Monday, November 18, 2013

MANILA BULLETIN: Boy band A-Prince, Eddie Chun, Pinoy scholars raise P232,000 in Korea for typhoon victims

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
K-pop boy band A-Prince, Eddie Chun band and the Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea (PIKO) have raised a total of 5.67 million won, or about P232,000 won, in a charity concert in Seoul for the victims of Typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines.
Boy band A-Prince with Filipino scholars after the concert (top) and while holding donation boxes at the event. (Photos by Jonjon Samson)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Nichkhun makes fans aflutter, helps typhoon victims at fun meet

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
When boy band 2PM member Nichkhun arrived in the Philippines last Nov. 7, Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”) was already threatening the Visayas region with storm signal warning raised to No. 4, the highest level.
2PM’s Nichkhun and his fans at the BENCHSETTER Fun Meet. (Photos courtesy of BENCH’s Instagram and Philippine K-pop Committee’s Twitter)

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Korea donates $5M to PH; K-pop fans help ‘Yolanda’ victims

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
The government of South Korea will be donating $5 million (about P219 million) worth of humanitarian assistance to the victims and families affected by Typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines.
K-pop fan clubs, on the other hand, are helping in the relief efforts through donation drives and volunteering.
Fans of (from the top) Girls’ Generation, CNBLUE, 2PM, DBSK and others are helping in providing assistance to the victims of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in the Philippines (Photos from Facebook pages of Girls’ Generation, CNBLUE and 2PM, and www.newsen.com)

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Please DONATE for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines

From the Philippine Red Cross

Go to http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow to make your donation

Asian Games Centennial Music Gala in Boracay featuring JYJ postponed

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
The Asian Games Centennial Festival (AGCEF) scheduled to be held in Boracay in Aklan from Nov. 27 to 29 has been postponed following the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda” (internatioonal name “Haiyan”) in the country.
Part of the AGCEF was the Asian Games Centennial Music Gala that was supposed to feature K-pop boy band JYJ, composed of Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu, and other Asian artists.
Boy band JYJ (Photo courtesy of 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee)

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Korea to provide US$5M worth of humanitarian aid to 'Yolanda' victims

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea extends its deepest sympathies and support to the victims and bereaved families affected by Typhoon Haiyan (“Yolanda”), which struck the Philippines last November 8, 2013.

Korean celebs probed for illegal online gambling

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
Six Korean celebrities are being investigated by authorities for illegal online gambling.
Comedians Lee Soo-geun and Yang Se-hyung, actor Tak Jae-hoon and, singer Tony Ahn, entertainer Boom and Andy of boy band Shinhwa were summoned by the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of betting on illegal online gambling.
Clockwise from top left) Lee Soo-geun, Andy, Boom, Tak Jae-hoon, Tony Ahn and Yang Se-hyung.
(Photos by www.newsen.com)

Monday, November 11, 2013

Asian stars send their prayers for ‘Yolanda’ victims

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
Asian stars have expressed their sympathy and prayers for the Philippines and for the families affected by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name “Haiyan”), which caused widespread devastation and killed hundreds in the country.
Clockwise from top left) 2PM’s Nichkhun, Aziatix, Lee Min Ho, Sandara Park and Ricky Kim (Photos by Jonathan Hicap and Twitter accounts of Aziatix, Lee Min Ho, Sandara Park and Ricky Kim)

Saturday, November 9, 2013

K-pop concert in Singapore cancelled

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
A much-awaited K-pop concert in Singapore that would have featured acts like EXO, SHINee and KARA was cancelled by the organizer due to “contractual obligations” to a Korean broadcasting company.
Fans are angry and scrambling to get ticket refunds after Fatfish Entertainment announced that the “MBC Korean Wave In Singapore 2013″ concert would not push through.
Teen Top, B1A4 and miss A at the press conference in Singapore for the concert last August (Photos from the MBC Korean Music Wave in Singapore 2013 Facebook page)

Friday, November 8, 2013

2PM’s Nichkhun: Personal Style and Pinoy Love

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
K-pop star Nichkhun, a member of boy band 2PM, praised Filipinos for being warm and friendly, and said that he was really looking forward to see his fans up close at his fun meet.

2PM’s Nichkhun arrives in Manila for BENCH Fun Meet

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
Nichkhun, member of K-pop boy band 2PM, arrived in Manila last night for his “fun meet” for a Philippine clothing brand that will be held tomorrow.
Nichkhun at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last night (Photos courtesy of @Careyblue21 and @aveeporn on Twitter)

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Super Junior to speak at Oxford University

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
K-pop boy band Super Junior has been invited to speak at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Super Junior in costumes to celebrate their eight anniversary (Photo by www.newsen.com)

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

MANILA BULLETIN: Korean film ‘No Breathing’ earns $2M at Korean box office

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
“No Breathing,” the Korean film that was shot partly in the Philippines, has earned $2 million at the box office since its release last Oct. 30.
The movie has garnered 318,766 in attendance and has earned 2.15 billion won (about $2 million and P87.6 million) in South Korea as of Nov. 5, according to data from the Korea Film Council’s website.
Clockwise from top) Lee Jong Suk, Yuri and Seo In Guk in ‘No Breathing’ (Photos from ‘No Breathing’)

