thisIZvall's Area

welcome to vall's area.. here you may find anything about me, myself and my personality.. and many other things i love and enjoy.. ^^
it will be more of INFINITE here, since i love to listen on KPop these days.
i'd say, INFINITEly INSPIRIT here... ^^

XOXO,
Vall! ^^

September 28, 2012

B2ST reveals full PV for Japanese version of “Midnight”

Although B2ST recently concluded their “Beautiful Night” promotions in Korea, the group will be back very soon to promote their third Japanese single, ‘Midnight Sun‘.

‘Midnight Sun’ will be released on October 17th in three first press limited edition versions and a CD only version.

Earlier today the group revealed the full music video/PV for “Midnight“.  Fans are able to get an idea of the groups new styling, which is completely different from the Korean MV.

SHINee’s Key and KARA’s Nicole shown blowing out their birthday candles together

Best friends SHINee‘s Key and KARA‘s Nicole recently celebrated their birthdays together and a friendly snapshot of them at their birthday party has garnered interest.

SHINee shared on their me2day on the 27th, “Nicole & Bum [Key] have a joint birthday party.. It was so much fun. Let’s have a bigger party next time :-). Come join us”, along with a photo.

The photo shows Key, who celebrates his birthday on the 23rd, and Nicole, who celebrates her’s on October 7th, getting ready to blow out their birthday candles together. The two friends are seen happily staring at the cake and clapping their hands in joy.

Fans who saw this commented, “Happy birthday to the both of you guys”, “I wish I had a joint birthday party too”, and “Please invite us next time.” 

Source + image(s): SHINee‘s me2day, TV Daily via Nate

Still cuts of TEEN TOP’s Niel in ‘Do You Know Taekwondo?’ revealed

Yesterday, it was announced that TEEN TOP‘s Niel will start his acting career on KBS’ drama special ‘Do You Know Taekwondo?‘ in October.

Niel will be playing a shy, quiet high school student named Myungsuk who gets bullied and beaten up frequently. ‘Do You Know Taekwondo?’ recently revealed a few still cuts on their official homepage of Niel as Myungsuk, wearing a high school uniform and a Taekwondo uniform.
It was also revealed that while filming, Niel went to visit sunbae actor Choi Min Soo‘s waiting room and accidentally walked in on his senior changing. Niel is reported to have turned red from embarrassment as it was his first encounter with the actor.

‘Do You Know Taekwondo?’ will begin airing on October 7 KST.

Source + Image: The Star, Star News via Naver
 
Tip: S.Lee

A detailed explanation of ‘Chuseok’

It’s that time of the year again where the front page of allkpop gets loaded up with pretty pictures of celebrities in colorful hanboks, in addition to a vast coverage of exciting Chuseok variety specials.

For new K-Pop fans unfamiliar with Korean culture, it can seem like all of the colors just came out of the blue, but Chuseok is actually one of the four major holidays celebrated in Korea. So what are your idols heading home to? Check it out below!
Chuseok is sometimes referred to as the ‘Korean Thanksgiving’, ‘Hangawi‘, ‘Jungchujul‘, or ‘Gabe‘ and is celebrated on the brightest full moon of the year, which occurs on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar, landing somewhere between September to early October on the solar calendar. Unlike Western society, Koreans still use the lunar calendar for important dates, so a lot of their holidays are centered around the moon and its cycle.
For 2012, the day of Chuseok falls on September 30th, and in 2013, the holiday will be celebrated on September 19th. Chuseok is essentially a celebration of a good harvest, as it’s around this time that grains and fruits will be at their ripest and freshest for harvesting.

To celebrate a year of successful farming, families will all pack up and head home to their ancestral hometowns and ‘bon-ga‘ (directly translated to ‘main house’, but it’s usually the home of the oldest or head of the household, e.g., grandparents, parents), where they’ll dress up in traditional clothing, cook delicious food, and pay their respects to their ancestors.
As you’ve probably noticed by now, respect for the elderly is a highly important trait for Koreans. Chuseok isn’t simply just a feast celebration, as there are three major duties that must be completed:
1. ‘bulcho‘: Weeds and such that have grown around the graves of family members all summer long must be picked and discarded.

