31/05/09

BoA To Have Collaborated With Timbaland


It has been rumored that BoA will be featured in Timbaland's upcoming compilation album, Shock Value Volume 2. So far there has been two tracklists for the album floating around the net, and it appears that the one with BoA listed might be the more probable tracklist. Although Timbaland has denied the validity of many of the tracks reported, it has been confirmed that quite a few of the tracks and collaborations listed have been confirmed to exist! Here's hoping that SM did something right. A feature on even a rubbish album track could still very well be nice exposure for our hard working BoA.

In other news, BoA and Sean Garrett has confirmed "Energetic" will be their next single at the MTV VMAJ. In my opinion, its a little too early to be planning out the next single, as her current single, "I Did It For Love", has it's remixes and promos just released to radios and clubs. To be honest, "Energetic" is a little too close along lines of her previous two single releases for my taste. However, so was Lady Gaga's first three US single releases, and many BoA fans have pointed our BoA has been pursuing her American takeover with a similar marketing strategy. It'd be nice to see BoA achieving success even remotely close to hers.



Do you think Energetic is single worthy track?



For those who wondering, these are the two rumored tracklistings.

01. Tounge Tied (feat. Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake)
02. Stardust (feat. Michelle Williams and Will.i.am)
03. Breath (feat. Linkin Park)
04. Painkiller (feat. Leona Lewis and Keri Hilson)
05. Top Down (feat. Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot)
06. Magic Doors (feat. Rihanna)
07. Talk (feat. T-pain and Missy Elliot)
08. Ice Queen (feat. Gwen Stefani and Akon)
09. Worry Bout’ Me (feat. Vanessa Hudgens)
10. Divine (feat. Lil Wayne And Sebastion)
11. Trash The Rental (feat. DOE and Attitude)
12. Rain (feat. Jordin Sparks)
13. Marathon (feat. Madonna and Justin Timberlake)
14. Trying To Win (feat. Ashlee Simpson and Amar)
15. On The Radio (feat. BoA)
16. My Get Away (feat. The Jonas Brothers)
17. Whiplash (feat. Keri Hilson)
18. Vicarious (feat. Chris Cronell)

1. Meltdown (feat. Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake)
2. That’s The Way (feat. Keri Hilson and Usher)
3. ‘Til I Say So (feat. Akon)
4. Act Right (feat. T-Pain and Tim Dog)
5. Dumb (feat. Jonas Brothers)
6. Still Standing (feat. Linkin Park)
7. Accross The Sky (feat. Justin Timberlake and Madonna)
8. Rain (feat. Jordin Sparks)
9. Don’t Hurt ‘Em (feat. T.I.)
10. Underground (feat. Rihanna)
11. Why U Still Calling? (Miscommunication Part II) (feat. Keri Hilson and Sebastian)
12. Click Clack (feat. Dr. Dre and Missy Elliott)
13. Talk (feat. T-Pain and Missy Elliott)
14. Cruel (feat. Coolio)
15. Head 2 Toe (feat. Jay-Z)
16. Aruba (feat. Sebastian)
17. From Dusk ‘Til Dawn (feat. Tim Dog, Flo-Rida and Attitude)
18. Pick Up (Boardmeeting Part II) (feat. Magoo)
19. Baby (feat. Keri Hilson)
20. Love Song (feat. Justin Timberlake)

credit: allkpop

30/05/09

2PM’s Dance Intro & Energy Song Preview


Hot boy group 2PM performed their usual hit song "Again & Again" yesterday on MBC Music Core, but this time, they added a snazzy little dance intro before their actual performance. The boys were all on top of their game today, as their vocals sounded awesome. I don't know what it is about them, but these boys sure know how to get the crowd going. Thanks to Symbelmyns for the awesome HQ video!

2PM Again & Again on Music Core

2PM Again & Again on Music Core

2PM Again & Again on Music Core

2PM Again & Again on Music Core



The dance intro that they did on Music Core, maybe it's the outfits, reminds me of the dance battle they had with SHINee earlier in the year.



On a side note, check out some hot photos from 2PM's energy song, which will be out tomorrow afternoon. Nich Khun's plaid pants remind me of 2PM's old "10 out of 10" days... Good times... good times.

2PM's Energy Song

2PM's Energy Song

2PM's Energy Song

credit: allkpop

Younha gets the blast of her life


Damn! And it isn't the good kind of blast either!

During a recent "123" performance for the students at Sungkyungkwan University on 21st May, Younha strutted across the stage singing and dancing to her song, and almost like a scene from a movie, she sings "1 2 3... neo bakkae nan moreuneun ge--" and BAM! The stage cannon blasts smoke and wind right into her face!

