Thursday, 21 March 2013
Lee Joon channels his ‘IRIS 2′ character for ‘K-Wave’
MBLAQ‘s Lee Joon
defined charisma as he channeled his own character in the drama ‘IRIS 2‘ for
the KBS magazine ‘K-Wave‘.
Lee Joon cast aside his somewhat 4D character that we have come to love on
variety shows to become the baddest
boy in town with his tough and charismatic expressions. Lee Joon also looks ready to tackle whatever case may be assigned to
him with his gun and motorcycle handy.
Taecyeon and Sunggyu share a friendly snapshot backstage at ‘Music Bank In Jakarta’
It’s always nice to see a little bromance going on from your favorite boy
groups, and 2PM‘s Taecyeon
and INFINITE‘s Sunggyu
left fans smiling upon seeing their close friendship.
Taecyeon seemed to have enjoyed himself at the recent ‘Music Bank In Jakarta’
event and tweeted,
“Kyo kyo kyo ‘Music Bank In Jakarta’ is jjang!! kyo kyo kyo”, sharing a
friendly snapshot of him and Sunggyu backstage.
Fans couldn’t get enough of the two friends and replied, “It’s nice to
see their friendship”, “The two of them look good together”, and “I
can’t believe they’re only one year apart.”
The ‘Music Bank In Jakarta’ special aired on the 19th and both 2PM and
INFINITE rocked the stage with their hot performances.
source:allkpop
Lee Byung Hun revealed why he never chose an English name for his advancement into Hollywood.
He recently held an interview with SBS‘ ‘One Night of TV Entertainment‘. During the interview, they talked about his new movie ‘G.I. Joe 2‘.
He said, “I could have changed my name to English, but I didn’t. I filmed my movie in the United States, but I thought the Korean crowd would be more proud if I used a Korean name. The American staff members call me ‘Byung’. I told them to make it ‘Hyung’ if it was too hard. I feel good when they pronounce my name, even if it’s difficult for them.”
Lee Byung Hun added, “I’m proud that the way the American staff and actors treated me changed. I felt proud because I felt like they were admitting my talents. I hope ‘G.I. Joe 2′ is popular in Korea. Of course, Korean movies should do well, but please give love to the American movie that I starred in as well.“
source:allkpop
‘B’ meets with Park Si Hoo’s lawyers to give a statement against ‘A’
After apologizing to Park Si
Hoo through an interview previously, ‘B’
(‘A’s friend) has paid a visit to Park Si
Hoo‘s lawyers and has given them her statement against ‘A’.
As mentioned before,‘B’ had originally been on the side of trainee ‘A’, and
was later accused of conspiring with ‘A’ for money. Park Si Hoo as well as Park
Si Hoo’s former agency’s CEO, Mr. Hwang, have both filed
lawsuits against her, but ‘B’ has switched sides and is claiming to also be a
victim of ‘A’s lies.
In addition to offering her statement against ‘A’ to Park Si Hoo’s lawyers,
‘B’ also revealed specific details as to why she believes she has been lied to
by ‘A’.
According to ‘B’, ‘A’ had told her lies saying that she had grabbed her
clothes and immediately ran out of Park Si Hoo’s house after waking up and
realizing she was sexually assaulted. ‘A’ also apparently told ‘B’ that she and
Park Si Hoo’s hoobae (Mr.
Kim or ‘K’) had a fight, which all turned out to be false later on as
revealed by the KakaoTalk conversation histories.
In the meanwhile, the police have said that they are still in the midst of
studying the results of the lie detector test, and they believe that all the
investigations for this case may be
wrapped up by the end of this month.
source:allkop
Ricky Kim announces the birth of his second child
Actor Ricky Kim, who is currently loved as a member of
‘Laws of the Jungle‘, has announced the birth of his second
child!
He updated his Twitter on March 20th with the photo above and wrote, “I
ask for your congratulatory prayers. Finally, my healthy second child has been
born. It is because you have prayed for me. Thank you! Asher William
3.11.2013.”
His wife is musical actress Ryu Seung Joo, whom he tied the
knot with in 2011.
Congratulations to Ricky and his wife!
source:allkpop
Jang Jae In revealed to be suffering from dystonia rather than peripheral nerve damage
On the 18th, Jang Jae
In shocked fans as she revealed that she has been diagnosed with peripheral nerve damage.
However, after getting a
more detailed diagnosis at a larger hospital, it’s been revealed that rather
than peripheral nerve damage, the singer has been determined to be suffering
from dystonia caused by intense stress. The singer
will most likely need to be hospitalized for a week and then follow up with
plenty of rest and treatment therapies afterwards.
