SIMPLY(", ) 2010!

2010 indeed has truly been a wonderful year!

I sincerely want to thank YOU (yes, YOU, the one reading this!) for having found this humble blog. SIMPLY(", ) would have never kept on if it were not for your kind visits [as seen through the flag counter, hehe!] And since new year is fast approaching, my concluding post for this year will be all about everything that made my 2010 worth all those sleepless nights, tears and sweat!

Of course, the reason why I got addicted to KPop - SUPER JUNIOR!

Seeing them all together again is a dream slowly fading away. But any ELF can dream, right? Hopefully they will have something good for us elves to look forward to before leader Teukie goes to the army next year. SuJu ~ daebak!

SNSD

Indeed, these girls have come a long way. Many may not actually admit it, but I bet they're also hooting and singing "Gee Gee Gee" in different languages. Hahaha!

SHINee

Omo! How could our boys grow up so fast? But it's alright. Noona's 2010 is truly delightful because of you (i am looking at you, Minho)!^.~

(WGM) Jokwon and GaIn

I simply LOVE these two!!! Aigoo!

XLR8

Jeez, why do I like younger ones this much? Anyway, I want to see more of them next year!

SANDARA PARK

Our Krung-Krung! Blogging about this 4-D girl has always been fun!

WONDER GIRLS

Had a heart attack when Sunmi left, but Lim is definitely one fine replacement. Fighting!

SISTAR

I want to see more of them in 2011, too! [new fan]

BARBIE XU

The newlywed! I love her, and I could care less about those negativities!

BROWN EYED GIRLS

I'm so envious! They're the BEST!

LA DIVA

Listen to these pretty ladies and be amazed yourself.

CHARICE

She made us proud this year. Have an even more beautiful 2011, dear Cha!

STARS FALLING FROM THE SKY

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Palkang-sshi and Nami are the best!

MY GIRLFRIEND IS A GUMIHO

Was head over heels inLOVE with this drama!=)

Cinderella's Sister

I cried buckets of tears here, but were all worth it, anyway. This drama is just perfect!

AUTUMN'S CONCERTO

Aaahhhh!!! This is the ultimate 2010!!!

To everyone, I do wish your 2010 is filled with beautiful memories, too!

Go 2011! ^.^

Heechul's cellphone wallpaper revealed!

On a recent broadcast of ‘100 Points out of 100‘, Super Junior’s Heechul was forced by F.T. Island’s Lee Hongki to reveal his cellphone wallpaper.

As it turns out, the mystery person in the wallpaper is Wonder Girl Sohee! Along with this revelation, the fact that Sohee being Heechul’s ideal type was brought up again, which made Heechul exhibit both an embarrassed and proud expression.

Hongki suggested, ‘Change your wallpaper quickly,’ to which Heechul responded, ‘This is one thing I cannot change,’ further showing his unchanging affection for Sohee.

Soon, however, Heechul shyly added, ‘Fine. I’ll fix it,’ causing laughter in the studio.

SHINee Minho a zither Romeo?

SHINee Minho became a zither Romeo.

On the 25th December Star King episode, the twins (Gaya Lang) famous for playing on one Korean 12-stringed zither at the same time, called out for Minho and came together for a special collaboration of zither couple duet.

Minho and came together for a special collaboration of zither couple duet.
Wearing a smile, Minho came forth onto the stage and performed the OST song for famous movie, ‘Romeo & Juliet’ together with Lee Ai Lang. The unique harmonization of the smoothing melody from the zither and modern pop music successfully grabbed the attention of the guests and audience present, earning loud applause. At the end of the awesome performance, the two performers dived in for a friendly hug.

Source: Newsen
Translation: Remember @ Mr.Minho
Chi-Eng Translation : Wee Xin @ weareshining
Video Credits: PP2pinkyTOP1 @YT

Music Core Christmas Special

The performances were both in the studio and outdoor (amidst freezing weather). Ex MC's Yuri and Tiffany, together with regulars Suzy and Jiyeon, hosted the studio performances while Minho and Onew hosted the outdoor stage segment. Most of the performances that I will be posting are from SM family since I'm a little SM Entertainment artists' fan.^_^ Nevertheless, enjoy this final episode of 2010!

