Big Bang x UNIQLO Apparel Collection

Big Bang collaborates with Japanese casual brand, UNIQLO, to come up with various designs of T-shirts and hoodies, all starting at the price of ¥1,500 (Approximately USD $18). The collaboration apparels will also include tour goods for their upcoming Big Bang show concerts.

With bright colors and eye-catching prints like those, it’s definitely a collection that screams Big Bang. Couple tees with your favorite Big Bang member anyone?

Now, check out Big Bang members, TOP, G-dragon, Taeyang, Seungri and Daesung endorsing the Big Bang x UNIQLO apparels below:







Big Bang x UNIQLO collection is available on UNIQLO website here and all retail outlets from the 5th of February. Check out your local UNIQLO retailers today!

Hallyu Stars Born in the Year of Rabbit

As the year 2011 is the year of the rabbit, many star actors who were born in the year of rabbit – year 1951, 1963, and 1987 – are making a fresh resolution to make a new leap forward next year. Let's take a look at those stars who were born in the year of the rabbit and have actively been performing in the various fields of broadcasting, movies, and music.



◇ Broadcasting industry = Among stars who were born in 1975, works of comedians are expected to stand out. Comedians such as Kim Byeong-man, Kim Joon-ho, Park Joon-hyeong, and Kim Sook are those who will become 36 years old next year. They had already became star comedians with their appearances on live comedy programs on terrestrial broadcasting, and they will also plan to generate laughter among viewers in the next year. Among actors, Seong Hyeon-ah, Woo Hee-jin, Han Go-eun, Oh Man-seok, Choi Ji-woo, Yoon Son-ha, Lee Tae-ran, and Myeong Se-bin were born in the year of rabbit in 1975. And actors who were born in 1987, another year of the rabbit, Lee Min-ho and Moon Geun-yeong, are expected to perform brilliant exploits. Lee Min-ho is now planning to appear in the drama "City Hunter", which is based on the original Japanese cartoon, and Moon Geun-yeong is reportedly reviewing various movie scripts for her next work. Actor Jang Geun-seok, who appears in the drama "Marry Me, Mary!" with Moon Geun-yeong, was also born in 1987. Actress Han Hyo-joo, who achieved great success with her appearance in the drama "Dong Yi", and Joo Won, who had successfully introduced himself in the drama "Bread, Love and Dreams", are the same age with Moon and Jang. Actress Hwang Sin-hye, who is appearing in the drama "Home Sweet Home", and Lee Jae-yong-I, who is appearing in the drama "President", are also those stars who were born in 1963, the year of the rabbit. Hwang and Lee have something in common -- they have an extremely young appearance regardless of their age. Veteran actresses Ko Doo-sim, Kim Ja-ok, and Han Hye-sook were born in 1951 and become 60 years old next year, and they all are still enthusiastically continuing their activities. Song Jae-ho, who is actively appearing in both movies and broadcasting, and Jeon Won Ju, who is still enjoying popularity with her witty way of talking, were born in 1931.



◇ Movie Industry = Movie directors who were born in 1975 and had revealed their rising senses after reaching their thirties are noticeable. Director Jang Hoon, who had been acknowledged with his first movie "Rough Cut", and then successfully attracted 5.46 million viewers with his second movie "Secret Reunion", will come back to the movie industry with his new movie entitled "Battle of Highlands". The movie, in which actor Sin Ha-gyoon and Ko Soo appear, is about soldiers of South and North Korea who have to participate in mortal combat during the ceasefire negotiation. It will be a blockbuster war movie funded by more than 10 billion won. Director Han Jae-rim, who had been spotlighted with his debut movie "Rules of Dating" and his second movie "The Show Must Go on", will also produce a movie based on the original cartoon "Trace", which has been evaluated as a Korean-style cartoon about a hero with the same title. Director Yang Joon-ik, who had garnered 23 awards in the various international film festivals with his movie "Breathless", is also one of those who were born in the year of the rabbit. Now he is filming a short movie shot with a camcorder. Director Kim Jong-kwan, who had produced "Come, Closer", is also preparing for his next work. There are also directors who were born in 1963. Director Park Chan-wook is preparing a new movie entitled "Le Transperceneige" (working title) along with director Bong Joon-ho and preparing to advance into Hollywood with his movie "Stoker", in which Jodie Foster and Carey Hannah Mulligan appear. And director Yoo Ha, who had made "A Dirty Carnival" and "A Frozen Flower", will make a movie entitled "Howling". Among actors who were born in 1975, actor Lee Seon-gyoon's activities are most anticipated. He is enjoying huge popularity with his new movie "Petty Romance", in which he acted with actress Choi Kang-hee, and he will appear in the next movie with actor Park Joong-hoon. Actress Seon Woo-seon (born in 1975) will appear in the movie "Pyongyang Castle", which will be released early next year, and Ryoo Deok-hwan (born in 1987), who had appeared in the movie "Like A Virgin", will challenge himself by appearing in a thriller movie entitled "Head".



