BigBang draws 87,000 fans on N. American tour A scene from BigBang's "Bae Bae" music videoTens of thousands of K-pop fans flocked to watch South Korean boy band BigBang on their North American tour earlier this month, the group's management agency said Wednesday.The North American leg of the world tour "Made," named after the word spelled by four singles released in succession earlier this year -- "M," "A," "D" and "E" -- drew a total of 87,000 people, YG Entertainment said in a statement.Commenced in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 2, the tour held two shows each in the U.S. states of California and New Jersey before wrapping up in the Canadian city of Toronto on Tuesday.In Toronto, the quintet opened with "Bang Bang Bang," followed by "If You," "Loser" and "Sober," three tracks from the latest album, "Made." Some other hits performed were "Blue," "Haru Haru" and "Fantastic Baby," the agency said."A night with BigBang is a loud reminder that American exceptionalism is waning," wrote The New York Times on Monday after a show in Newark, New Jersey.Billboard also praised the show as having "created a powerful statement that positions (Oct 14, 2015
'Slim fit' school uniform poster lands JYP boss in hot water /Courtesy of SkoolooksBy Bahk Eun-ji JYP Entertainment president Park Jin-young is facing criticism over a school uniform brand’s advertising poster that has been accused of encouraging students to go on extreme diets.Park, 43, and K-pop girl band TWICE are models for the Skoolooks “Slim fit” poster that has the slogan “Let’s get it on with slim fit.”In the poster, girl band members wear tight uniform items named “Corset Jacket” and “Shading Skirt.”/Screen captures from online communityThe controversy ignited when a web user, “Weji Seonsaeng (Weji teacher),” said the ad encouraged teenage students to go on extreme diets because it focused on the girl group members’ body shapes.He said many female teenagers have anorexia due to excessive diets, and that school uniforms cause problems such as cramps and indigestion.“Why do students have to wear a corset-like jacket?” he said. “Why do they have to wear a tight ‘Shading Skirt’?” Skoolooks said the advertisementOct 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
르네 젤위거,콜린퍼스, '브리짓 존스의 일기3' 개봉 확정 /Courtesy of Universal Pictures영화 ‘브리짓 존스의 일기’ 세 번째 이야기가 내년 9월 16일로 개봉일을 확정했다. 유니버셜 픽처스는 ‘브리짓 존스의 일기’의 세 번째 이야기 ‘브리짓 존스의 아기’의 개봉일을 확정했다고 밝혔다.2004년 2편에 이어 12년 만에 개봉하는 ‘브리짓 존스의 아기’는 제목에서 유추할 수 있듯 40대가 된 브리짓 존스가 아이를 갖기 위해 고군분투하는 내용을 그릴 예정이다. 1편 때부터 호흡을 맞춰온 콜린 퍼스가 다시 한 번 르네 젤위거와 사랑전선을 형성할 예정으로 기대를 모은다. 하지만 아쉽게도 바람둥이 휴 그랜트는 출연하지 않는다. 대신 미국 드라마 ‘그레이 아나토미’의 ‘맥드리미’ 패트릭 뎀시가 출연해 휴 그랜트의 빈자리를 채운다. 영화의 메가폰은 샤론 맥과이어가 잡는다. 맥과이어감독은 브리짓 시리즈 1편의 감독.‘브리짓 존스의 일기’는 2001년과 2004년에 걸쳐 총 2편으로 제작되었고, 이 영화로 르네 젤위거는 전세계적인 인기를 얻었다. Oct 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Super Junior Eunhyuk joins Army Yesung, Eunhyuk /Screen capture from Twitter Eunhyuk, 29, a member of boy band Super Junior, enlisted in the 102 Chuncheon unit, Gangwon Province, Tuesday.Hundreds of his fans gathered to say goodbye.Eunhyuk will receive five weeks’ training before serving as a soldier.He is the seventh member of the group to enlist. Lee Teuk, Heechul and Kangin have been discharged and have restarted their entertainment industry careers. Shindong and Sungmin joined the Army earlier this year.Oct 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
YB Band to perform 20th anniversary concerts Yoon Do-hyun of YB Band performs “20 year old” at the media showcase on Oct. 6. / Yonhap By Kim Jae-heunPopular rock band YB, or Yoon Do-hyun Band, will perform a series of concerts titled “20 years old” to celebrate the group’s 20th anniversary from Thursday to Sunday at LG Arts Center in Gangnam, Seoul.The concert will feature music that the band has performed over the last 20 years as well as what they want to perform in the next 20 years. YB Band also plans to debut a song titled “20 years old” on stage.“I’ve never thought that we would come this far,” said Yoon Do-hyun, the lead vocalist of the band, at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam, Seoul, on Oct. 6. “We happened to play for 20 years. We talked things out when we had problems, we had passion in music and we distributed our income equally. We started good.”“No one in our band has an unsociable or bad personality. It has been easy for us to get along with each other because we were all so different,” Yoon said.Bass player Park Tae-hee picked his Oct 13, 2015
