aiko to appear on “Waratte Iitomo!” on March 2nd

Singer-songwriter aiko has just confirmed that she’ll be appearing on the variety show, “Waratte Iitomo!”

aiko will guest on the “Telephone Shocking” corner, which will mark her first appearance on the segment in almost a year. Because she and aiko are very close, comedian and fellow guest Itou Asako will personally call the singer-songwriter during the segment.


Make sure you catch this fun episode of “Waratte Iitomo!” when it broadcasts on March 2nd at 12:00 PM JST.


source: tokyohive

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MAY’S holds a surprise live at a high school graduation

Japanese R&B duo MAY’S updated their official blog with pictures from a very special concert!

MAY’S dropped by Suijo Senior High School’s graduation ceremony as a special treat for the graduating class. Katagiri Maiko, the duo’s vocalist, recounted, “Everyone was SOOOOO excited~ When I first came out (on stage), everyone was like no waaaaaay (lol) But when we started the live, everybody began smiling all at once.”

Sounds like it was an amazing experience for the 2011 graduating class! Kudos to the duo for such a heart-warming gift!






source: tokyohive

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French Kiss becomes “principles for a day”

AKB48 sub-unit French Kiss was selected as “principles for a day” for Tokyo Fire and Disaster Management Agency’s Fire Fighting School.

March 1st is the beginning of the spring fire prevention exercises in Tokyo, and the girls are out to make people more aware of where they’re making fires. The girls are also in charge of giving the firefighter’s directions for the day and watching them train.


Member Kashiwagi Yuki gives a friendly reminder to everyone, “You need to be careful of where you make fires!! Everyone, pay attention, okay? ♪♪“.


source: tokyohive

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Bang Eun Young – Snow Leopard Dress

source: reallycuteasians

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Choi Byul-I – SMS 2011 Preview

source: reallycuteasians

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Korea’s Fair Trade Commission fines 15 music distributors for collectively rigging prices

The Fair Trade Commission has decided to fine 15 music companies for $19.9 million USD for collectively rigging the prices of their products and services.

This fine will go hand-in-hand with a court order and prosecution.

On February 28th, the FTC declared, “Through a meeting held from February 23rd through the 25th, we have decided to take appropriate action against the following 15 online music-related companies: SK Telecom, Loen Entertainment, KT, KT Music, Mnet Media, Neowiz Bugs, Sony Music Entertainment Korea, Universal Music, Warner Music Korea, Yejun Media, Pony Canyon Korea, SM Entertainment, SBS Contents Hub, King Pin Entertainment, Direct Media.”

The fines for each company are: SK Telecom (fined $1.96 million USD), Loen Entertainment (fined $9.69 million USD), KT (fined $811,000 USD), KT Music (fined $1.16 million USD), Mnet Media (fined $1.98 million USD), and Neowiz Bugs (fined $1.11 million USD), Sony Music Entertainment (fined $1.19 million USD), Universal Music (fined $814,000 USD), and Warner Music Korea (fined $96,000 USD).

Five of the above companies (SK Telecom, Loen Entertainment, KT Music, Mnet Media, and Neowiz Bugs) will be formally accused of their crimes. Loen Entertainment’s CEO Shin Won Su, KT Music’s CEO Kim Min Wook, and Mnet Media’s CEO Kim Sung Soo will be prosecuted separately.

The FTC alleges that the companies decided to rig the market once Non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) digital songs were allowed to be downloaded, starting May of 2008 – previously, only DRM songs were allowed on the market. Non-DRM songs allow for infinite downloads, which led companies to discontinue products and certificates that catered to Non-DRM songs.

Thirteen of the companies listed above also stopped distributing songs to services which offered infinite downloads, thus rigging the market.

A representative of the FTC revealed, “In order to block competition coming from smaller businesses, the companies listed above rigged their own prices. By rigging the prices in compliance with one another, they placed great harm on the consumers and other businesses in the industry. Indeed, by equalizing the prices of their products, they’ve made the music industry believe that such a phenomenon was permanent. They have completely set up a blockade against the production of products that fit in different price categories. This is a violation of the consumer’s right of choice.”

The representative continued, “With this action, we hope that consumers will be able to spend less in order to enjoy a greater diversity of products. This is the first action being taken for the online music industry. No one is free when prices are rigged, so we hope other companies support this effort.”

source: allkpop

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QTV cancels JYJ’s reality show, “JYJ’s Real 24″

Cable channel QTV has officially canceled the broadcasting of JYJ’s upcoming daily reality shows.

