2PM’s ‘Clothes Album’ sells out on first day

2PM‘s ‘Clothes Album‘ has sold out on the first day of its release.

Reservation sales for the album sold out on the 15th, and all 1000 garments in the first shipment are now in the arms of fans.

Global fashion brand United Colors of Benetton produced the special clothing, which allows fans to access 2PM’s music by scanning it with their smartphones.

The ‘Clothes Album’ includes Nichkhun‘s “Let It Rain“, Taecyeon‘s “It’s Time“, Jun.K‘s “Alive“, Wooyoung‘s “Sexy Lady“, Junho‘s “Just a Feeling“, and Chansung‘s “Love U Down“. All songs except “Alive” and “Sexy Lady” are tracks that will be officially released for the first time through the ‘Clothes Album’.

Eunjung requests withdrawal of sanction against ‘Five Fingers’ producers

It’s been reported that T-ara‘s Eunjung has requested the withdrawal of the recent sanction against the producers of SBS‘ ‘Five Fingers‘. Issues first arose this past August when Eunjung was suddenlydropped from the drama without notice after T-ara’s bullying controversy.

The Korea Entertainment Management Association (KEMA) issued a letter on November 16 KST asking those in the industry to refrain from featuring in projects by the production company Yein E&Mfor two years.

KEMA stated, “Ham Eunjung’s contract with the drama was already finalized, and after she participated in poster shoots for drama promotions, the press conference, and first filming, [she was dropped, which is against usual regulations].” Her agency, Core Contents Media, filed a suit for 140 million Won ($128,225 USD) due to breach of contract.

Eunjung, who has wrapped up promotions of “Sexy Love” in Japan along with the rest of T-ara, heard the news overseas, and she’s reportedly asked KEMA to withdraw the two-year ban.

According to a press release from Core Contents Media, “After Eunjung saw the headlines in Japan, she contacted the agency and strongly requested that the sanction against the ‘Five Fingers’ producers be canceled as she does not want more victims [of the controversy other than herself].”

“Eunjung said that she thinks the producers received harm because of events that occurred at the time, and though she’s thankful that the Korea Entertainment Management Association has laid down the decision to protect actors, [she believes] everything is in the past. [She wishes for things to end well].”

CCM has relayed Eunjung’s message to KEMA, and KEMA has also announced her position on the matter.

DBSK officially kick off their world tour

On November 13, a representative of SM entertainment shared to Bntnews, "After implementing 'Catch me' promotion activities till January, 2013, DBSK will start their world tour and the first stop will be Hongkong." The concert will be held in Hongkong on January 19 at AsiaWorld-Expo Arena.

However, before that, on November 17,18, DBSK will hold a concert named "TVXQ! LIVE WORLD TOUR ‘Catch Me’at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul Olympic stadium as a world tour announcement. 

After THE 3rd ASIA TOUR CONCERT ‘MIROTIC’ held in February, 2009, in the past 4 years, the concert had been held and sold out tickets within 2 days, showed how popular the group was.

After the individual concerts in Seoul on November 17 and 18, DBSK will attend SMTown Live Concert, on November 23 in Singapore, November 25 in Thailand and other countries.

Lee Soo Man sends an incentive message to Lee Teuk

In the latest episode of 'Strong heart' broadcasted on November 13 was the special episode for Lee Teuk before his enlistment.

Before his enlistment,Lee Teuk sent a short message to 100 people and waited for their replies. After that, the person who replied the fastest was revealed surprisingly.

The person who replied the fastest was Lee Soo Man. He sent an incentive message:“If you choose a new path to go, you will have to accept difficulty. Because of future, think that it would be a good path and enjoy it, a happy and shinning future is waiting for you”.

Netizen's reactions to this,: “Lee Soo Man's message to Lee Teuk is really warm!”, “Lee Teuk please keep good health!”, “Lee Soo Man has such a meaningful advice”…

KARA releases BTS video for Girls Forever album jacket

Check out the BTS video of the photoshoot session of KARA for their latest Japanese album titled "Girls Forever".

Song Ji Hyo expresses her respect for Yoo Jae Suk

Song Ji Hyo expressed her respect for fellow ‘Running Man‘ member Yoo Jae Suk.

In an interview, the actress said, “I’m a much lower hoobae, so I don’t know if I can say something like this. But what I realized as I did ‘Running Man’ with Yoo Jae Suk is that he has a very sincere and clean mindset and soul. His life is the same no matter if we’re filming or if we’re off camera. He’s so surprising. Out of everyone I know in this industry, he is one of the most sincere. Since he has a pure heart, he’s proud and confident anywhere he goes. That is so admirable and I want to be like him.”

