Supernova prepares to show their Hallyu power for the ’26th Golden Disk Awards in Osaka’

With the D-13 countdown to the ‘26th Golden Disk Awards in Osaka‘ kicking off, fans all over the world are looking forward to the ceremony to catch performances and awards from their favorite stars.
To be held at the Osaka Kyocera Dome on January 11th through 12th, the ceremony is aiming to be one of the biggest, if not the best, of its kind. A long list of Hallyu stars have been invited to the event, among them being Supernova, a group that received the honor of attending the ‘Golden Disk’ the year of their debut in 2007.
There are a couple of important points that make Supernova’s attendance to this year’s ceremony special. One is that this will be the first time the team stands as five members since their leader Yoonhak enlisted in the army in October. Since their fan meet three months ago, this will be their first official stage.
Upon hearing the news, fans in both Korea and Japan have been scrambling for invitation tickets. “The ‘Golden Disk’ is an important award for many artists. Supernova will make it a memorable stage, one that will fill the empty void left by Yoonhak.”
Supernova will also be performing a medley of their Japanese hit songs in addition to their Korean hits. Representatives stated, “Since it’s their first time meeting their Korean fans in a long while, we’ve created a special arrangement of ‘On Days I Miss You‘. We will create a stage that will satisfy both Korean and Japanese fans.”
Officials of ‘Golden Disk’ also expressed, “Supernova received a lot of love in Japan. They’ve been teaching Korean through NHK’s ‘Korean Lessons Through the Television’ and have played a major role in the cultural exchange between Korea and Japan. The ‘Golden Disk’ is moving overseas for the first time as a K-Pop festival and as one of the efforts behind the K-Pop boom, they’ve been invited as a Hallyu star.”

IU and SNSD trio visit “2011 Seoul Doll Fair”

On the afternoon of December 28th, pop idols IU along with Taeyeon, YoonA and Seohyun of Girls’ Generation visited the “2011 Seoul Doll Fair” held at the Samsung-dong Coex, Hall A.
IU, Taeyeon, YoonA and Seohyun all met up with their own dolls and took photos with them, whilst also taking in the sights of other dolls on display at the fair. Unexpectedly, their reactions upon seeing their dolls were of shock expressions, after seeing how similar they look compared to themselves.
The Girls’ Generation dolls were wearing outfits from their “Genie” promotions while IU’s doll outfit was from her recent “Last Fantasy” album promotions.
Fellow girl idol group, T-ara had visited the fair earlier on Christmas Day to see their own dolls.
“The 2011 Seoul Doll Fair” is currently in it’s 4th year of running and will run from December 23rd until January 2nd of 2012.

24 member girl group Leader’S debut showcase leaves reporters disappointed

Businesses have been increasingly working hand in hand with celebrities to create a synergistic effect through different and unique marketing tactics.
The first positive case of such a collaboration was Sidus HQ and cafe franchise Caffe Bene. By using Caffe Bene as its background in dramas and having its celebrities like Han Ye Seul actively promote the brand, Caffe Bene quickly rose to the top as a coffee franchise.
However, not all collaborations provide to be as successful. Much attention was put on the debut of Korea’s first ever 24 member girl group, Leader’S, but little was known about their partnership with coffee franchise ‘Scentimor‘. Reporters were in for a surprise when they showed up for the group’s debut showcase on December 28th.

Reporters immediately noticed that the focus was on the investment opportunities for the coffee franchise and not in the girl group’s debut. The 20 media outlets that had gathered had shown up for the unveiling of a 24 member girl group project but were instead met with endless explanations on the business behind their franchise, and some reporters even had to give way to let investors in.
Once verbal fights began to erupt, reporters left the scene, clearly disappointed with the turnabout of the events.
‘Scentimor’ had also failed to consider the equipment Leader’S would need for their showcase, so the girls lipsynched their debut without any spotlights to properly show their dance performance.
Unfortunately, the debut of Korea’s first 24 member girl group ended up being a scheme to attract investors to a new business. Their intentions were seen and heard, and reporters left with a loss of trust.

SHINee’s Taemin goes out on a date with f(x)’s Krystal?

e included in the SM TOWN movie 'I AM.'

Not in reality…. but in MBC ‘High Kick 3‘? Yes!
On December 28th broadcast of ‘High Kick 3′, f(x)‘s Krystal who plays as Ahn Soo Jung will be going on a date with her past friend who recently broke up with his ex-girlfriend.
That friend is none other than SHINee‘s Taemin!
The preview for episode 65 has already gotten many Shawols riled up as some could not bare to see their favorite idol-oppa go on a date with another woman. However, they need not worry as it’s all just an act! Check out the preview below yourselves!

Park Min Young goes chic for ‘Singles’

Actress Park Min Young made a chic transformation in a photoshoot for ‘Singles‘ magazine.
Photos of Park Min Young were recently revealed for the January of issue ‘Singles’ magazine where she was able to draw out her chic charms with her enchanting gaze and beautiful back. In one particular photo, Park Min Young is showing off her slim figure as she is laying across a couch and making a sexy pose.
On top of her poses, Park Min Young also displayed dark, smoky make-up for the photoshoot, further drawing out her beauty.
A representative from ‘Singles‘ praised Park Min Young’s diligence, stating, “Even though Park Min Young is busy with her drama schedule for ‘Man of Honor‘, she put in all her effort during the photoshoot, giving off chic poses and perfectly expressing the concept of the photoshoot.” ‘
Meanwhile, Park Min Young’s current drama ‘Man of Honor‘ aired its final two episodes (23, 24) on December 28th.

Check out the remixed tracks from Girls’ Generation Japanese Repackaged Album of “The Boys“

On December 28th, Girls’ Generation unleashed their Japanese repackaged album, ‘Girls’ Generation – The Boys -‘.
The new album consists of tracks from their 1st Japanese album, but with five new additions. Fans will find the Japanese version of “The Boys” as well as a new song called “Time Machine” which can be found here.
Additionally, there are three superstar remixes of “Mr. Taxi“, “The Great Escape“, and “Bad Girl“. Electronic music lovers will recognize the names of Steve Aoki and Dev along with the The Cataracs, who contributed their talents to deliver a new spin on Girls’ Generation’s songs.

Super Junior’s Leeteuk wraps up 2011

Super Junior‘s Leeteuk showed his gratification for a fulfilling year by leaving a special message for his fans.
On December 28th, he wrote on his Twitter, “There isn’t much left to 2011. It was such a happy year. I’ve always received so much love and I’m grateful to be spending the last year of my 20′s like this. In 2012, I’ll run as hard as the love I’ve received! They say that a man’s life only begins when he turns 30, so I’ll work hard to improve myself. Thank you.”
He continued, “I didn’t really feel anything at the end of my teens and 20′s, but I feel a bit off now that I’m at the end of my 20′s. Hm… what is this feeling?”
Netizens commented, “Leeteuk also has normal thoughts like any other 29 year old“, “He’s at the age where there are a lot of things to consider now“, and “Leeteuk fighting! Let’s be together into your 30′s!“.

Super Junior’s cumulative album sales for 2011 reaches 350,000 units – crowned “Album King”

Asia’s hottest idol group Super Junior set a new record, becoming the top artist to sell the most albums over the past 3 years.
The ‘2011 Singer Awards‘ reflects the artists that sold the most albums according to sales data from Hanteo, and Super Junior sold 355,900 albums between January 1st, 2011 and December 27th, 2011.
Super Junior’s cumulative album sales (of all 32 singles and albums they’ve released to date) for 2011 amounted to 350,000 units. This was the highest number of sales since the ‘Singer Awards’ were established back in 2009. Seo Taiji boasted 248,800 units in 2009, while Girls’ Generation set a new record last year by moving 309,400 units.
Super Junior’s full length album ‘Mr.Simple‘ was a big factor that contributed to their impressive sales numbers. ‘Mr Simple’ Type A alone sold 199,300 copies while Type B sold 53,500 copies and their repackaged album sold 73,900 copies. All together, their fifth album alone sold 326,800 units. Behind Super Junior was TVXQ who sold 230,000 units and Girls’ Generation who sold 226,700 units.
The two names that stood out on the list, however, were INFINITE and IU. The boys of INFINITE came in at 7th place selling 124,100 units while singer IU was the only soloist to break the top 10, selling 92,900 units at #9.
Hanteo charts calculates the data by collecting 85% of their information from nationwide music sales and 15% from accumulations in their own information database along with national sale estimates.

Jun Ji Hyun confirms that she is in a relationship

Just earlier, it was reported that rumors about Jun Ji Hyun dating the grandson of designer Lee Young Hee had been circulating.
On December 29th, J&Co. Entertainment reported, “Like it has been reported in the media, Jun Ji Hyun is dating. Like any non-celebirty, they were friends before they developed mutual feelings for one another. However, the rumors regarding her marriage plans are not true, as she has not made any decisions or plans to get married in the near future.” They continued, “We ask that you refrain from releasing exaggerated or distorted stories regarding her significant other, as he is not a celebrity. Please support their relationship.”
Representatives of Lee Young Hee added, “Jun Ji Hyun and Choi have known each other since they were little and remained friends since then. It is true that they are now dating.”
Netizens were also interested in the brother of ‘Choi’ who was reported to have been an idol. After some digging, they have uncovered that the brother was a member of ‘X-Large’, a 5-member group that debuted in 2001 and disbanded in 2002.