Singer and actor Kim Jung Hoon will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut in Japan with a new single entitled “Special Day.”
The single will drop on January 21. “Special Day” is a bright and energetic song about the start of a new season.
During his ten years in Japan, all of Kim Jung Hoon’s albums and DVDs have made it into the top ten on Oricon Charts.
Written by renown composer and arranger Chinoshi who has written for the likes of SMAP and TEGOMASS (NEWS’ vocal unit), “Special Day” will feature a more mature and upgraded sound from Kim Jung Hoon.
Meanwhile, Kim Jung Hoon is currently filming for Chinese drama “God of War Zhao Yun” . He will kick off his Japan-Korea tour in April.
It’s time to say goodbye to Dal Po, In Ha, and company after 20 episodes of lies, laughs, and tears. The final episode of “” doesn’t hold a lot of surprises, but it’s a fitting ending nonetheless.
These were my five favorite scenes of “Pinocchio” episode 20:
If you had told me, back around episode five, that one day I would be smiling fondly as Cha Ok told Dal Po and In Ha how to best get answers from somebody, I would’ve called you crazy. But here we are: I loved how Cha Ok came to Ro Sa’s arrival at the police station herself and made sure that her daughter and Dal Po would be able to get past the Chairwoman’s bland statement to the truth. Again, I can’t honestly say that I believe Cha Ok’s transformation (not this quickly), but I’ve found that so long as I don’t think about this development too hard, it’s led to some lovely scenes.
I’m so glad that the conclusion of Dal Po’s reporter arc has been the realization that news is so much bigger than him. Yes, he could ask Ro Sa why she targeted his family, vilified his father, and led his mother to commit murder-suicide (side-note: I don’t understand why Dal Po’s mother’s actions haven’t been brought up once. I would have thought that the trauma of his mother trying to kill him would have been just as horrifying as anything else Dal Po went through after the fire). But satisfactory answers to his personal questions don’t exist. Ro Sa told Cha Ok to go after Ki Ho Sang because he was convenient, but she never had any personal feelings about him. The real way to get her to crack, to make sure that she’s so rattled she can’t lie her way out of taking responsibility, is to ask questions about her and her son—so that’s what Dal Po does.
And here we come to the end of Cha Ok’s arc. Weeks ago, at the time of the investigation into the bus driver’s death, Dal Po produced the proof that Cha Ok had been right and then proceeded to batter her with angry questions. It was a great scene, because everything he said was so deserved and because it was honestly pretty satisfying to see Cha Ok, who at that point was the ice queen of lies and amorality, rendered speechless by such a lacerating display. At that time, she couldn’t answer any of Dal Po’s questions, but now, alone, in the elevator leaving MSC for good, she finally can. She couldn’t trust herself to tell the truth because she was a liar. She wasn’t really a reporter. It’s a subtle, weirdly sweet scene—Song Cha Ok, finally (bravely) telling the truth about herself.
The end of Dal Po’s personal arc is somewhat bittersweet, as he convinces In Ha that they have to be honest with Grandpa about their desire for a romantic relationship—but they also have to be willing to accept if he refuses to grant them permission for such a relationship. After spending half his life hiding the truth of his identity from the people he loves, Dal Po knows that he can’t continue to do that. He also knows that the Choi family has truly become his family, and that he isn’t willing to give that up or disrupt that for anything. It’s a difficult decision to make, but it’s clear why Dal Po thinks this way—and why In Ha ultimately agrees. Neither of them can live a lie. They can only be honest, and accept the consequences.
I think we all knew that Dal Po and In Ha would get their happy ending, but seeing Grandpa agree to unadopt Dal Po so the erstwhile uncle and niece can tie the knot is just so sweet. Dal Po’s relationship with his adoptive father was consistently great, and it goes out on a high note, as the two acknowledge how much they’ve saved each other and agree that it’s time to move into the future.