This is an especially important task for families because Korea (and Asian society in general) places a lot of emphasis on saving face before the public. When one commits a mistake, the first thought isn’t, “Oh no, I am embarrassed,” it’s usually, “What would others think of this mistake?
Graves with weeds still growing around them after the Chuseok holiday will make others assume that they have undutiful children, and is considered an embarrassment for the family.

2. ‘sungmyo‘: Respect must be paid to the grave, often in the form of bowing before it and offering alcohol, fruits, meat, and shikhye.
3. ‘charye‘: An elaborate table setting of food offered to the ancestors at home. There are several meticulous steps to setting this up and doing it properly, like lighting candles before the alcohol is poured in exactly three different cups and bowing twice after it. Each dish also has a specific area of the table it needs to go on.
Once the tasks are completed, it’s time to play. These games are outdated and families will normally gather to just chat and drink after dinner or play go-stop, but they’re still often put on display at public events.

1. ‘kangkangsullae‘: A game specifically for women, where several dozens will gather under the moon and dance in a circle, linking arms.

2. ‘sonori’/'geobuknori‘: Two people will throw on a cape made of hanji (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees) and run around town under the guise of a cow or a turtle, going from house to house, asking for food. The food will often be shared with families who cannot afford Chuseok meals.

Others include wrestling, tug of war, and archery.
If you’ve been keeping up with the Chuseok interviews here on allkpop, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of the stars just can’t wait to make and eat songpyeon.
Songpyeon is one of the representative food items of Chuseok, and it’s made from the newly harvested rice. It’s essentially a small, crescent-shaped rice cake that contains either red beans, chestnuts, jujubes, powdered sesame, or just brown sugar.

When you make the songpyeon, you make a wish as you scoop in the contents and carefully fold it up into a crescent shape so that your wish doesn’t fall out. The elders will often nag to shape them as pretty as possible, as there’s a saying that the prettier you shape your songpyeon, the prettier your future daughter will be.
We hope this helped. Have a happy Chuseok from everyone at allkpop!

SHINee releases short PV for “Dazzling Girl”

After the release of the teaser video earlier this month, SHINee is back with the short PV for “Dazzling Girl“, which has been officially released by EMI Music Japan.

“Dazzling Girl” is described as an electro-pop number with a polished beat and refreshing melody. It represents the start of a romance with a dazzling woman and the emotional intensity one feels when in love.

The single includes two tracks, “Dazzling Girl” and “Run with Me“, and will come in three versions: ‘First Limited Edition A’, ‘First Limited Edition B’, and ‘Normal Edition’. “Dazzling Girl” is slated for release on October 10th.

September 27, 2012

SHINee show their support for sunbaes TVXQ

On the 26th, SHINee‘s Key posted a picture on the group’s official me2day with a message of support to TVXQ.

He wrote, “Tony Testa, who helped out on SHINee’s “Sherlock” and for TVXQ sunbaenim’s comeback, came to see the concert. We shot shot shot shot a photo. I’m looking forward to “Catch Me haha.” He attached a photo of himself, his groupmates Jonghyun and Taemin, TVXQ, and choreographer Tony Testa.

Tony Testa is a famous choreographer who choreographed the “Sherlock” dance and also the “Catch Me” dance. Key has proved his friendship with the choreographer and shown his support for his labelmates at the same time with the photo.

BoA has also tweeted in support for “Catch Me”. The song is currently ranking high on various music charts.

Source: SHINee’s me2day

Teddy Riley praises BTOB’s “WOW” for attempting the New Jack Swing genre

BTOB has earned the praise of producer Teddy Riley, who is widely known for working with the late Michael Jackson, for their bold attempt at incorporating the New Jack Swing genre into their comeback track, “WOW“.

On September 21st, he tweeted out a link to the official “WOW” music video along with the message, “SEE THIS IS WHAT NEW JACK SWING DO TO KPOP …WHOEVER PRODUCED THIS, I HAVE BITE MARKS.” In reply to two fans, he added, “They took the chance on New Jack Swing and I love it. GO BTOB!!!! YOU ARE SCHOLARS!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!”, and “They have strong heart and they’re not afraid to try New Jack. MICHAEL JACKSON IS PROUD!!!!”

