SM Entertainment Execs Deny They Tried To Derail JYJ's Career: Label Considering A 'Legal Response' To FTC Sanction

Executives from SM Entertainment responded to a sanction issued on Wednesday by the Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC), ordering the record label to stop attempting to sabotage the band JYJ's career.
In a short statement to the publication Newsen, a SM Entertainment spokesperson denied the allegations and said the label is weighing their legal options.
"Even though we never interfered with their activities, we're disappointed that there was a sanction," the SM Entertainment spokesperson said.


"We're looking for a legal response to the sanction."
At Wednesday's press conference, a representative from the FTC laid out the timeline of how SM Entertainment allegedly started a campaign, with some help from the Korean Federation of Pop Culture and Art Industry (KFPCAI), against JYJ after the three bandmates left boy band TVXQ in 2009, over a contract dispute.
TVXQ is an SM Entertainment act.
"Despite JYJ's high album sales, their activities as a group were restricted in Korea, and they had to promote through areas where SM's influence was less [pervasive] like dramas, musicals, and advertisements," the FTC rep said.
SM Entertainment executives allegedly blacklisted the group from television performances and even asked Warner Music Korea to stop distributing the first JYJ album "The Beginning."
According to the FTC, the KFPCAI assisted in urging Warner to drop the JYJ album and reportedly issued a formal request to three major broadcast stations, six music and cable stations, five online music sites and 11 album retailers to not sell or promote JYJ's album.
"SM, one of the Big Three [South Korean entertainment] agencies, and KFPCAI, which is composed of various organizations involved in the entertainment industry, applied incredible pressure on companies and as a result, JYJ experienced cancellations of music and variety programs, a change in music ranking, and cancellations of documentaries and theater screenings," the FTC representative said.
The three members of JYJ, Kim Jae Joong, Park Yu Chun and Kim Jun Su issued a statement through their record label C-JeS on Wednesday, reacting to the news.
"We thank the FTC for their decision. We have been fighting arduously since 2009, and it felt like we were walking in a desert with no end in sight." the statement read.
"But we felt that things have been changing for the better, and we have gained a lot of strength from it. With this order from FTC, we hope that we can perform on fair stages and go about our activities in a better environment. We also hope that this helps to open the doors for our juniors."


kpopstarz

2NE1 'Falling In Love' Song Of The Summer? BESTie And Stellar Beg To Differ

Earlier this week, MTV Iggy declared "Falling In Love" by 2NE1 the 'song of the summer.'
Maybe that is true - but there are a lot of other girl groups out there with their own spin on summer tunes.
2NE1 have a pretty solid career already under their belts - they have had chart-topping songs as a group and considerable success as individuals as well.


But is the latest release from the four-member group really the song of the summer?
The reggae beats help to remind us of beaches and hot weather, but "Falling In Love" falls short of the group's best work.
The trend over the past couple months has been to overly sexualize female K-Pop idols, and in turn raise a lot of eyebrows and concerns. 2NE1 should be applauded for not stooping to such desperate measures to gain attention.

"Falling In Love" is a sweet, playful song that shows off the members' vocal abilities rather than their bodies. However, it is hard not to think of the tune as somewhat disjointed. It seems to be lacking the sort of cohesion and tight delivery typical of a 2NE1 track.
That being said, two other female idol groups have made their way into the Korean music industry lately, although their summer songs have gone relatively unnoticed.
New girl group BESTie debuted on July 12 with the song "Pitapat" and it could easily be a contender for song of the summer.
It is a cute track about how the heart reacts to love and comes bonus with butt-shaking choreography and a colorful music video.
"Pitapat" was composed by Super Changddai, who has written several other hit songs for various idols, and was produced by the men responsible for Girls' Generation's "I Got a Boy," Will Simms and Tom Havelock.
It is fun, upbeat, and has a catchy melody - perfect for summer listening.

But not so fast, Stellar wants to throw themselves into the mix too.
The four members made a summer comeback on July 10 with the song "Study," another cute song to listen to on those hot summer days.
The group may have debuted in 2011, but for the most part have gone under the K-Pop radar, despite having ties to veteran idols Shinhwa and popular boy band Teen Top.
"Study" shows the girls with all their naturally adorable charms in matching outfits singing and dancing to the bubbly melody - quite the opposite of pole dancing routines and panty fashion.

"Falling In Love," "Pitapat" and "Study" all have poppy beats, cutesy lyrics (with very little, if any depth) and the ability to get stuck in one's head.
If that is the criteria for becoming the "song of the summer," why are we so quick to give the title to 2NE1? Just because they are more famous and popular does not mean that other girl groups should be overlooked for their efforts.
What do you think is the 'song of the summer'?



kpopstarz

View Result Read Article View Result Read Article More Wisdom From Lee Joon: MBLAQ Singer Talks About Hypocritical Standards Of What Is Sexy In K-Pop

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More Wisdom From Lee Joon: MBLAQ Singer Talks About Hypocritical Standards Of What Is Sexy In K-Pop

Lee Joon may be young, but he sure knows all the right things to say.

July 25, 2013 12:06 AM EDT |

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Lee Joon, MBLAQ, Clara

Lee Joon may be young, but he sure knows all the right things to say.
The 25-year-old MBLAQ member is often praised by the media and fans following his talk show appearances for his down-to-earth insight and wisdom.