◇ Music Industry = Singers who were born in the year of the rabbit in 1987 mostly consist of members of idol groups; they debuted as singers, but they are actually actively performing as "multi-players" by appearing in various movies, musicals, and other entertainment. Top (Choi Seung-hyeon, Big Bang), Choi Si-won, Kim Ki Bum, and Ryeo Wook (Super Junior), Kim Gyoo-jong, Park Jung-min, and Kim Hyung-joon (SS501), GO (MBLAQ), Park Geon-il (Supernova), Son Ga-in (Brown Eyed Girls), Lee Joo-yeon-I (After School), Soyeon (T-ara), and the former member of 2PM Jae Beom are those stars who were born in 1987. Top (Choi Seung-hyeon) had taken on the challenge of acting by appearing in the drama "IRIS" and in the movie "71-Into the Fire", Choi Si-won is also appearing in the drama "'Athena", Son Ga-in and Lee Joo-yeon-I are also appearing in the sitcom drama "All my Love" and drama "Smile, Dong-hae", respectively, and Jae Beom will also appear in the movie "Hype Nation". Ryeo Wook and Kim Hyung-joon had appeared in musical works before. Seo In Kook, the winner of "Superstar K – Season one" last year, was also born in 1987, and successfully debuted as a solo singer with his hit songs such as "Love U" and "My Baby U". Star singers such as Maya, Harisu, Sin Jeong-hwan, and Woo Seung-min in "All Lies Band" were born in 1975. Shin Jung Hwan, who had shown outstanding performances by appearing on many entertainment programs, has been caught up in controversy with the accusation illegal gambling in the Philippines in early September, and is still staying overseas, so many people are paying attention to his comeback.

-

Source : english.kbs.co.kr/Ent... ( English Korean ), HanCinema

Source : english.kbs.co.kr/Ent... ( English Korean )

G-Dragon and T.O.P hold world premiere showcase for duo unit album "GD & TOP"

From left, Big Bang members T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) and G-Dragon pose during a photocall of the world premiere showcase for their new duo unit album "GD & TOP" held at major shopping complex Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea on December 14, 2010. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]



A world premiere which went on air live through YouTube. This may sound somewhat grandiose but the stage that G-Dragon (GD) and T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) of boy band Big Bang stepped on ahead of releasing their album as a unit was small and simple. Instead, they revealed snippets of each song listed in the album and explained the background to them.

To the fans who were looking forward to a fancy comeback performance, this showcase in the format of a talk show may have come off as long-winded but their choice rather came off as the best method to express their affection for the album. And like the two said, them having worked on each of the songs will be like a welcome rain to fans who have long waited for Big Bang's comeback to the local music scene.

Below are excerpts from their showcase held in Seoul on Tuesday, ten days ahead of the release of "GD & T.O.P".

Q: The fact that you are using the same logo in promoting your album and in the accessories you wear stands out. Does it have any particular meaning?
G-Gragon: As you can see, it's in the shape of a hand making the sign of a 'v'. While working on the album, T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) and I figured that our fans like it the most when they see us having a good time on stage. The mark is a bit similar to the Playboy logo as well but it means that two guys, who can be various types of men including attractive, sexy, and knowing how to have fun, have come out.

Q: T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon), your solo song "Turn it up" is listed as a bonus track in this album. Is this because you don't plan to release solo albums anymore?
T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon): I think I should explain how the two of us came to release this album to answer that question. Ji-yong [G-Dragon] had been working on Big Bang's album and after I finished working on my movie, we came to spend more time working together and making more and more songs that our agency didn't think were too bad. So we abruptly decided to put everything together in the form of a project album and present it as a gift to our fans who are waiting for Big Bang's album. Our CEO was the one who suggested us the idea of putting together an album containing songs the two of us have made and also including songs that one day will be released in our solo albums as the bonus tracks.

"We want to tell more stories as rappers".



Big Bang member T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) speaks at the world premiere showcase for their new duo unit album "GD & TOP" held at major shopping complex Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea on December 14, 2010. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

Q: So was the reason that you two came together purely because your CEO suggested it?
G-Gragon: We thought of a variety of combinations while working on Big Bang's album. And we felt that we should show something new and different to us in the new album we would release since we hadn't been with our fans for the past two years. So we tried putting together different combinations such as me with T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon), just the vocalists which would exclude us two, me and Seungri,Daesung and T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) but T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) and I saw the most results together. Our fans also liked the what we worked on so that's how we came to release an album like this.

Q: Were there any difficulties you two experienced while working together?
G-Gragon: There weren't any difficulties in particular because we're like family. It's rather the remaining three members who pressure us a lot. They tell us, "You have to do well. That's the only way we'll all do well". I think we'll have to work even harder.

