Chae Rim to appear in Chinese remake of "All About Eve"

Korean actress Chae Rim [Sidus HQ]

Korean actress Chae Rim will be making a special appearance in a Chinese remake of her hit TV series "All About Eve," according to her agency Sidus HQ on Thursday.

Sidus HQ announced in a press release that the actress will be playing a beautiful and accomplished anchorwoman in the Chinese adaptation of "Eve," a former girlfriend of a male character set to be played by Korean actor Jang Hyuk. The role had not existed in the original Korean drama.

"I was so happy to hear about a remake because 'All About Eve' is one of the dramas that I cherish," the 31-year-old actress was quoted as saying. "So I am incredibly glad and happy to appear in it. I think this drama means more to me and feels special because it is based on a Korean drama and stars a Korean actor."

The original version, which starred Chae Rim and top Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, was a smash hit when it aired in Korea a decade ago.

For the Chinese remake, Jang Hyuk will play the role of a producer of a broadcasting company who helps those around him while Chinese actress Dan Zhu and Cheryl Yang will be two news reporters who fight for the top position in the company.

Director Mai Da Jie, who will helm the Chinese series, highly praised the Korean actress, saying "She is like a diamond -- she looks adorable and innocent on the outside but has strong, powerful acting skills. I think that is the secret to her huge popularity in Korea and China."

Chae Rim, whose full name is Park Chae-rim, has appeared in more than a dozen television dramas since she debuted in the early 1990s. Some of her best-known works include "KAIST" (SBS, 1999), "All About Eve" (MBC, 2000), "Oh! Pil Seung, Bong Soon Young" (KBS2, 2004) and most recently "Oh! My Lady" (SBS, 2010).

The Chinese adaptation of "All About Eve" is scheduled to air on China's Zhejiang Satellite TV starting September.

Reporter : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

T.O.P says visits amusement parks wearing masks

Korean singer and actor T.O.P at a showcase for film "Into Fire" [Asia Economic Daily]

Korean singer and actor Choi Seung-hyun, better known as T.O.P from idol group Big Bang, has said that he sometimes visits amusement parks with his bandmates wearing masks.

Speaking at a showcase for film "Into Fire," held Monday at Seoul's Lotte World Garden Stage, the pop idol remarked, "When I feel stifled, I come [to amusement parks] to have a good time without people knowing. People don't recognize me because I wear a mask when I come."

Actor Kim Seung-woo, who also stars in the film, described the young star as "a very serious person who, unlike young people these days, is not calculative."

Director Lee Jae-han had only praises for Choi and his acting as well, saying that he was "surprised to see a scene where Seung-hyun cries so hard that his nose is running while watching a fellow soldier die."

When asked who can hold his alcohol the best amongst the film's cast members, Hallyu star Kwon Sang-woo pointed to T.O.P and answered, "He is the best drinker. He wouldn't let me go to sleep saying he wanted to hear more about my stories."

"It was so fun staying in Hapcheon [where they shot the film] with these older guys and listening to their stories," T.O.P said in response. "It was really great to listen to their advice and learn from them."

Choi, 22, debuted in 2007 as the rapper of five-member band Big Bang which quickly became one of the hottest idol groups and considered a huge cultural icon for youngsters in Korea.

He also crossed over to acting, appearing in the comics-based TV series "I Am Sam" (KBS2, 2007) and playing an assassin in last year's smash hit "IRIS" alongside top Korean actors Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-hee.

"Into Fire," which opens in Korea on June 17, is a war pic based on the true story of 71 student soldiers who fought during the Korean War.

Reporter : Park So-yoen muse@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Lee Hyori for Ceci

source: omonatheydidnt

Rain to fly into LA next week for MTV awards

Asia’s most celebrated star Rain will fly off to Los Angeles next week to attend this year's MTV Movie Awards, according to his agency on Friday.

An official at J. Tune Entertainment said Rain will depart from Korea on June 3 to attend the 2010 MTV Movie Awards for which he has received an invitation from MTV's headquarters.

The singer and actor has been named one of the five nominees in the "Biggest Badass Star" category for his role as a ninja in Hollywood flick "Ninja Assassin" last year alongside Hollywood blue-chips Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Chris Pine and Sam Worthington.

Nominees were selected by fans who cast online votes on MTV's website to choose their favorite 'badass' actor out of 22 potential nominees.

Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, has released six studio albums to date and has held several tours throughout Asia and in the U.S. including a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden.

The singer also ventured into acting, starring in several hit television dramas including "Sang Doo! Let's Go To School" (KBS, 2003), "Full House" (KBS, 2004) and later making his big screen debut in Park Chan-wook's surrealist comedy pic "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK."

He made his Hollywood debut in 2008 through the Wachowski Brothers' action flick "Speed Racer." The Korean star reportedly made such a great impression on the famous sibling duo that they offered him the lead role in last year's martial arts flick "Ninja Assassin."

Reporter : Cho Bum-ja anju1015@
Intern Reporter : Yoon-hyung Kim
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
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Actress Song, unchanging beauty

Song Hye-kyo, 28, Korea’s top actress, has been praised highly by Hong Kong entertainment media, Oriental Daily News. She is acting in China for new movie ‘Il Dae Jong Sa(Legend of Yip Man).

“Song Hye-kyo is eager to learn Chinese language and martial arts at the hotel even during her brief break. The beauty actress was also spotted buying DVD on acting,” the daily said.

The daily reported why director Wong Karwai regards Song as his ‘new favorite actress.’
Especially, noteworthy is her body in “perfect shape.” Oriental Daily reported that the Korean star has worked out every day to keep her body in shape. She is gorgeous even without using cosmetics.

Song has also been praised for being studious for her acting during the shooting .

source: koreatimes.co.kr

Ku Hye-sun Breaks Free from Acting

"When I was an actress, many walls restricted me," says Ku Hye-sun. "I had to refrain from any actions that did not match the image of the character I was playing, and there was so much pressure not to break the mysterious image that an actress should have. But when I started directing, those walls came down and I became a much more positive person."

Ku tells the story of her inner self as an actress and a director in her new film "Magic."

"When I was shooting the film, I was very nervous, but now that it's done, I am much more calm and excited in a good way," she says. Ku has proven to be a versatile artist, who has published a novel with her own illustrations, composed songs, and produced films. It is an unusual path for a well-known actress, who would be justified in sticking to her established path.

"Many artists don't just do one thing. They get inspiration by doing other things, and express that inspired artistic imagination in various ways. In fact, there were so many things I wanted to do even as a child so I never could choose just one," she says.

What is so attractive about being a director? "Directors can make everything move in the way they want it to, but they also carry a great responsibility. Actresses face so many restrictions because they need to guard their image. My nature doesn't work that way, so I was under intense stress," she confesses.

Instead, she turned to music and art, and then she started seeing more possibilities and better scenarios came to her. "Directing was such a positive experience as I could reflect on the arrogance I had as an actress," she says.

source: Chosun Ilbo

Hyun Bin to release single album in Japan

Korean actor Hyun Bin will release a single album in Japan, according to his agency AM Entertainment on Wednesday.

"The actor will be releasing a single album in Japan for his fans," a representative from AM explained, stressing that it "does not mean the start of a singing career."

The rep went on to say the album features two songs that were written specifically for Hyun Bin, which he had already performed in the country during his fan meeting on April 29.

She added that a date has yet to be set for the release of the album.

On the same day, Hyun Bin will unveil his video pictorial that was shot in Hawaii to promote his new film tentatively titled "Late Autumn," also starring Chinese actress Wei Tang, which recently wrapped up filming in the U.S.

Hyun Bin, whose real name is Kim Tae-pyung, made his debut in 2003 in the KBS drama "Body Guard" and rose to fame for his role in the hit series "My Name Is Kim Sam-soon" alongside actress Kim Suna.

He starred in other dramas including "The World That They Live In" and "Friend, Our Legend."

Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
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Big Bang's T.O.P for Bazaar Magazine

source: omonatheydidnt
credits: shinhdeplol@soompi

Lee Teuk says Super Junior will do its best with 10 members

Lee Teuk, leader of Korean idol group Super Junior, has said the group will do its best to promote its latest album although making a comeback with only 10 of its original 13 members.

The singer made the remark during an interview with Asia Economic Daily on Friday ahead of staging their comeback performance on KBS' weekly music show "Music Bank", referring to members Kang-in, Kibum and Hangeng taking a break from the group.

Kang-in is planning to enter the army to fulfill his mandatory two-year military service, Kibum is focusing on his acting career and Hangeng is currently embroiled in a legal battle with SM.

