Saturday, September 5, 2009
Hina Aizawa gets suspended sentence in drug trial
Former adult actress Hina Aizawa (24) appeared in court on Friday and pleaded guilty to charges of using illegal stimulants. The judge sentenced her to 18 months, but suspended the sentence for three years.
Aizawa, whose real name is Sachiko Gyoten, was arrested in late June on suspicion of injecting stimulants at her apartment. The drug was detected in her body through a urine test, and a search of her apartment uncovered syringes and other drug-related items.
The judge explained the sentence, saying that Aizawa was heavily dependent on the drugs but showed remorse for her behavior. Aizawa has reportedly been using stimulants since receiving some from a friend around 2002, when she was still in her teens. She made her debut in the adult video industry in 2006.
Tae-yang to release full length album
Big Bang’s R&B specialist, Tae-yang, is planning to grab some spotlight along with his heartbreaking friend G-Dragon with a full-length sophomore album.
Mr. YG, Yang Hyun-seok, said “we have plans for it to be released in October, but there may more or less be some delays. That’s why we are thinking about whether to release one song first as a digital single.“
Tae-yang was the first from Big Bang to have a solo album last May and, other than one hit song, it was pretty successful first try. Perhaps by releasing a digital single first like 2NE1, revealing an interesting concept and swooning ladies with his good looks, Tae-yang will join the gang of official front-runners.
You excited for his return?
4minute Takes Down G-Dragon
With their first comeback stage performance on Music Bank, 4minute is experiencing an alarming rise in popularity with their song "Muzik", even snagging the #1 spot from G-Dragon on an illegal downloading music chart.
According to MusicSave, which is responsible for monitoring illegal music sites, the five-member girl group's title track from their new album constitutes a whopping 20.6% of all illegal music file downloads for the first week of September.
This might not seem like much of an accomplishment for the five-member group because the downloads are illegal and provide no monetary benefit for them. However, as we reported earlier, pre-orders on 4minute's mini-album alone hit the 20,000 mark, proving that their explosive album sales are translating into online charts as well.
Based on the impressive results of their "fu-fu-fu-fu-funky music" so far, it seems that 4Minute is truly becoming the Hot Issue that Hyun Ah was always
Me2Day thanks G-Dragon and Dara!
Over the past couple months, Me2Day, a Korean version of Twitter, has gained huge success and forwards their special thanks to Big Bang leader G-Dragon, and 2NE1 member Sandara Park.
On August 7th, the Korean social networking site said this, "Over the 2 years Me2Day has been up, all the traffic we've gained, was gained instantly in one day... I guess you could say it makes the past 2 years feel like nothing." Why did they say that? Because August 7th was the day G-Dragon joined Me2Day, and he brought more traffic in one day than Me2Day has achieved in 2 years.
Twitter is one of the most rapidly growing social networking sites internationally. Although Me2Day doesn't share as much international success, it is said that it is one of the most popular sites in Korea, along with Cyworld.
So what is the secret to this success? Research shows that sites like Twitter and Me2Day have gained momentum due to celebrities. Fans feel like they can connect to the celebrities as they read about what the celebrities are doing with every "tweet" and "me2," and the popularity of the site is expected to only rise as more celebrities get into the game.
Happy Birthday, 2PM!
September 4 marked 2PM's first year anniversary, and I'm not sure how to react - on one hand, I vividly remember the sevensome's debut days, yet it often feels like they've been number one idols for a long time.
Regardless of whether time has flown by or not for you, it's been an explosive year for this multitasking guy group - from their hottt debut with 10 Out of 10 to their 2009 hit, Again and Again, 2PM has securely nailed down its spot in the top echelon of idols, and it doesn't seem like they're planning to go away any time fast. 2PM has snagged the hearts of many people, obscure or famous, Korean or international, with strong fanbases in Asia and the States especially. Yeah, we've also got DBSK, Big Bang and FT Island just to list a few guy groups - but 2PM rocks 'hot' like no other.
2PM, who had been promoting in Thailand, actually arrived back in Korea just this morning. With their mind still fresh with memories of "The Land of Smiles", the members hadn't realized the significance of September 4 and were greeted with a surprise upon their return. On top of receiving a typical homecoming from loved ones & colleagues, the boys got the bonus of an anniversary celebration, complete with a cake and countless returning gifts & letters. Many Hottests directly visited the JYPE office in Seoul and directly provided home-made barbecued food to the JYPE staff, which made the anniversary even more special. With international fans from cities as far away as Chicago, USA (I happen to have grown up there, so those fans are extra awesome) visiting to pay their congratulations, the hullabaloo had an exciting atmosphere reminiscent of a festival.
The members reported expressed their gratitude in the fans' gifts, truly appreciating the great love, declaring their love for their fans and promising to work harder in the future.
Ever Wanted To Control Wonder Girls?
Today is a great day for fellow Wonderfuls! For the public who just are not able quench their thirst for famous world idols, Wonder Girls by merely watching their performances and music videos, will be able to get even more of a personal taste of the girls.
It has been reported that the Wonder Girls, are close to finishing the development of an computer game titled "Star Tales." A Chinese gaming company named Shanghai Magic Grid Network is reported to be affiliated with the development of this highly anticipated new game. When the game is released, creepers the public will be able to manipulate and control the movement of the Wonder Girls with their personal computers.
I was excited enough that Big Bang was going to be in a computer game but now I really can't wait to try "playing" with the Wonder Girls. Do you catch my drift?
Source: jhan@koreatimes.co.kr
An Early “Crash” in Honeysh’s Yoo Seo-yeon’s Career
Some of you might be familiar with Honeysh, a female pop duo consisting of Yoo Seo-yeon and Han Song-ee that debuted in early August; Korean netizens certainly are, since Honeysh stirred up a lot of criticism due to the controversial contents of the teaser of their debut song, "Shall I Get Married". And as if the criticism wasn't bad enough, Yoo Seo-yeon has suffered from a car accident that has stretched her shoulder ligament and has left her body bruised all over.
Fans have expressed their disappointment, since Honeysh will be unable to promote their debut single. Yoo Seo-yeon herself is reported to be pretty distraught as well, since she had been sacrificing a lot of her beauty sleep for the sake of practicing her dancing and singing for the sake of her debut.
A representative from the girls' record label, Friday Entertainment, has said:
"Yoo Seo-yeon received treatment for two weeks after the accident, but we're currently just hoping for a chance for her to make a comeback after she recovers. She is currently going through rehabilitation and continuous treatment. Yoo Seo-yeon herself has strong feelings about recovering quickly, so she should be back in no time."
2PM Jaebeom apologizes!
2PM Jaebeom's myspace comments from years ago were dug up by netizens, causing an outrage in Korea. But don't be too harsh on the guy, it was an honest mistake and besides, we've all said very similar things. In any regards, Jaebeom has released an official apology, so forgive and forget!
Hello everyone this is 2PM’s Park Jaebum. I would like to apologize on behalf of the comments I had made through Myspace a few years ago. I’m sorry.
As I tell all of you about how I felt that time, I also would like to apologize. In January of 2005, I came to Korea as a high school student. I was born in the States and I had insufficient knowledge of how Korea is. Being it my first time, I couldn’t communicate with others, my taste buds didn’t fit, and I barely knew the culture which I couldn’t understand. I felt as though I was treated coldly by the people around me as my family was left in the States. It was such a difficult situation where I didn’t even know if I was going to debut. Due to many hardships, things were getting too hard and I was getting lonely being homesick. I had the thoughts of quitting and I wanted to go back to my family in the States. The comment based on the Korea part: I wrote that because of my personal situation I was placed in and my emotions took over. I was too young and said things in the wrong words. I was too foolish, young, and facing difficulties where I made the mistake into turning my surroundings worse. Time passed by and I forgot that I had even written them. I am now embarrassed and truly sorry of those comments I had made. After that time, I had adjusted to everything and my thoughts have changed tremendously as I thank the people around me to get me to perform on stage in any situation. Those comments were made four years ago, but I am a different person now. To my family, Hottests, members of 2PM, and those who love 2PM, I am truly sorry. From now on, I hope that there will be no mistakes like this ever again. I will say it one more time that I am truly sorry.
-2PM’s Jaebum-
Lee Ji Ah’s Secret To Long Legs
Actress Lee Ji Ah recently appeared on the September 5th broadcast of SBS Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate, her first appearance ever on a variety show. When Kim Jung Eun complimented Lee Ji Ah on her long legs, Lee responded by saying: "the secret is in insole padding." Lee went onto explain how she was embarrassed by a scene in her drama, SBS Style, where her shoes fell off, revealing the padding. Kim Jung Eun was surprised by Lee Ji Ah's honest manner, different from her image as an actress.
Lee Ji Ah performed No Doubt's "Don't Speak" along with a live band in front of an audience of 1000. In addition, she further revealed her charm through a rock performance with the band's guitarist
090905 Music Core Performers List
♬ Hot Debut
- F(X)『Intro + Lachata』
♬ Comeback Stage
- Kim Tae Woo『Sarangbi』
- 4minute『For MUZIK + MUZIK』
♬ Hot Stage
- Jewerly『Vari2ty』
- Brown Eyed Girls『Abracadabra』
- KARA『Mr.』
- Baek Ji Young (feat.2PM's Taekyeon)『My Ear's Candy』
♬ Alone in Love
- Mighty Mouth (feat.KARA's Nicole)『Love Class』
- Chae Yeon『Fool』
♬ 분위기 살리 Go! 살리 Go!
- Norazo『Mackerel』
- L.P.G『Lucky Girl』
- Cherry Filter『Pianissimo』
♬ 이별 후 愛
- Hong Kyung Min『She Goes』
- T-Ara『Lies』
