…in place of Jong-hyun.

Just yesterday, we reported that Ye-sung would be performing “Ring Ding Dong” on “Music Bank” with the members of SHINee, excluding Jong-hyun. On the 6th, Ye-sung took center stage and gave fans the “laser staredown”, while crooning Jong-hyun’s lines. Although the Super Junior member did a good job on stage, can’t help but feel that a lot is lacking without Jong-hyun’s vocals and presence on stage.

Check out the video for yourself below.

Yes, you read right!

But don’t worry Jong-hyun fans, it’s only for one performance. Super Junior’s Ye-sung will be replacing Jong-hyun at the KBS Music Bank performance this week. Ye-sung will be making a surprise appearance on “Music Bank” and perform “Ring Ding Dong” alongside the remaining four members of SHINee.

As most of you may already know, Jong-hyun is currently getting treated for the H1N1 virus and is unable to take part in any promotional activities. So in support of his “hoobaes” (juniors), Ye-sung has volunteered to take part in SHINee’s stage performance on “Music Bank” and perform Jong-hyun’s parts.

Ye-sung showed his support of SHINee members stating,

It’s a new feeling to be taking part on stage with my hoobae SHINee, who i’ve cared for so much. I wish from the bottom of my heart that Jong-hyun will have a fast and full recovery and have decided to take part on stage in means of supporting SHINee. Please continue to show much love and support for “Ring Ding Dong”.

SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong” performance featuring Super Junior’s Ye-sung will broadcast this coming November 6th.

Holy colors Batman!

As if SM Entertainment darlings Super Junior and Girls Generation weren’t cute enough, both groups are set to endorse the newly launched clothing brand SPAO. Though a full catalog has yet to be released, eager fans have gotten a hold of a few promo shots and by the looks of things, colorful fall/winter gear with a touch of All-American prep seems to be the theme.

For the girls, that means that brightly winter staples (like down jackets and tights) are the ticket. As for the boys, brightly-colored hoodies and accessories are a go.

And if neon yellow tights aren’t your thing, it looks like the rugby shirt is making a comeback. Why not give the prep look a try…though I highly suggest you skip the helmet. That may be a look that only Si-won can pull off.

Check out more promo shots here~

First Inwoo and now SM Entertainment is going against Mnet!

SM Entertainment made an official announcement earlier today that none of their artists will be taking part in the 2009 MAMA. That means, not only will you not be seeing trot singers Jang Yoon-jung and Park Hyun-bin at the 2009 MAMA, but you also won’t be seeing SNSD, Super Junior, SHINee and f(x) at the award show.

Apparently the reason behind SM Entertainment’s boycott is due to the fact that Mnet will choose the award winners for the MAMA using the same process they use for the M!Countdown music program, which SM states is not fair or trustworthy. SM Entertainment went on to state,

SNSD’s ‘Gee‘ won 1st place on other music programs for 9 consecutive weeks, while they hadn’t on M!Countdown, even once. Even for ‘Gee’ to simply enter their charts was about a month after the release of the song, which was during the first week of February.

Therefore, all SM artists will not be able to attend the 2009 MAMA, whose selection criteria isn’t fair or trustworthy.

SM Entertainment also went on to state that they do not like Mnet’s decision to make voting possible only to paid registered users of their website. SM Entertainment has made clear that they do not want fans of SM artists to have to fork out 3,000 KRW just to vote for their favorite artists. This has led to SM Entertainment’s decision to withdraw and boycott the 2009 MAMA.

With SM and Inwoo Entertainment’s withdrawal from the award show, that is a big chunk of artists Mnet is losing out on. Do you think Mnet will be able to put on a successful award show with all of these artists out of the picture?

Will Dream Concert ever be pleasant?

It’s official. The three most popular male groups (Excluding Dong-Bang-Shin-Ki) will each perform at this year’s Dream Concert, live October 10th, minus one member. How coincidental.

Big Bang’s lead vocalist, Dae-sung, is still recovering from the infamous August car crash. Though he has successfully undergone operation, re-joined the Family Outing team for a filming of “2Days 1Night,” and seems to be doing quite well, he will not be joining his fellow Big Bang members for their first Dream Concert performance. How unfortunate.