"Many people asked if we are starting to lose our light or if we would no longer be showing a variety of performances which was our strength," the singer said. "But we will try to put those worries to sleep through our activities...... The team is getting along better than ever."

He added that Kang-in decided to take a break from his career and go to the military both for himself and for the team. He stressed that the other members were not against Kang-in in continuing his career after he got caught drunk driving last October.

Lee appeared confident about the new album, saying that they had received about 200,000 advanced orders for the record, compared to 150,000 orders they had gotten for the group's previous chart-topping album "Sorry, Sorry."

Super Junior -- composed of members Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum and Kyuhyun -- debuted in December 2005 with their first studio album titled "SuperJunior05 (TWINS)".

They became a K-pop phenomenon across Asia, thanks to the success of their subsequent albums "Don't Don" (2007) and "Sorry, Sorry" (2009), and held two sold-out concert tours in 2008 and 2009 titled "The 1st Asia Tour - Super Show" and "Super Show 2".

Their latest single "BONAMANA", the title track from the fourth record, has been sweeping various K-pop music charts since it was released on May 10.

Reporter : Park Kun-ouc kun1112@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Kim Hyun-joong gets into car accident, ok for comeback

SS501 leader Kim Hyun-joong was involved in a car accident last week but he has suffered minor injuries, allowing his group to make their comeback to the local music scene as planned next month, according to their agency on Tuesday.

An official with DSP Media told Asia Economic Daily over the phone that Kim had gotten into the accident on Wednesday when a car he was riding in with an acquaintance collided into another car, leaving the singer with bruises and abrasions which would take two weeks to heal.

The official added however, "Kim's current condition will not affect his group's comeback set for early June," although he is taking caution in rehearsing the choreography for their new song.

Accordingly, SS501 will not perform a dance number at the upcoming annual "Dream Concert" on Saturday but "Let Me Be The One," a ballad from the boys' new album and "Just One Day" from their previous album.

SS501 is one of South Korea's most popular bands who debuted in 2005 and have been active in Korea as well as several countries in Asia, releasing numerous albums both as a group and also pursuing individual careers in acting and appearing on variety shows.

Kim, 23, made his debut on the small screen in 2009 smash-hit drama "Boys Over Flowers" which also starred Lee Min-ho and Ku Hye-sun. He is said to be in talks to appear in "Athena," the spin-off of famed TV series "IRIS."

Reporter : Park Kun-ouc kun1112@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
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Shin Se Kyung for Vogue Girl

Korea's Younger Sister To Sing Duet With Korea's Younger Brother

Many of Korean celebrities are given little nicknames by the press and public. For example, MC Yoo Jae-seok is considered the nation's (Korea's) MC and actress Moon Geun-young as the nation's kid sister. The same nickname for Moon was given to the international figure skating champion, Kim Yuna. How appropriate because the ice princess will be making her debut as a singer by teaming up with "the nation's younger brother" Lee Seung-gi for a duet.?This isn't the first time the two are coming together as the nation's "siblings" also teamed up for an ad campaign for a Korean bank.

The two will be remaking a song from Lee's third album titled "Smile Boy", set to be released on May 24th. Despite Kim's venture into the singing realm, fans shouldn't expect more projects like this in the near future...as of yet. There hasn't yet been any further talk of the Olympic superstar releasing her own album or advancing further into the music industry.

source: KBS Global

Song Seung-heon to star in Asian version of "Ghost"

Hallyu star Song Seung-heon [Storm S Company]

Hallyu star Song Seung-heon will be making his big screen debut in Japan through an Asian remake of U.S. hit film "Ghost," according to the actor's agency on Wednesday.

An official at Storm S Company said in a phone call with Asia Economic Daily that the Korean actor has been cast as the male lead which had been taken on by the late Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze in the legendary 1990 movie.

The official added that the actor is "leaving for Japan next month" to shoot the pic, which will be released in the country this fall.

In the remake, to be directed by noted filmmaker Otani Taro, Japanese actress Matsushima Nanako will reprise the role originally played by Demi Moore, playing the live-in girlfriend of Song's character who gets murdered by his best friend.

Song, 33, rose to stardom after appearing in the popular sitcom "Three Guys and Three Girls" (MBC, 1996) and has since starred in many television dramas and films including the smash hits "Autumn Tale" (KBS2, 2000), "Summer Scent" (KBS2, 2003) and "East of Eden" (MBC, 2008).

