Singer has just the right pitch Yoon Bo-mi on pitcher's mound and Oh Ha-young on hitter's base in a baseball game match held Sunday at Jamsil Stadium / Screen capture from NaverIdol singer Yoon Bo-mi surprised baseball fans by throwing an impressive first ball in a game.The singer from six-member girl band Apink showed up at Jamsil Stadium on Sunday with band mate Oh Ha-young. In the match between LG Twins and KIA Tigers, Yoon took to the pitcher’s plate and Oh to the hitter’s base. Both wore Twins jerseys.Unlike other female celebrities throwing first balls who position themselves closer to the catcher from the pitcher’s plate, Yoon threw a fast ball from the plate. The pitch passed close to the strike zone, wowing the audience.Commentator Heo Koo-yeon said he was at first dubious about Yoon’s baseball ability, but then described her as “the best celebrity pitcher I have seen.”Aug 17, 2015
'Oppa-Cha' tops five music charts Rapper Incredible is seen performing on "Show Me the Money 4" in this captured image. / Courtesy of YouTubeThe rap battle audition program, the “Show Me the Money 4,” has produced an accidental hit song.The song “Oppa-Cha” by Tablo, Jinusean, and the rapper competing in the show, Incredible, is hitting it big on various music sites.It is Receiving many favorable comments from rappers it is currently, ranked first oin Naver Music, Genie, Soribada, Monkey3 Music, Mnet, Bugs and Olleh Music.However, the songAlthough, the song was met with much praise it failed to beat San-E, VerbalJint, and Black Nut’s “M.I.L.E” (Make it look easy) to makego to the semi-finals. Aug 17, 2015
Lyn to make comeback with single Lyn / Courtesy of Music&NewBy Bahk Eun-jiSinger Lyn will make a comeback with a single titled “Let Me be the Only One” Music & New, Lyn’s management company said Monday.The album is Lyn’s 9th one.The company revealed a teaser photo first, and said the song would be officially released on Thursday.Ryu Jae-hyun, a member of R&B group VIBE composed the tune which is slightly different from her hit ballads such as “Used to Love,” and “My Destiny.Lyn, 34, whose real name is Lee Se-jin, found global fame in 2014 with the song “My Destiny” from “My Love from the Star,” a drama starring Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo-hyun. Aug 17, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Wax museum under fire for disastrous sculptures Kim Soo-hyun, left, and Jackie Chan along with their wax sculpture replicas / Courtesy of WeiboA wax museum in Sichuan Province, China, is under fire for introducing wax sculptures that people claim do not look like the celebrities they claim to be.A media report said the sculptures are such poor replicas that visitors to the museum would never guess who they are supposed to be if they were not identified by the museum. The sculptures are of celebrities including hallyu actor Kim Soo-hyun and Chinese stars Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Zet Li, Zhang Ziyi, Jay Chou, Gong Li and Andy Lau.Zhang Ziyi, left, and Gong Li along with their wax sculpture replicas The report quoted Zhang’s associate saying she was angered to find out about the museum and will get her sculpture taken down with the help of her lawyer. Associates of Gong and Chou said they never released copyrights to the museum to make the “horrendous” sculptures, the report added.Zet Li, left, and Chow Sing Chi along with their wax sculpture replicasAn insider from the museum admittAug 17, 2015
Hallyu seeks breakthrough in Japan Choi Ji-woo, left, and Bae Yong-joon in a scene from “Winter Sonata.”/ Korea Times By Kwon Mee-yooThis year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) as well as the 50th anniversary of normalization of Korea-Japan diplomatic ties. Despite room for congratulation, relations between the two neighboring countries have been chillier than ever and "hallyu," or the Korean wave, in Japan also has not been as big as it once was.Cultural relations between Korea and Japan were almost unilateral until the 1990s as Korea mostly received Japanese culture from music and film to animation and fashion.However, the atmosphere was reversed in the early 2000s. The 2002 Korean drama "Winter Sonata," starring heartthrob Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, was immensely popular in Japan when it aired on Japanese network NHK in 2003, when the term hallyu was coined.K-pop music also became popular. Korean singers, including TVXQ and BoA, were featured at one of Japan's biggest annual music shows, "Kohaku Uta Gassen," from 2001 to 2009 and tickets foAug 14, 2015
