Ex-Wonder Girl Sun Mi Headed for College!

Sun Mi can now call herself an official college student at Dongguk University!

Last October, Sun Mi was accepted into Dongguk University for 2011 as part of special “Top Student” program for acting. However, she wanted to be judged on her own personal efforts and decided to take the Korean college entrance exam. After careful consideration, her admission was confirmed.

JYP Entertainment has confirmed the situation saying, “Sun Mi has indeed been admitted to Dongguk University. After a lot of careful thinking and deliberation, she has decided to go to Dongguk University.”

Congratulations, Sun Mi!

Source : Soompi

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HALCALI’s YUCALI tweets additional info on upcoming “TOKYO CONNECTION”

We reported earlier that HALCALI was preparing to release their new mini album, “TOKYO CONNECTION“, on February 9th and already had their track “Marching March (80KIDZ Remix)” picked up as the Nissan March CM song. Now thanks to YUCALI’s tweets, the hip-hop duo has released even more information about the album and CM.

YUCALI recently tweeted the cover art for the new album:

“NEW MINI ALBUM ‘TOKYO CONNECTION’ jacket art is finally released. Last year in May, the TOKYO GROOVE album had dolls on it and this time we return with American comic-style cover art. ♡ Check it out!”

YUCALI tweeted again the second Nissan updated their website for the MARCH car that contained their new commercial with the “Marching March” CM song. You can check out the song and the HALCALI narration on the official Nissan site.

Just click the CM button with the film roll picture on the right-hand side of the page.

http://www.nissan.co.jp/MARCH/

So far, 2011 is shaping up to be just as huge a year as 2010 for HALCALI! Stay tuned for more information on the new mini album as it is released!

Source : Tokyohive

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Dream High

Title: 드림하이 / Dream High
Genre: School, romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: KBS2
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan-03 to 2011-Feb-22
Air time: Monday & Tuesday 21:55

Synopsis

Six students at Girin Art High School work to achieve their dreams of becoming stars.

Cast

Kim Soo Hyun as Song Sam Dong
Taecyeon as Jin Gook
Suzy (수지) as Go Hye Mi
Ham Eun Jung as Yoon Baek Hee
Wooyoung as Kevin
IU (아이유)
JOO (주)
Uhm Ki Joon
Lee Yoon Ji
Bae Yong Joon (cameo ep 1-4)
Park Jin Young (박진영)
Han Ji Hoo
Yoon Young Ah
Lee Byung Joon
Jun Ah Min (전아민)
Kim Hyun Joong (cameo)
Jo Sumi (cameo, ep 1)

Production Credits

Production Companies: KeyEast, JYPE, and CJ Media
Producer: Bae Yong Joon, Park Jin Young
Screenwriter: Park Hye Ryun (박혜련)
Director: Lee Eung Bok

Source : KoreanDrama

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Alice Nine Releases Preview for 4th Album

After their successful first concert at Tokyo Budokan, visual kei rock band, Alice Nine, continues their momentum with previews for their 4th album 「GEMINI』.

The album tracks have also been revealed, including their hit singles “Senkou” and “Stargazer,” which reached 10th on the Oricon Weekly. Furthermore, the group has announced their spring tour to promote the album. The tour starts on April 22nd and is titled Alice Nine 2011 Spring Circuit「Prelude to “GEMINI”」.

The album itself is scheduled for release on February 9th.

Source : Tokyohive

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“We Got Married” announces final broadcast date for ‘Adam Couple’

After announcing that the ‘Adam couple’ were concluding their run on the show, representatives of MBC’s “We Got Married” have revealed the final broadcast date for Jo Kwon and Ga-In.

The representative revealed, “This week’s episode, scheduled for January 8th, will not feature the Adam Couple. The episode will consist of only the Jung Yonghwa and Seohyun couple, and the Nichkhun and Victoria couple because there is not enough footage for the Adam Couple. Their last broadcast date will be on January 15th.”

The producers are currently in the final stages of editing the couple’s last segment.

Source : AllKpop

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Big Bang’s T.O.P and Shin Min Ah for Full House 2?

Popular drama ‘Full House,’ starring Rain and Song Hye Kyo is scheduled to return for season two.

According to an insider, 김종학 프로덕션 Kim Jong Hahk Productions is currently in the process of producing season 2 of Full House and participating in preparation talks with broadcasting station SBS.

According to a TV report on the 7th, the source further revealed, “For Full House Season 2, the scripts for 3 episodes are already complete. For the leading roles, they’re currently in talks with Song Joong Gi, Shin Min Ah, and Big Bang’s T.O.P (Choi Seung Hyun).“

Because of the popularity of Full House and it’s role on the Hallyu Wave, season 2 has been in the planning stages for quite some time now. However, this is the first time that talks have advanced to the point where conversations occurred with a broadcast station and also detailing on who would star in the roles.

A representative from Kim Jong Hahk Production stated, “Talks are ongoing but nothing is set in terms of airing times, what station it’ll air on and who’ll star in the drama. More information should be revealed near the end of the month.”

What’s also interesting about this potential casting is that T.O.P and Shin Min Ah were rumored to have been dating in the past.

Source : AllKpop

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CNBLUE prepares to sign on with major Japanese music labels this year

CNBLUE has receiving an abundance of love calls from major Japanese record companies.

Unlike the other Hallyu groups who are promoting under larger labels, CNBLUE has been working with indie label FNC Music Japan since before their debut.

However, the group has finally revealed plans to officially contract with a major record label and prepare for their upcoming ‘official promotions’. The group’s been enjoying much success in Japan already, as they’ve already ranked on the Oricon charts and sold out their Japanese tour; consequently, many are anticipating what their ‘official promotions’.

A representative of FNC Music revealed, “Strong Japanese record labels have made offers to release CNBLUE’s official album.”

They continued, “About 10 different agency representatives have visited CNBLUE’s performances once or twice. Representatives that weren’t able to attend due to the tickets selling out have even asked their staff members to pre-order the band’s next performances. The reason they want to sign the group on is not because of the Hallyu wave, but because the group is unique in that they have a strong band sound. The Japanese market is known for their strong band musicians, and CNBLUE has managed to receive positive reviews.“”

FNC Music will be making an official announcement on the group’s Japanese promotion partner within the first half of this year.

Source : AllKpop

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“You’re Beautiful” drama was the #1 Korean drama in Japan

It was recently revealed that the drama “You’re Beautiful” was ranked the #1 Hallyu drama in DVD sales in Japan, and results from the data analysis also showed that Korean dramas are still receiving immense popularity overseas.

According to Japan’s stock company CCC (Culture Convenience Club), data from ‘Tsutaya‘, a DVD and CD sales and rental company, data was gathered from January to December of 2010 to rank the most popular DVDs and CDs. In total for 2010, the data showed that more than 693,740,000 copies were sold or rented out for 2010.

Furthermore, analyzed results showed that there were a total of 2,500 rental subscribers and online memberships for each store, with each person renting out 27.7 units in those 12 months.

Additionally, the number of Hallyu dramas bought or rented out increased by 20% from the previous year, with a total of 108,480,000 copies sold or rented. The popular drama “You’re Beautiful” was also ranked the #1 Korean drama in Japan of 2010.

Source : AllKpop

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What were the reasons behind Ga-In’s withdrawal from “We Got Married”?

When it was announced that the ‘Adam Couple‘ from MBC’s ”We Got Married” was going to conclude its run on the show, many were puzzled over the reasons for the decision. It was recently revealed that Ga-In wanted to withdraw from “We Got Married” so that she could better focus on her other activities.

Ga-In is currently shooting for the daily sitcom, “All My Love“, which requires her to film 3-4 days a week. She’s also been working closely with the Brown Eyed Girls to prepare for their February comeback. Considering her obligations to “We Got Married”, Ga-In has been working in all three major areas of the entertainment industry – variety shows, acting, and music. Her schedule became so crammed, that her Christmas wish last year was “to be able to sleep more.”

But with “We Got Married” being her breakthrough role into the entertainment industry, her decision to leave the show was not an easy one to make. Ever since she joined the variety show with 2AM’s Jo Kwon in September of 2009, the couple has been receiving immense support from all viewers, not to mention experiencing individual boosts in popularity.

There’s a final component to her decision, however. Ga-In also felt the need to show a new image as an entertainer. The fact that the general public saw her as ‘Jo Kwon’s wife’ burdened her a little, and made her yearn for new ventures.

So when will Ga-In film her last episode with Jo Kwon?

A representative from the show stated, “We haven’t decided when they will film the last episode. We need to match with the flow of the program, so it doesn’t mean they will stop broadcasting from next week onwards. We are currently refining the details with the producers.”

Source : AllKpop

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CNBLUE’s Japanese “Zepp Tour” is completely sold out!

Tickets for CNBLUE’s upcoming concert in Japan have sold out! CNBLUE’s agency revealed on January 6th that the boys will kick off their 2011 Japanese promotions through the “Zepp Concert Tour“. The group will be performing to a full stadium for all four stops, which indicates CNBLUE’s immense popularity in the Japanese market.

The band will begin their tour on January 9th in Osaka, which will be followed by Fukuoka on the 11th, Nagoya on the 13th, and Tokyo on the 16th.

It’s looking like 2011 is going to be quite the busy year for CNBLUE, since the group is preparing to release a new album in February, and are also actively filming for dramas or making regular variety show appearances.

Source : AllKpop

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Big Bang releases teaser for “2011 BIG SHOW” concert!

Big Bang has been holding their annual brand concert, “Big Show,” every January since 2008, but for this year they’re planning to hold it in February so that it could coincide with the group’s comeback.

The boys finally released a teaser video for the three-day concert, to build anticipation for its opening show on February 25th at the Olympic Athletics Stadium. The concert itself has been widely popuar with both fans and industry representatives alike, as it always featured the best possible performances.

A YG Entertainment representative previously explained, “This year’s ‘Big Show’ will feature not only Big Bang’s newest tracks, but GD&TOP and Seungri’s mini-album as well.”

Source : AllKpop

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The ‘Adam Couple’ posts a goodbye message on me2DAY

Earlier today, it was announced that the “Adam Couple” of MBC’s hit series, ”We Got Married“, would be leaving the show. 2AM’s Jo Kwon and Brown Eyed Girls‘ Ga-In will air their last episode soon, but since the news came as such a shock to their fans, they decided to post a little message on their me2DAY.

On January 6th, the couple wrote, “Over the last year and three months, we made unforgettable memories, and treated each other with genuine and honest hearts. We think that showed through, and that’s why we earned so much love. We are so happy and thankful that we got to share our memories with all of you guys. ^^ Happy New Year”

They added, “Please look forward to Ga-In and Jo Kwon’s future plans~^^ Thank you for all the messages you sent through Adam’s me2. We will also end our me2DAY and save it as a memory..^^ Thank you.”

Source : AllKpop

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SMAP delivers highest performer ratings at 61st Kouhaku Uta Gassen

The minute-by-minute breakdown of the viewership ratings (in the Kanto region) for the 61st NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen was released to news outlets on Tuesday. (The overall ratings were announced a few days ago.) Based on the data, the ratings peak of the 4-hour show came near the end, reaching 49.7% at 11:41pm as the artists waited on stage for the winning team to be announced. Among the performers, the highest ratings were achieved just before that by SMAP's 2-song medley performance as the show's "ootori" (the final artist), measured at a peak of 48.9%.

This is SMAP's sixth time achieving the highest ratings at Kouhaku Uta Gassen. They previously did it in 2000 (tied with Sachiko Kobayashi and Yuki Koyanagi), 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

DREAMS COME TRUE, who performed last for the Red Team and took the stage just before SMAP, had the second highest ratings with 47.2%.

The second half of the show (after 9:30pm) averaged 41.7%, thanks to plenty of highly-rated performances. In fact, the last 15 performances of the show, starting with Yuzo Kayama and ending with SMAP, all rated 40.0% or higher. These included Masaharu Fukuyama (43.4%), Keisuke Kuwata (45.4%), Arashi (43.3%), Sachiko Kobayashi, and Ikimono Gakari.

A few other artists in the second half broke the 40.0% mark. During the first half, which only averaged 35.7%, AKB48 was the only artist to reach that threshold, with ratings of 40.3%.

The complete ratings for all the artists are expected to be publicly released soon.

Source : AsianFanatics

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Kim Kwangsoo explains their decision about T-ara's future in Japan

Girl's Generation, 4minute, Kara, Brown Eyed Girls. They all have moved on to the Japanese market.

With news of T-ara being offered millions of dollars to be signed on to a Japanese label to advance into the market, why hasnt any action been done yet?

"T-ara were trained to be entertainers. All-around entertaining including movies, musicals, acting, and variety shows. That was always our goal with T-ara." CCM explains. And because of these activities T-ara have gained more fans through showing a wide variety of charms.

Kim Kwangsoo, CEO of Core Contents Media, explains, "T-ara has received alot of offers, and they are very big offers, too, from major japanese labels. We are in the final step of negotiations, but we are still extremely careful. The members are currently enjoying success as soloists and are very busy"

January 3rd was the mark of Eunjung's 2nd lead drama, "Dream High". She was previously cast in "Coffee House" as the lead actress, and has also been cast in the movie "White" as a lead actress.

Boram's debut in the musical world happened recently, through the musical "I Really Really Like You" with her father, the musical legend Jeon Youngrok. She has also appeared in a CF-drama with 2PM.

Jiyeon who has debuted in her movie 'Death Bell 2' was also cast in the dramas 'Jungle Fish 2' and 'God of Study' to which people praise her for acting weird characters well.

Hyomin is a regular member of 'Invincible Youth' and was also cast in 'My Girlfriend is a Gumiho'.

Soyeon who has been active in variety shows, has also received, and accepted, a movie role last year. The release date of the movie is still yet to be revealed.

Qri was also cast in the drama "South Korean Trader Kim Cheol-Soo". Kim Kwangsoo revealed that Qri along with Hwayoung has also received movie roles, but has yet to decide on them.

Finally Kim Kwangsoo ended the interview saying "We are not in a rush and will never rush T-ara's entrance to the japanese market. We are just more on building a solid identity of T-ara more"

Source : AsianFanatics

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'Secret Garden' spoiler... production crew and netizens dispirited

Some parts of SBS drama "Secret Garden" has been exposed and both production crew and netizens can't hide their disappointment.

The storyline that the main actress Gil La-im (Ha Ji-won) falls into a coma after a car accident was spilled out through an internet access on the 5th. The production crew have done everything to prevent the spill out of the drama's contents but it's already been done.

The production team expressed on the phone call with Star News, "As much as it interferes with concentrating on the drama, we hope the spoiler is ignored as much a possible". Actually, they have been having a hard time on pre-spill outs.

Last year there was an incident where a script was pre-exposed. The production team made a full defensive preparation, closing down internet cafes and only passing on the scripts personally and such. Even at the location, most actors and actresses as well as staff are waiting long time to get the next script.

The spoiler is also affecting producing the drama.

Netizens who've seen the spoiler show disappointment. They post complaints on the "Secret Garden" homepage, "We don't want to know the ending", "The spoiler, is it the best?".

Source : HanCinema

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SHINee's Popularity Shuts Down Their Japanese Website

SHINee has not only been doing well in Korea, but Japan as well. The group has opened up their official Japanese website, only to see it get shut down due to the massive surge of visitors.

Sanspo reported on January 4th that the mass influx of web traffic to SHINee's website caused the server to crash. Just within an hour after the official launching at 8 PM, over 20,000 web users rushed in causing not only the server to be down, but member registration as well for two days. After being fixed, in a week, the site has been viewed over 100,000 times.

Another sign of the idol group's status in the neighboring country is when they held a concert last month for 24,000 fans. This is despite the fact that they haven't even debuted there yet. They will be making their official debut in March..?

Source : AsianFanatics

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Rain cleared of embezzlement and fraud allegations

Singer-actor Rain is in the clear following allegations of fraud and embezzlement.

The entertainer along with seven other shareholders of his former company, J. Tune Entertainment, was accused of swindling 2.5 billion won ($2.2 million) of investors’ money and pocketing 2 billion won in the name of Rain’s modeling fees last April.

However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday cleared the singer, whose legal name is Jung Ji-hoon, of the charges.

“After tracing the company’s money flow, the allegations turned out not to be true,” said prosecutors. “The allegations of swindling investors out of money and not properly running the company do not constitute fraud. The business was just not going well enough.”

In addition, prosecutors said that the seemingly high modeling fees did not constitute embezzlement either.

“The investigation uncovered that Rain’s modeling fees hover around 400 million won to 1 billion won for a single shot,” prosecutors said. Rain is said to have received around 2.2 billion won for three years as an exclusive model for J. Tune Entertainment.

Source : AsianFanatics

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