Monday, November 29, 2010

BIG BANG’S OFFICIAL COMEBACK DATES ANNOUNCED

FEBRUARY 1st 2011 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!!

HIGH HIGH & Oh Yeah singles release on Dec. 15th
FULL ALBUM December 24th!!!

 01- INTRO

02- HIGH HIGH
03- OH YEAH
04- Don’t Go Home [feat. Park Bom]
05- Baby Good Night
06- Knocking Out
07- Turn It Up
08- Especially Today [TOP]
09- Interlude (GD) CLAP YOUR HAND
10- Nightmare [GD]
11- What do you want me to do? [GD]

 SEUNGRI JANUARY 3RD! 

This has received so much traffic that YG’s site “YGlife” has CRASHED!! BEST DAY EVER!!!

(source: yglife translated: alee@ibigbang)

Winners of the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards!

The 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) was held overseas for the first time in its history at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Hotel in Macau where a host of stars from Korea and around the world attended, with millions watching it live (or delayed) through TV broadcasts and online streaming sources.
Here are the list of winners (in bold) from this year’s show!

Daesang Award (Grand Prize)
Song of the Year
2AM – “Won’t Let You Go Even If I Die”
2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
2PM – “I’ll Be Back”
DJ Doc – “I’m This Kind of Person”
miss A – “Bad Girl Good Girl”
Album of the Year
2AM – Won’t Let You Go Even If I Die
2NE1 – To Anyone
BoA – Hurricane Venus
Super Junior – BONAMANA
Taeyang – SOLAR
Artist of the Year
2AM
2NE1
2PM
miss A
SNSD
- – -
Singer Category
Best New Male Artist Award (not shown during broadcast)
CNBlue
Infinite
Teen Top
Seo In Kook
ZE:A
Best New Female Artist Award
G.NA
miss A
Nine Muses
Rainbow
SISTAR
Male Group Award
2AM
2PM
B2ST
MBLAQ
Super Junior
Female Group Award
2NE1
4minute
KARA
T-ara
SNSD
Male Singer Award
PSY
Se7en
Rain
Taeyang
Wheesung
Female Singer Award (not shown during broadcast)
BoA
Gummy
Seo In Young
Son Dambi
Lee Hyori
- – -
Genre Category
Best Dance Performance – Solo
Narsha – “Bbiri Bbabba”
Rain – “Love Song”
Lee Hyori – “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
Taeyang – “I’ll be There”
Hyuna – “Change”
Best Dance Performance – Male Group
2PM – “I’ll Be Back”
B2ST – “SHOCK”
MBLAQ – “Y”
SHINee – “Lucifer”
Super Junior – “Bonamana”
Best Dance Performance – Female Group
2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
4minute – “HUH!”
miss A – “Bad Girl Good Girl”
Secret – “Magic”
T-ara – “Bo Peep Bo Peep”
Best Vocal Performance – Solo
K. Will – “Miss Miss Miss”
Gummy – “Because You’re A Man”
Seo In Young – “You Write It As Love and Call It Pain”
Jung In – “Hate”
Wheesung – “I Thought of Marriage”
Best Vocal Performance – Group (not shown during broadcast)
2AM – “Can’t Send You Even if I Die”
4men – “Can’t”
8Eight – “Break Up Is Coming”
Vibe – “Come Back”
Davichi – “Time Please Stop”
Best Band Performance
CNBlue – “Love”
FT Island – “Love Love Love”
Hot Potato – “Confession”
Boohwal – “Love Is”
TransFixion – “The Shouts of Reds”
Best Rap Performance
DJ Doc – “I’m This Kind of Person”
Epik High – “Run”
Outsider – “Acquaintance”
UV – “Sorry I’m Not Cool”
Supreme Team – “Dang Dang Dang”
Best Collaboration (not shown during broadcast)
Homme – “Eating Well”
Ga-In/Jo Kwon – “We Fell In Love”
Seo Young Eun/Jung Yeob – “This Pitiful Word”
IU/Seulong – “Nagging”
Sung Shi Kyung/IU – “It’s You”
Best Digital Single
MC Mong – “Hurt to Death”
Monday Kiz – “Spread Away”
Park Bom – “You and I”
Supreme Team – “Then Then THen”
Jung Yeob – “Without You”
- – -
Music Video
Best Music Video
2NE1 – “Can’t Nobody”
Epik High – “Run”
UV – “Sorry I Can’t Be Cool”
Ga-In – “Irreversible”
Taeyang – “I’ll Be There”
- – -
Others
Best International Artist
- Far East Movement
Best Asian Pop Artist
- Perfume
Best Asian Male Group
- Chemistry
Best Asian Artist
- Zhang Jie
Best Asia New Artist
- iMe
Producer Award (not shown during broadcast)
- PSY (for Seo In Young’s Cinderella)
Music Video Director Award (not shown during broadcast)
- Seo Hyun Seung (2NE1’s “Can’t Nobody” and “Clap Your Hands”)
Choregraphy Award (not shown during broadcast)
- Kim Hwa Young (JYPE)
Stylist Award (not shown during broadcast)
- Yang Seung Ho (2NE1)
Performance Award (not shown during broadcast)
- 2010 Jisan Valley Rock Festival
This year’s Discovery Award (not shown during broadcast)
- 10cm
Adult Music Award (not shown during broadcast)
- Tae Jin Ah
The Shilla Duty Free Asian Wave Award
2PM
4minute
CNBlue
KARA
SNSD
Congratulations to all of the winners!