On March 1st, C-JES Entertainment posted a notice on their official homepage, which stated, “This is a notice regarding the cancellation of QTV’s broadcasting. We would like to inform fans that JYJ’s reality show detailing their daily lives has been canceled.”


“JYJ’s Real 24” was originally scheduled for broadcast in the beginning of February, but it met with various delays. CJES Entertainment eventually received notice that QTV would not be able to broadcast the show; further inquiries on how such a decision came about have been left unanswered.



C-JES continued, “We would like to apologize to the fans who anticipated the show with all of the reports and promotions that QTV put out. QTV will be giving C-JES the footage, and we will be working our hardest to make sure that the show airs as soon as possible.”

JYJ’s representatives meanwhile stated, “Today, we received a one-sided notice from the broadcasting company that they would be canceling the broadcast. We’re already a month into the filming, so it’s very disappointing to learn of this. It’s also upsetting and frustrating that JYJ isn’t able to promote normally. With such an unreasonable decision, not only are the fans hurt, but JYJ as well.”


Meanwhile, a representative of QTV clarified, “JYJ’s reality show was canceled because schedules did not fit. For a while, we’ve been trying to balance publication rights as well as timing, but we’ve had to rearrange the lineup for a program being produced for April/May.”

They continued, “We never even planned a broadcast date for the program. We were merely trying to buy publication rights for their program to broadcast, it was not a program we produced.”

Regarding netizens speculating external pressure to cancel the show, QTV responded, “That was already ruled in the court, we have absolutely nothing to do with such rumors.”

source: allkpop

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Big Bang hits 100,000 mark in unit sales

In retrospect, it was probably a smart move for artists to reshuffle their comeback schedules, as Big Bang dominated the Korean music market in both online and offline sales.

On February 28th, Hanteo reported that Big Bang has sold a record-breaking 100,000 units of their latest mini-album. On February 28th alone, they sold 58,000 copies. This is an enormous achievement, as it normally takes top groups a full year to sell 100,000 units.


Big sales numbers in Korea are generally lower than that of other countries thanks to the prevalence and ease of illegal downloading. Last year, B2ST gained attention for being the only rookie group to have sold over 100k units, but that was with the release of four mini-albums and a grueling promotion cycle. According to Hanteo, the top seller in 2010 was Super Junior’s “BONAMONA“, which sold 129,000 units.

Big Bang also accrued another achievement, as they entered the ‘U.S. Top 10 iTunes album charts’ for the very first time, peaking at #6. Congratulations to Big Bang!


source: allkpop

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JYJ’s Junsu, SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong participate in charity soccer match

On February 28th, Sahmyook University invited celebrity soccer team, FC MEN, for a special charity soccer match against the university’s ‘Sahmyook Union’ team.

FC Men attended last year’s charity event as well, and its members are comprised of JYJ’s Junsu, Hero, Yoochun, SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Song Joong Ki, and many others.


On the 28th, the team’s leader Junsu and Kim Hyun Joong presented $10,000 USD in donations to the less fortunate. They also participated in various other events, like autographed giveaways.

Junsu stated, “As it’s a match for the less fortunate, I will take part it in with a joyful heart. I hope that this event is able to help the youth band together for the betterment of society.”




source: allkpop

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C-ute speaks their mind about their newly released single, “Kiss Me Aishiteru”

Idol group C-ute released their new single, “Kiss Me Aishiteru“, on February 23rd. The track features more mature lyrics and a club sound that breaks ground for the group. According to leader Yajima Maimi (19), the group strove to express their “sex appeal” in their vocals.

The danceable, high-intensity track is C-ute’s 15th single, and it puts them in new territory. The song deals with the anxiety a woman feels when she senses that love is almost over.

The strongest vocalist in the group, Suzuki Airi (16), says recording the song was a process of trial-and-error, since, “For any musical phrase, there is a different way to convey it. The ‘I love you’ lyric at the end was the toughest part, since you have to put so much emotion into those short words. We had to record it over and over again to get it right.”


In singing about a girl who falls so dangerously in love, Yajima says she can sympathize with the protagonist: “To be so excessively in love, so much that you reach the point of insecurity… I think that kind of love would be wonderful.”

