Epik High’s album leaked before comeback

Epik High’s entire fifth album was leaked two days before its scheduled released on April 17th. Although album leaks are common in k-pop, Epik High is very upset about it and announced that they are taking all necessary measures to catch the geek responsible for it.
Who cares if the songs are leaked? If anything, this actually helps them since they are receiving free press before their official comeback. Besides, no one pays for music these days (especially in Korea), so Epik High should just stop over reacting and get on with it.
Check out the illegally released version of Epik High’s “One”, which is a refreshing breath of fresh air in the current gimmick-oriented pop genre.



http://popseoul.com/

Chae Yeon plays girl on girl

Looking less than fresh, Chae Yeon has released her 2nd set of photos for Star Photos. In the concept of “Party,” the pop star reveals a sexy side that is rarely seen in the media (ha!). The pictures are supposed to emphasize the “party” concept tastefully, rather than in-your-face sexiness.
Yah, and that’s why there is not one but 2 sets of breasts in the picture.













http://popseoul.com/

Fly to the Sky 10th Anniversary Album - Recollection

Fans of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky are very excited that the Recollection Album will be released on April 24, 2008. It's a special cover album in tribute to the fabulous 90s.

Recollection contains the duo's tantalizing covers of familiar hits such as Kim Dong Ryul's Chi joong jin dam (Track 2), Panic's Dal peng ee ("Snail" - Track 6), Park Ki Young's Majimak Sarang ("Last Love" - Track 3), Cool's Hanjang eh choo uk (Track 10), and Turbo's Whe Sang (Track 4).

http://asianfanatics.net/

Tae Yeon summarises So Nyeo Shi Dae 8 months of sweat, tears and triumphs

So Nyeo Shi Dae performance on the 13th April edition of SBS Inkigayo marked the end of their first album promotion after first starting in November 2007.

Counting their “Into the New World” CD single released in August 2007, the girls have been promoting non-stop for the past eight months without taking a prolonged rest. In this period, they have charmed many and won many fans from performing on the various music shows like M! Countdown with their hit songs, “Into the New World”, “Girls Generation”, “Kissing You” and “Baby Baby”.
According to the latest sales figures from the Recording Industry Association of Korea (RIAK) yesterday, their 1st album titled “Girls Generation” which was released on November 1 has already sold an accumulated total of 104,092 copies in the five month period. This marks the first time a girl group has managed to accomplish this feat since S.E.S in 2001.

The nine members of So Nyeo Shi Dae has also been active in other areas like appearing on television dramas, variety shows, etc showcasing their charm and talent and winning themselves the moniker of “Korea’s Little Sisters”.
In an interview with Star News yesterday, Tae Yeon said, “We have been chugging along without rest these past few months. Although nervous, the response to our four songs has been better than expected. All the members are also delighted with the support and love from the fans. Maybe it’s because our re-make of Lee Seung Chul’s sunbaenim “Girls Generation” song helped endear us to people in the 30 - 40 age bracket and probably others.”
“We cried a lot like when we got No.1 for “Into the New World” and winning “Best New Artiste” at the year-end awards ceremony. But tears shed then was different compared to the ones when we were lonely and having a hard time during our training. The tears we shed now is filled with love from our fans.”

Tae Yeon also hinted slightly about where So Nyeo Shi Dae source of energy came from and their future plans. “All 9 members including me has been living in a hostel for about a year or more. Hostel life has bought us closer together and we understand each other even more as a result. During our hostel life, we often discuss about problems we encounter in music or on stage and this is a great help to us when we actually perform on stage in future.”
“Although activies for our first album has ended, I will continue to be active as a radio DJ. Other members will continue to appear on screen as actresses in dramas or as emcees on shows. But ultimately, it’s still So Nyeo Shi Dae that’s important to all of us so we hope that everyone will continue to show their support for our new music and performances in future.”
Tae Yeon has certainly been busy as a radio DJ and you can now hear her on MBC M4U “Chin Chin Radio” hosting with Super Junior Kangin since 7th April.

http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/

Kimura Takuya Challenges Change

Tv stations in Japan will normally launch slightly weaker dramas for the Spring season. But this has been an exception this year with all major Japanese tv stations pulling out all the stops for Spring season. Even though Fuji TV has managed to get Kimura Takuya, other tv stations are banking on young idols to battle the earlier. It has thus turned into a “New Faces” vs “TV Rating King”.