(via allkpop)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Guess who?





Can you VIPs guess who this is? ㅋㅋㅋ

I was like "EH? who is this" the first time I saw the pic...and I noticed the scarf... He still looks cute with that pose even inside that alien mask ㅋㅋㅋ.

 Now you guess who this is ^ ^





(source: jsmining@twitter via alee@ibigbang)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Will BIGBANG and 2NE1 performs 'Lollipop' live for the first time at YG Fam Concert?

After 3 years, YG Entertainment’s2010 YG FAMILY CONCERT will finally be held in just 10 days!
BIGBANG has been busy this year with their Japan promotions and also with the member’s solo activities, also 2NE1 has released their first full album this year making history with their chart topping songs, Se7en and Gummy are also participating in this concert along with new member PSY. There’s a huge line up of performances for this concert and there are a lot of expectations for high quality performances. 
Meanwhile, A joint stage from BIGBANG and 2NE1 are gaining a lot of attention. Fans are demanding and hoping that 2NE1 and BIGBANG will be performing together and for the first time their hit track in 2009 “Lollipop“. 
Lollipop” was a CF song for LG which was released early 2009, it was 2NE1′s first exposure where they featured along side BIGBANG. “Lollipop” was a chart topping song and was a big hit despite having no promotions. It has topped online music charts and dominated the charts with it’s addictive melody. However, it has not been performed on stage for once and fans are making petitions and saying “We want to see Lollipop performed in the concert!”.
However, YG Ent. has made a comment about this saying there is a possibility for it and that they will reveal more information later. If ever they will perform it in the concert this will be the first time ever that “Lollipop” will be performed on stage. 
Meanwhile, the YG Family concert will be held on December 4 and 5 with a total of 3 shows at the Seoul Olympic Stadium and will hold over 36,000 audiences.

Cr: blueprincess824@Dkpopnews.net
(via ibigbang)

Big Bang Ranked 37th on Yahoo! Japan Search Word Ranking 2010

From #172 in 2009, Big Bang’s rank rose up to rank #37 in the yearly “Search Word Ranking” of one of the biggest search engines, Yahoo! Japan.

Source: Yahoo! Japan
(via ibigbang) 


Friday, November 26, 2010

G-Dragon and TOP "High High" 1min 30secs Preview




(source: handglass@naver tip: diana mtc!)
(via ibigbang) 

 

Taeyang's SOLAR Releases Information Japan

[SOL 1ST+2ND LIVE CONCERT "HOT"&"SOLAR"]
The solo concert live DVD is original versions for Japan!

Release day:January 26th(Wed)

Price:5,250yen(tax-included)

Contents:3DVD+Photo Book
DISC 1:2008 SOL LIVE CONCERT <HOT>
DISC 2:2010 SOL LIVE CONCERT <SOLAR>
DISC 3:MAKING DVD
(B I G B A N G / 2 N E 1 / S E 7 E N / G U M M Y)


Source:Big Bang's official Blog + Universal Music
(via bigbangupdates)

YG Family Concert Is the Most Anticipated Concert in 2010

 
It seems that the most anticipated concert this year is the "2010 YG FAMILY CONCERT" and it is becoming more and more popular.