In broad strokes, I adore “Pinocchio” like nothing else. It’s such a great, moving story: a boy loses his family to lies, finds a new family through new lies, and is finally inspired to return to a life of truth by an unfailingly honest girl. I love that premise. And for a long time, I really loved “Pinocchio.” I loved its offbeat humor and its depiction of a fiercely devoted family. I loved Dal Po, in all of his fear, anger, and trauma, and I loved his discovery that he couldn’t hide from his past forever. I loved In Ha, in all of her bright, brash shamelessness, and I loved her struggles with a mother who did nothing but disappoint her. I loved all of the quirky side characters. I even loved Jae Myung (the first version), with his twisted despair and merciless vengeance.
But somewhere along the way, “Pinocchio” started losing its verve. It abandoned its punch-to-the-gut storytelling and started spinning its narrative wheels, and my passion cooled. I never started hating the show (though I do prefer to forget that episode 17 happened!), but it stopped moving my heart the way it had before.
In retrospect, I still really liked this drama, and I’ll definitely think fondly of it in the future. But if it had ended around when Jae Myung was arrested, I would be ready to induct it into the Drama Hall of Fame. The truth is, I liked “Pinocchio” best when it was breaking my heart.
This is all completely personal, of course! Please tell us in the comments what you thought of this episode, and of “Pinocchio” as a whole!
Yesterday Kim Hyun Joong went to Japan to do a series of fan meet activities today Jan 10, 2015. The Japanese fans and fans from other countries have waited for him to greet him upon arrival at the Haneda aiport earlier yesterday. It was a lovely spot to see fans welcoming their idol to give love and support and likewise a beautiful and toucing scene to see idol , in particular Kim Hyun Joong acknowledging his fans by waving, smiling and bowing to them. It was a tremendous manifestation of love and respect between an idol and fans.
We wish Kim Hyun Joong all the very best to come for all his activities in Japan and in other countries as well.
Actress Lee Yoo Ri appeared on KBS2’s “Invisible Man,” where her debut photo became a hot topic.
The actress had made her debut with the KBS drama, “School 4” in 2001 at the age of 21. As she reminisced about those days, the host of the show asked if he could show an old picture to the viewers.
Lee Yoo Ri quickly replied, “No!” in embarrassment, but still ended up revealing a past picture.
“The only difference between then and now is my face. Everything else is pretty much the same,” she said.
Compared to her innocent look as a rookie actress, Lee Yoo Ri has really changed as her style since then.
Just a few weeks ago Lee Yoo Ri won the
The new KBS2 variety show, “Invisible Man” is hosted by Kang Ho Dong. Guests on the show play games in order to get a job.
The Justice Department has sentenced Lee Ji Yeon and Kim Da Hee to jail time.
The final trial of Lee Byung Hun′s five billion won black mail case took place on January 15 at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong. Lee Byung Hun did not attend, but GLAM member Kim Da Hee and model Lee Ji Yeon were present.
On this day, the Justice Department sentenced Lee Ji Yeon to one year and two months to prison, and Kim Da Hee, one year of prison. If they do not agree with the sentence, the two can submit a petition of appeal within seven days.
In September of 2014, Lee Byung Hun reported to the police that he was being blackmailed by Da Hee and Lee Ji Yeon to pay five billion won if he doesn′t want their secretly recorded conversations to go public.
The police arrested Da Hee and Lee Ji Hyun without warrant, and the case was later transferred to prosecution. The two were charged for an act of violence and a violation of the law (joint blackmail).
A petition of appeal was received on September 29, 2014, and Da Hee and Lee Ji Hyun had their first trial on October 16. After responding that he would not appear in the scheduled November 11 trial, Lee Byung Hun appeared as a witness in the changed date of November 24. Prosecution demanded three years of prison for Da Hee and Lee Ji Yeon during the third trial on December 16.
Starting October 17, 2014, Da Hee wrote a total of 18 apology letters, while Lee Ji Yeon wrote 11 after the first trial on October 29, requesting favorable arrangements.
Following his appearance during the second hearing, Lee Byung Hun flew to the US and spent time with his wife, Lee Min Jung, who recently returned to Korea on January 14 for a commercial shoot. Lee Byung Hun′s return is up in the air.
Photo Credit: Newsen
Rookie boy group JJCC (Double-JC) makes their comeback this week with their latest track “Fire. ”
As a pop dance track, we see the members working at a car shop. After designing a car, they go out and party, having a dance battle in the process.
