Seoul), radio is definitely still alive and relevant.

``Radio is a presence in our lives. It's kind of like a soundtrack to our lives. Something that you don't know quite what to expect from, something always in the background and usually it is something that you don't pay attention to directly. …That's something similar to the way sound art is. Sound art is not an artwork that you can focus on. It is always affected by other sounds. There are a lot of parallels to that with radio. Radio is a medium for presenting sound art,'' Baruch Gottlieb, director and co-founder of SFX Seoul, told The Korea Times.

Sound art, which uses sound as a medium, has been gaining ground among young Korean artists in recent years.

Gottlieb and leading media art curator Yang Ji-yoon organized the first SFX Seoul last year to introduce sound art to the Korean audience by showing different media art works and performances.

Gottlieb said SFX Seoul, funded by the Arts Council of Korea, focuses specifically on radio art to ``explore the issues of public participation in media and performance art.''

``There's all kinds of sonic creativities using radio around the world that are not well known in Korea. So we wanted to have people access this kind of creativity through the radio. They don't have to go here (to the gallery) to access the works, they can just listen,'' he said.

SFX Seoul includes a temporary radio station, which is intended to be an extension of Japanese artist Tetsuo Kogawa's Mini-FM concept, wherein hundreds of people set up their own mini-radio stations in Tokyo.

The event also explores whether radio is still relevant in the age of the Internet. ``Why is it so important to broadcast? There are a few sides that are relevant. (Academic) Jonathan Stern says that one of the aspects of radio that makes it different from the Internet is that it is autonomous. While the Internet is tied up with servers and computers, Kogawa showed that with just $20 and a 9-volt battery you can broadcast to anybody within a kilometer. It has a very different presence from the Internet. Kogawa said radio is centripetal, not centrifugal, since it brings people together to the center,'' Gottlieb said.

There are other aspects of radio, such as its limitations, over-regulation of the frequency spectrum and professional standards, that still make it very interesting in the age of the Internet.

SFX Seoul's temporary radio station operates on the frequency 101.5 MHz FM from Art Space Hut, Hongdae. Since Aug. 5, Gottlieb and Yang have been broadcasting a bilingual radio show from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It uses a one-watt transmitter that broadcasts the signal only in Hongdae, but anyone can listen through the Web site http://sfx.yonsei.ac.kr.

On the show, they play new music and sound pieces, and interview Korean and foreign artists, indie singers and sound art experts from academia.

Yang and Gottlieb joked that running the temporary radio station has ``taken over our lives for the past week,'' but it has been enjoyable especially since people have been coming to Art Space Hut to watch.

``One of the things I love is during the broadcast there's a live audience. You can hear the laughing and clapping. Anyone can come in and watch. It is part of the installation. It's the living media part of the show,'' he said.

Aside from the radio show, the exhibition features sound and media art works by 30 artists from Korea and around the world. There are a handful of works on display at Art Space Hut, but most are found at the Croft Gallery in Pyeongchang-dong.

For more information, visit http://sfx.yonsei.ac.kr (English and Korean) or http://blog.naver.com/sfxseoul (Korean only).

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

haruki murakami

Murakami Reveals Life as a Runner

Competitors take part in the women's marathon in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, Sunday. Japanese author Haruki Murakami writes about his love of long distance running in his memoir, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.” / AP-Yonhap
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Haruki Murakami is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed novelists from Japan, with legions of fans around the world. He is also a serious runner who makes it a point to run one marathon a year.

Murakami shows his passion for running in his new book, ``What I Talk About When I Talk About Running'' (translated by Philip Gabriel). Described as a memoir, the work is a compilation of essays written between summer 2005 and fall 2006 while Murakami was preparing to run in the New York Marathon.

The book's title is taken from the late Raymond Carver's short story collection ``What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," with permission from Carver's widow.

Murakami said the new book is about ``my thoughts about what running has meant to me as a person." ``One thing I noticed was that writing honestly about running and writing and writing honestly about myself are nearly the same thing. So I suppose it's alright to read this as a kind of memoir centered on the act of running," he said in the foreword.

His life as a runner is inextricably intertwined with his life as a writer. He shares the exact moment when he first thought of writing a novel (1:30 pm on April 1, 1978, while watching a baseball game in Jingu Stadium). Imagine a young Murakami lying on the grass when a light bulb goes off in his head.

