Richard Poon dating Maricar Reyes

Currently the envy of many men is big band crooner Richard Poon who has proudly divulged being in a blissful romantic relationship with actress-model Maricar Reyes. Poon made the big reveal himself in a recent interview on KrisTV detailing, though rather vaguely, the date they became official.

"Just last July. I think July 1st," Richard stammered. Upon prodding of show host Kris Aquino, the singer went on to say that he just might seriously consider marrying Maricar in the near future.The singer  promised to always try and make Reyes happy. "I'm a man myself. I have my own shortcomings and all, but I will try my best, everything that I can do for her," he said.

Richard and Maricar first met in 2009 while doing the music video for his single You And I. At the time Maricar was embroiled in a big scandal relating  to the release of several amateur sex videos that purportedly involved her and Hayden Kho, Jr. Richard, on the other hand, was then parrying malicious insinuations relating to his sexual orientation following his curious declaration on the now defunct talk show Entertainment Live! that he'd rather be linked to Sam Milby than Valerie Concepcion. A year later, Poon announced his intention of courting Reyes.

Asked what prompted him to reveal his pursuit on her, he told PEP, "There's nothing to hide." But he was non-committal when asked if she approves of him publicizing his ardent pursuit of her. "I think we've discussed it once or twice. I respect her for every decision she has. If she chooses to be silent, then, for me, if she's that important to me, I'd give her that space she needs. But if ever one day she shocks all of you by saying something about me, wow, I'll be the happiest man."

More than her good looks, Richard said he is drawn to Maricar's innate kindness. “She's a good person if you really get to know her," said he.

 

Angel Locsin misses drama series

Beauty, heart and brains. That must be why this gorgeous lady just keeps blooming every year. Blessings are pouring in on actress Angel Locsin with the many film projects given to her. The actress, however, wishes to be back in doing teleseryes (tv series).

Her last project was a back-to-back team-up with John Lloyd Cruz in the teleserye Imortal and in the film Unofficially Yours. This year, she was given two movies to work on – One More Try, a film that will join the Manila Film Fest this December and a horror-comedy film that co-stars Vhong Navarro.

According to the actress however, the aspired teleserye won’t arrive this year. “There are plans but it won’t be this year. Most likely next year,” said Angel. “I really enjoy doing films, but since I’m a breadwinner, I want to be able to save up,” she added.

Despite this, the actress is positive that next year is the best time for a teleserye because it would be difficult for her to manage it with her upcoming films.

Kim Ji Won reveals going on a blind date with Minho

The cast of the new teen drama To The Beautiful You appeared on the latest episode of variety talk show Strong Heart. During the show, actress Kim Ji Won revealed that she had once gone on a blind date with no other than co-star Minho of SHINee.

The pretty actress shared, “I’ve been on a blind date with Minho before. A director I knew told me, ‘There’s a good guy I know. I’ll introduce you to him,’ and called Minho over.”

In addition, Minho said, “The director at the time kept telling me how pretty and how much of a catch Kim Ji Won is,” raising curiosity about the stars’ first meeting. Then, the charismatic idol said, “Since we are in the same drama, oppa (I) will take good care of you”, and ended with a hug.

Jealous, Shawols? Fans commented, “They look good together but I don't want them together in the drama”, “Why do I feel like this is to promote the drama? But if they dated, I guess it didn't work out? How awkward”, “Makes me wonder how many times these stars have been match made”, “She's seriously lucky”, etc.

T-ara's possible comeback in September; releases apology letter to fans

Many have been talking about the possible comeback of T-ARA in September. Just recently, Music Bank officials have announced that T-ARA’s comeback has been confirmed for their program. However, after holding a phone interview with a KBS official, they think otherwise. The official commented, “We have not heard anything about T-ARA making a comeback on September 9. We are looking at the possible performers for that week’s performance but it is not confirmed that they will be performing.”

A Mnet official commented, “We still haven’t chosen the artists for this week. It will have to be around next Wednesday for the official schedule to be released.”

With the rumors about T-ARA’s sudden comeback, many internet users, fans and officials are showing interest. Many believe it's still so sudden that they are coming back without a formal apology. There have been many posts on internet community boards about people’s thoughts on this situation. However, even through all this chaos, T-ARA choosing to come back is a big ordeal. The agency will be having the group's comeback with their new song, Sexy Love, which was originally supposed to be released on August 15.

Moreover, with this controversy still going on, the group members released an official handwritten apology letter understanding their foolish behavior and that they are in deep reflection on their actions. This letter was released just one day after Hwayoung had written on her twitter about this crisis.

T-ARA posted this official apology letter on their official homepage with a post that started with, “We are writing this letter after much thought. This past month felt even longer than the time it took for us to train and debut and receive love from our fans. First, we truly apologize to everyone we disappointed. We admit that it was a very foolish thing to bring out our personal disagreements between members into the public. We are deeply reflecting upon our actions.”