The label said, “All her nutrition, neural, and of course her peripheral
nerve tests all came back normal. The talks about her facial paralysis and
hearing loss are false, the conditions are currently normal. We’re going to be
following the doctor’s suggestions for her treatment, and she’ll be active again
after abundant rest and regaining her health.”
The singer said, “I’m sorry that I worried you by being unhealthy. I’m
going to get treatment and come back fast as a healthy person.”
We wish Jang Jae In the best of luck with all her treatments and hope she
gets plenty of rest to fully recover.
source:allkpop
Suzy becomes a charismatic martial arts instructor for ‘Book of the House of Gu’
Will Suzy be able to maintain her title as the ‘nation’s
first love’ while playing a rough-on-the-edges martial arts instructor in the
new drama ‘Book of the House of Gu‘? Well, the still cuts say
it’s a yes!
You might recognize the scenes pictured through the drama’s trailer, but to give fans an even better look at Suzy’s
transformation, the drama team has revealed some up close still cuts from the
scenes.
PD Park Tae Young commented, “Suzy is the perfect person
to play the martial arts instructor Dam Yuh Wool who is cooler and more skilled
in martial arts than any guy. Please look forward to Suzy’s try at her first
historical genre drama and martial arts.”
The fantasy-historical drama takes place during the Joseon Dynasty and
portrays the love and hate relationship of male Gumiho or nine-tailed fox Choi
Kang Chi (Lee Seung Gi) and martial arts
instructor Dam Yuh Wool (Suzy).
Wait a little longer until its premiere on April 8th!
source:allkpop
Kim Tae Woo’s daughter is a ‘super baby’?
Singer Kim Tae Woo shared the joys and pains of being a new father, having a second baby on the way!
Kim Tae Woo appeared on March 19th’s airing of ‘Incarnation‘, where he said, “Right now, my daughter weighs 12-13kg (26.5~28.7 lbs) even though she’s only 11 months old. It’s because she’s very tall.” This drew surprised remarks from the hosts and the other guests as her height and weight were almost that of a child around 4-5 years old. The hosts remarked that the daughter seems to be taking after Kim Tae Woo, who is around 6’3”, and titled her a “super baby”.
He shared that although he is very in love with his daughter, being a father is no easy work for both him and his wife. He commented, “Our second child was conceived so quickly after the birth of our first child, so my wife was feeling stressed and overwhelmed. I told her once to go out, meet some friends, and have some time for herself. She left at 11AM and came back at 7PM, so I watched the baby for eight hours.”
However, those hours didn’t go by fast as his daughter wouldn’t keep still, and in the end, he told a white lie to have his wife come back home earlier. “I told her to go enjoy herself, but around 5PM I texted her, ‘where are you?’ and told her the baby keeps crying when the baby actually wasn’t.”
source:allkpop
Music industry insiders consulted to release a ’2013 Girl Group Ranking’ chart
1st tier: Girls' Generation, 2NE1; 2nd tier:
SISTAR(+1), KARA; 3rd tier: miss A, T-ara(-1), Wonder Girls(-1), f(x)(between
2nd&3rd tier), Brown Eyed Girls; 4th tier: SECRET, Girl's Day(+1), After
School, 4minute; 5th tier: A Pink, Rainbow, Nine Muses(+1), Dal Shabet; 6th
tier: SPICA, Hello Venus, Ladies' Code, AOA
Korean media outlet Sports Chosun has released their
‘2013 Girl Group Ranking‘ after consulting with music industry
insiders on who they feel are the hottest girl groups these days.
Back in February of last year, a netizen created a ranking
of girl groups and posted it on a community board, attracting much attention
from fans. Sports Chosun has decided to follow up by releasing their own version
and updating that previously revealed ranking, after having received input from
sources in the music industry.
Just like the previous ranking, Girls’ Generation and
2NE1 remained at
the top tier, which is called the ‘insurmountable 4D wall (on another level)’.
Following behind them is SISTAR, who has jumped up one level
with their winning streak of hit songs in 2012, and is now on the ‘national’
level, which is where KARA still remains.
T-ara and
Wonder Girls moved down to the third level ‘High Class’,
joining miss A and Brown Eyed Girls. T-ara was
downgraded due to their controversy involving former member
Hwayoung‘s leave last year, and Wonder Girls received their
downgrade with the focusing on their solo activities following
Sun‘s recent marriage. Meanwhile, f(x) kept their position between
the second and third tiers.
