Jang Keun-suk Voted Asia's Most Talked-About Star

Actor Jang Keun-suk won two prizes at the 2010 Yahoo! Asia Buzz Awards, held last Friday in Hong Kong. Based on the number of searches for his name on Internet portal Yahoo in Asian countries including Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia between Nov. 8 and Dec. 1, Jang was named both Asia's and Korea's Buzz Star.

"It's a big surprise that so many people give me love and attention, even from countries where I haven’t appeared much, and I'm very grateful," said Jang. "These awards are meaningful to me, and come with a responsibility, because fans in four countries in Asia chose me as the winner."

On behalf of the actor, who is busy for "Marry Me, Mary," now airing on KBS 2TV, Yahoo! Korea attended the ceremony and delivered the trophy to him.

Jang's fame seems poised to continue to grow as his dramas "You Are Beautiful," "Beethoven Virus" and others are scheduled to be aired throughout Asia next year.

source: Chosun Ilbo

Song Hye-kyo Ranked Among 100 Most Beautiful Face

Actress Song Hye-kyo was ranked 18th on a list of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces by U.S. film website Independent Critics. Song is the first Korean woman to make it on the annual list in its 21-year history.

The website picks its favorite celebrities based strictly on their face, and predicted that Song may jump higher on the list next year. "We look forward to seeing her in next year's Top 10," it said.

Song ranked higher than many global celebrities including Monica Belluci and Scarlett Johansson who came in at 25th and 42nd, and Jessica Alba and Megan Fox at 53rd and 64th.

First place went to U.S. model and actress Camilla Belle, while Emma Watson, star of the "Harry Potter" movies, was runner-up.

source: Chosun Ilbo

[MV] This Christmas - JYP Nation

Jang Dong-gun Hopes to Impress U.S Moviegoers in Hollywood Debut

Jang Dong-gun (right) with Kate Bosworth

Jang Dong-gun's Hollywood debut "The Warrior's Way" is set to hit the theaters at home and abroad next week. The 39-year-old actor discussed his feelings about the film after a preview in Seoul on Monday.

"It was my third time acting in a foreign language following '2009 Lost Memories (2001)' in Japanese and 'The Promise (2006)' in Chinese," said Jang, who performed in English in the film. "But the language wasn't as big a challenge for me as proving myself to U.S. moviegoers to whom I'm just an unknown actor."

"The Warrior's Way" is a Korea-U.S. joint venture produced by Lee Joo-ick, who also made "A Battle of Wits (2006)" and "Late Autumn (2010)," and Barrie Osborne, a Hollywood producer famous for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

It also stars Kate Bosworth, who played Superman's lover in "Superman Returns (2006)," and Geoffrey Rush from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

In the mixture of Hollywood Western and Asian martial arts film, Jang plays Yang, a warrior assassin who seeks to live an ordinary life in the U.S. Wild West, but is forced to take up his sword again in order to protect his lover. It opens in Korea on Dec. 2 and in the U.S. the following day.

source: Chosun Ilbo

Lee Byung Hun to Appear in Japanese Drama

Star actor Lee Byung Hun (40) will appear as a special guest actor in the Japanese drama “Diplomat Kuroda Kosaku,” in which Japanese star actor Yuji Oda, who became popular through the drama “Odoru Daisousasen.”

Lee Byung Hun’s agency, BH Entertainment, said on November 25, “The drama ‘Diplomat Kuroda Kosaku’ will begin airing from January next year on Fuji TV. Lee will appear in a Japanese drama for the first time, and his appearance was decided by Fuji TV’s ardent request.” Fuji TV said, “The character that Lee Byung Hun will play is a very important character with strong impact. He holds a key to solving the case, so we had thought that actor Lee Byung Hun, who is actively performing all around the world and who has a strong and predominant image, might be the perfect actor for the character.”

The drama “Diplomat Kuroda Kosaku,” which had already been produced as a movie with the same title and gained huge popularity before, will be about mysterious cases happening to diplomats. Its recreation as a drama has become a hot topic with the appearances of Japanese star actors such as Yuji Oda and Kou Shibasaki, and the drama will add more episodes about the past story of the protagonist Kuroda and his honest emotions as a human being, which the movie could not fully present. Lee Byung Hun will play an old friend of Kuroda who is a Korean-American, and he will speak every line only in English. Lee Byung Hun said, “I have been curious about the drama production process in Japan, and I found out that it was very similar to that of Korean dramas. I had thought that Japanese dramas have particularly unusual characters with unique jobs and peculiar personalities, and this drama is no different. This drama is not like an ordinary drama, so I am very excited.”

source: KBS Global

Song Hye Kyo for Harper’s Bazaar

Photos: Harper’s Bazaar

Se7en and Park Han Byul for Singles Magazine

Photo credits to : Singles Magazine

Which celebrity would you like to experience the first snow of this winter season with?