“We truly apologize for our rash behaviors. If we were a bit more mature about the situation and tried to understand each other more, this situation might not have happened. The thought of this puts us through so much pain. We are truly sad that through these minor disagreements we have forgotten that all of us have worked hard together towards the same goal. With this incident, it seems that our good memories have been buried by our quick judgments.”

“Hwayoung must have gone through so much pain throughout this whole crisis. We are so sad that because of this incident that we can no longer be together. We hope that there will be no more incidents where Hwayoung gets hurt.”

Lastly, T-ARA apologized to the public and their fans once again, “We are again truly sorry for letting our fans down. This incident has been a huge life lesson to us. We have now realized that we are responsible for our actions and that it could reflect a bad image to our younger fans as well. We truly ask for forgiveness from our parents, our loving fans and to everyone that we have disappointed. We will work hard in order for everyone to forgive us. We are truly sorry. We also hope that everyone will support and love Hwayoung as well. We will always be supporting her.”

VIXX reveals practice video for Rock Your Body

A new addition to my KPop craze, VIXX. With the immense sprouting of boy groups happening in the Korean entertainment industry this year, the competition to outshine the others just keeps getting harder and harder. But I personally believe that if VIXX continues with this kind of image and song choices, they might pretty much make it. Check out their practice video below.

Video: RealVIXX

Skarf reveals practice video for Oh! Dance

New Korean group Skarf, who debuted this month, has been gaining praises and attention these days due to their Singaporean and Korean members. Recently, the group revealed a practice video for their debut single Oh Dance. The lovely girls showed their cute charm as they danced to the cute choreography of this feel-good song. Check it out below.

Video: alphaentkorea

Eunjung requested to return to Five Fingers

The Korean Broadcast Performer Labor Union (KBPLU) had requested SBS for T-Ara Eunjung’s return to SBS drama Five Fingers.

The KBPLU revealed through the press today, “This is beyond personal problems of Eunjung; it carries the importance of the truth behind the power of casting. The contract written still evidently exists, and one cannot simply ignore it as you ‘swallow it if it’s sweet and spit it out if it’s bitter’. They are abusing their casting power and ignoring the contract.”

They continued, “SBS is acting as if the cause of the incidents were from Eunjung, and are trying to hide the fact that they unfairly destroyed the contract.”

They also said, “There was also a sly inducement in the broadcasting company to lead to PPL (indirect advertising). SBS and the staff asked Eunjung to wear the sponsored items in the drama, but Eunjung denied the request. The staff of the drama and SBS was blinded by the income of the drama, which is why this problem was caused. Choi Young Hoon PD is the center of all of these problems.”

The KBPLU requested that SBS and the staff must sincerely apologize to EunJung and that Choi Young Hoon PD leaves as a violation of contract, and put Eunjung back on her role.

Jonghyun holds photoshop contest with Minho's photo

SHINee’s explosive vocals Jonghyun, who openly states how jealous he is of fellow member Minho’s good looks, took some time to make fun of his dongsaeng with the help of his Twitter followers. Jonghyun tweeted, “Thank you to everyone at Xports News for providing this valuable material. The1st ‘Goodbye, Choi Minho! I mean Kang Taejun!’ photoshop contest is open. I’ll pick one person who creates something funny with this picture and give him a small present”, and attached a photo of Minho pretending to high jump.

He posted again, “It doesn’t seem right to create a competition to make fun of Minho with one picture. After much thought, I will be accepting any entries related to laughing at and teasing Minho. Let’s not use news pictures though. Reuploading is not allowed shiver shiver shiver. I’m kinda scared.”

Few hours later, Jonghyun began uploading hilarious edited photos of Minho submitted by his fans. He then concluded the barrage of photos with a good-looking screen cap of his fellow member and wrote, “Don’t get me wrong, Minho is good looking. Even if you do a random capture he’s like this. I’m jealous.”

Hwayoung still concerned about T-Ara

Girl group T-ara has recently been surrounded by a bullying scandal, as speculations ran rampant that one member, Ryu Hwayoung, was bullied by her group mates. After keeping her silence for nearly a month, Hwayoung tweeted in response to the controversy and the way the situation has been unfolding.

The former member confirmed on Twitter that there was, in fact, a dispute between the members and herself over differences of opinion, but also expressed that she wants to move on. She further wrote she did not feel good reading that fellow member Eunjung's dismissal from the drama Five Fingers. She also said her heart broke when she read made-up stories and exaggerated media claims that exacerbated the situation.

Because of her fond memories with the other members, Hwayoung expressed she wishes to forget the past and wants all the girls to be able to wish each other luck on future endeavors. She ended by apologizing to fans for worrying about them.