Q: It seems to be YG's trend these days but why did you set three songs as the title tracks?
G-Gragon: It's probably why 2NE1 did it as well but we wanted to show a variety of performances since we're making a comeback for the first time in a while.

Q: But don't you not have enough time to promote all three songs?
T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon): We tend not to set constraints when it comes to time. But we consider both this album and Seungri's upcoming album just part of the process to releasing Big Bang's album. Our goal is to show our fans as much as we can in the shortest time possible.

Q: What's the difference between Big Bang's album and the album you two will release?
T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon): Like most of you can probably tell, we're two very different people so when put together, we probably created a new type of music. We're excited about the upcoming performances and fashion we'll get to stage -- we're preparing a lot of things.
G-Gragon: I think our songs will be closer to hip-hop than when we're Big Bang. And we're both rappers so we'd like to tell more stories for our fans to listen.

Q: You made a lot of the songs yourselves but out of the three title tracks, two of them are by Teddy. That's why it seems like the album will somewhat be a continuation of the vibe we get from Big Bang's. Is there a reason you made such a choice?
G-Gragon: Teddy is our big brother who always tells us a lot of things. That's probably why there's the Big Bang-Teddy combination and the 2NE1-Teddy combination and hence, we wanted to show fans the GD-T.O.P-Teddy combination. So the music may come off as being similar to that of Big Bang's but we made much more diverse attempts as in terms of how the music develops and the images that the melody and rap portray. I'm hoping fans will feel it as well after listening to our songs.

"We will focus on our local activities from now on".



Big Bang member G-Dragon speaks at the world premiere showcase for their new duo unit album "GD & TOP" held at major shopping complex Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea on December 14, 2010. [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

Q: Is there any song you're particularly attached to other than the title tracks?
T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon): We worked on each and every one of the songs in this album by staying up many nights. That's why I'm attached to all of them. There's a different vibe to every song and we worked hard on all of them so I would like to say that the entire album is meaningful.
G-Gragon: And this album contains many genres. R&B-like rap, acoustic rap, there are strong hip-hop numbers and electronic sounds as well. The reason we mixed such a variety of genres is because we wanted to bring out more of our character that we don't get to show when we're Big Bang. We thought hard on how T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) and I could create synergy.

Q: Do you have plans to appear on television for programs other than music shows?
G-Gragon: We've always wanted to but you can probably tell that we're not good at talking. We still get intimidated when we're surrounded by a lot of people. We can fly around on stage but I still get scared and nervous of these type of occasions. However, as much as this album is important to us, we plan to make appearances whether they be on variety shows or radio shows so I'm hoping our fans are looking forward to it.

Q: And how are the other members of your group doing? They must be recording Big Bang's album.
T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon): A part of us still wants to be secretive about our concept for Big Bang's upcoming album. We're all under the determination that we're going to pour out the energy we've saved up on so you can look forward to it.
G-Gragon: Daesung is busy shooting a drama and I met Seungri yesterday who seemed pumped working on his solo album. We heard that Seungri is working even harder now that we're going to come out with a new album and we in turn are stimulated as well when we see how hard Seungri works.Taeyang is taking a break after having promoted is solo album.

Q: You unveiled a music video today. Will music videos be made for all three title tracks?
G-Gragon: We'd like to be able to if we have time. We plan to start working on one of them.

Q: Big Bang pursues a singing career in Asia as well. Do you two plan to promote yourselves overseas as well as your duo unit?
G-Gragon: I think we haven't been attentive to our career in Korea over the past two years so from now on, we plan on showing our fans various sides to us by focusing on our local activities.

Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@, Lee Ji-Hye seven@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>

Source : 10.asiae.co.kr/Articl... ( English Korean ), HanCinema, 10asia

Korean Fashion and Celebrity Trends

Celebrity endorsements are likely to play a big part in the Korean fashion market in 2010, with many top stars already seen to be endorsing, or taking part in photo shoots for fashion labels.



Narsha, Miryo, Je-A, and Ga-In, from pop group the Brown Eyed Girls, have been modelling the Spring/Summer Get Used Collection for Bling Jeans, which includes the popular blue-grey tie-dye jeans. The May 2010 issue of Nylon Magazine also featured a list of Korean celebrities, though this was a photo shoot with a difference, as the likes of Jang Geun Suk, Bani, Bae Doo Na, and Clazziquai were helping to raise awareness of an eco-campaign. They teemed up with casual fashion brand ‘Jack and Jill’, modelling a range of T-Shirts and Jeans, to promote an Urban Farm Campaign. Eagle-eyed fashionistas may have also spotted G-Dragon from The Big Bang wearing a shirt from Givenchy’s Ready To Wear Mens Collection at the movie premiere of the ‘Shine A Light’ Concert. The Black Poplin Long Sleeve Shirt With Gold Star Stud Detail is seen as a focal point of their collection. Last but by no means least, there are the Wonder Girls, who were spotted in New York at the Tory Burch Fashion Week Show, sporting a number of his purses, including the Cynthia Animal Print Mini Bag, and the Tory Burch Rapheal Leather Clutch.


Tory Burch Cynthia Animal-Print Mini Bag (on Ye Eun & Sun Ye), Tory Burch Reva Leather Clutch (on Sun Mi), Tory Burch Clayton Reva Vintage Leather Clutch (on Yoo Bin), Tory Burch Rapheal Leather Clutch (on Soo Hee)

Celebrities don’t just wear the latest fashions when they are in the spotlight, or in front of a camera lens, though they have been photographed in their own unique street styles too. The Brown Eyed Girls for example have been spotted teaming the obligatory sunglasses, with hooded tops, popular tartan and check prints, and oversized sweaters from the likes of Adidas.


SNSD's Yuri was spotted at an airport sporting the Beat Freaks x Miss Lawn (HELLZ) streetwear tank top.

Away from celebrity fashions, there are some trends that are ever popular on the streets of Korea, among everyday folk. Tights teamed with Converse Trainers, or other canvas shoes continue to be popular, as do vintage fashions, including floral print skirts, and lace detailing. Patent leather jackets, and other fitted jackets are popular among university students, while some younger students, such as those at Hanlim Multi Arts High School, get their School Uniforms designed by a fashion designer. Another popular trend is wearing socks with sandals, something that’s not often considered stylish in other countries. There are also many websites stocking Korean fashion items, such as Yesstyle, which currently recommends a High Waist Corset Skirt by Antic Beads, a Hooded Pullover by Pink Diamond, and a Sleeveless Tie Sash Dress from Kerry’s Closet for women. Among the suggestions for men are the Transparent Mesh Zip Hoodie by Deep Style, Pleated Overlay Trousers by Reeno, Linen Blend Vest By Dangoon, and Pattern Polo Shirt by Rakun.

Much has been made of Korean fashion, since the explosion of pop culture in the country, and although celebrity singers and actors have their part to play in the rise of all the latest Korean fashion trends, the people on the street seem to be creating their own unique style too. Combine fashion, with its closely linked neighbours in the Beauty Industry, such as The Face Shop, Beauty Credit, Clio, and VOV, and you have a pretty important industry in this part of Asia.

Source: AsianFashion

Big Bang's LG Optimus Mach and Optimus One CFs (CMs)

Big Bang has endorsed products from Korean conglomerate LG for some time now, dating back to the Lollipop last year. The boys most recently went for a cute image with the help of The Smurfs while endorsing LG’s Optimus One, now this image has completely changed for LG’s newest phone.



First, check out the Smurfs CF series below! View Big Bang's LG Optimus One (HD) wallpapers here!

Smurfs & T.O.P in「LG Optimus ONE with Google™」CF!


Smurfs & TAEYANG in「LG Optimus ONE」Bridge Video!!


Smurfs & G-DRAGON in「LG Optimus ONE with Google™」CF (15s)


Smurfs & BIGBANG in「LG Optimus ONE with Google™」Fun Video!!


Smurfs & BIGBANG in「LG Optimus ONE with Google™」Bridge Video!!


BIGBANG「LG Optimus ONE」Online CM Making Film!!


Now, LG has launched their 1GHz TI OMAP cpu powered Optimus Mach in Korea and this time, they’ve replaced the cute look from the Optimus One to a more modern and slick look for the Optimus Mach.

Earlier in the week, LG released a long preview video of the phone featuring T.O.P.
Check it out below.



And now the 30 second CF has been released. Check it out below.

[HQ] BIGBANG T.O.P ::: LG「Optimus Mach」TV CF (30s)


Source: allkpop

G-Dragon, T.O.P, Se7en and Leessang to Perform at Christmas Social Party

Some of the biggest names in the K-pop scene will be performing on stage at a Christmas party hosted by a communications company in Korea.



Poster for SK Telecom's "Christmas T Social Party" [SK Telecom]


A press release from the party's publicist Prain Inc. announced Tuesday that Big Bang members G-Dragon and T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon), rap duo LeeSSang and Se7en will take the stage at a club in Kangnam of Seoul for SK Telecom's "Christmas T Social Party" held on December 24.

"Music and music videos are spreading all over the world through the evolution of the social media network and we believe that the members of Big Bang, whose singing careers have branched out to other countries, represent that", an official from SK Telecom was quoted as saying.

For the first time ever, G-Dragon and T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) will sing the title track "High High" from their full-length release as a duo, which is set to hit stores next week.

An official from their agency YG Entertainment explained that the upcoming duo album and songs by the two will feature electronic, pop and hip-hop sounds which goes well with the club scene.

