Uehara Takako (SPEED) and Naoto Takanaka to star in Rain’s upcoming drama Fugitive

Uehara Takako, a member of the popular Japanese girl group, Speed, is officially set to appear as Rain’s lover in the upcoming KBS drama Fugitive.

After debuting in 1996 when she was only 13.5 years old through Speed, she as well as the group members quickly rose to fame and helped spark the Japan girl idol group boom.

After Speed disbanded in 2000, she later debuted as a solo singer commenced acting activities as well. In 2005, she acted alongside the Hallyu star Ryu Shi Won in a drama special called Much Ado About Love. Speed reunited as a group in 2008 and is currently still active, having released a single this past April.

Uehara Takako plays the role of Japanese best artist, Keiko and shares an affectionate love with Ji Woo (Rain’s character). This will be a love triangle; Lee Na Young and Uehara Takako fighting for the love of one man, Rain.

The famous actor, comedian and director Naoto Takenaka will also star in 도망자 and will play the role of Keiko’s father, Hiroki, in the drama. He has already made numerous appearances in the Korean entertainment industry, being an actor representing Japan, as he starred in 100 movies and 10 dramas, such as 700 Days of Battle: Us VS. The Police, Shall We Dance, Water Boys, and This Sunday.
This highly anticipated drama will air towards the end of this year and will be about the events that unfold after sudden reappearance of an astronomical and uncountable amount of money that was long lost after the Korean War.


Oh my God~
I can't believe it. SPEED IS HERE! YEAH!

I have being waiting for ages for SPEED to enter KPOP industries. Its like forever. I mean forever. Until now, I still in disbelieving they are here. Honestly, they are really farmous in JPOP. I am not kidding over here. They had being the legendary "Girls Band". But now you can only watch them through their "LIVE CONCERTS". They always use their real voice to sing in all concerts. They are still very energy ever now. I LOVE SPEED. Since 1998, SPEED has given me the energy that I needed. Their songs are always full of soul and power that makes you feel "ALIVE". After they disband, I was so shocked and after a few months my llife was missing of something. Following down the years, life wasn't the same. There wasn't any song or girls bands or artists to replace them, except for BIG BAND (I still like them. They are digital guys). Searching and waitiing for surch a wonderful band is so hard. I must tell you, I have not bought CDs since then.

Here is a PV of SPEED "Body and Soul  speacial " ENOUGH~

and their lastest  single, "Himawari ~Growing Sunflower~" PV I just Love their Smiles

BEAST unwilling to leave Singapore

Shrill screams of adoration for BEAST -- from their music showcase to various events -- never quite stopped as fans went gaga over the boys.


In their short stopover here, BEAST not only had a press conference, they also tried to arrange for one-on-one interviews with various publications and media.

During the interview with xinmsn last Friday, members of BEAST were endearing and tried their best to answer the questions despite the language barrier.

BEAST, which stands for Boys of East Standing Tall, gives the impression that members are ferocious and 'beastly'. Son Dong-woon explains that while they call themselves BEAST, they are not 'beastly' at all.

"What BEAST refers to is that we are powerful and charming when performing on-stage. Sometimes we really regret calling ourselves BEAST because the six of us are actually very nice and gentle people," said Son.

Indeed, the boys of BEAST are gentle, even to the extent of coming across as shy, according to xinmsn's observations. When asked to describe their own individual characters, most of them admitted that they are rather reserved when in the company of strangers.

As it is their first time in Singapore, leader Yoon Doo-joon said that the fans left a deep impression on them. One fan even took the effort to travel to the Philippines to support BEAST and when Doo-joon saw her again in Singapore, the fan told him that she will go down to Malaysia too, which is BEAST's next stop.

"The time and effort the fans spent on us is really flattering and we appreciate that. We will do our own best in performing to show our gratitude."

When Doo-joon told xinmsn that the thought of leaving Singapore saddens him, Jang Hyun-seung, who was sitting beside him, suddenly teared up and the interview was momentarily halted as he dabbed away his tears with a piece of tissue.

It turned out that Hyun-seung was not crying - something got into his eyes, causing him to tear up. The cheeky members even patted Hyun-seung's shoulders, as if to comfort him.

Each member of BEAST has their own special charm that attracts different groups of fans. This is the reason why BEAST managed to build up such a large base of fan support in a short time.

When xinmsn asked BEAST who do they think is the best with girls, Doo-joon got the most votes.

"I'm flattered, but I think they chose me because I'm the leader. Actually I think Yo-seob should be the one because he has the most number of fans. He's very cute and 'noona'(which means slightly older females in Korean) fans like him the most."

While most of BEAST's fans are females, the boys revealed that they are not good at getting along with girls. When asked on how they would humor a girl, most of the boys could not come up with an answer.

Yong Jun-hyung, however, came up with a hilarious reply. He said that besides taking care of his appearance and making sure he appears gentlemanly, he might even consider opening up his wallet to make the girl happy.