Hwang Jeong-eum's star soars in China Choi Si-won, Hwang Jeong-eum /Screen capture from WeiboActress Hwang Jeong-eum’s popularity is exploding in China a month after her new TV drama aired.As of Tuesday, 53,000 people were following her official page on Weibo. More than 4,000 have been added every week since the first episode of “She Was Pretty” was broadcast on MBC on Sept. 17.Hwang, 30, stars with Park Seo-joon in the romantic comedy-drama. It centers on a woman (Hwang) who has lost her looks and meets her first lover again, who has become more handsome. In the last episode, Hwang’s character regained her attractiveness.C-Jes Entertainment, the actress’ management company, said her star status in China has been growing since her previous drama, “Kill Me, Heal Me,” on MBC.Hwang’s official fan club was established in China then. Oct 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Star chef marries into celebrity family On top, Cho Jae-beom; Cho marries an older sister of actress Han Hye-jin in circle. / Courtesy of Naver blogA celebrity family has welcomed star chef Cho Jae-beom after he married one of three sisters from the family, Monday, media reports said.Cho, who became popular after appearing in SBS reality dating show “Some Guys Some Girls” in June, married the older sister of actress Han Hye-jin.On top, Kim Kang-woo on left with Han Hye-jin; Ki Sung-yuengCho is now the brother-in-law of actor Kim Kang-woo, husband of the eldest sister, and football star Ki Sung-yueng, from English Premier League club Swansea City, who is Han’s husband.Kim’s management company, C-Jes Entertainment, was the source of the media reports.Oct 13, 2015
AOA to release new album in Japan /Courtesy of FNC EntertainmentK-pop girl band AOA will release a new album in Japan on Oct. 14, the group’s management company, FNC Entertainment, said Tuesday.Titled, “Ace of Angels,” it has eleven songs including “Oh Boy,” “Lemonslush” and “Stay With Me.”The first limited edition will be sold with a DVD and a desk calendar.AOA have released three albums in Japan. The third, “Simkunghae (Heart Attack) hit the top of Tower Records chart in July. The band also organized a fan club, “Ace of Elvis,” in Japan only 10 months after the album was released.AOA also met fans in Taiwan and Hong Kong earlier this month.Oct 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Reality survival show captures viewers Actors Cha Seung-won, left, and Yoo Hae-jin prepare a meal on the reality survival show “Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 2” that aired on Oct. 9. / Courtesy of CJ E&MProduer Na Young-seok / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heun The cable channel tvN’s reality survival show “Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village 2” topped the viewership rating in all television platforms including satellite, terrestrial, and cable channel on its premiere on Oct. 9.The spinoff’s second series recorded an average viewer rating of 13.9 percent and a high of 16.8 percent for its first episode, according to Nielson Korea. The viewership record is the highest among all previous seasons and spinoff episodes.The same as season one, the second of “Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village” is set on the remote island of Manje, where primary cast Cha Seung-won and Yoo Hae-jin met new member Park Hyung-sik of boy band ZE:A.The first episode grabbed audience attention from the beginning as Cha and Yoo had to travel soaked in a rainstorm on a ferry for six hours frOct 12, 2015
Super Junior members to release travel book Three members of boy band Super Junior _ Lee Teuk, Donghae and Eunhyuk _ will release a travel book “Super Junior Swiss Diary” next week, SM Entertainment said Monday.In the book, the three members give useful information about traveling Switzerland. The book also contains photos of beautiful scenery there.“Super Junior fans can read the three members’ honest story about their trip,” an SM spokesman said.Meanwhile, Eunhyuk will enlist in the 102 Chuncheon unit, Gangwon Province, on Tuesday. Oct 12, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