Murakami made it sound so simple, he went home and started writing. By fall, he finished writing his first piece ``Hear the Wind Sing," which won the new writer's prize of a famous literary magazine the following year.

Then he closed his jazz bar to focus on writing. Since writing is pretty much a sedentary activity, he took up running in fall 1982, and that's how he went from being a jazz bar owner who smoked 60 cigarettes a day to a full-time running novelist at age 33.

He takes readers to his training sessions in Kauai, Hawaii; Tokyo; and Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as to his numerous marathons and triathlons. One chapter is devoted to how he ran the ancient marathon route in Greece from Athens to Marathon under the scorching summer sun.

While he loves long distance running, Murakami doesn't recommend it. ``I think I've been able to run for more than 20 years for a simple reason: it suits me," he said.

He shares the life lessons he's learned from running, such as enduring pain and focus.

``Most of what I know about writing, I've learned through running every day. I know if I hadn't become a long distance runner when I became a novelist, my work would have been vastly different. How different? Hard to say. But something would have been different,'' he said.

Though he's been running for more than 25 years, Murakami, 59, shows no signs of slowing down. He admitted to a slump for a few years due to a bad case of ``runner's blues," but has since found renewed vigor for running.

``Long distance running (more or less, for better or worse) has molded me into the person I am today, and I'm hoping it will remain a part of my life for as long as possible. I'll be happy if running and I can grow old together. There might not much logic to it, but it's the life I've chosen for myself," Murakami said.

Writing in a self-deprecating manner, he knows he's not going to win the marathon but pushes himself to his limits. He wants his grave inscribed with the line, ``Haruki Murakami, Writer (and Runner): At Least He Never Walked."

``Until the feeling that I've done a good job in race returns, I'm going to keep running marathons and not let it get me down. Even when I grow old and feeble, when people warn me it's about time to throw in the towel, I won't care. As long as my body allows, I'll keep on putting as much effort ― perhaps even more effort, towards my goal of finishing a marathon," he said.

Runners should definitely pick up this book to read Murakami's contemplative thoughts about running. Fans of the reclusive author will have to content themselves with trying to glean insights about Murakami as a person in this slim volume. As for non-runners, his enthusiasm might even spur them to pick up a pair of shoes and start running.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

what i did in Gimhae

Architectural Ceramics Reborn in Gimhae

``Dragon Spiral" is an installation work by Japanese artist Takamasa Kuniyasu. The piece can be seen at the entrance of the Clayarch Gimhae Museum in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.

/ Courtesy of Clayarch Gimhae Museum

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

GIMHAE ― When you arrive at the Clayarch Gimhae Museum, you can't miss the huge dragon-like structure made of bricks and logs that looks like it is about to devour the ticket booth. This is ``Dragon Spiral'' by Japanese artist Takamasa Kuniyasu.

The striking dragon-like structure, made of 100-year old Chinese bricks and Korean wood, welcomes visitors to ``Architectural Ceramics ― Old'' exhibition at Clayarch Gimhae Museum.

Almost everywhere you turn at the museum complex, you'll find old and worn bricks, tiles, slates and other architectural ceramics salvaged from old homes and buildings in Korea and China, that have been transformed into new pieces of art.

``Architectural Ceramics ― Old,'' opened Friday and runs through Feb. 8, and is Clayarch Gimhae Museum's major exhibition for 2008.

Cho Seong-ja, the museum's curator, said the aim of the exhibition is to give a new perspective to architectural ceramics. ``The exhibit represents old materials transformed into modern artworks with new interpretation. It crosses the boundaries between art gallery and museum. It enables visitors to experience a sense of history and the artistic value of society,'' she said, during a press conference Friday.

The exhibit is divided into four sections: Old Architectural Ceramics, Re-definition of Old Architectural Ceramics, House-Shaped Earthenware and Photographs by renowned photographer Mark De Fraeye.

The section Re-definition of Old Architectural Ceramics showcases the works of six Korean
artists and four artists from the United Kingdom, France, Japan and the United States, who were invited to participate in a one-month workshop.

Cho said the artists were asked to produce new artworks using 100-year old architectural ceramics. ``The connection of ancient materials and modern art, as well as the interaction between artists from different countries, provide us with new perspectives to convey the theme of the exhibition,'' she said.

American sculptor Thomas Lauerman used tiles from China to make ``Hovercraft,'' whose shape he described as a mountain range.

``I was always interested in architectural styles and turning them into landscapes. I like taking something from the built environment and translating it into something that is more organic,'' Lauerman told The Korea Times.

Unlike the other artists who had one month, Jacques Kaufmann had only two weeks to complete his imposing work, ``Tuiles Flottantes'' (Floating Tiles) where he placed hundreds of pieces of arch-shaped tiles on top of each other.

``I was thinking what to do with the space because it is quite large. Then I saw the tiles. In the past, I also used granite. This stone is very strong and the tiles can also be strong. With a lot of quantity, I can make a big work. If you go near (the work), it looks heavy, but if you look at it from afar, it looks light,'' Kaufmann told The Korea Times.

Korean artist Kim Tae-gon took inspiration from Andong's well-preserved traditional architecture. He used the convex-shaped Andong roof tiles for the work ``Andong House,'' which features two stacks of roof tiles connected by white strings.

Around 1,000 artifacts mainly from East Asia between 5 B.C.and 19th century A.D. are displayed in the Old Architectural Ceramics section. Different kinds of tiles, bricks and ceramics sculptures are shown, highlighting the role of ceramics as a building material in ancient times.

``This presents a new way of approaching history and recognizing the form and decorative beauty of these ancient ceramics. Old architectural ceramics can provide a source of artistic inspiration in modern society,'' Cho said.

Around 81 Korean roof-end tiles on display were taken from the collection of Yoo Chang-jong, director of the Yoo Geum Museum of Roof-end tiles.

Another section shows De Fraeye's photographs of traditional houses, temples as well as landscapes in Korea, China, Japan, Tibet, Vietnam and Thailand. The Belgian photographer trained his lenses on these countries' architecture, which at first seem similar but have distinct characteristics.

``Recording Korea's traditional culture reveals the living style of the ancestors and provides us with the chance to look back on ourselves, who are already so ready to inhabit the style of Western housing,'' De Fraeye said.

The section on House-shaped Earthenware features 215 pieces, which were burial accessories made of baked clay. Shapes of the ceramic exhibits range from houses, gardens, and mills to warehouses and stables.

Clayarch Gimhae Museum is located in Jillye-myeon, Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. Visit www.clayarch.org or call (055) 340-7011.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Logic of Life

Economist Attempts to Show 'Logic of Life'

Tim Harford uses economic theories to show the rationality behind people's actions. / Courtesy of www.timharford.com
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Life can often feel out-of-control and random. How many times have you thought that people, situations and events don't seem to make sense?

Tim Harford, author of the best-selling book ``The Undercover Economist,'' shows how there is logic to the madness called life in his new book ``The Logic of Life.''

Here he applies economic theories, including game theory by John von Neumann and Thomas Schelling, to real life situations. He says economists are ``always looking for the hidden logic behind life, the way it is shaped by countless unseen rational decisions.'' He finds the logic behind poker, divorce, racism, crime and politics, as well as finds answers to burning questions like why your boss is overpaid.

``The argument of this book is first, that rational behavior is much more widespread than you would expect and crops up in the most unexpected places ― including the heads of oversexed teenagers; and second, that the economists' faith in rationality produces real insight. I believe that if you do not understand the rational choices that underlie much of our behavior, you cannot understand the world in which we live in,'' he said.

It does seem like a bit unbelievable to say that criminals are capable of making rational choices in life. But Harford says that even criminal minds still weigh the benefit of committing a crime with the risk of imprisonment.

``Criminals can be brutal and remorseless but many of them are far from indifferent from the `pains of imprisonment.' Prison, whatever its other costs, reduces crime because with a fearsome enough prison system, crime does not pay," Harford said.

Perhaps the chapter ``Why Your Boss is Overpaid'' will catch many office workers' attention, since it explains why co-workers backstab each other and why the ``idiot'' boss is being paid a fortune for sitting behind a big desk.

Economists have apparently found a way to explain the misery of office life through the ``tournament theory.'' In most offices, there is stiff competition among employees to get promotions and bonuses.