Rapper reveals phone number during music fest Singers HaHa (left) and Zion. T perform at annual music show "Infinite Challenge" in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Thursday. / YonhapSinger Zion. T disclosed his mobile phone number during the annual music show “Infinite Challenge” in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Thursday.Zion. T, whose real name is Kim Hae-sol, paired with singer HaHa to perform “$ponsor.” During the performance, Kim revealed the phone number.HaHa said Kim would pick up calls from the audience for a week.According to social media postings, Kim took calls from Thursday night to Friday morning, but the phone was turned off in the afternoon.Meanwhile, one netizen who claimed his number is similar to Zion. T, said he had been inundated with calls for the rapper.The man posted a message on his Instagram page saying: “Do I have to change my phone number just because of the TV show?”“Infinite Challenge” has aired on MBC since 2006. The music festival portion will be shown on Aug.22. Zion. T / Courtesy of Ameba CultureAug 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Singer Tony An back in show business Tony AnSinger Tony An, 37, caught gambling illegally two years ago, has resumed his entertainment career.The former H.O.T member has taken part in the filming of MBC's “Super Idol” as a special judge. The show, a joint venture between Korea and China, selects candidates for pop bands that will mainly debut on the Chinese stage.An was sentenced to six months’ jail, with a one-year suspended term, in November 2013 for illegal gambling with fellow celebrities Andy of Shinwha, Boom, and comedian Lee Soo-geun.Aug 14, 2015
TV star No gets special pardon No Hong-chul / Korea Times fileTV personality No Hong-chul, who was busted for drunk driving last year and has kept a low profile since, has been granted a special pardon, reports said Friday.The government Thursday granted special pardons to 14 businessmen and more than 6,500 others before the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day. People who had broken traffic law between Dec. 23, 2013, and July 12 this year received pardons.No was booked without detention last year for drunken driving in Seoul. His blood-alcohol level was 0.105 percent, which entailed a one-year license suspension.No was one of the six hosts of popular reality show “Infinite Challenge” that MBC has aired since 2006. Aug 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
T-ARA to star in new web drama T-ARA / Courtesy of MBK Entertainment K-pop idol girl band T-ARA will star in six-part web drama “Sweet Temptation,” slated to air on SBS MTV and Naver in October. It also will be shown in China.The six members of T-ARA -- Bo-ram, Q-RI, So-yeon, Eun-jung, Hyo-min and Ji-yeon -- will play leading roles. Various K-pop songs will feature as will Chinese actors.“We are making every effort to promote K-pop globally and have great expectations for ‘Sweet Temptation,’” said Kim Sang-baik, a director at SBS MTV.The drama is made for Chinese fans and its theatrical cut will be released in Hong Kong later.In the first episode, “My girlfriend in fantasy,” So-yeon appears with actor Lee Joong-moon. In the second episode, “It’s raining when you fall in love,” Hyo-min stars with Hyun-woo. “Black Holiday,” the third episode, stars Q-RI with actor Jang Su-won. “Only for you,” the fourth episode, stars Eun-jung with actor Kim Jae-wook. In the fifth, “Love Recipe,” Bo-ram and actor Kim Si-whoo apAug 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
'Infinite Challenge' music fest held in PyeongChang Kwang Hee, center, performs with G-Dragon and Taeyang of Big Bang at 'Infinite Challenge' music festival held in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Thursday./ YonhapThe six members of the popular entertainment program “Infinite Challenge,” teaming up with their musician partners Thursday, recorded the annual music show in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.At the music festival staged at the Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang, the six teams performed in front of some 40,000 spectators. The interesting aspect of this festival is that the producers had asked people to stay home and enjoy the festival when the show airs on Saturday on MBC, but die-hard fans of the show were not to be deterred.Yoo Jae-suk, right, performs with singer Park Jin-young at the 'Infinite Challenge' music festival held in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Thursday. / YonhapMember Yoo Jae-suk paired with Park Jin-young, singer and head of JYP Entertainment, to perform “I’m So Sexy.” New member Kwang Hee teamed up with G-Dragon and Taeyang of Big Bang; Park Myung-soo with singer IU; HaHa with Zion. Aug 14, 2015
