Latest news with #Song
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Will Korea's barely-there stand-up scene stir to life?
Netflix tried to launch stand-up comedy in Korea years ago. Here's why it didn't work and why it might work now When Netflix launched its first Korean stand-up special in 2018, the strategy seemed solid. The plan was to sign big-name comedians, tap into their star power, and introduce local audiences to a genre that had taken off in the US. But the jokes didn't land. The debut, 'Yoo Byung-jae: Discomfort Zone,' received a lukewarm response. The follow-up specials, 'Park Na-rae: Glamour Warning' in 2019 and 'Lee Su-geun: The Sense Coach' in 2021, didn't perform any better. None generated the kind of buzz Netflix had hoped for. By 2022, the company had quietly backed away from stand-up in Korea. At the time, Yoo Ki-hwan, Netflix Korea's director of content, said, 'The genre just wasn't familiar to Korean viewers.' But comedians now helping shape Seoul's emerging stand-up scene believe the problem wasn't the audience. They say it was the lack of an ecosystem. Stand-up ecosystem: Small clubs, open mics and live audience feedback In the US, stand-up routines are sharpened in small clubs over years of trial and error. Jokes are tested live, rewritten and tested again. In Korea, the comedians featured on Netflix had almost no experience performing stand-up in front of a live audience. What ended up on the screen were essentially rough drafts. 'The problem was showing untested jokes to the public,' said Song Ha-bin, a regular stand-up performer at Meta Comedy Club in Seoul. 'The best material gets shaped onstage. You have to bomb a few times to find what works.' Kim Dong-ha, another Seoul-based comic, put it this way: 'Just because someone is a comedian doesn't mean they're built for stand-up. It's like assuming a soccer player can jump into a basketball game.' At the local comedy club Meta Comedy Club in Hongdae, performers like Song, Kim and Lee Je-gyu now follow the American model of development. The club hosts shows five nights a week, giving comics a space to try new material in front of real crowds. 'You write something funny, try it in a small room, see what works and cut what doesn't,' Lee explained. 'Then you do it again. And again.' That process seems to be paying off. Online success and its limits Comedians are sharing the bits that work online, and many of those clips are going viral. One of Song's recent routines, about men reluctantly tagging along with their girlfriends to Olive Young, a popular Korean cosmetics chain, has racked up more than 2.4 million views on YouTube. 'The jokes we upload weren't written in one sitting,' Song said. 'They've been shaped by real reactions. Now people laugh online, and then they want to see it live. So they come to our shows.' The comics say they've seen a gradual but real shift in how audiences respond. 'When we started, a lot of people didn't even know what stand-up was,' Song recalled. 'We used to hear things like, 'You can't joke about that in Korea' or 'This format just doesn't work here.' But now, people are more open.' Jang Su-yeon, an office worker in Seoul, is among those Koreans warming up to the genre. 'From time to time, I've come across American stand-up clips with Korean subtitles on YouTube,' she said. 'For a while, it was mostly Korean American comedians, but lately I've been seeing more from white comedians.' She was referring to Matt Rife, whose fan-run YouTube channel, created by a Korean viewer, has more than 90,000 subscribers, with its most popular video clip garnering over 6 million views. 'Honestly, I started watching them because they seemed like a fun way to study English. And over time, I think I got used to the rhythm and style,' she added. Naver blogger Yazidor also shared a similar experience. She and her boyfriend started watching American stand-up clips on YouTube shorts, eventually leading them to attend a live show at the Artzit Comedy Club in Seoul. "Two hours had flown by because we were laughing so much," she wrote. "If you're into stand-up comedy, I definitely recommend seeing it live." Banking on growing signs of acceptance for live comedy, comedian Song is now dreaming bigger. He says he wants to help build a genuine stand-up culture in Korea. 'I want to hear people say, 'Let's go to a comedy show after work,'' he said. 'That's the vibe we're working toward.' Still, challenges remain. Lee noted that many younger Koreans prefer to watch comedy online rather than attend live shows. 'Setting aside time, going to a specific venue, buying a ticket and being expected to drink — that whole model can feel like a barrier for younger audiences who are used to consuming content online and are less tied to Korea's drinking culture,' he explained. 'For now, that (online-to-offline flow) actually works in our favor. But looking ahead, we need to start thinking about how to make live comedy more accessible to them (offline).' ssh@
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Celine Song On ‘Materialists': ‘I Really Believe That Love Is A Miracle When It Happens'