When the scandal first broke, T-ara's agency Core Entertainments refuted the bullying claims. However, the aftermath of the scandal left the girl group in a critical situation. Soyeon, Hyomin  and Jiyeon faced their own share of hate reactions from their respective acting careers and just recently, Eunjung, who was scheduled to lead in the upcoming drama Five Fingers, was asked to leave after fans called for her to step down from the role.

Lee Hyun Woo cursed for touching Sulli

Rising actor Lee Hyun Woo has been gaining a lot of love due to his comedic role in the new teen drama To The Beautiful You. But the young actor also shared about the hate calls he received just after filming the first episode of the series.

During a press conference, he stated, “During the first episode, there was a scene where I had to touch Sulli’s chest. It was so embarrassing to film. After that episode was released, I received a lot of phone calls from friends cursing me for doing it.”

In the episode, Hyun Woo touches Sulli’s chest and gave her some encouragement without knowing that she’s only disguising as a boy.

Victoria gets ready for debut drama

F(x) leader Victoria will take on a dramatic role in her native country China alongside label mate Zhoumi of Super Junior M and Fahrenheit’s Calvin. Zhoumi is set to play the role of an heir in a wealthy family. Victoria is the love interest who forms a triangle relationship with him and lead actor Calvin.

The drama, titled When Love Walked In, was recently promoted at a press event in Hubei Sheng in China. Victoria and Zhou sang a duet, Marry Me Today, while Calvin entertained with a solo act. The 30-part drama was shot early this year and is being dubbed a “contemporary Cinderella story.” It had also begun airing in China.

Victoria had starred in various variety shows in Korea, her most prominent stint being on the mock reality show We Got Married last year, in which she was paired up with fellow foreigner, K-pop artist Nichkhun from 2PM. This drama is the 25-year-old K-pop star’s first serious acting role.

UEE's little revelation; dances to "Blow"

After School’s UEE recently revealed that she was once asked out by a male celebrity. On August 25th, UEE appeared as a special MC on Quiz To Change The World and during the show, she was asked when was the last time a celebrity asked her out.

The sexy singer answered, “It was when I was filming the drama Ojakgyo Brothers”, surprising everyone on the set. As others suspected if it was Ojakgyo Brothers co-star Joo Won, UEE said, “No, it’s not Joo Won. That person wasn’t a cast in the drama. I think he confessed to me because he liked watching me on the show.”

Meanwhile, UEE also performed Ke$ha's Blow on the show, making the other guests go crazy over her sexy dance. Check out her performance below.

Skarf's professionalism revealed

New girl group Skark, made up of Korean and Singaporean members, made their debut on M!Countdown recently with Oh Dance and showed professionalism that gained much compliments from fans and netizens alike. The girls started their performance well when the music suddenly stopped, leaving them in awe. From the looks of it, they were shocked at first but still managed to go on with smiles on their pretty faces. 

Fans commented, "The professionalism surprised me", "Awkward moment and they dealt with it well", "They've got potential, the choreography just doesn't do justice", "The performance was worth watching, though", etc.

SHINee and Sandara's new Etude CF

Cute! Watch the video below and I bet you'll finish it with a smile on your face.

CL volunteers at children's center

Singer Sean revealed that 2NE1‘s fierce leader CL did some volunteering at a children’s center before heading out to the United States for the group’s tour. The veteran singer tweeted on the 17th, “Before departing for her concert in America, CL came to visit the children of Holt. She planned on spending an hour with them, but she fell in love with Dojoon and spent three hours feeding the children and playing with them. Both Dojoon and CL had a great time.”

He later added, “Dojoon, do you know that the girl kissing you right now is CL noona of 2NE1? Here’s to hoping that our little angels at Holt Children’s Services join happy families.”

2NE1 held their  “2012 New Evolution 1st Global Tour” concert at the Prudential Center in New Jersey last 17th and they will travel to California on August 23 KST for their official ‘Facebook Live’ at the site’s headquarters along with another performance at the Nokia Theater on August 24th.

Foreign student gets a call from Sunggyu

On the August 18th ‘homestay’ special of Invincible Youth 2, the cast members and a special guest danced Gangnam Style. A foreign student named Shelbi, who is staying in South Korea for a study-abroad program, joined MCs Lee Young Ja, Kim Shin Young, and Boom as well as the G5 members for the episode.

Shelbi, who was revealed to be a big fan of K-pop, showed off the choreography to SISTAR‘s Alone, miss A‘s Touch, and even Psy‘s Gangnam Style, causing the rest of the cast to join in on the dance break. When they found out the foreign fan was a big fan of INFINITE‘s Sunggyu, Boom let her have a phone call with him as a special present for her.

Check out the foreign student’s phone call with INFINITE‘s Sunggyu below.

