Kim Jae Joong is coming to Turkey for a fan meeting at the Ankara University on February 5th.

I live in Turkey, but man I can´t go and see him!
New Girl Group Six Bomb Wants to Become "Six Lady Gagas"
http://www.soompi.com/news/new-girl-group-six-bomb-debuts-with-chicky-chicky-bomb-mv

Using the literal definition of their name as the goal of their careers, a new six member girl group named Six Bomb has emerged!
Composed of members Nabi, Hyejin, Uihyun, Youngji, Jiwoo, and Subin, Six Bomb aims to create an explosive, bomb-like energy on stage that will instantly capture the hearts of the audience. They've given up a lot of traditional girl group concepts like cute styles and aegyo-filled looks for their name in order to give a stronger, more dramatic feel.
They said, "It feels good to differentiate ourselves. We're not acting cute or pretty because we can't, we'd just rather have the focus of our success be put on our music. We erased our pretty image for that."

Another one of the girls' goals is to become "six Lady Gagas." Instead of going for similar concepts with other girl groups to assure their success, they'd rather present something new and different to really set them apart. "We don't consider ourselves idols. We strongly consider ourselves singers, and instead of setting someone as our role model and aiming to be like them, we want to create a style all our own. We want to become role models ourselves to people dreaming of becoming singers in the future."

The team was formed in the summer of 2010 and trained together for a year and a half. Prior to their debut, some of the members used to be a part of choruses while others went through 200 auditions. "All of our hardships have turned into experiences. Six Bomb's biggest strength is that no matter how hard it gets, we have the mentality to never fall or lose and to always remain competitive."

So what's their music like?
Their debut mini-album, "Chicky Chicky Bomb," is comprised of five songs of different genres to properly show their diverse ranges. Their title track, "Chicky Chicky Bomb," is a hip hop dance track that clearly differentiates between its vocals and raps.
Check out the music video for "Chicky Chicky Bomb" below!

does homeboy with the bleach job count as the sixth member? no matter how many times i count i only count 6 chicks. the song wasnt bad and i did like how they weren all girly-fied.
Boyfriend greets overseas fans in costumes that show off their individuality

http://static.allkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/20120127_boyfriend_wmilitaryacademy3-600x600.jpg[/IMG]

Boyfriend, who have just been awarded allkpop‘s ‘[I]Best Rookie of 2011
′, have embarked on a mission to reach out to their international fans.

On their reality show, ‘Boyfriend’s W Military Academy’, the members of Boyfriend were given the mission of taking photos that showed off their individuality to make themselves more known to fans overseas.

Leader Donghyun showed off his hidden fashion sense by acting as the stylist for his other members, assigning them concepts like ‘beast’, ‘bourgeois’, and ‘gentleman’. For maknae Min Woo, he decided, “I think Min Woo would look really pretty dressed up as a girl”, and invested the most amount of effort into his transformation. Min Woo wasn’t too comfortable with the idea at first, but it’s been said that with the encouragement and compliments from the other members, he was able to enjoy himself.

This episode is scheduled to air on Friday at 6:00 p.m. KST through Mnet. It will not only document the various transformation processes, but each members’ individual cuts as well. The individual cuts will be combined and uploaded onto global.mnet.com for the overseas fans.

Boyfriend’s W Military Academy’ is a reality program in which Boyfriend undergoes various training and missions to become the next Hallyu star.

Source: allkpop

Note: So far i've watched ep.3 & enjoy it cuz they they're so entertaining xD
^They all look adorable, but that out fit with the ear muffs and 15 million hats.........not liking it.


@ the 6 bomb article. Dear lord, the world can harldy handle one Lady Gaga. She may have really catchy music, but she's a trunk-full of crazy. XD
I just read this on allkpop:

MBC labor union votes for strike to force MBC president Kim Jae Chul’s resignation
source: http://www.allkpop.com/2012/01/mbc-labor-union-votes-for-strike-to-force-mbc-president-kim-jae-chuls-resignation



Less than a year after going on a strike but failing to obtain the resignation of MBC president Kim Jae Chul, the MBC labor union has decided to go on strike once again for the same purpose.

MBC labor union members participated in voting from January 25th – 27th , aimed to decide whether to go on strike to force the resignation of MBC president Kim Jae Chul.

Of the 1,010 labor union members, 783 members casted their votes, 69.4% were for a strike while the remaining members were either against it or abstained.

The labor union felt that despite airing their grievances over Kim Jae Chul being a puppet of the Lee Myung Bak administration and interfering with the neutrality of the station in their strike last April, nothing has changed. The labor union also asserts that there has been a massive clampdown on freedom of the press, with news reports mostly on pro-government policies. Thus, they have decided to go on strike again to get Kim to step down and return MBC to a neutrality state.

The strike also stemmed from a show of no confidence in MBC’s newsroom chiefs with MBC journalists criticizing biased and substandard news reporting and calling for their resignations. For example, when a scandal broke on President Lee Myung Bak’s retirement residence last November, the top story of MBC’s 9PM news program was the surging popularity of K-pop stars.

The strike will begin at 6AM local time on January 30th. A representative from the MBC’s labor union stated, “We should always present an honest and accurate broadcasting to viewers, since we serve viewers with neutrality, as the nation’s public broadcaster.”

So how does this affect you? For a start, some variety shows, dramas and news programs will bear the full brunt of this shutdown.

Variety shows and dramas that are outsourced to 3rd party production companies, will not be affected in any way by the strike and are likely to be aired as scheduled.

An example would be currently airing MBC dramas, “The Moon That Embraces The Sun” and “Lights and Shadows“. This will come as a huge relief to viewers of these programs.

But for variety programs like “We Got Married“, “Infinity Challenge“, “I Am A Singer“, etc, which are largely produced by in-house MBC staff, they will be affected if there is a prolonged strike.

MBC has meanwhile reacted strongly with a statement, “This is an illegal strike and we will not hesitate to press charges based on company rules if it goes ahead.”

Source: Nate (1, 2), Korea Times
Tip: jindalae
Well, it would suck if the shows were affected because of this strike. However, it might be a good thing. I'm not sure what all is going on with the station, but it seems like the workers are very unhappy with the way things are done.
[strike]test post[/strike]
[s]another test post[/s]
SHINHWA Gearing to make their Comeback (content warning: There are some nekkies in the link.)

wrote: Well, this is torture! Everyone and their mama is waiting on this comeback to happen, and we don’t have that much longer left! SHINHWA’s company has been teasing the group’s impending (Judgment Day for Panties everywhere) Comeback.

@ShinhwaCompany: We keep our promises. from SHINHWA

@ShinhwaCompany: The promise between Shinhwa and Shinhwa Changjo from 4 years ago…

@ShinhwaCompany: Places where you can see the banners with the promise from Shinhwa to Shinhwa Changjo ^^ Gangnam Station, Seoul Nat’l. Univ. of Education Station, Seocho Station, Gangnam Express Bus Terminal, Myeongdong, Jamshil, Yeongdeungpo Times Square, Hongdae area, Ewha area

@liveworks: The “We Keep Promises” banner project that started today was initiated because the members want to relay their very first message to the fans ahead of Shinhwa’s official comeback promotions. All the Shinhwa Changjo’s who are hiding everywhere, please quickly come out^^ A promise is only a promise if it’s kept by both parties ㅎ

Also, Lee Minwoo’s military discharge date has been confirmed for March 2, 2012. This day will mark the day all members of SHINHWA are done with military service, and the Comeback can be “unleashed.”



Source
EXO releases MV for prologue single, “What is Love”!



After a countless series of photo and video teasers on the web, EXO is finally revealing itself as a full group unit with the release of their prologue single and first music video, “What is Love“!

As earlier announced, the prologue single serves as an introduction to EXO’s official full album. The song will be released in both Korean and Mandarin Chinese from EXO-K and EXO-M, respectively.

The smooth and sexy track perfectly fits the sleek music video, which combines the previously released video teasers into one piece. As expected, this new MV is both stunning and dynamic in visuals.

EXO-K’s Korean version:




EXO-M’s Chinese version:




EXO - What is Love (Korean version) English sub + Romanization




What is Love” will be available on iTunes, Melon, Dosirak, Soribada, Naver Music, Bugs Music, Baidu, Sina and Sohu Music.

Source: Youtube |via: allkpop
Korean actors & K-Pop stars unite for Gaon?s anti-piracy ?2012 Good Downloader Campaign?



Korean movie and K-Pop stars united together for a new effort against piracy being led by Gaon Chart called the ?2012 Good Downloader Campaign?.

Actors Ahn Sung Gi, Park Joong Hoon, Lee Min Jung, Jang Hyuk and music stars Yoon Do Hyun (YB), Kim Yuna (Jaurim), Yunho (TVXQ), Nickhun (2PM), Sohee (Wonder Girls), as well as Sulli (f(x)) banded together for the campaign during a shoot yesterday, sending the message that pirating movies and music is illegal and wrong.

A representative from the ?2012 Good Downloader Campaign? commented that they wanted to get the message across that pirating movies and music is definitely not okay, but to also make people think about pirating in a more broad sense including things like television programs, characters, and sportswear.

Yoon Do Hyun stated, ?I got the call from Ahn Sung Gi and heard about the campaign so I happily participated. In terms of music, legal ways of getting it are increasing, but so are illegal ways to get it like smartphones??

Yunho and Nichkhun commented, ?We?re happy to be participating with our good seniors and juniors. It means more because actors and musicians have gathered together.?

Kim Yuna also seemed excited about the campaign, saying, ?I agree with the aim so I participated without any doubts. I hope through this opportunity, attitudes towards movies, music, and other cultural industries will change for the better.?

Sohee and Sulli shared, ?Thought we were nervous shooting with veterans in the movie world, it was a fun and worthwhile time. Movies and music, all good download~!?

Jang Hyuk and Lee Min Jung reflected, ?Lots of seniors and juniors in movies have participated in this campaign so we?re happy, and since it?s the first time that music and movies are becoming one for this, we think it?s especially meaningful and fresh.?

Ahn Sung Gi and Park Joong added, ?We?d like to thank the actors and musicians who came together for this campaign?s effort so willingly, and we hope that the truth of it goes to citizens? hearts? [we hope] that culture contents will be obtained through good download.?

The commercial for the ?2012 Good Downloader Campaign? will be released on February 22nd at the first Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards.

Allkpop
Entertainment agency representatives voice opinions on idol marriages



With the recent flurry of love scandals and many members of popular girl groups nearing the marriageable age, Sports Chosun was able to interview representatives from ten top music companies: Cube Entertainment, Happy Face Entertainment, Starship Entertainment, Core Contents Media, TS Entertainment, Star Empire Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment, DSP Media, and NegaNetwork.

The representatives voiced their opinions on important issues that idol groups face, including marriage, dating, and the age at which girl group members halt activities.

▶ Is marriage poisonous to girl groups?

The following investigation is from ten staff members who are part of the singing industry with girl groups. All replied, “Whatever is the case, we do not believe that marriage will positively affect the girl group’s image.”

The most important image for girl groups is ‘lovers of all men’. Even with small love scandals, the idea of being ‘one man’s woman’ will drastically take a hit on the popularity. Most importantly, however, it will negatively affect the whole team.

One representative revealed, “The daily pattern of an idol group is different from that of normal people. Whether it’s practicing throughout the night or having to swallow their schedule, they usually have to work until dawn for their next schedule. There is also an increasing trend of long-term overseas activities. In this situation, when a member marries, it naturally places a burden on the other members.”

With the potential of having one’s popularity drop due to marriage, this type of change would also create problems for the whole team, as it could hinder activities and schedules. The representative explained further, “If they do marry, they must consider entering different fields such as [becoming] MCs or actresses.”

▶ Is there a dating ban? Secret dating?

While we can state that marriage is a negative factor for girl groups, is simply dating a problem too?

While 2NE1‘s Sandara Park can happily say that she has been freed from the dating ban, other girl group members sadly cannot say the same thing.

Three reps revealed, “We prefer a dating ban because of management problems.” While it can be assumed that dating will pose problems to popularity, it could adversely affect other members.

The most strict period of management regarding dating usually takes place during the debut season. Usually, girl group members are in their teens and early 20s, a period in which their reasoning is sometimes overpowered by emotions. If the idols experienced the emotional turmoil of teenage dating, they would be overwhelmed by their emotions and could be scarred.

In addition, the agency and management also have an obligation to protect the artists and are even asked by parents to “manage problems in relation to the opposite sex,” Sports Chosun reports.

However, it is difficult for the management to enforce the restrictions on the idol members. When it comes down to it, dating lies within the privacy of the girl group member, as members can exchange their own passwords or various hand signals, and secretly date through Kakao Talk.

Although secret dating is preferred, idol group members also let their managers know. One representative stated, “Because the agency respects their personal lives, they want members to consult before they start dating. That way, the agencies can think of a corresponding method.”

Another representative shared another opinion, saying, “As they have to swallow various concepts on stage, those who experience love and separation have better expressive power. We approve dating to the extent that it does not burden the team.”

▶ Until what age can girl group members continue their activities?

About 30% of the representatives had voted that the boundary should be around mid-30s. As girl groups usually need to show off their sexiness and cute charms, it is difficult for 30 year old women to go through with the cute concepts.

However, the other side stated, “Age is not important.” Lee Hyori is one example as she is still continuing her activities, showing that appeal and personal care are more important than age. In addition, even if members are relatively old, they are part of a team who promote activities together, diminishing the hindrances that age can pose.

Debut age also comes into play as an issue. Five to six years after a debut, activities can become tiring as girl group members consider entering other fields. This has led to many idols entering the fields of entertainment or acting.

Sport Chosun’s in-depth editorial:



Source: Sports Chosun |via: Naver & allkpop
i don't know if this has been posted yet cuz i don't frequent the korean sections but i saw this and i thought korean fans and G.G. fans and just fans of asian music would be happy. asians are trying to come over and do their thing. i hope they do well to pave the way for other asian music acts.





my one complain of both performances is the background track. i wish they had a band instead. but i love that song to pieces. i was singing along.