Past Lives director Celine Song is back with what already feels like an all-time classic romantic drama, Materialists. 'Materialists' directed by Celine Song Song's feature debut and critically acclaimed Past Lives earned many awards and countless nominations in 2023, including a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars. With Materialists, which features a stellar cast including Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, Song cements her work in the tradition of classic romance films by legendary filmmakers such as Nora Ephron or James L. Brooks. Song shot Materialists in 35mm which, combined with her precise and elegant writing, gives the movie a classy and comforting atmosphere. In her new film, Song questions modern dating and the impact that money -and therefore the lack of- can have on romantic relationships. I caught up with Song who was in Paris, at the Champs-Elysées Film Festival, where she was presenting Materialists to the French audience. Paris and New York can be regarded as twin cities to a certain extent and many romance movies have been shot in the city of love in the past, so I asked the filmmaker if she might consider shooting a future project in Paris. She said, 'Oh my God! That's so sweet! I mean Paris is such an inspiring city, I feel like I would love to make something here, that sounds so amazing. I know the French crew is so strong, and cinema is such a powerful center here, so I would love that, that sounds so fun!' She added: 'I was thinking about sharing Materialists here last night, and it's kind of the same concerns in the way that we have to be both so romantic and cynical just to survive here. Like, to live in a city like New York and I can imagine Paris, you have to believe that it's your home and there's so much romance in it, but it's because it's so hard to live here. The quality of living is so low, and it is so hard to pay rent, so you have to believe in the dream. Living in New York is a dream, but to survive there you also have to be realistic and practical and cynical too. So, that's why I think New York was the perfect setting for Materialists, and sharing it with the Paris audience, there are so many things that resonate here because there are twin cities.' In Materialists, Johnson portrays Lucy, a New York matchmaker who finds herself in a love triangle when she meets Harry (Pedro Pascal), a charismatic and successful man. The same night, she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, John (Chris Evans), an aspiring theatre actor. Celine Song, Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans while filming 'Materialists' Lucy sees love and marriage as a 'business transaction' and as the logical consequence of non-negotiables, such as height, age and income. In Lucy's job, all these data must be taken into account to satisfy her client's needs. And when a date doesn't go as planned for her clients, Lucy has a motto, 'Upward and onward.' There's no time to dwell or feel sorry for oneself, life goes on and so does the dating market. 'So much of the movie is about how much we objectify each other and ourselves. And one of the most important lines in the film is 'I'm not merchandise, I'm a person.' So part of this 'Onward and upwards' is the way that we are always being asked to think about ourselves as an object that has value, and we always have to improve our value. So it's a corporate language, but we're talking about a personal, romantic rejection. And when Lucy says that, she's trying to turn it into a corporate idea,' Song told me. When a movie mentions money a lot, things can soon start to feel very pragmatic, cold, and anti-romantic. However, Song's writing of those themes, especially through Lucy's point of view, which is her fear of being stuck in a relationship where money might become a problem, manages to create the most romantic lines and scenes in the movie. Song said, 'I feel like it's about the way we introduce the language of money, which is very cold. So the most romantic lines in this movie, and it's only possible because the movie is called Materialists, are lines such as 'Deal' or 'How would you like to make a very bad financial decision?' Those lines feel like they could be from The Wolf of Wall Street, but the truth is that, of course they are the most romantic lines in the film. So much of it is about the acceptance of it, how much this language has become a part of the way we talk about love.' We then talked about how much the characters in the film mention money, compared to how very little French people talk about money, especially during a date. Song said, 'We think about the fact that it is impolite to talk about money, and I always have to ask the follow up question, 'Who is it impolite for ?'' For the director, people might regard this topic as impolite because they don't want to reveal themselves with numbers. She added: 'We should talk about that thing that is a little bit taboo, like it's not really polite in the U.S. either, but because of how much economic pressure everybody is under, even the taboo things are out. Lucy offers it openly, she's like 'I make $80K a year!' And what that does, is that it put us in a position where we have to accept that we either make more than her or less. And the truth is most of us make less.' But what about true love? True connection? Those are the questions Song tries to answer regarding modern dating. Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal She said, 'This is something I learned while I was working as a matchmaker. Something that I was really shocked by is that behind closed doors, in a way that they would not speak of, in front of anyone else, clients were telling me all the numbers that they wanted and that were their non-negotiables like height, weight, age, income. There's a very specific way that people say 'I will not date somebody who is over 30.' Or 'I will not date somebody under 6 feet tall.'' She added: 'But what happened? Dating was supposed to be a game we all played in the pursuit of love. I had just got married, and it seemed to me that love or even marriage had nothing to do with these numbers. If I ask my husband, 'Why do you love me?' I don't think he will say a single number.' For Song, love 'won't have anything to do with numbers, it will always be simpler.' She added: 'It's about the way we are animals, and we are beyond numbers. In the middle of all that, we're going to completely lose sight of what it is like to actually have a proper connection and have a proper miracle happen. Because I really believe that love is a miracle when it happens, and it's mysterious as a miracle, and it's an ancient mystery.' In recent interviews, Song mentioned that she does not believe in love at first sight, but in love at first conversation. Watching Materialists, I saw Pascal's character, the 'Unicorn' as Lucy's love at first sight and Evans' character as love at first conversation. When one of Lucy's client is assaulted during a date, the only person Lucy wants to talk to is John, even though she is dating Harry. She calls her ex-boyfriend in tears, while he sits on the ground, listen to her and is simply there for her in the moment. I asked Song about the writing of this scene, and particularly the heartache and longing that emanates from that moment. She said, 'Harry and Lucy, they do in a way, fall in love at first conversation, but as business partners, right? When you think about the way that they meet, and Harry undresses her and her job, to really assess her value as a working person, that really speaks about the way the two of them connect. And of course, with Lucy and John, what you realize is that there are a couple of kids or something. There is a part of that where there is no reason, it's 'I just like hearing your voice, I just like talking to you and that's it. I don't have anything to offer beyond that. But when I think about you, I just want to spend time with you. I just know I could do this forever.' So it's a very different thing, but it's the only thing.'' Song added: 'When Lucy says, 'Love has to be on the table,' sometimes, the response to my movie is 'I am single, are you saying that in order for me to not be single, I have to lower my standards?' and my response is that I would never ask anyone to lower their standards when it comes to a thing that you are entitled to. And the thing that you are entitled to, it's not height, it's not weight, it's not age or income. The only thing that you're entitled from the person who loves you, is that they love you. Love is the only thing you're entitled to from the person who loves you.' Song shared how concerned she is that love or the idea of a romantic relationship and the value of it all might be questioned. She said, 'I feel like the value of love is constantly questioned in the way that no one seems to question the value of a Birkin bag. No one seems to be asking 'Why does this bag cost five times someone's salary? How can that be?' No one asks that question, but the thing that people are constantly wondering is 'Well, is love even worth it?' And to me that's the most heartbreaking thing. And I think, the way we're moving away from love is the way we are moving away from being humans. That's why the line 'I'm not merchandise, I'm a person' is such an important line in the film. And it's a line I'm always going back to.' 'Materialists' In Past Lives, Song wrote about the Korean term 'Inyeon', which is a word used to describe providence, fate and the connection we have with each other, even with a stranger on the street. So are Lucy and John each other's 'Inyeon'? During a gorgeously shot and perfectly paced sequence where Lucy and John crash a wedding, they start dancing to Baby Rose's original song for the film, That's All. The connection between the two characters is so palpable and we are so completely immersed in this romantic scene that we almost forget that it's not actually their wedding. 'Oh my God, Baby Rose is the best! What a completely romantic song, you know, it's just that, 'That's all!'' Song also explained that she wanted to ask the question, 'What is love worth?' She said, 'The less we talk about it, the less we're gonna feel like human beings and that's when we start losing our value, just like love is. That, to me, is really the impulse behind this movie.' She added: 'A person might be able to experience the miracle, which is to love someone. The movie is so much about the objectification and qualification of each other. And what we know about the objectification of a human being, is that it's always going to be dehumanization. That's also connected to what Harry does to his body. That's just something I really wanted to talk about, I'm very concerned about it, and it's worthy of a conversation.'