Late last month, Yang Hyun-suk, CEO and founder of YG Entertainment, announced that G-Dragon and T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyeon) will return to the music scene first with their album as a unit, followed by youngest member Seungri with his solo single and then Big Bang.

Big Bang, discovered and trained by major talenthouse YG Entertainment, is known as one of the biggest names in the Korean pop industry, releasing hit songs "Dirty Cash", "With U", "Lies" and "Haru Haru".

Born Choi Dong-wook, Se7en was trained under YG Entertainment for four years before making his debut with his album "Just Listen" in 2003. He returned to the local music scene in mid-July with his album "Digital Bounce".

LeeSSang is Korean hip-hop duo composed of Gary and Gil. They formed in 2002, collaborating with Drunken Tiger, T and Big Mama King.

On this occasion, G-Dragon and T.O.P. will reveal the title track "High High" from their full-length release as a duo. The album will go on sale next week. It will feature dance-friendly music with electronic, pop, and hip-hop influences. A representative from SK Telecom stated, "Music and music videos are spreading all over the world through the evolution of the social media network and we believe that the members of Big Bang, whose singing careers have branched out to other countries, represent that."

The "Christmas T Social Party" will be held on December 24 at Club Heaven in the Kangnam district of Seoul.


Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>


Source : 10.asiae.co.kr/Articl... ( English Korean ), Hancinema, asiae.co.kr

Winners at the 2010 Style Icon Awards (Korea)

Many Korea top stars attended the "2010 style Icon Awards" at the CJ E&Mcenter in Seoul on November 17th. It is an event show that awards celebrities who are considered to be one of Korea’s representative 'Style Icons' for 2010.



"Style Icon Awards", which was started in 2008, is the awards event that selects style icon from the world of movie, drama, music, design and model who distinguished themselves among other in styling.


More celebrity photos here!

This year’s event was held by Olive, women’s lifestyle channel, and Onstyle, Korea’s number one style channel. This event is aiming for Korea’s biggest and most popular style awards event for Korean stars.

Winners on the night are as follows:

Style Icon of the Year: Lee Byung Hun

Popularity award: SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong

International Style Icon: So Ji Sub

New Style Icon, Movie actor: Big Bang’s T.O.P (Choi Seunghyun)

New Style Icon, Actor: Song Joong Ki

New Style Icon, Singer: CNBlue

Fashionista: Oh Yeon Soo

Style Leader: Gong Hyo Jin

Cultural/Arts award: Kolleen Park

Model: Han Hye Jin

Style Icon Actor: Chun Jung Myung

Style Icon Actress: Shin Min Ah

Female Singer: 2NE1

Male Singer: 2PM

Style Icon TV Star: Kim Jung Eun

Movie Actress: Lee Min Jung

Movie Actor: Joo Jin Mo

Special Award: Andre Kim (received by Andre Kim’s son, Kim Joong Do)

Sky Beautiful Sharing Award: Tiger JK & Yoon Mirae

src: 10asia

Kim Hyun Joong receives Popularity Award


T.O.P receives New Style Icon (Movie Actor) Award


CNBlue receives New Style Icon (Singer) award


2NE1 receives Style Icon (Female Singer) award

Big Bang's Taeyang & Super Junior Siwon Received Award for Contribution to Pop Culture

Big Bang's Taeyang and Siwon received an award for their contribution to pop culture at the 2010 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Award Ceremony, held on November 22 at the Shilla Hotel.



We wish we had more information about the event, but hey, at least we can bring you some super cute pictures of Taeyang and Siwon!











Source: Newsen

Big Bang to receive honor at 52nd Japan Record Awards; T.O.P at 2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards

Korean idol group Big Bang will receive an honor at the upcoming 52nd Japan Record Awards, alongside some of the biggest names in the J-pop music scene.



The Japan Record Awards, hosted by the Japan Composer's Association, announced over the weekend that Big Bang will be handed the award for best song alongside ten artists including Japanese singers Exile and AKB48.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on December 30 on Japanese network TBS and the winner of the grand prize, chosen from one of the ten best song recipients, will be announced that day as well.

Big Bang, one of Korea's hottest boy bands, branched out into Japanese pop market in June of last year with their debut single "My Heaven" which reached No. 3 on the prestigious Oricon daily singles chart and they toured three cities in the country which attracted a total of 60,000 fans.

They have led a successful singing career in the country, releasing other Japanese singles such as "Tell Me Goodbye" and "Beautiful Hangover" as well as taking the main stage at the Summer Sonic Festival this August.

Big Bang is currently gearing up for their performance in Korea at the "2010 YG Family Concert" alongside fellow labelmates 2NE1, Gummy and Psy to be held on December 4 and 5.

Member-turned-movie-star T.O.P, also known as Choi Seung Hyun (Hangul: 최승현; Hanja: 崔勝鉉), sported his new blonde hair at the 2010 Blue Dragon Film ("Cheongryong") Awards.



He surprised his fans on the red carpet with his new hair-do, and was surprised himself when he won the Award for New Actor for his role in "Into the Gunfire".

Winners of 2010 Blue Dragon Film ("Cheongryong") Awards:
Best Film: "Secret Reunion"
Actor Award: Jeong Jae-yeong ("Moss")
Actress Award: Yoon Jung-hee ("Poetry"), Soo-ae ("Midnight FM")
Supporting Actor: Yoo Hae-jin ("Moss")
Supporting Actress: Yoon Yeo-jeong ("The Housemaid - 2010")
Director Award: Kang Woo-seok ("Moss")
Screenplay: Kim Hyeon-seok ("Cyrano Agency")
New Actor: Choi Seung-hyeon (T.O.P, "71-Into the Fire")
New Actress: Lee Min-jeong ("Cyrano Agency")
New Director: Kim Kwang-sik-I ("My Dear Desperado")
Cinematography: Lee Mo-gae ("I Saw the Devil")
Lighting: Oh Seung-chul ("I Saw the Devil")
Music: Mowg ("I Saw the Devil")
Art Direction: Lee Ha-joon ("The Housemaid - 2010")
Technical Effects: Park Jung-ryul ("The Man From Nowhere")
Popularity Award: Won Bin, Choi Seung-hyeon (T.O.P), Jo Yeo-jeong, Son Ye-jin
Box Office Award: "The Man From Nowhere"

Credit:10asia, Newsen, PopSeoul, Hancinema

Winners of the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)

The 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) was held overseas for the first time in its history at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Hotel in Macau where a host of stars from Korea and around the world attended, with millions watching it live (or delayed) through TV broadcasts and online streaming sources.



Here are the list of winners (in bold) from this year’s show!

Daesang Award (Grand Prize)

▲ Song of the Year

2AM – “Won’t Let You Go Even If I Die”
2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
2PM – “I’ll Be Back”
DJ Doc – “I’m This Kind of Person”
miss A – “Bad Girl Good Girl”

▲ Album of the Year

2AM – Won’t Let You Go Even If I Die
2NE1 – To Anyone
BoA – Hurricane Venus
Super Junior – BONAMANA
Taeyang – SOLAR

▲ Artist of the Year

2AM
2NE1
2PM
miss A
SNSD

- – -

Singer Category

▲ Best New Male Artist Award (not shown during broadcast)

CNBlue
Infinite
Teen Top
Seo In Kook
ZE:A

▲ Best New Female Artist Award

G.NA
miss A
Nine Muses
Rainbow
SISTAR

▲ Male Group Award

2AM
2PM
B2ST
MBLAQ
Super Junior

▲ Female Group Award

2NE1
4minute
KARA
T-ara
SNSD

▲ Male Singer Award

PSY
Se7en
Rain
Taeyang
Wheesung

▲ Female Singer Award (not shown during broadcast)

BoA
Gummy
Seo In Young
Son Dambi
Lee Hyori

- – -

Genre Category

▲ Best Dance Performance – Solo

Narsha – “Bbiri Bbabba”
Rain – “Love Song”
Lee Hyori – “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
Taeyang – “I’ll be There”
Hyuna – “Change”

▲ Best Dance Performance – Male Group

2PM – “I’ll Be Back”
B2ST – “SHOCK”
MBLAQ – “Y”
SHINee – “Lucifer”
Super Junior – “Bonamana”

▲ Best Dance Performance – Female Group

2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
4minute – “HUH!”
miss A – “Bad Girl Good Girl”
Secret – “Magic”
T-ara – “Bo Peep Bo Peep”

▲ Best Vocal Performance – Solo

K. Will – “Miss Miss Miss”
Gummy – “Because You’re A Man”
Seo In Young – “You Write It As Love and Call It Pain”
Jung In – “Hate”
Wheesung – “I Thought of Marriage”

▲ Best Vocal Performance – Group (not shown during broadcast)

2AM – “Can’t Send You Even if I Die”
4men – “Can’t”
8Eight – “Break Up Is Coming”
Vibe – “Come Back”
Davichi – “Time Please Stop”

▲ Best Band Performance

CNBlue – “Love”
FT Island – “Love Love Love”
Hot Potato – “Confession”
Boohwal – “Love Is”
TransFixion – “The Shouts of Reds”

▲ Best Rap Performance

DJ Doc – “I’m This Kind of Person”
Epik High – “Run”
Outsider – “Acquaintance”
UV – “Sorry I’m Not Cool”
Supreme Team – “Dang Dang Dang”

▲ Best Collaboration (not shown during broadcast)

Homme – “Eating Well”
Ga-In/Jo Kwon – “We Fell In Love”
Seo Young Eun/Jung Yeob – “This Pitiful Word”
IU/Seulong – “Nagging”
Sung Shi Kyung/IU – “It’s You”

