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Art and Culture

And now it's time for our arts and culture segment with Michelle Kim. Today, she'll give us a preview of two new albums and an upcoming concert.

Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what do you have for us today[Reporter : ] Rock band Ddeugeoun Gamja and the R&B trio Urban Zakapa have new albums out and I'll give you a sneak peek, along with a concert that's happening a week from Sunday.

The rock band Ddeugeoun Gamja is back with its fifth studio album after a hiatus of 4 years.
Its fifth album, "Who Doesn't Like Sweet Things", offers 6 new songs, as well as remakes of the songs "Bless Me" and "Yeoido's Flowers are Lucky".
The band's name, Ddeugeoun Gamja, means "hot potato" in English, and the band tends to sing songs about things that make people feel warmth and happiness.
The band's frontman Kim C sings in a style that's more like speaking than singing and his vocals are underscored by the band's signature folk rock melodies.
R&B trio Urban Zakapa has had a recent boost in popularity that's seen their first album shoot into the top five more than a year after the album's release.
Now they're back with a second album called "02" that features some of the trio's same sweet lyrics, calm melodies and beautiful harmonies from the first album in 12 new songs about love.
The album also contains each of the member's solo songs as well.
"No Love" is sung by Jo Hyun-ah, "Fly Away" by Park Yong-in, and "Vanity" by Kwon Soon-il.
On the live music scene, indie singer Taru, singer-songwriter RossyPP, and singer Romanticmelody Chobi will come together for a concert called Sound Rush Volume 4 at Prism in Hongdae on the 18th of the month.

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You know, I'm not familiar with either of the bands you just mentioned. Could you tell us more about them[Reporter : ] I sure can. Ddeugeoun Gamja has two people, Kim C and Ko Bum-joon, both of whom draw on their own lives to create their music.
Urban Zakapa is an indie band that's gained recognition through word of mouth. I am a huge fan of their music and I've been listening to the new album on repeat. The three singers' voices go so well together, making their songs very pretty and easy to listen to.

Well, I'll have to listen to both albums. And now moving on, what else do you have for us[Reporter : ] Ang Lee's newest film "Life of Pi" will be released early next year, but the excitement is already building. Take a look at this for a short preview of the film.

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee was in downtown Taipei yesterday to promote his first 3-D film, "Life of Pi", which is based on the novel of the same name by Yann Martel.
Lee, who was born in Taiwan and is best known for directing films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain", was accompanied by Suraj Sharma, the film's young star.
The film tells the story of a young man who is is thrust onto an epic 227-day journey adrift in the ocean with a Bengal tiger after being the only person to survive a shipwreck.
Although the book is geared more toward adults, Lee believes that the novel also carries an important message for young people.

[Interview : Ang Lee, Director] "I think young people, especially in their teenage years, are just starting to think about why humans exist, just starting to feel rebellious and want independence, and just departing from their innocent years. After testing everything that is innocent, I think young people could be more sensitive to spiritual lessons than us".

More than 70 percent of the movie was filmed in Taiwan, and Lee said he was appreciative of all the support and help he received there.
"Life of Pi" open on November 21st in the U.S. and Taiwan and opens in Korea on January 3rd.

Ang Lee is such an amazing director and I've enjoyed most of his works, so I'm really curious about what this film will be like. What can we expect[Reporter : ] Well, the reviews have been absolutely amazing, with movie critics like Todd McCarthy from "Hollywood Reporter" saying that it is a "gorgeous and accomplished rendering of the massive best-seller" and Jordan Hoffman from "Film.com" saying that "There isn't a dull moment in the film, and there are about 300 worthy of a 'wow'."
From what I can tell, it will probably be one of the best 3-D films to date and I have to marvel at how Lee was able to put all of the details from the book into the film without overdoing it.

Definitely sounds like a must-see film and it could even be a contender for an Oscar next year. And now to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] That's right. Next week, Ulala Session, Band Toxic and Caddo Project will perform in concert together. 4Men will perform 11 concerts in December, and YB and Leessang have joined forces to hold two concerts later that month. Here are the details.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features 3 events.

Ulala Session, Band Toxic and Caddo Project will perform together in a concert at the Gyeonggi Arts Center on November 17th. The bands play music ranging in genre from dance, to ballad, to rock, which is likely to bring a wide spectrum of music lovers together.

4men will perform a series of concerts to celebrate the end of the year. The series runs from December 21st to 31st at Sogang University's Mary Hall. The trio will be singing their greatest hits, as well as songs from their newest album "Sorry" that was released on the 28th of last month.

Rock band YB and hip-hop duo Leessang will perform together at KyungHee University's Grand Peace Hall on December 23rd and 24th. The two groups have created, organized and produced the concert themselves.

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

NOV 08, 2012

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr

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