When asked why she still participated in ‘Running Man’ even though she was busy with dramas and movies, she answered, “I realized just how shy I was through ‘Running Man’. It took me a year to call Ji Suk Jin, Yoo Jae Suk, Kim Jong Kook, and Gary as ‘oppa’. I only did dark, heavy characters in dramas and movies, but I think my image was changed from ‘Running Man’. I heard that I had a carefree and cool personality for the first time after I started ‘Running Man’.“

Ailee teases Yoo Hee Yeol about his height on ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook’

Ailee recently displayed her close friendship with Yoo Hee Yeol as she teased him about his height.

Ailee was a guest on a recent filming of ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook‘, where she sang G-Dragon‘s “Crayon” in her own style. On her previous appearance of ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook’, she had remarked that she had believed the MC was comedian Shin Bora‘s cousin, and she continued with her playful banter on the recent recording.

She asked, “Is your band called Toy because all the members are short?“. Yoo Hee Yeol wittily fired back, “It’s ‘Toy’ because we’re cute as toys“, and Ailee replied, “Then you named yourself incorrectly“, causing the audience to laugh.

Ailee’s episode of ‘Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook’ will air on the 16th.

Actor Yoon Gi Won tells Super Junior’s Kyuhyun to be grateful for his agency on ‘Radio Star’

Actor Yoon Gi Won hilariously fired back at Super Junior‘s Kyuhyun that he should be grateful for his agency on the November 14th episode of MBC‘s ‘Radio Star‘.

Yoon Gi Won released an album last year which not many people knew about and MC Kyuhyun sarcastically asked the actor, “Did you release an album last year? Did you purposely try to release the album in secret?” Yoon Gi Won replied, “Just be grateful that you have an excellent agency. Try not having an agency at all.” Kyuhyun and Yoon Gi Won hilariously bickered at each other throughout the show bursting viewers into laughter. Yoon Gi Won also sang his latest single, “Gonna Go Crazy“, on the program.

Viewers commented, “Yoon Gi Won is hilarious”, “I was wondering what Yoon Gi Won was up to lately”,and “Yoon Gi Won and Kyuhyun are funny together.”

SHINee releases special trailer for Japanese single “1000 Years, Always By Your Side”

After enjoying big success with “Dazzling Girl”, the boys of SHINee will make fans delighted once more with their upcoming second original Japanese single titled, “1000 Years, Always By Your Side”.

On November 16th, EMI Music Japan revealed a special trailer for SHINee’s next single, hyping up the fans. Utilizing the concept of a storyline to produce a short film, the music video actually further expresses the meaning behind the song.

“1000 Years, Always By Your Side” is a combination of the various members’ amazing vocals and harmonized voices. The song is about the 1000 years of feelings that SHINee had always wanted to express and is expected to have the ability to surpass classic narrative songs.

Watch the trailer below:

SHINee adds a new show and extra seats to the "SHINee World J Fanclub Event" lineup due to popular demand

A new performance and additional seats have now been added to the SHINee WORLD J FANCLUB EVENT 2012 lineup.

The heated response given off by fans has given way to the addition of a new event to the schedule! SHINee will now be performing two events (instead of just one) on December 24th at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall in Chiba, Japan. The new event is currently planned to start at 2:00 PM JST, a few hours before the already-scheduled event at 7:00 PM JST.

To satisfy demand, changes have been made to some venue seating layouts. Extra tickets will be going on sale for the two events on December 20th (Osaka-jō Hall) and December 24th (Makuhari Messe Event Hall; 7:00 PM JST).

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to attend one of the iconic SHINee World J fanclub events, sign up now!

■ SHINee's Official Fanclub "SHINee WORLD J" - http://shineeworld-j.com

※ Admission to fanclub events is decided by lottery.

SHINee WORLD J FANCLUB EVENT :: Summary of Changes

★ New Performance: 

_ _December 24, 2012 (Monday; Christmas Eve) - Makuhari Messe Event Hall (planned for 2:00 PM JST)

★ Seats/Tickets Added:

__ December 20, 2012 (Thursday) - Osaka Castle Hall (7:00 PM JST)

__ December 24, 2012 (Monday; Christmas Eve) - Makuhari Messe Event Hall (7:00 PM JST)

__ ※ If you have already been elected to attend these performances, please do not apply a second time.

Eligibility

SHINee World J members who have joined before 3:00 PM JST on November 26th, 2012.

※ Complete the membership application and send in your payment to join SHINee WORLD J.

※ If you choose the option of paying through a convenience store, your payment may be subject to a one-day delay.Payments made through convenience stores should be sent in by Friday, November 23rd.

※ If you apply for two tickets, the person you bring must also be a member of SHINee World J.

※ Pre-school children are not allowed to attend the events.

Acceptance Period

Those who want to apply for the new ticket lotteries must apply during this period.

November 14, 2012; 3:00 PM JST (Wednesday) - November 26, 2012; 3:00 PM JST (Monday)

Ticket Price

5,500 yen (tax and system-use fee inclusive)

Application Limit

Up to two tickets per performance.

※ Applications can only be sent in through mobile phones and smartphones. Those who do not have mobile phones cannot apply.

※ For more information, refer to the ticket page. http://tickebo.jp/sh...anclub_event02/

SM Strikes into Earning Shock leading to fall

SM Entertainment (CODE 041510) showed earning shock [economic performance shows a lot lower than expectation]. Its business profits in this third-quarter were below analysts’ estimated profit – which were less than half of estimated figure.

SM submitted its report of this quarter to the Financial Supervisory Service at 14:12 without any public announcement. According to the report, its business profits for third-quarter was 11.7 billion KRW. It was more than the last third-quarter, but a lot less than expectation of stock market. Analysts had estimated its third-quarter’s business profits to be 20~23 billion KRW.

The stock price responded immediately. It started to falling slowly right after its report, and hit the floor of the lower limit at 14:25.

Analysts at stock firms are in a state of confusion and it is known that a shower of enquiries and complaints are coming from institution investors. “We haven’t even seen the official report yet, but everyone is in panic as there are telephone calls without a break. We are not able to find out exactly why SM had such Earning Shock at the moment”, appealed a [anonymous] analyst at a firm.

It has been known that SM explained about the reason of this Earning Shock is because of a big production cost of TVXQ and Super Junior’s Arena Concerts. However, general experts insist that SM’s explanation cannot be an underlying reason. “There might have been some [serious] problems in the company because it is just too lower than expected” – commented another analyst.

SM insisted that TVXQ and Super Junior’s concerts were the reason of its bad economic performance, but it used to be considered as one of the most favourable factor of SM as most analysts estimated that “Its profits of the 3rd quarter will be  drastically increased because the results of the Arena Tour will be reflected in 3rd-quarter, not 2nd-quarter”, because about 1 million people were expected to come to the concerts in Japan in this half-year.

Due to SM’s Earning Shock, other entertainment stocks turned into a sharp fall. YG Entertainment decreased by 13.86%, JYP Entertainment, PAN Entertainment and Chorokbaem followed by 4~8%.

SK Stock Firm added, “The reason of its sharp fall is caused from a lot of difference between the market’s estimation and actual business performance. The problem was that the production cost of TVXQ concerts which were known to attract half a million people became too high”.

“A company like SM, its estimated profit tends to be entirely depends on what the company says. How are we supposed to believe it in the future, after announcing less than half the business profits of the market’s expectation?”, commented a analyst at another firm.

-Minus 14.88% in a day, after earning shock-

- Entertainment stocks are more like ‘a house of cards’ in Korea, because so-called ‘K-POP invasion’ is actually inessential figure if you know how SM tried to exaggerate it by using media,  to make it as if  they conquered the world. (Think abt who is really conquering the world as a Korean singer at this moment! )

- Korean entertainments’ overstated media-fuss is directly related to their stock prices. They have to keep the price as much as they can, whatever it takes, with every possible way because only media-fuss can make people deluded by slick marketing.

- Therefore, it always could decrease drastically as soon as any reality is revealed. (well, which I welcome the most)

- Also it could reflect that there is no enough cash-flow at SM, based on the situation  that SM risks its neck to its stocks. (Actually SM is just lying in the court, insisting that it did nothing bad so cannot give a penny to JYJ for the compensation for damages from the lawsuit to clarify invalidity of its exclusive contract. -the compensation was set 3 billion KRW-. )

IU & Eunhyuk’s photo used on an online gaming site

The much-ballyhooed IU-Eunhyuk photo has been made into promotional material for an online video game.

An online gaming company took advantage of the widely-talked about photo for the marketing promotions. The angle of the drawn photo, the pajamas, and the mole on the female character’s cheek as well as the pose show that the photo is merely a cartoonized version of the photo.

The illustration has been taken down due to all the negative response. What do you think of the usage of the photo?

2PM’s “Masquerade” places 1st on Tower Records chart in Japan

Following its debut at #2 on Oricon‘s daily single chart, 2PM‘s 5th Japanese single ‘Masquerade‘ has ranked #1 on Tower Records‘ reservation sales chart!

Reservations for ‘Masquerade’ began mid-October, and the single has topped the chart for most reservation sales for the past two weeks. The single album has also met high expectations by ranking #1 on Japan’s Recochoku ringtone chart.

Since its release on November 14, fans have been lining up at the Tower Records store in Shibuya to buy the album. The store’s staff has also created a counter specifically to buy the album to smooth traffic.

‘Masquerade’ has swept #1, #2, and #3 on Tower Records sales charts on the 13th and 14th, placing 1st for two consecutive days. 2PM’s latest single is expected to be more popular than their last release ‘Beautiful‘, which ranked #1 in every branch of Tower Records’ J-pop/Pop/K-pop charts throughout the first half of 2012.

“Masquerade” is co-written by the famous Japanese composer NA.ZU.NA, who’s worked with acts such as Arashi, Koda Kumi, and SMAP, and the dance track “M.I.” tells a heartbreaking story of forbidden love.

Check out the “Masquerade” PV as well as 2PM’s trademark “mask dance” below!

SHINee wants to take a walk down Orchard Road

SHINee is no stranger to our shores, having visited our sunny island for various promotional activities; even holding their first solo concert last year. Back in Singapore again, SHINee expressed their excitement at having their second solo concert, SHINee World II in Singapore.

In an email interview with xinmsn, leader Onew declared, “SHINee World II concert is our dream concert!” He added that Shawols (SHINee’s fans) should not skip their December 8 gig lest they miss out on a night to remember.

Having visited Singapore numerous times, we asked if the plucky lads have anything special on their agenda during their upcoming visit. “Just visiting Singapore itself is quite exciting; however, I would like to see more of the Singapore scenery, culture, and other local features. Also, would love to eat the famous chilli crabs and take a walk on Orchard Road,” 19-year-old Taemin responded.

With a set list that not only includes their latest hits such as ‘Sherlock’, SHINee will push their limits once again with tracks from Jason Mraz, Lady Gaga and Chris Brown. Also included will be the much buzzed-about ‘Internet War’ performance by Jonghyun and Taemin.

Jonghyun explained, “The inspiration was to create performance in joint effort rather than creating a solo performance as I felt there was more merit in putting it together with other members.” The result? A horde of appreciative, screaming fans who revel in the eyebrow-raising performance that includes handcuffs, a shirtless Jonghyun and even a steamy moment between the two members.

Another aspect of the performance that attracted attention was the “tattoos” that Jonghyun sported for the performance. He shared, “Since our debut I wanted to show my appreciation to the fans for all their support, so I wrote names of fan club sites,” adding that the unique look took 20 minutes to achieve.

With the SHINee boys spending the bulk of their time in Korea, we asked how they stay close to with fans all around the world. Key shared, “Since we (get an) extremely positive response whenever we share events from our everyday lives and on any news, we are planning to communicate with our fans through SNS (social networking sites) every chance we get.”

With Key and Jonghyun active on Korean SNS me2day and Twitter respectively, Shawols are definitely up-to-date with their latest happenings. Key also disclosed that they do, in fact, check responses to their posts and are deeply appreciative of the love that they have received.

SHINee World II in Singapore

Date: December 8, Sat

Time: 6pm

Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium

Ticket prices: S$238 (Terrace and Mosh Pit) and S$178 (Balcony) *Ticket prices exclude S$3 SISTIC fee

SHINee World II is organised by Running Into The Sun.

KARA, 2PM, INFINITE and T-ara rank high on Oricon Chart

K-pop idol groups have secured hearts of music fans in Japan with their latest records’ sales scoring big on Oricon’s music charts.

KARA released its new concert DVD, ‘KARA 1st Japan Tour 2012 KARASIA’, on November 14 and it immediately took the top spot of both Oricon’s compilation DVD and music DVD charts. Following them was INFINITE, who released their DVD ‘2012 INFINITE CONCERT [SECOND INVASION] in JAPAN’ on the same day.

In addition, KARA’s 3rd Japanese studio album ‘Girls Forever’ ranked second on the Oricon ‘Daily Album’ chart after selling 28,724 copies. 

2PM’s latest Japanese single “Masquerade” debuted at #2 on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart after selling 88,166 copies on its first day. Girl group T-ara was just close behind, taking the 4th place of the same chart.