Jung Yong-hwa to attend Elle Style Awards Jung Yong-hwa /Courtesy of FNC EntertainmentJung Yong-hwa, leader of K-pop band CNBLUE, will attend the 2015 Elle Style Awards in Shanghai, reports said Monday.Jung, the only Korean song star to be invited, will also perform at the event.Actresses Li Bingbing and Yang Mi, actor He Ge and model Liu Wen will also attend. Dec 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Singer-songwriter-turned-psychiatrist talks about life, career and revival of '80s hit song Kim Chang-ki / Courtesy of Curious Music PeopleBy Ko Dong-hwan Kim Chang-ki, a former member of folk band Zoo from the late 1980s, is not one to reminisce about the old days.Now a psychiatrist, musician and radio DJ (in a daily CBS Radio music show “Your Window by Kim Chang-ki” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.), he is skeptical about people’s urge to return to their “past glory.”“In hard times, people like to reminisce the good times in their memories and seek comfort in them,” Kim, 53, said, linking the tendency to what Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud called “in the service of the ego.” “They may appear comforting, but I would hate to dwell too much on those happy memories. My 20s were unstable and cloudy.”Zoo’s 1988 hit song, “Hyehwa-dong,” recently experienced a revival when it was used in the soundtrack of the nation’s most popular tvN television drama, “Reply 1988,” a story set in the neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong, northern Seoul, in 1988 about a high school girl who searches forDec 14, 2015
New 'Star King' struggles amid low viewer rating Hosts of the show “Star King,” Leeteuk from K-pop group Super Junior, left, and Kang Ho-dong, pose during a press conference at SBS in Mok-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 1. / Courtesy of SBSBy Kim Jae-heun Korean TV talent show “Star King” returned with a new on format Dec. 1. But its audience appeared to be tired of the program’s banal auditions as its viewer rating ranked below the top 20 among all entertainment shows.“It is harder for popular brands to renew,” said series producer Shim Sung-min during a press conference at SBS in Mokdong, Seoul, Dec. 1. “We have reorganized the show in order to maximize audience participation throughout the episodes. “The new Star King series stars two teams consisting of celebrities and audience talent reporters and matches them against each other for a 3 million won ($2,539) winning prize.The production crew said that its new system has brought the series one step closer to the audience, as the show’s original concept is to make ordinary talented people into stars.SBS, the host network Dec 13, 2015
Singer tunes in to home shopping channel /Screen captures from CJ O ShoppingSinger-songwriter Lucid Fall successfully sold his new album on a home shopping channel on Friday.Lucid Fall, real name Jo Yun-suk, offered his seventh album on CJ O Shopping, along with tangerines he grew on Jeju Island.Jo is the first singer to offer an album on a home shopping channel.During the show, 1,000 packages of his album with a kilogram box of tangerines were sold in just nine minutes. A fairy tale book he wrote “Blue Lotus,” was also included.Jo’s colleague musicians Yoo Hee-yeol and Jung Jae-hyung performed with Jo during the show.Jo said he chose home shopping channel because he wanted to offer tangerines with the album. He said tangerines easily went bad, so the thought home shopping would be the best channel to sell them quickly. Dec 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Film title to be changed for legal reasons /Screen captures from InstagramThe title of a film starring actress Lee Mi-yeon and actor Yoo Ah-in will be changed from “Happy Facebook” to “Happy Log-in” before its premiere to avoid a potential trademark dispute.CJ Entertainment said the film could not be released with the former title, because it used Facebook’s name.The film is a love story about six men and women who have different careers, personalities and ages.Kim Joo-hyuk, Choi Ji-woo, Kang Ha-neul and Lee Som also star.The film will premiere early next year. Dec 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
iKON to go the distance for Christmas Rookie K-pop band iKON / Courtesy of SoompiSuper rookie K-pop band iKON, which made its debut this year, will release its first full album on Dec. 24, Yonhap reports.YG Entertainment, the band’s agency, revealed a teaser poster on Saturday.The seven-member boy band topped the charts with its single “My Type.”Hit singles “Rhythm ta”followed in October and “Apology” in November.The band also took home best new talent honors at all the nation’s music award ceremonies this year.Dec 13, 2015
