Which Idols Have the Fastest Rides?

Read this on allkpop and loved how JYJ is on the top of this list :) I just have to repost it. Here's the article:

More and more idols are purchasing ‘super cars‘ these days, and fans want to know which cars the idols have selected to be their own.

As previous reports have suggested, the members of JYJ possess the fastest cars out of all the idols in the industry.

JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong drives a sporty Italian Lamborghini Murciélago. His LP-640 model in particular is a 12-cylinder vehicle which boasts a 6.5 liter engine that produces 640 horsepower. It goes from 0 to 60 in an impressive 3.4 seconds and rides as fast as 205 mph. Estimated price in Korea for this vehicle is around $445,000 USD.

Kim Junsu‘s ride also accelerates to 60 mph in a matter of 3.4 seconds. He drives a Ferrari ‘458 Italia‘, whose 8-cylinder, 4.5 liter engine produces 570 horsepower. It drives as fast as 200 mph, and the starting price for this Italian stallion is $337,000.

Fellow member Park Yoochun also drives a Ferrari. His ‘California‘ is a 4-seater convertible which boasts a 8-cylinder, 4.3 liter engine that produces 460 horsepower. It accelerates from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds, and drives as fast as 192 mph. Starting price is $311,000.

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Actor Jang Geun Suk who is known for being a automobile fanatic is known to have recently ordered an Audi R8 V10. The model comes with a 5.2 liter engine, accelerates from 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds and rides as fast as 194 mph. Starting price is $209,000.

Big Bang‘s G-Dragon also drives a luxury car, a Bentley Continental GT. This model in particular boasts a 6.0 liter engine and the starting price is $254,000. The car can produce 575 horsepower and the vehicle weighing more than 2 tons can accelerate from 0 to 60 in a mere 4.6 seconds. It drives as fast as 197 mph.

Source: http://www.allkpop.com/2012/01/which-idols-have-the-fastest-luxury-cars

A collective report on the dietary habits of various female stars

The autumn breeze in the air may mark the end of another warm summer season gone, but the Hallyu stars still continue their strict diets in order to maintain their gorgeous S-line figures. Check out some of the meals that they’re eating for their diets below.

TVXQ holds a revealing press conference

After a two-year hiatus from the Korean music industry, TVXQ made a triumphant return last week. On January 12th, members Yunho and Changmin held a press conference to discuss the various issues surrounding their comeback.


Yunho started, “We came back for the first time in two years and three months, and I swelled with emotions when I saw how many fans came. I wanted to show everyone an amazing live and worked hard to achieve it, but unfortunately, I caught a cold. Although I received IV treatments, my voice still didn’t improve in the morning, so I worried a lot. It still hasn’t improved yet.”

Changmin added, “I don’t think I was as nervous as I thought I would be. It was really exciting and fun.”

When asked about the efforts they took on as a two-membered TVXQ, Yunho replied, “While preparing for the album with only two members, I thought that I had to make it live up to the standards of ‘TVXQ’. TVXQ was known for its strong performances and lives, so there wasn’t a single thing we could slack off on. We brought about a lot of changes on the high notes, and switched parts for every different genre.”

Changmin said, “There’s pressure in having to carry the name of ‘TVXQ’ as two members. Ever since our debut, Yunho-hyung was known for his dancing, so I didn’t want to bring down the performance. In other words, I didn’t want to lose by comparison (laughter).”

While on the topic of dancing, the reporter brought up the unique point in their choreography where they ‘push down’ on the heads of their backup dancers. Yunho elaborated, “We heard that the vocals for this album were similar to our former albums. We tried to investigate different ways to show off our strengths through the choreography, and so we brought in talented dancers. By putting in moves that were dictated by the beat, we tried to have our choreography express the dignity of TVXQ and to send the following message: ‘We’ll be taking control of the stage.’”

Reporters then turned to the strong bonds between TVXQ and their labelmates. Both Changmin and Yunho revealed, “At the time of our comeback, Lee Soo Man sent us a text saying that we were ‘jackpot.’ He gave us his support, asking us to do our best from now on. Yoo Young Jin also thinks very preciously of TVXQ. The fact that he’s even by our side gave us a source of strength. BoA and Kang Ta also watched and reviewed our first broadcast.”

Then what is the relationship like between Yunho and Changmin? Changmin replied, “Our relationship has gotten stronger over the past two years. His personality is the complete opposite of mine, so there were some conflicts, but I’ve become very affectionate towards him and have come to understand and accept who he is.”

Yunho replied, “If I’m like fire, Changmin is like water. He’s really like my wife. Our personalities began to mesh, and we’ve gotten a lot closer as a result. Don’t lasers shoot from our eyes on stage? We’ve worked hard in preparing something that could stop people from looking at us with worried eyes, and to not disappoint ourselves as well. We’ve come to understand each other like a married couple.”

The interview shifted over to a very sensitive topic: JYJ.

Calmly, Yunho said, “For two years and three months, I waited for those three friends. Since they’re still not here, I figured that someone had to protect ‘TVXQ’ instead of just continuing to wait. ‘TVXQ’ was created as a cumulative effort between a company named SM Entertainment, five members, and our fans. In order to make sure it would never be forgotten, we figured that this would be the best way to protect TVXQ.”

He continued, “I’ve always had a positive mindset, but it’s gotten a lot more positive now. During that difficult time, I would just grabbed a water bottle and ride around on the seven subway lines; sometimes I even went mountain climbing. I felt a lot of affection for the little things. In a way, those difficulties became a sort of ‘happiness’ – I was glad that it had occurred when I was younger, so that I could mature from it. I’m not sure whether this path is right, but I do believe that everything will work out if we all try hard.”

“They were all personal wounds, and the pain from my ‘leader’ role was greater, but not once did I ask anyone to ‘Listen to what I have to say.’ What’s already happened is too big for just the two of us to solve on our own. I believe the answer is to just spare our words on issues regarding the law, and to just work hard on our singing and promotions.”

