Singer Insooni enters body building contest Singer Insooni from the 2015 Nabba WFF Korea Championship held Sunday at the COEX Auditorium / Courtesy of Naver blog, YonhapPop diva Insooni, 58, heated up a national body building contest Sunday in Seoul, showing off her toned physique.The singer entered the categories of Women’s Sports Model and Performance at the 2015 Nabba WFF Korea Championship held at the COEX Auditorium.She failed to make the top 10 in the former category but captured second-place in the latter, in which her trademark energetic showmanship nurtured during her 37-year music career worked to her advantage.Wearing a black bikini, the singer, born from a Korean mother and an African-American father, excited the audience. Her competitors, most of whom were about 10 years younger than the singer, cheered her on.Insooni participated in the contest as she was inspired by her own song “Pinocchio,” a funk number released in July which encourages listeners to pursue their dreams and not be afraid of challenges.Debuting with the three-member girl band Hee Sisters in 1978, Insooni has releSep 21, 2015
'She Was Pretty' gains popularity in China /Screen captures from MBCRomantic comedy drama “She Was Pretty” is gaining popularity in China after two episodes aired there.Since the first episode of the Wednesday/Thursday drama was broadcast on MBC on Sept. 17, it has been mentioned 980 million times on Chinese social media Weibo as of Monday, and is the most searched for show on the internet among Japanese/Korean dramas.“Yong-pal,” starring Jo Won and Kim Tae-hee, is the second most popular.Actress Hwang Jeong-eum stars with actor Park Seo-joon in the romantic comedy drama. It centers on a woman (played by Hwang) who used to be pretty but has lost her looks and meets her first lover again who has become more handsome and attractive.Sep 21, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
백종원-소유진 득녀…"산모, 아이 건강" /Screen capture from Instagram요리연구가 백종원과 배우 소유진이 21일 둘째 자녀를 품에 안았다. 백종원 측 관계자는 이날 "소유진이 15시간 진통 끝에 자연분만을 통해 건강한 여자 아기를 출산했다"며 "병원 관계자에 따르면 현재 산모와 아기 모두 건강하다"고 밝혔다. 이 관계자는 "백종원은 소유진의 모든 출산 과정을 옆에서 함께 했으며 둘째 출산을 매우 기뻐하고 있다"고 덧붙였다. 2013년 1월 백종원과 결혼한 소유진은 지난해 4월 아들을 낳았다. 소유진은 당분간 산후조리와 육아에 전념하고 이후 배우 활동을 이어갈 예정이다.(연합뉴스) Sep 21, 2015
'Twenty Again' tops 6 percent in ratings /Screen captures from tvN Actress Choi Ji-woo’s drama “Twenty Again” has posted a viewer rating of more than 6 percent.The Friday/Saturday drama aired on cable channel tvN rated 6.6 percent for the eighth episode on Sept. 19, according to Nielsen Korea and reports.The drama led other dramas aired on Friday/Saturday on tvN, the cable channel said.It posted 3.8 percent in its first episode on Aug. 28.Actress Choi Ji-woo plays Ha No-ra, 38, who returns to college after getting pregnant and marrying at 18. Sep 20, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Veteran' sixth most-watched Korean film A scene from "Veteran" / Korea Times fileDirector Ryoo Seung-wan’s “Veteran” became the sixth most-viewed Korean film, drawing more than 12.7 million viewers as of Saturday. Grouped with Korean and foreign films, “Veteran” is still the seventh most-viewed movie.The film posted 12,728,000 ticket sales as of Saturday to top the 12,675,000 achieved by another Korean film "Assassination."“Assassination,” a story about three Korean independence fighters teaming up to assassinate the commander of the Japanese troops in Korea in the early 1930s, was the first Korean film to hit the 10-million mark this year.“Veteran,” starring Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Hae-jin and Oh Dal-su, is about a veteran detective who confronts the arrogant and cruel heir of a rich family as the detective delves into the mysterious death of a truck driver. Sep 20, 2015