Popular chef returns to 'My Little Television' /Screen captures from MBCChef and entrepreneur Baek Jong-won made a return appearance Saturday in “My Little Television,” a show aired on the network MBC, five months after he stepped down.In the episode, Baek was featured among four other hosts including comedian Kim Gura, popular webcomic artist EMalyun, mixed martial artist Kim Dong-hyun and stylist Han Hye-yeon.In the unscripted show, Baek shows viewers how to make meals easily so they can learn how to cook with minimal difficulties. The show is broadcast via the Internet. After it is shown, viewers can ask the hosts questions in a chat room.Netizens welcomed Baek’s return and the chef also said that he had missed them.Baek stepped down from the show when reports surfaced that his father was questioned by the police for allegedly sexually harassing a female golf caddie. The senior Baek denied any wrongdoing and was acquitted by Daejeon District Court in October.Dec 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Rain drenches crowd with music and love Rain performs in his "THE SQUALL Rain in Seoul" concert held Saturday at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul. / YonhapBy Kim Da-heeActor and Singer Rain held his first concerts, “THE SQUALL Rain in Seoul,” in four years at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium on Dec. 12.The concerts, over three days from Dec. 11-13, marked the beginning of his world tour “THE SQUALL,” which will take Rain, real name is Jung Ji-hoon, to Australia and the U.S., as well as China, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.Rain, 33, who debuted with the album “Bad Guy” in 2002, opened with “It’s Raining,” which was greeted with roars from the audience.“It's been so long. I've been dying to meet all of you,” he said after singing two more songs “I’m Coming,” and “Hip Song.”“It’s my second world tour concert in Seoul. It’s been eight years and four years since my last world tour concert and Seoul concert, respectively.”He then continued with ballDec 13, 2015
Cooking out, interior design in Poster for JTBC’s new show “Old house, New House” / Courtesy of JTBCBy Kwon Ji-younEntertainers are finally moving out of the kitchen, but viewers are not yet welcoming the change.With “cook TV” now losing luster, JTBC has its crew set on turning interior design into the latest wrinkle in entertainment. The broadcaster’s “Old House, New House,” which premiered Thursday, brings a celebrity’s home to the studio, where experts and self-proclaimed connoisseurs provide ideas and advice for a home makeover.The emcees, Jeon Hyun-moo and Kim Gu-ra, lead a star panel that includes TV personality Hong Seok-cheon, designer Hwang Jae-keun, comedian Jung Jun-ha and singer Jung Joon-young, among others. Each panelist teams up with an interior design expert in a competition of sorts.“We have been doing a lot of thinking about what will come after the enthusiasm for cook TV subsides, and we’re pretty sure it’ll be interior design,” producer Sung Chi-kyung told reporters, Wednesday. “Interior design has seen very littDec 11, 2015
Yoon Eun-hye apologizes over design fuss Singer and actress Yoon Eun-hye has apologized for allegedly copying fashion designs for a Chinese TV fashion show.Yoon appeared at Lotte Department Store in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu in Seoul on Friday morning in a promotion for fashion brand Samantha Thavasa, along with Australian model Miranda Kerr.Yoon, the brand’s model for Korea, was appearing in public for the first time since the controversy erupted.She was posing for the media when she suddenly made the apology.“I apologize for the concerns over the controversy,” she reportedly said. “I will not disappoint the public anymore and will do my best.”The controversy broke out in August when Yoon introduced her fashion designs on “The Goddesses’ New Outfit.” Her balloon-shaped dress with an illustration that appeared similar to a dress from the 2015 fall/winter line of Dolce and Gabbana and a black dress similar to a design from BCBG MAXAZRIA became the center of criticism for alleged plagiarism.In October, Yoon’s management company, J Army Entertainment, said she would not joDec 11, 2015