When asked about their personal thoughts on the dispute between JYJ and SM Entertainment, Yunho replied, “I just want them to hurry up and come back to TVXQ. Under the name of music, everything was great, but further promotions created a difference in values. Those values are personal problems, and I don’t want to go into anything long-winded on that. I just want them to be healthy. The only thing I can ask is for them to come back. The three have crossed the line and have gone too far for us to catch them. I just want them to solve the dispute with our company, and hurry up and come back. It was difficult. It hurt. I felt a sense of resentment against people. As opposed to hate, I was hurt. But I just accepted it all. Honestly, I didn’t have the time to harbor hate against anyone.”

“Once, I met a little kid and I asked him who his favorite singer or group was, and he replied that he liked SNSD. When I asked whether he knew of TVXQ, he said that he didn’t. It may be because he’s young, but it felt disappointing because we weren’t promoting.”

Yunho continued, “Three may have left, but I don’t want ‘TVXQ’ to be forgotten. We have to do well and go down a positive path. Even if it’s just the two of us, we have to protect our name and position.”

Changmin said, “The media has been creating an issue out of it, and the situation has turned into an offensive and defensive battle. I think it’s definite that people are curious for the thoughts from all five of us. What I want to say is that all five exist in this spot because we shared a time of precious hardships.”

When further asked whether he had anything to say to the three JYJ members, he simply said, “No.”

When a reporter mentioned that the JYJ members stated that they tried to contact them, Yunho answered, “That’s not true. We’ve never received contact. And even if we want to contact them, their numbers have changed, so we might not have accepted the call because of the unfamiliar number. There’s been a lot of prank calls lately, it’s difficult for us to take every call.”

Yunho continued, “It’s really frustrating. I hope the media doesn’t confuse our fans. It’s been so noisy lately, I’m really apologetic to not only my fans, but to my family as well.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding their lyrics for “Keep Your Head Down,” Yunho stated, “The lyrics are not the truth, so it cannot be considered as a ‘diss’ against them.”

Changmin added, “A diss is criticizing and attacking the truth. The song can’t be a diss since there is no truth in it.”

Regarding Junsu’s infamous tweet, Yunho said, “When I first read Junsu’s tweet, I thought, ‘He’s making a mistake.’ I can get over what he said about me, but to use the term ‘enemy’ against not only our staff, but to our seniors as well, was not right of him.”

Changmin added, “To label not only Lee Soo Man, but the staff who have suffered for TVXQ as ‘enemies’ isn’t respectful as a human being.”

Both members are currently involved in dramas, with Yunho in “Poseidon” and Changmin in “Paradise Ranch.”

Changmin said, “As opposed to just saying the generic response of ‘My first attempt at acting was hard,’ the six months I spent in Jeju Island was an opportunity for me to reflect. I became more confident in myself. The time spent there filming was truly amazing for me, and despite it being difficult, I’ll never forget them.”

Yunho said, “The viewer ratings for my drama, ‘Heading to the Ground,‘ may have literally headed to the ground, but I was able to improve myself through acting. I’m working hard on showing a better image of myself through ‘Poseidon,’ and I’m trying to avoid rushing into it.”

When asked about their 2011 year-end plans and whether they’d choose between an acting award or a music award, Yunho replied, “Depends on what Changmin chooses… (laughter).”

Changmin replied, “I don’t want to give up either of those. I’d choose for both of us to receive an award from each. As painful as it was over the past two years and three months, I hope we achieve good results. No matter what award we win, I think it’ll be very meaningful for us because of the long hiatus we went through to get it.”

When asked about how they felt in being seniors to so many juniors heading over to the Japanese market, Changmin said, “Before us, BoA-sunbae worked hard on her own and achieved good results, making TVXQ’s advancement that much easier. I think I would’ve been upset if we worked hard on creating that road and nobody walked on it. Fortunately, SNSD, SHINee, and Super Junior as well as many others are working hard on their Japanese promotions, so it makes me feel proud. I am kind of jealous, too.”

He continued, “The Japanese market is not something to be taken lightly, so I’m against people thinking of it as a way to earn quick money. I hope they’ll begin promoting from the roots in representation of Korea.”

Now that the boys have passed their teens, the topic of dating was brought up.

Changmin answered, “I’m quiet, while Yunho-hyung is a lot more dynamic. I just like playing on the computer and hanging out with my hometown friends and having some drinks.”

Yunho replied, “I go bowling with my close friends. I don’t like drinking, so even if I do go out to drink with friends, I don’t drink.”

Right when Yunho ‘killed the atmosphere’ by saying he didn’t have a girlfriend, Changmin piped in by revealing that he had broken up with his girlfriend 10 months ago. When asked about the reason behind the break-up, he gave a bitter smile and replied that it was due to their international promotions. And even if they date, they wouldn’t be making it public.

Concluding with a message to their fans, TVXQ said, “We feel so guilty in having you wait for two years and three months. We know that you were all miserable because of us, so we’ll be showing you just how hard we’re working in order to show an improved image.”

source: http://www.allkpop.com/2011/01/tvxq-holds-a-revealing-press-conference

What are the strengths of the top 5 K-pop girl groups?

Today, the entertainment industry is overflowing with idol groups that are armed with each of their own strengths and colors, particularly girl groups. With such a huge variety of girl groups blooming in this ‘Girl group Golden Age’, Osen ran an article where five of the top representative girl groups of K-pop were examined and compared for each group’s strengths. Amongst the countless cliche girl groups currently on the market, it is these girls who have maintained their own territory with their unique set of charms and separated from the rest of the pack.

SNSD – Good coordination between members, capable of pulling off a variety of styles

With as many as 9 members in the group, the myriad of strengths of SNSD are distributed equally within the group, allowing for their specialty in overall coordination to be accentuated.

The vocally talented Taeyeon and Jessica, the luxurious and feminine visuals of Yoona and Yuri, the consistently skinny Sooyoung, the cute and innocent charms of Seohyun and Tiffany, the fun and cute Sunny, and dancer Hyoyeon – it is these diverse strengths which permit for a greater number of people to match their tastes with the group and pick their biases, making them all the more appealing.

In addition, the group has an excellent ability of adapting easily to numerous concepts and styles, such as the sexy, cute, innocent, lively and fresh images. People also take fun in watching out for that one member who receives a complete makeover for the group’s new concept.

 

2NE1 -  Individuality, creativity, a powerful hold of the stage

The four member group, consisting of Park Bom, Sandara Park, Minzy and CL, are known to possess individuality that clearly differentiates them from other female idol groups. They also gain their popularity through their ‘aspiring, longing image’, along with their unconventional personalities.

With their powerful music, and doubly powerful stylists, they crossed to the high fashion world wearing unusual outfits directly made by world famous designers. This plants a perception of creativeness for the group. In addition, instead of wowing the crowds with the typical bling-bling, feminine concepts, they showcase very non-girl group-like charisma on stage with the use of their powerful choreography and energy.

KARA – A sense of familiarity, all members of equal beauty

KARA’s strength is that all members are so equally beautiful that one can consider all of them to take the ‘visuals’ role of the group.

The group led by lead vocalist Park Gyuri, Goo Hara, Kang Jiyoung, Han Seung Yeon and Nicole all possess a feminine and mature beauty, making themselves known as a visually appealing group. However, instead of looking so perfect that it’s burdensome, the group holds a sense of familiarity in their attractiveness, which makes it easier for girls their age to relate to them.

Brown Eyed Girls – A sophisticated and defiant concept

When the Brown Eyed Girls (Jea, Narsha, Miryo, Ga-in) stepped foot into the K-pop scene with ‘Your Story’ back in 2006, their original concept focused mainly on their strong, charismatic vocals. However things changed when they released their 3rd album ‘Abracadabra‘. With this they showcased a new, sexy concept, which ultimately was a national jackpot and took them to the next level.

Everything about the ‘arrogant dance’ for ‘Abracadabra’, starting from their outfits, the dance itself, and the performance, showed exactly how important concepts are for girl groups. Furthermore, Narsha’s extravagant change in concept for her solo promotions had also received a great deal of attention.

Wonder Girls  – A group full of effort

After the Wonder Girls (Sunye, Ye Eun, Sohee, Yubin, Hye Lim) advanced into the American market and succeeded, the results they achieved earned them images of a hardworking group. They even honestly revealed to their fans the difficulties and trials they faced during their time overseas, but the portrayal of the group running to reach the top nevertheless created a strong image for idol groups to follow.

The group may not be as strong in the visuals category as SNSD or KARA, but their subtle charms are what have attracted not only Korean fans, but also their fans across the globe as well.

Source: Osen
Article: allkpop

Lee Sun-Kyun – Post Pasta

"One thing for sure though, was that if Choi Hyun-wook, if I do not do well, the show would flop.”

From 10asia
Editor in Chief : Beck Una

Beck: Unlike the amicable atmosphere we see in “Pasta,” we heard you had to actually work intensively, as if you were almost shooting live.

Lee: Wow, I wanted to die. Really. And I was grateful when our show got extended but me and [Kong] Hyo-jin were going nuts. We were shooting as if on a live schedule starting with around the seventh episode and from about the ninth episode on, I only slept a total 11 hours during a whole week.

I was in a near-panic state too because I was in almost every scene and had so many lines. I would hallucinate and hear my own voice when I lie down after being in shoot for eight hours straight in the beginning. I really wanted to cry sometimes.

Beck: But as the show developed, not only the ratings but the response by viewers became hot so I’m thinking you were able to keep encouraging each other to keep going.

Lee: Yes, the atmosphere on set got much better and as much of a hard time we had, I think that helped the staff and actors become very close. Some of the scenes even turned out better than we had thought we’d shot them so that helped us too. (laugh)

“I think ‘Pasta’ was a path I had never taken before.”

Beck: Your character Choi Hyun-wook in “Pasta” was completely different from your character in “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince” through which you became most publicly known.

Lee: Everyone around me said that character was the closest to the real me. Although I don’t have a disposition that is as screwed up as his. (laugh) But I was at a bit of a loss about what to do in the beginning after receiving the script for “Pasta.” I couldn’t get a picture of what I should do.

The Choi Hyun-wook that the scenarist had visioned was an unyielding, stiff soldier-like person but I had felt that he was actually more devilish during the first two episodes. He actually spoke quite a number of funny lines but they were expecting me to say them in a charismatic way so that was a bit frustrating.

One thing for sure though, was that if Choi Hyun-wook, if I do not do well, the show would flop. When I look back on the situation it was in, my child was born on the first day of shoot, I had a bit of filming left for director Hong Sang-soo’s movie, I had to learn to cook, I wasn’t sure of my character and yet I didn’t have time.

So I was quite sensitive in the beginning. I heard later on that Hyo-jin had been very scared of me. I’m not the friendly type and wasn’t in the mind to approach someone either.

Beck: Well before watching the show, I couldn’t quite picture you and her acting together.

Lee: I heard many people had been against it in the beginning. And once we actually went into shoot, Hyun-wook has a large energy and he is overly expressive so I was expecting Hyo-jin to play her part well too since she had been playing a lot of strong-willed character too.

But rather, she took in everything which got me thinking she has a smaller energy than I thought. But when I watched the show on TV, I saw that the balance and pace that Hyo-jin had selected worked well with the drama.

Unlike my acting which in the beginning was constrained, I realized that she doesn’t make any unnecessary moves. I realized a lot looking at her. Time-wise, it became much more comfortable to act with her after we got back from Uljin.

That’s the first time we talked for a long time and drank. Before that, we just had no time to rest so we hadn’t even been able to eat together. According to Hyo-jin, she had wanted to approach me but felt uncomfortable because I would always give short answers.

Beck: But the characters you two portrayed was done so well that it made me almost think that you two are almost dating. The famous ‘eyelid kiss’ seemed like the producer had kept the camera rolling on purpose. It did well in delivering the fluttery feelings at the beginning of a relationship.

Lee: We had no rehearsal since our shooting schedule was so tight. We hadn’t rehearsed our lines together so we had no idea what would happen. With that scene too, somebody was supposed to cut but the camera kept rolling so I could see Hyo-jin’s face become increasingly red.

That’s when we started playing weird jokes and I stared at her without blinking on purpose to make her face grow even more red.

“The staff of our drama used to make fun of me and say we couldn’t reach ratings of over 30 percent because of my soy sauce commercial.”

Beck: I think you must have felt a satisfaction from playing your character Choi Hyun-wook who was always spitting out whatever comes to his mind.
 
Lee: The characters I had played in the past were more defensive than offensive but I think Choi was offensive till the very end. Now that I think about it, reporters would always emphasize how ‘romantic’ I am but it has changed now to ‘finicky.’ (laugh)

I also referenced Gordon Ramsey character from “Hell’s Kitchen.” I hadn’t had much time to discuss my character with the producer because the casting for “Pasta” got set late and I went into shoot right after my appearance was set.

One day though, the producer came up to me and showed me a Joker card from “Batman,” telling me that he wants Choi Hyun-wook to give off a similarly slightly crazy vibe. That’s when I told myself I would try and express myself in various ways and however I want.

There was a lot of acting on impulse too.

Beck: Like what for example?

Lee: The chopsticks? I would try catching the opponents throat with it, or try hitting….. I had just tried it out but it ended up helping a lot. The producer was always carrying around chopsticks from then on. (laugh)

Beck: It seems that after watching “Pasta,” what viewers were thinking of the most was that they want to be in a romantic relationship. And of course, it would cause trouble (laugh) but some people were saying you and Kong might really end up going out.

Lee: [Kong] Hyo-jin said at the wrap-up party that when she does dramas, she feels that she’s in a relationship and that she’s cheating on her boyfriend, so she hated it a lot when I would show her photographs of my son. (laugh)

I myself was showing her sort of an intimacy by showing her those photos though. But I have definitely become more cautious about how I treat actresses now compared to before I was married.

Beck: The chef is someone who is in charge of the kitchen so I think you must have also felt the burden to take charge of the set too.

Lee: Yes, it felt like I was constantly in a battle up against 10 people. Even more so when I’m in the kitchen because I’m the one talking 90 percent of the time. I also had a lot of lines so I had to act them out well but even when the camera is shooting the other actors, I would still be acting out my part.
Of course it’s the basic manner between actors but they could’ve been pressured to do the same for me too. But I got increasingly worn out because I was doing it up against 10 people. There wasn’t a single cut where I could take a break. But I also really wanted to keep it that way till the end.

Beck: I think that’s why in the last episode, when you gaze with a content smile at the people in the kitchen, I also saw a relieved Lee Sun-kyun’s face overlap.

Lee: Ah, I was reading that scene in the script when I started tearing. I don’t know why. Maybe I was tired? I read it about four times and I think I cried every time. I couldn’t cry on the actual day of the shoot though, even when I wanted to.
We started shooting the last episode on the day it was going on air, starting at 2 a.m. I didn’t want the show to fall through so I was just begging that nobody makes a blooper. (laugh)

Beck: You, whom we considered the heartthrob of millions of people, got married and became a father right away. That change in your personal life must have been quite an obstacle for your image as an actor who will star in a romantic drama.

Lee: I think “Pasta” was a road I had not taken before. Naturally, I was very scared because it was a path I had not taken before. That’s how much trial and error I ended up having to go through and how tough it was for me.

But on the other hand, I became relieved that I think I pulled through somewhat and a bliss that I felt from having opened up another path for myself. I will never be able to forget having worked on this. And I’m very thankful to [Kong] Hyo-jin.

“I guess what was most painful after TV series ‘The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince’ was that everyone wanted me to wear horn-rimmed glasses.”

Beck: I’m curious what you would have been like when you were a young boy.

Lee: I did track and field when I was in elementary school and I was so crazy about basketball in high school that I used to play for 12 hours a day and considered going to college with it. I was an extremely normal kid up till high school and there wasn’t anything in particular that I wanted to do.
The reason I took up liberal arts was because I really hated science. (laugh) I liked music so I wanted to be a producer for radio shows and I was interested in advertising too but I ended up not studying much so… (laugh)

Beck: What kind of music did you like?

Lee: Since I was the youngest in my family, I listened more to music that my older siblings would listen to rather than for music for kids my age. Especially music by musicians at Dong-A Productions! I used to sing Kim Hyun-shik’s songs when I was in fifth grade so nobody knew what I was singing.
I don’t know why but I liked that sort of sentimentality. When I was young, my parents used the first floor and me and my siblings the second floor, and we used to listen to Kim Hyun-shik, Ryu Jae-ha and the Shinchon Blues everyday on LP.

I had a certain pride about listening to music that kids my age didn’t know about. I also became friends very fast with kids who knew their music. And I enjoyed watching commercials so much that I wanted to do advertising too.

Beck: You spent quite some time unknown yet it doesn’t seem you were the actor who is more greedy or ambitious than other actors in particular. So what is it that kept you going and not let go of acting?

Lee: It may be because I had no ambition or aspirations. I was very simple-minded. But I was always thankful because there would always be someone looking for me. Even both then and now, what I want to be good at is acting and become a real actor.

I have never dreamt of becoming a so-called ‘top actor.’ Of course, when I first made my TV appearance through a sitcom, I would worry whether I’d just become consumed but I learned a lot afterwards by appearing in short plays where I met some good people.

So I think things have been okay for me. I’m not the type that sets a goal and charges toward it to achieve it.

Beck: I heard that it hadn’t been your dream from the beginning to become an actor.

Lee: Yes, before entering the School of Drama at Korea National University of Arts, I was part of the lighting team at the theater club of the college I had been at. But one of my seniors ran away so I took to the stage for the first time as his replacement.

And that was, well, it’s hard to explain but it was nice. It was my first time on stage but I wasn’t nervous at all. I felt that I had done something actively that I felt good about for the first time. I guess there really is such a thing called fate.

Beck: Fate?

Lee: After I saw my child come into the world, that I started theater because it was fate that it would happen. That it is why I met Jeon Hye-jin, didn’t break up with her for seven years and ended up marrying her.
I would have not thought of becoming an actor if my senior hadn’t run away and if my friend, who left our theater troupe in just two months of joining hadn’t introduced my wife to me… when I think of these presumptions, I think fate does exist to a certain extent.

Although happiness depends on how you define it.

“He was someone who had experienced trauma so huge that if it happened to me, I would have run away somewhere. But it was fun.”

Beck: I think you must have not had an easy time playing your character Joong-shik in “Paju.” He was sort of like someone in the fog — he was quite hard to define.

Lee: It was difficult. But it was fun. He was a character who doesn’t express himself a lot and it always very serious. He was someone who had experienced trauma so huge that if it happened to me, I would have run away somewhere or hid myself in a temple.

Strangely enough though, the script for “Paju” was very easy to read. How should I put it — it was as if I could feel the atmosphere the movie was in. I had a confidence in the director and the film itself. I had also been wanting to work on a more cinematic film at the time.

Beck: You had mentioned before that you really want to work on a Hong Sang-soo film and you ended up working with him on several films. How has it been working with him?

Lee: It was really good. He called me one day and asked to meet. I didn’t know what he wanted to do, what sort of acting he wanted from me, whether he’d pay me, what the name of the movie was.

All he told me was that he wanted to sort of sketch winter, that if his previous works had more of an oil painting-like feeling to them, he wanted to do one which seems just like a sketch this time, in a very easy way. But he said there would only be four staff for the movie in total and I would only have to go into shoot once or twice a week. Although he also doesn’t know till when filming would last.

I actually felt a lot of pressure but I was drinking when I called my manager and told him that I think I should do the movie. Filming actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I would feel a queer sort of tension when I get my script in the morning and I had quite a lot of lines but I memorized them quite quickly because it was easy to focus.

I felt that Hong Sang-soo is almost like a great acting coach. It was fun just looking at the monitor. I have high expectations for this movie because I think it’ll be very unique and completely different from his previous works.

Beck: You have a voice that everyone says is mellow but I think there is also as much criticism about it. Has it ever been a complex for you?

Lee: Of course. I didn’t hear it directly but when I was in college doing short films, the staff had said amongst themselves that I’d have a tough time acting because my voice is very limited. A lot of people had said at the beginning of “Pasta” too that they couldn’t hear my lines properly.

There were many times, up till the third episode, that I was putting on a one-man show and I noticed later on while watching it on air that it sounded like I was mumbling. I only became aware of it later on but my voice had become muffled because I was the only one using a wireless mic but I hadn’t taken that into consideration and just shouted away. I made up for it later on.

I’m not saying I’m trying to come up with excuses though, I’m just saying that I had to go through trial and error. That’s why I was wavering in the beginning and very sensitive.

Beck: Marrying or becoming the father of a child is a huge change for a human being. Has such changes in your personal life brought any change to your mental attitude as an actor?

Lee: I went on a belated honeymoon after shooting drama “Triple” and there was a moment I felt what it would feel like to be a dad. We usually like to ride around on motorcycles when we go on trips but once my pregnant wife hopped on behind me, I suddenly became overcome with fear in having to ride on unpaved road.

I was also scared we might fall over. Is this what becoming a husband is about? This is what marriage is — having to be careful and trying not to fall over. The next day I found myself waking up early and riding around the village myself. I wanted to figure out which roads we should take and it also felt very free riding alone. (laugh)

“Oh, now I’ll only be able to drink once a week. (laugh)”

Beck: You once said in an interview that it’s your dream to run a cafe somewhere in Southeast Asia, receive scripts over the Internet and shoot one when you please. I think however, that a variety of factors surrounding you won’t let you do that.

Lee: That’s not true. I don’t think much has changed in that aspect. I do think I should work harder so that I won’t be shameful of what I do. There actually is no answer to married life. There are times it’s good and times it’s bad.

But I think having a child was the best thing I’ve done in my life. I watched my child being born and it was the first time I cried in such a way. The tears just kept coming. It was an emotion I had never felt before. Actor Oh Man-seok, who’s my friend, has a nine-year-old daughter and I didn’t realize it before but these days I think he’s amazing.

I heard that my son, who is just a little over four-months-old now, would turn his head to the TV when he heard my voice in “Pasta.” He stops crying within five seconds when I hold him. He likes me more than his mom. (laugh) He’s so beautiful. (shows photograph of son) This is how these things change you. (laugh)

Beck:That’s why your recent soy sauce commercial instills an image of you as a good dad but when it’s on right after “Pasta,” it had the effect of immediately ruining the fantasy we had of you as a lover. (laugh)

Lee: Of the dramas that I’ve been in, “Pasta” was the one [Jeon] Hye-jin watched the most and had fun watching. She would always ask what happens next. And once she started to become absorbed with the drama as a viewer, she used to mention how much she hated seeing that commercial right after. (laugh)

Beck: Because it’s so realistic.

Lee: Yes. That’s why the staff of our drama used to make fun of me and say that was the reason we couldn’t reach ratings of over 30 percent. (laugh) But I actually really like that soy sauce commercial.
The president of that company and their staff, they’re all like a big family and like a school… it’s quite unique. It didn’t feel like I was working when I recently was out on a promotional event. I exchange text messages with him from time to time… I really want to re-sign with them! (laugh)

Beck:You should take a break since your kitchen is closed now.

Lee:I’m looking at a couple scenarios but nothing has really hit the spot yet so I don’t want to rush it. I do think it would be hard to work on two dramas in year but, who knows. I’m going to work out a bit this time.
I have the painful memory of having asked to have a swimming pool scene taken out in the first two episodes of “Pasta” because I was just not in shape for it… (laugh) I also don’t think it’s good for me as an actor to settle for the fact that I’m married and let myself become the typical middle-aged man — that it’s not good to neglect my body as I have been doing.

And I used to not think maintaining a physique by working out was that important but I now think I should be more prepared in order to be able to take on a larger variety of roles.It’s not really about getting into shape but rather a test on myself. I want to try taking on the challenge for at least three months.
Oh, now I’ll only be able to drink once a week. (laugh)

— end —

source: http://koreandiorama.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/lee-sun-kyun-%E2%80%93-post-pasta-part-3/

Reason Why TVXQ is at the top of J-POP

It is clear that TVXQ’s a top star in the J-Pop industryTVXQ/THSK, Korean Idol group is grabbing lots of attention in Japan. As a foreigners, who overcame language barrier and culture differences, what was their secret to rising to the top in J-Pop.

About SM Entertainment

You know the sad truth? SM has power. They can make a nobody into a somebody. Just look at DBSK, SNSD, BoA, Super Junior. But behind the fame, it is ugly.

I came across this article written by w-kpop about SM:

Okay - here's how the whole story goes...

Lee Soo Man is the head producer - he's basically in charge of everything that goes on in SM... (SM used to stand for Soo Man but it's something else now..I forget...Star something...) He's like..completely horrible!

There's a saying in Korea that states: "If you don't make it with SM then you can't make it anywhere." It's actually half true. The reason Shinhwa broke away from SM is that they couldn't stand not being able to participate in recording their album (like writing songs, being more active in the whole process, not being controlled), and the only reason why they're still doing fine is that their fanbase is HUGE and the fans are VERY supportive of their split from SM. Shinhwa was fed up with their songs being controlled, and fed up with being hit and bullied by SM managers. -__-;;

As for HOT not getting back together, it's really crappy. Moon HeeJun from HOT went solo, as you may know, and after his first album, they withdrew funding from him and decided to focus on the "hotter, newer stars" like DBSK and BoA. Basically, he was left on the back burner and left to fend for himself. He released his later albums from money in his own pocket and donations from loyal fans. Awww...

Basically, when you get old/get less popular in SM, they just leave you to rot. They'll discard you like an old sock.

SM controls your life - when you sign on, you're basically signing away your soul. When DBSK was first formed, Soo Man gave the order to put the boys on a water diet (they basically starved the boys to the extreme) to make their faces slimmer so that they look better in pictures. They often try to get artists to get plastic surgery in order to boost their appearances. No joke. SM goes for looks first, then talent. (They got lucky with DBSK - looks AND talent.)

Rumor has it (and I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed, at least, according to my sources...) that SM hits/beats their artists whenever they make a mistake, and often they are driven to sickness by exhaustion and fatigue. Remember when Micky/Yoochun was in the hospital with apendicitis? Yah..there you go...

The probably only exception to the abuse is BoA, SM's favored artist, of whom I've heard indirectly from her coordinators that she's really stuck-up and and really bossy. Hence, I do not like her (I never did.) - sorry BoA fans! (By all means keep liking her if you do!)

When the whole scare that DBSK was going to be rotated came around (meaning winter-spring time this year), did you see the members cry at the perf.s and such? Well, I believe they were screamed at, then hit around, and they were banned from going to any press conferences. They were split up (put into different rooms and such) and they weren't allowed to discuss anything regarding it. I believe if they were going to rotate, they had announced that Jaejoong and Yoochun would be the first to leave because they "cause so much trouble".

If the fans did not stage the boycott of SM goods, I believe they really would have rotated DBSK. Plus the fact that Changmin is still a minor and their parents can still sue SM under their contract.

So...if SM is so horrible..why would you sign on under it?

Because, it gives you FAME. SM is RUTHLESS when it comes to making it to the top, and you are almost guaranteed some sort of fame. Secondly, THEY PAY FOR YOUR COLLEGE. They give you all these opportunities that are probably pretty good.

...I believe (I remember reading this) an average SM group like DBSK makes around 3 CENTS or something per album/single they sell. That split 5 ways is less than 1 cent per member. Yah - in the end, it may add up, but really, SM just sucks out the profit. It's a money making machine in the entertainment business. SOO MAN TAKES MOST OF THE PROFITS HIMSELF - HE IS LIKE...ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN IN KOREA.

Basically...Lee Soo Man is running this company that controls everything that goes on in their artists' lives. Although he's NOT THE PRESIDENT, he has the MOST POWER. Don't ask me how that works...I'm not sure... -__-;;; Even the president resigned this year due to everything that's been going on. Basically...I CAN'T STAND LEE SOO MAN. He deserves...really bad things to happen to him. -__-;;;
full credit: w-kpop.blogspot.com

Pasta – Interview with Lee Sun Kyun & Kong Hyo Jin

Briefly put, MBC TV series “Pasta” which premieres January 4, is about ‘dating in the kitchen’. The romance between a boss who is divinely talented yet uses vulgar language while being disdainful to everyone and an employee who does not succumb to her boss’ abusive treatment but rather bears with it to later succeed in both love and work, has been portrayed more than several times in various films and dramas. But the bar is raised higher when that story is depicted by actor Lee Sun-kyun, famous for playing mild-natured characters and actress Kong Hyo-jin who usually plays unique characters. A press conference was held on Monday attended by Lee who broke free from his past image by revealing his own style of acting in film “Paju” this year and Kong who has been expanding on her realm of acting through films such as “Blush and Crush’ and “Sisters on the Road”.

What's ahead for our beloved DBSK?

So lately, news involving DBSK is getting more and more confusing. It seems like the problems will never go away and new issues will always arrive. So what is going on with them recently...just a quick recap everybody knows:

- News released on their upcoming Jap single "Break Out". It is scheduled for January 27, 2010.

- Just this Wednesday, JaeJoong, Yoochun, and Junsu announced their attendance to MAMA which is held on the 21st of November. An Mnet representative stated to Starnews:

cute Yunho, Heechul, Yesung in trainee days

LMAO. I found this on the net and thought to share it. They all look so adorable.

DBSK's Yunho with Super Junior's Yesung and Heechul in their trainee days. Yes, Yunho's in his boxers and drinking milk. So young and already thinking of doing "Got Milk" ads. lolz. I personally find that Yesung looks a little scary O-O. And Heechul actually looks like a guy as oppose to nowadays ...and Yunho's actually chubby O-o x3. But their expressions are the best.

KTR Segments with Eunhyuk & Leeteuk

~090626-090702 SUKIRA Segments~

090626 Leeteuk Experiences "Ghost Pressing on Body"

Leeteuk: On the way to Inkigayo last Sunday, I sat at the last row, where I usually do not occupy. Shindong was sleeping with his head on my shoulder, and I fell asleep too. I dreamt that someone was strangling my neck… So I have come to realise that I cannot sit at a position that I seldom occupy.
Eunhyuk: Maybe Shindong is too heavy
Leeteuk: There have been more serious ones. I have recently been pressed on by ghosts frequently… It only happened a few times before. The members living at my storey have it often too, especially while sleeping with their doors open. I have already had it 4-5 times these days. 3 days ago, I had a little time to rest before coming for the radio show, so I slept. As I slept, I suddenly felt like ‘ghosts’ have come. I saw a woman walking towards me from the living room, I couldn’t breathe and told myself to get up at the count of 3. ‘1, 2, 3!’ It felt like I had chased the ghost which was pressing me away, jumping off instantly. But when I turned back, my body was still lying there sleeping, I was scared to death! I thought I should return, then ’shua~’ I returned…
Eunhyuk: Is that real or fake?
Leeteuk: It’s real. I continued sleeping after that… Perhaps I have been tot stressed out lately.

**That is the literal translation, but the sensation that Leeteuk experienced should be ‘Sleep Paralysis’. It is nothing serious, so don’t worry ^^

“On Air” Draws Comparisons with Reality

The drama revolves around a newbie director, top screenwriter, top star and a down-and-out manager. Events like fights between management agencies, bribing the television PD, product placement, etc are evidently shown in the drama. Although the drama has taken extreme care to repackage the events, concealing the real identities of people and events that they are trying to re-enact but as viewers we can still figure out who are they hinting at. How many have you spotted?


SW Entertainment is SM Entertainment in reality?
Artist image rights, contract issues, violence against artists, power struggles.

Drama: Because of that contract with SW Entertainment chairman, Jin Sang Woo, Oh Seung Ah is treated as a money-tree and has to put on a fake smile and live life in a humiliating manner for the past five years. In this five years, she has understood the dark side of the entertainment industry and decides not to renew her contract with him. To avoid being pinned down by Jin Sang Woo into acting the drama, she uses every trick in the book to irritate screenwriter Seo Young Eun and ends up getting the violent treatment from Jin Sang Woo. When her contract is up, she arrogantly tears up the agreement in front of me and walks away from him, not even looking back once. Jin Sang Woo doesn’t give it up and so tries to right his humiliation by setting up traps to stop Oh Seung Ah from filming Lee Kyung Min’s “Ticket to the Moon” drama.

Reality: Although SM Entertainment focuses on the music industry and doesn’t have much links with the drama industry, “On Air” seems to be drawing comparisons with it against SW Entertainment. Besides long-standing rumors of stripping artists of their image rights and media bribery, there’s also rumors of Lee Soo Man, president of SM, inflicting violence on its artists which are spread all over the internet. Jun Jin and Andy of Shinhwa are reportedly targets of his heavy hand in the past.

The conflict between SM Entertainment and Shinhwa intensified on 1st May, 2003 when the latter declined to renew their contract and announced the termination of their five year contract 7 days later. In the same year, they signed with GOOD Entertainment and begun their new career. In order to continue using their name “Shinhwa”, leader Eric who belongs to a rich family reportedly forked out a huge amount of money to buy the name rights back.

But it didn’t end there. Before Shinhwa released their 8th album in 2006, a video of Eric and Jun Jin imitating people with disability was posted onto the net. GOOD Entertainment claimed that it was SM Entertainment who did that.

Although similarities are plenty, many netizens (net browsers ^.^) felt that “SW Company” was just poking fun at those management companies that only care about producing stars and much less actors/actresses.

Oh Seung Ah is Kim Hee Sun in reality?
Super beautiful woman, CF star, poor acting, not patriotic enough.

Drama: Kim Ha Neul plays Oh Seung Ah who is labeled as the “National Devil” in Korea. Despite her poor acting plus being labeled as a “fake” actress and having to rely on eye-drops for crying scenes, she still has thousands of fans to call upon. Every drama that she is in achieves ratings of 30% and above and is exceptionally popular in the CF world with advertisers. After signing on with Jang Ki Joon, she starts throwing tantrums as a top star. In order to calm things down, Jang Ki Joon goes to her home and hangs a flag outside, his reason, “Gwangbokjeol coming, I was afraid you might forget to hang it again.”

Reality: Beautiful star but no acting skills, these reminds you of Kim Hee Sun. Since debuting, she has been la belled as “Korea’s Most Beautiful Woman” and is the darling of advertisers and media. The number of products that she endorses is staggering, ranging from jewelry, clothing, household appliances, wedding gowns, etc. How popular is she? Well, she commands at least 3 million for a commercial.

But despite being in popular dramas like “Sunflower”, “Tomato”, she always plays the same role and that’s what holding her back. Everytime she takes on a new challenging role, it always ends up with low ratings and deemed a failure.

Outside of reel life, during Gwangbokjeol last year, Kim Hee Sun was criticised for not loving her country after being caught not having a flag outside her home. Earlier this year, she was also lambasted by newspapers for not fulfiling her voting duties as a Korean citizen at the 18th Korean General Elections, opting to stay at home to enjoy life as a newly-wedded wife instead. How would Kim Hee Sun have loved to have a manager like Jang Ki Joon in “On Air”.