``Workplace tournaments encourage workers to sabotage one another and demand higher bonuses if success is largely a mater of luck. Evidence is mounting that tournament theory is the most convincing explanation of why work sucks, but it doesn't stop there. Tournaments also require increasingly absurd pay packages as workers get higher in the corporate hierarchy,'' he said.

If you're still wondering why your boss gets paid so much more for less work,
Harford adds ``the more grotesque your boss' pay and the less he has to do to earn it, the bigger motivation for you to work with the aim of being promoted to have what he has.''

Racism remains a hot button issue in the United States. Harford noted the prevalence of ``rational racism'' where employers use the average performance of an applicant's racial group as a piece of information to help them decide to hire the applicant or not.

Researchers Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan conducted an experiment to study racial discrimination. They responded to job ads, by mailing resumes with ``black'' and ``white''-sounding names. The results showed that resumes with white names received 50 percent more invitations for interview.

There seems to be a persistent bias against African-Americans, who are perceived as not as educated compared to whites. It would make sense for black kids to not study well, since they think they won't be given any good job opportunities anyway.

``Racism can be rational, meaning that while it is appalling, it is profitable for employers. Rational racism makes it rational for black kids to study less… This is a miserable story, but identifying problems is the first step towards establishing solutions,'' Harford said.

There are a lot of anecdotes throughout the book, but probably the most interesting was how Chris Ferguson, a doctoral student at University of California Los Angeles, became the World Poker champion. Ferguson applied von Neumann's game theory to the game of poker and figured out which hands to bluff with, how often to bluff, and so on. Using these results, he succeeded in beating some of the world's best poker players.

Harford says that while humans' rational behavior can backfire, like in racism and crime, the same rationality will help the human race survive the next million years.

As far as the logic of life goes, the book will offer some insights that will make you say: ``so that's why.'' Overall, Harford seems to have tried to stretch the topic too far, covering several disjointed topics. He also gives mostly anecdotal evidence and can be a bit heavy with the economic theories.

If you enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's ``Tipping Point'' and Stephen Dubner and Steven D. Levitt's ``Freakonomics,'' you will probably appreciate reading ``The Logic of Life.''

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

olympics mania

Olympic Mania Getting Stronger

People buy "Fuwa,” mascots of the Beijing Olympic Games, at a shop in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Tuesday. The Olympic souvenirs are selling briskly around China as the Games go on. / AP-Yonhap
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

The first week of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is over, but Olympic mania is only getting stronger. Turn on the television, and Olympic competitions are being shown in a seemingly endless loop. Newspapers and Web sites are flooded with Olympics news, photos and videos.

Multinational brands like Samsung, McDonald's and Coca-Cola have spared no expense with commercials reminding everyone that they are the official sponsors of the Olympics.

Other brands, even if they're not officially affiliated with the Olympics, have jumped on the bandwagon, coming up with limited edition products to commemorate the Games.

There's no escaping the Olympics at least for one more week. Until then, sit back, relax, watch the Games and ``buy" some Olympic spirit with special edition Olympics goods available at stores now.

Sports Gear

Sportswear giant Adidas is the official sportswear partner of the Beijing Games, providing outfits for over 3,000 athletes, 16 national committees, 214 country federations, as well as 100,000 volunteers and staff.



Adidas even produced a complete Olympic product range ``Made for Beijing'' worn by the athletes during the Games. This includes adiPure football boots, adiStar weightlifting shoes, adiStar Team Sole running shoe and TS Promodel Olympic basketball shoes, which feature the single layer ClimaCool Mesh, inspired by the National Stadium's ``Bird's Nest'' architectural feature.

``For the first time ever, this entire range will be available to consumers around the world, whether they are looking for the best performance product for their sport or simply the look of their favorite Olympic athlete,'' Adidas said.

Rival brand Nike is not an official sponsor, but is still getting a lot of attention. It designed the uniforms of the American basketball team and stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd are all wearing the Nike-gear.

Nike also launched the Rejuven8 shoe, described as breathable and comfortable, for the Nike athletes at the Olympics. The special edition version features Olympic ring colored liner on the soles, and comes with a shoe bag with a unique 8 Beijing logo.

Olympic T-Shirts

The five colorful ``fuwa'' Olympic mascots named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini are literally everywhere, from mugs to toys to shirts. The cute mascots are almost always on the official Beijing Olympic T-shirts.

