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Art and Culture

It's finally Friday and our Michelle Kim is here to give us updates on arts and culture events coming up this weekend over the Chusok holidays.
And I hear she has news about a new book being release and a concert tour by one of K-pop's hottest idol groups.
Hello, Michelle.

[Reporter : ] Hello, Conn-young.

So what do you have for us today[Reporter : ] I'm sure most of you have read at least one of the Harry Potter books. The Harry Potter phenomenon may have come to an end, but the billionaire celebrity author behind the popular series, JK Rowling, is back at it.
She's released a newest book, this time targeted towards adults.

Book stores in London opened early yesterday to get ready for the crowd of people wanting to buy "The Casual Vacacy", the newest book written by JK Rowling. Her fans in the U.S. have already started reading the highly anticipated novel, as the print run in the United States alone is reported to be two million copies.
The anticipation is understandable, as one of her previous novels, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" set a record for being the fastest-selling book in history, and all seven of her Potter books have sold a combined 450 million copies worldwide.
Her newest novel, "The Casual Vacacy", is set in a small English town called Pagford, and Rowling ventures far away her comfort zone of the Harry Potter series.
The book tackles themes of drug addiction, teenage sex, and violent domestic abuse.
The story progresses as Barry Fairbrother, a member of the parish council, dies unexpectedly, which leaves the town of Pagford in utter shock.
This leads to a battle between among families, friends, and co-workers for the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council.
The book has been receiving mixed reviews, with The New York Times claiming the novel is quote "so willfully banal, so depressingly cliched that 'The Casual Vacancy' is not only disappointing--it's dull".
The Washington Post had a different opinion, saying that, quote "Rowling's signature moves are still there on every page it was all immensely exciting".
Even with the mixed reviews, Rowling's celebrity status and the public anticipation have already guaranteed her a number one spot next week on pre-orders alone.
The real test, however, will come when the hype wears off.

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It's a very unexpected change for JK Rowling, from children's fantasy novels to adult novels. You would think she would play it safe and write another children's novel for us.

[Reporter : ] I thought so as well. But she apparently decided a change was needed, and the book is definitely going to make headlines for a while, no matter how good or bad it actually is. I personally am quite sad that she didn't stick with fantasty novels, but from what I hear, I think her next book will be a children's book.

Well, I'm sure this new book will be hard to keep on the bookshelves. I will definitely get myself a copy this weekend. And now, what else do you have for us[Reporter : ] One of my favorite K-pop idol groups, Big Bang is currently on their world tour and they're currently in Singapore. I have this story on their press conference, and the rest of their tour schedule.

One of Korea's hottest idol groups, Big Bang, held a press conference yesterday, just one day before the start of their two days of concerts in Singapore. Even with an injured member and a series of scandals, they wanted to keep the promise of going on their Alive Tour to the fans .

[Interview : T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun)., Member of Big Bang] " is not normal, it's actually very painful now. But despite that, knowing that the Singaporean fans have been looking forward to this, and also because of our promise to our fans, and my duty as a member of Big Bang, I have come".

Consisting of five members, G-Dragon, T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun), Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri, Big Bang has won countless awards in both South Korea and overseas.
The five members have also made headlines for their solo acts, as the members' talents range from singing and acting to hosting.
Ever since their debut in 2006, the K-pop idol group has had fans from all across the world thanks to mega hits like "Lie" and "Fantastic Baby".
The BIG BANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 is the band's very first world tour, and is scheduled to be in 22 cities in 14 countries
Singapore is the first stop in Southeast Asia.
The group will then head over to Thailand, the Philippines, the U.S., and end in Hong Kong in December.

It's quite surprising to know that this is their first world tour. They are so big here in Korea and in Asia. I thought they would have already had a couple of world tours.

[Reporter : ] I know. Their songs have made it to the iTunes charts and they also won the "Best Worldwide Act" at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.
So I also thought they'd already had a world tour, but this is their first.. and I'm sure it's going to be a huge success.

That's right and I hope that we can hear about a concert for the Korean fans as well. And now, to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] I do. The Bolshoi on Ice will be back in Korea from the 29th of September to October 7th, the Global Gathering will be held in Korea on the 5th and 6th of October, and lastly the indie musician duo One More Chance will perform later in October as well. Here are the details on today's bulletin.

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

The Bolshoi on Ice 2012 comes to Korea for nine days from September 29th to October 7th. The ice show features Olympians from all around the world and major figure skating stars past and present. It will be held at the Mokdong Ice Rink in western Seoul.

The Global Gathering is expected to heat Korea up in the month of October. Featuring world renowned DJs like David Guetta, Jaguar Skills, East Collective, and more, the event for electronica music fans will be held at Caribbean Bay on the 5th and 6th of October.

Singing group One More Chance, featuring Jung Ji-chan and Park Won, will be singing songs from their first album to soothe the souls of their listeners. This concert at the Interpark Art Center on October 27th and 28th will be their first since Christmas.

Thank you for the updates.

[Reporter : ] My pleasure.

SEP 28, 2012

 
Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr
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