After the episode, netizens commented “Perfect fangirl reaction”, “she's the luckiest Inspirit to have ever existed. I mean, she got to have dinner with the boys, they remember her name, they recognize her, and even a solo shot with Gyu,” “I want a phone call too”, etc. I say, LUCKY INSPIRIT indeed!

Lee Min Jung and Lee Byung Hun comfirmed!

Another star couple has been born! Lee Min Jung‘s agency recently made an official statement revealing that their actress and Lee Byung Hun have confirmed their relationship as a couple. Since earlier this year, there were rumors floating around about the two celebrities and their relationship, however both sides denied the assertions. It is being said that Lee Byung Hun and Lee Min Jung developed their relationship in secrecy, however with rumors being blown up to the two getting married, the couple has decided to confirm the news!

Min Jung stated, “I denied the news in April because at the time I neither was ready for the public to know nor prepared for the aftermath of the news getting out. Most of all, because my parents and my agency both were unaware of the situation, I had no choice but to be even more careful. I made my mind that I wanted to come out and honestly reveal the news to everyone after I became more confident in my judgment and everything became more stable. I decided that it wouldn’t be right to deny the truth any longer so I am revealing my position after much discussion with my seniors.”

“The news about a wedding being held this November is false. And of course it’s not true that I went to a hanbok fitting either. The two of us are not at all prepared for a wedding and nothing has been set. It’s still a pretty sensitive issue, but the both of us are taking our relationship seriously and if later on some good news were to come about, you all will be the first to know. I had a lot of worries as a woman, an actress and a daughter, but I’m trying to be courageous. I’m hoping to grow happy with everyone’s support.”

Byung Hun revealed his side stating, “I’m writing to all of you with just a few weeks left till I leave Korea for the rest of 2012. I’ve found someone I want to be with. And because I believe it’s my duty to let all of our fans know first I decided to post these words. Having known her for a long while now, I came to think she has the ability to brighten the people around her with her heart. However, it was inevitable that the two of us were taken aback when rumors started spreading just as we were beginning our relationship", revealing the reason as to why the two denied the rumors.

The actor concluded stating, “Now, she has become the person who is most important to me. And I want to continue this relationship in a serious manner.”

Congrats to the happy couple!

Super Junior cheers for Kimbum

Super Junior members showed their love and support to fellow member Kim Kibum. The inactive member is currently starring on tv drama I Love Lee Taeri. CJ E&M Drama’s official Youtube account uploaded a video showing Super Junior Shindong, Ryeowook and Eunhyuk giving a supportive message to Kibum.

In the drama, Kim Kibum is taking on the role of Geum Eun Dong, a middle school student who suddenly finds himself a man in his 30’s and a secretary of Lee Taeri (played by Park Ye Jin). Check out the video below.

Fans commented “Kibum, do you see this? Your hyungs love you”, “Ryeowook spoke for us all”, “There is nothing more beautiful than this. Best video of the day”, etc.

BoA performs with EXO-K's Sehun

Following her dance collaboration with various SM Entertainment artists like Eunhyuk of Super Junior, Taemin of SHINee and Yunho of TVXQ for her latest track Only One, KPop queen BoA made fans drool in envy once again as she recently performed with another dancing partner, junior labelmate Sehun from rookie group EXO.

It was a big honor for EXO's dance specialist to perform with BoA as he stated in a previous interview that he admires her greatly. Check out the performance below.

Netizens commented " This performance is epic", "Cute. He can't look directly at his senior's eyes", "SHINee's Jonghyun next?", "I died while watching. This is Sehun's time to shine," "Luhan must be proud", etc.

Rainie and Ariel's friendly kiss

Taiwanese singer-actress Rainie Yang shared a kiss with good friend Ariel Lin at the Next Magazine Entertainment Awards, and they even did it twice, leading to surprised cheers from the audience.

At the ceremony held on Wednesday night, Ariel was the presenter for the Top 10 Most Popular Celebrity award. As Rainie received her award from the her, the two long-time friends then reenacted the kiss, leading to cheers from the audience. Rainie later expressed that she had "initially wanted to hug Ariel but she's full of spikes [Ariel's outfit]."

Ariel then let on that "we even used the same lip gloss." The pretty actress, who recently admitted that she is dating, blushed and refused to answer when asked how different it was to kiss a girl compared to smooching with a guy.

Dasom in tears during a live performance

Youngest member Dasom of girl group SISTAR shed a few tears on a recent broadcast, and fans have become curious as to why. A representative from SISTAR’s agency Starship Entertainment related through a phone conversation on August 14th, “The vehicle transporting a number of SISTAR’s staff members hit a guard rail on the road and got into an accident. They were driving cautiously, however, the vehicle slipped in the rain.”

At the time, the members of SISTAR were in a different vehicle, but the members personally witnessed the accident and were extremely shocked. Afterwards, the girls drew attention as they were not their usual bubbly selves at the Grand Korean Festival Welcoming the 2012 London Olympics Athletes.