“Change” will be Kimura Takuya’s comeback drama with Fuji TV in three years since “Engine” in 2005. Besides being placed in the prime 9pm Monday timeslot, he also gets to pocket a cool 700万日元 per episode which is a record in Japanese drama history. But after citing scheduling conflicts, the drama which was supposed to be shown in early April has been pushed back to 12th May instead. Kimura’s primma donna actions has resulted in making the tv station and his legion of fans unhappy. Fuji TV has to now rely on re-runs of SmapxSmap SP and Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari starring Smap to fill the void.
Although Fuji TV has claimed that this is their programming strategy and didn’t want to clash with NTV’s “Gokusen 3″ 1-on-1, the upper echelons at Fuji TV aren’t buying it. To hype up the prime 9pm Monday slot, Fuji TV has not only got Kimura Takuya as the lead but also global popstar Madonna to sing the theme song, “Miles Away” hoping that the ratings for the opening episode will get off to a rip-roaring start. But with the drama now being postponed to a later date, “Change” risks the chance of missing out on viewers who would have been in the middle of watching dramas airing right now. It would be hard for “Change” to prise viewers away and this is why Fuji TV is kinda depressed.
Fuji TV production personnel added that Kimura’s actons has also thrown the filming schedule into disarray and affecting other dramas that are being planned. With Kimura pocketing a cool 700万日元 per episode, it’s certainly not really worth it considering the “service” it is getting back in return.
Kimura Takuya has acted in a variety of roles: pianist, ice hockey player, pilot, etc. His every role always sparking in an increase number of people going for that as their career. His impressive showing as a prosecuter in “Hero” has made him the best choice for the role in “Change”. More people in politics probably?


http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/

Jung Ryeo Won best sisters with Han Ye Seul

Jung Ryeo Won who rose to fame with MBC “My Name is Kim Sam Soon” is currently on a break. And during her break, she posted wacky photos of herself together with fellow actress, Han Ye Seul showing their deep friendship.

The photos uploaded on 5th April by Ryeo Won on her Cyworld minihompy was titled, “me and leslie” and it was a three sequence shot where the two of them made wacky poses. There was captions below the photos saying Han Ye Seul is a calm A-blood type girl while Ryeo Won herself is a passionate B-blood type girl. Although their personalities aren’t the same, but they are able to connect with each other. It’s understood that the both of them often head to church holding hands, symbolising their deep friendship.
Many fans left messages at her Cyworld saying, “The both of them are really pretty.” “So envious, able to find such a good friend in the industry.”
Ryeo Won has currently accepted an offer to appear for a SBS drama and will be making her comeback soon.

http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/

Bae Seul Gi becomes an employee at FamilyMart?

In some corners of Korea, you will soon be able to spot Korean singer, Bae Seul Gi working 24 hours in public at relatively no cost unless you choose to.




Korea’s biggest convenience store franchise and the market leader in house brands, FamilyMart has chosen Bae Seul Gi to represent their store and signed a one year contract with her as revealed today.

As FamilyMart’s representaive, Bae Seul Gi will work in one of its stores located along the streets of Yeoksam-dong, Seoul for four consecutive days as a store assistant. Her appearance has attracted the attention of many customers who frequented the store. For this event, Bae Seul Gi wore the FamilyMart uniform and the job badge, helping customers recommend things to buy at the counter. Promotional activities will also be organised like autograph sessions for fans.

In the following months, Bae Seul Gi will continue to participate in related events and also for charity and fulfil her duty as FamilyMart representative.

