'Sexy queen' returns with dance tracks Uhm Jung-hwa / Courtesy of her official websiteBy Ko Dong-hwanKorean entertainer Uhm Jung-hwa, the “sexy queen from the 1990’s,” is about to release her first albums in eight years.The star, 47, often compared to American diva Madonna, will roll out two albums in sequence starting late this month.Mystic Entertainment, which has been working on Uhm’s comeback albums for more than a year, said the first album, packed with dance tracks, would go on sale on Dec. 27.For the first time, the star will perform them live on SBS TV the day before.Music producer Cho Young-cheol helped shape the albums while popular singer and songwriter Yoon Sang helped with the compositions.Idol-turned-solo artist Lee Hyo-ri ― who has been keeping a low-profile with guitarist husband Lee Sang-soon on Jeju Island for years ― also features on the second album.This album will go sale next year on a date yet to set. Mystic Entertainment has remained quiet about the title track for Uhm’s comeback and her upcoming schedules.Uhm in a scene from "Bestseller" (2010) / Courtesy ofDec 12, 2016
Actor Park Bo-gum embarks on Asia tour Park Bo-gum, the star of TV series "Love in the Moonlight," began an Asia tour to meet his fans, his management agency said Monday.Park, who played the charming Crown Prince Lee Yeong, kicked off the trip with a fan meeting in Malaysia on Saturday, Blossom Entertainment said.Some 3,000 attended the event where Park talked with them about snapshots from his daily life, sang and danced on the stage.After Malaysia, he is scheduled to travel to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. The tour will wrap up with a fan convention in South Korea before the end of the year.The KBS period drama ended last month after recording viewership ratings of over 20 percent. (Yonhap)Dec 12, 2016
Forgotten celebrities return to enjoy popularity in 2016 Lee Kyung-kyu, left, and Kang Ho-dong in “Please, Give Me a Meal” / Courtesy of JTBCBy Yun Suh-youngKim Heung-kook / Corutesy of JTBCPark Soo-hong / Corutesy of JTBCThere was no “revolution” in the TV entertainment scene this year, but rather an "evolution" continued in different forms. Much of the status quo was maintained in terms of content this year compared to last year.Food and music were the two dominant entertainment sectors as they were last year and long-lasting programs continued to maintain their popularity. There were no new noticeable rising trends, but there were noticeably rising popular stars.As much as food was the key word on many of the TV channels, food programs such as SBS' "Baek Jong-won’s 3 Top Chefs," tvN's "Home Food Master Baek," JTBC's "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," tvN's "Korean Food Battle," tvN's "What Should We Eat Today," and Comedy TV's "Tasty Kids" were the top faring programs this year.Subsequently, Baek Jong-won, a chef and CEO of restaurant franchises who had two TV programs named after him, waDec 11, 2016
Cheondung goes solo Cheondung poses in a promotional photo for his mini-solo album titled “Thunder,” released Dec. 7. / Courtesy of Mystic EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooFormer MBLAQ member Cheondung, 26, has released a mini-solo album titled “Thunder,” featuring five songs.Seven years after debuting in an all-boy idol group and spending about two years on his own with a new agency, Cheondung seemed to relish his return to the stage.“It feels new, releasing a solo album and it feels good,” Cheondung said in a press conference held Tuesday in Seoul. “But I cannot deny the burden of standing here by myself, in a departure from being part of a group.”Cheondung re-signed early last year with Mystic Entertainment when his contract with the agency as a member of MBLAQ ended. Since then, he has also worked as an actor under his real name Park Sang-hyun, appearing in such dramas as MBC’s “Make a Woman Cry” (2015). He repeatedly thanked everyone for coming to his showcase held at Ilchi Art Hall in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.The album has five songsDec 9, 2016
'Well-dying' a hot topic for TV shows A scene from MBC's show “Future Diary”By Park Jin-haiAfter a series of dating and wedding “reality” shows mushrooming and fading over the recent years, the theme of death has been freshly tapped for local TV shows.Korea’s rapidly aging society has built a social sentiment that is more open to the topic these days. Fake funeral services, where participants write their own eulogies and spend some time meditating inside a coffin, have become a popular event these days. An increasing number of books on how to prepare for one’s death are also selling well.In this context, local entertainment shows have broken the unwritten rule that their content should be light enough to make viewers laugh. They are rather focusing on “well-dying” after “well-being.” Scenes from a tvN show “My Last 48 Hours” / Courtesy of CJ E&M“My Last 48 Hours”, premiered on tvN, Nov. 30, where celebrity guests receive wrist watches that count down 48 hours as if they are the last hours of their lives.“What struck mDec 7, 2016