Great thing was though, she was totally cool about it; she laughed it off and just fixed her hair--like a true girly girl!



News coverage of the disaster (starts at 0.40).



credit: allkpop

DBSK Stands by U and makes Tea for Two


Tracks for DBSK's "Stand By U" single has been unveiled, with the songs themselves making rounds on the internet.

01. Stand By U
02. Tea For Two
03. Sky

"Sky" is the same song the ToHos released as a single in 2006 and as the second track on their second Japanese album. I'm not sure why they decided to re-release it for this particular album - maybe they just missed saying the words "under my sky".

And just so the exceptionally passionate Cassies don't flip out on me, the previously unheard song "Tea For Two" wasn't leaked; the J-pop industry often plays songs on the radio before the single is officially released, so a fan must have ripped the track from a radio station. This radio-origin also explains the lowish quality of that particular upload.

Anyway, here's the complete single release, courtesy of tenerife10. The higher-quality preview of "Tea For Two" comes from charismayun, and you can turn on captions on the lower-right hand corner of the video for English subs.








Even though I'm Korean, I always seem to enjoy DBSK's Japanese ballad singles like "Bolero" and "Stand By U" more than their homeland dance tracks like "Mirotic" and "Wrong Number". Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the lust manifestation that was the Mirotic MV, but it's almost like Tohoshinki is some alter-ego identity that DBSK/TVXQ assumes whenever they just want to chillax. This single, set to be released on July 1st, looks like it will continue that trend. I also love how the only non-muted colors on the entire album cover are the words "Stand By U".. and that little peek of Jaejoong's shirt. What a "pretty boy".

credit: allkpop

Chung Lim Does Usher

As you all know, Star Golden Bell has a new section on its show called "Super Rookie". This week Chung Lim was one of the guest rookies along with a DJ, and the reigning rookie queen Sori.

Check it out (starts at 1:14).


Not to brag or anything but having done this dance myself I can honestly say that even I can do it better. He changed up a lot of Usher's parts for the worse and a lot of his movements, especially the two arm sway, seemed very stiff. Honestly, I thought Sori's performance was better but the judges ended her 3 week reign and Chung Lim was crowned as the new rookie king.

Chung Lim had an interview after the show, "Since I'm a new face and there is a lot of sunbae's (seniors) watching me closely I was happy to receive their praises. As soon as I was scheduled to go, I didn't think about how tired my body was and practiced all night for the show. It was all worth it in the end when I won first place!"

In other related news, this episode of Star Golden Bell featured After School's (just Gahee and Jooyeon) first ever appearance to the show. The recently come back Koyote and Lee Hong Ki of FT Island was also featured.

Catch the first part here. (The end of this video was particularly funny).


credit: allkpop

Park Myung Soo to sing again


Comedian Park Myung Soo is to make his comeback as a singer through a mini-album in June. His entertainment company said "Park Myung Soo is currently collecting songs and is planning to return as a singer in June." He plans to go on interviews and appear on music programs as part of his promotions. The music genre will be his usual style of Euro dance.

Park Myung Soo debuted as a singer in 1999 with his 1st album Change. Although he is busy with his duties as a radio DJ and as a member of Infinity Challenge, he still desires to be a singer and to release a good album that can be loved.

Such an ambitious person. He isn't content with owning a chicken shop and being in a hit variety show. Either way, I'm interested in his comeback. Here's an old song for those interested in his singing.



credit: allkpop

The Blue is Coming Back out of the blue


Out of the blue, popular 90's duo The Blue is returning to their fans for the first time in 14 years. Although some of you youngsters might not know it, they were really popular back in the days. I'm sure johnnydorama could tell you all about them wink

After splitting and deciding to pursue their own interests at the end of the their 2nd album promotions in 1995, the never-ending love from their fans inspired them to come back together and make a mini-album. The mini-album, 'The Blue, The First Memories' is set to be released on the 14th and will mark their return to the scene. The album will include 4 remixed songs of their past hits and one completely new song called 'Scream'' to make a total of 5 songs.

Their comeback album is receiving a lot of interest as well due to the fact that Girls' Generation / SNSD's Tiffany and Soo Young will be featured in the song 'While Only Feeling You'. It's the power of 8 9! Oops, I keep forgetting Hyo Yeon is technically a part of Girls' Generation, just like Ma-Ti was technically part of the Planeteers, and we all know how useful Heart was.