Which celebrity would you like to experience the first snow of this winter season with? Well, the netizens have spoken and according to one survey, the most popular celebrity was actor Kang Dong-won.

The online music site Monkey3 reported the results of a survey that they conducted titled, "Which star do you want to experience the first snowfall of the winter season with". A total of 603 participants answered and Kang took 32% of the votes. Voters said that that they couldn't be happier than if they had the very high-class looking Kang by their side. The popular actor recently started his four week military training on the 18th to start his mandatory military service.

Trailing after him, 19% of the votes went to the ever so popular Shin Mina, 18% for elegant actress Lee Na-young, 15% for Super Star K 2 finalist John Park, 9% for the chiseled-face actor Jang Geun-seok, and 7% for the nation's now grown up darling, Moon Geun-young.

source: KBS Global

Song Hye-gyo's First Foreign Film Project

Song Hye-gyo fans can look forward to November 25th, the confirmed release date of her non-Korean project, "Fetish". "Fetish" is a psychological thriller about a woman with supernatural gifts living in the US.

This is the actress's first project abroad and had already garnered interest as it was featured in the Presentation World Premiere section of the 13th Pusan International Film Festival. It also received invitations from other film festivals, such as the Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany and the San Francisco Asian Film Festival. The movie was also selected to be a part of the Contemporary Asian Fall program at the MoMA in New York.

source: KBS Global

Actor Kim Hyun-joong wins best dresser award in Japan

Actor Kim Hyun-joong at 2010 Skapa! Awards Ceremony in Tokyo, Japan [KEYEAST]

Actor and singer Kim Hyun-joong has won an award for best dresser in Japan, according to his agency KEYEAST on Thursday.

KEYEAST said through a press release that Sky Perfect TV handed Kim the award at the 2010 Skapa Awards held in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Sky Perfect TV, Japan’s largest satellite broadcaster, every year awards the best shows and artists among 10 popular TV genres that cover movie, animation, music, overseas drama, Hallyu (Korean Wave), entertainment show, sports, documentary and news.

Kim has been a popular name in Japan and throughout Asia since starring in smash hit Korean drama “Boys Over Flowers (2009).” His latest series “Naughty Kiss (2010)” will go on air in Japan starting December.

Kim, also a member of boy band SS501, has been invited to the opening ceremony of the 16th Guangzhou Asian Games scheduled for November 12, where he will be singing the theme song for games with his Chinese counterparts.

Reporter : Heidi Kim heidikim@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Jeon Do-hyeon, Lee Hyori, Daniel Henney On CNN

Top stars Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Hyori, and Daniel Henney will be featured on a CNN show called "CNNGo", that features some of the best cities to visit in Asia, introducing Seoul to the world. According to CNN, the Seoul special is set to air from November 11-15.

Jeon Do-hyeon has been the lone Korean actress to have won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes International Film Festival, Lee Hyori is Korea's most representative pop icon, and Daniel Henney has set his foot in the Hollywood door through "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". In addition to the trio who will be each introducing different parts of Seoul, architect Baek Ji-won, photographer Kim Joong-man,"Planet B-Boy" film director Benson Lee will also be featured.

CNN revealed that there will also be a program called "iList" set to air November 6-12, highlighting Korea. One of CNN's main anchors, Anna Coren, will be touching upon various Seoul hot spots while CNN reporters will be showing different ways that Korea is spreading its influence on the world through its technology, environmental, and entertainment industries. Different aspects that are unique to Korea will also be introduced, such as Jeju Island, shipping industry, Korean beef hanwoo, and the Seoul traditional orchestra.

On another CNN program, "Talk Asia", Korean architect Cho Min-seok will be featured.?

CNN added that this is already the third time the broadcasting giant has visited Korea for a special feature. These various programs will be reaching 260 million viewers, informing them of Korea's culture and people.

source: KBS Global

Kim Hyun-joong to Sing at Opening of Asian Games

Kim Hyun-joong, a member of Korean boy band SS501, will perform at the opening ceremony of the Guangzhou Asian Games on Nov. 12.

The organizing committee for the games invited Kim to sing the anthem "Sunshine Again" along with three singers from Chinese-speaking countries, Kim's management agency said.

The opening ceremony is expected to draw some 100,000 spectators and will be broadcast across Asia.