The heartthrob actor will be making a comeback to the small screen in Korea later this year as he recently signed on to star in the new TV series "My Princess" opposite top Korean actress Kim Tae-hee.

He is currently in shooting for a film tentatively titled "The Invincible," a Korean remake of the Hong Kong classic "A Better Tomorrow."

Reporter : Lim Hye-seon lhsro@
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
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Japanese Writer: ‘Young Woong Jaejoong Will Become Successful Actor’

A Japanese drama writer praised Korean actor Young Woong Jaejoong, who is now acting in the Japanese TV drama "I Can't Be Honest."

According to a person at Image Factory, which is an importer of the movie “Halfway,” Kitagawa Eriko, who is a writer for the drama “I Can’t Be Honest,” sent a letter to the film company saying, “I strongly believe that Young Woong Jaejoong will establish his foundation as an actor by appearing in the drama ‘I Can’t Be Honest.’”

Kitagawa is a famous writer as she has written successful dramas including “I Can’t Be Honest” and “One Million Stars Falling from the Sky,” and she also debuted as a movie director with “Halfway,” which was released in Korea last month.

Kitagawa continued to say in the letter, “Jaejoong is transcending national boundaries by acting in the Japanese drama 'I Can’t Be Honest.' I am enjoying working with him.”

The drama “I Can’t Be Honest” began airing from April 15 on Fuji TV and it portrays stories of love and friendship between a man and a woman who became friends through Twitter. Young Woong Jaejoong is playing a Korean man who works at a medical instrument company in Tokyo and he appears in the drama together with star Japanese actors including Ueno Juri, Nagayama Eita, and Tamayama Tetsuji.

The Movie “Halfway,” which was released on April 29 in Korea, tells stories of teenagers utilizing beautiful scenes and the director, Iwai Shunji--who made “Love Letter”--produced the movie.

source: KBS Global

Yoon Eun Hye for Joinus, summer collection 2010

source: allkpop

Wondergirls Comeback

As the five-member group Wondergirls are preparing for their comeback with a new album this month, they're also planning a special event for their fans all over the world. JYP Entertainment announced on May 6th that they will be accepting video entries for this special fan event until May 22nd. Well, the question is: video entries of what?!

Video clips of small groups of fans (about 3-5 people) gathering for the Wondergirls' CD release launching event on the 16th that will be streaming live on Ustream. Or it can even be of fans gathering for live web chat sessions! Fans can use digital cameras, camcorders, their cellphones... all to catch clips of fans coming together to support Wondergirls. Each group should also submit the name of their representative member, contact information, country/city, email, etc. The winning group will receive Wondergirls memorabilia, a signed copy of their CD, polaroid pictures of the girls, signed photos, among other things.

JYP said that this event was planned to bring the girls closer with all of their fans regardless of age, gender, or nationality.

source: KBS Global

Rain says "Lim Soo-jung is my ideal woman"

Korean entertainer Rain appears on talk show "Steel Heart" [SBS]

Korean entertainer Rain has revealed that actress Lim Soo-jung is his ideal type of woman.

The 27-year-old singer and actor made the remark while appearing as a guest on popular SBS talk show "Steel Heart" which aired on April 4.

On the show, Rain was offered to take part in a segment called "Surprise Ideal Woman World Cup," selecting Lim as his ideal woman among many female celebrities including Shin Min-ah, Song Hye-kyo and Han Ye-seul, his co-stars from dramas and films he has appeared in so far.

Rain even asked out Lim, his co-star from the 2006 film "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK," on a date in a video message saying, "Let's have dinner sometime."

When asked by hosts Kang Ho-dong and Lee Seung-gi if he has any time to date, the singer answered, "I have done everything that I need to in private. I gotta do what I gotta do."

Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, has become one of the most successful Korean stars in the entertainment business since first starting out as a trainee and back-up dancer at agency JYP Entertainment.

He has released six studio albums to date and performed numerous concert tours throughout Asia and in the U.S. including a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden.

The singer carried his popularity and artistic talents over to acting, appearing in several hit TV series such as "Sang Doo! Let's Go To School" (KBS, 2003) and "Full House" (KBS, 2004) and making his big screen debut in Park Chan-wook's surrealist comedy pic "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK."

In 2008, he made an impressive crossover to Hollywood with a supporting role in "Speed Racer", which led to his star turn last year in martial arts flick "Ninja Assassin" by the Wachowski Brothers.