Music website Monkey 3 recently held a survey from November 18 to 24 and the theme was, "Which concert this year are you most looking forward to?", the "2010 YG FAMILY CONCERT" got a whooping 30% of the total results with over 266 votes.

The "2010 YG FAMILY CONCERT" is a huge concert with over 3 shows in 2 days from December 4 to 5. It will be held at the Seoul Olympic Stadium and will stage 2ne1, Big bang, Se7en, Psy and Gummy.

A lot are anticipating this concert also because they are anticipating new songs to be performed by big bang.

the 2nd was the "JYP Nation Concert" which too 18% of the votes. This December 24, they will be holding their first JYP Nation concert and will include 2pm, Miss A, Wonder Girls and San-E showing exciting stages for the concert.

3rd place is the Joint concert between Kim Jang Hoon and Psy for their Anniversary concert with 16% of the votes. 4th place is the JYJ Concert in Seoul for their World Wide Tour with 14% of the votes. 5th place came to CNBlue for their "Feel the blue" concert with 11% and 6th place came to 2am for their first solo concert "Saint O Clock" with 10% of the votes.

Source: newsen
Credits: blueprincess824@Dkpopnews.net
(via bbupdates)


YG-Life countdown for?




Now this countdown really makes me think of what is it all about. Is this for the YG Family concert or for BigBang comeback?

(via yg-life.com)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

YGE partners with Universal Records for the Philippine Market

YG Entertainment, home to some K-Pop’s biggest acts, has partnered with Universal Records for the album release of two of its bestselling groups, 2NE1 and BIGBANG! Blackjacks and VIPs are eagerly awaiting the Philippine editions of 2NE1′s “The First Mini Album” and “To Anyone”, BIGBANG’s “Essential Big Bang”
-omitted-
YG Entertainment is considered one of the top three talent agencies in Korea alongside SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. Their last year’s sales was reported at 35.69 billion won (around 30,946,443.227 U.S. Dollars), up a whopping 93 percent from the previous year. The increase can be attributable to the success of many of its artists including idol group Big Bang and girl band 2NE1, both of whom raked in significant income from their album sales, music downloads, commercials as well as earnings from the members’ individual activities.
YG, which stands for Yang Goon, was founded in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk, a former member of popular Korean group Seo Tai-ji & Boys. Yang is credited with creating and managing the successful careers of many K-pop artists including 1TYM, Gummy, Jinusean, Se7en and Wheesung. The agency also manages several Korean actors including Kang Hye-jeong and Koo Hye-seon.
Universal Records is currently proud partners of both SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment!

source: 2NE1′s Philippine Fanpage FB
(via ibigbang) 

Big Bang Japanese sues publisher over unauthorized magazine

Korean group BIG BANG has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Oakla Publishing over unauthorized use of their image and name in a magazine. The group is seeking an injunction against the sale of the magazine, along with approximately 30 million yen in damages.
In October, Oakla released a special magazine titled “Saishun K-POP Star Tokubetsu Henshu BIG BANG.According to the lawsuit, Oakla did not obtain permission to use the images and names of the group’s members. Because this is a commercial use of their identity, it would count as an infringement on their right to publicity.
Oakla was unable to comment by the time of the news report, due to the absence of the person in charge of the project.
This is not the first time that the publisher has been sued for unauthorized use of someone’s likeness. Korean actor Bae Yong Joon also filed a suit previously with the Tokyo District Court, and last month Oakla was ordered to pay 4.4 million yen in damages.

