Rain’s plans for 2011

Running back into the arms of his mentor, JYP, Rain reveals his plans for 2011.

First off, the world star announced, “I will be enlisting in the second half of next year” recently on ‘Guerilla Date’ which aired this week on KBS2’ ‘Entertainment Tonight’.

Second, Rain is expected to release his new solo album before he enlists.

“We will release an album and have plans for a world tour,” said an official of his agency. Year 2010 was a year of movies and dramas for Rain and he wants to focus more his music career this coming 2011.

“I think of it as a vacation. I’m not worried about enlisting. In fact, I think it will make me a better person,” Rain said pertaining to his enlistment.

In the same show, Rain surprised the audience saying his present physical condition is similar to that of a 40-year old.

Rain said, “I recently had a health screening, and the results showed that my body age was that of a 40 years old. I’ve been exercising well, but apparently my excessive diet and the overworking of my body has caused it to be worn down.”

“I need to find my six pack again, but I still need two more. I think it will come back by the time I have my concert,” he added.

credit : eun_geun@popseoul+as labeled

YG reveals plans for 2011 through YGLife blog

Previously, YG Entertainment revealed that they would answer burning questions from fans through their YG-LIFE blog.

The site was recently updated with detailed plans for 2011 from CEO Yang Hyun Suk.

–

Hello, this is Yang Hyun Suk.
Today is December 30th; there is only one day left in 2010.
Today I will answer some of the fan’s questions regarding YG’s plans for the first half of next year.

1. GD&TOP had three title songs for their album – What is the plan for future promotions?

To be more precise, GD&TOP had five different title songs. Aside from the “Intro” song, G-Dragon and T.O.P sang 5 songs together, and we plan to promote all 5.

This plan is similar to that of 2NE1’s. Instead of concentrating on a single song, we want to inform everyone about the entire album.

After “High High“, “Oh Yeah“, and “Knock Out“, we plan to promote “Don’t Go Home” in mid-January. Director Lee Ki Baek, who’s worked on G-Dragon’s “A Boy” MV, will direct the music video for the two new songs.

We plan on releasing the music video for “Knock Out” on January 3rd. It was directed by Seo Hyung Seung, and finished just a few days ago. It’s a little ambitious, but given the time and opportunity, we want to move ahead with GD & TOP’s solo MVs.

2. For what reason did you choose “High High”, “Oh Yeah”, and “Knock Out” for the first round of promotions?

The reason is very simple and straightforward.

To promote the five songs, each song must fit with the time and season. “High High” and “Oh Yeah” really fits with the end-of-the-year atmosphere, so we decided to promote them first.

“Knock Out” is the ‘main’ title song, and it was my favorite, but I had one concern about promoting it – I was worried about whether it would be approved for public TV broadcast.

If “Knock Out” did not get approved, we would only promote “High High” and “Oh Yeah” through public TV channels, and promote “Knock Out” on Mnet’s “M! Countdown.”

3. What is the reason for the lack of TV appearances?

This has become the biggest issue among YG fans. I understand that fans want to see more of their favorite stars, but as the individual in charge, I have to be more careful.

The reason for the reduced appearances is because we are concerned for our artists. To show up on music programs for 3 minutes, the artists will have to wake up very early in the morning to start rehearsing. For female group 2NE1, they have to prepare their hair and makeup, and start moving at 2:00 in the morning. Having schedules the night before and not getting any sleep to go to broadcasts is also very commonplace.

In a week, [artists can have] 4 nights of music programs, various CFs and photoshoots, events, oversea schedules etc… Although 2NE1 didn’t appear on variety programs or radio shows, I could feel their tiring situation. I just wish they could sleep an hour more.

Although the artists may be receiving a lot of popularity, it takes a toll on their bodies. YG’s biggest worry is that the artists don’t have any time to spare because they are preparing for their next stage.

Regarding broadcast appearances and conflicting results…

I’ll use 2NE1’s first mini-album and G-Dragon’s first solo album as examples. Both teams only had one broadcast a week, and had interesting results.

The result was better than we had expected, and [thinking about the artists also], we thought we needed to lessen the number of broadcast appearances.

Of course, the album’s success is proportional to broadcast appearances, but it’s definitely not half-and half. Let’s examine this in detail.

As a rookie group, 2NE1 had one broadcast a week. Their debut songs “Fire” and “I Don’t Care” were very well known, and their mini-album sold 165,000 copies. At the same time, Park Bom’s “You and I” was also quite popular, and she only went on broadcasts twice a week.

Last August, G-Dragon released his solo album. At the time, he broke the record on Hanteo Data System by selling 130,000 copies. Now he has sold 248,000 copies. This is also very surprising within YG, since this album did better than Big Bang’s albums.

YG does not carry our own results, so please refer to YG’s long-time sound-music distributor Mnet Media to confirm them. There are no mistakes for albums that have been on sale for a long time, and a CEO of a company has no reasons to lie.

It’s easy to ask, ‘What if there are demands for YG to conform? What if the relationship with the broadcast companies decline? Perhaps there’s an easier way?‘

However, YG considered everything and chose the more difficult way because we think that while this kind of promotion may seem frugal, it has more value and emotions attached to it.

I won’t speak further on what is the best decision or conclusion, but we do worry about our artists during their promotions.

4. On Seungri and Big Bang’s album plans:

A while ago, we revealed that Seungri will release a digital single on January 3rd, and Big Bang’s new album will follow on February 1st. There have been some changes.

We want to give all their fans even greater news!

At the time, we planned to kick off Big Bang’s Japanese tour in April of next year, so we wanted to promote Big Bang’s new album for two months, beginning February 1st. Because of this, GD&TOP and Seungri’s album promotions would have been shorter than normal.

Fortunately, we were able to delay Big Bang’s Japanese promotions by one month.

Thanks to this, GD&TOP’s second round of promotions for “Don’t Go Home” will be extended, and Seungri’s digital single will become a mini-album.

We had planned for a digital single release on January 3rd, and a mini-album 10 days later, but we decided not to do an online release, and just reveal everything at once.

While reviewing Seungri’s preparations for the mini-album, I had an idea for “Ambush” to be the mini-album’s title. Even though it’s the first time for Seungri to be co-writing and co-composing, YG has recruited new producers to elevate this product, so please look forward to it.

The new release date for his mini-album is January 13th. The dates for Big Bang’s album will be revealed at another time through the official channel.

5. Will the “BIG SHOW” be held early next year?

Big Bang’s “BIG SHOW” concert, which was held annually on January, will be held on February 25th, 26th, and 27th next year at the Olympic Athletic Stadium.

Since the “BIG SHOW” is scheduled right alongside Big Bang’s new album, all of Big Bang’s latest music will be featured, including GD&TOP and Seungri’s mini-album. We’ll be releasing a more detailed announcement soon, so please check it out when it’s revealed.

6. What is the schedule for Big Bang’s Japanese tour?

Starting next May, Big Bang will be holding a two-month tour in Japan, which is expected to bring in a 160,000-member audience.

Up ’til now, Big Bang has only done short-term promotions during their week-long stays in Japan. Starting next year, they’ll be promoting more directly and aggressively.

The agreement between YG and our Japanese partner is to completely differentiate the group’s Korean and Japanese activities, and to focus completely on one at a time.

Again, they’ll be in Korea for March and April, in Japan for May and June (due to their Japanese concert), in Korea again from July through September for their new album, and in Japan for October and November.

Big Bang’s popularity in Japan is a lot higher than what is known in Korea, so we are hoping to garner more favorable results with more direct promotions.

7. What are the plans for 2NE1’s Japanese debut?

Honestly, proposals regarding 2NE1’s Japanese debut have been in the talks since last year. The reason for the delay was that they were a rookie group who had only just debuted, and the consensus was that they needed to focus on Korean activities first.

With their first album promotions at an end, 2NE1 will officially be debuting in Japan on February of 2011. As expected, the record company they’ll be working with is Avex.

Avex has always shown much affection for 2NE1, and the biggest owner of Avex will also be working with the girls, so we’re anticipating a lot for them.

2NE1’s first Japanese activities will be on February and March. We’ll be working hard to ensure that 2NE1 can still release a new Korean album in May or June.

Details regarding 2NE1’s activities have yet to be confirmed because Will.I.Am is currently busy promoting Black Eyed Peas‘ latest album.

On the day of the Yeonpyeong Island skirmish, Will.I.Am asked, “Is 2NE1 okay?” He’s watching 2NE1TV and revealed himself to be a bigger fan through the show. He also stated that he will be making more new tracks for 2NE1.

There are still so many things left to say, but I’ll end it here for next time.

Reflecting back on our year, there are still a lot of things we regret and lacked in. As there is Big Bang’s comeback to look forward to next year, the YG staff and I are filled with excitement and anticipation.

In addition to saying that we will be working harder than ever, we hope that all of the fans have a Happy New Year and to be healthy.