The Blue is Coming Back out of the blue

credit: allkpop

Koyote Comes Back With Number 10


Old School KPOP group Koyote, minus Kim Jong Min, has released their comeback music video titled "Nonsense" from their 10th album today! It seems like it's just Shinji and Bbaek Ga this time around because Kim Jong Min is still off fulfilling his mandatory army service. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, the only one who actually did the real singing was Shinji anyway. I mean, Kim Jong Min is the comic relief and I didn't even know that Bbaek Ga was part of Koyote until last year.

Koyote Comes Back With Number 10

In general though, Koyote's music is hit or miss with me, so I'm pretty wary of trying their new songs, but this one isn't too bad.


credit: allkpop

Kim Ah Joong Appreciates Her Fans


Whereas some celebrities make up excuses for throwing away fan letters *cough* SNSD *cough* other celebrities actually take time to not only read but reply to fan sent letters.

It's been recently brought to light that actress Kim Ah Joong has actually personally written back to fan letters that she received. She revealed "I get very encouraged by what fans write in fan cafes. Occasionally I get fan letters where they're worrying over something. Direction, career, dating problems, etc when I receive fan letters like these I want to reply to them all. If I recall what it felt like to be a fan of a celebrity when I was young, I want to counsel them and also thank them in my reply. Even though I try to respond when I get the chance, I can't respond to all of them so I try to make up for it by being the best actress I can be." Kim Ah Joong is currently on the KBS drama "That Fool."

That's pretty crazy. For some reason, she always struck me as some kind of diva but it's nice to know there are some celebrities that actually read fan letters.

Image

Big Bang shows off their Japanese Skills on MTV VMA Japan

wasn't the only Korean artist in attendance at MTV VMA Japan on 30th May, Korean group Big Bang was there as well. They weren't there just for the festivities however, they actually had a role to play.

Big Bang was introduced as "Guest Celebrities" and showed off their Japanese and English linguistic skills for around 30 seconds before introducing Katy Perry. I can't really say much about their Japanese, because I don't know Japanese, but their English seemed pretty good. It seems like G-Dragon is getting better with the accent.



In other news, TVXQ / DBSK / Tohoshinki who weren't in attendance (because of their concerts) was nominated for the Best Group Video Award but unfortunately they didn't win. EXILE actually won the award, better luck next time boys.

credit: allkpop
BoA

BoA performs I Did it for love on MTV VMA Japan


Like I said before, we haven't heard about BoA in a while, but she more than made up for that with an awesome performance of "I Did it for Love" on today's MTV Japan Video Music Awards.

She was joined on stage with producer Sean Garrett, and I think she did awesome. Check it out below:



credit: allkpop

Piano Man Yoonha Hwang covers Super Junior’s It’s You

Korean pianist Yoonha Hwang aka Yoonha85 on youtube is getting a lot of attention with his piano covers of famous KPOP songs. The most recent being Super Junior's "It's You." This particular video was the most discussed video on Youtube Korea yesterday.

Yoonha seems to be a very talented with the piano and even looks a bit like the famous Korean pianist / composer Yiruma. It's always cool to see KPOP music being covered in various ways, and I think Yoonha's piano covers sound awesome. Check out his facebook,

Super Junior It's You:



2NE1's Fire:


Piano Man Yoonha Hwang covers Super Junior’s It’s You

5005 Views | 52 Comments

GhostWriter in Variety | 30 May 2009 - 11:34 AM

Piano Man Yoona Hwang covers Super Junior
Korean pianist Yoonha Hwang aka Yoonha85 on youtube is getting a lot of attention with his piano covers of famous KPOP songs. The most recent being Super Junior's "It's You." This particular video was the most discussed video on Youtube Korea yesterday.

Yoonha seems to be a very talented with the piano and even looks a bit like the famous Korean pianist / composer Yiruma. It's always cool to see KPOP music being covered in various ways, and I think Yoonha's piano covers sound awesome. Check out his facebook, Thanks to linda for the tip.

Super Junior It's You:


2NE1's Fire:


Super Junior SORRY SORRY:



Big Bang and 2NE1 Lollipop:



credit: allkpop

Choi Shi Won is a healthy man


Choi Shi Won of Super Junior appeared super fine fit as the June cover of Men's Health magazine, being the first idol star to do so.

Choi Shi Won is known to be an exercise fanatic, even going to the gym earlier this year even though his leg was in a cast. He was largely encouraged by those around him as well as his personal trainer with whom he had been training for 4 years.