The Games are scheduled to take place in Guangzhou, China from Nov. 12 to 27.

source: Chosun Ilbo

Hyun Bin to enter military by March 2011

Hyun Bin in a scene from upcoming SBS weekend TV series "Secret Garden" [hwa&dam pictures]

Korean actor Hyun Bin will enter the military by March of next year as part of serving his duties for the country which is compulsory of all Korean men.

The news came through a press release on Monday by hwa&dam pictures, the producer of upcoming Hyun Bin starrer weekend series "Secret Garden," quoting a remark made by an official from the actor's agency AM Entertainment.

"He plans on entering the military by next March but we are still discussing on when the exact date will be and how he will go about it," the official said.

Since "Secret Garden" will be the last acting role he takes on for two years that follow thereafter, the 28-year-old is "absorbing himself even more into the drama by showing more enthusiasm," hwa&dam explained.

"Secret Garden," also starring Ha Ji-won and Yoon Sang-hyun, is a romantic comedy fantasy drama which will tell about a man and woman's souls that become switched.

Producer Shin Woo-cheol and scenarist Kim Eun-sook, the mastermind duo behind hit shows "Lovers in Paris" and "On Air" will take the reigns of the 20-part show set to air starting November 13.

Hyun Bin, whose real name is Kim Tae-pyung, rose to fame after starring in smash hit series "My Name is Kim Sam-soon" alongside actress Kim Suna in 2005.

He has been dating top Korean actress Song Hye-kyo, his co-star of KBS series "Worlds Within," since mid-2009.

Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Kara's new album jacket partially revealed

Images from girl band Kara's jacket for mini-album "JUMPING" [DSP Media]

Several photographs from the album jacket of girl group Kara’s upcoming mini-album were revealed today.

Kara’s agency Daesung Entertainment (DSP) said that black-and-white photos of three of five Kara members -- namely Park Gyu-lee, Nicole and Ji-young -- were unveiled to the public on Thursday.

DSP added that photos of the remaining two members Gu Hara and Han Seung-yeon will soon be disclosed as well.

The new album titled “JUMPING,” expected to hit stores of Korea and Japan simultaneously on November 10, will be Kara's first release in Korea in nine months after third mini-album "Lupin" and their second single in Japan after "Mister."

KARA, who debuted in 2007, has produced several hit songs such as "Pretty Girl," “Mister” and “Lupin.”

The group advanced to Japan this August with "Mister," becoming the first Asian girl group to place in the top 10 of the prestigious Oricon's weekly chart by placing at No. 5.

Their DVD “KARA VACATION” topped Oricon’s weekly DVD rankings this September.

Reporter : Heidi Kim heidikim@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Lee Min-ho poses for W Korea Magazine

[Photo Source: W Korea]

Big Bang's DVD reaches No. 1 on Oricon chart

Korean boy band Big Bang [YG Entertainment]

A DVD by Korean boy band Big Bang has reached the No. 1 spot on Japan's prestigious Oricon chart.

According to Oricon's weekly music DVD chart, Big Bang's latest DVD "BIGSHOW BIGBANG LIVE CONCERT 2010" ranked in first, selling about 15,000 copies since going on sale in the country on October 27 and came in second in terms of DVD sales for all categories.

This will be the second time for the boys to celebrate placing on the chart; they topped the chart with their DVD "2009 BIGBANG LIVE CONCERT 'BIG SHOW'" in August of last year.

Meanwhile, the weekly music DVD chart also revealed that the "2009-2010 BIGSHOW MAKING DVD & BOOK SPECIAL REPACKAGE" positioned itself at No. 3.

The five-member group recently held a hand-shaking session at Fukuya Bookstore in Japan for the release of their book "Electric Love Tour."

Known as one of the most popular boy bands in the country for their music and fashion, Big Bang made their debut in 2006 and successfully crossed over to the Japanese pop market last June.

They will take the stage with fellow YG Entertainment labelmates such as 2NE1, Se7en and PSY for the two-day "2010 YG Family Concert" early next month.

Reporter : Cho Bum-ja anju1015@
Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

SHINee Jonghyun and Sin Se-gyeong spotted dating

Boy band SHINee member Jonghyun and actress Sin Se-gyeong [10Asia]

Popular boy band SHINee member Jonghyun and actress Sin Se-gyeong have been spotted dating by a local media outlet.

Local sports daily Sports Seoul on Wednesday carried a report revealing photographs of the two on a date on October 20 along with confirmations by their agencies that they have romantically involved for about a month now.

In the photos, the couple, strolling at a park near Sin's house in the southern Samsungdong district of Seoul, were seen smiling and talking while Jonghyun had his arm around the actress or holding hands.