Bucheon animation festival takes on new title French animated feature “April and the Extraordinary World” will be screened at the upcoming Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF), which will take place at venues in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 23 to 27. / Courtesy of BIAFBy Baek Byung-yeulThe Puchon International Student Animation Festival, which has been dedicated to animation features produced by student animators since 1999, is ready for a fresh start this year with a new title -- the Bucheon International Animation Festival.With the intention to elevate the festival as one of the most notable animation festivals in the world, the organizing committee removed “student” from its official title so that it can allow every animator to compete in the festival. Also, it changed its official English title from Puchon to Bucheon in accordance with the country’s official language Romanization system.“Starting this year, we’ve decided to include animated films created not only by talented students but also by animators from both home and abroad,” Jang Dong-yeul, chaiSep 20, 2015
Yoo Yeon-seok to appear in 'Mrs. Cop' Actor Yoo Yeon-seok will make cameo appearance in SBS TV detective series “Mrs. Cop” ion Sep. 22.Yoo, 31, widely known for tvN drama “Reply 1994,” aired in 2013, is friends with Son Ho-jun, who stars in the detective drama.Son also appeared with Yoo in “Warm and Cozy,” which ended in July.Yoo will play a coroner performing with the National Forensic Service.”Mrs. Cop” airs on Mondays and Tuesday on SBS and features Kim Hee-ae as a working-mother police officer.Sep 20, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Japanese actress Fujii excites Korean fans Fujii Mina from KBS2's “Happy Together 3” / Courtesy of KBSJapanese actress Fujii Mina is in the spotlight after appearing on a TV entertainment talk show Thursday.The Korean-speaking actress, 27, who has been working in Japan and Korea, appeared on KBS2’s “Happy Together 3” with singer Lee Hong-ki from rock band FT Island. The two worked on “We Got Married” in 2013, a reality show on MBC in which celebrities go through a fake marriage.Two MCs and other guests on the KBS2 program were impressed by Fujii’s beauty. Lee showed three photos of her, one when she was a child and the others taken for magazines. Fujii from "Maxim" magazine cover, top, and movie “Life is but an Empty Dream” (2015)Fujii said Koreans are more honest with their feelings and thoughts than the Japanese. She also said she had decided to learn Korean after watching Korean TV series “Winter Sonata” (2002), which was a big hit in Japan.Fujii debuted in a Japanese advertisement when she was a high school student and launcSep 18, 2015
Epik High rapper to wed actress Kwon Da-hyun, left, and Mithra Jin / Courtesy of InstagramRapper Mithra Jin, from hip-hop band Epik High, is getting married next month.The star, 32, whose name is Choi Jin, will wed actress Kwon Da-hyun, also 32. The two have been dating for three years.The ceremony will be held at a wedding hall in Seoul on Oct. 2, without press invitation, a media report said.From left, Tukuts, Tablo and Mithra Jin of Epik High / Courtesy of Naver blogThe couple have decided to honeymoon after the band’s gig at Blaisdell Concert Hall in Hawaii on Oct. 18. Choi reportedly felt sorry for Kwon over the honeymoon delay but she suggested it so he could concentrate on the concert, the report said.Choi is the last of the three-member band to marry. Tablo and Tukuts both married in October -- Tablo in 2010 and Tukuts the following year. Sep 18, 2015
Rookie rapper reminds of hip-hop star Yoon Mi-rae Truedy from Mnet's “Unpretty Rapstar: Season 2” / Courtesy of MnetTruedy, a participant in TV rap competition “Unpretty Rapstar: Season 2,” has become a hit because her voice is similar to that of Yoon Mi-rae, one of the nation’s most popular singers.Truedy’s performance on the Mnet program’s first episode last Friday went viral this week. Viewers were amazed at how similar she is to U.S.-born Yoon, who debuted in K-pop with hip-hop band Uptown in 1997.“I get that a lot,” Truedy said on the program. “But I don’t want people to confuse my voice with her.”Yoon Mi-rae Truedy’s resemblance to Yoon surprised not just hip-hop musicians Zico and Jay Park, who are judges on the show, but also her 10 rivals.On Wednesday, the program’s website released a video interview with Truedy made before the first episode. In it, she expressed an ambition to outperform her competitors on the program.“Unpretty Rapstar” challenges 11 female rappers to become the lead rapper for different tracks oSep 17, 2015