If you don't fancy wearing T-shirts that scream Beijing Olympics, you can opt for Basic House's Olympic-inspired line of T-shirts.

Basic House, a casual clothing brand in Korea, introduced a line of ``Re-creating Korea: Hangeul Picto" T-shirts to commemorate the Olympics. They feature different Olympic sports, such as taekwondo, swimming, weightlifting, football and baseball, which were drawn using Hangeul characters. The shirts, which cost 14,900 won, are available in a range of summery colors.

Basic House may get a boost for its brand, since its model, swimmer Park Tae-hwan, already won a gold and silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Be stylish and patriotic at the same time by wearing Ralph Lauren's Flag Polo collection. Korean fans can get the Flag Polo shirt, which features the taegeukgi (Korean flag) on the front and the words Korea emblazoned on the back. It is available for men and women, and costs around 135,000 won.

Incidentally, Ralph Lauren specially designed the clean, preppy uniforms worn by American athletes during the Olympics opening ceremony. Team USA looked stylish and professional with their crisp navy blue blazers, white pants, matching neckties and white twill newsboy caps.

All the items worn by Team USA are from the Ralph Lauren Olympic Games collection. The navy and red striped silk necktie costs $115, while the Polo T-shirt with Beijing written in Chinese characters costs $125.

Luxury Brands

Luxury designer brands have come up with special edition items, some of which are inspired by Chinese culture, in honor of the Olympics.

The Games' official timekeeper Omega launched a series of limited edition watches a year ago, with launch dates corresponding with the countdown dates to the Olympics.

Combining glamor with sport, the Omega watches are available in numbered limited editions. The Omega Speedmaster 5-Counter Chronograph replicates the design of the Olympic rings, with the five counters indicating seconds, elapsed days, day of the week, chronograph hours and chronograph minutes. It is available in 18K red gold, 18k yellow gold and stainless steel.

The most sought-after watch would have to be the Omega Seamaster XXIX limited edition watch. Only 88 watches are being sold in selected stores in China from Aug. 8 to Aug. 24.

Italian luxury brand Prada came up with a series of colorful nylon tote bags, pouches, T-shirts and keychains to celebrate the occasion. All the items are decorated with extremely cute teddy bears playing Olympic sports like swimming, judo and hockey. The items cost from $180 for Prada T-shirts to $930 for the nylon tote bags.



Gucci came out with a special Beijing Olympics collection designed by its creative director Frida Giannini called ``8-8-2008 Gucci Limited Edition." The eight items include a stylish wristwatch, a red bicycle with leather detailing featuring the interlocking GG logo, a mahjong set covered in leather, red bags, sneakers and a leather panda bear.

The collection is designed in red, which symbolizes happiness. It also features the number eight, considered a lucky number in Chinese culture.

``Not only does red evoke `Happiness' and `Celebration' ― two emotions that couldn't be more appropriate to describe the excitement in the world of sports ― but it also happens to be a very fashionable color for 2008! I also designed just 8 products for this collection, which mirror the lucky number 8 in Chinese culture," Giannini said, in a statement.

The I-Gucci watch is the first digital watch designed by the high end brand. It combines Gucci's sleek design with sporty elegance. The red monochrome rubber strap is embossed with the Gucci logo on one side, and the GG pattern on the other.

Except for the I-Gucci watch which will be sold worldwide, the rest of the Gucci limited edition 8-8-2008 products are only sold at selected stores in China and Hong Kong.

Olympic Phone, USB

Samsung, an official sponsor of the Olympics, released a line of special edition Olympic phones. The stylish U900 Olympic Soul phones are designed with a 2008 Olympic logo on the back. Users can also use Olympic wallpapers, screensavers and other content, which are preloaded in the phone. Other features include a 5-megapixel camera with flash, video recording; touch-sensitive navigation panel, music player, email and 128 megabytes of internal memory. It is only available in Korea and retails for 699,600 won.

Chinese computer maker Lenovo came up with limited edition USB flash drives designed with Olympic logos and mascots. There's an USB flash drive made from the same material as the Olympic torch, and a set of six 4-gigabyte flash drives each featuring Fuwa and the Olympic logo.

