Taeyang Reveals Deep Friendships

A member of the five boy idol group Big Bang, Taeyang, expressed the deep friendship that he shares with the other members.
In a recent interview with Star News, Taeyang said, "The recent events that have occurred and the problems we have run through have actually made us stick closer together."
Taeyang, who began training at YG Entertainment since he was an elementary school student, mentioned his childhood friend G-Dragon.
"Looking at it from a friend's perspective, what happened to Ji Yong (G-Dragon's real name) is sad. But Ji Yong will always be a friend who is closer than family to me. Even if something bigger than what happened happens in the future, I will not let go of his hand. And I know he will do the same for me. We are friends for life."
A few months back in October, when the shocking news about G-Dragon's shameful misconduct was revealed, Taeyang wrote on his Twitter, "Even though it seems like I don't know, I know everything," and "Even though it looks like I'm being deceived, I'm just closing my eyes." For the first time since these events, Taeyang personally spoke out.
"Those words actually had nothing to do with Ji Yong. They were my thoughts about the world." He continued, "I was really saddened to receive such a misunderstanding."
As for the friendships he shares with the other members T.O.P., Daesung, and Seungri, Taeyang said, "Big Bang is still very much active. It doesn't even matter what our families say. There's no need to explain things in depth because now we all understand each other."
On activities and promotions, he said, "While we were on hiatus the members all got together to work on new songs. Big Bang's new songs are all made, and now we just need to do the finishing touches on the album."
"At the beginning of every year we have a single concert called 'Big Show', but we're having the concert towards the beginning of March in 2012. Around that time is when our new album will be released."
Taeyang ended the interview with a smile as he said, "Big Bang hopes to create good music and participate very actively during 2012. Thank you to all the fans who have believed and stuck with us through it all, we will not disappoint you."

"Journey To The West" Is One Of The Four Great Classical Novels Of Chinese Literature

"Journey to the West" is one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Now a number of foreign diplomats have become fans of the work, after their recent tour to an exhibition hall which was built based on the literature masterpiece.
The Chinese Exhibition Hall of Journey to the West, located in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, is a large thematic exhibition that uses sound, light and video applications to fully trace and interpret the classic work "Journey to the West".
The exhibition hall recently received a 100-member delegation of foreign ambassadors and of embassy staff members. According to the curator Qi Guirong, it's the third formal foreign delegation that has paid a visit to the exhibition hall so far.
Qi says that such a visit made by foreign delegations helps promote Chinese culture.
"I think international visitors will help spread the reputation of 'Journey to the West.' The novel boasts a wealth of educational content, in which innovation and team spirit are encouraged. After a visit to the exhibition hall, a German official has become a fan of the novel and arranged three successive visits for German government employees."
In contrast to the very ancient literature it represents, the exhibition hall is a newly-built tourist attraction. Qi Guirong said since it became open to the public in October 2010, it has received over a million visitors.
As a member of the foreign diplomat's delegation, Raymond Lopez, second secretary of Beijing's embassy of the Philippines, feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have a tour of the exhibition hall to satisfy his childhood curiosity.
"When I was young, we usually watched this on TV in the Philippines. The characters in that novel, you know for a child like me - a curious child - they made me feel very happy. They are very comic, especially the Monkey King. I learnt more about the characters during our visit this afternoon. It made me more curious, so most probably when I go back to Beijing, I will do more research about it."
Covering an area of 2600 square meters, the exhibition hall has eight parts, such as "Historical myth", "In and out of the book" and "Sand table". On the hall's second floor, there is a 4D cinema studio. The studio is built in the shape of a complicated furnace, the device in which the Monkey King, was tortured for several weeks by burning flames.

Wonder Girls Appeared On Yin 's News And Issue

On December 15, the Wonder Girls appeared on YTN’s “News & Issue” and talked about their popularity, competition, and music.
The show asked why the girls decided to move to the U.S. when they were already enjoying so much success in Korea. “A lot of people think that way, but popularity can be such a fleeting thing. At some point you eventually lose it. If you insist on holding on to it, and give up on the career path that you long dreamed of—wouldn’t you regret it more that way? There are a lot of things I learned from the U.S. promotions. We’ll probably never enjoy the same level of success as back then (in Korea), but I don’t believe we lost anything and I don’t regret moving to the U.S.,” Ye Eun said.
The hosts followed up by asking, “You promoted in the States for a year and a half. In that span, your popularity in Korea took a hit, while SNSD did really well. Did you feel any pressure?” The girls carefully answered the somewhat sensitive question as Sunye said, “Instead of pressure, we felt sorry to the fans and family members who waited for us for so long because we couldn’t show them anything. The year and a half (in the U.S.) is a period we can’t trade with anything. It’s hard to judge whether it was a success or failure, but nonetheless, it was valuable experience for us.”
Sohee added, “The toughest thing about living in the States was the language barrier. I’m still taking English lessons every day working hard on my English.” Ye Eun also said, “We love meeting with SNSD. We trade CDs and our friendship just continues to grow.”
They were also asked if they like any of the younger artists lately. “We care about our group the most, but we’ve seen a lot of new girl groups lately and they’re all very talented.” Yoobin expressed her admiration for IU, as she said, “I used to train with IU when I was a trainee. I guess that makes me pay more attention to her activities and I think she’s really cute on stage. IU was always really good at singing and had really catchy vocals.”
The hosts also talked about Wonder Girls’ retro style of music and asked if that was the original concept they planned for. Ye Eun gave a surprisingly detailed answer, saying, “Music, or TV dramas or novels tend to have a certain level of content exchange with different eras. I think we get inspiration from earlier generations and older songs. Sometimes we totally revive the past era or sometimes we just bring the motif from the past and recreate it by mixing with the current style.”

Madonna Will Have A New Album

Madonna will have a new album out in late March; it was officially confirmed today by Interscope Records. In one component of a very broad plan developed by long time manager Guy Oseary and Live Nation Entertainment, the Material Girl has signed a three album deal with Interscope Records. The new album, her first in five years, has been completed. “Gimme All Your Luvin,” the first single from the album, will be released the last week in January prior to her upcoming Bridgestone Halftime Superbowl appearance on February 5th.
In 2007, Madonna signed a multi-faceted deal with Live Nation that includes new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan club/website, DVDs, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements. “We look forward to a great partnership,” commented Live Nation Entertainment’s Chairman of Global Music & CEO, Global Touring Arthur Fogel. Oseary was equally enthusiastic: “We couldn’t be happier to work with Jimmy Iovine, Lucian Grainge (Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group) and the entire Interscope team. We anticipate a very bright future at our new home,” added Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. “Very rarely does an opportunity like this come around. We would like to thank Madonna, Guy and Live Nation for their belief in us.”
In other Madonna news, her upcoming film, “W.E.” which she directed and co-wrote is scheduled for a wide release on February 3rd.Over the course of her extraordinary three decade career, Madonna has sold over 300 million albums and holds the record for the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. She is a nine time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer and is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last CD, “Hard Candy,” debuted at No. 1 in 27 countries including US, UK, Canada, France and Australia.
INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M: Combining the legacies of three of the most influential record labels in modern music history, Interscope Geffen A&M embarked on a new tradition of musical achievement with its unification on January 1, 1999. Headed by Chairman Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M is a major force in global music, developing chart-topping artists across a wide range of musical genres including rock, rap, pop and alternative. Interscope Geffen A&M is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company.

Jang Geun Suk Held A Press Conference And Opened Up Its Shooting Location For Reporters And Fans

Earlier today, “Love Rain,” starring Jang Geun Suk and SNSD’s YoonA, held a press conference and opened up its shooting location for reporters and fans. Jang Geun Suk surprised fans by confessing, “I’m a fan of YoonA.”Both "Love Rain's" lead actors are mega-Hallyu superstars. As such, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they have many fans visit the drama’s studio. When asked if they had any funny stories regarding their fans to share, Jang Geun Suk replied, “All the actors have their own distinct personality, and their fans are also very different.” He added, “My fans brought me healthy treats like the Siberian Ginseng. YoonA also has a lot of female fans.”
Jang Geun Suk continued, “First of all, I’m YoonA’s fan. In order to help my co-star be in her best condition, I secretly put YoonA’s favorite treats, like coffee, by her car every morning. I am fulfilling my duty as a SONE.” YoonA responded, “You make it sound as if you buy me coffee everyday” to which Jang Geun Suk added, “While it wasn’t everyday, I was very attentive to her, bringing her coffee most days.”
Additionally, YoonA revealed that she was initially hesitant of her double role in the drama. YoonA stated, “It’s been about two years since I wrapped up my last drama, and I really want to go back to acting. I was given ‘Love Rain’s’ synopsis and wanted to work on it right away.” She explained, “However, when I first saw the script, I saw the double role, and I contemplated playing Kim Yoon Hee and Kim Ha Na. I felt burdened. But I did notice that present day Hana was a lot like me, so I didn’t worry as much as my 1970s Kim Yoon Hee. I was worried at how I should portray her. I didn’t know much about life in the 70s nor did I have a lot of experiences.” She went on to say that director Yoon Seok Ho helped her develop her character. She added, “We’re almost done filming the 1970s era, and I’m actually awed and excited that the parts that I were worried about wrapped up really well.”
Love Rain” is a fantasy, melodrama that centers around a love story in two different periods – the 1970s and present day. Jang Geun Suk and YoonA will play Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee, two college students who fall in love with each other in the 1970s. Unfortunately, these two do not get their happily ever after. Fast forward to the present, Seo Joon, In Ha’s son (also played by Jang Geun Suk) meets and falls in love with Ha Na, Yoon Hee’s daughter (also played by YoonA).
Director Yoon Seok Ho and writer Oh Soo Yeon, the masterminds behind the sensational melodramas “Winter Sonata” and “Autumn in my Heart” will team up once again to produce “Love Rain.” With the combination of Jang Geun Suk, YoonA, director Yoon Seok Ho, and writer Oh Soo Yeon, it doesn't come as a surprise that “Love Rain” has already secured a Japanese broadcaster.