Bae Seul Gi is now busy promoting “Kiss Me” with H-Eugene on the various music shows and still deciding on her next move. ”Kiss Me” is a very cute and upbeat song and one of the few songs to catch my ears so far in 2008.



http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/

Epik High 5th album: 50,000 preorders

Epik High’s 5th album entitled “Pieces, Part One,” which will be out in the market on the 17th, has already recorded 50,000 preorders and once the album becomes available, it is expected to easily break the 100,000 sold albums mark.
Last year, Epik High released its 4th album called “Remapping the Human Soul” and rose to 3rd place in the 2007 album sales chart for it sold more than 120,000 copies.
On the other hand, Epik High is set to hold a 5th album showcase on April 17 at the CGV theater in Apkujeong, Seoul.

http://krnloop.wordpress.com

Girls’ Generation, sold more than 100,000 album copies

Girls’ Generation’s self-titled 1st album has already sold more than 100,000 copies and also ranked on top of March’s album sales chart.In March alone, Girls’ Generation’s 1st album, which came out on November 1, sold 28,847 and adding all the previous sales (74,247) with last month’s sold copies, the girl group has already sold a total of 103,094 album copies.Nell’s 4th album called “Separation Anxiety,” which was released on March 20, placed 2nd in the March album sales chart with 25,564 copies sold in only after 11 days since its release. Younha’s single entitled “Audition” placed 3rd with 12,707 copies sold. Kim Dong Ryul’s 5th called “Monologue,” which topped the January and February album sales charts, placed 4th with 12,528 copies sold.

http://asianfanatics.net/

Next for Charice: debut CD and ‘Oprah’

MANILA, Philippines—Charice Pempengco is a wounded pup.The 15-year-old singing wunderkind has known pain and sadness since her parents separated when she was just this high. It was, by her mother Raquel’s account, a parting preceded by heart-rending incidents that Charice witnessed (and is now requesting not to be discussed in detail).Fortunately, mother and daughter resolved to leave it all behind and move on. It was not easy, but the way things have turned out is a testament to the power of faith and the will to succeed.On a hot Saturday afternoon, Charice is cooling her heels in an ABS-CBN office, two hours before she enters a nearby recording studio to finish three songs for her forthcoming debut album with Star Records. The album is a bit overdue, on account of a busy schedule that saw her traveling to Sweden, Korea, the United States and, only last week, England, as a sought-after guest on TV shows that beamed her awesome, lung-busting vocal skills globally.Charice recently taped a special episode for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” where she shares the stage with other gifted children. The episode airs in May.Her most recent appearance was on the “Paul O’Grady Show.” “Nakakatuwa, pinaghandaan talaga nila,” Charice says, referring to the top-rating British talk-comedy program. “Meron pang fireworks, para mas maganda raw habang kumakanta ako.”The songs she sang—the “Dreamgirls” anthem “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You—were exactly what she rendered in her now world-famous stints on “Star King” in South Korea and the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” in the US. “’Yun ang hiniling nila, kung ano raw ang napanood nila sa ‘Ellen,’” Charice explains.Perfect strangerThe studio audience on the "Paul O’Grady Show" gave her a standing ovation. She says she was told it was the first time ever.All the attention would not have been possible, she says, without the single-handed stroke of genius of Dave Dueñas, a.k.a. FalseVoice on the YouTube channel. A 19-year-old nursing student at Perpetual Help College, Las Piñas, who also happens to be a techno geek, Dave uploaded Charice’s taped performances on YouTube, the popular video-sharing Web site whose total viewers have reached 79 million as of January this year.Charice says Dueñas was a complete stranger and only when she sought him out through e-mail did she discover why he fancied her videos. “Kasi raw natatawa siya dun sa nanalong contestant sa “America’s Got Talent.” Mas magaling daw ako kaya pinagsama niya yung video namin.” Said videos paved the way for all succeeding uploads now currently seen by people around the globe 24/7.The phenomenal exposure has paid off on a slow but steadily increasing rate. “Lahat ng TV appearances ni Charice sa abroad libre, pero napakalaking tulong,” mom Raquel says. “Sa ‘Oprah’ binigyan siya ng shopping money.”The guest stint with Paul O’Grady reportedly happened on the recommendation of David Foster, the music industry stalwart who has produced albums for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Josh Groban.Charice laughs, saying Foster took her by the hand and introduced her as “my new singer” to the American press when they attended a high-profile show biz affair.After momIt’s been a long, strange trip for a teenager who remembers being very shy as a young girl. “Ang mommy ko ang talagang singer,” Charice points out. Mom Raquel, 35, used to sing with a sister in a band called Soul’s Free, and little Charice would tag along during gigs in Tagaytay and Laguna where the Pempengcos lived.“Talagang mahilig ang magulang at mga kapatid ko sa music,” Raquel says. She tired to make both ends meet as a single mom, working as a quality control supervisor in a garments factory in the day and singing at night. “Hindi rin naman ako tumagal, six months lang ako sa banda.”But one day she was surprised to hear her daughter, who was then 6 years old, belting a tune on the karaoke. She would go on and teach the budding singer a few techniques she learned from peers.When Raquel opted to quit working and devote her time to raising two growing children, she got another surprise: Charice told her she would start joining singing contests to help the family survive.One weak momentSince then, Charice has become a “Reyna ng Singing Contest,” if there ever was one. She has joined some 70 competitions, mostly in town fiestas around the country, winning most of the time. The only time she “lost,” she says, was when she placed second or third.The only time she felt like quitting was when she got eliminated in the early stages of the ABS-CBN singing tilt “Little Big Star”; but she was so good, she was picked as a wild card to reenter the competition, and made it to third place. “Na-realize ko hindi dapat mawalan ng pag-asa, tuluy-tuloy lang para mag-succeed,” Charice says in hindsight.Raquel says she never tires of reminding Charice that this isn’t the big time yet—at least not in the context of what her daughter is aiming at.Good thing Charice is having fun despite all the ruckus. “Bata pa po ako, mahilig maglaro,” she jokes before saying goodbye. But maybe it’s not entirely a joke. Moments after boarding a van that will take her to the recording studio, she starts cradling a baby doll.




