Wayne Lai tells his son never to go to the Philippines

Yes. The whole world knows about what happened last August 23, 2010 here in the Philippines. People died, mourned and cried. I understand the anger and grief of the victims and their families, and the rest of Hong Kong. We are all sorry about what happened. We all feel shame. We Filipinos are hurt, and we can't blame. And we are all very sorry for the photos circulating on the internet with policemen and residents smiling and taking pictures at the crime area. But who are we to say such terrible things without knowing what exactly happened first?

I read this news on asianfanatics and this made me very sad.

" Regarding the tragedy in the Philippines, Wayne Lai indicated that he felt all sorts of emotions about the situation – deep pain, helplessness, sorrow, and anger. “I don’t understand why so much time was wasted and the hostages still couldn’t be saved. I saw in the newspapers today that the gunman only requested 1 million pesos, which is equal to about HKD$100,000 – that amount would have been easy to raise with contributions from just the tour group members alone – so why didn’t the Philippine government agree to the amount? If a few hundred thousand dollars could have saved the tourists, Hong Kong citizens would have most definitely paid the money without question!

After seeing how the tragic situation in the Philippines played out, Wayne admitted that he is utterly disappointed with the country: “I told my son never to go to the Philippines, I won’t go either. The police force is supposed to be a safety net, but yet they can’t even do their basic jobs correctly – this is a reflection on the government and their inabilities when it comes to ensuring people’s safety.”

This reply was from HOONIE08:

This guy Wayne Lai is completely clueless about what happened. The hostage taker didn't ask for a million pesos for heaven's sake! Before answering an interview, he should look for the facts first! The hostage taker asked him to be reinstated in service because he was laid off due to robbery - extortion. Do you think it is easy for the government to grant this? I think you need to use some logic first. If the government granted his request, then all those people who got laid off will just go hostage taking to grant their request. Also, Filipinos have different culture than Chinese people. If you want to kill the hostage taker immediately, then I just want to tell you that killing the suspect is our last resort because we believe that it can be solved through negotiation. Yes, the negotiation failed and I, a Filipino myself, is also disappointed about what the SWAT team did. I know they had plenty of flaws. But not all Filipinos are like that. We're not all killers!

This kind of incident happens everywhere. In every country, it’s just that the Hong Kong tourists were at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Don't you have a bunch of criminals in your own countries as well? I know you're commenting based on emotions and I am doing the same too. I know that the hostage taking incident tainted the image of the Philippines all over the world, but I'm just asking you to have an open mind. We did not want that to happen. If the Chinese people mourned over this, don't you think that we Filipinos mourned for them too? We even put our flags in half-mast! Killing the hostage taker is always our last resort! Because we believe that it can be solved through negotiation! I know that the Chinese tourists are the victims here. But now, it looks like even innocent Filipinos are discriminated! Please be open-minded. We're all sorry for what happened.

This reply was from BABIGODDESS:

One of the worst things you would ever do is DISRESPECTING victims and their families. They are very disrespectful to them! With these photos circulating all over the Internet it just makes people from all over the world put more hatred towards Filipinos. It tears up my heart to know and to see those tourists' families losing their loved ones. At the same time it makes me angry to see these inappropriate acts of behavior at the death scene especially the Filipino police. They should be respecting the dead and their families and be understanding of their emotions, but instead, I see that they are "fooling" around and not being serious towards handling this highly sensitive situation. Some people would question, "What is there to be happy about? Why are they smiling and taking pictures at the crime scene? Are they even conscientious about this situation and how important it is for others?" These are some of the things that many of us are going through our minds and play guessing games but we don't know for sure. It's not just about respect for the victims and their families but also self-respect as well. What I'm trying to say is that if you don't respect others then how others are going to respect you. Has it ever occurred to you that smiling and taking pictures or posing for the camera at the crime scene, regardless if they are residents or the police force, it brings disgrace to the country?

I know there are good and bad people in this world but I believe that no one is born to be a bad person with a bad heart. The only way we become a bad person is the environment we grew up and there are other influential factors that shape the person who we are. I agree with some of the artists that they will definitely think twice whether or not they want to go to the Philippines for vacation because it all comes back to safety issues. Ever since this happened, I've been thinking what if this happened to me and I was held hostage. All the possibilities surged through my mind and it bothered me to a point where I was shedding tears because I kept thinking about it. I give my deepest condolences to the victims' families and I hope the people who got hurt in the gun fire will recover soon especially for the 18 year old student who was hit in the head and in a coma. I also hope that the victims and their families will stay strong because this is a critical time that they need each other's support, love, and care for one another. My support, love, and care is with them and I hope everyone can give them your love and support. With all these energy and bonds of support, it will create power and strength that these people can overcome.

Again, WE are all very SORRY. Please do not hate on us.

[Trailer] ABS-CBN's IMORTAL

The new ABS-CBN teleserye is pairing up the hottest properties of the network!

Box Office King John Lloyd Cruz and Best Actress Angel Locsin is paired for the first time as they will soon to star on the upcoming fantaserye of ABS-CBN "Immortal: LOBO 2". The series is marked as the second fantaserye of Angel Locsin as Kapamilya. Her first fantaserye was the award winning "LOBO" with Piolo Pascual where Angel earned her Best Actress nomination at the International Emmy Awards.

The upcoming fantaserye is said to be the sequel of "LOBO" as Angel Locsin will also play the role of a werewolf. Meanwhile, this will be our first time to see John Llyod Cruz doing a fantaserye as he has mostly done drama roles on television and movies where he earned his Best Actor Awards and Box Office King title. In this fantaserye he will play a role of a vampire.

I've always liked fantaseryes, and this one's not an exception. I'm certainly looking forward to this. Kapamilya rocks!

Check out the trailer below.

TOP and Lee Mi Sook for ELLE

Have you been waiting for the release of these photos [like me!] for so long? Well then, the long wait has finally come to an end.

Bigbang's TOP (my man) and veteran actress Lee Mi Sook's full photo shoot has been uploaded to Elle Atzine. An unlikely couple, or so they say, for Lee Mi Sook is actually old enough to be Top's mother. She just turned 50 this year and TOP is only 23. But fashion always brings out the eccentric side of things (and people), and in this case, viewers are actually very impressed. I personally like the concept and style, and I love the "deeply in love" look from them both. Anyway, who would even think Madame Lee Mi Sook is in her golden year here? She looks damn fine, and her figure is to die for. TOP is one lucky guy after all.

Check out these photos and tell me what you think!

[ i LOVE this! ]

Classic and sexy! Simply LOVE.

Ariel Lin is currently dating

While celebrities tend to keep their love lives a secret, Taiwan singer-actress Ariel Lin has revealed to the press that she is seeing someone, reported Chinese media.

"I am a girl who cannot do without relationships. In my heart, there is already a 'him'," said Lin during an appearance at a press conference as the ambassador for the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center. When asked about her mystery boyfriend, the sweet-looking 27-year-old refused to give details though she did not deny that he is a big help to her acting and singing career.

Besides shattering the dreams of her male admirers the world over, during the press conference, Lin also proudly showed off her organ donor card which she received in March last year. "This way of passing on your love for others is often more meaningful than just [donating] money," said Lin of her choice to pledge her organs. "This is something I believe in and it is something I have acted upon."

According to Lin, she was visiting the hospital for a follow-up medical check-up last year after an operation to remove a 2-cm egg-shaped cyst in her brain, when she saw a notice about organ donation. After a short discussion with her mother, both of them decided to become donors and signed up the next day.

Lin, who was first discovered on the long-running Taiwan variety show "Guess, Guess, Guess", shot to fame after starring in the 2005 idol drama "It Started with a Kiss" with Joe Cheng. She then went on to win a Golden Bell Award for Best Actress Award in 2008 for her performance in the sequel "They Kiss Again".

source: asianfanatics.net

Kim Hyun Joong talks about kissing in "Playful Kiss"

With less than a week left until the MBC drama Playful Kiss airs, further teases continue to build with a press conference at the Seoul Imperial Palace Hotel this afternoon.

Kim Hyun Joong (who will be playing the drama’s leading male role, Baek Seung Jo) expressed his feelings about the kiss scene with his female partner in the drama, Jung So Min (who will be playing the character, Oh Hani):

“I rarely had eye contact with her, and the kiss happened when we were both in a situation where we didn’t have any lines. It was very awkward. But the awkwardness was essential for that scene, which fits perfectly with the storyline. It was a ‘Playful Kiss’.”

Kim Hyun Joong also expressed how he felt about acting as Baek Seung Jo:

“It wasn’t easy acting out the character of a genius, with an IQ of 200.

The script was packed with words that I weren't familiar with. Because there were several words that I didn’t know, I had to study a lot.”

The drama will make its debut on September 1st through MBC.

source: allkpop

JoKwon and GaIn finally kisses on WGM

The first kiss between 2AM’s Jo Kwon and Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga-in was just broadcast and it has shocked many viewers.

On the August 21st broadcast of MBC’s We Got Married, Jo Kwon and Ga-in had their imaginary wedding. At the end of the shoot, they asked the photographer to take a commemorative photo of couple to put in their home. The photo they took had the concept of ’One second before a kiss’. Since Jo Kwon was unable to come close enough to Ga-in, Ga-in took the initiative and made the move, and she actually went ahead and kissed him.

Jo Kwon was completely taken off-guard in the moment, but in a later interview, he said,

“I think Ga-in did it because I couldn’t. I’m happy… But I’m sad that my shocked expression was shown so clearly.“

Check out the couple’s first kiss below!

source:allkpop

[MV] XLR8 - I Love You Girl

Okay, so here's what I have to say...

They're freaking FINE!!! Well, well, introducing Philippines teen boyband of this generation, XLR8!

I'm not really a fan girl (melts at Caleb). Basing on their debut performances, they've improved quite well on their singing. But I must admit I'm hating on the choreography (or must i say choreographer?). They're not in sync! T_T But as the old saying goes, there are always ROOMS for improvement... right? Let's give these boys a chance. I can only hope that they will be appreciated well in this entertainment that is heavily colonized by Western/KPop music.

The video reminds me Super Junior though, but not in a negative way. And I don't see them as wannabes. Some of them can really sing, and some can dance quite well. And FYI, they write their songs. I'm happy I'm finally beginning to see some boy band aura in this country. I must admit, Filipino lyrics with English doesn't sound bad after all. Do you think it's so GAY? I don't.^_^

Here's the video:

Let's support our very own! ^_~

Japanese fans' favorite SNSD is Yoona

We always knew YoonA had always been the favorite SNSD in Korea, but how about in Japan?

Apparently, Korean and Japanese share the same tastes in women! It turns out that most of SNSD’s Japanese fans favor YoonA over other members as well, as the girl has been voted number 1 for Japan’s favorite SNSD member. To prove this once and for all, a survey result has been posted on a community website under the title, ‘Popularity Ranks of SNSD Members in Japan‘.

YoonA won 34.9% of the votes, with 5,819 people. Second place was taken by Yuri, who got 2,627 votes, and third place was taken by Tiffany, who got 2,462 votes. Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun,Sunny, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon were ranked in that order after the first three.

So…who’s YOUR favorite? Mine would have to be Sunny and Taeyeon and Hyo and Yuri!!! ^.~

source: allkpop

Publisher talks about SHINee and Minho

Note:

I am a fan of SHINee myself (and of Minho!) so I'm posting this without any hesitations, even when this news already came out a few days ago. Thank you for sharing, shineee.net! SHINee hwaiting!^_^

Living in Korea doesn’t mean that your world revolves around KPOP only. I am Korean, but little people know that some Kpop acts are fake. It is sad, but that is the truth. At one point, I even stayed away from the Kpop scene and opted to listen and follow the underground acts only. But working in the publishing filed, directly involving with Kpop.. I have to be neutral. I have to keep reminding myself not to be too skeptical but it was hard when the thing you do not wish to see, do not want to hear are in front of your eyes. But it all changed in one day. It is all because of SHINee.

We anticipated that day very much, because we finally got our chance to do the interview of this group that we admire so much. I am not a big fan myself, but I respect them as they work very hard to accomplish what they have today, being in this cruel industry where the competition is very fierce.

That day, we couldn’t wait to meet SHINee.

As soon as we were done with talking and interviewing Key, Onew, Taemin and Jonghyun, it was finally Minho’s turn. He was very quiet and thoughtful the whole time questions were being asked to the rest of the boys. He talked occasionally, and smiled most of the time. At other times he simply looked down, and laughed a bit at the jokes Onew was telling. He threw glances at the boys and there was no mistake the strong brotherhood that these boys have. He would pat Taemin’s back sometimes and squeezed the tense muscles out of Jonghyun’s shoulders. The sessions continued for more than two hours, and at one point he even went to get the drinks for the members instead of waiting for our staff to bring them to them.

Jonghyun and Taemin went out of the room for a while, and we started to ask Minho our 1st question to him. “Minho is known as a very competitive person. Some people say it is very disturbing to see that streak in you because you are young and you are supposed to enjoy your life or not taking anything too seriously. What do you have to say to that?”

He looked very much lost in thought for a while before calmly stating:

“When I was very young.. I wanted to become a professional soccer player. I love sports very much to a point where I learned everything there is to it about football, and entered every football match around. My thirst in winning was unquenchable that I worry my family off. One day, my dad told me he opposed of me of pursuing that one thing I ever wanted at the time and I was crushed. He didn’t want me to become a football player. He said having sports as a career is very tough, he knows it because he is a professional football coach himself. I was lost and didn’t know what to do and when I came to my senses, I decided that I would never quit to fight in everything I do. If I do one thing, I do it wholeheartedly, even if people keep telling me it’s impossible, I would never want to believe them and I would have faith in myself instead. Fight something as if it is your last fight.. as if there would be no more chance to do that later. That’s what triggers the competitiveness in me.. If I lose, I would be very disappointed with myself, keep blaming myself of the loss. Keep telling myself I would do even better in the future.”

At this point, Onew kept nodding at what Minho was saying. We were surprised when Onew added, “Minho does what he does best, doing at his very best ability like there’s no tomorrow. Be it in performing, or playing or sports. Even I

cannot do that as a leader.”

Q:You were seen as the quietest out of the five. Is there any reason to it?
A: I am the youngest in my family. I have an elder brother. I was raised to listen and then talk. Not to talk and then listen. Meaning that, I was taught by my mother to be an observer and a listener. Because my hyung is the first son in my father’s side of family line in 30 years, he was the center of attention, while I enjoy being by his side – to be a good friend for him in an oppressed situation, to always be there for my mother and my father when they need me… even if I do not do good as their son. That’s why I am quiet most of the time. I tend to listen rather than do the talking.

By this, Key said to us, “If he is loud…. he is toooo loud,” which aroused laughter in the room and having Minho chuckled, looking slightly blushed. The interview session went about for another 30 minutes. Bu this time, Minho looked very comfortable, and was able to talk more freely.

Q: What’s the name of SHINee’s fan club? What do your fans mean to you?
A: [smiled widely before continuing] It’s SHINee World or SHAWOL in short. Where I am today, where we are today… It would be impossible without the love and support by our fans, we went to see SM Youtube page sometimes and were very, very surprised to see the warm, encouraging comments left by the fans on our videos. I hope I’ll be able to understand English more. I want to be able to understand what they were saying. We worked on this new album for 9 months… having sleepless nights of choosing songs.. writing lyrics.. singing rehearsals… recording songs… dancing training.. discussing the concept etc.. all for our fans. We are glad that we finally get to do what we love most which is to entertain.

Q: Any last words to your fans?
A: Thousand of apologies on my bended knees to our beloved fans because I cannot perform on the stage with other members. We just finished recording our MV and just waited for the comeback stage when that accident happened. My ruptured muscle would take a very long time to recuperate but as for now I am taking the medicine which enables me to resume my stage performance in the near future. I am still in pain but will endure it for the fans. Please forgive me for my recklessness. SHINee World is our world. Our world revolves around them. We appreciate your love very much. If I could bow to each and very one of you, I would. ‘Thank you very much’ would not be sufficient enough but please know in your heart that we really appreciate all of you. And for that, I THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU.

As the session wrapped up, we came to realize that these shining boys are very special. Minho is such a good conversationalist. We would never expect that from him. He is very humble and down-to-earth.. when he went out of the room, the rest of the 4 boys waited restlessly for him to come back. Taemin selected food from each tray and put them on a plate. “This is for Minho hyung,” he said. Key kept bothering him at the side, “Minho doesn’t eat this one. Let’s take more Kimbap rolls for him. He loves that.”

SHINee won’t be SHINee without Choi Min Ho. SHINee won’t be SHINee without Key, Onew, Jonghyun and Taemin. They complete each other up.

Credits: shineee.net and asianfanatics

Ken Zhu and Kelly Lin called it quits

They say love can conquer all. But in Ken Zhu and Kelly Lin's case, their love was not enough to overcome their differences.

The rumoured couple is said to have broken up after five years, citing personality differences. According to reports, the pair has split up and Kelly has moved out from their home. Close associates of the couple revealed that their personality differences were the cause of the break-up. While Kelly is cool-headed and reserved, Ken is panicky and easily irritated. This difference in attitude led to many quarrels - even over trivial matters such as watching television. Even though Kelly was said to be hopeful that their love can overcome all at the beginning, the pair eventually gave up after a five-year run, deciding on an amicable split.

The couple met in 2005 when working on a movie and their relationship was kept under wraps until the two were caught wearing couple outfits at their home in 2007. The lovebirds were even reported to have registered their marriage in Taiwan last year.

When both were quizzed about the split, neither one confirmed the news. Kelly, who is currently busy with filming in Xi An, China, only replied that Ken and her were "only friends" before hanging up on the phone.

Ken was in Hangzhou, China when reporters asked him if he has broken up with Kelly. He first asked if they had asked Kelly, and the reporters replied in the positive. Ken said, "Then it's whatever she told you."

Even as reporters probe, Ken repeated the same line, saying that it is "whatever she said."

credits: cpopaccess

Raj and 5 others picked to promote Miss ‘U’

Miss Philippines Maria Venus Raj has joined five pageant contestants handpicked by US billionaire Donald Trump to promote this year’s Miss Universe contest.

Raj, who completed the two-day pre-pageant activities in Los Angeles, California, earned another feather on her cap when she emerged as the top choice in two categories – “People’s Choice” and “Miss Universe top 15 hot picks” – among the 83 delegates now heading for Las Vegas, Nevada, for the finals on August 23. The five other candidates picked by Trump were Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell, Miss Colombia Natalia Navarro, Miss Haiti Sarodj Berin, Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete, and Miss Puerto Rico Mariana Vicente.

They were accompanied by 2009 Miss Universe Stefania Fernandez.

During the two-day kick-off ceremonies, Raj and the other candidates appeared in CNN Entertainment, Access Total Live, KTLA, Reuters TV, and KNBC. They also did photo shoots, apart from phone interviews by radio stations and Paparush. After the pre-pageant programs, Raj and her fellow candidates headed for Las Vegas. Among the early arrivals in Las Vegas’ were delegates from Puerto Rico, Thailand, South Korea, Ireland, Botswana, and Tanzania.

This developed as Raj continued to be the most popular candidate of the 2010 Miss Universe beauty contest when she topped three online popularity surveys. Raj topped the online popularity survey, sponsored by the Miss Universe Organization. The 14 others who made it to the Top 15 list are candidates from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Guatemala, Russia, Canada, Haiti, Puerto Rico, France, Sweden, and Ireland.

She also topped this week’s popularity survey sponsored by missosology, a popular website for beauty pageants.

Aside from Raj, the 14 others who figured prominently in the survey were contestants from the USA, Venezuela, Russia, Ireland, New Zealand, Albania, Slovak Republic, France, Colombia, Croatia, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Paraguay, and Denmark.

Another popularity survey dubbed “People’s Choice,’’ also sponsored by missosology, showed Raj on top of the list. As of yesterday, others who made the ranking are candidates from Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico, Georgia, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and South Korea.

credits: manila bulletin

JoKwon thinks he's really dating Ga-In?

During a recent recording of Happy Birthday, Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga-In revealed that Jo Kwon might think they’re actually dating.

She started out by talking about marriage, “I think because I’ve been a part of a fake marriage, dating seems childish. Marriage feels like real love.”

She added, “I’m not good at expressing myself so I’m always sorry to Jo Kwon. So when I drink a little, I always call Jo Kwon and talk to him with aegyo. Whenever I do that, I have a feeling he thinks we’re really dating.”

She continued, “My real ideal type is someone I can lean on like a father but because I’m part of this fake marriage, I’ve been leaning a lot on Jo Kwon. I don’t think the age difference matters.”

It seems like she’s slowly opening up to him. And blah, she's only two years older, no big deal.^.~

Check out their sweet pictures together. (not obvious I'm a BIG fan, kekeke!)

news source: allkpop