Thank you (Bow~~)

2010.12.30 From Yang Hyun Suk

credit : supermar@allkpop+as labeled

Noh Min-woo performs in concert with Boohwal

by javabeans | December 24, 2010 | 27 Comments

Having just played a rock star in the KBS Drama Special mini-drama Rock Rock Rock, actor (and former member of pop band TRAX) Noh Min-woo will be a special guest at the 2010 Boohwal Christmas Concert. He’ll perform alongside Kim Tae-won, the famous rocker guitarist of Boohwal whom Noh portrayed in the drama.

Apparently Noh Min-woo first met Kim Tae-won at an Lee Seung-gi concert (aw, Gumihosupport), and they now enjoy a friendly, brotherly relationship. Kim said of Noh’s portrayal of him, “When I heard from Noh Min-woo that he’d be playing me in the drama, I shared stories with him about my life. Through that process we became closer, and that’s how I ended up inviting him to this concert.”

As I mentioned briefly in my year-end review, I was impressed with Noh in Rock Rock Rock, having kept low expectations about his acting after seeing him in other dramas earlier this year. He was certainly very pretty in Pasta as one of the young Italian chefs at the restaurant, but he was mostly beautiful wallpaper in that. He had more to do in My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, but his low-energy performance made me think he’d be just another wooden actor with a model’s good looks. It was much to my surprise that he came to life inRock Rock Rock, showing a youthful energy I didn’t know he possessed.

Noh will participate in two songs at Boohwal’s December 24 and 25 concerts, which take place at the convention hall at Seoul’s Grand Hilton Hotel.

Noh Min-woo on press conference day; the real Kim Tae-won;
Noh Min-woo as fabulously be-mulleted ’80s Kim Tae-won

Noh Min-woo and Kim Tae-won together

credit : javabeans + as labeled

Royal couple stills from My Princess

Promotion is really heating up for My Princess, which premieres in just over a week on MBC. The fantasy romantic-comedy series has released yet more stills — couple photos this time of Kim Tae-hee and Song Seung-heon, with the former dressed up in all her royal finery.

I think she looks more like Disney’s idea of a princess (…half a century ago) than, say, a modern-day imagining of one (Kate Middleton scoffs at those ridiculous pearls, the gaudy jewelry, and that curtain-print dress), but for a kdrama interpretation of a fantasy world in which Korea somehow still employs a monarchy, Kim Tae-hee looks sweet and adorable. People should really wear tiaras more in real life. And half-sleeved formal gowns.

The drama premieres January 5.

credit : javabeans+as labeled

Hyun Bin's Interview With Star Meet Today

I knew I had to translate this interview the moment I saw that MNIKSS was mentioned. While I'm a Binnie lover, I can't say I'm a follower of his works, some of them were a miss (at least to me), like tragedy wannabe Snow Queen and the sleep inducing The World That They Live In. So I think Kim Joo Won is another daebak character for Hyun Bin as an actor since Hyun Jin-heon.

In the following interview, you might notice that the questions are in a casual tone and the abundant usage of cutesy emoticons. At first I thought that the interviewer was trying to flirt with Binnie, but no, it's actually a list of questions chosen and compiled from users at dc.

Therefore each question is from a different person. Except for one lucky user that got to ask 2 questions. Guess what his/her username is: It's mun-ja-wa-syong. BWAHAHA.

Hyun Bin, "From A Woman's Perspective"

Q: I'm really a big fan of the drama! Keke, about my question~ My understanding is that you purposely lost weight in preparation for this role. Makes me wonder if you're very particular in this matter^^

A: I lost 8kg before the production started; really got alot skinnier, but I felt that losing weight for the role was necessary (*note: Before this the news reported that it was 6kg, but now we know it's really eight, not six).

Q: For the soul swap in the drama, I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to imitate Ra Im sitting, hehe~
A: Sitting like a lady, it's really uncomfortable. It felt like my body was wrapped up *laughs*


Some of the things men would not think twice about, as a woman every minor detail is carefully thought out first. As Ra Im, my movements were subtler. When I was figuring out the script for Joo Wanda, a lot of funny stuff happened. During the shoot, Yoon Sang Hyun and Ha Ji Won can always be seen laughing at the sidelines.

Q: Swapping souls with a woman in SG, what's the biggest change for you?

A: It's like looking at myself in the drama, like what I said just now, men seldom put themselves in a woman's shoes. This time I got to look at men from a woman's perspective.

Q: Do you have any similarities with SG's Joo Won? Joo Won is seen as a maverick, I'm curious as to whether Hyun Bin or Joo Won is more straightfoward.

