Rain Dazzles Fans at Global Fan MeetingBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Rain is back in Asia. The 27-year-old singer and actor held a global fan meeting for the first time in a year, greeting fans from all over Asia, who returned his smiles with cheers and tears. ``Hello, everyone. It's been a while and it's great to see you all,'' Rain shouted at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyunghee University, Sunday. Now a designer with his own clothing line, Six to Five, the singer was dressed in a simple black suit, a white shirt and white sneakers. He opened the event by singing ``Fresh Woman.'' The venue was packed with some 3,000 fans from Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan, and most looked thrilled to see their favorite singer up close. One Japanese fan donned a pink-and-black floral kimono to show the singer the support of her home country, while a fan from Hong Kong brought an array of glow sticks and other items. ``Rain's a great singer and actor. He's totally different because he is successful at almost everything. He can sing, dance and act,'' Ventura Crispen Jr., 30, from the Philippines, told TJul 28, 2009
Oasis, Weezer, Fall Out Boy Rock Out at Jisan ValleyBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Two rock festivals battled it out in Korea over the weekend, but for most rock fans, it was no contest. Jisan Valley Rock Festival, featuring performances by Oasis, Weezer, Starsailor, Fall Out Boy, Basement Jaxx, Patti Smith plus top Korean musicians like Crying Nut, Lee Han-chul and Run Run Runaways and Kim Chang-wan Band, attracted over 52,000 fans over the three-day festival at Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Billed as a ``green'' and eco-friendly rock festival, Jisan's grass lawns, cool weather and scenic view of the surrounding mountains were a nice change from the Pentaport Incheon Rock Festival. ``The idea of bringing nature into the music festival with the best line-up in Korea proved to be very successful. People were happy to tread on the lawn barefoot compared to the muddy, stony site at Pentaport. The weather was fantastic,'' Seo Shin, an Oasis fan, said. The festival kicked off Friday, but things heated up when American rockers Jimmy Eat World hit the Big Top Stage. Fall Out Boy soon followed, performing hits likJul 28, 2009
Dream to Depict the World of Sports BusinessBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The local drama scene has been offering a bit of everything, from the ancient tale of a queen, to advertising companies and figure skating. The new drama ``Dream'' will add the world of sports agents and K-1 to this varied roster of local television dramas. The drama has caught attention with its impressive cast― singer-turned-actor Son Dam-bi, ``Boys Over Flowers'' actor Kim Bum and movie star Ju Jin-mo ― and a plot that follows the lives of a sports agent and K-1 fighters. Nam Je-il, played by Ju, is a successful sports agent with some famous clients, but when one of his baseball stars gets involved in a drug case, he loses everything. But when the miserable Nam befriends former pickpocket and aspiring K-1 fighter Lee Jang-seok, played by Kim, and taebo instructor Park So-yeon, acted by Son, he decides to regain his glory by making Lee a star. SBS had nicknamed Ju's character ``Korea's Jerry Maguire,'' referencing the charismatic agent played by Tom Cruise, but Ju said it was difficult to play the part that has been his own personal fJul 27, 2009
Stars Putting Their Fame to Good UseBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Many events, organizations and public groups hire celebrities, both popular and up-and-coming, to act as spokespersons and goodwill ambassadors, and the reason is simple: They attract attention. ``It's all about the attention effect. The main goal for an advertisement or a promotion would be actual purchasing or participation. But before that, you have to attract people to get them involved. Hiring big stars is indeed one of the most effective ways to catch the public's attention,'' professor Kang Seung-koo of the Media Arts and Science Department at Korea Open University told The Korea Times. One of the busiest stars here, Rain, already has three commercial contracts under his belt. He holds two important posts, as spokesman for both Seoul City and ``hansik,'' or Korean food, tapped by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. ``There have been various offers, and we choose depending on the image and cause. Rain always mentioned that he wanted to promote Korea and the culture as much as he could, and promoting Seoul andJul 26, 2009
Rain to Get Exclusive IPTV ChannelBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Singer and actor Rain now has his own Internet protocol television (IPTV) channel where fans can catch glimpses of the star from morning to night, starting next month. The singer's agency, J. Tune Entertainment, announced Friday that SK Broad & TV has decided to open an exclusive channel for him. This is the first time for a local celebrity to have his or her own channel on IPTV. The channel name has yet to be made. Rain's channel will offer various categories that will reveal everything about the singer. The ``History" category will have music videos from his latest five albums, along with clips of his videos, while the ``Designer Rain" category will offer fans the chance to peek behind the scenes of the singer's fashion brand, Six to Five. Other categories will include commercials, performances, live concerts, photo shoots and other clips of Rain working as a singer, actor and designer, including unreleased material. ``As this is the first time for a local celebrity to have an exclusive channel on television, we feel a great dealJul 24, 2009
SBS Apologizes for CopyingBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), one of Korea's major broadcasters, admitted Wednesday that they copied a Japanese clip called ``Getting Prepared for Work in Five Minutes'' for its popular show ``Star King.'' The program was aired last Saturday, and a local performer carried out the exact same clip on stage. While the Japanese version showed a man preparing for work in only five minutes, the program showed a man getting ready in three minutes. The program drew criticism after its airing by viewers who already knew about the Japanese version, but the producer claimed that the performer devised the overall concept and that they had no idea it was based on a Japanese clip. However, according to the local Internet news service by CBS, Nocut News, the makers of ``Star King'' showed the video of the Japanese version to the performers and told them to do exactly the same thing, but only in three minutes. The news portal added that the performers rehearsed at a hotel and even at SBS headquarters with the producers present. With news out Jul 22, 2009
Style to Bring Fashion, Love and CareerBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Fashion lovers who enjoyed the film "The Devil Wears Prada" will have a new television drama to satisfy their fashion cravings, beginning next month. ``Style" is based on the Korean hit chic-lit novel of the same title written by former fashion reporter Baek Young-ok. The glamorous world of the fashion industry is the backdrop for the drama, which stars top actors Kim Hye-soo, Ryu Si-won, Lee Ji-ah, as well as newcomer Lee Yong-woo. ``We were looking for a plot that contained the loves, lifestyle and trends of people in their 20s and 30s, when we finally discovered the book `Style'" said Oh Jung-rok, the producer of the drama, at a press conference in northern Seoul. He added that work on the project has been underway since April 2008. The venue for the press conference was packed not only with members of the media, but also Japanese fans who had flown over to get a glimpse of one of the show's protagonists, Ryu. The excited fans, from seats arranged for them by the production company, erupted when Ryu walked into the room. The storylJul 21, 2009
Battle of Girl Groups Under WayBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The local pop scene is sizzling with an array of girl groups, both old and new, and the competition is expected to heat up with each band presenting distinctive sounds, fashion and personalities. Reigning Groups Girls' Generation and the Wonder Girls have been the top girl groups for the past two years, but now their thrones are starting to look a bit shaky as new groups loaded with new tricks have appeared. The nine-member Girls' Generation, of SM Entertainment, released their new album ``Genie'' in June, donning a marine and military style for their new look. They have been topping charts on Internet music Web sites and music programs aired on television. Despite the success, the group's image has been smeared by several incidents: First there was the rumor regarding an album cover that depicted a Japanese fighter jet; then the discord between band members; seen from clips taken by fans during rehearsals; and finally a plagiarism dispute, an allegation which later turned out to be false. The Wonder Girls, of JYP Entertainment, oJul 14, 2009
Limp Bizkit, Nine Inch Nails, Keane to Perform at ETPFESTBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter American rock band Limp Bizkit will headline the ETPFEST (Eerie Taiji People Festival) 2009 rock festival organized by Korean rock star Seo Tai-ji next month. Limp Bizkit will perform alongside British group Keane and American rocker Nine Inch Nails on Aug. 15 at the Main Stadium, Jamsil Sports Complex, southern Seoul. But Yonhap News quoted Seo's company as saying that the rock star has not yet decided whether to perform this year. Limp Bizkit has recently reunited for a comeback tour and are working on a new album ``The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2).'' The band ― made up of vocalist Fred Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, DJ Lethal and guitarist Wes Borland ― has sold 60 million albums around the world. Keane is known for its piano rock sound. Their albums ``Hopes and Fears'' and ``Under the Iron Sea'' have garnered critical praise and sold millions of records around the world. Nine Inch Nails is a one-man band led by singer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist Trent Reznor. Reznor has recently indicated thJul 14, 2009
Aspiring Ballerina Kim Joo-ri Crowned Miss Korea 2009By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Wednesday night was hot and humid, with some places drenched in summer rain, but the 2009 Miss Korea Pageant venue was packed with friends and family waiting to welcome the country's next beauty queen. Kim Joo-ri, who entered the contest as Miss Seoul, was crowned Miss Korea at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul. The 21-year-old looked surprised when Chang Jae-ku, the chairman of the Hankook Ilbo Media Group, finally announced her name, but she smiled as she was crowned by former Miss Korea Na Re. ``I am so happy and I thank everybody who has been cheering for me. I'm happy, but I believe this means I will have to try harder to uphold the Miss Korea spirit. I promise I will do my best,'' Kim said. There were no tears from the new beauty queen, as she happily turned toward the cheering audience and gave the famous Miss Korea walk along the stage, waving and smiling. A graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet School, Kim enjoys various sports including horseback riding, swimming and golf as well jazz dancing. FlueJul 8, 2009