Girl’s Day who surprised the nation with their sexy comeback
also moved up to the level of SECRET, After School, and
4minute on the 4th tier, ‘Mania Level’. A Pink,
Rainbow, Dal Shabet remained at the same level, and
were joined by Nine Muses in the 5th tier of ‘rising
popularity’. SPICA, Hello Venus, Ladies’ Code, and
AOA, as rookies, made the cut off at the 6th and final tier or
‘candidates’.
Do you agree with this ranking? Leave your thoughts below.
source:allkpop
‘Laws of the Jungle’ will head to Nepal and the Himalayas next
‘Laws of the Jungle‘ will be heading to Nepal, and
more specifically, the Himalayas!
Even though the show was previously embroiled in controversy, most of the
negative reactions of the public have already settled down. This is largely due
to the currently airing New Zealand
trip, which documents each step and effort the cast and staff have put into the
program and was crucial in turning the public opinion around.
Friday’s #1 variety show has now announced that their next destination will
be Nepal and the Himalayan mountain range for the 8th challenge.
The staff of ‘Laws of the Jungle’ said, “We are planning to show not only
Nepal’s Himalayas, but also Nepal’s tropical jungles and its various religious
and cultural spectacles.”
Aside from the usual cast members, the guest members have not been confirmed
as of yet. The finalized cast and crew will depart on April 1st!
source:allkpop
Narsha to leave ‘Immortal Song 2′
Narsha,
whom fans enjoyed watching push the boundaries as an adult idol with her
performances, will unfortunately be leaving ‘Immortal Song
2‘.
The ‘Immortal Song 2′ PD confirmed, “Narsha will leave the show after
recording the ‘Sunflower Special’ on the 25th. During the ten weeks she has been
with us, Narsha graced the ‘Immortal Song 2′ stage with her shining talent. But
because she is currently preparing for a musical, she has decided to leave the
show.”
Although we won’t get to see the talented songstress on broadcast every week
after her last broadcast for the show, fans in Korea will still get to catch
Narsha as she stars in the musical
‘When A Man Loves‘ (not to be confused with the drama with the
same name) starting from April 6th to June 2nd at the Universal Art Center.
Narsha’s final performance on
‘Immortal Song’ will also be aired early April.
source:allkpop
Kim Yong Man to leave all five of his programs following his illegal gambling controversy
After being charged with illegal sports
gambling, MC Kim Yong
Man has decided to leave all of his five programs.
Kim Yong Man is currently the host of SBS‘s ‘Star
Couple
Show‘, KBS2‘s
‘Do Dream‘ and ‘Vitamin‘,
JTBC‘s ‘Competition of Doctors‘, and
MBC‘s ‘Section TV‘.
Kim Yong Man announced the news to individual broadcast stations and also
stated, “I will take time off to reflect.”
One program’s rep revealed that they have already taken steps for damage
control, revealing, “We decided to edit out the scenes featuring Kim Yong
Man in the previously recorded shows to the best of our ability.”
If you’re just catching up with the news, Kim Yong Man has been charged with
participating in illegal sports gambling, having gambled over 1 billion KRW
(approximately 896,000 USD) since 2008.
source:allkpop
INFINITE makes a comeback with “Man In Love” MV + ‘New Challenge’ mini album
It’s March 21st, and date for Inspirits signals the return of charismatic idol group,
INFINITE!
This is their comeback as a group after 10 months, but it doesn’t mean
they’ve been staying quiet as we’ve seen drama activities as well as solo and
subunit activities from the hardworking boys!
However, as it is their return as the full team in a while, fans have been
eagerly awaiting this comeback with title track, “Man In
Love“!
Along with the title track is their new album called ‘New
Challenge‘, which contains fresh tracks you won’t want to miss like
Sunggyu‘s “60
sec” remade as a group version,
and Woohyun‘s first self-composed track
“Beautiful“.
Check out the music video for “Man In Love” as well as the other tracks, and
also catch a livestream of the
group’s press conference on Woollim’s YouTube channel!
Man In Love
Beautiful
60 sec (INFINITE ver)
Welcome to Our Dream (intro)
inconvenient truth
As Good As it Gets
Still I Miss U
Girls’ Generation’s Jessica bares her midriff for ‘W Korea’
The stunning idol modeled apparel from ‘rag & bone‘s collection for this ‘chic New Yorker’ concept. Jessica also tweaked her ‘ice princess’ image a little bit by adding some hipster flare with her beanie and pinstripe outfits.
You can check out the full pictorial on ‘W Korea’s April issue. Meanwhile, take a peek at more previews below!
source:allkpop
R.ef’s Lee Sung Wook charged with DUI
There’s hardly a quiet day in the Korean entertainment world as of late, and adding to the news is R.ef‘s Lee Sung Wook facing DUI charges.
Lee Sung Wook didn’t actually mean to drive himself, but is facing a hold on his license for 100 days anyway due to the fact that he did get the car out of the parking garage himself.
Lee Sung Wook’s camp stated, “It is true Lee Sung Wook drank yesterday (20th). However, he had called a substitute driver to come drive for him, but the substitute driver was unable to find the location of the car, and so, Lee Sung Wook drove it out from the parking lot for the substitute.”
They added, “As he had already called the substitute driver, he didn’t plan on driving at all, but it is considered to be a DUI if you get in the car and have it move more than 5 meters. Due to that law, he will be facing license suspension for 100 days.”
Lee Sung Wook made a comeback with R.ef after an eight year hiatus toward the end of 2012, but the group’s promotions took a dive when news of a physical fight taking place between Lee Sung Wook and his ex-wife broke out.
source:allkpop
Why did Gary decide not to go after Song Ji Hyo?
Gary left a message for his ‘Running
Man‘ ‘Monday Couple’ partner Song Ji
Hyo.
SBS‘ ‘One Night of TV Entertainment‘ had an
interview with the Leessang member after he was ranked the #1
‘star rediscovered through variety shows’, ‘charming man who is unattractive’,
and ‘celebrity who looks like he’d be nice to his girlfriend’.
When Gary saw the results of the survey, he stated, “I admit I’m
ugly,” and whipped off his sunglasses to make a serious face at the camera.
He went on, “People told me they got more popular because they look like me.
I’d like men who look like me to gain hope through me.”
He was also voted as part of the top celebrity pair who ‘could’ve been
married in the past life’ with Song Ji Hyo. Gary joked, “I’ve decided not to
go after you. I think love is something that gets more distant the more you go
after it. Just stay where you are now.“
source:allkpop
Over 3,000 Vietnamese fans welcome T-ara at the airport for ‘Dream Team 2′
It’s been a while since fans have seen T-ara on
Korean variety shows, so they were more than excited to hear that T-ara will be
the next guests to show their athleticism on KBS 2TV
‘Dream
Team 2‘s Vietnam special!
Immediately upon their arrival in Vietnam on the 20th, T-ara was welcomed by
over 3,000 fans at the Vietnam Noi Bai International Airport. Thousands of
QUEENs showed their support by holding up placards and posters with animations
of T-ara’s new single, “Bunny Style!“.
The girls will be filming the show for the next three days and will return to
Korea on the 23rd KST.
Are you looking forward to the upcoming episode?!
Joo Won signs on with clothing brand ‘Edwin’ for 2 more years
Rising star Joo Won is gaining more traction as an endorsement
model.
The actor’s label revealed, “In 2012, Joo Won signed as the model for the
clothing brand Edwin. He’s signed on for 2 more
years.”
It’s uncommon for a celebrity to be a model for the same brand for 3 years
because stardom can be unstable. However, Joo Won has been proving his steady
popularity ever since ‘Ojakgyo Brothers‘, making a hit out of
every drama he’s starred in since then.
The CF staff commented, “Joo Won is comfortable like a next-door oppa or
a dongseng, but he is good looking, has vocal abilities he proved as a musical
actor, and he can even act sincerely. He lacks nothing. He’s also very
trustworthy, which is his biggest strength as a CF model.”
Joo Won is currently starring in the drama ’7th Grade Civil
Servant‘ as well as the variety show ‘1 Night 2 Days‘.
source:allkpop
Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung warns fans about fake accounts
Girls’ Generation‘s Sooyoung
updated fans and warned them about accounts impersonating her and her
members.
Sooyoung shared on SMTOWN, “Everyone^-^~♥ Are you
doing well? It sounds like spring is coming~ hehe. Should we walk as the flowers
fall along the path? hehe I heard Korea is very coldã… ã……ã… Don’t become careless
because spring is coming, and please be careful of catching a cold!!^^”
“The reason why I’m writing is not only because I’m excited for spring~ I
cannot just stand by watching the rampant impersonations that have been going
on^-^ hehe At first I just tried to laugh it off~ But after seeing our SONEs’
hearts become troubled by these perpetrators, wouldn’t you get mad too~~? hehe
To the fake Sooyoung~ if you are reading this post, please stop now~^^. Although
I am thankful for your wish to communicate with the SONEs temporarily on my
behalf, don’t do it any longer~ hehe. If you don’t stop and continue doing this,
I will do something about it ^^.”
