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June 07, 2012

U-Kiss to attend the Japanese concert ‘a-nation’



Idol group U-Kiss will attend the biggest Japanese summer music festival ‘a-nation.’
U-Kiss will perform at the ’a-nation’ festival, which will be held on August 29 in Tokyo, Japan.
The ‘a-nation’ is an annual summer festival, which is held by Avex, the biggest Japanese entertainment company. The festival has been active for over 10 years, and over 3 million people have attended the festival so far. Japanese top artists, including, Hamasaki Ayumi, Exile, and AAA will appear at the festival. From Korea, U-Kiss, TVXQ, Super Junior, and Big Bang will also appear.
Even though U-Kiss debuted in Japan only a half year ago, they were cast to the festival with top artists, including, TVXQ, Hamasaki Ayumi, and AAA.
U-Kiss will also attend the ‘Asian Male Group Festival’ under the title of ‘Asia Progress M,’ which will be held in Tokyo on August 9, with AAA and Deep from Japan and Aaron from Taiwan as Asian male group representatives.
U-Kiss released their special album The Special to Kiss Me on June 5. The group will appear in the June 6 episode of Mnet’s M Countdown to perform their title song “Believe” for the first time.
Source: Star Daily News

Cross Gene, the Korean-Chinese-Japanese unit group reveals their ambition, “We’ll become no.1 in Asia!”



The Asian unit group Cross Gene that is composed of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese members, took their first steps in Korea.
Cross Gene’s Shin Sangmin, Yongseok(from Korea), Casper, J.G(from China), and Takuya(from Japan) held a showcase at Seoul Ax-Korea on June 7 at 6:00 p.m to celebrate the release of their debut album, Timeless.
On this day, Cross Gene opened the stage by performing their title song “La-Di Da-Di” with fancy performance and powerful choreography. In addition, they performed “Sky High” “For This Love” and heated up the stage.
After the performance, Cross Gene’s Chinese member Casper revealed, “Starting with this show case, we will have many activities in Korea. We want to be number one in Asia, and later hold world tours.”
The group’s leader Takuya revealed, “We are so glad and want to thank you all for coming here. I still cannot believe that this is our debut stage.”
He added, “We are happy to show you what we have been preparing for a long time.”
The Korean member Shin Won Ho stated, “I believe that our group will display unique charms when our different cultures mix together since our members are from three different countries.”
The name “Cross Gene” refers to the “cross” of people who possess outstanding “genes” from different countries including Korea, China, and Japan.
They revealed that they are a global project hosted by Universal Music and Amuse to bring a new Korean wave, and will stand tall on the world stage as representatives of Asian artists and represent other Asian pop stars.
Many media from different countries attended the concert and paid a lot of attention to the group.
Their title song “La-Di Da-Di” is an electronic dance song that has a powerful groove and an addictive hook. Four songs besides the title song were included in the album, and one of them “Sky High” was chosen as the background music for Hong Kong’s Pocari Sweat commercial.
Cross Gene will have their debut performance on June 14 on Mnet’s M Countdown.
Source: Starnews

BIG BANG to take Alive Tour to Los Angeles and New York



Back in March, BIG BANG kicked off their BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 in Seoul, and followed up with performances in Japan. Though they are still in the midst of adding more tour dates and concerts, VIPs in the United States should be quite happy as two new concert stops were added.
Those two stops are Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY, as revealed on the group’s official Facebook page. However, not much other information was revealed as the concert dates, prices, and venues have yet to be announced. It also remains unknown whether BIG BANG will have more concert stops in the US and the rest of North America.

KARA’s Nicole shows her support for SHINee’s Key



KARA’s Nicole has been busy running around and supporting her hoobaes and friends and the latest friend to be supported by the ever-cheerful member is none other than SHINee’s Key.
SHINee’s Key wrapped up his last performance for his debut musical Catch Me if You Can on June 7th and Nicole went to visit Key to watch his last performance and to give him support. She shared a collage through her Twitter, writing, “jjak jjak jjak (clap clap clap)! See, our Kibeomi has done very well >_< Musical is amazing! Strike again for the last show!”
In the top left corner, we see Key and Nicole showing off their close friendship as the two idols (born in the same year) posed together backstage. Nicole also included three pictures from during the performance.

Wonder Girls’ So Hee is perfectly proportioned



Wonder Girls’ So Hee has recently attracted attention with her well-proportioned body.
On June 7, a picture under the title of “So Hee is perfectly proportioned even in tennis shoes” was uploaded on an online community board.
In the picture, So Hee is practicing her choreography. In a T-shirt and short pants, she’s showing off her well-proportioned figure. Although she’s just in tennis shoes, her legs are still beautiful.
People responded: “So Hee doesn’t need high heels. She’s perfectly proportioned,” “So Hee’s legs are so skinny. I envy her,” “So Hee has just become a celebrity who has a perfectly well-proportioned body,” “So Hee looks perfect even in a T-shirt and short pants.”
The Wonder Girls released a new song “Like This” on June 3 and are currently promoting the song.
Source: TV Report

SNSD-Tae Ti Seo top May’s Gaon Chart



SNSD-Tae Ti Seo have topped the Gaon’s monthly album chart by selling nearly 140,000 copies of their album.
According to May’s Gaon Chart, SNSD-Tae Ti Seo ranked first on the album chart of the month with their mini-album Twinkle by selling 139,388 copies. As the lead track, “Twinkle,” also ranked the Digital Chart, they topped both the on and offline charts.
JYJ’s XIA ranked second with his first solo album Tarantallegra (122,000 copies sold) and Infinite ranked third with their third mini-album Infinitize (88,284 copies sold).
Adding 32,838 copies in May, Busker Busker have sold over 100,000 copies of their first album. It made a huge hit by selling over 13 million copies of the sound sources of the tracks. It’s nowadays very unusual for a new artist to sell over 100,000 copies of their debut album.
IU ranked sixth by selling 30,975 copies of her new album Spring at the Age of Twenty in despite of the fact that it’s a single album and Ulala Session, the winner of Superstar K3, ranked seventh by selling 24,497 copies of their debut mini-album Ulala Sensation.
Source: Xportsnews

TVXQ to JYJ, K-pop to K-drama, Park Yu-chun does it all



K-pop stars come and go, with only a handful staying on the scene in the long run. Park Yu-chun, also known as Micky Yoochun, is among the rare few who emerged almost a decade ago and still cause traffic jams every time an appearance is announced.
The 26-year-old member of JYJ has made it in both the K-pop and K-drama markets and proved he is still among the hottest stars with the success of the recent SBS drama “Rooftop Prince.” He won his second straight Most Popular Actor in a TV Drama award at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards earlier this year.
In the hit drama, Park plays a crown prince of the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Gak, who travels into the future to modern-day Seoul where he falls in love with Park Ha (Han Ji-min). Prince Lee, the only character who speaks in the Joseon-era style, is lost in and overwhelmed by the contemporary capital, yet his love for Park is unwavering. The JYJ star said acting in such a farfetched storyline was a challenge, but nonfictional aspects made the task a bit easier.
“While acting in this drama I was able to grasp how much Lee Hee-myung, the writer of the show, misses his wife after their split six years ago,” Park said. “This made it easier to comprehend the character and act more naturally.
“I felt really sorry and sad for Park Ha when I had to leave her behind to go back to the Joseon Dynasty. The story itself was more genuine and affectionate than modern-day love stories.”
The actor said that “Rooftop Prince” has a special place in his heart as well, as his father passed away in March while it was in production. If he ever gets an opportunity to travel in time, Park said he would go back to when he lived in America with his father.
Due to financial difficulties, Park and his family left for the United States when he was in sixth grade, where he helped his father work construction jobs.
“It was a tiring job,” Park said. “I looked for ways to get away with it at the time. But looking back, I think it was one of the good memories I have had with my father. If I knew it then, I could have made it a better memory for him too.”
He moved back to Seoul and joined SM Entertainment, the agency that backed his debut with TVXQ in 2003. It was with this K-pop group that Park rose to fame, touring across Asia and releasing single after single in Korea and Japan.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. In 2009, Park, Kim Jun-su and Kim Jae-joong of TVXQ filed lawsuits against SM Entertainment over contract disputes. The three split and formed their own band, JYJ.
Despite the drama surrounding his nine-year singing career, or perhaps because of it, Park’s fans have remained devoted and the star is still one of the most talked about idols in Korea.
His foray into television started with the KBS2 drama “Seonggyungwan Scandal” in 2010 and then followed up with MBC’s “Miss Ripley” in 2011. His starring in “Rooftop Prince” led to its phenomenal viewer ratings – the highest among all competing dramas.
“I try to forget about the pressure of acting well,” Park said. “I did not have to force myself to cry in ‘Rooftop Prince.’ Putting myself in the character’s situation naturally made me cry. I have a scratch on my face that I try to cover up with makeup when I act. But I quit doing that. Nothing should be hidden.”
By Kim Hyo-eun [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

Boyfriend to come back to the domestic music scene before going to Japan



Boyfriend are coming back to the domestic music scene before releasing an album in Japan.
Boyfriend will release their first mini-album, Love Style, in Korea on June 14.
In the photos for their new album, recently released in their official Twitter account, Boyfriend members are dressed in distinctive street clothes like those of downtown hipsters, the mainstream of the current New York fashion.
People responded: “Boyfriend members are now real men,” “Their fashion styles are so much better than before! They’re so trendy!” “They look so awesome!” “Are they coming back? I’m already excited!” “I’m so excited to see their new style!”
Starship Entertainment, Boyfriend’s agency, says, “Boyfriend are trying to show their distinctive, trendy styles through their new album. They will show various different looks on the stage in trendy color suits and patterned suits, including street clothes.”
Source: TV Report

ShiShiMato — Bang Yongguk’s bunny robot


B.A.P’s Matoki Earthventure started last May 21, 2012 as they open their own Facebook page.
Matoki is the term for B.A.P’s bunny robot that can be seen on their Warrior MV. Each B.A.P member has its own unique Matoki that compliments their own personality.
As the leader of B.A.P, Bang Yongguk’s Matoki, ShiShiMato was the first to be released.
ShiShiMato, set on earth the 22nd of May, known as being the greatest warrior and it doesn’t really want to be interrupted. I can see Yongguk in him indeed. :)

Singapore to Kickstart BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE IS THE FIRST STOP OF BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 AFTER JAPAN
After touring Japan in June, BIGBANG will focus on their promotional activities in Korea before continuing with the second leg of the ‘BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012′They will make a special appearance at the star-studded A-Nation’ Music Festival at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo on August 26 in the midst of their busy schedule.



Second Leg of BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 in Asia 
Singapore, September 28 (Singapore Indoor Stadium)
Bangkok, Thailand, October 6 & 7 (two shows at Impact Arena)
Jarkarta, Indonesia, October 13 (Mata Elang International Stadium)
Taipei, Taiwan, October 20 & 21 (two shows at Taipei Arena)
Manila, Philppines, October 24 (Moa Arena)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 27 (Stadium Merdeka)
Osaka, Japan, November 23 (Kyocera Dome)
Tokyo, Japan, December 5 (Tokyo Dome)
Hong Kong, December 8 (Asia World Expo)

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Hong Kong will be the final stop of BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012.
Source and Photo credit: Lianhe Zaobao

Big Bang’s Daesung says, “I’m thankful for being ‘alive’ every morning”