Most famously, or infamously, group 2PM’s former leader Jaebum will be absent from the concert, where the remaining members will make their first official performance as a group of six. In a shocking twist of events, the Dream Concert production team revealed today that the group will perform “Again & Again” and “I Hate You,” but they will not be aired for broadcast. Basically, if you want to see 2PM perform at Dream Concert 2009, you have to be in the audience; it won’t be shown on TV.

Lastly, Kangin, one of Super Junior’s main faces, will reportedly be absent from this year’s performance as well. After the September assault case where he was reportedly an aggressor, it’s no surprise that Kangin is taking a break from the public eye. Hopefully this scandal doesn’t get him kicked out.

What do you make of the many controversies surrounding the top male groups of today?

UPDATE: One day before their performance, it’s officially been decided that Dae-sung will perform with Big Bang for Dream Concert 2009. Way to be prepared guys!

Well, that’s the rumor.

Early in the morning on September 16th, Super Junior member Kangin witnessed/was allegedly involved in an altercation and brought to a police station in Gangnam for further questioning.

According to police accounts, Kangin and a pal were involved in an argument, which progressed into a fist fight at around 3 A.M. in the morning at a local bar.

SM Entertainment has quickly denied rumors that Kangin was involved in the altercation. According to company representatives, Kangin was present at the scene but his involvement in the incident ends there. The company also stated that the singer neither started nor participated in the fight.

A press conference will soon be held to further explain the situation and Kangin’s involvement, or lack thereof.

Or should I say “Shupa Girl”…

Sub group Super Junior M has just unveiled the MV for their new single, “Super Girl“. The song is all right, as the chorus is quite catchy.

Although Girls Generation’s Jessica is meant to be Han-geng’s love interest, she is primarily used just as a pretty moving prop. She doesn’t really add anything to the MV, and I’m not really sure how popular she is with Mandarin speaking audiences to warrant a cameo.

The MV itself illustrates that SM Entertainment is bringing Super Junior’s recently upgraded style seen in promotions for “Sorry, Sorry” and “It’s You” to M. “Sorry, Sorry” became quite a hit in China and Taiwan, sweeping spoofs on variety programs and getting stuck in everyone’s minds, so it’s no surprise that Super Junior M has sprung back up just in time to capitalize on that recent wave of popularity.

Nothing too special, but it’s worth a gander.

It’s tougher than it looks.

On September 13th, Super Junior’s Eun-hyuk left a very intriguing entry on his Cyworld about the pains of being a celebrity. It appears that Eun-hyuk has been on vacation in France for the past couple of days, and he used the time to reflect about fame while out of the limelight.

It’s almost semi-poetic the way he talks about how painful it is to have these pressures and criticisms as a celebrity and the obligation not to show any of it, as well as the tearful clown picture he included. Many point out that he may be commenting on the situation with 2PM’s Jae-bum.

A celebrity…

A job where it’s confirmed from the front, behind…and beside…

In front, they have fans who love them, and celebrities are smiling while watching those fans.

Behind them, there are several arrows flying and piercing their backs.

Unintentionally, the flying arrows sometimes even pierce the fans that are in front.

On both sides, there are masses of people are watching over their front and back.

Even if their back becomes covered in blood from the arrows piercing from behind, they must smile for the sake of the fans that cheer them on and support them.

If they smile and work hard until the end, the public who is watching them on both sides will slowly move to the front.

However if they can’t handle it, and if they’re upsetted a little, (the public) moves to the back and even shoots arrows.

Celebrities don’t know how many people are behind them, or what kind of people or what reason they have for shooting the arrows.

They’re not allowed to turn around and find out either.

Because if they turn around, the fans in the front will become completely shocked when they see the arrows that pierced their back, and the moment they turn, their entire body will be struck with arrows…

No one knows what kind of people are shooting the arrows, what kind of expression they have, or what thoughts run through their minds as they shoot the arrows.

It’s just that they simply enjoy the act itself, and they like it if new celebrities (especially ones with lots of past personal life) come out.

Celebrities…

They live on stage and die on the internet…a job where it’s confirmed from front, back and side…

……that is a celebrity.