Rain is currently promoting his latest album "Back To The Basic" in Korea.

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Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@
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Actor Lee Min-ho : Most Popular Korean Celebrity On Facebook

Actor Lee Min-ho, currently starring in the drama "Personal Taste", but best known for his role as Goo Joon-pyo in the drama "Boys Over Flowers", is drawing attention for his fan base on the popular social networking site, Facebook. As of May 5th, he currently has over 544,420 fans worldwide that are subscribed to his official Facebook account. This is a new record for any Korean star! Although this may not sound like a big deal when compared to some of the big Hollywood stars, it's still quite a notable amount. To put things into perspective, US actor Leonardo Dicaprio has about 296,831 fans while Korean group Wondergirls has about 241,294 fans to their name.

When broken down, his Facebook fans are made up of 25% Americans, 3% Koreans, and the remaining 72% of fans from 16 southeast Asian countries (including Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia) plus Canada and France. Though there are obviously some language barriers, due to fans being able to translate any information or updates from Lee in real time, this has not slowed down the Lee Min-ho fever.

Lee's representative voiced that the response from fans to Lee to connecting with them through the site have been great. Also, keeping in mind that Koreans aren't as active on Facebook compared to people from other countries, Lee's reps said that they hope time would change that, thus only increasing his fan base.

source: KBS Global

Lee Joon-ki Starts His Military Training

It was a sad for fans of actor Lee Joon-ki, as he had to answer to the call of his country through serving his mandatory military sentence. Lee showed up on May 3rd, at 1 PM in South Chungcheong province to start his training period. Lee, who is 28 years old, had 500 fans show up to support him.

Fans of the star from the hit film "The King and the Clown" came from all over including Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Hong Kong. Lee was so moved by the love and support that reports indicated he appeared to be teary-eyed.

Lee expressed his gratitude towards his fans and said that though it felt strange to have to say good-bye, that he'd do his best during his sentence. He talked about the project that he was signed on for until recently (due to his military sentence). He said that though he was sad about not being able to participate on it, he didn't want to push off his mandatory service any longer. He apologized to his fans for pulling out of the movie and assured them that he would return with an even greater project. He continued on to say that as a Korean male, this was something he had to do. When asked if he was planning on entering the separate military sector designated for celebrities, he replied that he didn't know and that it wasn't up to him. He added that to make up for his late entry, he would serve his term even that much harder.

Lee had also participated in a photo shoot the day before before he cut his hair short for military duty. He said it was for his fans to see him one last time with longer hair.

The military training that starts May 3rd will last for five weeks before he receives his assignment. Lee Jun-ki fans will have to look forward to February of 2012 which is when he is set to be discharged.

source: KBS Global

Jang Dong-gun, Ko So-young in Star-Studded Wedding

Korea's starriest couple finally tied knot on Sunday. Actor Jang Dong-gun and actress Ko So-young, both 38, got married in the Dynasty Hall in Hotel Shilla in central Seoul at 5 p.m. in front of some 600 guests.

At a press conference in the afternoon before the wedding, Jang appeared in a black tuxedo by Tom Ford and Ko, who is three months pregnant, was dressed in white Oscar de la Renta wedding dress.

"We were grateful for the interest from fans, although there were times when the pressure was getting too much," Jang said. "But at least for today, we are very grateful. People say you get really nervous when you walk down the isle, and the whole wedding experience starts to sink in. We went to the hospital a few days ago, and the baby is healthy. We don't know yet whether it will be a boy or a girl, but personally, I hope it is a girl resembling So-young." Ko said, "I feel great today. We'll have a great life together."

The wedding itself was private, and some 70 bodyguards were on duty at the wedding hall. World-renowned florist Jeff Leatham was flown to Korea to oversee the arrangements, and Hotel Shilla senior vice president Lee Boo-jin, who is friends with Ko, directed the overall flower decoration. Former culture minister Lee O-young officiated at the wedding. Jang met the respected scholar through his son, Lee Sang-moo, who directed Jang's latest film "The Warrior's Way." Actor Park Joong-hoon hosted the event with singer Shin Seung-hoon singing the congratulatory song.

The couple spent the night at the hotel and set off on a five-day honeymoon in Bali, Indonesia. They will live in a villa in Heukseok-dong, Seoul.

source: Chosun Ilbo