Actress Song Ji-hyo stars in Chinese film 'Super Express' Song Ji-hyoChina’s move to ban hallyu, or the Korea wave, in retaliation against Korea's continued pledge to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in the country does not seem to affect actress Song Ji-hyo too much.Song, who recently starred in the JTBC drama “My Wife's Having an Affair this Week,” will leave the country to promote the Chinese film “Super Express” she stars in.The action-comedy “Super Express,” which premiered last Friday in China, is a story about a bike courier who becomes embroiled in a heist. The courier is entrapped in an international crime ring, after encountering a mysterious woman.It is her second Chinese-language film appearance after her 2015 flick “708090.”Song stars with Chinese actor Chan He, who is a member of the Chinese version of "Running Man," also known as “Hurry Up, Brother,” as well as actor Mason Lee and French actor and stunt coordinator David Belle. The film is co-produced by Korea, China and France.“Super Express” brought in $4.17 million at the Chinese box office oDec 6, 2016
Audition TV series winners emerge as top K-pop stars Jung Seung-hwan / Courtesy of Antenna MusicBy Kim Jae-heunJung Seung-hwan, Antenna Music’s singer who has just made his debut, topped seven online music charts instantly after he released his first mini-album “The Voice” last week.Not even Yoo Hee-yeol, founder of the record label and a singer-songwriter, expected such a surprise achievement for this young ballad singer.“I never expected Jung to sweep the charts,” said Yoo during a press conference for the mini-album release at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam, Seoul, last Wednesday. “I made a bet with people in the office that Jung’s track The Fool would rank eighth and my bet was the highest.“I think Jeong’s strength lies in his delivery. There are a lot of vocalists who can sing better than Jeong. But as I said during the K-Pop Star series audition, Jeong has that delicate difference from other singers in singing the lyrics as if they are his own story. His gestures while singing are just incredible,” said Yoo.Jung first appeared on the K-pop scene through the TV competition serDec 6, 2016
Increasing record labels create own online platform S.M. Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, left, with S.E.S. members and composer Yoo Young-jin / Courtesy of S.M. EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heun An increasing number of record labels are creating their own online music platform to seize the initiative in the music market and to seek various musical collaborations.S.M. Entertainment is one of the notable record labels to lead the trend by bringing its idol singers to collaborate with vocalists from different sectors. The entertainment company launched the digital music distributor “SM Station,” early last February, as part of founding chairman Lee Soo-man’s “New Culture Technology” project to showcase collaborations between S.M. Entertainment artists and singers from other agencies.SM Station has been releasing a new digital single every week beginning with Taeyeon of K-pop group Girls Generation. Over 40 of S.M. Entertainment’s singers have participated in this project, including Yoona of Girls Generation, Chen of EXO and Kim Hee-chul of Super Junior.Many of the artists who have participDec 5, 2016
SNL Korea hit for mocking breast cancer survivor A scene from last week’s SNL Korea / Courtesy of CJ E&M By Park Jin-haiSNL Korea finds itself embroiled in another dispute. This time the show is being criticized for making fun of a breast cancer survivor.During the latest show aired on Saturday, female comedian Jung Yi-rang dressed as veteran actress Um Aing-ran and said, “Whenever I hear the word breast, I feel ashamed. I have no breast to hold.”Veteran actress Um was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy last year. After the show was broadcast, netizens criticized the comedian for mocking the cancer survivor.Some viewers said SNL Korea lacks a sense of political humor and is flooded with nothing but vulgar parodies. They demanded the show be taken off air.“The show production crew keeps saying they didn’t know. If they say so, can the wrong-doing become undone?” said viewer Lee Hye-mi in a comment posted on the show’s online message board.“It is hard to expect a decent program like Yeouido Teletubbies from the past,” said another viewer naDec 5, 2016
멘사의 아이큐를 가진 한국 연예인들은? 맨사에 가입할 정도 아이큐가 높은 한국 연예인들에는 누가 있을가?유튜브에 게재된 동영상은 아이큐가 높은 연예인 10인을 소개한다.탤런트 신동엽의 아이큐는 139로, 중학교때는 160이었다고 한다.가수 김정훈은 그룹 UN으로 데뷔해서 연예계 활동을 시작한 뒤 서울대 치의예과를 자퇴했고, 가수 겸 제작자로 활약하고 있는 박진영은 중학교 시절 153의 아이큐를 지녔다고 한다.멘사 회원인 정지원 아나운서는 연세대 신문방송학과 졸업 후 2011년 KBS에 입사했다.멘사 회원 중에서도 아이큐가 높아 유명한 한준호 아나운서의 아이큐 수치는 163이라고 한다. 디지털뉴스부@Dec 1, 2016