▲ Best Digital Single

MC Mong – “Hurt to Death”
Monday Kiz – “Spread Away”
Park Bom – “You and I”
Supreme Team – “Then Then THen”
Jung Yeob – “Without You”

- – -

Music Video

▲ Best Music Video

2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
Epik High – “Run”
UV – “Sorry I Can’t Be Cool”
Ga-In – “Irreversible”
Taeyang – “I’ll Be There”

- – -

Others

▲ Best International Artist

- Far East Movement

▲ Best Asian Pop Artist

- Perfume (パフューム, Pafyūmu)

▲ Best Asian Male Group

- Chemistry (ケミストリー)

▲ Best Asian Artist

- Zhang Jie (张杰)

▲ Best Asia New Artist

- iMe

▲ Producer Award (not shown during broadcast)

- PSY (for Seo In Young’s Cinderella)

▲ Music Video Director Award (not shown during broadcast)

- Seo Hyun Seung (2NE1’s “Can’t Nobody” and “Clap Your Hands”)

▲ Choregraphy Award (not shown during broadcast)

- Kim Hwa Young (JYPE)

▲ Stylist Award (not shown during broadcast)

- Yang Seung Ho (2NE1)

▲ Performance Award (not shown during broadcast)

- 2010 Jisan Valley Rock Festival

▲ This year’s Discovery Award (not shown during broadcast)

- 10cm

▲ Adult Music Award (not shown during broadcast)

- Tae Jin Ah

▲ The Shilla Duty Free Asian Wave Award

2PM
4minute
CNBlue
KARA
SNSD

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Source: allkpop

Big Bang performed for 2010 MAMA live in Macau!

Big Bang members G-Dragon, T.O.P and Taeyang performed hit songs "Hallelujah" and Taeyang performed solo "Break Down" at 2010 MAMA, Korea's biggest music festival, live from Macau (澳门)!

 For more photos, go here!

The Holiday Gift Guide For The K-Pop Lover!

Happy holidays! We know it's a hassle to buy presents and when you add K-Pop to the mix — it gets even more difficult. No worries…I'm here to make your holiday shopping a breeze this year with the Holiday Gift Guide For The K-Pop Lover!

We've got all the fan goods you could want along with a few wackier and obscure presents…And if you're the one pining for more K-Pop goods, send your family and friends this guide and you'll be sure to get exactly what you want this holiday season!

You're Beautiful A.N.Jell Pig Rabbit Doll Phone Holder



Aww... the cute pig-rabbit doll Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Seok) made for Go Mi Nam (Park Shin Hye) in the 2009 hit drama series "You're Beautiful". Doesn't this pig-rabbit look as cute as Tae-kyung in bow tie? And the cushiony holder is in heart shape. How sweet! A perfect christmas and valentine gift for your boy/girl friend.

$10.71, Kpoptown

Samsung Galaxy Tab



Samsung Galaxy Tab - The talk of the town! The envy of all techies!
It's endorsed by 2PM and appeared in the new Korean drama "It's Okay, Daddy's Daughter" starring Donghae of Super Junior.
So what's the rave about it? Well, it's...
Better than iPad.
Lighter than iPad.
Smaller than iPad.
Capable than iPad.

Buy this for your loved one, and make her/him the limelight among friends!

$599.99 free shipping, Amazon store

LG dLite Phone from T-mobile USA


You may have Big Bang posters, cds, penlights, calenders and maybe even G-Dragon's used towel but do you have the phone that launched the Big Bang "Lollipop" craze?

T-mobile USA now stocks the LG dLite phone and it's super cute (just like Daesung)!

$0.01 with contract, Amazon store

Nature Republic New Soothing & Moisture Aloe Vera 90% Gel


No, this isn’t out of place… It’s one of the only beauty products modeled by a K-Pop group that both girls and guys can use!

Jaejoong (JYJ) says soothe your dry skin with Nature Republic’s Aloe Vera Gel! Those dreamy eyes have me opening my wallet…

$7.99, Ebay.com

K-Pop 2011 Calendars


Calenders can be boring black and white boxes or they can have SHINee‘s bright faces beaming at you every month.

The same goes for just about every idol group out there! From SHINee to 2PM, 2011 calenders are finally here.

$19.90, Kpoptown.com

Big Bang, Kara and SNSD Not in Japan’s Biggest Music Festival, NHK 61st Kouhaku Uta Gassen

The Japanese media continuously delivered the news that star Korean groups Big Bang and Kara would appear on NHK’s 61st White vs. Red Fest. Sports-Nippon reported the news on November 21 with a caption saying, “Big Bang and Kara to Have Hallyu Competition in the White vs. Red Fest,” and it delivered the news that Big Bang had already decided to appear in the festival, and that Kara was finalizing conditions for appearing on the program.