The rep continued, “Because Dasom is young, this was hard for her to witness, and Soyu as well is still in a lot of shock. As of now, the staff members have a lot of bruising, and they will receive a thorough checkup at the hospital.”

Fans commented “Poor baby was traumatized”, “More accidents caused by slippery roads, oh my”, “I'm proud of them for performing professionally even amidst this”, etc.

G.Na and Yubin reunited

Yubin of the famous group Wonder Girls and soloist G.Na had a good time together as they met on a radio show. On the 15th of August, G.Na updated her twitter account and shared, "Haven't seen Yubin in a long time!! Picture time!! Love u girl! ♥" with the photo above. Yubin as a special DJ for the radio show Younha's Starry Night.

The gorgeous long-time friends are seen showing the V-Signs and goofing around with their wacky pose. As you may already know, they were supposed to debut before as part of a girl group named Five Girls but unfortunately disbanded due to insufficiency of funds and other stuff. Along with them supposedly were Secret's Hyosung, SPICA's Jiwon and After School's Uee.

Netizens commented, "They need to call Uee, Hyosung and Jiwon", "It would be nice to see the five of them together", "They look really close", etc.

Angel and Phil: Couple With A Cause

Angel Locsin and Philippine Azkals player Phil Younghusband are not only bound by their love for one another, but by a common passion in helping other people as well.

Angel has been in the front line of relief operations whenever a disaster strikes the country such as when typhoon Ondoy hit Manila in 2009 and when the Visayas area was struck by typhoon Sendong just last year. Last week though, when a strong monsoon left the better part of Manila submerged in flood, Angel didn’t have to help the typhoon-struck victims alone because she was not only assisted by her celebrity friends Kris Aquino and Iza Calzado, but her sweetheart Phil also graciously lent a hand as well. Photos of their charity work during the relief operations have spread online.

Angel explained with a smile, “He didn’t have any other choice but to pack relief goods, too.” According to her, Phil was very willing to help when they went to the affected areas. “He was personally talking with the victims. He has that innate compassion to people.”

Did the gesture intensify her feelings for him? The beautiful actress didn’t even bat an eyelash and responded with a smile, “It’s leveling up (my feelings for him).”

Meanwhile, the Azkals heartthrob said “I want to be there. I’m really sad about what happened to them [flood victims] and I want to help them with the simple things I’ve done.” But that doesn’t mean that his girlfriend’s expression of love would go unnoticed as he said, “I’m very happy and I’m very lucky to have someone like Angel to be in love with me."

Recall that although they were seen several times together the past year, the two only made their relationship official to the public last May 27.

Source

Joey G won't leave Side A

Despite his solo album, Stand, hitting the the top of iTunes Philippines chart, Joey Generoso has no plans of abandoning his long time group Side A. "No way," Joey shared. "I owe the band a big deal. They're a big part of who I am today."

The singer admitted that he asked for his band mates' blessings before embarking on his new musical journey. "It's not like I was actually expecting them to say no. They're very happy for me. We have freedom. We allow pursuits individually," he explained.

Joey also said the chance to record a solo album after 25 years of working in a group setting was a welcome surprise. "It’s like an 'Oops moment.' I’ve been in the industry for so long and I never thought I’d be surprised like this when the offer came. I'm just really happy."

He further said having Stand makes him feel like a kid again. "It reminds me of the time when I was young, doing solo gigs. It’s exciting how I’m like starting over. I’m all alone again, it’s challenging."

Source

T-Ara's Hyomin cries at a press conference

As everybody tuned in to KPop world may already know, girl group T-Ara has been facing some difficult situations the past few days due to former member Hwayoung’s sudden departure and contract termination, not to mention the bullying issues. Leader Soyeon was the first member to face the media after the controversy and just recently, Hyomin did the same thing as she attended the press conference of fantasy sitcom The thousandth Man which she stars in. However, she shed a few tears answering a question about her group and Hwayoung.

The singer, along with her co-stars Kang Ye Won, Lee Chun Hee, Jun Mi Sun, INFINITE‘s Woohyun, as well as PDs Kang Chul Woo and Choi Hwa Jin, attended the press conference that took place on August 14th at the MBC Dream Center in Ilsan. Producers of the drama requested reporters in advance to only ask questions regarding the drama. However, reporters brought up T-ara’s recent controversy, asking, “The public is interested, so please give an explanation behind the bullying controversy involving Hwayoung.”

Hyomin bravely responded, “First of all, I’m very happy to be here. All of the actors and staff members of ‘The Thousandth Man’ worked hard and their efforts have come to fruition, so I hope the questions will only be related to the drama,” ending her statement with tears in her eyes.

Fans commented “Anyone taking pleasure in T-ara's misery is no better than a bully”, “BIGGEST TURN ON: DETERMINATION”, “These reporters are so irritating. Leave the girl alone”, etc.

