The New Beginning

Friday, May 18, 2007

Veteran Korean Designer Enchants Smithsonian Museum

Veteran Korean Designer Enchants Smithsonian Museum

The Smithsonian Institution is poised to open its newest permanent exhibition, the Korea Gallery, at the National Museum of Natural History. The sixteen traditional Korean costume designs or hanbok on display are made by veteran designer Lee Young-hee.

¡°Dr. Paul Michael Taylor, the director of the Asian Cultural History Program and exhibition co-curator, asked me to donate traditional Korean costumes,¡± Lee says. ¡°I made 12 outfits at first and he asked me to make more -- this time formal ones. So, I presented four more including gwanboks (traditional outfits for high-ranking officers and ministers) and wonsams (formal dresses for women), making it 16 altogether."

One of the gwanboks, featured in photo 1 below, was embroidered on the front and the back; the cranes on the front, in particular, denote the official rank of the owner. In the Chosun Dynasty, ordinary people could also wear a gwanbok at their weddings. In the case of wonsams for brides, Lee says they were made with woven silk, plus a small bejeweled toque called jokduri on their head and a brooch decorated with gold and silver on the chest.

The jeogori or traditional coat for women with stripes of various colors, one of the most familiar images of traditional Korean culture, is also to be on display (photo 2). Lee made it by sewing the colorful fabrics together one by one. ¡°Silk dyed in the traditional natural manner will show Korea¡¯s unique beauty. I also stressed diversity and creativity in hanbok by using various materials including woolen yarn, raw silk and brocade.¡±

The museum promised her to display the hanbok for 100 years. ¡°They didn¡¯t promise it right away. I was in touch with them by e-mail and phone for a year,¡± she says. ¡°Last fall, I got an official confirmation to display them for the next 100 years. Actually, Dr. Taylor is one of the people who love hanbok very much. He says there is no other costume with such fantastic colors and texture of materials.¡±
Lee was the first Korean designer who took part in the Paris Pret-a-Porter show and introduced hanbok to Westerners in 1993. Her store in New York is also a great success, and celebrity customers include Michael Jackson, Hillary Rodham Clinton and even fashion designer Miuccia Prada.

Lee will present a fashion show at the Hyatt Regency in Washington D.C. on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the Korea Gallery at the Smithsonian. On the occasion, she is also planning to present a traditional shaman ritual for cleansing the souls of the Virginia Tech massacre victims. ¡°I want to pray for the repose of the deceased and extend my condolences to the families in a Korean way to offer words of comfort.¡±

Although over 70, Lee is still full of energy. After the fashion show in Washington, she will open the regular collection in New York on Tuesday.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Lee Young-hee Korean Musem
Traditional Korean Dress Museum Opens in Manhattan
Hanbok: Tradtional Korean Garment on Squidoo
MetaKorean » Korean American Community » Lee Young Hee Museum ...
Hanbok designer of Legend Lee Young Hee innovates with style
KBS GLOBAL NEWS
LEE YOUNG HEE'S HANBOK FASHION SHOW
Lee Young Hee 2007 Fashion Show on May.19 2007

I've passed by the museum once, but I didn't walk in... I will try to go next time I'm in Manhattan...

First Trains in 56 Years Cross Inter-Korean Border

North Korean train personnel are seen through the window of a train crossing the Demilitarized Zone for the first time in more than 50 years on Thursday. Two trains from North and South Korea crossed the heavily armed border, restoring arteries severed in the Korean War.

Two North Korean cuteys--of course what country doesn't want to put on a [pretty] face?

Chosun Ilbo article on Tony Leung

Tony Leung Chiu Wai: Villain With the Sad Eyes

His eyes give him away. On the surface he may be smiling but his eyes speak of loneliness and desperation. Like a red light in a misty city, his dreaming face enchants moviegoers. He's Tony Leung Chiu Wai. In hit movies like "Infernal Affairs," "In The Mood For Love," and "Happy Together," he has played a gangster, a playboy, a homosexual and a detective. "I read the scripts thoroughly until I feel like I'm becoming my character," he once said. While he can utterly transform himself into any role, his eyes always remain lonely and uneasy.
So it can be said that his new movie "Confession of Pain" is a description of Tony Leung Chiu Wai himself. He's playing his first villain in 25 years but it's a sympathetic role. In the movie Tony is a cold-blooded detective who tries to cover up the truth about a murder case. Takeshi Kaneshiro stars opposite as a private investigator. Directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, who made "Infernal Affairs," -- the original version of the Academy-award winner "The Departed" -- also directed "Confession of Pain." Hollywood wants to remake this movie, too.

The Chosun Ilbo interviewed Tony at the premiere of the film in the Hong Kong Ritz Carlton Hotel on Sunday. A pink cardigan made his face appear pale. And while he smiled at me and the photographer, in person his eyes looked even sadder than on screen.

"I lived the life of Detective Lau Ching Hei while we were shooting the film. If I were a Korean, I could brainwash myself to feel the experiences of military service. By brainwashing myself, I can change my voice, the way I walk, even the sound of my breathing."

It seems as if he was in love with the role, and indeed, he confessed that after shooting a movie he becomes depressed, like breaking up with a girlfriend. "If it takes a year to build your muscles, then losing your muscles also takes a similar length of time. It takes a lot of time for me to erase the feelings and emotions of the character I played. This time, it was harder than ever." But relief is in sight, he said, with the shooting of John Woo's new Chinese epic, "Red Cliff."

For "Confession," Tony was originally offered the part of the private investigator that Takeshi Kaneshiro ended up playing. "I created the character of the private detective with Tony Leung Chiu Wai in mind, but I couldn't find an actor to play the villain," director Andrew Lau said. "I asked Tony to play him and he rejected it flat out. Two months later he called me and said he would do the part."

For Tony, immersing himself in another role was a very challenging task, but he knew exactly how it should be done. And how did it feel to play a villain? "I enjoyed it," he said briefly. Then he added, "But someday I'd like to play a cheerful role -- like sunshine." He ended the interview with a broad smile.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Tony Leung on Being a Shy Movie Star

Photos: Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood holds the awards for top female vocalist, video of the year and album of the year for ?Some Hearts,? at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Carrie Underwood accepts the award for top female vocalist during the 42nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada May 15, 2007. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Carrie Underwood performs during the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Carrie Underwood accepts the award for album of the year for ?Some Hearts? during the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Carrie Underwood, nominated for top female vocalist, arrives with boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Carrie Underwood, nominated for top female vocalist, arrives at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Tuesday, May 15, 2007, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae. C. Hong)

Multiple Grammy award winner Carrie Underwood arrives at the Sony BMG Music Entertainment after party in Beverly Hills, February 11, 2007. CMT.com VP of digital media/general manager Martin Clayton said artists with youth appeal such as Underwood benefit from having fans that have grown up with computers. (Gus Ruelas/Reuters)

her official website; myspace
Carrie Underwood Online
CMT.com : Carrie Underwood : Artist Main
Carrie Underwood Fans

ACM 2007 Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood - Wasted performance at 2007 ACM
Carrie Underwood Top Female Vocalist 2007 ACM Win

Wasted

Before he cheats

Don't Forget To Remember Me

Carrie Underwood's AI Audition (REAL version)

Carrie Underwood American Idol 2005 Final

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The peak oil crisis: Alarms are sounding

The peak oil crisis: Alarms are sounding (original)
by Tom Whipple

Across the world alarm bells are starting to clang. Above every gas station, a large sign is proclaiming that prices are on an unstoppable climb towards un-affordability. In Paris, the International Energy Agency has announced that the demand for oil is likely to exceed the supply later this year, unless, of course, OPEC steps up production. In the Middle East OPEC spokesmen reiterate time after time that all is well, there is plenty of oil, and there is no need to increase production.