Member Peniel took notice of the tweets and immediately tweeted the producer back, thanking him for the praise and asking for an opportunity to work with him. Teddy Riley replied, “Yesir!!!! You guys rock out with the NJS bigtime!!! Lets go I’m ready!!! The party ain’t over!!!”

Teddy Riley is no stranger to the genre, as it was actually created by the producer himself and has played a large role in his works such as with Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” and Bobby Brown‘s “My Prerogative“.


 
Credits: http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/teddy-riley-praises-btobs-wow-for-attempting-the-new-jack-swing-genre

SHINee’s Taemin reveals his affinity for draft beer

SHINee‘s Taemin revealed that he enjoys drinking draft beer.

On September 26th, Taemin, his bandmate Onew, actress Kim Jung Nan and CNBLUE‘s Jonghyun were guests on ‘Radio Star‘. Taemin confessed that he enjoys drinking draft beer with chicken ever since he was able to legally drink. 

When the MCs asked, “I heard you experienced something amazing recently“, Taemin answered, “I drank draft beer at a chicken place. I ate chicken with the beer, and it just kept going in” and admitted that he had fallen to the charms of chicken and beer.

When asked about soju, Taemin answered, “I like drinking soju when it’s raining.” MC Yoon Jong Shin predicted, “In the coming fall, he’s going to be mixing beer and soju together.”

Taemin also revealed, “SHINee’s curfew is at 3AM, so I’m home by myself quite often.” The MCs suggested, “You should install a draft beer machine at home.”

Source & Image: Sports Seoul

Tip: Kamme

Onew states that he can forgive a woman that cheats on him up to 3 times

SHINee‘s Onew recently revealed that his ideal type was actress Lee Na Young and on the September 26th broadcast of MBC‘s ‘Radio Star,’ he also explained the type of behavior he likes and dislikes in girls.

The MC’s asked Onew, “If you had a girlfriend, what wouldn’t you be able to stand?“. The singer responded, “If my girlfriend had aegyo, I would be able to tolerate anything,” surprising the MC’s and the other guests.

Fellow guest, CNBLUE‘s Jonghyun stated, “I can’t allow cheating, I could never forgive someone for that.” While SHINee’s Taemin stated, “I can’t allow someone who has no sense of responsibility. I don’t like women who just use aegyo and ask to let the issue go.” Onew listening to these answers, responded, “Wouldn’t you let it go if she did aegyo? You have to set some limits. I can accept cheating up to 3 times,” surprising everyone once again.
The MC’s made various suggestions to find what kind of women Onew wouldn’t accept. Yoo Seyoon said, “How about a woman who smokes?” Onew replied, “I’d think about it a bit, but I think it’ll be okay.” Yoo Seyoon then said, “How about if she smoke cigars, or a pipe?” Onew said, “I don’t like the pipe,” making everyone laugh. Onew also stated that he didn’t like women who uses profanity.

The episode also featured actress Kim Jung Nan, who is a big fan of Onew.
Source + Image: Star News via Nate + Newsen via Nate

SHINee’s Taemin, Onew and CNBLUE’s Jonghyun reveal their lavish gifts to parents

SHINee‘s Taemin, Onew, and CNBLUE‘s Jonghyun revealed their gifts to their parents on the September 26th episode of MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘.

The MCs asked the three guest panelists if they had done anything special for their parents after becoming idols. Taemin answered, “I bought my parents a car and a house. The car is a foreign car and the house is located in Cheongdam-dong.” Cheongdam-dong is a wealthy ward in Gangnam and has the nickname of “Rodeo Street” for all the high-end upscale stores located there.

Onew answered, “I gave them everything. I gave them all the money I earn. They bought a car, and I’m preparing a house for them.”

CNBLUE’s Jonghyun revealed, “I also bought them a house. I wanted to earn more money so I could buy them a house in Seoul, but they couldn’t leave living near the ocean. I bought them a house in Busan.”

Tip: elise

SHINee’s Onew reveals how he was cast into SM Entertainment by Lee Soo Man

SHINee‘s Onew shared the story on how he signed a contract with SM Entertainment on MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘.

He revealed, “I’m from an academy that’s affiliated to SM Entertainment. I attended the Girls’ Generation showcase as a student, and Lee Soo Man noticed me then. He wanted to hear me during a one time on the spot audition, and I signed the contract the day after I auditioned.

The MCs requested Onew to sing the song that he used to audition and Onew sang Gummy and Wheesung‘s “Do It“. Kim Jung Nan expressed her love for Onew by commenting, “His voice is so nice.

On the show, Onew had revealed gifts he had presented to his parents, as well as the fact that he would allow his girlfriend to cheat up to 3 times.
Image Source: MBC Radio Star

Kyuhyun reveals Leeteuk’s special treatment as a leader, Onew shocked

On MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘, Super Junior‘s Kyuhyun revealed the special treatment leader Leeteuk received.

The panel started talking about being the leader of an idol group because guest Onew is the leader of SHINee. Kyuhyun revealed, “SM’s leaders get special treatment. When we go overseas, he gets a suite. When I go to my hotel room, it feels like I should just put my clothes down and sleep, but Leeteuk’s room is almost 50 pyung (approx 1779 sq. ft).

However, the news seemed to shock Onew, who finally said, “I have to share a room with the manager hyung…

In the episode, Onew shared stories about his gifts to his parents, being recruited into SM Entertainment, and what he would find acceptable in a girlfriend.

SHINee’s Key and KARA’s Nicole celebrate their birthdays together

SHINee‘s Key and KARA‘s Nicole, well-known as good friends, celebrated their birthdays together, as pop artist Nancy Lang shared a new picture on her Twitter account.

Nancy Lang tweeted, “Today is SHINee Key’s birthday party~! Kibum-ah (Key’s real name) happy happy birthday~~ And it’s almost KARA’s Nicole’s birthday soon, so we’re celebrating together! Happy~ ^^ Love you all~~ Ang~~!

In the two pictures, Key and Nicole look very friendly with Nancy Lang and are happily smiling for the camera.

Upon seeing the pictures, netizens commented, “Key and Nicole. I’ve heard they were close and now they’re celebrating their birthdays together,” and “Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Key and Nicole!

INFINITE’s L discusses his ambitions as an actor

INFINITE‘s L is hard at work filming for new MBC sitcom ‘What Is Mom‘ and has acted in the past in other dramas like tvN‘s ‘Shut Up Flower Boy Band.’
On September 26th, the cast of ‘What Is Mom’ attended a press conference, where L discussed his ambitions as an actor.

In ‘What Is Mom,’ L plays Myungsoo, an awkward boy who focuses more on his studies than his social life. It was revealed that there will be a loveline between him and his childhood friend, Ji Hae, played be Suh I An.

L stated, “I’ve shown everyone L as a singer, but through this opportunity I want to do well as a sitcom actor.”

INFINITE is already gaining much attention through Woohyun in ‘The Thousandth Man‘ and Hoya in ‘Reply 1997.

L commented on his fellow INFINITE members, “They didn’t give me any advice in particular. Rather, they texted me their support. They’re doing a great job of supporting me. While I’m off to a good start with this great sitcom, I want to become the best actor within INFINITE.

‘What Is Mom’ is about people finding happiness on their own, in their own way, and the different hopeful paths they must take to achieve this.

The first episode of ‘What Is Mom’ will air on October 8th!

Kyuhyun clarifies dating rumors between him and Taemin

Super Junior‘s Kyuhyun explained the dating rumors between him, SHINee‘s Taemin and TVXQ‘s Changmin.

Taemin was one of the guests on MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘. The panel, excluding Kyuhyun, mentioned the scandal that Kyuhyun and Taemin had.

At first, Kyuhyun and Taemin were flustered, but Kyuhyun explained, “Whenever we had an overseas concert, we would bring up a female fan and serenade her. But this time, Taemin dressed up as a girl instead. TVXQ’s Changmin kissed the top of his head, and I kissed his cheek.” 

Yoon Jong Shin jokingly goaded them, saying, “The SM artists have so little scandals, so I feel like there can be male-male couples. You haven’t had a girlfriend in a while, right?” 

Taemin was also asked if he would pick Kyuhyun or Changmin if he were a girl. He answered, “I think I’d get greedy and cheat on them. I like Kyuhyun’s soft voice and Changmin’s high notes.

September 26, 2012

[Review] BtoB ‘Press Play’

They say that when the right music gets you at the right age, it’ll determine your lifelong listening preferences. My first experience with this kind of musical epiphany occured during the American boyband boom of the late 90′s, when a family friend gave me copies of ‘Backstreet’s Back‘ and ‘I Want You Back‘, the debut albums by the Backstreet Boys and N’SYNC.

I stayed with my boybands throughout the late nineties and early 2000′s, keeping tabs on the likes of 98 Degrees, O-Town, LFO, Plus One, and others, fascinated by these dancing groups who borrowed influences from disco, funk, motown, latin, hip-hop, and rock music, watering them all down into infectious dance pop. I lost interest in boybands over the years, right around the time Dreamstreet debuted, which is around the same time the boyband formula was doubling back on itself and borrowing more influence from other boybands than from outside music, losing it’s original spark. I thought I’d just outgrown boybands and that the golden age was over, but BtoB‘s newest album, ‘Press Play‘, has totally brought me back to the days of cheesy American boyband glory.

The two opening tracks, “Press Play” (featuring G.Na) and lead single “WOW” gave me flashbacks to the days when the only way I could listen to CDs was to sneak into my brother’s room and use his fancy-schmancy six-disc changer while he was away at football practice. In fact, three different people overheard me listening to “WOW” and legitimately thought I had one of those old Backstreet Boys albums out. “U & I” is the kind of cheesy R&B-esque ballad where the band would break out some stools and lead the audience in waving their arms back and forth to the beat. “My Girl” calls to mind classic sappy ballads “As Long as You Love Me“, “This I Promise You“, and “I Want it That Way“.

Lest you think this whole album is just a nostalgia-fest, they’ve included some variety. “I Don’t Know Anything About Love” reminds me a little of SISTAR‘s hit “Alone” (especially the intro), with a similar intense feel and disco inspiration. Filler track “Stand Up” is in the vein of BtoB’s previous singles, “Insane” and “Irresistable Lips“- both songs were okay, but I kind of forgot about them in the wakes of Infinite, U-KISS, and B2ST‘s comebacks. 

It really says something about how much BtoB has grown over the last few months when the least interesting track on ‘Press Play’ is on the same level as their previous singles.

All nostalgia aside, though, the album is objectively good. Sure, I chuckled a bit when “WOW” tried to convince me that “BtoB got your swag”, and ‘Press Play’ isn’t the kind of album that is likely to end up on anyone’s best-of-the-year lists, but the vocals sound fantastic and the production is really well thought out, playing to all of BtoB’s strengths and never taking itself too seriously. They’ve found an unexpected sound that really works for them and sets them apart from anything else we’ve heard this year. Sure, knowing that my childhood was so long ago that the music I grew up with is now fair game for retro throwbacks makes me feel a little old, but I’m glad to see it return in such solid form.
Reviewer's Rating: (3.7 / 5)
Community Rating: 
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (219 votes, average: 4.53 out of 5)

TEEN TOP’s Niel to appear in drama special ‘Do You Know Taekwondo?’

TEEN TOP‘s Niel will appear on KBS drama special’s ‘Do You Know Taekwondo?‘, which will begin airing in October.

The special has 3 episodes, each of which will air on Sundays starting on October 7th, and features Taekwondo as its main theme.

‘Do You Know Taekwondo?’ follows an athlete who dreams of becoming an action star and coincidentally becomes a Taekwondo instructor at his alma mater while teaching “troubled teens” and watching their stories unfold.

Chuseok special ‘Miss and Mister Idol Korea’ to feature 16 idol groups

This Chuseok, MBC will be airing a new special, ‘Miss and Mister Idol Korea‘ on October 1st, featuring members of 8 girl groups including KARA, 4minute, SECRET, Orange Caramel, A Pink, and more, as well as members of 8 boy groups including 2PM, INFINITE, MBLAQZE:A, and others.

The preliminary rounds will feature the idols in formal dresses and suits, and the idols themselves twill decide on who continues into the next round by voting themselves on the program. The girls dazzled in their beautiful dresses, and the boys impressed with their clean-cut suits, as all of the idols participated in dance performances and sweet “proposals” to capture each other’s hearts.

An interesting aspect of the show is that it features individual rounds and competition, as opposed to the usual group efforts. 2PM’s Taecyeon and MBLAQ’s G.O are said to have gone into a competitive “clothes-ripping battle” to see who could rip off the other’s clothes faster.

The girls also participated in a “no-rule” game of basketball, allowing them to use whatever fouls they could. ‘Reply 1997‘ star and A Pink member Eunji also battled it out with After School‘s Lizzy in satoori (dialect), as the two are both from Busan.

Don’t forget to see who wins the titles of ‘Miss and Mister Idol Korea’ on October 1st!

Source + Image: Union Press

Tip: Hana

BTOB shows excellent fan service at their ‘Photo Day’ event for 100 lucky fans

Boy group BTOB, who’s currently on a roll with high praises for their ’90s inspired “WOW” comeback, has set up some fan service opportunities with a special ‘Photo Day’ event!

On the night of September 24th, the boys prepared a photowall scene that looks straight out of an awards ceremony at the Cube Cafe in Chungdam-dong and met with 100 lucky fans from their fanclub who were previously chosen through a lottery.

Upon arrival, the fans were asked to follow arrows drawn on a map personally made by BTOB and were led to an outdoor photowall and red carpet. Never once losing their smiles, BTOB made sure to keep the all important ‘manner hands’ as they posed and took pictures for each of their fans.

Fans from various parts of the world as well as various age groups showed up to the event, and all could agree that the boys’ special fanservice deserved nothing short of two thumbs up.

The actual concept of the event was to change the roles of the star and the fan by ‘treating their fans as the best’. Red carpets are known for VIP treatment at top events so BTOB made sure to bring in as many top star elements to the scene to make it extra special for their fans.



 

Sulli and Minho share cute couple cuts from the set of ‘To The Beautiful You’

The on-screen characters of f(x)‘s Sulli and SHINee‘s Minho from SBS‘s ‘To The Beautiful You‘, have carefully started a sweet, adorable romance, earning themselves the title of the new “adorable couple.”

The two recently posed cutely for the camera, pouting their lips and showing off their 2 sets of aegyo as a couple. Their flawless visuals added to the picture as the two matched each other well, making fans and netizens smile at the sweet new cuts.

Sulli and Minho have raised expectations for the drama through their realistic portrayal of a couple. Although they have not yet been able to tell each other how they truly feel, they do an excellent job of showing that they have feelings for each other. Sulli’s feminine side as a young girl who has fallen in love, as well as Minho’s caring, cool demeanor as a boyfriend are also raising expectations from fans and viewers alike.

Meanwhile, on the 12th episode of the series, Lee Hyun Woo‘s character overheard Minho’s confession to Sulli and was extremely jealous, as he asked Sulli to “be by my side“, even physically stopping her from leaving him.

‘SMTOWN Live World Tour in Jakarta’ attracts 50,000 fans

The ‘SMTOWN Live World Tour III‘, which has been hitting jackpot success with every stop all over the world starting with Los Angeles, Tokyo, Taibei, and Seoul, has completed yet another successful concert in Jakarta, Indonesia.

On September 22nd, the concert was held at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium where the company’s top name artists like Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior and Super Junior-M, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, f(x), and EXO captivated the eyes and ears of the 50,000 member audience.

This was Indonesia’s biggest K-Pop concert to date despite it being the first time SMTOWN Live visited the country. The day before, over 3,500 fans showed up at the international airport to see their favorite stars and follow them around the streets and their hotel.

On the 22nd, the stars met with 93 different media outlets like the RCTI, Silet, and Asian Plus at their press conference.

At the actual concert, the artists prepared special commentary in the local language much to the excitement of their fans and put on a parade of hits like “Keep Your Head Down“, “Sorry Sorry“, “Gee“, “Lucifer“, and many more. The entire four hours were filled with a total of 46 songs, including special collaboration stages that can only be seen through the live tour.

Changmin and Kyuhyun sang a duet of “Just the Way You Are” as a special event and incorporated fans into their performance as they pulled one lucky fan up to the stage in a serenade.

The audience reacted with the utmost excitement and joy, showing their support with various colored lightsticks and placards with pictures of their favorite stars. They even sang a special birthday song for Hyoyeon and Key, who celebrated their birthdays on the 22nd and 23rd respectively.

Source + Photos: Economy Today via Nate

[ANNOUNCEMENT] New address for A-PRINCE’s fan letters/presents

In the name of NEW PLANET Entertainment (A-PRINCE’s management), Unity of A-PRINCE has an announcement to make.

A-PRINCE has a new address for fan letters/presents! From now on, please send your fan letters/presents for A-PRINCE to the address below.

In English:
A-PRINCE
Seoseong Building, B1F
Yeoksam-dong 790-1
Gangnam-gu
Seoul, postal code: 135-080
SOUTH KOREA

In Korean:
우편 번호: 135-080
서울특별시, 강남구,
역삼동 790-1,
서성빌딩, 지하1층
에이프린스
SOUTH KOREA

(Please don’t forget to add South Korea as the country and the name of the member for whom the fanmail is. ^^)

Source: NEW PLANET Entertainment

September 25, 2012

INFINITE’s Hoya reveals who drove the mystery ‘red car’ in final episode of ‘Reply 1997 + his childhood idol

INFINITE‘s Hoya recently appeared as a guest on the September 24th broadcast of YTN‘s ‘News12 – Issue and People‘, alongside ‘Reply 1997‘ star A Pink‘s Eunji.

During the interview, Hoya revealed the mystery figure behind the ‘red car’ that picked up his character Junhee after the Busan high school reunion in the final episode of ‘Reply 1997′. The scene in which Junhee rejected a ride from his friends saying that ‘someone was picking him up’ sparked the curiosity of viewers as to who it would be, but in the end viewers were left guessing as the following scene only showed Junhee sliding into a mysterious red car.

When asked about the mystery figure who played the role, the singer revealed, “It was producer Shin Won Ho. Producer Shin Won Ho personally drove the vehicle himself. He wanted to leave the ending open ended.
In another portion of the interview, Hoya also revealed what sparked his interest in becoming a singer.

When asked who his favorite singer in the past had been, Hoya stated, “My star is Yoo Seung Jun. I saw him on TV for the first time when I was 7-8 years old and my dreams of becoming a singer began to grow. I would buy Yoo Seung Jun’s trading cards and keep them in my backpack. I was a big fan.

Meanwhile, the INFINITE member also drew much attention after revealing that he dropped out of high school his freshman year in order to wholeheartedly chase his dream of becoming a singer.

Source & Image: Sports DongAh, Star News

 
Credits: http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/infinites-hoya-reveals-who-drove-the-mystery-red-car-in-final-episode-of-reply-1997-his-childhood-idol

INFINITE stimulates students’ desire to study with new Samsung Galaxy promotional clip


It seems INFINITE has once again participated in another promotional clip for the Samsung product. In the video, each of the INFINITE members pair up to advertise a specific feature of the Samsung Galaxy Player with their own unique story lines.

Members Hoya and Dongwoo pair up and talk about the screen which boasts a 16:9 aspect ratio, where Hoya comically states, “It’s as big as your gums hyung!

In another portion of the clip where members L and Sungyeol were partnered, Sungyeol excitedly states that he is “Hard-core studying for the first time in his life!” all thanks to the convenience of the Galaxy player.

Following L and Sungyeol, member Woohyun shows off his multi-lingual skills to Sunggyu with the use of the dictionary feature, while L and Sungjong further show off the ways Galaxy Player can be used for studying.

U-KISS releases dance practice video for “Stop Girl”

The boys of U-KISS who recently returned with their brand new single “Stop Girl“ have also just released the dance practice video!

They show off their talent and the females that they’re dancing with also show off their fierce talent.

Is this your favorite choreography from U-KISS?

TOUCH successfully concludes their fan meeting in Japan

Rising idol group TOUCH, who held their Japanese debut showcase back in May, successfully concluded an intimate fan meeting in Japan.

Titled ‘TOUCH Festival 1 KIZUNA‘, the fan meet took place on September 22nd and 23rd at the Amlux Hall and Lefkada in Tokyo. The members put up a series of live performances of their past hits like “I“, “Killin’ Me“, “Rockin’ the Club“, and their latest track “Let’s Walk Together“. The boys also arranged the track “LUV” off their debut album into an emotional ballad song, showing a different side to the group.

After the performance, TOUCH treated fans to a handshake event and also gave fans the opportunity to take photos with the members, creating a memorable experience for all who were present.

In addition to the fan meet on the 23rd, the group held an event titled ‘Exchange Diary‘, in which the members took the time to share their honest thoughts and converse with fans.

TOUCH will continue to travel back and forth between Korea and Japan for their activities.

SM Entertainment rap instructor JQ reveals Minho’s personality + interview

While JQ is not a name most fans hear of in the world of K-pop, he plays an important role in the lives of SM Entertainment artists. JQ is better known as the “idol rap instructor” and works with SM artists to improve and direct their rapping abilities.

Now, he has broadened his horizons beyond a rap instructor, as he works as an artists himself as well as a producer. In his interview with Newsen, he reveals his thoughts on the more difficult times he experienced and his entry into SM.

At first, he stated, it was difficult. All JQ was interested in was making music, but he did not have the money to support himself and had no choice but to work in a factory, where he earned 500,000 KRW a month (about $446 USD). He revealed that he would save 300,000 KRW out of his earnings for his music and eventually was discovered for his take on rapping through a video he created out of the movie ‘His Voice‘.

He stated, “A UCC video star is not a singer. But at the same time, a UCC star is not a complete amateur either. For every event I worked, I would receive 50,000~70,000 KRW (about $45~$63 USD). I would still live off my factory salary. When I thought about my younger brother, who is employed in a company, I would think to myself, ‘When will I start to live normally too?’ I was envious of anyone who had a normal, regular lifestyle.”

JQ continued, “That’s when I received an offer to make the rap segment for SHINee’s ‘Love Should Go On‘. It felt like grabbing on to a piece of straw. I was in a position where I really needed the job.

Feeling the pressure of the job, he worked for 3 days straight on the rap without sleep, saving as much money he could along the way to support himself, as the job would provide the amount of money he would normally earn in a month. As a result of his hard work, his rap segment was selected to be a part of the song.

He stated that he was honored, as he continued, “I was deeply moved. When I was on my way to SM, I kept thinking to myself, ‘How can I… How can I…’ This was before SHINee debuted, and so I’m sure they were anxious. So was I. I was as anxious as if it were my own first album. I taught them, sweating nervously the entire time. I didn’t believe I had the qualifications to teach SHINee how to rap, so I worked even harder. I taught them everything I learned from rapper MC Sniper. I felt bad about it later and apologized to him. He told me it was okay.

JQ’s first ties to SM started with SHINee. Naturally, as one of SHINee’s rappers, Minho became one of JQ’s closest co-workers and friends at SM. JQ stated that they continue to keep in contact lately. When asked if Minho was cool and cold like his unreal looks, JQ revealed what Minho’s personality is like.

Minho has not changed since I first met him. He’s like a younger brother to me. He doesn’t act like he’s a celebrity. He’s a very simple person. Right now, he’s in the middle of filming SBS‘s ‘To The Beautiful You‘. He looks amazing. Through SNS, I said to him, ‘Hey you look awesome on TV right now’ to which he responded, ‘Hyung, you’re watching too? As expected’. I think a lot of people really like Minho, like I do. He’s a dongseng I can easily call over to the recording studio and have a bowl of jajangmyun (black bean noodles) with.

JQ complimented Minho heavily, also revealing that he taught Minho everything he knows about rapping. Through Minho, JQ explained that he had an easier time getting close to the members of TVXQ.

Minho is great at writing rap segments. He has a lot of bright ideas and a few genius moments here and there. I was really amazed by the rap he wrote for ‘Juliette‘. He works really hard, and he doesn’t give up on anything when he does his work. Key is also an excellent rapper. He catches on after only hearing a rap segment a few times. All of the members are so talented.

As a fan of original idols H.O.T and Seo Tae Ji, JQ went from someone who listened to their songs to the rap instructor of their junior groups. He is a great example of a self-made person who followed his dreams and worked through his hardships to achieve his goals.

Source + Image: Newsen via Naver

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