The PV for this song has quickly achieved popularity on online video sites, with YouTube views having surpassed 870,000 at the time of this article. In the year going forward, Suzuki says she wants to show the world a new, more adult C-ute. “It’s great that so many people have watched our video already, but we want to reach out to even more people, and hopefully we have a chance to perform overseas.”


“Kiss Me Aishiteru” is being released on the Zetima label. First-run limited edition recordings in three versions (A, B, and standard) will contain serial numbers for drawings with a DVD and event ticket prizes. C-ute’s new album, “Cho WONDERFUL?“, goes on sale next month on the 23rd, and their spring tour kicks off April 30th at Nakano Sun Plaza.





source: tokyohive

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TV Tokyo president assures “URAKARA” to continue filming as scheduled

Girl group KARA has been making headlines with their public dispute against their Korean agency, DSP Media. Anxious over group tensions, fans are growing increasingly concerned about how the girls may not be able to complete their activities together; this includes filming for their on-going drama, “URAKARA“.


Luckily, their fears about “URAKARA” have been assuaged, as TV Tokyo’s president Shimada Masayuki (66) assured viewers that the drama will continue to film. On February 24th, the president brought up the issue during his regular interview with TV Tokyo and expressed, “They will be shooting the drama as scheduled. We can breathe a sigh of relief”.

KARA will be shooting in Japan until this weekend, and then they will return to Korea temporarily. The girls are scheduled to return to Japan again sometime during the first 10 days of March to continue shooting the drama.

source: tokyohive

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Han Ga Eun All in White

source: reallycuteasians

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It’s MBLAQ “Again” on Music Bank

Having just released their repackaged album, “BLAQ Style – 3D Edition“, the MBLAQ boys kicked off a new wave of promotions on this week’s KBS’s Music Bank.

Their follow-up track, “Again“, is a mashup between electronica, hip hop, and R&B, which features a strong, synthetic melody with a fast and impressive beat, allowing the members to break away from their past sensual images from their “Cry” and “Stay” performances to showcase their stronger and more masculine sides.


Fortunately for fans, Mir made his return to the stage after temporarily resting from his herniated disk injury earlier in the month. With the group back on their feet as the dynamic five once more, fans can now sigh in relief and enjoy MBLAQ’s powerful and synchronized choreography for their new song.

Check out their performance down below!




source: allkpop

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2NE1 mentioned in fashion editorial from American ‘Vogue’!

That’s right! Girl group 2NE1 was recently referenced in the American edition of ‘Vogue‘ magazine.

In its March issue, ‘Vogue’ covered a story about fashion in South Korea titled, “South Korea: The Epicenter of the Shopping Universe“. In this article, Vogue states that “South Korea is fashion’s new Japan” and quotes Scott Sternberg from Band of Outsiders that South Korea is “at the forefront of consuming cute, chic, clean style.”

Carla Sozzani of 10 Corso Como, who recently opened a partnership with Cheil Industries, even praised Seoul for being more thrilling than New York or Paris at this time. She said, “It’s like [how] Milan used to be, and it’s very exciting for me.”

The article went on to state that the younger demographic in Korea these days are more individualistic and are seen sporting a rock-chic look. It stated, “…but the younger set are feeling rock-chic right now and are likely to be dressed in , say, a Junya Watanabe jumper with an Alexander Wang tee (see the pop band 2NE1).”


This article is very exciting for a couple reasons. First, it seems that South Korea is finally getting international recognition as a formidable fashion force. Second, the mention of 2NE1 in a major American (if not global) fashion magazine shows the increasing strength of the Hallyu Wave. Hopefully, as South Korea attracts more attention as a ‘fashion epicenter’, we’ll get to see more appearances of Korean celebrities worldwide.

Check out the article from Vogue below!





source: allkpop

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Yoon Eun Hye looking good in a baseball jacket

Fashionista and actress Yoon Eun Hye has garnered attention once again for a chic photo of herself.

Yoon Eun Hye tweeted,

“[Park Han] Byul gave this Starly (Park Han Byul’s clothing line) baseball jacket as a gift! I had wanted to buy it~ keheehee So pretty~ Thanks~ Han Byul!!“

The picture is drawing attention due to its sexy appeal, even though the actress is wearing a typical baseball jacket.


Yoon Eun Hye and Park Han Byul share a special friendship, since they’ve been working together on their upcoming movie, ”My Black Mini Dress“. This movie is scheduled to hit theaters in March. The two will also be appearing together in a future episode of tvN’s “Talk Show Taxi“.


source: allkpop

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