Music

Get into the Olympic mood by listening to the official album for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games ``One World One Dream.'' Released by SonyBMG, the album features a mix of cheerful songs and heartfelt ballads by Westlife, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Backstreet Boys, John Mayer, as well as Chinese singers Sun Nan, Coco Lee, David Huang and Tan Jing.

Also included in the album is ``Light the Passion, Share the Dream,'' the official song for the Beijing Olympic torch relay, and sung by the contestants of the 2008 Miss World beauty pageant.

And if all this is too much, just grab one of those Big Mac set meals at fast food chain McDonalds to get an Olympic glass. It might be the only Olympic souvenir available for free.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

alicia keys concert review

R&B Superstar Alicia Keys Heats Up Seoul

R&B Superstar Alicia Keys perform at the Jamsil Gymnasium, located in the Olympic Sports Complex, southern Seoul, Thursday.

/ Courtesy of Sony BMG

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

R&B superstar Alicia Keys might have been late for her concert in Seoul Thursday evening, but her fierce performance more than made up for it.

Fans at the Jamsil Gymnasium, located in the Olympic Sports Complex, southern Seoul, impatiently waited for Keys to hit the stage at 8 p.m. Instead, K-pop singer Taeyang, a member of the popular group Big Bang, came out to keep the crowd entertained with two songs.

At around 8:30 p.m., someone announced over the PA system that Keys was still preparing for the show, garnering a few boos from the crowd.

however, by the time she came on stage at 9 p.m., the audience was ready to forgive her for the long wait. Fans screamed excitedly as Keys finally came appeared on stage, wearing a pair of fitted high-waist jeans and a blue tank top adorned with a diamond flower brooch. For an R&B diva, her stage outfit was somewhat simple but it soon became apparent that Keys did not need any flashy costumes or fancy stage sets.



Keys started belting out hit song after another, ``Go Ahead,'' ``You Don't Know My Name,'' ``Teenage Love Affair'' and ``Heartburn.'' The multi-Grammy Award-winning singer showed off her strong vocals to full effect, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

``Thank you, Korea. I'm so grateful to be here tonight. I'm so excited to share my music. I appreciate such a warm welcome here,'' she said. This was Keys' second time in Seoul, and she seemed to appreciate the crowd's passionate reception once again.

Keys, an accomplished pianist, made sure to sit down at the piano and play a few tunes. She brought a slice of New York's Spanish Harlem by performing a sultry, Spanish-tinged version of ``Karma.''

Keys had the audience in the palm of her hand. When she told the audience to snap their fingers as she sang the catchy tune ``How Come You Don't Call Me'' they unquestioningly obeyed.


K-pop singer Taeyang, a member of the popular group Big Bang, performs as a guest.``If you ever feel down, this song is for you,'' Keys said, before singing the inspiring song ``Superwoman.''

One of the highlights was Keys' duet with back-up singer Jermaine Paul, singing ``Diary'' and ``Tender Love.'' But she saved the best for last. As she sang the first lines of the hit song ``Fallin,'' everyone in the audience was screaming.

``You'll see me again. Thank you for welcoming me tonight,'' she said, as she exited the stage.

As the crowd screamed for an encore, Keys came back to sing her hits ``No One'' and ``If I Ain't Got You.''

After her one night concert in Seoul, Keys headed over to Japan, where she will perform at the Summer Sonic Rock Festival in Tokyo and Osaka this weekend.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

etpfest (not another rock festival)

Seo Tai-ji, ETP FEST Rock Seoul

Seo Tai-ji performs at the ETP FEST 2008 held at the Olympic baseball stadium Aug. 15 / Courtesy of ETP FEST
By Han Sang-hee, Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporters

The ETP FEST 2008 (Eerie Taiji People Festival) got off to a good start Friday, with a line-up featuring Korean groups Epik High, Clazziquai Project and Crying Nut.

Day 1 of ETP Fest started with performances by Korean indie acts Sunday Brunch, Swimmin Fish, Dr. Core 911, Sugar Donut, Transfixion and Schizo. Hundreds of fans didn't seem to mind the summer heat and crowds at the makeshift festival area in front of the Olympic baseball stadium, southern Seoul.

Things heated up when punk-rock group Crying Nut hit the stage. Their punk and ska-infused tracks had the audience jumping and pumping their fists in the air.