A: Similar you say? Hehe, I'm not rich like Joo Won, and have not had any soul swapping experience^^ The public seems to love these type of "shining" manhwa characters, just like in MNIKSS, he's also a "shining" chaebol. But this is not quite similar to MNIKSS's.

Q: After starring in SG, what are your thoughts lately? Any new habits you've picked up?

A: SG's "Forget it". ^^ New habits...Ra Im's tone and expressions. Sometimes when playing Joo Won I'll accidentally use Joo Wanda's voice and expression, director will say, "Your performance is very
Ra Im" and does an NG.


Q: Mr. Hyun Bin, which scenes of Joo Won's did you find most memorable?
A: The bed scene with Oska at the end of Episode 5 *laughs* (hellochloe: LMAO the part where Oska keep touching him and he keeps yelling was HIGH-larious). I don't think I'll forget any scenes. Kissing with a man was much easier, because I didn't have to invest any feelings into it...

Also, the sit-up scene where I told Ra Im, "Miss Ra Im, when did you become so pretty? Since last year?" *laughs* I think this scenario was hit with the ladies (hellochloe thinks back on ppl's reactions in soompi and viki. *nods*).


Q: Which is the most memorable character you've played?
A: It's impossible for me to say which one. Each character has its own charm and I'll try hard to interpret them. For me each character is a new experience for me, and I'll use that experience to do another character. (hellochloe: I'm quite disappointed it wasn't the stalker character he played in Cha Seung Won's 2003 Bodyguard)

Q: As Joo Wanda, which women's gestures have you understood?
A: Hand movements and sitting postures *laughs*


Q: What is your dream house like?

A: Like the house I stayed with Oska in the drama would be very very cool. But that's too much really, when you speak you can even hear your echo.


Q: How do you interpret a role? Any secrets to it?
A: Get into it with all your heart and try to have a tacit understanding with your partner. Rather than any special formula, hard work and practice is more important.


Q: Honestly, I only have one question in my mind. Your health...
A: Physically I'm fine, don't worry. But lately I hadn't had much sleep. Like yesterday we were filming from morning till 8 p.m. Sometimes on set I'll be in a daze 'cause I'm so tired...but even so the atmosphere on set is very cheery, just like in the drama.


Credits: pictures from hankyung, chinese translation from Baidu's Hyun Bin and translated to english by hellochloe

The Possibility of Oska & Tae Ssun

Not sure where the poster's source is from, but this is the piece of info I got:

At SBS Secret Garden's on-site press forum held in Gyeonggi-do yesterday (8/12/2010), actor Yoon Sang Hyun talked about the possibility of the changes made to his character.

Yoon Sang Hyun said, "Ms. Writer told me that she's considering to design Oska's and Tae Ssun's love affair...Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, but I'm scared as I have not done any preparation for this."

He said of Oska's character: "I have always been puzzled by the depiction of singers in dramas as perfect people. That's why I like Oska's honest character. I was very satisfied with the script the first time I laid eyes on it."


Chloe Says: On-site press conference is like its namesake, the conference is held at the filming location itself, and the press is shown to the various locations where they shoot the drama

(which means: Oh my gawd they get to visit Joo Won's house!).

As for Oska and Tae Ssun pairing, I would be supporting them if not for the fact that I'm in love with the beta couple! Oska seems to be the last bit of humanity left in Seul, and I wished they could have a happy ending, or at least a reconciliation.

Actor Lee Jong Suk who plays Tae Ssun has also mentioned in a recent interview that he thinks TS will be moving in with Oska. But I think he meant it half jokingly --I'm sure he's wishing for more screen time, lol.

On the other hand, if Oska is paired up with TS, then Seul+Jong Soo, plus OTP equals a happy ending for everybody! Yay?

credit : hellochole+ as labeled

6 Things You Might Not Know About Secret Garden

This are some of the interesting facts I know about this A-MAZ-ING kdrama, along with a thousand other useless trivias I have stored in my brain. Just for your amusement:

1) The actor who plays Han Tae Ssun, the free spirited singer, DOES NOT actually sing in the drama. The voice belongs to a new k-singer name Lenny.

2) Ha Ji Won's body measurements: 33-23-33

3) Originally, Jay Park was suppose to do Han Tae Ssun, but the production decided that he wasn't suitable for the character's image they wanted to portray.

4) Kim Sa Rang is Miss Korea 2000. Although she didn't win the Miss Universe title in 2001, she did get the Best National Costume award (featuring a hanbok).

5) Her stats: 34-24-34 (I'm now obsessed with numbers, thanks to Joo Won).