Choi Shi Won showed off his body in the photo shoot with the concept being basketball, which is his favorite sport. Shi Won’s trainer said, “For this photoshoot, Shi Won lost about 15kg (33 pounds) in 1 month, and is still slowly cutting down his weight to 75kg.” Shi Won's trainer is famous in Korea for training celebrities famous for their bodies. He revealed that when body building, controlling what you eat is important. For this reason, even when Choi Shi Won went abroad with Super Junior to China and Thailand, his trainer went along and they went to the fitness center every day without fail. The head trainer said, "Lots of celebrities come to this health center but not many people enjoy exercising like him." Well, maybe you girls will enjoy the photos:

Image

Image

Image

Image


credit: allkpop

Lee Seung Gi with Go Eun Ah ... not so good


Lee Seung Gi and Go Eun Ah model the summer collection for Japanese clothing brand Edwin. I know it's categorized as Eye Candy but it's more like Eye Boogers, I got to say these are some of the worst modeling pics I've ever seen. With Lee Seung Gi sporting a variation of the ever increasingly-popular perm and Go Eun Ah sporting every awkward unpleasant expression known to man.

They don't seem to be too happy wearing these clothes nor do they look like they care much for each other, but then again with less than stellar models, this actually makes the clothes the focus and makes the clothing stand out more.

Lee Seung Gi with Go Eun Ah


credit: allkpop

Rain’s “Nature Republic” CF released


Rain's new CF for the cosmetic brand Nature Republic has been released and... it's odd to say the least.

I had to watch the commercial twice to see if he was falling into the water or bursting out, and I'm still not exactly sure which... but who cares? Rain looks smokin', and for as much money as he's being paid for this contract, he'd probably burst out of a cake in a thong if they asked him to!

Naughty thoughts, Lost_City, naughty thoughts....



credit: allkpop

Goo Hye Sun is That You?

Some pre-debut pictures of Goo Hye Sun have surfaced and I had to do a double take. For a second there I thought I was seeing a young Jang Na Ra! Well, except for the square-er face and horrible fashion taste. Then again...Jang Na Ra's fashion isn't that great either. Anyways, what do you guys think? Is it another celebrity that used the power of plastic? Or is she one of the few all-natural faces that just got better changed over time?

Goo Hye Sun is that You?

Goo Hye Sun is that You?

Goo Hye Sun is that You?

Goo Hye Sun is that You?

credit: allkpop

More girl groups debut, I roll my eyes


Yawn... There is talk that SM Entertainment will now be debuting a new girl group, said to be the female version of SHINee... oh, really? Sounds strangely familiar...

The groups name is set to be "Crystal", for they will be "the crystals of the generation", by setting a good example and having absolutely NO plastic surgery on any of the members. It's funny they use the "crystal" analogy, because a crystal just looks like a shiny rock unless its cut and molded into something pretty. Go figure.

The group "Crystal" have supposedly been preparing for the past 3 years with trainers from the U.S., claiming their training was different from that of SNSD. Check out the members:

San
Name: Anna Sun
Birth: 1990
Lead vocals and rapper
Image

Syeon
Name: Yoo Seung Yeon
Birth: 1992
Main rapper and vocalist
Image
Image

Lara
Name: Lee Nara
Birth: 1990
Leader and lead dancer a.k.a the only one who can't sing
Image

DaEun
Name: Noh Da Eun
Birth: December 12, 1989
Main vocalist

Doyeon

Name: Yoon Do Yeon
Birth: 1994
Main dancer, vocalist
Image

They even recognized their SHINee counter parts: Onew=Lara, JongHyun=DaEun, Key=San, Minho=Syeon and Taemin= DoYeon. They are set to debut around July or August of this year.

Needless to say, I'm tired of all these new girl groups popping up, especially since it's an SM artist--it's just going to prolong the spaces between our favorite artists' comebacks. The comparison is a little annoying too... I'm waiting for them to say they're coming out with a Korea-based female DBSK!


credit: allkpop

Lee Si Young and Son Ho Young are Together


No not like THAT, but rookie Lee Si Young is partnering up with Son Ho Young and is making her debut as an MC. She will be MCing along with Son Ho Young on June 5th at the Daejun Convention Center event '2009 ChinChinGaYoJae'. Lee Si Young has received a lot of love this year, gaining interest as one of the best rookies due to her role in Boys Over Flowers and her appearance on We Got Married. Her 4th dimensional state of mind and strong acting has gotten her a lot of love and she plans to show those charms as she MCs alongside Son Ho Young. She mentioned "It's an honor that I am able to participate in this even that supports young adults' dreams and challenges. I'm already excited and anticipating it. I'll do my best so that it is an event that everyone will be able to enjoy." Let's just hope Son Ho Young is man enough to even stand next to the girl, unlike Jun Jin.

This live show will include guest stars SG Wannabe, V.O.S, and U-Kiss as well.

credit: allkpop

29/05/09

Taeyang’s “Prayer” was a remake?