CSJH's Stephanie to make a solo debut

Following fellow CSJH members Dana and Sunday who made a comeback as a duo just last year, another member Stephanie will soon be making her comeback as a solo artist after being away for five long years.

Stephanie has signed a contract with Media Line Entertainment. A representative from the agency revealed, “Stephanie is currently busy with choreography practice and recordings. Her comeback song will most likely be a dance track.”

In 2007, Stephanie suffered from back injury during her promotions in Japan. After being away for nearly five years, the singer has recovered completely and is ready to make her return. Officials explained, “She is having her rehearsals without any problems. She will be able to meet her fans with a healthy image soon.”

Stephanie’s first solo album will be co-produced by Media Line Entertainment and SM Entertainment as her contract with SM has not completely expired yet. The two agencies are still in discussions on how to release the album.

Singaporean duo debuts in K-group Skarf

Touting a group name with references made to its members' home countries, SKARF (S for Singapore, K for Korea), is the newest girl group to be introduced to the Korean music scene. The Alpha Entertainment K-girl group hopes to dominate Asia with their happy and warm tunes while making music that can be 'worn' comfortably by people from all walks of life, hence the name "scarf".

With a fresh and young concept, SKARF's Korean members, Jenny and Sol, and Singaporean members, Tasha (Natasha Low) and Ferlyn (Wong), collaborated with famous composer Eco Bridge, talented singer Jung Yeob and production team Honeydew'o for their first music single and debut track Oh! Dance, dubbed as an emotional dance track which aims to bring out the different sides of them. A 15-second teaser video released online showed the girls, dressed in pristine white outfits as they saunter through a dreamy enchanted garden setup decorated with flora and fauna.

To get ready for the group's debut in Korea, the four sprightly girls recently visited Singapore to film their reality TV programme, Oh! My Skarf. Apart from displaying their vivacious and cheeky personalities, the members also visited local sights such as Universal Studios Singapore and Bugis Street as they tried local food such as durian and checked out stores hawking K-Pop merchandises. Their trip to Singapore was given an extra special touch as the girls were also given a slight taste of acting when they landed a cameo role in upcoming year-end Ch8 drama series, It Takes Two.

The group's debut single will be released on August 14, with music promotions set to follow.

To The Beautiful You trailer revealed

SBS finally revealed a video teaser of the upcoming drama To The Beautiful You featuring SM Entertainment stars Minho of SHINee and Sulli of f(x). Much to the fans delight, the teaser is 9-minute long and shows quiet a lot of scenes from these promising young stars.

Based on a Japanese manga, the drama is about Goo Jae Hee (Sulli), an extreme fan girl of champion high-jumper Kang Tae Joon (Minho), who tries to make a comeback from a career-threatening injury. To help revive his career, Jae Hee impersonates a guy to be able to attend Tae Joon’s all boys high school. The first episode will air on the 15th (KST). Check out the video below.

YT: withsosiz9dot5

Nelly Furtado's Pinoy connection

International singing sensation Nelly Furtado has never been to the Philippines and counts her August 16 concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as her first time to perform in the country. “It’s my first trip [to the Philippines] and I’m very, very, very excited,” she states.

Like The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan before her—who, during his recent monsoon-whipped visit here, said he grew up around a lot of Filipinos in Chicago—and even Lady Gaga way before who had also revealed having a Filipino best friend, the Canadian singer-songwriter already has some form of affinity with her would-be audience on Thursday when she plays here in Manila with New York rap/rock band Gym Class Heroes.

Nelly rose to fame with the hit single I’m Like A Bird and, in 2007, continued to be a force of music worldwide with her album Loose that spawned her other hits Promiscuous, Maneater and Say It Right. She notes that her Asian concerts are “leading up to the release” of her latest album, The Spirit Indestructible, that will drop in September, which she will promote in Europe and in North America and possibly supported by a 2013 world tour.  It is Furtado’s first English language release in six years.

During a phone conversation with Bulletin Entertainment, she casually says, “I love Filipino food. My favorite is the puto.” After naming pansit and lumpia as familiar Filipino fare, she reveals, “My daughter is quarter-Filipino, her grandma is Filipino.” When asked if she hopes to work with Filipino artists in the future, she responds, “I would like to, they are amazing. I love Bruno Mars.”

For now, though, her Filipino fans would be given a chance to finally see her perform here. “My show is really fun and I interact with the audience quite a lot,” she promises, also nothing she would be playing the hits that people would be expecting to hear. Nelly Furtado and Gym Class Heroes: Live in Manila is set for August 16, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Singer Fu Li killed by her courier

The woman who was molested and killed at her Beijing home in late July for buying too many things off the Internet, turned out to be professional singer Fu Li today. According to a report on Sina.com.cn, Beijing police stated that the victim had a habit of shopping online, which made her regular courier, 29-year-old Zhang Kunpeng, believe she was a wealthy woman, an assumption that made him set out to rob her.