http://asianfanatics.net/

Jewelry dominates Music Bank One More Time

Jewelry continued their dominance on KBS Music Bank as they made it 6 in a row as number one once again. Their popularity showing no signs of abating.

In KBS Music Bank shown yesterday, Jewelry retained their No.1 position on the K-Chart ranking with their infectious “One More Time” hit. This was their six consecutive win and besting their own record of five before yesterday.
Jewelry’s six consecutive wins took on an even greater significance as Music Bank was using a new K-Chart system yesterday. Lead singer Park Jung Ah said, “I’m very happy. Truely thank all the fans for letting us sing on stage happily.” Jewelry was in direct competition with Lee Seung Gi’s “I will give you all” and Kim Dong Ryul’s ‘Like A Child” and came out the winner.
Besides Music Bank, Jewelry had also won for three consecutive weeks on SBS Inkigayo and five consecutive weeks on MBC Music Core with “One More Time” as they dominated all music shows on the three major tv stations.
Jewelry feat. Poppin’ Hyun Joon - One More Time (Remix)Poppin’ Hyun Joon belonging to the same company as Jewelry performed together in a remixed version of the song and gave an energetic performance.



http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/

So Nyeo Shi Dae Star Photo Pictorial Part 3

Korean girl group So Nyeo Shi Dae had divided themselves into three groups for different themed photoshoots. Two parts of the trilogy was released earlier last month with the final part being released today. The final part is titled “After School 5:00PM” and the concept is “welcome to my house to play”.

Compared to the sexy photoshoots done commonly by female artistes in Korea, So Nyeo Shi Dae photoshoots is focused on using their youthful charms as the selling point and they hope to win the affection of fans with these.

As the final part of the trilogy, “come to my house and play” features So Nyeo Shi Dae members YoonA, Tiffany and Sunny and their daily routine of their life.

http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com

F.T Island Enjoyed Water Splashing with Thai Fans on Thai New Year Celebration

F.T Island enjoyed water splashing with Thai fans on Thai New Year celebration at Discovery Plaza, Thailand on April 13rd, 2008

Lee Hong Gi, Lead Vocalist of the group, didn't come to join this event due to his sickness. However, the other 4 members enjoyed water splashing with Thai fans. They all got soaked.

According to JKDRAMAS.com, the members said Thai words to greet Thai fans i.e. "Phom Rak Khun" (I love you), "Rak na Jub Jub" (Love you. Kiss Kiss) and "Rak Na Dek Ngo" (Love you. Foolish Child)

F.T Island had suceed the show "FTIsland First Live in Thailand 2008" on Saturday. The group will visit Thailand again as they are invtited to Seed 97.5 FM's "The 3rd Seed Awards 2008" on May 14th. The group is a nominee for "2008 Favourite Asian Artist Awards of the Year".


http://asianfanatics.net