Not that it's going to make me love him any less... but it kind of pains me to know my favorite artists just sample other people's songs.

It seems that Taeyang's "Prayer" is in fact a sample of Chinese music artist, Jacky Cheung's "Cry." Once you hear the original, it's almost funny because it literally sounds like it was chewed up in the 80's and spit back out out in 2008! The opening sounds exactly the same and the chorus' are very similar, except for the difference in tempo.

You can never fault the artists for these kinds of things, just their companies. And even though it's obvious that my opinion is insanely bias, Taeyang's version is better. If not because "Prayer" is more catchy, but merely because Taeyang had his shirt off for half the video and... and... well I think that's good enough reason, don't you?

And in case you forgot...

Taeyang

Yeah... that's what I thought.

Jacky Cheung's "Cry".


Taeyang's "Prayer".


credit: allkpop

2PM Wins Triple Crown and Tragedy’s Effects On K-Pop Schedule


With the entire K-entertainment industry is on hold to mourn ex-president Roh Moo Hyun's suicide, many fans are left wondering if/where/when their favorite groups will perform on the three major music shows: KBS Music Bank, MBC Music Core, and SBS Inkigayo. allkpop is here to clear up the confusion.

KBS Music Bank, which normally airs on Fridays at 6:35 PM Korean Time (5:35 AM EST), was not recorded this week, as the three major networks (KBS, MBC, and SBS) held off all entertainment programs until after Roh Moo Hyun's funeral on May 29th.

MBC Music Core, which normally airs on Saturdays at 4:20 PM Korean Time (3:20 AM EST), was also not recorded this week. But, because last week's recording never went on air, MBC will broadcast last week's recording during this week's time slot. The main feature of last/this week's Music Core was/will be Son Dambi's goodbye stage, in which she performed/will perform last year's hit "Crazy" and her newest single, "Saturday Night" (that sentence felt like some damned SAT verb tense practice). Dambites are looking forward to more chair-dancing, but some (aka me) hope she exchanges those Saturday Night football pads and alien eyelashes for some more flattering finale clothing. Music Core will also mark the first performance from Han Una on one of the three major music shows (she already performed on M.Net Countdown ).



Image

Finally, SBS Inkigayo, which normally airs on Sundays at 3:15 Korean Time (do the math), was not recorded last week. But the show did it's usual tabulation of music charts anyway, and 2PM won it's third Mutizen for it's hit "Again & Again", earning itself a triple crown! Congrats to the boys. Now since a song can only win up to three Mutizens, the seven hunks are out of the running for this week's award - so Hottests, don't panic when they don't win. But, news reports state that for Inkigayo the group will perform a special remix of "Again & Again" and reveal their own version of the Energy Song. Adding to the excitement, 2NE1 will finally perform "Fire" for the second time after fourteen days of waiting. Heck, if they had waited a couple more weeks, 2NE1 could have called it a comeback stage!





After a week and a half of minimal entertainment news, K-Pop comes back this weekend, and allkpop will be here to bring all of the action to you.

2AM on Madam B’s Salon


Yesterday in Korea, 2AM was featured on Madam B's Salon where they gave an awesome performance and an interesting interview.

First up was Jo Kwon dancing to Justin Timberlake with Jae Beom and Junsu of 2PM. Then you have Jin Woon on the drums and Jo Kwon on the piano for a Queen tribute. They then finished it off with their cover of "Without A Heart" by 8eight.

Check it out:


The interview session was pretty interesting as well. First, they talked about how they don't get to dance much, but are in fact good dancers. After that they went on to show 2AM's album jacket and Madam B asked them how they made such an amazing photo shoot. The abs of the group, Im Seulong, spoke on their behalf and said, "We got the concept of the manly man, so we had a lot of things to change... (Jo Kwon)... We all had to go on a diet and watch our weight and that's how those pictures came to be." After that he spoke about what an honor it was to work with an alien, Andre Kim.

The next question they were asked was, "What style of girl is attractive to you?" Chang Min said that a cute and well behaved image is attractive. Madam B then asks if it is a person's personality or face that should be cute? He then answered without shame that her face should be cute. Jo Kwon said that the type of girl he likes is one like Wonder Girl Sohee and Jin Woon said his type of girl would be Girls' Generation's Seo Hyun.

Check it out:


Ok, 2AM was great and all... but did anyone else notice the hot girls in the audience? These boys are giving SHINee a run for their money with all those hot noona fan girls. All they need to do now is promote Ms. New Booty and these girls will have the whole package. Get it right, get it right, get it tight.



credit: allkpop