On the evening of July 30, he lied to the victim that he had a delivery for her and made her open the door. As soon as he realized she was home alone, he continued to rape and kill her. The victim was identified as singer Fu Li, according to latest news. She once even collaborated with music icon Jay Chou 's long-time lyricist Vincent Fong on a song entitled Cloudlet and Breeze.

"I was shocked to hear Ms. Fu was killed on August 1," said Han Xudan, former manager of Fu Li, "I was completely in denial. I immediately called a friend who resides in that same community and he confirmed the news."

"I was so sad to hear the horrible news," Wang Jian, a musician who was also a personal friend of Fu's, "She was like a sister to me, I called her on July 29 to schedule a dinner date and then, all of sudden, she was gone!"

Murder suspect Zhang Kunpeng managed to flee Beijing later that night, but he was arrested on a train soon after. The tragic case is still under investigation.

What does INFINITE have to say to one another?

As previously reported, fast-rising idol group INFINITE had just started INFINITE CONCERT:That Summer and the first showcase was accounted successful. During the concert, the charming boys did several segments to the delight of many fans, and two of those that pleased the audience were the truth and the rolling paper games.

Some moments during the truth game are written below.
Hoya to  L: Is is true that you think you're the best looking?

L: Yes (burst out laughing)

Sungjong to Sunggyu: Give three reasons why you don’t like our CEO.
Sunggyu: He nags a lot and I don’t like that he’s timid.
Woohyun: I’m thankful to him for creating me.
Sungyeol to Sunggyu: You honestly know that you didn’t come into this group because of your looks. (embarrassed) I’m sorry, hyung, there’s someone making me ask this.

Sunggyu: If you ask it seriously like that, then I’ll feel bad. I think that there’s an impact in my looks.

The brotherly friendship in the idol group, Infinite, where there is no one who is treated as an outcast, brought out warm smiles during the rolling paper session where the members were asked to write honest thoughts to the other members.

L’s rolling paper:

“Don’t rush your choices”

“Please gain some modesty about your face”

Dongwoo:

“It’s scary because you open your eyes while sleeping”

“Let’s read a lot of books”

“You’re really kind and nice, but I can’t communicate with you”

Sungyeol:

“I like that you’re honest. However, when you’re too honest, you bring out anger. Watch out for backstabbing”

Woohyun:

“If you keep throwing hearts, there won’t be anything to do later on”

Hoya:

“Although you’re good at dancing and manly, you’re a bit timid”

“Please train your thoughts rather than your body”

“Don’t keep your worries to yourself and tell us them”

Sungjong: (the mischievous remarks from his hyungs)

“I sincerely congratulate you on becoming an adult”

“There was a time that I secretly wore your underwear”

Sunggyu:

“Please flush after using the toilet” making the concert hall chatty. However, Sunggyu sent out touched feelings by writing, “Although this is the age where you have a lot of worries, you’re going to get old if you worry about them on your own. Let’s all do it together.”

There was also an knowledge test about them with L receiving the members’ questions and answering them. Sunggyu said he has small eyes, Dongwoo said his lips are big, Woohyun said his girlfriend left him because his signs of affection were too much, Sungyeol worries about his elementary school image, and Hoya showed gags by using ‘Reply 1997’.

INFINITE's successful summer concert

Idol group Infinite properly showed what an ‘idol’ is. The rising group successfully opened INFINITE CONCERT: That Summer on the 9th. Just like a Hallyu idol would, the entire performance hall was filled with fans that came from various places like Japan, China, and America.

Fitting the concept of That Summer, Infinite’s performance began with fresh and cheerful stages. Continuing on, Infinite’s unique angled choreography and luxury charisma displayed the highlight of the performance, and performances dedicated to the fans were shown as well. To this, there were warm backgrounds that were created with electronic lighting, a small gift shop set, and a live band session, all which were used well. Sunggyu and Woohyun’s singing abilities, which have been known through Immortal Song, were quite true and Hoya, who is currently enthusiastic as the cute Kang Junhee on Reply 1997, displayed potential as ‘all-around idol’ in rapping, singing, and dancing. Dongwoo, who showed differences in his dancing and rapping, L, who showed his rapid growth in vocals and his electric guitar skills, Sungyeol, who satisfactorily showed his practiced drum skills, and with Sungjong’s keyboard playing skills, Infinite’s personal charms captured the fans.

Continuing on from the heated mood that Infinite Band created, 1/3 was performed and made the concert hall into a club mood. Infinite’s unique strength, ‘angled group choreography’, was also shown in their shuffle dancing. The following songs, Hysterie and BTD, were enough to receive the compliment of ‘as expected of angled group choreography idols’.