(source: tokyograph)
(via ibigbang) 

G-Dragon nominated as 'Korea's Best Dresser'



The 26th annual “Korea Best Dresser” award ceremony will take place this year on December 14th in Korea at 6:00PM (KST).
You can vote here at clebus, voting will close on December 10th.
Male singers category:
G-Dragon
2PM – 2AM
SHINee – BEAST
Female singers category:
Lee Hyori – Son Dambi
Uhm Jung Hwa – Son GaIn
2NE1
SNSD
Nine muses -
miss A
Models Category:
Kim Youngkwang -Lee Soohyuk
Kim Jaewook – Lee Shiwoo
Jang Yoonju – Han Hyejin
Kang Soyoung – Song Kyungah
G-Dragon is currently losing and to vote you need an account so if you can make one and vote for him that would be great! 2NE1 has also been nominated and GD’s friend Lee Soohyuk was also nominated in the models category. Good luck to all~ :D

(source: clebus)
(via ibigbang) 


 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Big Bang will not be participating in this year's 'Kohaku'

Despite earlier speculation from the Japanese media hyping the participation of SNSD, KARA, and Big Bang in Japan’s annual music ceremony, “Kohaku Uta Gassen” at the end of the year, official word from NHK states that the three groups will not be attending.
On November 24th, “Kohaku’s” official homepage was updated with the names of the 44 groups who would be attending the ceremony. Fans eagerly scanned past SMAP, L’arc-en-Ciel, AKB48, Koda Kumi, Ayumi Hamasaki and many others, only to find that Korea’s popular idol groups SNSD, Big Bang, KARA did not make the list in the end.
Much attention has to focused on their potential participation, so fans were unfortunately left disappointed with their idols’ absence from the “Kohaku” line-up.

Source + Photos: Star News via Nate
Credits: vitalsign@allkpop

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update
The official list of the artists partipating in this year's Kohaku festival has just been released (link) and sadly BIGBANG is not part of it. The article below from Sponichi was probably just based on some rumors. This actually happens every year. Newspapers usually leak false information before NHK releases the official list. Til next year, I guess? (Thanks Tisya and Noriko for the info!)

According to the Sports Nippon newspaper, Korean groups BIG BANG and KARA will be making their first appearances in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. The last Korean artists to perform on opposite teams at Kohaku were Lee Jung Hyun and RYU in 2004, but BIG BANG and KARA will be the first groups ever to do so.

BIG BANG, who made their debut in Japan last year, will be participating as an ordinary member of the White Team, rather than as part of a special project. They are planning to arrive in Japan on December 26 and stay until the new year. This means that they will be absent for NHK's annual press conference introducing the first-time Kohaku participants, but they have already recorded a video message for the event.

KARA debuted in Japan just this year. They will be part of the Red Team, but details about their participation are not yet known.

Source: Sponichi
Translated by Tokyograph
(via bigbangupdates)


Instant View: North Korea artillery hits South Korea island

SEOUL | Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:56am EST

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday fired dozens of artillery shells at a South Korean island, setting buildings on fire and prompting a return of fire by the South, Seoul's military and media reports said.

Following are initial reactions from North Korean experts and market analysts.

***************************************************

NORIYUKI SHIKATA, SPOKESMAN, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE

"We have set up an information-gathering team on the North Korean shelling at the crisis management center within the prime minister's office and are checking on the facts in cooperation with related ministries.

PARK YOUNG-HO, DR, KOREA INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL UNIFICATION

"Although I can't be certain of the rationale behind North Korea's attacks yet, I see it as North Korea's intention to turn this region into a conflict zone so that it can bring the concerned parties to the discussion table.

"By showing that it has nuclear capacity and by firing artillery shells today, I think it is trying to make a point that it is militarily capable and thus should not be lightly regarded. Ultimately, I think it is strategically seeking to tilt talks concerning the contested Northern Limit Line and the peace treaty toward its advantage."

ZHU FENG, PROFESSOR, PEKING UNIVERSITY

"It's unbelievable. Today's news proves that North Korea, under unprovoked conditions, shot these South Korean island.

"It's reckless provocation. They want to make a big bang and force the negotiations back into their favor. It's the oldest trick.

"From the Chinese perspective, they'll be aware of how this North Korean escalation will go. If it's North Korea's responsibility, Beijing will condemn the act...as one that is against peace and stability."

KIM KEUN-SIK, PROFESSOR, KYUNGNAM UNIVERSITY

"This seems to be a highest-level military provocation. On one hand, North Korea has a uranium enrichment card to bring the United States to the negotiation table. On the other hand, by raising tensions in the West Sea, North Korea wants to threaten South Korea.

"I don't think, (the reason for the artillery shelling) is a simple protest against the South Korean military drill. It must have been beyond that."