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
New Method For Writing And Preserving Messages On Ice Discovered: Research
The extremely low temperatures in the icy Arctic and Antarctic areas often limit devices that require a lot of energy, making communication difficult. Scientists from China, Korea, and the Czech Republic have discovered a new method for writing and preserving messages: making patterns of air bubbles trapped in ice sheets. A study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science, describes how the Beijing Institute of Technology researchers used the mechanics of bubble formation to encode brief messages in ice. Their method is based on controlling the size, shape, and placement of air bubbles that occur when water freezes naturally. This unconventional technique uses ice-trapped air bubbles to create different bubble forms that can be used to encode messages in binary or Morse code, per the New York Times. The concept of bubble messages was inspired by the air bubbles that naturally develop in glaciers. The researchers looked into the dispersion of bubbles in ice to find a simple method of communicating and storing information for extended periods of time. Tiny air pockets, or bubbles, are created inside the ice when water freezes, because it forces out dissolved gases. The researchers employed a unique arrangement, placing a tiny layer of water on a chilly plate between two sheets of transparent plastic. It was discovered that they could produce particular bubble patterns, each of which represented a portion of a coded message, by carefully regulating the freezing process. Several layers were produced, some with and some without bubbles, by varying the freezing speed. The properties of each layer became the fundamental units of communication. Clear ice looks dark, whereas bubbly areas appear white due to the way air bubbles scatter light. The hidden message is revealed when a computer software analyses the image, finds the bubble patterns, and converts them back into binary or Morse code. Author Mengjie Song stated that using trapped air bubbles to convey and store messages is more secret than using paper documents and requires less energy than telecommunication in naturally cold areas. "These ice messages can be preserved for a long time, and the messages they carry are easy to visualise and read," Song added. The researchers agreed that much more work needs to be performed to make such applications possible. The group intends to further study bubble creation in three-dimensional environments and look into how gas type and concentration affect bubble ice properties.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Years of experience, refining skills put head of new restaurant in China in Michelin's spotlight
BEIJING (China Daily/ANN) -- Chef Zeng Donghai is no stranger to receiving accolades from such as Michelin, Black Pearl and Forbes Travel Guide. For 14 years, he participated in building Jin Sha restaurant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and helped it grow into a mainstay in the fine dining scene. But stepping into the spotlight as executive chef of the Song Chinese restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel, Hangzhou Center, and receiving his own Michelin star was a novel experience for the 38-year-old. At last month's Michelin award ceremony in Hangzhou, Zeng found himself in the limelight for the first time. Zeng joined the Song restaurant team last year to prepare for its opening. In less than a year, the restaurant earned Michelin recognition. "To receive a Michelin star so soon was a surprise. The starting point of this new restaurant is incredibly high," he says. "But the honor belongs to the whole team." Achieving a Michelin star serves as both validation and motivation for Zeng and his team. While the accolade brings a surge of new guests eager to try the restaurant, it also accelerates its development pace. "We hoped to take things slowly, one step at a time," Zeng reflects. "But now, after winning this award, we can't pause but must move forward." The star is a testament to his years of hard work. Born in Xinyang, Henan province, Zeng spent his summer vacations in Hangzhou as a child, where he helped his parents run a breakfast stall. Later, when he decided to become a chef, he settled in Hangzhou, where he has lived for over 20 years. In 2010, during Jin Sha's preparation phase, he joined the team and met Head Chef Wang Yong. Over the next 14 years, he grew alongside Wang, rising from kitchen supervisor to second-in-command chef, becoming Wang's trusted right-hand man. Leading a team of 40, he helped maintain the restaurant's reputation through innovative dishes, consistent quality, and impeccable service. "Fine dining in Hangzhou is fiercely competitive," Zeng says. "The restaurant's success comes from innovating its signature dishes and delivering them at the perfect temperature." Last year, the preparations for the new restaurant officially began, presenting him with the opportunity to manage a brand-new restaurant. After consulting with Wang, Zeng chose to dedicate the new restaurant to Ningbo (Zhejiang province) cuisine. With extensive experience in broader Jiangsu province and Zhejiang styles, he narrowed his focus and deepened his expertise by exploring Ningbo's distinctive flavors and ingredient-driven approach. Ningbo cuisine is renowned for highlighting the natural tastes of high-quality seafood and local produce, giving the dishes a subtle balance between simplicity and sophistication, according to Zeng. Standing in Song's unfinished kitchen in May last year, his mindset had evolved from when he first walked into the still-under-renovation Jin Sha kitchen 14 years earlier. He felt a greater sense of responsibility. "I thought, this might be my battlefield