Sunday, May 20, 2012

Monster preview


Big Bang to Release 'Alive Monster Edition' Special Album

Big Bang announced its decision to release an album in celebration of 'Big Bang Alive Tour 2012 in Japan.’

According to Big Bang's official Japanese website, the special edition of 'Alive' will include 3 new songs including 'Monster' is to release on June 20. The album is a special edition that will include new videos.

New single 'Monster' recorded in Japanese is a song with sad piano melodies, painful lyrics, reminding listeners of Bing Bang’s hit songs like 'Lie' and 'Haru Haru.’ The new album also includes full version of 'Alive' intro and 'Bingle Bingle' in Korean written by G-Dragon as new tracks.

The DVD will include music videos of ‘Monster,’ ‘Fantastic Baby’s new version, and recording, jacket and making of ‘Alive-Monster Edition.’

credit: kpopstarz.com

CN Blue Take Taiwanese Charts by Storm

Korean boy band CN Blue have raced to the top of Taiwan's major music charts with their new album, "Ear Fun." The album swept the top spot on six charts including the J-Pop weekly chart of G-Music, the country's largest music site, as well as the Chia Chia Records chart and ezPeer, the group's agency FNC Entertainment said on Wednesday.

The album also ranked first on the monthly album sales chart, according to data compiled by Taiwan's online bookstore Books.com.tw from April 13 to Sunday.

CN Blue are gaining an immense following in Taiwan, with all 10,000 tickets for their "Bluestorm" concert in Taipei on Feb. 28 selling out in less than 15 minutes of being made available to the public.


Chosun Ilbo

Sunday, May 13, 2012

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

Rouxi shivers under the blanket once she is back in her room. When the maids serve her ginger soup to keep her warm, she asks if her sister came by and if she said anything. The maids shake their heads and Rouxi asks if she was frightening in the afternoon. Quihui affirms that thought and Rouxi says that Roulan must be really angry, but her anger should dissipate with time.

The next day when Rouxi is on her way to visit Roulan, all the servants that she encounters shun her and move away quickly after greeting her. Rouxi attempts to appease her sister fails as Roulan ignores Rouxi's attempts, frustrating Rouxi.

Rouxi hides in a corner of the garden, pluckinh petals off a flower in frustration when the 10th and 14th princes find her. The 14th prince asks her about her expressions and she replies,  “The look of a container that has been broken.” Both princes are amused and the 10th prince states that he thought Ruoxi has always been fierce towards him, but now he realises that she is actually quite good to him, earning him a thrown flower from a peeved Rouxi.

The 14th prince adds on sighing that he thought that Rouxi was an elegant lady when he first saw her, but it is a pity. Rouxi wonders what the 14th prince means and looks in his direction. He explains that her fame since yesterday's incident at the 10th prince celebration has earned her the nickname ‘Daredevil 13th Sister’.

Ruoxi sighs as she realises that bad news spreads like wildfire, while good news hardly have the same effect. The 14th prince continues and says that the 13th prince has been dragged into this incident as well. The other princes and nobles of the court tease the 13th prince about the origins of his new 13th sister.

Just as Rouxi is starting to get nervous and worried about the implications of her actions, a servants run up to her and informs her that the 8th prince wants to see her. Seeing her worried face, both princes promise her that they will put in a good word for her and ask for leniency if necessary. Their gesture lightens her mood a little.

Rouxi reaches the 8th prince's study and stands in front of the 8th prince’s table while he discusses that day’s court with the10th and 14th princes. He seems to be ignoring Ruoxi, concentrating on the incident in court.

After standing for a considerable amount of time, Ruoxi's legs start to ache and she wobbles on her feet, first standing on one foot while supporting with the front of her heeled shoe; switching over as her legs get tired. While the 10th prince keeps glancing at Ruoxi, the 14th prince calmly engages the 8th prince. A servant soon enters to announce dinner time, and the 8th prince invites his two brothers to stay for dinner.

As they walk towards the entrance, the 8th prince asks his brothers to go ahead first. The 10th prince is anxious and suggests leaving together, but finally relents and leaves Ruoxi with his older brother. Biting her lip, Ruoxi looks down at the ground as the 8th prince approaches her. He asks her to lift her head and looks her in the eyes. Ruoxi gazes back and startled by his expression, she takes a step back. 8th laughs and asks “Where has that day’s chilli-hot daring gone to?” and walks away.

His actions confuse Rouxi. The 8th prince looks back and asks if she still wants to continue standing. He than instructs that Rouxi be sent back to Rou;an's quarters. So Rouxi hobbles back to her sister's place, not sure if this is the end of the matter or if it is just a hiatus before he will deal with her.