Big Bang’s Daesung has shown affection to the group’s new song “Still Alive.”
On June 5 at 5:00 p.m., the group appeared at a press conference titled YG x Hyundai Card Re-Branding Project, which was held on the first floor of Hyundai Card’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Members shared their plans regarding their special album Still Alive.
Daesung said, “Among the tracks listed on the album, my favorite one is ‘Still Alive.’ As you can see from the lyrics, the song talks about shifting between different kinds of emotions.
 When I listen to it, I feel alive and become thankful for each day. I begin each day with this song. Also, it reminds me of the emotions I experienced while recording it.”
The group will not be involved in music activities with this album, but instead, they will be seeing their fans with the “Re-Branding Project.” Hyundai Card has expressed the group’s growth in music and concerns they have in a new logo, BI (Brand Identity), album jacket, and music video. They also created a guidebook for the boys’ new brand.
Another project, called “Re-monster,” will be launched. Many different musicians will gather and reinterpret Big Bang’s “Monster” in their own way and present it to Hyundai Card Music. The company plans to release the rearranged songs officially.
The artist who makes the best “Re-monster” arrangement will be given an opportunity to perform at the Hyundai Card Music pop store, which opens on June 8, and the winner will also get support for producing a digital single of the winning entry.
On the 3rd of June, Big Bang revealed all the tracks of the album. Out of nine songs, five are new, and so far, the title track, “Monster,” is sweeping all the top rankings on various online charts in Korea.
Source: Starnews

Kim Hyun Joong received overwhelming response on Chinese social network Weibo



During his previous press conference in Chengdu, he has hinted the fans that he will be opening a Weibo account to interact more with Chinese fans. Keeping his words, his official account is created this morning, and was immediately welcomed by thousands of fans online. Within 10 minutes, number of followers has exceeded 10 thousands on weibo, and in an hour’s time, his followers amount simply tripled.
Kim Hyun Joong has recorded a greeting video and shared the video on his weibo account, the video received thousands of reposts and comments, the overwhelming response clearly showed his sky-high popularity. What’s more surprising is his followers are not from China alone, but also from many parts of the world, such as Korea, Japan, Singapore and Thailand, etc. Foreign fans have been registering for an account on weibo ever since Hyun Joong revealed that he is going to open a weibo account. Although there is language barrier for fans from other countries, but because of Kim Hyun Joong, this barrier seems to be insignificant.
In the video, Kim Hyun Joong expressed his gratitude towards his fans and said that he will be sharing his life and photos actively even if he is busy with overseas activities. In the meanwhile, Kim Hyun Joong will be staging his asia tour concerts in Shanghai and Beijing this weekend.
Source : en.korea.com

Big Bang’s Monster MV: The Making



The handsome boys of Big Bang is back once again to satisfy our hearts with their awesome music. The boys have recently released the music video for their promotional song, “Monster” that achieved an all-kill on different charts. Fans are certainly very happy to have their cool oppas back and they can’t wait to see them perform the song live.
Recently, the group has also released a short clip that features the making of the music video for “Monster”. The boys talked about the video and what the song means as well as their transformation. It also has English subtitles so it’s very convenient to international fans. Check it out below!

Source: Big Bang|Youtube

2PM’s Taecyeon has nothing but kind words for NU’EST



Ever since suffering injury to his humerus, 2PM’s Taecyeon has been taking it easy during his gym workouts.
Taecyeon hasn’t hit the gym to workout but he still visited the gym in order to see his trainer Hwang Jin Ho. There, he was met with a lovely surprise, in which he tweeted, “I haven’t seen my trainer Hwang Jin Ho hyung [since my injury], so I went to the gym to see him~ Then out of nowhere, NU’EST hoobaes showed up!! They are cute friends and politely said hi to me~ Now I must go to sleep~ Everybody Taec-night~^^”
Fans of both groups were pleased to see the cute but short interaction between the idols and it certainly is heartwarming to see Taecyeon supporting his hoobaes even though they are from separate entertainment agencies.

Collaboration with JYP, ’2PM Shake’ released in 13 languages



2PM Shake, a rhythm action game, was recently released in App Stores all over the world in 13 languages.
Dooub, the mobile contents service company, collaborated with JYP Entertainment to make the 2PM Shake, including 6 hit songs, such as “Hands Up.”
2PM’s fast beats and repeated melodies complement the various note patterns of the rhythm action game.
The Shake series offers traditional ‘Tap’ style of gameplay as well as a new ‘Shake’ mode and ‘Make Note’ mode. It also adopted a new card system to automatically upgrade itself.
The ‘Shake’ mode uses seamless-gesture technology and it will make users feel like a DJ scratching a turntable.
The ‘Make Note’ mode allows users to make their own notes and enjoy them anytime they want. This awesome feature will bring an unlimited amount of new content.
The card system can be used in various ways. Users can buy pictorials of the group with their scores and cards and can make them into their own star collections.
Kim Sung Hoon, the director of the company, says, “The game is the first rhythm action game for singers from JYP Entertainment and that’s very meaningful to us. We will make the game for users and fans to enjoy together.”
The 2PM Shake will be added to the highest class GS card right after its release. Additional hit songs and new songs will be added to the game later.
Source: TV Report

The new concept for Boyfriend members released



Boyfriend members recently transformed into flower boys.
On June 7, Boyfriend’s agency, Starship Entertainment, released a picture of the members wearing pastel flower printed suits as the new concept for their new album.
In the picture, the 6 members are showing off their clear cut features and sensational fashion, which makes them look like they are walking on a runway.
People responded: “They are boyfriends over flowers! F6 is formed!” “They are flower boys.” “I can’t tell which are flowers or which are the members.” “When will Boyfriend return to Korea?”
Boyfriend will release their first mini album on June 14.
Source: TV Report

Big Bang releases first official pictorial



Boy idol group Big Bang will release their first official pictorial for the first time in 6 years since their debut.
On June 7, Big Bang’s agency, YG Entertainment, announced that they will release the group’s pictorialExtraordinary 20′s.
The theme for the pictorial is the ‘Ordinary Life of Special People.’ Even though Big Bang members appear on stage with unconventional style, they showed off their natural charms through the pictorial.
Group members shot the pictorial not only in Korea but also in the U.K. They looked even more mature and manly with an exotic atmosphere.
According to the agency, Big Bang participated in designing the pictorial and showed their strong attachment to it. They added individual illustrations to their Polaroid pictures and made them even more special.
A spokesperson for the agency says, “Since the concept for the pictorial is the natural charms of young people who are in their 20s, Big Bang members had a great time during the shooting. They played pranks on each other and they even held a birthday party.”
Big Bang released their special edition Still Alive on June 6 and ranked first on several on and offline charts with their title song “Monster.”
They are currently touring Japan to meet over 255,000 fans.
Source: Starnews

Wonder Girls’ “Like This” video receives over 3 million hits



Wonder Girls released a music video for their new song and received over 3 million hits on YouTube in only 3 days.
A music video for the title song “Like This” from Wonder Girls’ second mini album was released on June 3. It received over 3.41 million hits on YouTube, the world wide video site, on June 7.
A video of the Wonder Girls practicing their choreography for the song also drew a lot of attention by receiving over 200,000 hits on me2day. The song ranked first on Daum Music daily chart and Soribada chart.
The group’s agency, JYP Entertainment, says, “Thank you for supporting the Wonder Girls and please keep your eyes on the group in the future.”
The Wonder Girls will appear in the June 8th episode of KBS’s Music Bank.
Source: Starnews

f(x) reveals Victoria and Sulli’s teaser images for “Electric Shock”



 f(x) has started the countdown for their comeback by releasing teaser images for “Electric Shock” on June 6 through their homepage and Facebook.
Dressed in colorful, stylish attire, Victoria’s blond hair perfected with blue colored contacts drew much attention for creating a dreamlike effect.
In related news, Victoria will be making her move into acting since she has landed the leading female role in a new Taiwanese drama, The Prince Who Lost his Castle. With Sulli adding actor to her resume by landing a lead role in a new drama, To the beautiful you, there is no doubt that f(x) members have just begun their journey to success and there is so much more to achieve.
Starting on June 10, f(x) will be unveiling their title track “Electric Shock” through Korean music portals as well as iTunes.
“Electric Shock” with catchy melodies and bouncy, energetic dance number is going to leave fans feeling as though being electrified by love.
Source: Starnews