SUPER JUNIOR: Bonamana

SNSD: Oh + Hoot

SHINee: Lucifer

KARA: Lupin + Jumping

2NE1: Can't Nobody + Go Away

CNBLUE: Feliz Navidad + Love Love Love

SISTAR: All I Want For Christmas Is You + How Dare You

BEAST: Breathe

If you want to see all the performances, go to AKP or click here.

SIMPLY wishes you a Merry Christmas!

"We are Dong Bang Shin Ki forever"

They said, “There are many reasons that made us decide to leave SM, but we always think about reuniting all five members of Dong Bang Shin Ki again. We had been members of Dong Bang Shin Ki, we still are now, and we will be forever.”

During a recent interview with Yonhap News, they were asked what Dong Bang Shim Ki meant to them, and they all said with one voice, “It is not about a meaning or something. We are Dong Bang Shin Ki. Even though we have to go different way, there is no reason that we cannot call ourselves Dong Bang Shin Ki anymore.” Three members of Dong Bang Shin Ki, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Sunsu, who had been members of the most popular star idol group for the past seven years in the Asian region, had been involved in an exclusive contract dispute with their agency, SM Entertainment, and then formed a new group, JYJ, last October and began taking their own path.

The other two members, U-Know Yunho and Choi Kang Changmin, will release a new album as Dong Bang Shin Ki without those three members on January 5 next year and begin their activities. JYJ members talked about the reason they had left SM, saying, “Many misunderstandings and truths are mixed in those reasons coming to the front. But anything people are talking cannot be correct answer. The reasons why we actually left our previous agency and the origin of the problem are not the same. There was a root of the problem, but it was completely different from the fundamental reason. We had made this big decision even in the situation where the contract term had not yet been terminated, and there are many reasons for that and we cannot explain this matter simply. We can only say that there were many reasons.”

After they left SM, they do not use both the group name of “Dong Bang Shin Ki” and their member names of the group, “Youngwoong Jaejoong,” ”Micky Yoochun,” and “Xiah Jusu.” JYJ said, “We had considered the name of the group for a long time. We are still Dong Bang Shin Ki members, and the other two are also Dong Bang Shin Ki members. But all five members together are also Dong Bang Shin Ki for sure. But we could not use the name again after we left SM because we thought that it would disrespectful to our fans who have loved Dong Bang Shin Ki, so we created this new group name ‘JYJ.’” JYJ members and the other two Dong Bang Shin Ki members do not contact each other, but they still leave the door open for gathering all five members together under one name of “Dong Bang Shin Ki.”

They said, “One and a half years have passed since we left SM. Right after we left SM, we kept in touch with the other two members, but from some moment, we could not contact each other anymore. I do not know the reason. But we always think about the possibility that we will all come together as members of Dong Bang Shin Ki again.”

About Dong Bang Shin Ki’s new album to be released in January next year, Junsu said, “I really congratulate U-Know Yunho and Choi Kang Changmin for beginning their activities as Dong Bang Shin Ki again. I wish them success because we are also members of Dong Bang Shin Ki.”

Jaejoong also said, “I feel somewhat disappointed emotionally, but basically I really welcome their activities. Also, if they release this new album to keep the group Dong Bang Shin Ki as SM mentioned, I really appreciate that. When we five members performed together, Dong Bang Shin Ki was the best group ever and we are very much proud of that fact. So, I want the other two members to continue their performances worthy of the name Dong Bang Shin Ki.”

TVXQ days

KBS Global

Images from SNSD's official 2011 calendar

[VIDEO] Behind the scenes

HanGeng wins lawsuit over SM Entertainment

On December 21st, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Super Junior’sHankyung, in the lawsuit he filed against his agency, SM Entertainment.

The Department of Justice stated, “All three contracts – from the January 2003 contract, the altered contract from February 2007, and the affiliated contract from December 2007 – do not exist.”

Hankyung had filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in December of 2009 claiming, “I cannot maintain an unjust contract.”

Meanwhile, an SM Entertainment representative spoke with MyDaily in the aftermath of the decision above and stated, “We cannot accept the result. We will file an appeal to reverse the decision.”

Source: Newsis, MyDaily via Nate

Fil-Am actress stars in ‘Mean Girls’ sequel

MANILA, Philippines — After Vanessa Hudgens and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, it's Filipino-American Disney actress Nicole Anderson's turn to make waves across Hollywood as she stars in “Mean Girls 2.”

Taking the reigns from Lindsay Lohan and the rest of "The Plastics," Nicole plays "Plastic" Hope Plotkin. However, compared to its predecessor, the movie features a cast of relatively unknown young actors.

While “Mean Girls” featured Lohan’s character singlehandedly taking revenge on main "Plastic" Regina (Rachel McAdams), “Mean Girls 2” will show three friends forming "The Anti-Plastics" to counter the new trio of overbearing "Plastics."

The movie wrapped up filming last July and is slated for a Jan. 23, 2011 premiere in the US via the ABC Family channel.

The "Disney" traces her Filipino roots from mother, Negros Occidental native Anami. Although based in the US, Nicole expressed her pride for being Pinoy and love for Filipino food.

“My favorite’s halo-halo and I love sinigang and pancit. My mom makes me these vegetarian egg rolls. I also have a tattoo on my ribcage and one of the things on it says ‘Mahal kita,'” she told ABS-CBNNews.com” in a report dated Nov. 16.

Nicole, who attained mainstream success when she played the role of Macy Misa--Nick Jonas’ love interest on the now-defunct “Disney” Original TV series “Jonas"--opened up on being included in the show.

“It was my first stable job so it was, ‘Wow, this is awesome, I’m gonna be able to do what I really love to do on a regular basis.’ And then I booked it with my best friend and the Jonas Brothers. It was a win-win-win all over the place.

“When we came back for the second season, I found out that Nick and I would be love interests on the show so I was, like, ‘That’s not a shabby job.’ He’s a really, really cool guy,” Nicole shared.

She also mentioned seeking more mature roles, but none of the wild and daring stuff.

Currently, Nicole plays a recurring character on the TV drama series “Make It Or Break It,” a show about gymnasts striving to make it to the Olympic Games. Incidentally, Nicole herself used to be a competing gymnast in her younger years. However, she was forced to retire early due to sustaining numerous injuries.

Meanwhile, the 20-year old actress also addressed the recent emotional breakdown of fellow Disney talent Demi Lovato.

“I think with Demi– she is a young girl, she’s a teenager. Every teenager goes through their angst phase, you know, where they wanna rebel, kinda go through teenage hormone issues. Unfortunately for her she has to do it in the spotlight,” she said.

Manila Bulletin

Sandara Park has the clearest skin out of all girl group members

2NE1′s Sandara Park has been chosen as the girl group idol with the youngest looking skin in a survey held by Star M Plastic Surgery & Dermatology Clinic.

The poll was held from December 1st through the 16th, and surveyed a total of 541 people, asking, “Which girl group member has the most beautiful skin without a pimple? Which member has the best youthful looking skin?”

Results ranked 2NE1’s Sandara in first with 328 votes (60.6%) and KARA’s Han Seung Yeon in second with 179 votes (33%).

Min Young Ki, the director of dermatology, commented, “People are becoming more and more interested in the skins of celebrities. Despite their busy schedules, Sandara and Han Seung Yeon managed to rank in first and second for their clean skin. Their clear skin tone gives an image of luxury. We’ve had many people come in asking for a multi-focus treatment in order to achieve skin like them.”

The director continued, “Sandara is a star that is able to pull off both the bright and innocent image along with a mature and sexy one. Her honest and positive mindset makes her a popular advertisement model to the public. Her clear skin makes her the perfect target for advertisements and allows consumers to trust the product she’s endorsing. Sandara will be much loved not only in the music industry, but as the new blue chip of the CF world.”

Philippine team finally scores victory on ‘TARA 4’

MANILA, Philippines – “The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) 4” executive producer Michael McKay wasn’t kidding around when he told Bulletin Entertainment, during the media junket in Singapore in August, that the show always got strong teams from the Philippines. He joked that it must be something in our water… or the beer.

The final episode of “TARA 4” aired across Asia on AXN on Dec. 9, where the Philippine team of Richard Herrera and Richard Hardin proved victorious in finally bringing home the elusive title, as well as the hefty US $100,000 cash prize that went with it. And surely they would attest that beer had nothing to do with it. Unfortunately.

After a couple of close calls—with Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez finishing third in Season 2, and Geoff Rodriguez and Tisha Silang ending the race as runner-ups in Season 3—the Riches triumphantly touched the mat after beating 9 other teams in a race across 15 cities in 8 countries and with over 38,000 kilometers traveled.

Beating the father-daughter team, Hussein and Natasha from Indonesia, and the rebel pals Claire and Michelle of Singapore on their own turf, the Richards had surely relied on their strength for most of the physical tasks. But it wasn’t always an easy race for this formidable duo. In fact, the boys also had their share of close calls at crucial times during the race.

Breaking a race rule in Indonesia, they almost got eliminated after being lost for nearly two hours. “We took a beating getting around Lombok when we had to do a U-turn to the previous venue (fishing village) and back. We were serving penalty for getting a free ride from a kind-hearted local,” Herrera recalled. “Rich and I agreed on the way to the next task to never stop running, because we wanted to finish strong no matter the outcome for us.”

But as one of the final three teams tasked to fly out of South Korea to Singapore (the race’s final pit stop), the gamble they took paid off handsomely. “We had to make a decision to either take a risk of getting stand-by seats, or take a later flight that had seats available,” Hardin recollected. Despite the nerve-wracking decision they had to make, luck had pushed them ahead of the other teams again.

Hometown advantage was lost to the Singapore girls when a risk they took got them stuck in South Korea, 10 hours behind the other teams. And when Hussein failed at a tightrope task, it practically sealed the deal for the Richards.

“The run to the mat as the other teams cheered us on... I couldn't feel my body at all running up those steps,” Hardin shared. Surely, that moment eclipsed even the most exhilarating instances they had during the race—like finally catching the four wily pigs in a Detour in Legazpi, Philippines; or Hardin staring his fear of heights in the face by doing a 440-foot bungee jump in New Zealand.

“Hardin's patience and my impatience strangely balanced us out in the last few legs,” mused Hererra.

“When Allan Wu announced that we were the first team to arrive, I felt like I had dropped 3,000 pounds off my back,” Hardin said, recalling the final pit stop. “TARA is an awesome experience like no other, but it’s definitely not easy!”

Manila Bulletin

Last hope of F4 2010 reunion is dashed

After The Little Tiger's reunion on CCTV's annual Spring Festival Celebration program for their twentieth year, there were rumors and speculation that perhaps F4 would also reunite on the show for their tenth anniversary.

While that plan to bring together Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Van Ness Wu, and Ken Chu didn't fall into place, CCTV gave it one more shot by mailing out formal invitations in hopes that the four would attend the New Year's Eve celebration in Shenzhen on the 21st this year. Alas, Vic thought that the New Year's Eve celebration would actually, you know, be on New Year's Eve (the 31st), and so he had already made vacation plans for the 21st.

Unlike in Taiwan, Mainland's CCTV holds their New Year's Eve party earlier. On the night of the 20th, they hold the red carpet event, a press conference, and the dress rehearsal. Then on the 21st, they officially film the show. Had the reunion of F4 been successful, they would have been Taiwan's sole representatives.

The "mother of F4", Angie Chai, has deemed it "Mission Impossible" to bring the four together due to their different management companies. And since Vic will be doing promotions in Tokyo for "Black and White" near the Spring Festival date next year, chances are slim that the four will be able to reunite for the occasion. However, it can't be completely written off yet. Perhaps Hunan TV, who has offered to provide them with planes for transfers for Hunan TV's Spring Festival show, will be able to finally bring them back together again. Even Jerry's manager has stated that the four have a consensus on reuniting, but it will all depend on their schedules.

In the meantime, we can look forward to other big names coming to the CCTV New Year's Eve party, such as theFour Heavenly Kings consisting of Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, and Aaron Kwok.

Source: Appledaily

Shu Qi: "I'm afraid to go home"

TAIPEI : Taiwanese actress Shu Qi is afraid to go home lately.

Not because she is worried about crazed stalkers but because her family members have stepped up their efforts to set her up with men.

"My family and friends keep arranging matchmaking sessions for me, so much so that I am afraid to go home," said Shu during a promotional event for her new film "If You Are the One 2" on Monday.

"I'm also very afraid of going out for tea with other people. For now, I just don't think there is a need for any matchmaking. Everything is up to fate."

Shu revealed that she had been on so many matchmaking dates that she has devised a cunning plan to handle such sessions – always bring along a friend and introduce any uninteresting dates to her instead.

"If I am suddenly asked to go for a meal [with a prospective suitor] I will bring along a friend who is dying to get married.

"Just recently, one of them hit it off [with her date] after spending an afternoon together," said Shu before admitting with a laugh that she would ditch her friend if she likes her date.

The 34-year-old actress pointed out that she preferred to go on a group vacation with some friends and her prospective suitor to see if any sparks fly between them, instead of going on deliberate matchmaking sessions.

Yuri feels pressured by the focus on SNSD’s legs

SNSD’s Yuri shared her thoughts about the popularity of SNSD’s legs in Japan during her appearance on the November 30th episode of SBS’s “Strong Heart.”

Yuri began by stating, “In Japan, they call us the ‘beautiful legs group’ because they think our legs are beautiful. Honestly though, our legs aren’t that pretty. Only a few of us have nice legs, but they keep the focus point on our legs a lot.”

SNSD’s hit song, “Genie,” was especially popular for its ‘kick’ dance. Their shorts and choreography accentuated and emphasized their long legs, but Yuri explained that the pressure was too much.

"All nine of us do not have pretty legs. Sooyoung, Tiffany, and a few others have very nice long legs but the rest of us are either short or thick. My legs, realistically, have a bit of meat on them as well so there’s a lot of pressure when cameras focus on them“, she confessed.

Yuri then revealed the secrets behind managing their legs, “Our legs get more makeup than our faces in order to hide any scars and bruising.”

ALLKPOP

Ga-In confesses she enjoys filming ‘We Got Married’ the most

Brown Eyed Girls member Ga-In, who’s become a triple threat with her ventures in singing, acting, and guesting on variety shows, recently revealed that she has the most fun when filming ‘We Got Married’.

On this week’s episode of MBC’s ‘Good Day‘, Ga-In confessed, “There was a time when I didn’t get much sleep. I was really busy from having to perform at a Japanese concert, record our album, shoot ‘We Got Married’, and even film for ‘All My Love‘.”

When asked which schedule she enjoyed the most, Ga-In expressed, “To be honest, ‘We Got Married’ is the most enjoyable, because it’s not tiring. I like it the most because I get to play around and be my true self.”

Regarding her new sitcom, the singer said, “At the moment, I feel it’s more difficult than it is fun, so I still get nervous. You never know though – once I get used to it, sitcom filming might become the most enjoyable.”

Ga-In is currently acting as a main character for the daily sitcom, “All My Love”, alongside her ‘We Got Married’ ‘husband’, 2AM’s Jo Kwon.

SHINee’s Onew performs a duet with Lena Park

On November 18th, Lena Park (Park Jung Hyun) released a new special album titled “Cover Me Vol. 1“ which contains her previous hit tracks from her first 3 albums. After taking a temporary break from singing in order to focus on her academics, she has returned to the music stage. ALLKPOP previously reported that during the recording for MBC’s “Beauty Concert,“ Lena Park performed a duet track with SHINee’s Onew. Well, the show finally aired on November 20th and both Lena Park and Onew serenaded the audience with a cover of Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliat’s “Lucky.”

I have always loved Lena Park. She makes me smile whenever she sings. As for leader Onew, need I say more? I still remember myself in complete amazement while listening to their song "Stand By Me" for the first time, specially during his parts. His voice is amazing. This will be my very first time hearing him sing in English, and I'm impressed.

Check out the video below: