Posted by Hikaru on 8:10 PM
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 : TokyoH...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:54 PM
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! – ***[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’)...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:35 PM
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....
Posted by Hikaru on 7:28 PM
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...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:24 PM
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...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:19 PM
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...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:14 PM
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...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:01 PM
KARA’s agency, DSP Media, and the representatives for three of the group’s members (Kang Jiyoung, Jung Nicole, Han Seungyeon) met for a second round of negotiation talks regarding the existing schedule and group members. In a news item released on January 27th, it was revealed that as a result of the second talks, KARA will remain as a five-member group and will work together to continue their scheduled activities. DSP Media representatives said, “The reached agreement for the five members to work together was in order to not cause problems for the scheduled activities.” Adding on, “In a restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, the CEO of DSP and the parents...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:51 PM
Singer BoA’s new and unique hair style is becoming a hot issue among netizens. On January 28th, BoA tweeted, “SM Town in Tokyo… On the second day, I tried changing my hair style! I’ve been told my bangs look like a cinnamon roll,” and posted a photo to accompany her words. In the photo, BoA is seen wearing luxurious eye makeup and sporting a unique hairdo, seemingly getting ready to go onstage. Netizens left positive comments such as, “Nothing less from BoA, this hair style looks good too,” “BoA can join the honey skin club!” and “Her selca looks like a photo shoot.”Source : AllK...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:40 PM
In another round of odd polls, Rain has been chosen as the star who seems most likely to “make it rain” for New Year’s. In a recent poll at monkey3, he was picked first place with 1,122 out of 1,725 votes, getting 65%. The general consensus seems to be that because Rain is known to love children so much, he would probably give kids more New Year’s money than usual. Comedian Yoo Jae Suk came in 2nd with 21% of the votes, while Kang Ho Dong and Bae Yong Joon tied at 3rd with 6%.Source : AllK...
Posted by Hikaru on 12:16 AM
The 16th episode of KBS 2TV’s “Dream High” will mark the completion of the series, and there are no plans for any special extensions. A representative of KBS spoke with Star News on January 27th and revealed, “‘Dream High” was originally scheduled to complete its series on February 22nd, but because of the Asian Cup on January 25th, the ending has been pushed back to February 28th.” The drama is currently enjoying viewer ratings in the upper 15%, and has been ranking first in its time slot. KBS suffered lackluster viewer ratings prior to “Dream High”, which lead many to believe that they’d go ahead and push to extend the series in response to...
Posted by Hikaru on 11:54 PM
It was revealed that on January 22nd and 23rd, KARA’s Goo Hara had gone to Kangnam Nonhyun-dong to look for a new house. On the 26th, a real estate agent expressed, ‘Goo Hara came with one associate on the 22nd to look for a house. She called to ask questions before her visit, and I heard that she also visited other real estate agents in the area.‘ It seems the sudden decision to find a new home is because she moved out of her dorm in Haengdang-dong in early January and has no where else to stay immediately.Source : AllK...
Posted by Hikaru on 11:50 PM
Singer/actor Rain is no longer computer illiterate! On January 26th, Rain posted on his Twitter a picture of him next to the Eiffel Tower and a caption saying, “I finally hatched out of my egg. I’m a guy that can upload pictures now.” In the picture, Rain is wearing a coat with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Rain’s face is not very visible, but he strikes a pose that attracts a lot of attention. Rain had garnered interest for being computer illiterate by previously stating, “I had Twitter for over a year already but I still don’t know how to do anything on it.” Upon reading his latest tweet, netizens commented, saying, “Finally you’re computer...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:26 PM
Despite the controversy surrounding their team, KARA’s popularity in Japan is still riding strong. allkpop had previously reported about how the girls were selected to be the new models for the Japanese aesthetics company, “TBC.” Japanese fans will be able to see the girls on various advertisements such as television, transportation ads, and magazines starting February 1st. In their TV advertisement, the girls will be using the pronunciation of their own name, which means ‘because’ in Japanese, to deliver phrases such as “Because everyone can become pretty” and “Because everyone can become cool.” Their Japanese advertisement company commented,...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:20 PM
AKB48 member Akimoto Sayaka will be challenging the “Tokyo Marathon 2011“, which will be held on February 27th. Although she has tried the half marathon two years ago, this will be the first time she has challenged the full marathon of just over 42 km. Akimoto confessed that she is weak on long-distance running, despite being quite athletic. According to Akimoto, the biggest reason why she would challenge the full marathon is related to the scandal which was reported back in October 2010. Because of the scandal, Akimoto resigned as the captain of Team K. ”Since I made my fellows and fans, who have been supporting me, worried last year, I...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:56 PM
Actor No Min Woo and newbie actress Seo Ju Ae have joined the cast of SBS’s upcoming Monday/Tuesday drama, “Midas.” They’ll be lining up with popular actors Jang Hyuk, Kim Hee Ae, and Lee Min Jung, who have all confirmed their participation for the new drama. The story revolves around business takeovers and mergers in Korea. No Min Woo (who you may recognize as either Dong Joo from “My Girlfriend is a Nine Tailed Fox” or T-ara’s estranged prisoner in their “Yayaya” music video) has been casted to play the role of Kim Hee Ae’s younger brother, ‘Myung Joon‘. Unlike his previous roles, Myung Joon is a character who is described as a rich and conceited...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:49 PM
Super Junior’s Eunhyuk revealed a picture of his new haircut to his fans on Twitter. On January 26th, Eunhyuk updated his Twitter with this photo and wrote, “Now that I cut my hair, I sweat less. I should’ve done this a long time ago!” The picture of him shows a brand new Eunhyuk with his hair moussed skyward, and it looks like he’s feeling pretty confident about his new do. He wrote, “I don’t get to have my hair flip around when I dance, which looks cool, but this isn’t bad!” Netizens wrote, “He looks so much better looking now that he’s showing his forehead,” “I never knew he was so good looking,” and “He looks like Jang Woo Hyuk of H.O.T”....
Posted by Hikaru on 6:45 PM
The artists of SM Entertainment successfully completed their two-day “SM Town Live in Tokyo” concert amidst the cheers of 24,000 fans! Although the concerts were held on weekdays this year, fans still experienced a fierce competition to grab tickets, as over 400,000 K-pop aficionados in Japan swarmed ticketing sites to purchase their seats. Those fans who weren’t able to nab tickets were seen hanging in groups outside the concert stadium, hoping to catch echoes of performances. Because of the numerous amounts of fans who held up placards requesting for additional concert dates, SM Entertainment decided to go ahead and add two more concerts at...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:39 PM
KBS Drama ‘Dream High,’ which is currently 1st in it’s time slot, has caught the attention of many when it was recently revealed that the set of the drama costs nearly $800,000 USD. Normally, a set of a drama costs around $200,000 – $300,000 USD, showing an extremely big gap for Dream High. The set of ‘Dream High,’ which is located in Kyungkido Goyangsi Ilsan, didn’t remodel the Girin High School that was already there but instead built a brand new two-story building. Including interior designing, and the construction cost the set was to have cost nearly $800,000 USD. Meanwhile, the set of ‘Dream High’ will be open for fans to visit once the...
Posted by Hikaru on 6:34 PM
f(x) fans have long awaited this day – a new photo was revealed on January 26th, in which all five members of f(x) can finally be seen together! The picture shows members Victoria, Luna, Krystal, Sulli, and Amber standing in a line in what looks like their rehearsal room. This is the first official glimpse fans have received of the completed group in almost seven months due to Amber taking a leave of absence to treat her ankle injury. Excited fans commented, “Finally, they are complete,” “Even if I can’t see their faces, I can already feel their presence,” and “I’m so excited through just this one picture!”Source : AllK...
Posted by Hikaru on 12:15 AM
“Women Chosun” has reported that a former member of KARA, Kim Sung Hee, will be getting married Yang Won Joon (31), the eldest son of voice actor Yang Ji Woon. The two have been dating for about a year, and they plan to tie the knot on May 7th at a small wedding hall in Kyungkido, Paju. The two first met approximately 2 years ago through their religious community, and grew close while attending various musical activities around the world. It’s been confirmed that the parents of the lovers met a year into their relationship, and agreed to set a wedding date. Reflecting on his approval over his son’s choice, Yang Ji Woon said, “People can’t guess...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:44 PM
Singer and voice actress Aya Hirano (best known for her work in “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya“) will soon be releasing her very first “Best Of” album on April 20th! The album, which is to contain both original and character songs, will come in three different editions. One such package includes a special collector’s edition that will contain a DVD as well. Although not much more has been said about the album, additional details will be available as the release nears its finalized stage. Aya will also be releasing a DVD/Blu-ray of her live shows and performances from last year, titled “AYA HIRANO Special live 2010 ~Kiss♥me~“, on May 3rd.Source...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:28 PM
A rare picture of 2PM’s Nichkhun with miss A’s Fei has been receiving a lot of attention ever since it was uploaded onto a popular community site on the morning of January 25th. With the picture of Nichkhun and Fei, netizens commented, “Seeing them like this, they really look the same”“JYP Nation forever~~”. Other fans have been curious as to where the picture was uploaded, as it was never uploaded on either of their official Twitters. and After some research, it turned out that the picture of Nichkhun and Fei was in fact uploaded onto Fei’s Chinese version of Twitter, called “Weibo“. As Twitter is currently blocked by an internet firewall in...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:24 PM
Earlier today, Rain made a special appearance at the MCM store in London England, where he shook hands with crowds of fans. If you were willing to pay enough money to purchase a leather Stark backpack where the cheapest one starts at £365, he signed autographs on your purchases which included a photo with Rain himself. This isn’t the first time that the singer has made a special appearance for MCM. Last year, Rain/Bi was at the MCM store grand opening at the Lotte Department Store in Seoul. For all those who couldn’t make it, here’s a fancam of the event!Source : Fans (Reshma)Via : Allk...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:11 PM
On this week’s episode of KBS Joy’s ‘T-ara’s Hello Baby’, T-ara created dumplings with the three Moon brothers in celebration of the Korean New Year. Fierce competition was seen amongst the members of T-ara during this episode, as each member was given the task to create their dumplings with their own thought-out concept. To begin, member Hwa Young proudly held up her ginormous dumplings and stated, “My dumplings were made for samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng). These dumplings contain chicken in them.” Soyeon quickly refuted Hwa Young’s explanation, as she said, “It’s bad to lie on broadcast. We didn’t even buy chicken as an ingredient…”...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:06 PM
SNSD will be releasing a new photobook on February 8th titled, “ALL about Girl’s Generation Paradise in Phuket DVD Preview.” The photobook details the girls’ trip to Phuket, Thailand, and features 300 pages of never-before-seen photos, starting from their arrival at the airport, to their recording for the Eco music video, pajama parties, interviews with the members, and cute paparazzi shots that cannot be seen anywhere else.The preview pictures released feature the girls expressing their innocent charms in lovely all-white outfits. Fans are already expressing their anticipation for the full photobook, claiming that it looks as if the girls have...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:04 PM
The Korea Times‘ “9th Annual Korean Music Festival“ is returning to the Hollywood Bowl! For the past 9 years, the Korea Times has brought your favorite K-pop artists to Los Angeles for their annual ‘Korean Music Festival’. While this year’s artist line-up has yet to be revealed, we anticipate that this event will be just as star-studded as its previous years’. Here are the details: Date: Saturday, May 14th Time: 6:30pm – 10:30pm Location: Hollywood Bowl (2301 N. Highland Ave Los Angeles, CA 90068) Tickets sales begin on Saturday, January 29th at 10AM PST and can be purchased in three ways: 1. In person: Go to the Korea Times Ticket Office (4525...
Posted by Hikaru on 7:57 PM
In an upcoming movie, “Comic Battle” by Director Lee Jun-Ik, there is a character who goes to the military twice. In relation to that concept, a poll was created asking netizens to pick, “Which actor will do well in the military?” On the portal site Nate, this poll began on January 17th and resulted in singer/actor Rain receiving 68% of the votes and ranking 1st. Following Rain was Hyunbin in 2nd, Kang Dongwon in 3rd, and Kim Namgil in 4th. Also, on Cine21, another poll asked netizens to pick, “Who will fit the character of NamGun’s (played by Ryu Seungryong) Cold Pyongyang Man (a play on words with “Cold City Man”) the best?” In this poll,...
Posted by Hikaru on 10:17 PM
Jang Geun Seok started his career at a young age. He made his debut as a child actor in 1997. He continued his acting career, and in 2008 starred in the hit MBC drama, "Beethoven Virus". Jang Geun Seok starred in the hit SBS drama, "You're Beautiful" in 2009, alongside Park Shin Hye, Lee Hong Ki, and Jung Yonghwa. His latest project is "Mary Stayed Out All Night", with co-star Moon Geun Young.Although Jang Geun Seok has released songs for many OSTs, he has never released any music on his own. However, this is slated to change, as Pony Canyon revealed today that Jang Geun Seok will be releasing his first solo album on March 23, 2011. He will also...
Posted by Hikaru on 8:35 PM
Oricon Style announced that AKB48’s 18th single “Beginner” (released in October 2010) has reached sales of 1,001,000 copies after including the sales of the latest Oricon Weekly Chart for January 31st. This is AKB48’s first single that has totaled a million sales since their major debut in 2006, and “Beginner” is the 243rd single with a million sales in Japanese singles history. As we reported earlier,”Beginner” sold 827,000 copies on the first week of its release, and thus, AKB48 has beat the existing record for a female group made by SPEED’s single, “ALL MY TRUE LOVE” (released in October 1998), which sold 601,000 copies in the first week...