Popular hip-hop group Epik High went on stage at around 7 p.m. Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz kept the crowd's energy level high throughout their 30-minute performance.

Backed by a live band, Epik High showed why they're one of the most exciting hip-hop groups around. They performed the profanity-laced ``Flow,'' as well as songs from their latest album ``Pieces, Part One,'' namely ``Breakdown,'' ``Pencil Sharpener'' and ``One.''

``Korean athletes have been winning gold medals in the Olympics. But for us, you're the gold medal, '' Tablo told the crowd, who cheered loudly.

Everyone was jumping and screaming by the time Epik High performed their hit songs ``Fan'' and ``Fly.''

After Epik High, Japanese DJ Daishi Dance took control of the turntables on stage for more than an hour. He played infectious dance mixes that had many fans grooving, while others sat down on the pavement, just content to enjoy the cool summer night breeze.

Fans waited patiently for electronica group Clazziquai Project to come on stage. The group finally went on stage around 9 p.m., with DJ Clazzi on the turntables, while Alex and Horan provided the vocals.

Clazziquai performed remixed versions of their popular songs like ``Come to Me,'' and ``Be My Love.'' Alex and Horan's smooth and clear voices mixed well with the electronic music.

Alex, who gained popularity through the hit reality TV show ``We Got Married,'' said the group's performance at ETP Fest was quite special since it's been a long time since they performed together.

Clazziquai took the opportunity to perform an unreleased track ``Meet in Love,'' which had infectious pop and electronica beats.

Famous Japanese underground club DJ Shinichi Osawa finished off Day 1 of ETP Fest, by playing more club mixes that kept everyone dancing throughout the night.

Day 2

Day 2 of the ETP FEST 2008 continued with a rough start. The sky was a bit dark with the wind and trickles of rain, but fans were not to be deterred as they waited for the festival to start.

The second part of the festival was held inside the Olympic baseball stadium, on a stage that resembled a spaceship. More than 30,000 fans came to enjoy the rock event, some dressed in wacky costumes and wigs and others looking thrilled with anticipation.

Japanese rock group Yamaarashi was first to heat up the stage with their songs ``Headbang'' and ``Hands up.'' Vanilla Unity, Diablo, Death Cab for Cutie and Pia continued to rock the audience but during the set change for the next singer Monkey Majik, a firecracker was set off by accident, injuring an organizer, who was immediately rushed to hospital. Officials said that the accident occurred due to the sudden rain and carelessness. The accident delayed the concert for an hour.

Despite the accident, fans kept on cheering in the rain, some with umbrellas, but most in raincoats.

Maximum the Hormone and Dragon Ash continued with their powerful tunes, while The Used main vocalist Bert McCracken rocked with fans in the pouring rain.

By the time it was Seo Tai-ji's turn to appear on stage, the fans all inched closer to the stage, shouting out his name even before the stage was ready. Fans started to scream as the lights dimmed. Seo made a special entrance; standing inside a clear capsule that was lowered from the ceiling. By the time he was standing on stage and singing his new single ``Moai,'' the audience was jumping and pounding their fists in the heavy rain.

``Welcome to ETP FEST. I am so happy tonight. It's a night that will be hard to forget,'' Seo said to the yelling fans.

The singer sang ``Take 4,''``Internet War'' and ``Live Wire'' among others, and the crowd, which had doubled in number by his appearance, sang along with him, some in tears and many of them not missing one word.

``We have had so many memories together for the past 16 years. I can feel those 16 years passing by me right now. The concert is coming to an end now, and I hope you have a great time,'' he added between songs.

Marilyn Manson appeared as the final performer. Shouting ``Korea!'' several times, Manson showed up dressed in a black skirt and top, complete with his trademark goth make-up.

Holding a microphone that resembled a knife, Manson ran around the stage, singing songs like ``The Dope Show,'' ``Rock is Dead,'' ``Beautiful People'' and ``Mobscene.'' Fans rocked with the singer, who rolled on the stage floor, shouting and screaming out the lyrics of his hard-core heavy metal works.

The festival finally came to an end long after midnight, with Manson singing several encores. Being a holiday with public transport cut early, the exhausted yet happy-looking fans had to wait in a long line for taxis to get home. Despite an injury, a delay and other technical problems, however, the ETP FEST 2008 proved once again that rock was indeed a universal language.

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr