Thursday, March 29, 2012

John Carter

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From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes "John Carter"--a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). "John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Review:

The movie starts off with John Carter, a Renegade Virginian Civil War veteran in the 1800s. He tries to evade enlistment in another war yet again. While on the run, he hides out in a cave in Arizona and mysteriously finds himself transported to Mars (Barsoom), where he finds himself caught in war between the Zodangans and the Heliumites.

The storyline is simple: a mysterious group of beings called the Therns manipulate Barsoom's inhabitants into inevitable destruction with no particular reason but because it is something like their job. For beings that are immortal and all powerful (shooting out blasts of energy that can destroy), it is a little ridiculous that they are susceptible to gunshots and can die from them too. 

Which is how John Carter ends up in Barsoom, he accidentally encounters a Thern in the cave kills it/him and gets transported to Barsoom where he is picked up by the Tharks. The Tharks are an alien race with green skin, four arms, nine-foot tall bodies and faces with tusks. John Carter finds out that the difference in gravitational pull on Barsoom gives him superhuman strength and great jumping ability which comes into play later on in the movie. He reluctantly becomes a Thark warrior and interferes in an aerial battle between Zodanga and Helium warships to save Dejah, the Helium princess. 

Upon learning of John Carter's special abilities, Dejah tries to recruit him to fight her cause (so she does not have to marry the enemy) and save her people. He is reluctant initially but finally comes round and he saves the day (as with all Disney productions). He even marries the princess. It was an interesting movie and could have been more, but the too open ending was well, too open and I did not like the ending.

However, for a Disney production it is a pretty ok show to watch to pass the time and it did have it's cute, as well as touching moments. But it was not something I enjoyed that much, the ending was too open-ended for my liking, like there was not enough closure.

If you have watched it, what are your views on the movie? Do tell =)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Celebs take sides as Donnie Yen, Vincent Chiu feud escalates

HONG KONG: The ongoing feud between Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen and Chinese martial arts actor Vincent Chiu has escalated recently, with Yen suing Chiu for making false claims about his conduct on the set of Yen's new action film "Special Identity".


As things heat up, celebrities in Hong Kong and China have also begun taking sides in the conflict. Stars like Hong Kong actresses Shu Qi and Kara Hui expressed their support for Yen, while others like Hong Kong veteran action star Yuen Wah and Chinese actress Xu Jiao spoke out in support of Chiu, reported Hong Kong media.


"Donnie Yen is very serious in whatever he does and thinks of ways to make sure every single frame is perfect. Even when the weather is cold and he is shivering, cramping up, when he hears 'Action', Donnie Yen will immediately perform without a single word of complaint," said Shu Qi, who had worked with Yen in 2011's "Legend of the Fist", over her micro blog.


"Donnie, I have known you since you were young, I know you are passionate about film and have high expectations of yourself. I hope you won't be affected by all these controversies. Keep going!" said Hui, who had worked with Yen in 2011's "Wu Xia" in a micro blog post.

Hong Kong actor Chapman Toh and director Wong Jing have expressed their support for Yen as well, but Chiu too has his supporters.


"I worked with Vincent Chiu on 'Wu Dang' and feel that he is very enthusiastic about his work, personable … I believe Instructor Chiu, strongly support him!" said "CJ7" star, Chinese actress Xu Jiao.

Yuen Wah, who had appeared in countless Hong Kong action films, echoed Xu's sentiments and backed Chiu. Chiu himself has since dug in his heels and declared that he is ready to fight it out with Yen in court, even if this spat causes irreparable damage to his acting career.


"All ten properties I bought at a low price in Beijing are now worth six times more. Even if I stop working, I won't have any difficulty getting by," Chiu told the media recently, in response to Yen's announcement that he would take Chiu to court, "This issue affects my reputation. I must get justice, because they have insulted my professionalism."

-CNA/ha

Japanese pop icon marries man almost 20 years younger

TOKYO: One of Japan's best-known pop stars said on Wednesday that she has married a fellow musician nearly 20 years her junior, setting off a frenzy in the country's tabloid press.

Miwa Yoshida, 46, the lead singer of Dreams Come True which has sold about 50 million albums worldwide, announced on her New York-based blog that she tied the knot with Juon, the 27-year-old lead singer for rock band Fuzzy Control.

"I have something to tell you today. You know what, I got married to Juon on March 8," she wrote.

Yoshida, still hugely popular among mostly female fans in Japan, started the duo Dreams Come True more than two decades ago. The band won followers across East Asia with their romantic ballads.

The singer had a relationship with a music video director until 2007 when he died of cancer at age 33.

She joins a long list of woman celebrities who have married considerably younger men.

In November, American actress Demi Moore announced the end of her high-profile marriage to actor Ashton Kutcher.

The pair married in 2005 when she was 42 and he was 27.

- AFP/al

Nicholas Tse encourages media to stalk his children

HONG KONG: While many celebrities will go out of their way to make sure their children are not photographed by the media, for fear of drawing unwanted attention to them, Hong Kong singer-actor Nicholas Tse does the opposite.

Speaking to reporters during a promotional event on Tuesday in Hong Kong for his upcoming film "Vanishing Bullet", Tse said he wanted the media to photograph his sons Lucas and Quintus more often.

"Please don't let my two children go, continue to follow them. Follow them as closely as possible. Even when they are going to the toilet, going to or returning home from school, or even changing their clothes, they are guys, it's fine to photograph them," said Tse.

Has he gone mad?

It turns out Tse feels that there has been a rash of child kidnapping and human trafficking cases in Hong Kong recently, and thought his children would actually be safer with the media tailing them all the time and getting the public interested in how his sons are.

"Actually, I want to thank the media, because they bring an extra six million pairs of eyes (the Hong Kong public) to keep track of whether my sons are okay. Why would I be annoyed with the media?" said Tse, before adding that it would be folly for anyone to try and kidnap his two sons, "If someone tried to kidnap one of my children, there'd immediately be 200 or more photos of this appearing on the micro blogs, so don't have any designs on my kids!

-CNA/ha

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心) Episode 3 Part I

Bu Bu Jing Xin (步步惊心) > Episode 3 Part I

Entrance by the “Happy Birthday” song, the 10th prince asks what is the song, and Rouxi explains to him that is is a song for birthdays and that it is the Maertai stlye. He asks her to sing the song for him again. Unbeknownst to them, the 13th and 14th princes step into the pavilion. The 14th princes asks when would he get to hear Rouxi sing the song for him. The 14th prince grins at the 10th prince stating that he now knows why the 10th prince was missing, enjoying his own little ‘celebration’ at the pavilion.

Embarrassed, the 10th prince tries to defend himself, saying that he wanted to take a break from the drinking as it was getting too much for him, so he visit the pavilion with Rouxi. But the 14th prince retorts cheekily that it was not the wine but an overdose of happiness that was too much for him. The 10th prince glances nervously at Rouxi before glaring at his brother.

At his glare, the 13th and 14th princes look at each other and proclaim cheekily, “The 10th prince is anxious. He’s not happy already”. With that the 13th prince suggests that they shall not disturb them anymore and enjoy the scenery around them instead. But Rouxi quickly excuses herself and scurries away. The 13th prince holds the 10th prince back when the latter attempts to stop Rouxi, urging his brother not to be anxious.

Rouxi, although managing to get away from the awkward situation, encounters Mingyu who blocks her way. Mingyu accuses Rouxi of not looking where she walks. Wanting to avoid a confrontation on the 10th prince’s birthday, Rouxi glares at Mingyu but restraints herself and moves in the other direction. However, Mingyu makes things difficult for her and steps in front of her again, blocking her path. Mingyu remarks that Rouxi’s action is rude and does not reflect well on her parent’s. Offended, Rouxi retorts that the pot is calling the kettle black.

Indignant, Mingyu snaps, “ You are you and I am myself. At least I have parents to bring be up properly, unlike you. There’s nothing to even compare!” Holding in her temper, Rouxi makes another attempt to walk away, but Mingyu blocks her path again. Frustrated, Rouxi confronts Mingyu and asks her what exactly does she want. Mingyu retorts that she is just like her sister, both are ignorant ad common as livestock. This comment pushes Rouxi to hold in her resolve to retaliate, she asks Mingyu where did Mingyu get this from. But Mingyu just shrugs it off and just states that both sisters are the same, that they are women of low-class going around seducing men.

Enraged, Rouxi slaps Mingyu. Both parties are shocked, but before Rouxi can react, Mingyu lunges forward and tries to slap her back but it fails as Rouxi easier dodges the “attack”. And soon, both girls end up in a cat-fight which causes a commotion loud enough to halt the celebration activites. Both girls are so into the fight that they are oblivious to their surroundings. Rouxi ends up giving Mingyu a head-butt, which lands the two of them into the pond. All the princes call out Rouxi’s name and show more concern for her than Mingyu.

With the girls struggling in the pond, the 13th and 14th prince jump into the pond to rescue the girls. As soon as they are on dry ground, Rouxi is in a better condition than Mingyu. When Roulan tries to show her concern, Mingyu pushes her away causing her to fall and starts to cry. Seeing her sister on the ground, Rouxi lunges forward but is soon stopped by the 10th prince and her sister, who orders her to stand back.

Mingyu tries to complain to the 8th prince, but he silences her sternly. Annoyed, Mingyu starts to cry uncontrollably while the on looking crowd are at a loss at how to stop her from wailing. Still caught up in her anger, Rouxi flashes her anger at Mingyu by approaching Mingyu and commands the wailing girl to shut up, but she wails even louder. Incensed, Rouxi points a finger in Mingyu’s direction and should in an even louder voice than before, her fiercenss stuns Mingyu into silence. The onlookers are equally stunned and at a loss on how to break the heavy atmosphere. But a few seconds later, the tension is broken but the Crown Prince who laughs and exclaims that Rouxi is the female version of the 13th prince, daring and straight forward. With that the tension is broken and everyone starts to laugh. The Crown Prince disperses the crowd and tells everyone to continue on with the celebrations.

 Realizing the mess that she has gotten herself into, Rouxi hangs her head in shame and looks nervously at her sister, who exudes anger. Rouxi reaches out for Roulan’s hand and attempts to apologize, but she is snubbed.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Fashion Steps Out - Orchard 2012

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Image by Alvin Choi via Facebook
Fashion Steps Out @ Orchard is an annual six-week fashion extravaganza with a slew of fashion and shopping related events on a mission to promote fashion for everyday use. This event showcases the latest Spring/Summer collections from participating brands Vivienne Westwood, Dsquared2, Dip Drops, Rosebullet, iCB, J.Press, Robinsons, Marks & Spencer, Just Cavalli, Paul & Joe and Maria Grachvogel around the globe. It is not just for the fashion industry and insiders, but for the ... Read More>>

SHINee’s ‘Sherlock’ #8 US iTunes and More Worldwide


SHINee’s
new album has garnered worldwide interest such as in America, Canada, Britain and France. The album managed to break the Top 10 on iTunes’ Album Chart with only having been released for few hours.

SHINee is at number 8 on US iTunes Album Chart. This is significant that it isn’t in the R&B, Hip-Hop a sub-genre charts that other Korean singers have already entered but in the comprehensive chart. SHINee signaled their successful comeback topping other countries iTunes chart such as Mexico, Denmark, and Sweden.

The group topped Japan comprehensive iTunes Album chart while placing 8 on Sweden, 10 spot on Mexico, 9 spot on Canada announcing their entry. Also ranked in Norway, Britain and Italy, SHINee has begun its comeback with the support of fans all around the world.

KpopStarz

Korean, Japanese pop stars to perform in Kaohsiung

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Pop singers and groups from South Korea and Japan are scheduled to perform next month at a music festival in Kaohsiung that will also feature Taiwanese stars, the organizers said yesterday.

South Korean male groups CNBLUE and Dong Bang Shin Ki, Japanese pop band W-inds and Taiwanese singers Show Luo, Rainie Yang and Ken Wu are among the big names expected to perform at the first ever E-DA Super Asia Music Festival that will kick off April 28.

The two-day festival will take the form of a 5-and-a-half-hour live show each day, said the organizers, E-DA Cultural Creative Industries CO., LTD and Friendly Dog Entertainment. The event will be held at E-DA World and include food displays and a creative product market.

ChinaPost

Thursday, March 22, 2012

JJ Lin produces the theme song for the movie Flying With You, starring Jimmy Lin and Nara Jang


Jimmy Lin and JJ Lin became best friends from their mutual love of fast sports cars. JJ Lin took time off from his busy schedule to write and produce the theme songs for Jimmy Lin’s new movie “Flying With You”. The female lead Nara Jang flew from Korea to Taiwan just for the recording.

Jimmy and Nara became good friends since the collaboration of the movie “Flying With You”. The two shot some breathtaking scenes in a high altitude rain forest. Jimmy and Nara are best known for their baby face. The new movie will premiere this summer worldwide.

This is the first time Nara will sing in Chinese. Producer JJ Lin communicated with her via English, Chinese and simple Korean during recording. Jimmy treated them to a dinner before recording. Nara’s father accompanied her on the trip. JJ Gave her a present and Nara gave him her new album hoping that they will collaborate again the future.

translation byl_coco

Source:
http://udn.com/NEWS/...6/6972730.shtml

Show Luo starts own channel on YouTube


Google reportedly forked out millions of Taiwanese dollars to build a studio for the singer. Video-sharing site YouTube recently invited Taiwanese singer Show Luo to start his own channel on its site.
It is believed that Google, YouTube's parent company, forked out millions of Taiwanese dollars to create a personal studio for Show to shoot his videos. The studio included the singer's favourite leopard-print couch and a basketball hoop, making him the first Chinese singer to receive such preferential treatment.

The studio was used for the first time yesterday, at the press conference for the opening of Show's YouTube channel. The singer also premiered his first skit, titled 'Dancing Kid', which showed him mimicking Taiwan's 'Dancing Uncle' Ye Fu Tai and boasting the agility of his lower body.

When asked where he drew inspirations for his comedy skits, the Asian dancing king laughed and said, "For example, [I'll come up] with a series of comedies after I watched Donnie Yen's Fist of Fury. I also make my own horror movies on the iPhone sometimes."

However, to protect the interests of his fan club members, Show will give them "special privileges" by sharing his "really private homemade videos with them only".

Yesterday, Show also released his latest single You Wo Zai, which was immediately compared to the songs of Taiwanese rock band Mayday and singer Jay Chou, because of their similar musical styles. However, Show's manager dismissed these comparisons, "We invested a lot of money on the music video, so it's very different from the other singers."

XinMSN

Big Bang's song for "Transformers" animation

It was revealed that Korean group Big Bang's song has been selected as the opening theme for the new "Transformers" animation series.

According to Dkpopnews website, Big Bang's agency, YG Entertainment, made an official announcement that the song "Feeling" has been selected as the opening theme song of the animation, "Transformers: Prime".

Big Bang's "Feeling", is an up-tempo song co-produced by DJ Boys Noize from Germany and Big Bang's G-Dragon.

This track is included in Big Bang's new Japanese album, "ALIVE," which is scheduled to be released on 28 March in Japan. The new album includes a total of 10 tracks including, "Feeling," and "Ego," which are not found in the Korean album; "Fantastic Baby", "Blue", and "Bad Boy", with Japanese lyrics written by m-flo's VERBAL; as well as a bonus track, "Haru Haru."

"Transformers: Prime" series will air in 140 countries. It will be broadcasted on various channels in Japan starting 7 April.

source: yahoo

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Super Junior to release Japanese version of “Opera” in May

Source: Tower Records, koreaboo
Shared on sup3rjunior.wordpress.com by elf101586

After releasing a Japanese version of “Mr. Simple” last November, Super Junior is set to release a new Japanese single this coming May. This time, however, the group will be remaking “Opera” from their latest Korean full length album “Mr. Simple”.

The single will be released in a CD only version as well as a CD+DVD release. The CD only edition comes with the title track “Opera”, and an additional Japanese original song called “Way”. The CD+DVD version has the same tracks, as well as an extra DVD with the music video for the single and its making of.

“Opera” is set to be released on May 9th, while Eunhyuk and Donghae are set to reveal their Japanese version of ”Oppa Oppa”on April 4th.

Heartthrob determined to go beyond his image

More than a decade into his career, Joo Jin-mo, 37, is still considered one of the best-looking faces in Korean cinema. He is also a victim of that image, however, incarnating one virile leading man after another.

Even in his newest film “Gabi” that opens today, he plays that tough-guy role again. Yet according to him in a recent Korea Times interview, working for this period piece set toward the end of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) was a step into new territory as an actor, and an opportunity that could not go amiss.

“Already from the screenplay’s first page, you can tell whether the genre, the character and other details are cut out for you or not. This time, the scenario was incomplete when I first received it. I thought I could really make the role my own,” he said, pointing out the depth of his participation in the creative process with director Chang Yoon-hyun (“The Contact,” 1997 and “Hwang Jin Yi,” 2007, among others).

Before shooting, he secured and watched rare video footage of King Gojong (1852-1919), the 26th king of Joseon, riding on horseback through a town road escorted by Japanese occupation forces. What began as a simple exercise to get a feel of the period gave him the main idea for his role; he would become the leader of the occupying troops.

“I was inspired (by the clip) to create a sense of conflict between the king (played by Park Hee-sun) and me (Ilyich),” he said.

So, the character was modified to exaggerate his alien aspects, and dressed in imperial military uniforms instead of the traditional Korean costume, “hanbok.” He would become a lover to barista Tanya (played by Kim So-yeon) instead of a simple accomplice to the royal assassination plot: he would slay his countrymen on behalf of the enemy and do just about anything to protect her.

Does this mean he will make his own film one day?

“I’m dying to. You have no idea,” he said, almost cutting off the interviewer. “But the right opportunity needs to present itself, first.”

For the moment, he said he is waiting for a new role, a complete departure from the brooding masculinity he has come to be equated with. “All male actors dream of playing macho men at one point or another,” he said with a sigh, “but they also dream of playing emotionally complex roles. I’m the same.”

Perhaps it is for this history of typecasting he has suffered for over a decade that he yearns for something different, a symbolic work with which his name would be associated, even if the images are scarring.

“When anyone merely mentions the great Choi Min-sik, Old Boy has to come up,” referring to the leading actor in the 2003 movie by Park Chan-wook that won the director the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. “I want to have that myself.”

Only time will tell if a director will attempt to make a monster with such sultry looks but for now, Joo dreams of playing the everyman, something his appearance has prevented him from doing. He said he wants films to be as inclusive as possible.

“I don’t think cinema should be for a small society of experts,” he said. “Movies aren’t for just one person alone to enjoy but for the greater public. They are something everyone watches and grows old with. I hope my next movie will focus strictly on the chemistry between individuals — with me as one of them.”

And to really mean it, he gave an uncharacteristically wide smile — with teeth showing. It was convincing.

Korea Times

JYJ apologises over rough treatment of obsessive "sasaeng" fans

Korean boy band JYJ apologised for their behaviour towards some of their more obsessive fans in the past, during a press conference on Thursday prior to their concert in Chile, reported Korean media. JYJ has attracted a lot of media attention recently after a Korean media outlet released audio recordings reportedly made sometime in 2009, of the trio reacting negatively toward their obsessive "sasaeng" (Korean for "private life") fans, who invade their privacy in a bid to share a closer relationship with them.

One particularly damaging recording had JYJ member Kim Jaejoong verbally abusing a "sasaeng" fan, before declaring that he had hit "sasaeng" fans numerous times in the past. The expletive-laden recording also suggested that Kim may have hit the person he was speaking to. Addressing the issue, Kim expressed remorse for his actions. "I apologise for the things I have done wrong in the past, I'm sorry that I have upset many fans. From now on, regardless of how difficult … the situation is, we will think about the people who love us and fulfil our duty as public figures," said Jaejoong.

However, Jaejoong's JYJ group mates Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu revealed that they reacted negatively to "sasaeng" fans because these fans often go overboard when trying to get closer to their idols. Junsu claimed that their "sasaeng" fans would track their cars via GPS and would sometimes break into their homes to photograph their personal belongings.

"They ('sasaeng' fans) even tried to kiss me while I was sleeping and caused a minor accident between our car and the taxi they were pursuing us in, just to see my face," recounted Kim Junsu, adding that he lived in fear every day.

"It's like living in a prison without bars," said Park, of how he felt about being hounded relentlessly by "sasaeng" fans since the band's debut in 2004. Opinion is divided among JYJ's fans about their treatment of their "sasaeng" fans.

Some have expressed disappointment over JYJ's behaviour, while others believe that JYJ's actions are justified as these fans sometimes exhibit extreme behaviour, citing a recent video that showed Park being slapped in the face by a "sasaeng" fan.

CNA

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Actresses

The Actresses is a South Korean film produced in 2009 by director E J-yong. According to Wikipedia, director E J-yong was inspired by two of his close actress friends, Yoon Yeo-jeong and Ko Hyeon-jeong and wanted to show the public how charming actresses are in real life. So Yoon Yeo-jeong, Lee Mi-sook, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Min-hee and Kim Ok-bin, together with director E J-yong wrote the script (which was improvised). E J-yong would provide the conflict and the actresses improvised, which included a real-life confrontation between Ko Hyeon-jeong and Choi Ji-woo, each admitting that their on-set relationship was strained, with Ko Hyeon-jeong admitting that she felt envious of Choi Ji-woo's looks. 

So together, the 6 actresses, portraying themselves in the film, come together for a Vogue magazine photo shoot on Christmas Eve, resulting in a clash of egos between individuals not used to sharing the limelight...

I had the opportunity to watch this over Mio TV, and found that the documentary styled filming was interesting, it was a little obvious that the script was mostly improvised and had a different ‘feel’ to it. Initially I thought that it was a documentary about the actresses rather than a film. But it is a pretty creative collaboration, as the film abandons the traditional story structure and goes on the actresses’ real-life interaction and improvisation’ showing that they are not are flawless as the public seems to think they are as they are also humans.

The film is set on 2008 Christmas Eve, where Vogue Korea manages to gather 6 of Korea's top actresses, for a photo shoot with the theme "actresses more precious than gems". Each actress representing a generation (20s to 60s): veterans actresses Yoon Yeojung and Lee Misook, Ko Hyeon-jeong, international star Choi Jiwoo, Kim Mihee and Kim Okbin (the younger actresses), immediately show their different personalities with the manner the arrive on set. The tensions are apparent from the start, but as the night unfolds, the Vogue staff (playing themselves) try to keep it together when a shipment of gems get stuck in a snowstorm in Japan. This leads to the actresses fighting and eventually bonding, coming to a somber and heartfelt discussion of what life is like in the public eye for women like them.


The film doesn’t really have a storyline just the interactions and drama (conflict, delayed gems etc…) between the 6 actresses who are not used to sharing the limelight. Although the actresses were supposedly playing themselves, you wouldn’t know how much of their “chats” were real. It really felt at times that they were trying to convey something to the audience an image to fight or confirm (during their little Christmas party while waiting for the delayed gems, which never arrived). But overall, it was an interesting film and rather enjoyable in its documentary-style fiction that was both hilarious and heartwarming at the same time.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Taiwan Severely Loves FT Island

Popular band FT Island has been taking Taiwan by storm.

Their song "Grown Up" from their "Severely" album hit number one on the country's K-Pop Singles chart and the Most Sold K-Pop Albums chart on G-Music's "Kuang Nan Record" and "eZPeer+". FT Island also reigned at top of the K-Pop music chart for MTV Taiwan.

The boys of FT Island just wrapped up their concert in Los Angeles which was a joint effort with CNBLUE. Their next task? Their Asian tour.

KBS Global

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

2PM Successfully Finishes Asia Concert Tour in Hong Kong

The idol group 2PM has finished their last concert of their Asia tour entitled "Hands Up" in Hong Kong, their agency JYP Entertainment said on March 12. According to JYP, around 9,000 audience members from various Asian countries came to 2PM's first solo concert in Hong Kong which was held at the Asian Expo Arena on March 10. 2PM heated up the venue by presenting their hit songs including the title song of their second album entitled "Hands Up."

In particular, Joon Soo sang the hit song "My Heart Is Hurt," which has been sung by Hong Kong's popular singer Jacky Cheung, receiving an ovation from many fans in Hong Kong. 2PM also distributed roses to the audience during their performance, which received an enthusiastic response.

2PM closed their first Asia concert tour by holding their last concert in Hong Kong. They began the tour last year in September with a concert in Seoul and met a total of 160,000 audience members by visiting six countries during their concert tour. The group members said, "We have been very happy during the concert tour because we could meet our fans who love our music and spend an enjoyable time with them. We will definitely come to see you again with better performances."

2PM will hold a fan meeting event in Korea on April 1.

KBS Global

Show Luo soldiers on with work despite illness

Album sales of Taiwanese singer Show Luo, also dubbed the Asian King of Dance, had been doing well in recent years. The singer made his debut in the Japanese music industry with a new Japanese single Dante, a month ago on Feb 15. The single entered the Japanese Oricon Top 10 Chart on the first week of its release, and has sold up to 25,000 copies today.

At a promotional activity for this Japanese single yesterday, the 34-year-old singer let on that he was down with a terrible cold and burst an artery in his eye due to the coughing fits. Despite his illness, Show insisted on carrying out a LIVE performance to thank his fans -- and a group of 30 Japanese fans who travelled to the country to show their support -- for bracing the 14-degrees rainy weather to attend the event at Ximending, Taiwan. He also specially went down stage to shake their hands.

Show also shared his thoughts about the recent promotional tour in Japan and let on that he had screamed because he was so happy, as it was his first time seeing his own poster on the streets of Japan. Show added that when he saw his music video playing in Shibuya, he ran around happily and shouted at the top of his voice.

The singer also revealed that he had fulfilled one of his wishes by recording a Japanese single, and has finished recording his next Japanese single.
 

Jacky Wu charged with fraud

TAIPEI: Taiwan authorities have on Tuesday charged television host Jacky Wu for his suspected involvement in a massive fraud case, reported Taiwan media.

Prosecutors believe Wu's friend Hsu Feng Yang had colluded with Wu to defraud Lien Ming Mobile Technology, a listed technology company which Xu headed, of NT$60 million (S$2.5 million), by entering into a fake purchase contract with Wu's Light Emitting Diode manufacturing company and then tampering with financial records.

Wu, who is best known for hosting the popular variety show "Guess, Guess, Guess", has since denied these charges. "I am not worried about something that I did not do. The prosecutors have their own idea of what happened, which may be different from ours. Let the law uncover the truth. I'll let the lawyers settle this matter," Wu told reporters.

Wu could be jailed for up to ten years and fined up to NT$200 million (S$8.5 million) if he is convicted.

CNA

Friday, March 09, 2012

Song Hye-kyo To Sing Duet With John Park

It's hard to say who's the more popular one these days. The petite actress who has a string of hit dramas under her belt after 16 years in the biz and was also chosen as TC Candler's 5th most beautiful woman in the world? Or the tall, handsome newbie solo singer that took k-pop by storm after nearly winning the most popular singing survival show in 2010 and is now promoting his hit song "Falling"?

How are the two even linked together? Well, currently they're not, but they will be very soon after the release of their duet song together. This would be the first singing project by Song since her debut.

Netizens are all excited after the teaser video dropped via Youtube. It has Song and Park talking on the phone, with Song saying, "I want to sing. Ah~ I'm so nervous!". Park responds on the other line by excitedly saying, "Song Hye-gyo? Oh my god." No other information was given.

The song drops on March 8th.


KBS Global