AKB48’s Itano Tomomi meets Avril Lavigne

Canadian pop-rock singer Avril Lavigne has been staying in Japan since January 23rd to promote her latest single “What The Hell”, and she got to meet up with one of the nation’s top idols!

AKB48 member and solo artist Itano Tomomi arrived at Tokyo’s Tower Records to meet the famous star. Through a translator, Itano confessed that she’s been listening to Avril Lavigne’s music since her middle school days, and that she feels nervous about being the only solo artist to debut from AKB48. The two celebrities also traded copies of their latest singles.

Check out the meeting between the two below!

Source : TokyoHive

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Line-up revealed for MBC’s Lunar New Year special, “Star Dance Battle”!

Get ready for MBC’s “Star Dance Battle” for 2011!

This annual program is known for delivering hilarious and astounding stages with Korea’s hottest idols and stars. The show’s lineup has recently been revealed, with the dance battle will being divided into its two usual teams: the Blue Team (led by Park Hwisoon) and the White Team (led by Kim Shinyoung).

Check out the lineup below!

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***[LEFT: Blue Team || RIGHT: White Team]***

Round 1: Park Hwisoon & Nam Changhee (‘High High’) vs. Lee Sungbae & Hwang Jaesung (‘Single Ladies’)

Round 2: Miss A vs. 4minute

Round 3: Soohyun & Jang Youngran (‘I Need A Girl’) vs. Kim Kyungjin (‘Yayaya’)

Round 4: Hong Jinyoung (‘Sonata of Seduction’) vs. Yoo Chaeyoung (‘Good Day’)

Round 5: Jewelry (‘Funny’ + Wacking [type of dance]) vs. Teen Top (Trot medley)

Round 6: Dal Shabet (‘U-Go-Girl’ & ‘Brand New’ ) vs. Han Groo (‘Diva medley’)

Round 7: ZE:A (performance + ‘Mackerel’ by Kwanghee) vs. INFINITE (‘Baby’ + ‘Like a G6’)

Round 8: SISTAR vs. Rainbow (‘Buttons’)

Round 9: MBLAQ (‘Hip Song’ + ‘Michael Jackson tribute’) vs. Park Jungmin (in process)

Round 10: T-ara (in process) vs. After School (‘London Boys’)

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You can tell just from this initial lineup that 2011’s show will be amazing!

Source : AllKpop

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2PM’s Nichkhun poses with Wilber Pan at their MV set

Earlier, it was reported that 2PM’s Nichkhun headed overseas to appear in Wilber Pan’s music video. Additional details of their hot collaboration were recently unveiled!

The two recorded the music video for “Drive” from Wilber Pan’s eighth album, “808.” Although the album was just released, ”808″ is already dominating eight major charts in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

The music video was shot at a studio late at night due to 2PM’s busy schedule, but despite the long hours, Nichkhun and Wilber Pan were said to have had a lot of fun filming for it.

Nichkhun commented, “It was a fun and exciting experience, and I’m looking forward to the music video. I hope you all look forward to it with me.”

The music video is scheduled for release online on January 31st.

Source : AllKpop

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2AM’s eliminated member, eiki, makes his solo debut

2AM’s eliminated member, eiki, made his debut on the January 27th episode of “M! Countdown” where he showcased his powerful yet sweet voice through his song, “While I Cry“.

As soon as he released his album, high levels of interest allowed him to rank at #1 for the ‘most searched’ on various internet sites. The ballad artist revealed in a prior interview that he was preparing to join 2AM, but was dropped in favor of Lee Chang Min. Reportedly, Park Jin Young believed that Chang Min’s vocals would fit better with 2AM’s.

The music video for “While I Cry” consists of clips from the upcoming drama “Superstar: Black City“. This work is gaining a lot of interest because SS501’s Kim Hyung Jun, Son Ho Young, and Bae Seul Gi were spotted in the video.

Check out his MV and “M. Countdown” performance below!

Source : AllKpop

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Jo Kwon and Park Jung Min have a Kkab dance battle!

On this week’s episode of Strong Heart, 2AM’s very own Jo Kwon and SS501’s Park Jung Min had a kkab dance battle.

Jo Kwon revealed pictures of his top three best moments of kkab and proved to the audience why he is called “Kkab-kwon”. He showed off his “three levels of kkab dance”, ending it with his trademark vibration dance. After watching Jo Kwon dance, the MCs stated that Park Jung Min had also shown off his kkab dance on an earlier episode and he began to show off his “sexy kkab” by performing a series of waves and pelvic thrusts, causing the audience to erupt in squeals and screams.

Afterwards, the two had a couple kkab dance, making the fellow celebrity guest members explode into laughter and amazement. It was during the couple dance that Park Jung Min revealed his trump card: his butt dance, but his effort proved to be futile as Jo Kwon’s kkab ferocity overpowered Park Jung Min.

As Jo Kwon was crowned the winner, Park Jung Min stated that “while we were dancing, we made eye contact and I could tell that he had the eyes of a kkab god!”, drawing laughter from the studio.

Source : AllKpop

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X Japan signs with EMI Music

Japan’s legendary rock band, X JAPAN, has signed a contract with American label EMI Music and they’re preparing to release their first single, “Jade“.

EMI Music’s director said, “It’s an honor to have X JAPAN with our EMI Label/Caroline family. I think this is perfect timing, following the success of their North American tour last fall.”

The executive VP of EMI Music Services North America, Dominique Pandiscia, commented, “We can’t contain our excitement over working with X JAPAN.”

While the single will be released here in North America, negotiations for international sales (including Japan) are still in session. Before the year ends, the band plans on releasing a new album and completing another tour.

And for those who have satellite radio, leader YOSHIKI will have his own regular radio program on Sirius XM Radio called, “YOSHIKI RADIO“. The program will air once a month for one hour.

Source : TokyoHive

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After School will begin activities in Japan by the end of March

Girl group After School will be advancing to Japan in March.

On January 27th, Pledis revealed to Money Today that, “After School has signed a contract with Japan’s best record label and will start activities in Japan at the end of March. We are planning on creating a new Japanese song or using After School’s current albums. After School will focus on promoting both in Korea and Japan.”

The Korean music industry representatives believe that because of the disagreement between KARA and DSP Media, Korean artists are having a hard time advancing overseas.

In reply to this, Pledis answered, “It is true that because of the Dong Bang Shin Ki and KARA issue, there have been a lot of unpleasant rumors about the Korean Wave. After School will do their best so that overseas fans will get the correct image of the Korean Wave.”

Currently, After School members are studying hard to learn Japanese. Along with their advancement to Japan, After School is planning on restarting their activities in Korea at the same time, thus creating a tight schedule for members to participate in both Japanese and Korean activities.

On the other hand, last January, After School won the “K-pop New Artist of the Year” award at the Billboard Japan Music Awards. Because of their slim S-line body and powerful performances, After School is receiving a lot of interest from their Japanese fans.

Source : AllKpop

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