Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Beast's fanclub members, threat for Suju and 2PM

Beast recently emerged as a ‘hot’ male idol group. Beast’s official fan cafe member recently has surpassed 160000 people. In months, more than 20000 additional members is registered. And in the first half of the year, the member has reached 200000 people.

Beast now has the largest official fan cafe member, surpassed other male idol group such as Shinee (73000), MBLAQ (80000), and 2AM (60000). While the other group’s official fan cafe member show a downward trend, Beast official fan cafe shows a rapid multiplication.

Currently Beast’s official fan cafe circumstances is a threat for the nation’s top male groups, such as Super Junior (230000 in 천휘룡(Cheonhwiryong) and 190000 in 온새미로(Onsaemiro)), 2PM (200000), and Big Bang (240000).

The number of official fan cafe member is one of the gauges to measure their popularity. An expert in music industry explained that “Typically 10% members of the fan cafe will buy the album and attend their concerts.”
Beast’s first concert ticket last year was sold out immediately. Beast will held an encore concert in 18th and 19th February in Seoul Olympic Stadium.

Source: Nate
Translation: rifni@dkpopnews.net

Manager Tells Inside Story of Lollipop's Separation

Source: NowNews
By: KAY @ Kay's Entertainment

Time to unveil the truth.

Former manager of boy group Lollipop Andy Chang released a book recently, exposing the inside story of Lollipop's separation. Chang says he cannot forget that night when Owodog, Fabien, William and A-Wei question him "why Prince always stands in the middle?" and "why I'm popular but don't earn much?."

"At that moment, I understand they aren't the boys with simple thoughts anymore," he writes, "They really don't trust me anymore."

Chang believes the boys became popular too quickly. They only want to live in the world of applause, causing their values to change.

Although not their manager anymore, the former Channel V producer does wish them luck and will buy their albums to support. He stresses he is not trying to gain any fame from telling these stories, he just wants people to face this problem.

Debut in 2006, Lollipop has now broken into two: Lollipop F (Owodog, Fabien, William, and A-Wei) and JPM (Prince, LilJay, and Modi). Lollipop F restarted their career already, releasing music album and photo books. JPM signed Sony Music recently and would release an album soon.

Beast: "If given the opportunity, we'd like to work with Kanye West."

Beast Interview in Hot Magazine Malaysia Issue 163, Jan 2011

HOT: What was it like recording your album Shock of The New Era?
Beast: Everything that was in us is now in the album. All the emotions, all our thoughts,we’ve put everything into this and regardless of whether it’s a success or a failure, we know that we’ve given our all.

HOT: With collaborations being quite the in thing these days, is there anyone you would like to work with?
Beast: If given the oppurtunity, we’d like to work with Kanye West.

HOT: What’s the funniest thing that a fan has done for you?
Beast: Well, one of our fans gave us a chicken. Every two weeks, this fan would send us a chicken. [Laughs] We just cooked it and ate it. The reaction from the fans has been great. We are surprised but very rateful and thankful.

HOT: Wherever you go,there’s always a bunch of screamng girls nearby. Tell us, is it difficult living in the limelight?
Beast: We have to be very careful about where we go and what we say. It’s just very different from the life we used to have. It’s not that we don’t like it, we’re very happy about how things has turned out. It’s just that we’ve come to realise that when you gain something, there are some things that you will have to lose.

HOT: Do you miss your normal life?
Beast: Not really. We’re happy with where we are now and how people are aware of our music.

HOT: You guys work very hard and tour quite a lot. How much do you miss home?
Beast: A lot. All of us get homesick when we’re on tour. We spend more time on the road than at home now. Any amount of time that we get to spend at home is really precious to us.

HOT: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
Beast: For every one of us, it’s a different thing. Some of us can’t wait to eat a good plate of home-cooked food. Some of us want a good night’s sleep while others want to catch up with our old friends.

HOT: What’s it like working, living and touring as a group?
Beast: It’s really fun. Even when we’re just waiting around to go for interviews, we talk and mess around and just have fun. Sometimes we even watch movies together. We spend a lot of time with each other because we have to practise and work together. We are each other’s best friend!

HOT: Among the six of you, who gets punked the most?
Beast: The one who gets pranked the most is Kikwang. Even when we tell him the most out of this world things he will go, ‘Oh really?’
HOT: Okay one last thing, send a shoutout to all your fans from this part of the world.
Beast: Thank you for all the support so far. We’d love the opportunity to come back here, give our all and perform for you all again. Please don’t forget us!

Source: My Beast Boys, Hot Magazine Malaysia

G.E.M. Admits Dating Yoga Lin

G.E.M. Tang finally opens up her relationship with singer Yoga Lin.

The 19-year-old flew to Taiwan recently to shoot MV for her songs "My Secret" and "The Voice Within." She was prepared to be asked about her relationship with Taiwanese singer Yoga Lin, and admitted their romance.

"I never denied my relationship with him, just that I don't want to talk about it," she said.

The young couple was caught on a date in Hong Kong last month, and Yoga was involved in a "fight" with paparazzi. The 23-year-old One Million Star winner denied the report, saying he is just a "decent woman." What does his girlfriend think about this description?

"Pretty funny!," G.E.M. said

The Hong Kong singer admits her mood was affected by this incident and her parents were worried after reading the report. She did not directly answer reporters when asked whether he parents have met her boyfriend.

"They see him often on television."

Source: Liberty Times / By: KAY @ Kay's Entertainment

Aaron Yan will not give in to Jiro Wang

The singer-actor allegedly refused to play second fiddle to his Fahrenheit member again

Source : xinmsn.com

It is not the first time Fahrenheit members are rumoured to be at odds with each other.

Members of Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit Jiro Wang, Aaron Yan and Calvin Chen, and Taiwanese actor Danson Tang shot to fame in 2005 after starring in the well-received drama KO One.

Although the show's production crew had wanted to a sequel last December, the project has now been postponed indefinitely.

The script is believed to be delayed as Aaron decided to quit the production after discovering that he would play second male lead to Jiro's lead role. The two are said to be on bad terms with each other.

In previous reports, Aaron reportedly said that he did not feel that his popularity was less than the other members. He even added that the other members were unhappy because he received more attention. However, the singer neither acknowledged nor denied when a reporter asked if the member who was "unhappy" referred to Jiro.

Aaron's manager denied the rumour, saying that the sequel was shelved because the producer wanted to come up with a better script. As Aaron would be releasing his solo EP after the Lunar New Year, it is unconfirmed if he would be able to take on the project.

The manager also said that it was usual for members to engage in "friendly competition".

Dong Bang Shin Ki: ‘We Will Keep Dong Bang Shin Ki and We Want JYJ to Come Back’

Dong Bang Shin Ki released a new album entitled "Why - Keep Your Head Down" after a two year and three months break. The two-member group Dong Bang Shin Ki (U-Know Yun Ho, 25 and Choi Kang Chang Min, 23) explained why they had formed this two-member group again, saying, "We had decided to continue this group only to keep the group, Dong Bang Shin Ki. This is the second stage of our groups and it will be the third stage when the other three members come back to the group after settling the problem with the agency (SM Entertainment)."

They had to take a break after three members, Jae Joong, Yoo Chun, and Jun Su, had had a legal conflict with their agency in 2009, had left the group, and then formed a new group named JYJ. People in the music industry and their fans in Asian countries had felt disappointed about the breakup of the top star group.

At a recent interview held at a cafe located in Apgujeong dong, two members revealed their firm resolution for this new start and honest thoughts on the other three members who had left the group for the first time. They said, "Did you feel any strong power from us when we gave our first performance? We wanted to shake off all those concerns of people about us, who are continuing activities with just the two of us. We really did our best for preparing for the new album not to disappoint ourselves. We came to understand each other like a married couple."

◇ “New album focusing on both individuality and harmony of two members” = Two members seem to have a lot of concerns and burdens due to dramatic change within the group. They even said that they felt like they were debuting as a new singer.

U-Know Yun Ho said, “I missed the stage. At the first performance for the new album, I felt like crying after I realized again that I was a singer.” The most important and urgent mission for them was to fill the empty places and create harmony between the two members in terms of the music and performance. U-Know Yun Ho continued, “We keep the style of the original Dong Bang Shin Ki’s music. We needed a song that can strengthen the strength of Chang Min’s high-pitched tone and my rather low-pitched tone, and the title song entitled ‘Why - Keep Your Head Down’ was the very song that we were looking for. We worried about our too different tones, but we could add more diverse colors to our own original music.” Choi Kang Chang Min also said, “We used to focus on the chorus part when we were a five-member group, but this time, we tried to choose a song that could highlight our vocals. As we focused on our individualities, our album includes various songs in different genres.”

As those members explained, the new album contains many songs such as the song entitled “MAXIMUM,” which used traditional musical instruments such as the gayageum and kkwaenggwari, ballad song “How Can I,” R&B song “RUMOR,” U-Know Yun Ho’s solo song “Honey Funny Bunny,” and Choi Kang Chang Min’s solo song “Confession.” The two members’ performances have become more powerful. U-Know Yun Ho said, “We wanted to fill the empty places that the other three members used to stand. We created a concept where we looked similar, but totally different. With the concern that only two members’ performance could not match the group's powerful performance, we adopted even more powerful dance.” They dismissed the rumor that some netizen had insisted that the lyrics of their title song contain some aggressive words towards the three members who left the group, saying, “The song is about a man’s mind towards a woman who had left him. We can sometimes find out that a certain song seems to talk about my own story. In this way it totally depends on the interpretation using our own thoughts.”

◇"JYJ might need to reconcile with the agency.” = U-Know Yun Ho and Choi Kang Chang Min honestly expressed their feelings towards the other three members.

U-Know Yun Ho said, “We have waited for them, but we could not wait for five or ten years until they come back because fans could forget Dong Bang Shin Ki in that case. Regardless of what is right and wrong, they had exceedingly deep conflicts with the agency, they went away, and we even could not talk to each other for a long time. Someone has to keep Dang Bang Shin Ki until this dispute can be resolved.” About additional question whether they still have the possibility of reuniting with the other three members, they were cautious about giving answers. U-Know Yun Ho said, “The problem has arisen between the three members and the agency. It is difficult to explain how this kind of conflict has been created, but I think that they have to reconcile with the agency and come back to the group because the group Dong Bang Shin Ki could be created within SM. They first have to settle the problem with the agency, and then we can have conversation with them to solve our problem. I just feel so sorry about this situation. Choi Kang Chang Min revealed his opinion on the comment that JYJ had made that they were and would be members of Dong Bang Shin Ki, saying, “Dong Bang Shin Ki was created by SM. Our five members had held activities pleasantly, receiving great love from our fans. Two of us have never left the group and we are still at our post. I think that it is contradictory that someone who had already left the group is saying that he is still one of the group members.” Two members said that Dong Bang Shin Ki is home to them where they can always come back after having individual activities. U-Know Yun Ho said, “I could realize that Dong Bang Shin Ki itself was very meaningful and valuable to me. While I had been taking a break, I had walked following the route of a subway, and I had climbed a mountain, and I realized that we definitely had to go down a mountain if we wanted to go high up a mountain. I believe that we might realize how good it was at this moment after ten or twenty years. I still have pride about Dong Bang Shin Ki.”

◇"Continue activities in Japan. Feel proud about Girls’ Generation.” = They will also restart their activities in Japan along with activities in Korea.

They will release a single album that includes “Why - Keep Your Head Down” and “MAXIMUM” sung in Japanese on January 26, and they will participate in the concert in Tokyo held as a part of the “SM Town Live World Tour” from January 25 to 26. Even though Dong Bang Shin Ki had taken a break for a long time, their album had been ranked second following the Japanese group, Arashi, in the category of “total album sales.” During their break time, idol groups such as Girls’ Generation, Kara, and 2PM have advanced to the Japanese music industry and filled the empty place of Dong Bang Shin Ki. Choi Kang Chang Min said, “I am very proud of Girls’ Generation, who has achieved a successful result in Japan. We could advance to Japan thanks to our senior singer BoA who had already successfully advanced to Japan, and Girls’ Generation could go to Japan following the way that we had pioneered. I think that Girls’ Generation also has much more difficulties than we had before. I want them to pioneer a new way for our junior singers.” U-Know Yun Ho added, “Members of Girls’ Generation once told us that they really appreciated our effort in the past. We also want to have a successful result in Japan, just as Girls’ Generation had achieved.”

◇"We had dates after debut.” = They debuted when they were teenagers in 2004, so they could not experience ordinary daily lives that others of the same age could. Their fans, who wanted to find out their private lives, always followed them wherever they went, so they could not do anything freely. U-Know Yun Ho said, “If I say that there was no stress, it would be a lie. Sometimes I just want to have a cup of coffee and eat something comfortably, but it is not that easy. Those fans are still very active, but I believe it will become better later. Actually, I have my own way of disguising myself as a totally different person and nobody can recognize me.” About the question of whether they had had dates after debuting as Dong Bang Shin Ki, two members looked at each other, laughed, and answered, “Of course we did. But we both had permission from the agency in advance (laugh).”

KBS Global

Selina Jen cried after drama director apologised

source: MSN Entertainment


88 days. That's how long it has been since S.H.E member Selina Jen was severely burnt in an on set accident while filming I Have a Date with Spring.

Selina recently broke into tears and hugged fiancé Richard Chang when she was told of I Have a Date with Spring director Chen Ming Zhang's letter of apology.

The director, however, is not ready to face the media yet. While directing his new drama Drunken to Love You, which features Joseph Chang and Tiffany Hsu, he was not seen anywhere on-set. He was suspected of 'directing' the drama in a van.

Selina's father also updated the public on the pop star's condition.

"The nurse helped Selina to change her dressing and helped her put on tights patiently. Although there were a few blisters, but the redness of the skin had gradually turned dry after the skin grafting operation," wrote Father Jen.
In other related reports, Selina is slated to hold a media conference this coming Thursday (Jan 20).

The singer is only allowed light makeup because her wounds were just beginning to heal. However, the confident Selina said "no makeup will be okay", but added that she would keep a distance from the media.

Selina would also be dressed in light sportswear, as her walk is still unstable, and her short hair would be covered by a hat.

It was also reported that the Vera Wang wedding dress, which was ordered before Selina's accident, had already arrived at the singer's home. Selina would be able to see it when she returns home.

Actor gets 4 years for drug use

Actor Kim Sung-min yesterday was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 904,500 won ($900) on charges of smoking marijuana.

“Since Kim is a popular actor, his crimes were dealt with more severely. But he is very repentant,” said the Central District Prosecutors’ Office in a statement.

Kim will not require treatment for drug abuse, the statement said.

After the sentencing, Kim, wearing a blue prisoner’s uniform, spoke to the press at the front of the courthouse.

“I couldn’t fight the temptation from those who offered me the drugs,” Kim said.

The actor, who was once popular on the “What Makes a Man” segment of KBS’s “Happy Sunday,” said his drug use was accompanied by a case of severe depression following a series of failed investments, his breakup with his girlfriend and having been the victim of a con.

He also said that although he did smuggle methamphetamine into the country, he did not offer the drugs to others.

“It will be a long winter and I will live through it by trying to meet the expectations of those who care deeply for me,” Kim said.

Inside JoongAng

Jay Chou likes low Hollywood profile

BEIJING : Hollywood is usually the place to see and be seen, but for Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou, star of the smash hit "The Green Hornet," Tinseltown offers a welcome break from the paparazzi in Asia.

"As an artist, I need a lot of space which I cannot really get in many places in Asia," Chou told reporters Monday ahead of the Chinese premiere of the superhero flick, which co-stars Seth Rogen.

"It felt like I was having a vacation in the United States - I took my mother to the production, and it felt really good to have some time for myself. I didn't have that feeling of people surreptitiously taking my picture."

"The Green Hornet" - the tale of a young playboy businessman who becomes a crime fighter - topped the box office in its opening weekend in North America, taking in US$34 million, according to industry data.

Chou, largely unknown in the United States but hugely popular in Asia, plays the role of Kato, sidekick to the Green Hornet played by Rogen.

French director Michel Gondry confessed to not knowing how famous Chou was when he started considering him for the part of Kato, adding he and Rogen - who wrote the screenplay - later hesitated about casting a pop star.

"We had a conference on Skype where Seth was reading with Jay and we felt there was already chemistry, even though it was with a 10-second delay, and we liked him for his acting," Gondry said.