Meanwhile, Infinite continuously cutely requested, “Please stay in order” because they were worried about accidents that may happen in the standing area. All of the members showed their modesty of bowing 90 degrees and said, “Thank you for giving up your golden time to us.”

The boys filled up the stadium and performed for 2 hours with full energy and charisma. We wouldn’t be embarrassed to put INFINITE anywhere in the world.

DKPOPNEWS

Soyeon talks about her tv drama and Hwayoung

 

T-Ara's leader Soyeon recently participated in an interview with Chosun Ilbo amidst the controversy surrounding her group lately. The brace girl talked about her role in Haendae Lovers and about former member Hwayoung that made her burst into tears. Check out the video below.

You’re filming your drama in the middle of a huge controversy.

A: If I hadn’t taken part in ‘Haeundae Lovers’, it would have been much harder. The directors (Song Hyun Wook, Park Jin Wook) always encouraged me, and that was a relief. My ‘father’ in the drama,Lee Jae Yong sunbaenim, as well as others also told me to be strong.

HaHa sends a stern warning to his sauna paparazzi

Comedian HaHa, who recently made a comeback with reggae artist Skull, recently expressed his anger over a recent incident at the sauna.

He recently tweeted, “Hey kid. Are you happy that you took a video of me naked at the sauna? Do you know that I know where you are staying? It may get hard for your parents, so take care of it and erase it... Imagining you and your friends laughing while watching the video is infuriating.”

He added, “I guess you know that you did something wrong? You ran really fast… Even though I’m just a weak celebrity, this is something I can’t let go. Don’t make things get any bigger, kid… Don’t ever do this again.”

Netizens commented, “Seeing him address the person as a kid means he’s probably a student“, “I bet Haha was shocked, a naked video“, and, “Even though seeing a celebrity was probably exciting, this isn’t right”.

2ne1 and Wonder Girls likely to break into the US

2NE1 and Wonder Girls have recently been voted as the top two girl groups with biggest potential to break into US and become contenders for US new pop princesses.

From July 27th to August 9th, Internet Education Group SevenEduM organized a poll to vote for the Korean girl group with the most potential to make it in the States. At the end, 49% voted for 2NE1 and behind was Wonder Girls receiving 13%.

Poll representative Cha Gil Young shared, “Will.I.Am, who will be producing 2NE1′s US debut album, visited Korea this past May and stopped  by YG. He sat down with CEO Yang Hyun Suk, YG’s main producer Teddy, as well the 2NE1 members to discuss their debut. 2NE1 will also be holding their global tour NEW EVOLUTION and performing in New Jersey, LA, and more. So for a number of reasons, 2NE1 looks as though they can successfully break into the US market and I think that is why they were selected as #1.”

He added, “Wonder Girls are also garnering more attention after the release of their new single Like Money, and they are receiving a lot of spotlight in the US media due to their history.”

Meanwhile, trailing behind the Wonder Girls were T-ara, Girls’ Generation, SISTAR, f(x), Miss A, KARA, After School, and 4minute.

Arien Lin finds her new love

Ariel Lin has a new man in her life. The gorgeous actress admitted in a recent interview that she is indeed in a relationship, shortly after photos of her walking hand-in-hand with a mystery man in California surfaced.

The 29-year-old star described her new boyfriend, whom she said is an ordinary office worker, as a good man. She added that they have been acquainted for over a decade, but only recently developed feelings for one another.

Is marriage on the cards? "It is enough that we know the answer," she said.

In related news, the star also shared that on September, she will fly to England for an interview and if passed, she will suspend work for one year and study acting there.

Fans commented “Ahh good for her, I have a good feeling about this one! Unlike all the other celebrity couples we've been hearing about”, “I'm truly happy for her finding a good guy, she deserves happiness and good things happening to her! JY to her academic pursuits as well”, “I hope she is very very happy”, “She seems to know what she wants and I admire her desire to learning & improve herself”.

HanGeng's personal life exposed

Photographs of former Super Junior member HanGeng on a late night date recently surfaced, reigniting rumours that the singer is dating actress Jiang Kai Tong on the sly. The two have been romantically linked as far back as February this year when reports of the two going on a vacation in the Maldives surfaced, which both have denied.

This time, the lovebirds reportedly went for a meal in a hotpot restaurant in Beijing and left together to their condominium. At the condo, Han Geng got out of the car first and coaxed Kai Tong to get out of the car before the two took the same elevator up. An insider once claimed that the two have been dating for the past six months and that Kai Tong has even met his parents. They are said to be keeping their relationship under wraps as advised by their respective managers.

When their managers were approached about the matter, Han Geng's manager expressed that it was inconvenient for him to comment on his artiste's personal life, while Kai Tong's manager claimed to have no knowledge of the situation and declined to elaborate.

Asian Fanatics