Actor Jang Dong-gun to Star in Hollywood Film

Actor Jang Dong-gun will make his Hollywood debut in a Korean-U.S. fantasy-action movie called "Laundry Warrior." Hollywood producer Barrie Osborne, who made "The Matrix" and "The Lord of the Rings," will partner with Lee Joo-ick, the CEO of Boram Entertainment and the producer of "The Seven Swords" and "Battle of Wits", to make the US$30 million film.

Jang will act alongside Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi when the movie starts filming in the U.S. next month. Korean director Lee Seung-moo will helm the production. Boram Entertainment and Jang are planning to hold press conferences in Korea and in the U.S. this month to release further details.

- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com

credits: Tour2Korea

Jeon Ji-hyun Cedes Advertising Power to Jang Dong-gun

Consumers no longer feel that Jeon Ji-hyun is the most bankable advertising model and instead name Jang Dong-gun. The finding is the result of a survey of 1,465 people in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province by brand consultancy Brand38 from March 5 until 15. The interviewees were asked to choose three stars they think are most appealing as commercial models. Jeon, who had always ranked top or second from the top in the biannual survey that started in 2003, fell to fifth place.

◆ Jeon Ji-hyun out, Jang Dong-gun in
Jeon took the top spot five times and second place three times in a total of eight surveys by Brand38, beating out superstars like Lee Young-ae, Lee Hyo-lee, Kim Tae-hee, Song Hye-gyo and Lee Na-young. But in the latest survey Jeon surrendered her place to Jang Dong-gun, the last survey’s runner-up, and ended up in the fifth place.

From left: Lee Young-ae, Lee Hyo-lee, Kim Tae-hee, Song Hye-gyo and Lee Na-young

What the two stars have in common is that they have done nothing but appear in commercials for quite some time. So why is one falling and the other rising? “Jeon still has name value as the most bankable commercial model, but it seems consumers are getting tired of her eternal sexy image and so-called “mystery” which has meant she appears on hardly any TV programs except commercials,” Brand38 says. “By contrast, Jang has successfully changed his image through commercials from unapproachable aristocrat to guy next door.”


◆ Where have all the pretty boys gone?

Comedian and TV presenter Yoo Jae-suk rose to second place from 15th in the previous survey. Other comedians like Park Myung-soo (17th) and No Hong-chul (31st) also rose. The three saw their popularity grow on MBC’s popular TV show “Infinite Challenge.”

From left: Yoo Jae-suk, Park Myung-soo, Lee Jun-ki Daniel Henney and No Hong-chul

The consultancy says appearance still matters when it comes to commercials, but it is getting less and less important. “Economic hardship and harsh realities throughout society seem to make comedians more appealing to consumers,” it explains. “In the previous survey in the first half of 2006, Lee Jun-ki -- the star of the film ‘The King and The Clown’ -- and Daniel Henney, who rose to stardom with MBC hit drama ‘My Name Is Kim Sam-soon,’ ranked near the top in fourth and 12th respectively, but they both fell below 50th this time. That shows that good-looking stars tend to experience a sudden rise and fall.”

◆ Who is suitable for what?

The survey also focused on what type of advertising is suitable for which star according to his or her image. Jang Dong-gun, who is thought of as “handsome” and “gentlemanly,” was thought to be suitable for fashion and car advertising. Singer Rain, who is associated with “passion,” was judged to be perfect for telecom commercials, and “sexy” and “pretty” Jeon Ji-hyun and “sexy” and “attractive” Lee Hyo-lee were thought best suited to fashion advertising.

◆ Politicians make it on the list

With a political season coming up with the presidential election, politicians, made their way into the list of the top 50. Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak ranked 40th and former Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye 44th. Among businessmen, Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee shared 40th place with the former mayor.

- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com

credits: Tour2Korea

Ayumi, Preparing For Screen Debut

Former Sugar member Ayumi is in the midst of preparing for her screen debut.

According to SM Entertainment, Ayumi’s label, after her acting debut in the MBC show “Rainbow Romance”, she is now busy taking acting workshops to pursue her acting career.

Credits ~ KBS World Radio + Kpopper.com + noV@Kpop Kingdom

Pop Idol Ivy Rises Above Simple Sex Appeal

In the prime of her young singing career with the songs "Sonata of Temptation" and "If You're Gonna Be Like This" from her second album topping music charts both on- and off-line, pop sensation Ivy cited modesty as the reason for her success. "I think people like me because I try to be moderate," she said. "I didn't try hard to make myself look beautiful and sexy, I just devoted myself to singing. I think that's the reason for my popularity. Things that go too far tend to turn people off, don't they?"

At a time when it seems as if female singers who substitute sex appeal for talent are being churned out one after the next, Ivy stands apart. If the success of "Sonata of Temptation" is due to its arrangement based on the classical piece "Fur Elise," the popularity of "If You're Gonna Be Like This" proves that the public has begun to recognize her singing skills, rather than underestimate her as one of the many sexy but less talented singers.

Ivy said she still can't believe the enthusiastic response to her songs, although when she released her first album she felt sorry that she drew attention for her image rather than her singing. She has been told that "Sonata" has a powerful force since she first began working on it. "I don't lip-sync except in some unavoidable situations, even though I have to dance while I sing," she said. "I practiced singing everyday on a treadmill for four years when I was training for my debut, and I think that's paying off now."

Four years is a long time to pursue a dream in the hopes of a brighter future, but Ivy said it wasn't that hard to get through because she was both confident and optimistic. "I may look coordinated, but in fact I'm a very clumsy person," she said. "Just a few days ago, I bumped my arm on the edge of my bed as I was bouncing around in joy after reading some complimentary remarks about me on the Internet." She still has the bruise on her left forearm.

Born to a mother who studied singing at university and a father who played the drums in the Navy symphony, Ivy grew up with music. She remembered how proud she was of her father when she saw him perform at the Navy band’s annual concert.

It may be difficult to swallow, but Ivy said the biggest obstacle to her success was dancing. She is a seriously bad dancer, she said. She also confessed that she's been nervous about performing in front of people since childhood. "It's still hard for me to dance, but I'm trying to enjoy it."

So what does she think about her voice? "Almost all my vocal teachers told me that I don't have bad singing habits. I think that's both my strong and weak points. I try to obey basic rules when I sing." she said.

Credits ~ Chosun Ilbo + Kpopper.com + noV@Kpop Kingdom

Super Junior Invited to Beijing Award Show

The 13-member idol boy band "Super Junior" has been invited to a music award show in Beijing opening 7:30 p.m. this Sunday.

They will sing their hit song 'U,' which is beloved by Chinese fans, at the ceremony and meet fans at an earlier red carpet event.

However, not all of the 13 members will be attending. Six of them who work as a smaller trot music band won't be joining.

CQTV will broadcast the award show live throughout China and reruns will air on the BTV-2 and CETV-3 channels.

credits: KBS Global

BoA Begins Tour of 4 Japanese Cities

BoA’s latest tour began March 31 and will last through April 22, taking place in four Japanese cities: Yokohama, Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya. The repertoire includes songs from her fifth full-length album, which was released in Japan in January, as well as from her fourth album.

BoA will perform 21 songs from various genres including dance, ballads and punk rock.

Entitled “Arena Tour,” which refers to concerts that draw more than 10,000 people per concert, BoA’s tour is serving as further proof of the singer’s stable popularity in Japan since her debut in the country in 2001.

The Yokohama concert that opened April 1 drew about 10,000 people, mostly teenagers to 30-somethings, all looking forward to seeing BoA's coming-of-age.

After the tour, BoA will return to Korea next month to present songs that she has personally written to her Korean fans. "I want to try my hand at house music as well as at acting, if I am offered a good role,” said the singer.

credit: KBS Global

Dong Bang Shin Ki Releases 2nd Japanese Album in Korea

Popular boyband Dong Bang Shin Ki, known as Tohoshinki in Japan, will release their 2nd Japanese album in their home country of Korea today.
‘Five in the Black,’ which was released on the 14th in Japan, placed 6th on the Oricon Daily Album Charts. The album has a regular version and an extra DVD version, which includes music videos and behind-the-scenes footage. The 13-track album includes hit songs “Begin,” “Sky” and “Miss You,” the Japanese version of “I’ll Be There” as well as other new songs like “Zion,” “Dead End” and “Promise.”

Credits ~ KBS World Radio + Kpopper.com + noV@Kpop Kingdom

BoA Completes First Arena Tour 'MADE IN TWENTY" 2007

Yesterday marked the start of BoA's 2007 "MADE IN TWENTY" Live Tour. According to fans who attended yesterday's concert, BoA has given a breathtaking concert full of never-before-sung-live songs such as silent screamerz, and songs from her newest album and single including SWEET IMPACT. Fans were blown away by the interesting outfits and never before seen performances. The above photo shows BoA performing the song Lady Galaxy during the concert. We hope to see a DVD of the concert coming some time soon as this concert may have been the best among all her past live tours.


Here is the supposedly true set list of the concert.

00 OPENING
01 OUTGROW ~ready butterfly~
02 SO REAL
03 VALENTI
MC1
04 STILL.
05 DO THE MOTION
06 Lady Galaxy
07 Silent Screamerz
08 Candle Lights
09 LONG TIME NO SEE
10 Winter Love
11 Prayer
12 Rock With You
13 cosmic eyes
14 抱きしめる
15 七色の明日～brand new beat～
16 QUINCY
17 KEY OF HEART
-encore-
18 JEWEL SONG
19 Sweet Impact
20 Everything needs love
21 Gracious Days



Source: Bestiz
Credits: BoA's House + KpopKingdom

Possible Postponement of Rain’s Shanghai Concert

Singer Rain’s Shanghai concert, which was set for 2 weeks from now, will most likely be postponed.
A daily reported that the Shanghai concert, scheduled for April 14th, has not yet been approved by the Chinese government.
An official from the concert planner said that an official announcement would be made as soon as any news was received.
Though tickets for the event have not formally gone on sale, fervid fans have rushed internet sites to make reservations.

Credits ~ KBS World Radio + Kpopper.com + noV@Kpop Kingdom

"Super Rookie" Magolpy, 1st TV performance on the 31st

2007’s Super Rookie Magolpy is set to have her first TV performance on the 31st at MBC “Show! Music Core”.

Magolpy, who can play the drums, piano and guitar, has earned a lot of interest because of her music video, which stars TVXQ!’s Micky, Super Junior’s Kim Hee Chul, Kangin and Shin dong, Eru and other artists.

The rookie singer has been practicing for 10 hours or more everyday and is planned to play the guitar on her debut stage.

Credits ~ KBS World Radio + Kpopper.com + noV@Kpop Kingdom