'We Got Married' Taemin-Son Naeun, Awkward Couple Sexy Dance

SHINee's Taemin and A-PINK's Son Naeun made their viewers cringe through their awkward couple sexy dance.

In MBC entertainment program "We Got Married" season 4 aired today, Taemin and Son Naeun came out and showed a couple sexy dance to a sexy song. It was as initiation for moving into the 'We Got Married village.'

The two stuck their bodies to each other and sexy danced but it was nothing else but cute. Jung Jinwoon said, "Boring" and Jo Jung Chi said, "It was just cute." Other staff members also said that they must have learned to sexy dance through a book.

kpopstarz

B1A4 Is Ready for Summer in “Cosmopolitan” and “CeCi” Magazines

The handsome members of B1A4 have been busy lately especially with posing for various photo shoots.

B1A4 recently posed for “Cosmopolitan” and “CeCi” magazines for its July editions.

For their “Cosmopolitan” photo shoot, B1A4 also shared their thoughts on winning the #1 title for MBC’s “Music Core,” beating their senior artist Lee Hyori.

They said, “When we won the #1 title against Lee Hyori, we couldn’t believe it and thought the MCs said the wrong name,” and “We were so embarrassed when we gave our encore performance.”

During both photo shoots, Baro especially showed great professionalism since he worked hard even with an injured leg. The “CeCi” photo shoot required great energy and it is reported that Baro didn’t let his injury get in the way of his work.

B1A4 is currently preparing for their concert, which will be held in August.

Click through the gallery for B1A4′s fresh, energetic and fun photos!

soompi

Did You Get Surgery? Korean Celebrities Who We Think Went Under the Knife

Listen, I understand that plastic surgery has just become part of Korean society. Everyone does it, and it's just the thing to do. I'm sure if plastic surgery was the new affordable trend in my area and everyone and their moms, literally, got it done, I'd probably hop on the train too which makes me sound like a complete conformist, but hey, I understand. I admire the handful of Korean celebrities who come out in the open and admit going under the knife. Something about just telling the simple truth is both admirable and respectable. But most of the idols and actors in the Korean entertainment industry just refuse to come out in the open and admit their plastic doings. As a result, the rest of us are left to create collages to document the ever-changing faces of stars. We are left, not guessing whether or not they got surgery, but what they actually had done. Here are a list of the stars who probably got lots done but refuse to come out in the open and just say proud and loud, "I did it, now get over it."

SNSD's Tiffany just doesn't look the same from before she debuted. She was definitely a cutie before, but her eyes and nose both look like new additions to the Tiffany facial family. What do you think?

kpopstarz

miss A’s Suzy Shares a Candid Photo From the Set of “Gu Family Book”

miss A member Suzy recently revealed a photo taken from the set of the MBC drama “Gu Family Book.” 

On June 22, Suzy tweeted a photo taken with her fellow co-stars with the brief caption, “Kang Chi, Yeo Wool and Gohn V,” raising the interest of fans who had been following the drama for some time. 

In the photo, actors Suzy, Sung Joon and Lee Seung Gi appear to be taking a short break from filming. Still dressed in their costumes, the trio look as though they’ve jumped right out of the drama and just discovered a camera phone for the first time. 

Netizens were especially drawn to Lee Seung Gi’s refreshingly bright smile for the camera as he took the photo. 

Gu Family Book airs its final episodes this week – will you be watching? Check out our awesome official Soompi thread to talk about the show.

soompi

Hyun Bin Is Thankful For Friends Like Jang Dong Gun

Hyun Bin recently revealed in an interview with @star1 that he “wasn’t able to really contact anyone” while serving his enlistment with the Korean Marines.

He went on to say, “Although I had little to no opportunity to talk to anyone, I was at least able to speak with Jang Dong Gun,” revealing the close friendship between the two celebrities. He also said, “Just having Dong Gun there was a learning opportunity for me, especially when I was with senior officers. Being able to learn on the spot has been particularly helpful.” 