Interesting point to note is that the Korean media loves to scrutinise celebrities for not hanging the flag on Gwangbokjeol when the day arrives and always does extensive coverage on it. As for celebrities like Rain, Song Hae Gyo, Kim Seung Woo-Kim Nam Joo couple living in the high-class apartments in Kangnam district, why do they always have a flag outside their homes when Gwangbokjeol arrives? According to the caretaker for their apartments, “When Gwangbokjeol arrives, the security guards for their apartments will hang the flags for each unit in the apartment.” XD

Prima-donna behavior hinting at some top stars?
Clues include talking arrogantly, throwing fits at any situations…

Drama:In the drama, top star Oh Seung Ah loves to do things that always lands the other party in an awkward situation and splashing coffee at people she doesn’t like in the same line. When she meets junior actress, Cherry at the hair salon, she started saying sarcastically, “Why, even pigs and dogs can be famous in this era…”. When Cherry rebukes back, “Are you finished?”, Seung Ah immediately splashes water at her face, “How dare you rebuke me?”

They meet again later during a fashion show where Seung Ah once again steps out to teach Cherry a lesson, grabbing her hair, telling her that she must bow when greeting her seniors. Many viewers were astounded at Kim Ha Neul’s portrayal of Oh Seung Ah’s arrogant and haughty behavior. It’s so real and convincing that it makes you wonder if there is really someone like her in reality...sccaarryy..

Reality: Although the Korean media has been pretty protective towards their stars image, you still get the occasional odd reports of prima-donna behavior from Korean celebrities. So Ye Jin refuse to let anyone take pictures of her during a fan meeting last year led to her being barracked by the Korean media. In 2008, during Kim Tae Hee’s autograph event, there were rumors of fans being upset by her demand of, “Only autograph, no pictures please”.

With regards to this, Song Yun Ah who has been in the business for 14 years said, “There’s one Oh Seung Ah among 10 actors/actresses. When I see people like this, I will find it to be very sad for him/her. Actually, our jobs is like being in a war, you have to fight for what you want. But some of them are just too greedy and makes others unhappy at their own expense.”

Good and critically acclaimed drama but low ratings
This was evident in the case of “Ticket to the Moon” which was an excellent drama story wise and a particularly challenging role for lead actress Oh Seung Ah. But it achieved poor ratings as another big budget drama starring Ha Ji Won (they just made this up) was in the same time slot. This has been played out many time in reality as the drama scheduling plays a big part in the drama success, ratings wise. Just look at “Spotlight” which debuted in the final week of “On Air” and suffered single digit ratings. They have to face “Iljimae” next week and is almost facing the same fate as “Ticket to the Moon”.

Sex Tape Scandal
Drama: High school student, Oh Seung Ah comes to SW Entertainment and in her 1-on-1 audition, Jin Sang Woo asks her to strip for the camera. She however couldn’t overcome this and decides to abort her attempt. Another management agency boss chances upon this but didn’t finish viewing the whole tape and thus thought otherwise. He threatens Jang Ki Joon and later leaks the news to the media, causing a great deal of distress to Seung Ah.

Reality: There are many instances of this in the entertainment industry where management agencies uses these “tapes” to control their artists, for money or revenge. Regardless of whether it’s real or fake, most often, these scandals will result in artists suffering a great deal of distress, having to step out of the limelight temporarily and hope that it dies off eventually.

Many felt that Oh Seung Ah’s case was hinting at artists like IVY (2008), Kwon Sang Woo (2006), Lee Tae Ran (2005) and Baek Ji Young (2001).

Female Stars Commiting Suicide
Drama: Yang So Eun (Min Seo Hyun) was once a top star who only wanted to lead a normal life which her manager Jin Sang Woo agrees. But he doesn’t realize that So Eun actually wanted to be together with Sang Woo himself. On So Eun’s birthday, she comes looking for him but he treats her coldly. He was only keeping his love for her under wraps and because he doesn’t explain it clearly, So Eun finds herself feeling miserable and eventually ends her life.

Reality: There has been many cases in recent years where female artists end their young lives in the prime of their careers (i.e. Jang Ja-yeon-Boys over Flowers) .Was it because of depression (Lee Eun Joo)? Anti-fans (U:Nee)? Too much pressure (Jung Da Bin)? Well, no one knows and it would probably remain a mystery to us forever. T_T

Unglamourous Side of the Entertainment Industry
There are many materialistic people and greedy management companies. To get ahead fast or bag that leading role, female stars will throw themselves at rich businessmen, high ranking officials. And if that fails, management agencies would resort to bribery which explains the large amount of money that management and production companies always have at the tip of their fingers.

Drama: Jin Sang Woo pours money into the production so that Cherry bags the leading role and resorts to underhand methods to ensure it stays that way. Yang So Eun (who eventually dies) and Oh Seung Ah had been forced to dine with businessmen and go to bed with them even. Things like this do happen.

Conflict between TV stations and management companies
Drama: SW Entertainment Chairman Jin Sang Woo threatens to pull Cherry out of the drama if the script isn’t changed to give her more exposure. SBC doesn’t compromise and decides to cut off all ties with SW Entertainment, rejecting their artists on their shows and not allowing them into the tv station.

Reality: TV stations and management agencies have a love-hate relationship in that they rely on each other to serve their promotion aims. Just last November, Super Junior was caught in a fix with Kangin having to choose from MBC or SBS programs to appear on. He had only recently appeared on SBS and had been on MBC programs for a longer period. SM Entertanment decided on SBS which angered MBC (they felt betrayed) and wanted an apology which didn’t arrive.

This resulted in MBC issuing a “restriction” on SM artistes like Super Junior and So Nyeo Shi Dae and they were absent for most of MBC’s year-end programs. The issue was only solved after SM Entertainment arranged a meeting with MBC with things back to normal now.

Crazy as the drama may seem, it is based on real events. What a scary world we live in...