From The Straits Times    |

bigbang-tour.jpg

BIGBANG Alive Tour tickets sell out in Singapore: After the first tickets for priority booking sold out within ten minutes on June 25, many VIPs pretty much gave up hope of watching them “live”. And even with the addition of a second performance on Sept 29, tickets were still gone within minutes. For those still hesitating, single seats with restricted views were available the last time we checked.

2ne1-dara.jpg

2NE1 releases comeback teasers: Blackjacks have been waiting for their queens to return and nothing better to heighten the anticipation even further by releasing teaser images of Bom, CL, Dara and Minzy ahead of their July 8 comeback. The biggest shock of all? Dara’s undercut which has had split reactions, with some calling it “brave” and “cool” while others are just plain shocked.

nichkhun-bday.png

2PM’s Nichkhun, Ha Ji Won and SNSD’s Seohyun celebrate birthday: Turning 25, 34 and 22 (Korean age) respectively, the three stars had different kinds of celebrations with Nichkhun and Seohyun opting to have gathering with their labelmates and K-drama Queen Ha Ji Won with fans at a fan meet.

kangin.jpg

Super Junior releases teasers for sixth album: The band has taken a different direction this time with a “beautiful males” theme. Think soft lighting, pretty hair and makeup. What makes it extra special? Member Kangin, who recently finished his two-year compulsory military duty, will be part of the album too.

lee-byung-hun (yonhap news).jpg

Ahn Sung Ki, Lee Byung Hun leave their imprints: They are the first Korean actors to leave their handprints and footprints in front of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, joining big names like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

ayumi.jpg

Singers Ayumi and Gackt dating? The former member of Kpop girl group Sugar who’s pursued a singing career in Japan, and the forever youthful-looking rock star Gackt, are rumoured to have met at a music festival and were recently spotted at a French restaurant acting lovey-dovey.

Kim Soo Hyun to guest on Running Man: One of our favourite new actors (The Moon That Embraces The Sun) on our favourite Korean variety show? We can’t wait. The date for broadcast hasn’t been announced yet so stay tuned.

Kim Yoo Jung to play TOP’s sister: We’re beyond excited for TOP’s upcoming movie Alumnus and there’s even better news — beautiful child actress Kim Yoo Jung, known for her role on The Moon That Embraces The Sun, has been chosen to play TOP’s younger sister in the film. The 13 year-old has professed to be a big fan of the BIGBANG rapper and attends the groups BIG SHOW every year so it’s especially poignant she gets to collaborate with him. Upcoming actress Han Yae Ri will play TOP’s love interest.

2ne1-mtv.jpg

Kpop stars win at MTV Japan awards: With Kpop stars concentrating on Japan as an important music market, it’s no wonder that 2NE1, Girls’ Generation and 2PM have returned triumphant from last Saturday’s MTV Japan Awards. 2NE1 won the Best New Artist Video Award for “I Am The Best”, while Girls’ Generation won Best Album and 2PM left with Best Group Video.

sistar-loving-u.jpg

SISTAR releases new music video: Hyorin, Bora, Soyu and Dasom are back with a new album and its title song Loving U is a summery tune made for easy listening. The quartert show off both their sexy and cute sides in the music video, shot in Hawaii. We especially like the flirty sailor outfits.

2AM Jo Kwon’s first solo single: The fun and catchy “I’m Da One” (with a rather eclectic music video to boot) is a departure from 2AM’s ballads, and a signal that Kwon has finally arrived as a solo artiste — especially bittersweet for fans who are aware of his struggles at JYP Entertainment where he was a trainee for eight years.

 

Kim Bin Woo and Kim Hyung Min dating: The couple are the latest in the trend of actors and actresses confirming their relationships, surely sparked off by Ji Hyun Woo’s brave public confession to Yoo In Na followed by the latter’s reciprocation early this month. Kim Bin Woo revealed on variety show Strong Heart she and Kim Hyung Min met while filming a drama two years ago and have been going strong ever since.

mblaq-go.jpg

MBLAQ’s new subunit release “Wild”: G.O. and Mir took part in the songwriting for the strong, hip hop-inflected track. It will be performed for the first time for lucky Indonesian fans at the group’s first tour stop in Jakarta on the 30th.

Idols pick HyunA as the next Lee Hyori: In a survey of 100 idols from various groups like B2ST, FT Island and CN Blue for Sports Korea’s 27th anniversary, 52 picked 4Minute’s HyunA to take Lee Hyori’s throne. Other results include 2PM being picked as the best performers and JYJ’s Junsu as the best singer. Interestingly, when asked if they’d like to be an idol in their next life, 24 said no while 12 female idols and two male idols admitted to having plastic surgery (anonymously, of course).