Netizens who read of the close friendship between the two celebrities commented, “Seeing as how Hyun Bin mentioned Jang Dong Gun, he must have a lot of affection for him”, “Wow I didn’t know they were close” and “I just want to see Hyun Bin already!” 

ohkpop

My Two Cents - YG Entertainment: Too Little Too Late and Too Much Too Soon With Latest Announcements

In this op-ed, let's play devil's advocate and raise the questions on everyone's minds about YG Entertainment's latest slew of announcements of comebacks, debuts, and competitive reality shows.  Why is YG doing too much?  What goals are they trying to reach?  What numbers are they trying to hit?  Those are the questions, at least this writer thinks.  There could be more. 

In the middle of June 2013, what seems to be 2NE1's long overdue comeback was announced by YG entertainment. Initially planned, for 2012, or was it 2011, YG once again set expectations that 2NE1 will finally come back this year, via a staggered concept, with tracks releasing beginning in July through October.  The culmination of which will be a full album, or is it a mini-album?  It's really hard to tell at this point. Why?  Because YG promised the same concept a year ago, starting with "I Love You" which by the way was the only track that saw the light of day in said staggered concept.  2NE1's comeback was then mired in the confusion that was an impromptu world tour, Psy madness, and the Big Bang World Tour.  Does it sound like I'm a Blackjack complaining?  Honestly, no.  I scratch my head, not over the delay of 2NE1's comeback, but over the apparent lack of solid planning from K-pop's most venerable entertainment agency.  

To its credit, YG Entertainment is home to top caliber artists, able to fill stadiums, domes, and arenas worldwide.  But is that stable getting too full to warrant eggs needing to be hatched too soon?  2NE1 is one of YG's prominent brands, and it feels an utter disrespect to them that their much anticipated comeback will now be mired again with new rookies and winners (or losers) of a competitive reality show from their own agency.

I honestly want to trust YG Entertainment, that they know what they are doing, given their clout and capacity in the Korean music industry.  Every time I want to try to trust, though, I'm left disappointed. Seeing their hits and misses over the years make this writer doubtful.  Yes, Psy became the mega-hit.  Yes, Big Bang was able to rise above the scandals into a stronger group.  Yes, Lee Hi became a breakthrough.   But what feels like 'misses' far outnumber the hits.  Was Gentleman released too late?  Why is Daesung and G-Dragon (and Seungri, if that counts) the only Big Bang members with solo activities now only mere months before a rumored group comeback?  Will Taeyang and T.O.P see their own solo comeback activities come into fruition in time?  Does YG really need to debut another rookie, when Akdong Musician has a lot of potential waiting to be unraveled? And yes, there's 2NE1, the fate of the femme fatale group almost waiting forever in the wing.

And of course, let's discuss this rookie group and this reality show.  It sounds like every bit like a stellar marketing propaganda.  It would work, because that's the trend these days, right? Maybe.  It would work if the company at the helm is not YG. 

The expectation I have of YG is not buzz or bandwagon marketing.  Given their spot in K-pop, I expected more.  I expected a solid machinery founded by a strong leadership, and proper planning.  I expected an anchoring to the core of what truly predicts success in K-pop - high quality and well-thought out music and stages.  Not another reality show, when there's already the K-pop Star franchise that head honcho Yang Hyunsuk is a big participant of.  

We don't need another rookie group from another reality show.  Not directly from YG Entertainment. 

We don't need more expectations set to fans, only to disappear like bubbles in the wind.

We need constant visibility, by way of proper timing of debuts and comebacks from artists we already know and respect or from trainees we already know should be seeing their own stages.

Are we setting our expectations too high?  Probably not.  With YG getting to where it is through fan support translated into revenue in millions, it is almost a given that the bar be set high.   Accountability becomes automatic -- for K-pop's most dominant entertainment agency face.  If YG intends to usher in one of the longest and sustained waves in Hallyu, their planning cannot be haphazard, for the reason that everyone else, especially smaller agencies are looking to them to set the right example. 

We need YG to stop focusing efforts solely on making and predicting their next hit.  Because their hits don't come that way.  They come naturally as we've seen from all their hits so far.  YG does best when YG least expects, when it is consistent and calm.    So, dial down the steroids. Breathe. Think. Focus.  Before it truly becomes too little too late for their stronger artist brands or before it becomes too much too soon for YG Entertainment and Hallyu as a whole.

kpopstarz

ss501 Members Heading to South America?

Rumors have been running rampant on fan clubs and Triple S fan pages the past few weeks concerning an important announcement. If rumors can be trusted, it appears that 2 members of ss501 are going to be visiting South America for performances.

A magazine in Peru featured a ss501 picture on their cover with the caption hinting that green news was coming soon. Official fan clubs for the group members in Mexico have also been promising good news and asking fans to stay tuned for the announcement. One Spanish-language website is already saying that a performance in Peru was confirmed by a production company and that 2 more countries will be announced soon.

Though ss501 has a huge number of fans all over the world, Latin and South America also have many dedicated fans who have hoped for years that they would one day get the chance to see ss501 or any of the members. Kim Hyun Joong recently performed in Brazil and Peru and is currently preparing for his Korean comeback, so it seems likely that the big news will include some of the other members. Since Kim Kyu Jong is currently fulfilling his military service, it appears that he is also off the list. Recently ss501 maknae Kim Hyung Jun tweeted a picture and hinted at some big news for ss501, so perhaps he is one of the members who will be at the rumored performances?

Regardless of who may be traveling to the Americas, fans are undoubtedly excited for the appearance of any of the popular ss501 members. Since nothing has been confirmed officially though, all we can do is wait for more news.

Stay tuned!

ohkpop

2PM & Big Bang win awards at 'MTV VMAJ 2013'

The 'MTV VMAJ 2013' (Video Music Awards Japan) were held on June 22 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

K-pop's hottest idol groups TVXQ, Big Bang, and 2PM were nominated in 3 different categories and both Big Bang and 2PM each won an award.

SEE ALSO:

2PM's 'LEGEND OF 2PM' took home the award in the category, 'Best Album of the Year'. They were able to beat out One Direction's 'Take Me Home', Linkin Park's 'Living Things', Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Kiss', and Kana Nishino's 'Living Things'.

Big Bang's music video for "Fantastic Baby" which was directed by Hyun Seung Seowon the category of 'Best Dance Video'. They were able to beat out the music videos of SKRILLEX's "Bangarang", ZEDD's "Spectrum", livetune's "Transfer", and group_inou's "9".

TVXQ's "Catch Me - If you wanna-" was nominated in the 'Best Group Video' category but unfortunately J Soul Brothers' "Hanabi" took the award in this category.

At the event, KARA's Nicole also performed her solo Japanese track, "LOST", from her group's special album 'KARA Solo Collection'.

Congratulations to Big Bang & 2PM!

allkpop

2PM’s Income Is $1.3 Million Per Member? ‘Increasing Again Next Year’

2pm

2pm $1.3 million per member

It has been revealed that 2PM members earn about 1.3 million dollars per member.

According to JYP Entertainment, their group 2PM earned about $27.3 million. If that total is divided among the 6 members, that would mean that one member’s earnings are about $1.3 million.

Next year, their income will be increasing even more. 2PM’s activity in Japan is planned to be increasing by about 20% next year, which will be increasing their income to about $1.39 million.

ohkpop

JYP Entertainment and JYP merge + 2PM, 2AM, Wonder Girls, & JJ Project earnings for first half of 2013

With the announcement of a merger between listed company JYP Entertainmentand unlisted company (not listed on stock market exchange) JYP, detailed information regarding the earnings of JYP Entertainment artists were revealed for the stock holders.

The charts provided revealed that 2PM is the agency's top earning artist this year, not surprisingly, bringing in sales of 11.57 billion KRW ($10 million - in USD) for the first half of 2013. 2AM was next with 2.17 billion KRW ($1.88 million), then Wonder Girls with 1.35 billion KRW ($1.17 million), and JJ Project with 1.25 billion KRW ($1.08 million). [Note: the numbers listed on the chart you see above goes by a unit of 1000].

When taking out the expenses and costs for music video production, marketing, promotions, dorms, education and training, and more, 2PM's profit includes royalties of 1.078 billion KRW from album sales, 6.619 billion KRW from management sales, and 56 million KRW from contents sales (endorsements, ads, etc.). With a total of 7.753 billion KRW ($6.7 million), this works out to be about 1.292 billion KRW ($1.12 million) in profit per member.

For 2AM, the total works out to be 1.969 billion KRW ($1.7 million). Royalties from album sales are about 925 million KRW, while royalties from contents sales are about 1.044 billion KRW. Since there are 4 members, it works out to be about 492 million KRW ($426,000) per member.

After taking out the basic expenses for Wonder Girls, their profit was 295 million KRW ($255,000) with 284 million KRW from album sale royalties and 11 million KRW from contents royalties. This amounts to around 59 million KRW ($51,000) per member.

JJ Project did not record any royalties for this year.

Another interesting fact to note is that with the merger, J.Y. Park has become the biggest shareholder of JYP Entertainment with 16.94%.

As for the expected earnings for 2014, they expect 2PM's total sales (excluding expenses) to be 21 billion KRW ($18.2 million), 2AM's to be 1.9 billion KRW ($1.6 million), Wonder Girls' to be 490 million KRW ($424,000), and JJ Project's to be 8.3 billion KRW ($7.2 million) – meaning 2PM and JJ Project's sales are expected to increase, while 2AM and Wonder Girls' decrease, which gives you a rough idea of the amount of activities each group may have next year.

allkpop

A-Prince Does the “Mambo” for Comeback Teaser Videos

Idol group A-Prince will be making their comeback with their second mini album soon, and they released two video teasers through their official YouTube channel.

The group’s second mini album is called “Mambo,” and to prepare their fans for comeback the group will be releasing video teasers of the members doing the mambo. In the first video teaser with English subtitles, member Sung Won does the mambo in a dark and gloomy room. In the second teaser, member Seung Jun does the mambo in the streets of Myeongdong. Seung Jun looks adorable and maybe a little bit embarrassed. 

A-Prince also released group and Sung Won’s photos through their officialFacebook. “Mambo” and the music video will be released on June 25.

soompi

Eye Candy: Summer Special Edition - Females Rocking Short Hair

Today, June 21, marks the first official day of summer! With hot dry weather coming, there's nothing like going for a short hair look that is fitting and so comfortable for the summer. 

Who says short hairstyles are only for boys? Here are some female idols who can look cute, sexy, and pretty with their short hair style!

T-ara's Eunjung 


f(x)'s Amber


Brown Eyed Girls' Ga In 


miss A's Min 


Hello Venus' Lime 



4minute's Jiyoon 


Girls' Generation's Sunny 


RaNia's Di 


SECRET's Hyosung 

Wonder Girls' Sun


2NE1's Minzy 


KARA's Hara 

allkpop

B.A.P 'Live on Earth' in Hong Kong Press Conference: 'We Hope Through Music We Can Communicate With All Fans'

B.A.P has just recently finished their press conference for Live on Earth in Hong Kong. This is their second time coming to Hong Kong and they feel happy. They also want to see the famous night view in Hong Kong and went to the Peak for dinner.

Himchan showed interest in Tsim Sha Tsui and Lan Kwai Fong. BAP has also tried local food such as dumpling, dimsum and egg tart. They prepared a lot for their concert so they want their fans to look forward to it.

One media representative asked about their new song "Coffee Shop" if they will perform it or not. The boys answered that they will not because its still not out yet. Regarding their triple title tracks concept, it includes different style of songs.

After their Pacific tour, they will release new album and fans should anticipate. They expressed that they felt very welcomed in all of the countries they have visited so far but language barriers were difficult. However, they hope that through music they can communicate with all the fans.

kpopstarz

SHINee Has A "Breaking News" PV For Us

SHINee Has A “Breaking News” PV For Us

Having already released two full length albums in the last six months, one may be forgiven for feeling that they have had enough of Shinee for the year. If you are in this category, however, then it is advised you avert your eyes; for here is another 97 seconds of Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin coming your way in the form of the short PV for latest Japanese single “Breaking News.”

Many K-pop fans knew that a Japanese Shinee album was pending — after all, this was the reason the boys had to promote “Why So Serious?” without main vocalist Jonghyun — and the release of the short PV be EMI Japan brings us closer to the release of the group’s second album, Boys Meet U, on the 26th of June. Included on the album are the Japanese version of “Sherlock,” make-over special “Dazzling Girl,” earlier release Japanese release “Fire,” ever-so-beautiful “1000 Years, Always By Your Side,” and now “Breaking News.”

The song sounds like a marriage of “Dream Girl” and “Why So Serious,” though the accompanying MV is not as bright and cheery — bleached of most colour, only orange stands out to accent the primarily black and white visuals; this may have been to mimic newsprint in a reference to the song’s name, but the phrase “breaking news” would be better signified in this day and age with some shade of blue, be it dark (Facebook), light (Twitter) or teal (Tumblr). The sets themselves feel like a tight fit and are pretty basic, but the boys themselves look OK, even with the colour leached from their faces by the post-production team.

What do you think of “Breaking News” so far, and who’s looking forward to this new album, regardless of its name?

ohkpop

Secretly and Greatly soars over Korean box office

The Korean movie “Secretly and Greatly” has swept the box office in recent weeks, setting numerous records including largest opening-weekend audience, highest number of viewers in a single day, and the shortest amount of time to a million viewers. According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), “Secretly and Greatly” has drawn one million viewers in its first 36 hours following its release on June 5 and two million in its first 72 hours. As of June 16, it has surpassed the five million mark.

Released on June 5, “Secretly and Greatly” has amassed over five million viewers within twelve days.

The film is a mix of light-hearted comedy with action thriller elements, revolving around three highly trained North Korean agents who were sent to South Korea with an ambitious mission: unification. The elite agents, who have been selected among 20,000 competitors for the roles, however, disguised themselves as an idiot, a wannabe rock star, and a high school student. Over the years while awaiting orders from Pyongyang, they become used to the way of life as they mingle with people of lower class. Finally, a secret and grand mission is delivered, but it turns out to be something that no one can accept.

The phenomenal success of the film has been partly attributed to presence of Kim Soo-hyeon-I, one of Korea’s celebrity icons.

The movie’s popularity has been mostly attributed to the star power of three young heartthrob movie stars Kim Soo-hyeon-I, Park Ki-woong, and Lee Hyun-woo. According to ticketing site YES24 and Maxmovie, the number of female viewers of “Secretly and Greatly” during its opening week was more than twice that of other new releases in the same week. The survey also explained that the ticket reservations made by fathers on behalf of their daughters accounted for as high as 15 percent.

Another factor that helped “Secretly and Greatly” gain attention is that the movie was based on the popular Internet comic “Covertness”. The 2010 webcomic series published by webtoonist Hun has attracted over 40 million page hits online.

Webcomics have spread fast among the younger generation, taking advantage of the widespread use of smartphones as well as limitless space on the web.

In recent years, webcomic-based movies have breathed renewed energy into the film industry since webtoonist Kang Pool‘s first debut on film with “A.P.T” in 2006. Movie critics believe that the production of cartoon-based movies guarantees success to some extent due to its webcomic fans.

ohkpop

K-pop 'Rookie' Group VIXX Plays Girl Group Speed Quiz... In English!

In the latest episode of Mnet America's Jjang! the members of idol group VIXX talked about their sexy dark concept for "Hyde," the 19+ rating the video received, and showed off their playful sides.

VIXX started out by discussing the concept behind their latest single.

"Our new single is "Hyde" and has a Jekyll and Hyde concept," explained Ravi. "It's about a hurt man who becomes more crazy - like a monster."

On getting a little darker and spookier from their last single "On and On," Leo said, "I think being a little dark suits me more than being bright." His quiet and serious behavior drew out a bit of teasing from his fellow group members, however.

Addressing the 19+ rating "Hyde" was given, the VIXX members elaborated on the risque imagery.

"It wasn't all about being nude," said N. "We thought a lot about the concept. The nudity was about the transition into becoming a devil. So, because the concept was fully realized, we have no regrets."

The guys then played a very entertaining speed game where Hong Bin had to guess the names of different K-Pop girl groups given clues by the other VIXX members... in English!

It basically turned into them repeating the English verses from famous songs, but the guys made it much more interesting by adding in a few dance moves as well.

And poor Leo, he's just not very good at being put on the spot...

You can watch the playful segment below:

kpopstarz

SHINee’s Minho and EXO-M’s Luhan and Xiumin to Play Soccer with Park Ji Sung in “2013 Asian Dream Cup”

Idols and soccer players are coming together for an international soccer match, and it’s all for a good cause.

SHINee’s Minho and EXO-M‘s Luhan and Xiumin will be playing alongside Park Ji Sung and other famous soccer players for the “2013 Asian Dream Cup.” 

The “Asian Dream Cup” is a charity soccer event and will be held at the Shanghai Hongkou Soccer Stadium on June 23. In previous years it was held in Vietnam and Thailand. This year the JS Foundation will donate all proceeds from this soccer match to areas affected by the Sichuan earthquake. 

Park Ji Sung will lead the Korean team, and he is joined by his fellow soccer playersPatrice Evra (Manchester United), Lee Chung Yong (Bolton), Ki Sung Yong(Swansea City), and Ji Dong Wan (Sunderland). The opposing team representing Shanghai will be lead by Chinese soccer legend Fan Zhiyi. As the celebrity representatives, Minho and Xiumin will join the Korean time while Luhan joins the Shanghai team. 

The members of EXO-M will also perform their latest song, “Wolf,” as part of the entertainment. Other celebrities guests include PSY and the cast of the popular Korean variety show “Running Man.” 

Source 

soompi

JYJ Jaejoong Reveals Behind the Scenes for Japan Yokohama Concert Asia Tour

JYJ member Jaejoong revealed his concert rehearsal stage for his grand finale performance at the Japan Yokohama Arena for his Asia Tour.

He revealed images from his l Iive practice rehearsal and revealed his good looks and charms.

Today his agency revealed these photos online and showed his concentrated and professional side.

His agency stated, "He has been in Tokyo since Tuesday and has been practicing for his concert. He also has a Japanese song prepared for his fans as well for the mini concert portion of his tour. Tickets for this concert sold out almost immediately and we expect a bit over a 100,000 fans to be there."

This concert, 'Kim Jaejoong Grand Finale Fan Meeting and Concert' will showcase songs from his first solo mini album as well as 7 famous Japanese songs. The first part of the concert will be a fan meeting that includes a talk session and games.

The 7 songs he chose to sing in Japanese are all popular songs in Japan and will all be sung live.

This 3 day grand finale has been sold out, proving his immense popularity in Japan.

An official also stated that they have sold out of every seat for this concert including the handicap seating area.

This grand finale will be held on June 24-26.

kpopstarz

[Recap] Weekly Roundup – June Week 3

All the important Korean Entertainment news from this week in one place: This is your Weekly Soompi Roundup! 

Simon D and Lady Jane reminds us how much we invest into celebrity relationships by breaking our hearts with their split. It’s time like these when Soompi could use a dislike button (because I would dislike that so hard) Won Bin puts everyone to shame with his “ugly” face and also proves that a lot of Soompiers get worked up about article titles without reading the article itself. (I even put quotation marks!) CLsparks a lively discussion on what it means to break the Asian woman stereotype. She also seems to be overly concerned with the grillz she wore for her music video. Jang Dong Geun and a handful of other celebrities lost their legal battle against a plastic surgeon who used their images for advertising his clinic. You win some, you lose some. With all the high pole dancing moves she does for “First Love,” Nanainjures herself by falling off the stage. Luckily the injury wasn’t too severe, but After School will continue promoting without her. First Lizzy, now Nana, watch yourself girls!  When dating rumors spread about Kim Sa Rang and Park Ji Sung, Kim Sa Rang’s people were quick to deny all while Park Ji Sung kept mum. Turns out, he’s actually dating announcer Kim Min Ji.  Congratulations on comedian Jung Bum Kyun who will be getting married in Korean celebrities’ popular wedding style of choice: shotgun. Joo Won of AA (Double A) has left the group to pursue an acting career but still will be chummy with the group who will add two more members. Check your credit scores! U-KISS has their own credit card! If you’re going to spend all your money on K-Pop, at least make sure you have U-KISS looking back at you in approval as you do it.  Song Joong Ki will not be leaving us for the army, not yet anyway. Phew.

ohkpop

Watch 'Show! Music Core' live!

MBC's 'Show! Music Core' is back for another week of the latest songs and performances by your favorite idols! 

Watch the live stream above and discuss. If you miss the performance you were waiting for, make sure to catch up with allkpop's wrap-up later tonight!

allkpop