6) Lee Jong Suk (who plays Tae Ssun) has been modelling since he was 16 years old.

Chloe Says: Talking about the cast, it's sad that Phillip Lee gets even less air time than Lee Jong Suk. His role doesn't seem terribly important at the moment.

Also, I'm soooo greatful Jang Hyuk dropped this for Midas.

Sure, he would have nailed it, but it would only be a Thank You No.2 for him, whereas this drama showed us a side of Hyun Bin we've never seen before. Three cheers for Binnie!

credit : hellochloe+ as labeled

Press conference for sexy comedy Petty Romance

We’ve been talking about the sex-themed romantic comedy Petty Romance for a while now, albeit mostly about its amusing and snarkworthy promo posters. The movie is finally just about to premiere, and thus its cast gathered on November 25 at Seoul’s Lotte Cinema for its press conference.

The plot: A manhwa-ka (manhwa writer/creator) of adult comics (Lee Seon-kyun) is a talented artist but sucks at story-writing; he’s also extremely meticulous and petty — hence the “petty” of the title. Determined to compete in an international adult-comics competition promising a $10,000 prize, he joins up with a writer who pretends to know a lot about sex and relationships (Choi Kang-hee) but who in actuality doesn’t have much personal experience. Commence adorable hijinks!

(With that premise, how could the product NOT be hilarious and wacky? Just imagine the flirty banter of Pasta, but with racier dialogue and a sassier heroine — no disrespect to Gong Hyo-jin, it’s just that her character was rather meek. Plus! A romantic relationship where sex is both text AND subtext? Rawr.)

The two leads have acted together as a romantic pairing in the past (in 2008′s drama My Sweet Seoul), which Choi explained was one reason she felt comfortable going for the kiss scenes in this drama. She jokingly added that she felt a bit sorry when filming their bed, though, because “Lee Seon-kyun would be undressed and lying down, and I’d be the one making all the moves, so I felt I ought to be embarrassed.” Embarrassed, or living out all our fantasies?

Another thing that made her feel uncomfortable was her character’s penchant for miniskirts. Her energetic personality was such a far cry from Choi’s own calm style that Choi had to put a lot of effort into talking, speaking, and dressing like her.

Lee also has a bit of skin-baring going on in the movie, which he admitted was not without its stresses. He said laughingly, “These days, the standard for male actors’ physiques is so high that it wasn’t easy to go topless.” To slim down for the requisite scene, he went on a diet while shooting the drama, which had its own effects on the filming process: “I think I was extra sensitive while we were filming, so I’m sorry about that. After we shot the bed scene, the set became a happier place.” Hee.

The film also stars Ryu Hyun-kyung (Cyrano Dating Agency, Bang-ja Chronicle) playing Choi’s sexy friend. The movie opens on December 2.

credit : javabeans

Noh Min-woo rocks out

Rock drama special Boohwal has undergone a name change. It’s now called… wait for it… Rock Rock Rock. (Geddit? Is it…maybe about…ROCK?) The first set of stills released from the set show leading man Noh Min-woo rockin’ out like it’s 1985.

It’s probably more like 1979, but by the high school uniforms, you’d think it was the 50s or something. Those hats always throw me. What I like about the stills though, is that they actually show some acting potential from Noh, who is, let’s face it, mostly known for his very pretty, but expressionless face. I think his two facial expressions in My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho were angsty and constipated. Oh wait. That was the same face.

*Ducks for cover*

But here, he’s showing some intensity, and not of the forced kind, but of the I-will-battle-you-with-my-kickass-guitar-skills kind, which is totally winning me over. I sort of wish it were a musical rather than a music drama, because in the still below, he seriously looks like he’s about to break into a song-and-dance number, like Grease-meets-West Side Story, and it’s awesome. The last still, where he’s totally into it, kind of kills me. It’s so cute.

But the hair? I can’t explain the hair. I mean, what’s with piling it into the middle like a sideways toupee? It makes me want to rip it off his head. If they’re going with the full hair-rock thing, I sincerely cannot wait until we get the stills of Noh Min-woo in long, flowing locks. That? Will be a sight to behold.

Rock Rock Rock is a four-episode drama special, a biopic about the life of Boohwal lead guitarist Kim Tae-won. The stills look like they’re starting early in Kim’s life, which is cool, because he was known as that whiz kid rocker who could play Led Zeppelin’s guitar riffs in middle school. He also wrote his first song at sixteen, the first of about, oh, 47 million or so.

Rock Rock Rock has been pushed back two weeks, and will air December 11 and December 18 on KBS.

credit : girlfriday@DB