“The fluttering wind of spring gently blows~ I apologize for not updating
you with good news ..^-^♥ I will use this homepage to update you more often. I
love you, SONE^-^♥.”
U-KISS’ Kevin confesses he’s never dated anyone
Attention all fan girls! U-KISS‘ Kevin has
never dated before and is currently on the prowl for that special someone.
During a recent recording of ‘Yoo
Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook‘, U-KISS featured as guests to promote their
latest song “Standing Still“ and opened up
about their love lives.
When asked if he normally shows his girlfriends aegyo, Kevin shared,
“I’ve honestly never dated before. My kiss scene with my female co-star
during a musical was my first kiss.” He also revealed that after his kiss
scene, his female co-star told him, “It was like kissing a fish,”
embarrassing Kevin.
Catch more of the juicy details about Kevin’s love life…or lack thereof on
the 22nd at 12:20AM KST!
Why did miss A’s Fei tear up on ‘Master Chef Korea Celebrity’?
miss A‘s Fei has become the representative ‘chef idol’ on
‘Master Chef Korea‘ by winning challenge after
challenge, but she seems to be having a somewhat stressful time on the competitive show.
During a recent filming of ‘Master Chef Korea Celebrity’, Fei began to tear
up as she opened up about her desire to do her best for the show as well as
‘Dancing With the Stars 3‘. She shared, “Because my cooking
was not coming out the way I wanted to, I lost confidence. I am practicing
cooking, dancing, and singing all at the same time these days, so I lost a lot
of weight. But I really love cooking. I like both cooking and dancing equally.”
Shin Bong Sun consoled her, saying, “I understand why
you’re crying,” after which all of the other contestants showed their
understanding as well.
Catch this episode on the 22nd!
[Review] [Single] U-KISS “Standing Still”
If there is one thing that U-KISS knows
really well, it is their audience. Over the past few years, they’ve developed a
distinctive, signature sound that works really well for them and makes their
songs immediately recognizable.
“Standing Still” falls right in line with U-KISS’s
brand of dance singles with the same driving beat and dramatic lyrics that have
been their wheelhouse since their “Man Man Ha Ni” days. They do
change things up with the use of an acoustic guitar in the instrumental- it’s
not quite the departure that we saw with “DORADORA” and
“Stop Girl“, but it does add an interesting new element to
their sound and the overall effect comes together nicely. “Standing Still” fits
the band to a T and it’s something their current audience should love.
The reality of K-Pop is that promotion is as important -maybe even more
important- to a release’s success than the release itself, and
unfortunately, there was very little pre-promotion for their release. This
resulted in a somewhat slow, tepid response, leaving “Standing Still to debut at
#121 on Gaon, only a few places ahead of SECRET‘s “Talk
That“, which was released back in December. While there’s definitely
time for U-KISS to scale the charts, a lack of early promotion can prevent a
song from getting the response it deserves.
As far as Korean audiences are concerned, U-KISS dropped off the radar after
“Stop Girl”- all of their promotions since then have been in Japan, with the
exception of Eli‘s TV show with NS Yoon G, but
even this was marketed to English-speakers. Dongho also had a
movie but unfortunately it didn’t do very well at the box office. The only hype
for their ‘Collage‘ comeback was a couple of teaser images- not
much when you consider how most groups have an abundance of promotions before a
comeback. These include teaser images, individual and group video teasers, as
well as a daily press release to the media outlets. You have to know something
is coming to get excited for it, but many KISSMEs were unaware that U-KISS was
having a comeback until it happened.
It doesn’t help that the music video is a bit of a mess. The filming style-
an overly-shaky camera and constant cuts away from the choreography- is how
you’d film for people who don’t have charisma on camera or who can’t dance,
neither of which are the case with U-KISS.
I’m thrilled to hear that U-KISS is guesting on ‘Immortal Song
2‘ soon, and I hope that turns into a regular slot, because they’ve got
one of the strongest vocal lines in K-Pop right now, and they deserve the chance
to show that off to a new audience. “Standing Still” is a great song that
deserves to be heard, and the song title is a bit ironic. I hope that the lack
of promotions doesn’t put U-KISS in a standing still position in this fast paced
music industry.
source:allkpop
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