Psy emerges unscathed from China bus crash Psy“Gangnam Style” rapper Psy escaped injury when his red Rolls Royce and a bus collided Thursday in Guangzhou, China.No one else was seriously injured, reports said, but the car’s front bumper and the side of the bus were damaged, media reports said Friday.Psy, 38, was in the car with his manager and a local employee when the crash happened. He was travelling to Hangzhou for the launch party of a bar.Psy left the scene in a police car that was accompanying him.The rapper rose to international fame with his 2012 sensational single “Gangnam Style.” His following singles, “Hangover” and “Gentleman,” also received positive responses, though they did not fare nearly as well as “Gangnam Style.”According to reports, Psy will leave Guangzhou for Beijing Friday.Jul 17, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
'Sexy' not on Apink's agenda for now ApinkGirl group Apink said Thursday they currently have no plans to try a sultrier look and will stick to their original motif of innocence for now.The six-member group released its second album "Pink MEMORY" on Thursday, and its title track "Remember" has topped seven of South Korea's major music charts, including MelOn, Genie and Olleh Music, as of 5 p.m."Remember" is a dance track that, according to member Yoon Bo-mi, "represents Apink's clean and mature image.""It has that summer-ish pop like club soda," the 22-year-old said at a press event on the Kyung Hee University campus in Seoul.When asked if Apink will be trying a sexier look anytime soon, Park Cho-rong said it wouldn't be the first time they tried."We actually tried 'sexy' at a year-end concert before, but nobody noticed it," she said, followed by a giggle. "I think our (innocent) image has been so ingrained in our fans that they aren't used to it. But like any woman, we want to naturally ooze sexiness as we mature."The group first performed "It's Amazing, Right," the only ballad in the 10-track album. A co-production by Jul 17, 2015
Emma Stone professes her love for K-pop Emma StoneTurns out American actress Emma Stone is no different from us when it comes to K-pop infatuation.On the late-night talk show "Conan" aired Tuesday, the "Amazing Spider-Man" heroine confessed she is "obsessed" with Korean pop music."It's a global phenomenon so I'm sure everyone already knows what this is," she tells Conan O'Brien, the host. "It's beyond excellent. It's the best thing you've ever seen."The 26-year-old apparently wasn't the only one sharing this sentiment in the room, drawing cheers and applause from the audience."When we did the 'Spider Man' premiere in Seoul, Korea, we were on stage with the band 2NE1," she says of her favorite band, adding that her favorite 2NE1 track is "I Am the Best.""I feel like I've been singing that song for years in the mirror," O'Brien says before showing a clip of its music video on screen.Stone appeared as a guest on "Conan" to promote her latest film "Irrational Man." (Yonhap)Jul 17, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Sour notes as boy band quits Korea Tasty / Courtesy of tasty2wins.comA battle between boy band Tasty and its management company, Woollim Entertainment, has deepened after the band said it will no longer perform in Korea.Chinese twins Dae Ryong and So Ryong, who make up the band, said on their Chinese webpage Wednesday they will end their eight-year career in Korea.“There were many issues we couldn’t have agreed upon with our agency, and we considered the decision for a long time,” they said on their Weibo account. “But we will continue our musical career.” On Thursday, Woollim said it only found out about the decision from the Weibo account after the band left for China.“We cannot reach the band,” a Woollim’s associate was quoted in media reports on Thursday as saying. “We have been supporting the band and don’t understand why they would leave Korea.” / Courtesy of TwitterBut the duo said on their Twitter account they had told the company about their plan to leave.“What we don’t understand is the company’s comment that mJul 16, 2015
Actress Moon So-ri selected to Locarno's jury Moon So-riSouth Korean actress Moon So-ri has been named a jury member of this year's Locarno International Film Festival, her management said Thursday."Moon was appointed to be a member of the jury for the official competitive category of the 68th Locarno International Film Festival," C-Jes Entertainment said.This marks the third time that a Korean national has been appointed as a festival jury member after director Hong Sang-soo in 2009 and director Lim Sang-soo in 2012.Moon previously worked as a jury member of a number of international film festivals in South Korea's Busan and Jeonju, Tokyo and Cairo.Launched in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland is considered one of the most authoritative film festivals in Europe, along with Berlin, Cannes and Venice.Hong's latest film "Right Now, Wrong Then" will be shown in the competition section of this year's festival set to run from Aug. 5-15. (Yonhap) Jul 16, 2015
No joke, comedian Yoo Jae-suk signs with FNC Yoo Jae-sukComedian Yoo Jae-suk has signed a deal with FNC Entertainment, joining the likes of K-pop bands FTISLAND and CNBLUE, and fellow comedian Jeong Hyeon-don.“I am very glad to be part of a company that my close friends also belong to,” said Yoo through a statement. Yoo, who has been on his own for the past five years, is also an MC who currently stars in several popular TV shows including “Infinite Challenge” and “Running Man.”Jul 16, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Jang Hyuk stars in new drama 'Gaekju' Jang Hyuk in a scene from TV series "Chuno"(2010) / Screen capture from YouTube/ Korea Times fileActor Jang Hyuk will star in “Gaekju,” an epic drama about bag merchants from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The drama, to be titled “The God of Trade – Gaekju 2015,” will air from September on KBS2. Having appeared as a series in a Korean newspaper more than 1,465 times since its first publication in 1979, this narrative centers on the merchant Chun Bong-sam, who begins his career soliciting business in markets and eventually works his way to the top, achieving colossal success. Jang Hyuk appears as the bag merchant who takes the honest road to prosperity. He will star with actresses Kim Min-jung and Hyun Chae-ah.Jul 16, 2015
Singer Hwayobi releases VR song teaser A scene from “Do You Love Somebody?” music video / Screen capture from YouTubeHwayobi / Courtesy of FacebookSinger Hwayobi, 33, has released a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) teaser video for her new song.The teaser for “Do You Love Somebody” was released on management company Studio Curiosity’s YouTube channel Wednesday.The 40-second clip shows a man trying to call his girlfriend. The girlfriend sees the incoming call but does not take it.Viewers can move the screen around 360 degrees and see the man and woman sitting at opposite sides of a cafe. The teaser also breaks the sound into two parts so viewers can hear what the man and woman hear from each side of headphones.The song is scheduled for release Friday.Jul 16, 2015
Henry apologizes for album spoiler Henry from his Instagram post on Wednesday / Courtesy of InstagramSinger Henry from idol boy band Super Junior-M -- an eight-member unit from 13-member boy band Super Junior -- has apologized for spoiling the latter’s new album with a recent Internet post. Henry, 25, posted a 15-second video of clips with music playing in the background on his Instagram page Wednesday. But the music was from Super Junior’s new album, “Devil,” released Thursday. The special album commemorates the band’s 10th year in K-pop.Netizens criticized Henry for revealing the music before its official release.Henry apologized to Super Junior’s fan club, “ELF,” on his Flitto account. He said he was surprised his Instagram post, which he did for fun, had caused such controversy.Jul 16, 2015
Ilgwang group chairman accused of threatening Clara Prosecutors have cleared actress Clara and her father of suspicion of threatening Ilgwang Group Chairman Lee Kyu-tae, 65, Yonhap reported Wednesday. The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office instead indicted Lee without detention for alleged blackmail, the report said.The 29-year-old actress and Lee, also CEO of Polaris Entertainment, have been involved in a series of legal battles mainly over her contract with Polaris and Lee’s alleged sexual harassment. In the process, each accused the other of blackmail.Clara, who also models, gained high popularity in 2013 through her appearances on entertainment programs and a base-ball pitch.Jul 15, 2015