On the way to Roulan's place, Ruoxi sees the 10th and 14th princes again. The 10th prince asks how she is and she tricks him with a sad face. He is about to confront the 8th prince when she pulls back and starts to chuckle together with the 14th prince who realized she was tricking the 10th prince. 

Realizing what is going on, the 10th prince pouts at the two of them, scolding Ruoxi and emphasizing that his worry apparently without cause. They apologise to the 10th prince, and Ruoxi shows that she  is a little miffed at the 14th prince for not putting in a word like he had promised earlier. However, the 14th prince explains that his older brother is well known for his courtesy to everyone. If the 8th prince had been polite to Rouxi, treating her as if nothing had happened, then he would have a reason to try and find a way to ask for leniency on her behalf. But seeing that she was ignored and made to stand for such a long time,  he realized that there was no need for him to help. 

The 10th prince thinks for a moment and agrees, chiding the 14th prince for not explaining earlier. While the 14th prince grins and says that he wanted to see Rouxi and the 10th prince reactions.  wants The 10th prince warns the 14th prince that he will get him back, and the 14th prince just laughs and tells the 10th prince that since he has seen Ruoxi all fine and well, it is time for them to head to their dinner appointment with the 8th prince. 

Before Ruoxi urges them to go for the dinner, she asks how the Gorolo family reacted to the incident. The 14th prince assures Ruoxi that the 8th prince will take care of it, adding that she should get a servant to massage her legs. So as the prince head to their dinner, Rouxi hobbles over to her sister's place. 

Upon seeing Rouxi, Roulan orders that dinner be served, but a servant arrives with food from the 8th prince for Rouxi. Rouxi asks Qiaohui if her sister is still angry with her and she get a nod. Wanting to appease her sister, Rouxi attempts to get the 8th prince help, but he replies that he cannot help her in this matter. Only the person who made the knot, can undo the knot.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Jang Keun Suk, Park Yoochun involved in fatigue-related car accidents

SEOUL: Korean singer-actor Jang Keun Suk got into a car accident early Sunday morning, reported Korean media. His manager, who was driving the car they were in, dozed off at the wheel while they were returning to Seoul after a location shoot for his latest drama "Love Rain".

Jang's vehicle then hit the guardrail at the side of the road and suffered some minor damage. Fortunately for Jang, the impact only left him with some bruises and they were able to complete the rest of their journey. The 26-year-old star has since returned to work.

Korean pop trio JYJ's Park Yoochun was involved in a similar accident at around 1am on Thursday last week, after shooting scenes for his new drama "Rooftop Prince". Park's manager, who was driving the van they were in, also fell asleep at the wheel and crashed their vehicle into a truck. Their vehicle was badly damaged, but both Park and his manager escaped with only minor injuries.

Park was apparently so busy shooting the drama, that he could not afford the time to undergo a medical examination immediately after the accident, but continued shooting instead.

CNA

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Netizens bash "Ti Amo Chocolate" for copying Korean dramas

Source: UDN
Written by: fufu @ CpopAccess.com

Many sharp-eyed fans have spotted recent Taiwanese dramas with similar plots and storylines from popular Korean dramas. One of them being SETTV’s currently airing prime time drama, “Ti Amo Chocolate” (also known as Set Chocolate). Some netizens have even gone as far as teasing that the drama should change its name to “Ti Amo Korean Drama”. Like “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince”, the female lead pretends to be a guy working at a restaurant. Netizens also pointed out that the scene where Van Ness Wu almost found out that Joanne Zeng was a girl when she wore a dress to the party was also very much like when Yoon Eun-Hye dressed up to go to the art gallery and bumped into Gong Yoo (male lead).

More eerie similarities were spotted by netizens. In the Korean drama, “You’re Beautiful”, Park Shin-Hye jumped on top of a truck in order to retrieve a cell phone. The truck started moving and Jang Geun-Suk had to chase after her. Likewise in “Ti Amo Chocolate”, Van Ness fell onto a truck during a conflict with Joanne Zeng. Joanne then chased after the truck on her bike when it suddenly started moving.

Another Taiwanese drama that has also been criticized is “Happy Michelin Kitchen”. Before it started airing, news broke out that it was a copy of a Korean drama. However, the production crew expressed that the drama was inspired by the classic story of “Butterfly Lovers”. Interestingly, when the drama aired in the mainland, it used the name, “‘人間美味一號店“ (roughly translates to The 1st Shop of Deliciousness), which reminded people of “Coffee Prince”.

The drama that Jerry Yan filmed in the mainland last year was also criticized for copying Korean dramas. Jerry expressed, “Actors create characters. Although the script was similar, different actors will portray the character differently.”

SMAP, KAT-TUN's management agency to debut new Chinese idol group

TOKYO: Johnny and Associates, the management agency behind popular J-pop boy bands like KAT-TUN, Arashi and SMAP, intends to form a new male idol group made up of Chinese members, reported Japanese media.

"I intend to create a Chinese idol group and also want to hold an audition in China," Johnny Kitagawa, founder and president of Johnny and Associates, told Japanese media on Thursday.

The 80-year-old music producer revealed that the new group's members will be in their teens, though he has not yet decided how many members the group will have.

Kitagawa said he plans to debut this new Chinese idol group, which will be a major part of his company's business strategy in Asia, sometime in November.

Founded in 1968, Johnny and Associates is one of the biggest entertainment companies in Japan, and has a reputation for creating highly successful boy bands by focusing on developing its artistes' as all-round entertainers instead of just musicians.

CNA

Cyndi Wang to address accusations at press conference

Following Sonia Sui's confession of her breakup with Yao Yuan Hao last Thursday, Cyndi Wang, who is accused to be the third party, will be addressing the media at a press conference today. Swarmed by reporters at the airport on Saturday when the singer returned to Taiwan from Hong Kong, Cyndi made no clarifications on the rumours while her company expressed that they will address the matter today.

The 29-year-old posted on her microblog some time ago in which she wrote, "The one who gets hurt is always the one who refuses to let go," leading to speculations that she was referring to the couple. In response, Cyndi's manager wrote on the singer's Facebook, expressing that "Regarding all the rumours, we [the management] should explain the situation for her [Cyndi], and we can only say it on our official website."

Meanwhile, Yuan Hao's manager clarified the rumours surrounding why Sonia and Cyndi were using the same design of plates. He shared that the actor was depressed when he was dumped by Sonia last year and many of his friends "went to Yuan Hao's place to accompany him," hinting that Cyndi had been at the 30-year-old's residence previously.

Yuan Hao responded in a phone interview on Friday night that he "wasn't happy after reconciling [with Sonia] a year ago" but he did not want "to see her get hurt". He added that he is "unhappy to see negative reports about Sonia."

XinMSN

Strawberry Night

  • Episodes: 11
  • Broadcast period: 2012-Jan-10 to 2012-Mar-20
  • Theme song: Misenai Namida wa, Kitto Itsuka by GReeeeN 
Synopsis:A non "elite" female detective,Reiko Himekawa (Yuko Takeuchi), stationed at the Metropolitan Police Department has risen fast through the ranks due to her hard work. She becomes involved in a murder case named "Strawberry Night".

Originally broadcast in autumn of 2010 as a special drama, "Strawberry Night" returns to Fuji on Tuesday nights. Based on the best selling mystery novel by Honda Tetsuya which sold over 1.5 million copies. Himekawa Reiko is a police officer working for squad 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. As the only female squad leader in charge of inspecting a crime scene, Reiko uncovers the mystery behind a merciless murder, a man who was found dead covered in a plastic sheet in the bushes near a pond. Reiko realizes that the crime is not an independent incident, but one that had just begun. The code "Strawberry Night" eventually surfaces from the investigations, a word that eventually leads to another police officer, an elite detective. 

The drama is not only full of suspense, but breathtakingly tells a story of each character's concerns and sorrow, the troubles and tasks they must face. It takes a closer look at Reiko's mental state, the relationship between her and those surrounding her, a detective's faith, pride and sincerity towards one's profession...All in all, it's a profound human / profession drama that will touch the hearts of many. --Fuji TV (Pic & Synopsis Credit: Wiki)


Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Queen In-hyun’s Man (Complete)

Also Known As: Queen Inhyun’s Man / Queen and I
Korean Title: 인현왕후의 남자 / Inhyeon Wanghu-ui Namja
Cast: Ji Hyun Woo, Yoo In Na
# of Episodes: 16
Airing Days: Wednesday andThursdays
Broadcasting Station: tvN


Synopsis:

Queen In-Hyeon's Man (인현왕후의 남자) is a TVN series is about a man who supported Queen Inhyeon who find stuck for 21st century and met rookie actress who play tragic queen it stars Ji Hyun-woo and Yoo In-Na in lead roles. Park Boong Do Ji Hyun Woo is a scholar who had supported the reinstatement of Queen In Hyun when Jang heebin’s schemes resulted in her being deposed and replaced as King Sukjong’s queen consort. He travels 300 years into the future of modern Seoul and meets Choi Hee Jin Yoo In Na, a no-name actress who is expecting a career renaissance through her role as Queen In Hyun in a TV drama. (Pic & Synopsis Credit: Wiki)



Episode Guide