If you are not familiar with the JJCC, they are known as Jackie Chan‘s group as they are managed by his agency Jackie Chan Group Korea. They made their debut last year in March with “At First” and then followed up with “One Way” in August.
With his relationship with director Cho Soo Won, Lee Joon will be appearing as sa cmameo in the drama Pinocchio.
On January 14, SBS Pinocchio revealed that through Lee Joon and director Cho Soo Won working together on Gapdong in the past, Lee Joon will make a surprise appearance in episode 19.
After working with director Cho Soo Won on tvN′s Gapdong, Lee Joon agreed to appear in Pinocchio without hesitation, participating in the filming on January 11.
Despite it being an extremely cold day with an outdoor filming, Lee Joon remained sincere along with the drama′s actors to pull off his character, putting all the staff members in awe.
In revealed photos, Lee Joon is seen, surrounded by large groups of reporters as he kept a solemn face, catching attention. Curiosity is on the rise to what kind of role he will play in the episode.
The production company of Pinocchio stated, "We′re thankful for Lee Joon, who agreed to appear in the drama through his relationship with director Cho Soo Won."
The company added, "Despite being a cameo appearance, Lee Joon put in his all for the filming, and we were all moved by his passion. Please look forward to what kind of scene will take place with Lee Joon."
Pinocchio is about a man who lived his life under a false name and a woman who cannot take a lie. Two episodes will air back-to-back on January 14, followed by the drama′s final episode on January 20.
Photo Credit: iHQ
January 9 was a special day for Jang Nara as it was the 5,000th day since her debut. She was taking profile photos in a studio in Gyeonggi-do when a number of surprise presents and messages from her fan clubs were delivered on set.
The first round of gifts included a cake, flower bouquet, and pastries from her Korean fan club “Nara Sarang.” The second consisted of congratulatory banners from “Angel Nara,” Jang Nara’s Chinese fan club, and from top Chinese community site Baidu Tieba.
Jang Nara was very touched by the gifts and expressed her gratitude with a series of pictures with the presents. In one of the photos, she is blowing out the candles of her cake. In another, she gestures to the red and blue banners.
Jang Nara’s management agency Narajjang.com commented, “Jang Nara has been able to be consistently active for the past 5,000 days because of her Korean and Chinese fans’ sincere support[...] We want to thank the fans for their unchanging love.”
Meanwhile, Jang Nara just finished up two MBC Wednesday-Thursday dramas, “” and “Mister Baek.” She was honored for her work at the recent “2014 MBC Drama Awards” with the .
After getting swept in an controversy in Malaysia, B1A4 opened up its stance regarding the recent fan meeting.
According to a number of Malaysian news outlets on January 13, B1A4 left a negative impression on Muslims after holding hands and hugging with Islamic fans at its fanmeeting on January 10.
The report stated that a fanmeeting with 1,000 fans took place in Malaysia, where the B1A4 members carried out an event in which they held hands and hugged fans wearing hijabs, causing backlash from Muslims. The local news outlet argued that the event organizers must take responsibility for the issue.
Regarding this, B1A4′s agency, WM Entertainment, told Newsen on January 13, "Going with the promotions of the local event organizers, we carried out an event in which five out of many fans were chosen to reenact scenes from dramas. The event took place after consent from the winners was given ahead of time, and as some of the winners were Muslim, the MC asked one more time for consent on location due to their religion."
"The atmosphere was great and it was an event that took place with prior consent, but we are completely acknowledging that things can be viewed differently through different lenses," said WM Entertainment. "For future fan meetings abroad, we will be more considerate and more cautious of the local culture, so we can all be able to enjoy it together."
Photo Credit: Newsen
With their debut album set for release in a few days, upcoming girl group GFRIEND has revealed their music video teaser for “Glass Bead.”
Managed by Source Music, GFRIEND’s six members are . Sowon, born in 1995, is the group’s oldest member, while the group’s maknae, or youngest member, is Eumji, who was born in 1998. Yuju is the group’s main vocalist.
The group has gained some buzz recently after netizens noticed that member Girls’ Generation‘s Jessica.
The will release their debut album on January 15 with a dance track by famous composers Lee Gi and Young Bae.
They also released a group teaser video a few days ago to introduce the group.