On the July 24 episode of MBC's Radio Star, Lee Joon, Clara, and the other guests on the panel got to talking about K-Pop idols' revealing outfits.
Lee Joon was quick to point out the hypocrisy in the Korean media regarding male and female entertainers showing too much skin.
"I get sad because I think people are really hard on female celebrities," he said. "When male celebrities take their shirts off, people say, 'Oh, they're so cool,' but when female celebrities do it, people say, 'She looks so cheap.'"
"He's right," responded Clara. "People say, 'She's just trying to get attention.'"
Lee Joon also added, "To be honest, I have taken my shirt off to get attention, too. I admit that I have done that. But I think that to women is just rude."
The conversation raised, once again, the ongoing issue of the summer comeback season of whether female idols are going too far with the sexy imagery.
Many media outlets and netizens have labeled the 'almost bare' outfits and suggestive dance routines as noise marketing, a way for the groups to one-up each other in the increasingly competitive market.
While the female celebrities are chastised for being "slutty" or "cheap," shirtless male idols are celebrated and applauded for showing off their bodies and exuding sex appeal.
Just as it is hard nowadays to find a girl group music video that does not show legs, midriff, or cleavage, boy bands too, cannot seem to release a new song without someone's abs being the center of attention.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe unintentionally, but Lee Joon seems to have brought up a much bigger cultural issue, and one that is certainly not exclusive to Korea, about gender stereotypes and inequalities in general.
We just wonder what other words of wisdom Lee Joon will have for us on his next talk show appearance.






kpopstarz

Best Uses of English in K-pop Songs

I get a kick out of K-pop songs that have Engrish verses in it. Partly because it's insanely adorable, but mostly because they're hilarious to hear. It's like if I wrote a a song in English but decided to add Korean into it. Basically, the results would be so comical that the entire nation of Korea would most likely laugh at me until I cry. Here are some of the best uses of Engrish in K-pop songs!
To start our list off, we've got BEAST's "Beautiful." The song is decent but gets really good when rapper Junhyung pops in to give us a little rap where the English portion of it goes like this: "Make a love baby. Just make a love. Feeling in my heart, so nice." I'm pretty sure he meant to say, "Let's make love baby, just make love. This feeling in my heart is so nice." Either way it's cute and embarrassingly endearing at the same time.



kpopstarz

Psy is producing a new song with Scooter Braun in the US

On July 25, world star Psy tweeted some news, saying, “I’ve had a creative meeting with Scooter Braun.” He posted a photo taken with Scooter, who’s helping Psy promote his album in the US. In the photo they look like close friends.
Currently, the star is producing his next material while staying in the US, which is attracting public attention on how he’ll come up with another hit after receiving a lot of love with huge success of his songs “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman.”
Scooter Braun, who promoted Justin Bieber, making him one of the world’s biggest stars, is Psy’s head manager in the US.


ohkpop

Infinite’s Woo Hyun Ate Chocolate Secretly in the Bathroom During His Diet

During the filming of the upcoming episode of KBS’s variety talk show “Full House,” Infinite’s member Woo Hyun revealed a story from his debut days.
Woo Hyun stated, “When I first made my debut, I had to control my weight so I was on a diet. One day, I was so hungry, I hid in the bathroom and ate chocolate in secret.”
He continued, “Then suddenly, someone yelled from behind, ‘Spit it out.’ I turned around and found my manager, who followed me into the bathroom.”
When the other guests showed sympathy, Woo Hyun added, “Nowadays, we are used to maintaining our weight. We have less interference.”
Meanwhile, this episode of “Full House” will be aired on July 26 at 8:50pm (KST).   



ohkpop

EXO gets ready to 'Growl' with the release of MV teaser

After howling their way into your hearts with "Wolf", EXO will be releasing a repackaged version of their 1st album 'XOXO(Kiss&Hug)' to gear up for a comeback with a follow-up song!

To keep in theme with this whole wolf business, the boys will be bringing you the song "Growl" with the repackaged album and their new round of promotions.

However, before all that, the boys are here to make your wait even more unbearable with the release of an MV teaser!

The song seems to have a completely different feel from "Wolf", so check it out above as we anticipate their first comeback stage through 'M! Countdown' on August 1st before the album release on August 5th!

allkpop

B2ST's Kikwang has others shedding tears with his acting on 'Happy Together'

Yoseob, Dongwoon and Kikwang kicked off B2ST's comeback as they guest starred on the latest episode of KBS' 'Happy Together'.

During the broadcast, comedian Ryu Dam discussed his successful acting career, and MC Park Mi Sun suggested he have a friendly acting competition with Kikwang, who is currently starring in KBS' 'Drama Special- My Friend is Still Alive.'

Kikwang immediately got into his role, reenacting a scene from the drama. He shed tears as he said, "Take some money to God and pray. Am I going to live or die? Tell him do just one thing, not this or that. They said I would live long if I changed my name to a girl's name, so I even changed my name. But what is this? I want to go home."

His tears were contagious, causing MC Park Mi Sun and Shin Bong Sun to get misty as they complimented him on his acting.

Meanwhile. Ryu Dam got nervous after seeing Kikwang's performance and made the other guests laugh by failing to reenact his scene.

allkpop