The paper also quoted sources close to the couple as saying that the two mostly talk over the phone or text message each other since they are often too busy to meet.

Another source said, "They became close quickly because they have similar thoughts and interests. They also both became stars at a young age which I'm sure has also been difficult for them in certain ways so I think they can talk to each other in this sense as well."

The report explained that the two first met at a concert in May for which Sin was one of the emcees and SHINee performed. They met again by chance at a get-together of a mutual acquaintance.

"I think it's been about a month since they've opened their hearts to each other. I think they're in the process of getting to know each other with fond feelings," an official at Sin's agency Namoo Actors was quoted as saying.

Jonghyun's agency SM Entertainment admitted to the relationship as well, explaining, "I think they've just started [dating each other]. I had heard they had met several times through an acquaintance."

Sin, 20, had garnered much attention when she first debuted at the young age of eight as the model of the poster for hit singer Seo Taeji's "Take 5" album.

After spending a few years off the screen, she then returned with a role in movie "My Little Bride" starring Moon Geung-young and Kim Rae-won in 2004, and played several more acting roles, but shot to stardom last year through MBC smash hit sitcom "High Kick 2."

She is currently promoting her film "Acoustic," an omnibus pic also starring boy band 2AM member Seulong and CNBLUE members Lee Jonghyun and Kang Minhyuk.

Jonghyun, also 20, debuted as the lead vocalist of his five-member band in 2008. SHINee is one of the most popular groups not only in Korea but throughout Asia.

They recently enjoyed a successful return to the music scene with their second repackaged album "Hello" and are readying for their first concert to be held in December in both Korea and Japan.

Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

'Best Star Actors in Second Half of 2010 Are Won Bin and Shin Min Ah'

The research institute Leespr announced on October 28 that Lee Seung Ki and Girls Generation, and Won Bin and Shin Min Ah have been surveyed as the most popular female and male singers and actors, respectively, during the second half of 2010.

The institute had conducted a survey from September 25 until 30 targeting 1,324 people from the age of 13 to 65 to ask their about favorite stars during the second half of 2010. Actors Won Bin and Shin Min Ah earned 17.6% and 26.7%, respectively, and became the most popular male and female actors. Among male actors, Jang Dong Gun and Kang Dong Won ranked second and third by gaining 15.6% and 10.1% support. Actress Kim Tae Hee and Kim Hye Soo followed Shin by gaining 13.5% and 8.5% of the votes. For the male singer category, Lee Seung Ki ranked at the top with 14.7% support, defeating Rain (14.4%) and 2PM (12.2%). Among female singers, Girls Generation gained the highest voting of 24.6% and Lee Hyo Ri (14.0%) and 2NE1 (10.3%) followed. In the male comedian category, Yoo Jae Seok gained 38.7% support and beat his rival Kang Ho Dong (23.9%). Lee Soo Keun (21.9%), Kim Byong Man (11.5%) came after them. Female comedian Shin Bong Sun, who gained 38.4% of the votes, ranked in first place, defeating Park Mi Sun (22.2%) and Kim Shin Young (18.6%).

In the category of sports stars, Park Ji Sung and Kim Yuna earned an overwhelming majority. Park Ji Sung gained 45.6% support and overwhelmed other male sports stars such as Park Tae Hwan (12.5%), Park Chan Ho (10.0%), and Lee Cheong Yong (9.9%). Kim Yuna gained 61.9% support and defeated other female stars including Jang Mi Ran (18.9%), Yeo Min Ji (13.2), and Park Se Ri (8.6) by a huge margin. The survey had been conducted as a form of individual interview in the capital area including Seoul and in the major cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Kwangju. For the separate categories, two from the female and male group had answered the survey, and the survey had an accuracy of 95% with a margin of error plus or minus 2.69% in the confidence interval.

source: KBS Global

Lee Min-jung for High Cut

source: www.highcut.co.kr

Kim Tae-hee to expand career into Japan

Korean actress Kim Tae-hee [Asia Economic Daily]

Top Korean actress Kim Tae-hee will be expanding her career overseas.

Kim made the announcement during an interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkan Sports, adding that she will soon launch her activities in the country.

The interview also revealed that she signed a contract with a Japanese entertainment company and hopes to make a debut in Hollywood.

"Right now I am learning Japanese because I want to appear in Japanese dramas and movies," Kim was quoted as saying during the interview.

The actress' popularity in the country rose after the blockbuster hit TV series "IRIS" began its run on local TV channel TBS in April.

The show, which dominated TV charts during its two-month run in Korea, will be honored with the foreign project award at the Tokyo Drama Awards 2010 next week.

Kim, 29, rose to stardom after appearing in the popular SBS drama "Stairway to Heaven" in 2003 alongside Hallyu stars Kwon Sang-woo and Choi Ji-woo.

She has also starred in several movies including "The Restless" with Jung Woo-sung and her latest "Grand Prix."

Reporter: Cho Bum-ja anju1015@
Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Girls Generation to Release Mini Album 'Hoot' on October 27

Star girl group Girls Generation will release a new mini album entitled "Hoot" on October 27. Their agency SM Entertainment said on October 19, "The mini album 'Hoot' is drawing attention not only from fans in Korea but also from fans in Asian countries. As they are planning to release their second single album 'Gee' in Japan, they are expected to be ranked atop both in Korea and Japan."

Members of Girls Generation (from left, Tiffany, Jessica, and Seo Hyun)

Girls Generation is now actively participating in an event held all around Asian countries. After achieving huge success in Korea with their songs such as "Oh!" and "Run Devil Run," they advanced to Japan last August by holding a large-scale showcase with more than 22,000 fans in Japan. Their first single "GENIE," which had been released in September, was selected as a Gold Disk (with 100,000 total sales) by the Japanese Record Association. In addition, they also set the record in terms of attracting the largest number of audience members among foreign singers as they had drawn 24,000 audience members when they held a concert at the Taipei Arena in Taiwan from October 16 to 17.

A spokesperson for the agency said, "This album is produced as part of a surprise gift for fans at home and abroad who have cheered for Girls Generation, which is actively participating in various events at home and abroad. You can find members' photos and listen to part of the title song in the teaser at the website http://girlsgeneration.smtown.com that opened on October 19."

source: KBS Global

G-dragon's Childhood Photos

credits: http://ibigbang.wordpress.com

Twelve Asian Stars to Appear in 'Asia Song Festival'

Star singers including Rain, BoA, 2PM, Lee Seung Chul from Korea, AKB48 from Japan, and Jane Zhang from China will appear in the “Asia Song Festival.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on October 14 that twelve star singers from six Asian countries will appear in the “2010 Asia Song Festival” that will be held at the Seoul Jamsil Olympic Stadium on October 23.

This year’s festival, which is the 7th event, has been entitled “Let’s Go G20 Concert,” and it will be held to commemorate the hosting of the G20 Seoul Summit. This event will be co-hosted by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, Seoul city, and UNICEF, and will be supported by the G20 preparation committee and the Ministry of Culture. Among the Korean singers, the "king of live concerts" Lee Seung Chul, world stars Rain and BoA, ballad group 2AM, and idol groups Kara, 4Minute, and Beast will appear, and singers from other countries such as AKB48 from Japan, Jane Zhang from China, Joe Chang from Taiwan, Bie The Star from Thailand, and Michael Wong from Malaysia will also appear on the stage. As the preliminary event, the showcases of new Asian singers will be presented, and the performances of singers such as “Teen Top,” whom MTV in the US has mentioned as a next generation idol group, star girl group “Rainbow,” female rapper “E.Via,” Kim Yeo Hee, who had appeared in the chorus of “Qualifications of Men,” “Ari Band,” and “Nine Muses” will be showcased.

More detailed information can be found on the official website of the Asian Song Festival. (http://www.asf.or.kr)

source: KBS Global

Who's The Ultimate Autumn Man This Year?

Wonbin can attribute his new title as the ultimate "Autumn Man", to his successful film "Man From Nowhere" which gave him a tougher image that just exudes redemption. Wonbin beat out fellow hearthrobs So Ji-seop and Kim Nam-gil as the man that best matches the season of fall.

A mens hair salon, Blue Club, conducted a survey from October 4-8 among 442 20 to 50 year-olds. The official title was "2010 Fall: The Ultimate Autumn Man and Hairstyle".

33% of participants chose Wonbin, followed by 28% of voters selecting So Ji-seop. Out of those who voted for Wonbin, it was a fair distribution of both men and women. This suggests that after shedding his pretty boy image, Wonbin was able to successfully attract fans of both sexes with his heightened masculinity. Voters for So were mostly male -- 61.8% male to be exact.?

Regarding the second half of the survey, when a pool of male participants were asked what type of hairstyle they wanted to adopt for the fall season was, 33.6% opted for Nickhun's "dandy cut", 22.3% for Lee Seung-gi's "baby perm", and 17.1% for Wonbin's "soft Mohican cut".?

source: KBS Global

Shinee fo GQ Magazine

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