Art and Culture

 And now it's time for our arts and culture segment with Michelle Kim. I hear she'll tell us about a flash mob and the outcome of the Emmy Awards.

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Hello Michelle

[Reporter : ] Hello Conn-young

So what do you have for us today[Reporter : ] Well, the global phenomenon that is "Gangnam Style" doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon. The video has prompted a number of parodies by groups from students to office workers to naval officers, and inspired an explosion of flash mobs around the world. There was one in Korea over the weekend, but it was no ordinary group of dancers. Let's take a look.

A mob filled Gwanghwamun Plaza on Friday,.. a flash mob, for the chance to dance to PSY's now world-famous "Gangnam Style".
But this is no random group of dancers.
They're all here in Korea to participate in the finals of the K-Pop Cover Dance Contest, which took place in Gyeongju on Saturday.
The 13 teams from 11 countries, including the U.S., Russia and Nigeria, are all the regional winners of the contest and they've beat out more than 18-hundred teams for a ticket to Korea to compete in the finals.
They couldn't seem to hide their excitement at dancing to "Gangnam Style" in its city of origin.

[Interview : Alena, Russian team member] "Great dance, great music and then charisma. There are three things in one dance so I think that 'Gangnam Style' is one of the best songs that people will hear forever".

[Interview : Michael, Nigerian team member] "'Gangnam Style' is a wonderful and exceptional dance that is beautiful to be heard. I never thought I could see such a dance a very good and well-done in a very cheesy way".

Koreans watching the flash mob seemed pleased to see the dancers' passion for K-pop.

[Interview : Kim Na-rae, Office worker] "I feel a sense of pride as a Korean. It's nice to see that our culture has this much influence and impact in other countries".

The K-Pop Cover Dance Contest was held from April to September in 11 countries worldwide.
The teams competed for a chance to perform their re-creations of hit K-pop videos at the Hallyu Dream Festival, which was also held in Gyeongju on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to competing in the finals, the contestants also won the chance to meet the K-pop stars who were performing at the Hallyu festival, including Kara, Sistar, Beast, MBLAQ, T-ara and Infinite.
The winning team was B.R.S., which danced to B.A.P'.s song "Warrior".

Those are some great dancers.
It seems like we see more news about PSY every day and it's hard to believe he's achieving so much in such a short amount of time.

[Reporter : ] I agree. Just recently, he even got his name into the Guinness Book of World Records after the video for "Gangnam Style" was named the most like video in YouTube history, with more than 2.6 million "thumbs up" on the site.

I'm sure the whole world is excited to see more of "Gangnam Style" and more of PSY's music in the near future. And moving on, I hear you have the results of the Emmy Awards for us.

[Reporter : ] That's right. There was big news at the Emmys this weekend and I've brought you a list of the major winners. Take a look.

The 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held in Los Angeles on Sunday and the big winners of the night were "Homeland", for best drama series, and "Modern Family", for best comedy.
"Homeland" topped "Mad Men" to win the top drama prize, bringing an end to the reign of the stylish 1960s advertising show, which was bidding to be the first drama to win five consecutive awards.

In addition to its best drama award, "Homeland", a post 9.11 psychological thriller about a returning Iraq war hero turned by al Qaeda, took home 5 more trophies, including one for best writing and two for best acting for stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis.

The top comedy series, "Modern Family", beat out "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "30 Rock" to claim its third consecutive award.
The show also picked up awards for best director, supporting actor and supporting actress bringing its total to four.

Other winners in the comedy category were Jon Cryer for "Two And A Half Men" and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Veep", winning the outstanding lead actor and actress in a comedy series awards.
The full list of awards is up on the emmys.com website.

I am very happy with the results, especially because my favorite show, and I know that this is your favorite too, "Modern Family" took home the prize for best comedy series.

[Reporter : ] I was very excited to hear that. This is their 3rd win and to be quite honest, I don't think there's anything to stop them from winning another one next year.

I don't think so either. Thank you for that and now, to wrap things up, you have the events bulletin for us[Reporter : ] Yes I do. Today's bulletin contains a musical version of Ernest Hemmingway's classic novel "The Old Man and The Sea" that will be held until the 30th of this month. Also, singer Kenny Rogers will be coming to Korea at the end of October, and one of my favorite singers, Norah Jones, will be here for a concert on the 17th of November. Here's today's bulletin.

[Reporter : ed: jenny] This bulletin features three events

Ernest Hemmingway's classic novel "The Old Man and The Sea" has been turned into a musical in Korea. Running until September 30th at Daehangno's Open Theater, the musical vividly portrays the story of the old man and his life, philosophy and dreams.

Singer Kenny Rogers has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and had more than 25 number-one-songs, including "Lucille", "Elvira" and "The Gambler". He will be coming to Korea on October 26th for a concert at Olympic Park's Olympic Hall.

Best known for the hit song "Don't Know Why", singer songwriter Norah Jones will be in Korea on November 17th to perform at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The concert is part of a world tour promoting her latest album, "Little Broken Heart", which includes songs like "Happy Pills" and "Say Goodbye".

Thank you for the update

[Reporter : ] My pleasure

SEP 25, 2012

Reporter : dainee@arirang.co.kr