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Rain, Hangeng honored at BAZAAR Men Style’s awards in China

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
Pop stars Rain and Hangeng were feted at the People of the Year Award 2013 by BAZAAR Men’s Style held in Beijing, China.
Rain received the Asia All-Around Entertainer Award at the ceremony as part of the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Celebration Party.
Rain with his award (left) and Hangeng with Harper’s BAZAAR Executive Publisher Su Mang on the red carpet. (Photos courtesy of BAZAAR Men and Hangeng’s accounts on Weibo)

Monday, November 4, 2013

Girls’ Generation wins YouTube’s Video of the Year

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
K-pop group Girls’ Generation bagged the Video of the Year in the inaugural YouTube Music Awards held Sunday night in New York City (Monday morning in Manila).
Girls’ Generation’s “I Got A Boy” was voted Video of the Year, beating out Psy’s “Gentleman” Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack,” Epic Rap Battles of History’s “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney,” Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop,” Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj’s “Beauty and a Beat,” Lady Gaga’s “Applause,” One Direction’s “Best Song Ever,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert’s “Same Love,” and Selena Gomez’s “Come & Get It.”

MANILA BULLETIN: Infinite shines in first Philippine world tour

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
Korean boy band Infinite fulfilled their pledge of making lasting memories with their Filipino fans upon their arrival on Nov. 2 when they held their concert “2013 Infinite 1st World Tour: One Great Step” at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.

Sungkyu, Hoya, Dongwoo, L, Woohyun, Sungyeol and Sungjong headline the concert that ran for almost three hours, showcasing their vocal talents and impressive dance routines.
“I missed you so much,” Hoya told the fans at the concert.
Infinite opened the concert with “Destiny,” the group’s latest single that won them awards on music TV shows in Korea.
They followed this with “Tic Toc” and “Paradise” from their first studio album and its repackaged version released in 2011.
Other songs performed were “Wings,” “Inception,” “She’s Back,” “Man in Love,” “The Chaser,” “Nothing’s Over,” “Cover Girl” and “BTD.”


Infinite H’s Hoya and Dongwoo performed “Special Girl” while Sungyeol and Sungjong sang “1/3.”
Other solo performances were from L (real name is Kim Myung-soo), who did “Love U Like You,” and Woohyun, who sang “Beautiful.” Group leader Sungkyu, meanwhile, performed “60 Seconds.”
Overall, Infinite performed more than 20 songs during the concert.
At one point during the concert, Sunggyu announced, “We prepared one more special gift for you,” before performing their rendition of the Filipino folk song “Bahay Kubo” to the audience’s delight.
The group obviously did their homework: Not only did they speak in English throughout the concert to communicate with their fans, they also greeted the audience in Filipino.

Fan Eunisse de Leon told Bulletin Entertainment that her favorite concert moment “was when they rapped one by one during one of the gaps. It showed their cool and charismatic side.”

Yhe-Yhe Peñaredondo recalled, “There’s my bias L singing his solo performance with lots of ‘aegyo’ (cuteness), which he rarely does. Another one was when members kept doing eye contact with us fans that was really breathtaking.”
She nevertheless added that the most memorable part for her involved a touching moment with Dongwoo, who actually cried when the fans sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

Dongwoo is celebrating his 23rd birthday on Nov. 22 and at the concert, members of his international fanbase Infinite Updates and the Philippines’ JangDongwooPH and Infinite Philippines distributed party hats and banners to the audience. What made the concert more special to Dongwoo was having his parents in the audience.
Yhe-Yhe said, “His parents looked so happy about it. All our efforts for his birthday project didn’t go to waste for we met our goal of making him cry. Everything was worth it. It was truly magical.”
As they were saying their goodbyes, Hoya exclaimed, “Thank you Philippine Inspirits. Thank you for making good memories (with us)!”
Sungkyu gave huge props to the Manila fans, saying, “Your support keeps us going all the time.”
He ended with, “Thank you Inspirits for making this world tour possible. I can’t believe we are going to meet Inspirits all over the world especially here with Philippine Inspirits. (We are) glad to be here to hold a concert for you. I love you.”

The “2013 Infinite 1st World Tour: One Great Step” in Manila was organized by the Araneta Group’s Uniprom Inc. and supported byAsiana Airlines, Pepsi, Crowne Plaza, Astroplus, Myx, JAC Motors and When in Manila.

Link to my original article on Manila Bulletin online http://www.mb.com.ph/infinite-shines-in-first-philippine-world-tour/
To contact the author, send email to sangchusan(at)gmail.com

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Infinite's One Great Step Concert in Manila Videos (Nov. 3, 2013)




Sunday, November 3, 2013

MANILA BULLETIN: Infinite: We came back to Manila for our passionate Pinoy fans

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin
When Korean boy band Infinite visited and performed in the Philippines for the first time last January, they said they were deeply moved by the response of Filipino fans. 
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