EPIK HIGH'S "UP" AND ""DON'T HATE ME, HYUNA'S "ICE CREAM", KARA'S "ELECTRIC BOY", BTOB "LOVER BOY" AND BAP'S "STOP IT"
Let’s hear it for the epic return of K-hip hop trio Epik High and the two MVs off new album 99. The explosion of cuteness in “Don’t Hate Me” , with adorable kids dressed up as famous movie villains and even a mini-GD complete with yellow dreadlocks, underlies the poignant meaning of the song encapsulated in the chorus -- “Everybody hates me, but you love me and I love you.”
And the hotly anticipated return of HyunA doesn’t disappoint with the catchy "Ice Cream". Caressing a half-naked tattooed man? Check. In a latex dress playing with foam? Check. Hosing down a crowd with ice cream? Check. Girl knows how to do sexy, but we like that she switched it up this time with a little bit of cute and edge added into the mix.
This week also sees rookie boybands BAP and BTOB pitted against each other. The usually fierce and hard-hitting BAP boys shed that image for a brighter and cheerier track with “Stop It” while BTOB gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at their performances and daily lives in the MV for “Lover Boy”
Meanwhile, KARA has unveiled the dance MV version to their Japanese single “Electric Boy” and the “making of” film . The group, one of the most successful Korean-Japan crossovers, is slated to perform at the Tokyo Dome on Jan 6, 2013 and will be the first female Korean artists to do so.
PARIS HILTON IN A K-POP MV
Woah. Can’t say we didn’t see this coming as Paris is smart (or opportunistic) enough to catch onto the K-Pop hype. And she was paid $1 million just to stand in the sand and look pretty in Kim Jang Hoon’s new “Nothing” MV.
Yes, the same man who made headlines after taking part in a relay swim to the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands as a show of nationalistic pride, and the one who recently had a public falling out (and making up) with good friend Psy. Even though he’s also been dubbed the “donation angel” for his charity work, he’s now just going to be known for featuring Paris Hilton in a video.
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MAN CANDY OF THE WEEK
New K-drama darling Seo In Guk (Reply 1997) smolders for Vogue Girl and adds “I’ve never thought that I was good looking. The thing I love hearing the most is that I’m sexy.” Okay then, Mr Seo, you truly iz one sexy manz.
Then we have TVXQ in a vampire-themed photoshoot for CeCi with SNSD’s Seohyun. No fangs or blood to be found, but we’d wouldn’t mind getting bitten by either one of them.
Finally, there’s TOP in two new sublime promotional films for FUBU. With his deep, sensual voice narrating, you can file this under ear candy as well. See the subbed videos here. Also marvellous ear candy? Having TOP whisper “Noona, you’re here” into your ear, which is what happened to actress Kim So Yeon at a party . Go ahead, just imagine it.
TOP GETS BRA THROWN AT HIM
Biggest LOL moment of the week by far -- this footage of the Big Bang rapper getting what looks like a bra thrown at him at their Manila concert. He didn’t seem too fazed by it though, which is good because we’ve heard fans in Europe aren’t averse to throwing their unmentionables onstage either. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment is at 1:25.
WOMAN CANDY OF THE WEEK
After losing member Jihae last week, Girl’s Day is back and raring to go, teasing fans with these pictures of a more grown-up and mature image for their upcoming single “Don’t Forget Me”.
And we’ll never get tired of her “eye smile” -- Hyori makes Swarovski jewellery look hot in this pictorial.
AW MOMENTS OF THE WEEK
Plenty of things to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sean (of hip hop duo Jinusean, one of the old guards at YG Family) known for his philanthropy, recently completed a triathlon as the fulfilment of a promise to Eunchong, a 10 year-old boy suffering from six rare diseases. He will also donate W51.5 million (around S$57, 225) to the construction of a hospital for children with disabilities or W1000 for every metre he ran.
Animal rights activist Hyori recently tweeted this sweet picture of Kongshim, a dog she saved from euthanisation. “I felt sad because [she] looks very similar to Soonshim. I couldn’t just let her be euthanised, so I brought her home. But… Hm… Now that I see the two together… Hm… “ she said, before adding an appeal for someone to give Kongshim a home.
And something to make us all envious: Hara was spotted at a Lacoste event showing off a heart tattoo. Of course everyone is speculating if it’s a symbol of love for her beau, B2ST’s Junhyung. Junhyung, on the other hand, tweeted on Oct 24 that “:) When I go to Korea, because there are three things waiting for me.” One of them Hara, perhaps? Seriously, could they be any cuter?
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T-ARA FINALLY OPENS UP ABOUT HWAYOUNG'S DEPARTURE
It was understandably a tough situation for all involved and the members got teary on an MNET show called “T-ara’s Confession”. Hyomin acknowledged the rather unwise decision of promoting so soon after the scandal broke, saying “We ended up just keeping on with promoting and standing on stage right away. I have a hard time thinking to myself, ‘It’ll get better if we keep going on like this’ because every time we stand on stage and get together everyday, we think of what happened and we can’t help but remember it all” while leader Soyeon apologised for making their fans worry.
NO REPLACEMENT OF LEETEUK AS LEADER OF SUPER JUNIOR
Even though Eunhyuk had expressed a desire to take over from Leeteuk after he enlists in the army on Oct 30, SJ’s leader announced jokingly in an interview that “if I give the spot to someone else and he does it so well, I’m going to have no place to stand when I come back. I’m going to tell them that I trust them and just go.”
KIM JONG KOOK PREVIEWS SONGS OFF UPCOMING ALBUM
Let’s not forget Sparta Kook’s actually a singer too. He recently revealed two tracks from his new album, dropping Nov 1: “Men Also Feel Sad” , with Mighty Mouth and “Words I Want To Say To You” featuring HaHa and Gary.
GD INTERESTED IN STARTING FASHION BRAND
Who better to, right? The stylish leader expressed to GQ Korea that “It looked cool for a musician to have his own brand. I want to also have my own fashion line in the future, so I asked Verbal [rapper, co-creator of Ambush] a lot of questions pertaining to that.” He has collaborated with Ambush on a line of accessories, featured in the shoot and his "Crayon" MV.
Oh, this is totally unrelated, but we thought it was cute of GD to reveal on Yoo Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook that he acts like a baby when he falls in love, and he has a habit of answering his girlfriends in mumbling, gibberish sounds on the phone, which kinda makes them angry. Watch the full, subbed interview here.
SOURCES: https://www.facebook.com/EPIKHIGH, www.allkpop.com, www.bigbangupdates.com, www.dbsknights.net, http://me2day.net/dte-girlsday, english.chosun.com, https://twitter.com/frog799, http://www.youtube.com/user/LOENENT, http://www.youtube.com/user/clandestinepain, http://www.youtube.com/user/4minuteofficial, https://www.facebook.com/mnetmama