While most Korean artistes are banned from dating, BEAST told xinmsn that their company does not have that restriction. In fact, the boys really hope that they can find suitable partners to date, but would have to concentrate on their budding careers first.

Talk about Singapore's famous local delicacy, chili crab, got the boys all riled up. They animatedly gestured the size of the crab they ate and how it was the biggest crab they have even seen.

When asked if BEAST would be returning to Singapore, Doo-joon said that while they do not have plans to do so yet, he would be "more than happy to come back to Singapore for the chili crab!"

BEAST will be heading to Malaysia and Japan for their promotional tour. Their second album is scheduled to be released in August.

Lee Hyori takes it off for Cosmopolitan

Korean sex icon Lee Hyori recently completed a swimsuit pictorial for Cosmopolitan at a black sand beach in Bali, striking sexy poses next to the water for the summer.

The pictures have gotten netizens talking, saying how breathtaking Hyori looks in a bathing suit. Even the editors and photographers present at the shoot were surprised to see such solid, impeccable abs.
Be sure to check her out in Cosmopolitan’s July issue.

Hangeng releases poster for upcoming solo concert in Beijing!

This news will definitely generate a mixture of emotions from fans – it’s been announced that Super Junior’s Hangeng, who has been embroiled in controversy regarding his contract with SM Entertainment for the past few months, will be holding his very own concert in Beijing, China this July!


Last month, officials revealed that Hangeng would be releasing a solo album in Mandarin, so this will mark the next big milestone of his still-blooming solo career. With the words “Hangeng/庚心 (Geng Heart)” boldly written on the left, the poster reveals that the concert will take place on July 17 & 18 at the Beijing Exhibition Theater (北展剧场) at 8PM with tickets ranging 380 yuen ($50 USD) to 1680 yuen ($250 USD). This two-level amphitheater, which is part of the Beijing Exhibition Center in Xizhimen, is one of the largest in the city with 2700 seats and has hosted famous domestic & international productions ranging from classic ballets to Chinese folk dance.
 
Seeing Hangeng taking so many opportunities without his bandmates of Super Junior is probably bittersweet for many ELFs and Hangeng fans… what do you guys think?

Jay Park in work out mode

It has been more than a week since Jay Park returned to Korea for the filming of his movie, Hype Nation.

And despite earlier reports indicating that filming would start this week, it appears that the first shoot is now fixed for June 28th.

Nevertheless, Jay Park has not been idling while waiting for filming to begin, as he is going over his script and also keeping himself in shape. He tweeted on June 26th a picture of his toned upper body and wrote, “work out mode.”

He is definitely working those abs. Many thanks to k3tasha for the tip.

Kwon Sang Woo to be fined for hit and run accident

We reported earlier in the week that actor and Hallyu star, Kwon Sang Woo was involved in a hit and run accident where he hit a parked car, police patrol vehicle before discarding his car and fleeing the scene.But he will not be charged according to the police which had been investigating this matter in the past few days. A representative from Gangnam Police Station expressed, “If he had fled the scene and there were casualties, then he will be hit with a criminal charge. But for Mr. Kwon’s case, there were no casualties, just damages to the vehicles and so we will close the case. He will just need to pay a fine and compensate for the damages he caused to the involved vehicles.”
The representative added that Mr. Kwon’s manager will also escape being charged after it was revealed that he had tried to take the rap for Kwon Sang Woo. But he later admitted that it was Kwon Sang Woo himself who was behind the wheels, and as it was before the statement was taken, no charges will be filed.

Kwon Sang Woo’s good image has unfortunately taken a hit because of this, and comes at a time where his fortunes seemed to be experiencing an upturn thanks to good reviews for his movie, 71-Into The Fire. Kwon Sang Woo’s wife, Son Tae Young has also been criticized by netizens as she was seen attending a fashion show on the day her husband got involved with this matter.

PT: The stupid husband corked up, the wife got the blame. Where on earth are you people from?! She is not even there! Accidient happened when people became careless. DRIVE SAFE!
I felt that Kwon Sang Woo is a coward. His manager even took the rap for him. "What a manly way? Shame on you."

MBLAQ for Elle Girl Magazine

The boys of MBLAQ brought you Y earlier today on Music Bank and now they’re bringing you some eye candy. MBLAQ is featured in the latest issue of Elle Girl Magazine and scans from this issue has been recently uploaded to bestiz.

Check out the photos below and thanks to AbsoluteMBLAQ for sharing the photos.

Gummy says it’s Because of You on Music Core

On June 19th’s episode of MBC Music Core, powerful vocalist Gummy returned on the spotlight to continue her follow-up track promotions.

Her follow-up track was none other than Because of You. Unlike As A Man, Because of You has a sad atmosphere which showcases her great vocal in a different way. Prepare to fall in love with her vocal and music as you watch Gummy’s terrific performance below!