from now on," he recalls. Trial operations began in August. From that moment until the Michelin star announcement, Zeng never took an extended break, maintaining a constant state of tension and determination to present his best at the new restaurant — and he succeeded. The menu is constantly evolving. Almost every month, he travels to Ningbo to learn about the freshest seasonal ingredients and authentic cooking methods. Then, he reinterprets them to create refined dishes that are true to Ningbo's flavors but with modern flair. Freshly caught fish arrive in Hangzhou within two hours by car. He strives to bring the freshest ingredients to his table while applying years of culinary experience and cooking techniques from across the country to bring out the best flavors. Eighteen Cuts is a traditional Ningbo dish that showcases the region's freshest red crab roe. Zeng makes it a standout by precisely cutting female mitten crabs into 18 pieces, carefully removing the gills, heart and stomach, and slicing each leg into eight segments, ensuring each bite carries the rich crab roe. Marinated in a secret sauce and served chilled, the dish delivers a fresh, fragrant and silky sweetness. Zeng explains, "I made some adjustments to the sauce to enhance the pepper flavor" — his way of adding a twist to a classic. Another signature dish that captures attention is Da Hong Pao Crispy Pigeon Leg. Named after the famous Sichuan peppercorn da hong pao, this dish reinvents the familiar pigeon by deboning half the bird, with the exception of the breast, wrapping the meat in its leg skin, and meticulously sewing it back together. Fried to golden perfection, the leg becomes plump, revealing tender, juicy meat inside. Paired with handpicked da hong pao, the dish bursts with intense aroma and a tingling spiciness that excites the palate. The contrast between the crisp skin and succulent meat exemplifies Zeng's mastery of balancing flavors and textures. A foodie influencer, under the username Peter Pan on social media platform Xiaohongshu, praises Eighteen Cuts: "The sauce is not as salty as the traditional Ningbo version, but it carries a gentle sweetness typical of Jiangnan cuisine. The fleeting spice and wine notes are the soul of the dish." Jiangnan refers to the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. He also highly recommends the pigeon leg: "The skin is as smooth and glossy as hot maltose candy shaped into a bulb and solidified. The moment your teeth touch the skin, it cracks in a chorus while chewing. Every step, from oil drizzling, deboning, marinating, and unsewing to serving it at the perfect temperature so the juices don't burn your mouth, is strictly controlled. "This leg is not unlike undergoing orthopedic surgery followed by cosmetic surgery. It is worth a Michelin star on its own," he adds. Achieving a Michelin star has fueled the entire kitchen and service team's passion at Song. Manager Wang Yani, 35, who has worked in Shanghai, Beijing, and Chiang Mai in Thailand, joined the restaurant during its construction phase. "Over the past year, the team and I have been continuously learning about Ningbo cuisine from Chef Zeng to better introduce the cuisine and his cooking philosophy to our guests," Wang Yani says. "Zeng is a perfectionist and talented head chef. We often don't need to use words because he understands immediately. His longtime kitchen experience shows," she adds. "He rarely takes breaks. Even when he does, he's still working — looking for ingredients, checking utensils, seeing what might suit the restaurant. He treats it like his treasure and always wants to present the best to our guests," she says. Before joining Song restaurant, Zeng enjoyed riding motorcycles and exploring mountains with friends. But since becoming head chef, he sold his bike and fully devoted himself to his craft. This new role brings pressure but also great rewards as Zeng moves among diners and asks for their feedback. Watching the restaurant steadily find its rhythm and grow brings him deep satisfaction.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Brenda Song reveals Disney tried to stop her from filming ‘The Social Network'
Brenda Song is opening up about the challenges she faced transitioning from child star to serious actress, revealing that Disney once prevented her from pursuing key film roles. Speaking at the 2025 Bentonville Film Festival, where she received Variety's Virtuoso Award, Song reflected on her career and the lasting legacy of her Disney Channel role as London Tipton on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Despite her comedic success, Song said she wasn't allowed to audition for Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino due to a sexual assault scene involving her character. Later, when she was offered a role in David Fincher's The Social Network, Disney again hesitated. Song took her case directly to then-president of Disney Branded TV, Gary Marsh. 'I told him, 'I am an actor. This is the opportunity of a lifetime,'' she recalled. Ultimately, Disney approved the role—a turning point that changed her career. Song also shared stories from her early years in Hollywood, including stealing wardrobe items from the Suite Life set and taking home a massive portrait of her character, which now resides in the home she shares with partner Macaulay Culkin. Reflecting on representation, Song noted that she lacked Asian-American female role models growing up but credited Ming-Na Wen and Michelle Yeoh as inspirations. Now a mother and veteran actor, Song is proud of how far she's come. 'It was hard being an Asian-American actress in Hollywood. But I was lucky to have support,' she said. The Bentonville event also featured Song performing with Geena Davis and Culkin in gender-swapped scenes from The Producers and Stranger Things.