Rogen has since declared himself a fan of Chou's music, and he and Gondry joked that the Taiwanese singer would "force" them to listen to some of his tracks.

"Jay many times took us in his car with his bodyguard and forced us to listen to his music very loud, and if we didn't like it, he would beat us up," Gondry joked.

Chou had to learn English for the part, and acknowledged the language barrier would be a challenge for any future work in Hollywood. But Rogen praised his co-star for his quick mastery of the language.

"He knew very little (English) when we started filming and a few weeks in, he could improvise his own dialogue and come up with his own jokes, which was very frustrating because that took me years to learn how to do," he said.

Channel News Asia

Rainie Yang & Joseph Chang Leads of 'Fated to Love You' Spinoff

Source: NowNews, Liberty Times
By: KAY @ Kay's Entertainment

Rainie Yang and Joseph Chang are confirmed to be the leads of the spinoff of "Fated to Love You"---<醉後決定愛上你>! [rough translation: Decide to Love You After Drunken]

Recent idol dramas have not been doing well in terms of ratings compared to the past when average ratings were between 2s and 4s. In 2008, a low-profile idol drama called "Fated to Love You" made a history in Taiwanese idol dramas, getting ratings as high as 14 points once. A sequel/spin off of this drama was discussed last year in hopes to bring back good ratings and the crew wanted original leads from the drama, Ethan Ruan and Joe Chen, to star as a couple again.

However, perhaps due to schedule conflict, new leads were cast and it is officially going to be Rainie and Joseph. It is Rainie's first drama after she crowned Golden Bell's Best Actress last year. As for Joseph, he appears less in idol drama in recent years and focuses in the film industry. The crew hopes it would be a fresh pair to the audience.

Recently got a new hair duo, Rainie attended to a press conference of the drama yesterday and draw with a Taiwanese artist. Since the original drama has some hot bed scenes, the same thing is expected in this spin off. The actress hinted the level of bed scenes in this drama: "Triangle means movements on our scripts, and there is a page that is full of triangles! The only word on the page is 'explore'!"

Outsiders have thought this new drama would be the sequel of "Fated," but in fact it has a brand new plot. They even cooperate with artists from Taiwan's cultural and creative industry, making this idol drama more cultural and unique.

'Love Buffet' Finally #1 on Ratings Chart

'Love Buffet' Finally #1 on Ratings Chart
Source: NowNews
By: KAY @ Kay's Entertainment

The number 1 spot of Sunday's Taiwanese idol drama finally changed.

TTV/SETTV's Sundays idol dramas have been dominating the number 1 spot the past year. Although rating numbers have been declining, but their dramas remain at the top of the chart. Current TTV/SETTV idol drama "Channel-X" starring Joe Cheng and Amber Kuo has not been doing well, scoring the highest rating of 1.50 only. FTV/GTV's "Love Buffet" enters the rating battle and has been trying to attract the audience with its Japanese-style romantic story.

The drama finally won over "Channel-X" yesterday, possibly thanks to Calvin Chen's bathing scene. Its average rating was 1.04, winning just a little over "Channel-X" (1.02). Although it is not a great number compared to back then, it is still a good news to fans of "Love Buffet."

Leads of "Love Buffet" Aaron Yan and Calvin Chen are very happy to hear their drama is number 1 on the ratings chart. Now the drama is ratings winner, fans did not forget Calvin once made a promise that if his drama is ratings winner, he would dine with his first love and let everyone take photos of them. However, now Calvin is definitely disappointing his fans.

"That only applies to if the drama is national ratings winner!," he said.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Hello Stranger

A love story about two strangers who know nothing about each other and fall in love.

He is a football fanatic, videogame nerd, social butterfly, comic lover, tired of love stories and a cynic of love while she is Korean soap opera fan, beef lover, devout radio station listener, avid book reader, and homebody.

Together, they are perfect strangers who will travel, eat, share a room, and talk about anything and everything including each others top secrets.



Rapunzel : A Tangled Tale

Walt Disney Pictures presents RAPUNZEL: A TANGLED TALE, one of the most hilarious, hair-raising tales ever told. When the kingdom's most wanted-and most charming-bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower where she's been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season in Disney Digital 3D, RAPUNZEL is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair-lots of hair.