Although this does seem directed at Jae-bum’s situation, what Eun-hyuk says could honestly apply to any celebrity. It definitely comes with the territory. It’s very true that the better celebrities cope with criticisms the more fan support they get despite their mistakes, as well as general respect for being professional about it from people who aren’t hardcore fans. Everyone is not going to infinitely praise every little thing a celebrity does and ignore their fumbles, but if the celebrity can handle it in stride they can thrive.

[Hat tip to eternalelf13]

They’re back~

Super Junior may have taken a break from official group activities, but that doesn’t mean they all went on vacation. Subgroup Super Junior M is ready to kick it back with their sophomore album, “Super Girl“. So if you’re hankering for some SuJu action, here’s something to tide you over until the thirteen (twelve) return.

If you’ve forgotten, Super Junior M consists of Han-geng, Si-won, Ryeo-wook, Kyu-hyun, and Dong-hae, as well as exclusive Chinese members Henry and Zhou Mi.

Check it out~

…and so it begins.

A recently updated poster for the much anticipated 2009 Dream Concert has been released and it’s missing a few faces.

For starters, idol group DBSK has been completely removed from the poster. That’s because it has been recently confirmed by the  Korean Entertainment Producers Association (the organizers of the concert)  that due to the group’s current lawsuit with SM Entertainment, DBSK will most likely not be performing at the event.

KEPA released a statement saying:

“About this unforeseen incident, Korean Entertainment Producers Association and SM Entertainment has been having discussions in regard to former performers matter, and currently meet in the decision that under present condition, starring TVXQ in the concert is very difficult, therefore for everyone who is looking forward to TVXQ performance, we’re really sorry and sincerely apologize.”

In addition, 2PM’s former leader Park Jae-bum has been removed from the poster, as he is no longer a member of the group. The rest of the group members appear, however,  indicating that they’ll still be be performing (just without Jae-bum). No official statement has been made to the contrary.

The 2009 Dream Concert will be held on October 10th  at Sangnam World Cup Stadium and will feature acts like Super Junior, Big Bang, MC Mong, Jewelry and 2PM (minus former member, Jae-bum).

Here’s a picture of the old poster for comparison~

…it’s quite simple actually.

Super Junior member Shin Dong revealed at a recent press conference that he is planning to drop some weight…again!

The singer, who was there to promote his new SBS variety show “Find it ! Green Gold“, spoke to reporters alongside his co-stars 2AM’s Jo-kwon, SS501’s Kim Hyung-joon and Brian. At one point in the conference,  Shin Dong revealed that he planned to use the show to help him drop a few pounds.

The chubby singer spoke of his plan to lose weight, stating that “Through this chance, I also think of starting my diet plan. In fact, last time I had lost 20kg but I had gained weight again later”.

For those of you who’ve forgotten, this time last year Shin Dong surprised everyone with his shocking weight loss transformation that made even POPSEOUL! say “What the Shin Dong?”.Well, it looks like he’s at it again.

I’m not sure how he shrunk down back then, but this time around it sounds like Shin Dong wants to take the healthy route…literally. The singer explained that he would use good old diet  and exercise (via bike riding) to drop the pounds.  Shin Dong stated that “…because of the show, I have to ride bike and travel a lot, so PD-nim had decided that water, bike and some matter that having relation with diet will be subject of the show, thus I plan to be loose weight again”.

Good for him! Sure, I like my Shin Dong on the chubby side, but a healthy Shin Dong is what’s most important, right? Now if he would just lose that bowl haircut.

Shin Dong’s new show, “Find It! Green Gold”, is set to premiere on SBS on September 14th.

What a fabulous team.

Super Junior’s Kangin and 2009’s surprising Miss Korea , Kim Joo-ri, have been chosen as the main models for Andre Kim’s Gang-nam Fashion Festival collection, sponsored by the Gang-nam Foundation for Art and Culture. The show will run from 4.30PM to 6.00PM September 22nd at COEX Piano Fountain Square, Samsung District.

Am I the only one who finds this paring a bit.. random? Although it hasn’t been confirmed, the event is supposedly open for public viewing. Will you go check out the unexpected pairpretending to be fashionable lovers?