Despite these earlier speculation from the Japanese media hyping the participation of KARA, Big Bang and SNSD in Japan's annual music ceremony, the official NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen line-up was released today and it is confirmed that Big Bang, KARA and SNSD are not invited this year. Korean media reported  that Big Bang would officially be attending but that was proven to be false.



Well... there’s always next year! The full line-up as below.

RED Team:

* aiko
* Angela Aki
* Ikimono Gakari
* Sayuri Ishikawa
* Kana Uemura
* AKB48
* Miyuki Kawanaka
* Kumiko
* Kumi Koda
* Natsuko Godai
* Sachiko Kobayashi
* Fuyumi Sakamoto
* Yoshimi Tendo
* DREAMS COME TRUE
* Mitsuko Nakamura
* Kana Nishino
* Ayumi Hamasaki
* Perfume
* Ayaka Hirahara
* Nana Mizuki
* Kaori Mizumori
* Akiko Wada

WHITE Team:

* Arashi
* Hiroshi Itsuki
* HY
* EXILE
* NYC
* Yuzo Kayama
* Saburo Kitajima
* Hiromi Go
* Kobukuro
* SMAP
* TOKIO
* Hideaki Tokunaga
* AAA
* Kiyoshi Hikawa
* FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
* Masaharu Fukuyama
* flumpool
* Takashi Hosokawa
* Porno Graffiti
* Shinichi Mori
* Yusuke
* L’Arc~en~Ciel

The popular group Arashi (嵐) will be in charge of the White Team, while actress and pianist Nao Matsushita (松下奈緒, 25) will be in charge of the Red Team. This shall be the first time for either of them to serve as a Kohaku host. A total of 44 artists have been invited, with an even split of 22 on the Red Team and 22 on the White Team. 5 of them will be making their first appearance on the show.

News- Announcement of NHK 61st Kouhaku Uta Gassen list of participants
速报-第６１回紅白歌合戦出場者


Source: KBS Korea

Big Bang and SNSD Won Awards for 52nd Japan Record Awards!

Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show held annually for outstanding achievements. It is presented by the Japan Composer's Association. This year will mark the 52nd awards show. Big Bang and Girls' Generation both made it on the list of winners of awards alongside Japanese artists. Along with ICONIQ, they are the only Korean artists that have made it onto the list.





On November 20th, the ‘52nd Japan Record Awards’ announced their list of nominees and award winners. It’s odd to see that the winners for most of the categories have been selected already, but maybe that’s just for brevity’s sake.



The winners from the ‘Best Song‘ and ‘New Artist’ categories will progress respectively to compete for the ‘Japan Record Award’ and ‘Best New Artist‘ awards. The panel will select their choice in who should be awarded the ‘Japan Record Award‘ from the ‘Best Song’ pool, while the winner for the ‘Best New Artist‘ will be chosen from the ‘New Artist’ list.

The winners of these two categories will be announced during the broadcast of the show on December 30th at 6:30 PM (JST).

Check out the list below!



"New Artist Award"

• ICONIQ

• Kikuchi Madoka

• Shoujo Jidai (Girls' Generation)

• S/mileage

"Best New Artist"

• ICONIQ

• Kikuchi Madoka

• Shoujo Jidai (Girls' Generation)

• S/mileage

"Best Song"

• "I Wish For You" - EXILE

• "Aitai Riyuu" - AAA

• "Arigatou" - Ikimono Gakari

• "Tell Me Goodbye" - BIG BANG

• "Toilet no Kamisama" - Kana Uemura

• "Nijiiro no Bayon" - Kiyoshi Hikawa

• "New World" - w-inds.

• "Beginner" - AKB48

• "Matsushima Kikou" - Kaori Mizumori

• "Ready to be a lady" - GIRL NEXT DOOR

Note: The position of the artists are not ranked. In other words, the order does not matter as they have all won the same award.

Big Bang was chosen alongside 9 other artists for "Best Song Award" for their single, "Tell Me Goodbye". Girls' Generation was chosen as 1 of the 4 recipients for "Newcomer's Award".

The highest award for the music show is the "Japan Record Award" and it will be chosen from 1 of the 10 winners of the "Best Song Award". "Best Newcomer's Award" has also yet to be chosen and it will be chosen from 1 of the 4 "New Artist's Award" recipients. At last year's Japan Record Awards (51st), Big Bang won the "Best Newcomer's Award" and the year before that at the 50th Japan Record Awards, their sunbae DBSK was a recipient of "Best Song Award" for their single, "Why Did I Fall in Love with You?".

Just to clarify, both Big Bang and Girl's Generation have actually won their respective awards, not just nominated. There is just the possibility that they may each win an additional award if selected for the above mentioned awards that have yet to be decided.

Source: Oricon Style
Credits: Tokyohive