LEE DONG-BOK, SENIOR ASSOCIATE AT CSIS

"North Korea's shelling is probably related to its recent revealing of its uranium enrichment program. It is likely that they are making a strong attempt to shake the U.S. and South Korea so that they will make some concessions."

MARK PERVAN, SENIOR COMMODITIES ANALYST AT ANZ IN MELBOURNE

"This is a trigger for the 'risk off' button. You'll certainly see selling in risk-based markets like equities and commodities until we get a better read on events.

"There should be reasonable support for gold although we often see a firmer dollar as the initial reaction to risk and lower gold prices, but industrial metals might get hit. Oil too."

HWANG KEUM-DAN, MARKET ANALYST, SAMSUNG SECURITIES

"The stock market will inevitably open lower as today's act of aggression is unlike others that have taken toward South Korea. The fact that a residential area was fired upon, potentially injuring civilians, is alarming.

"However, I do not necessarily think this will prompt a lasting market decline. The market will do poorly in the short-term, given the gravity of this issue -- this is worse than missile firing but less serious than nuclear testing. The main KOSPI index's 60-day moving average, around 1,870, will probably be maintained."

LEE JAE-MAN, ANALYST, TONG YANG SECURITIES

"The North's provocation historically sent shockwaves to the stock market, which has subsequently returned to normal.

The latest incident may pose more risk as some South Koreans were reportedly injured by the North's fire.

It will inevitably affect the local stock market especially as it comes as foreigner buying is slowing and geographical risks are mounting."

CHUNG SEUNG-JAE, MARKET ANALYST, MIRAE ASSET SECURITIES

"The news came at a time when market sentiment was already weakened by European debt and Chinese tightening concerns. And combined, stock market will do poorly tomorrow. Artillery firing on residential area was unlike its other acts of aggression. And this is alarming."

JEONG MY-YOUNG, FX STRATEGIST, SAMSUNG FUTURES

"The incident prompted investors to close dollar short-positions against all currencies. This kind of incident can trigger automatic stop-loss selling of non-dollar currencies. That may put pressure on emerging Asian currencies, which have enjoyed strong gains so far this year."

(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka in Tokyo, Nick Trevethan in Singapore, Yeojung Chang, Hyunjoo Jin, Park Jungyoun, Moon Dan-bee, Ju-min Park and Cheon Jong-woo in Seoul; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Ken Wills and Chris Lewis)

Source: Reuters

======================================================================

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Hours after North Korea's deadly artillery attacks Tuesday, South Korea's president said "enormous retaliation" is needed to stop Pyongyang's incitement, but international diplomats urgently appealed for restraint.

"The provocation this time can be regarded as an invasion of South Korean territory," President Lee Myung-bak said at the headquarters of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The incident -- in which two South Korean marines died -- is "the first direct artillery attack on South Korean territory since the Korean War ended in an armistice, not a formal peace treaty" in the 1950s, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

Scott Snyder, director of the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy, the Asia Foundation, called the act a "very serious provocation" and said it was "unprecedented in recent years [at least since the 1970s if not longer] in terms of artillery beyond the DMZ into civilian areas."

The United States has about 28,500 troops deployed in South Korea who are warily watching the situation. A U.S. defense official said there are "more than 50 U.S. Navy vessels in the area, including a carrier strike group led by the USS George Washington. However, there are no plans to send more ships or forces in response to the strike.

Along with the slain marines, 15 South Korean soldiers and three civilians were wounded when the North fired about 100 rounds of artillery at Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, South Korea authorities said. The attack also set houses and forests on fire on the island.

South Korea's military responded with more than 80 rounds of artillery and deployed fighter jets to counter the fire, defense officials said.

Firing between the two sides lasted for about an hour in the Yellow Sea, a longstanding flash point between the two Koreas. In March, a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, was sunk in the area with the loss of 46 lives in a suspected North Korean torpedo attack.

Lee called "indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a grave matter." He said that since "North Korea maintains an offensive posture," South Korea's military forces -- the army, air force and navy -- "should unite and retaliate against [the North's] provocation with multiple-fold firepower."
"Reckless attacks on South Korean civilians are not tolerable, especially when South Korea is providing North Korea with humanitarian aid," Lee said, according to Yonhap.

"As for such attacks on civilians, a response beyond the rule of engagement is necessary. Our military should show this through action rather than an administrative response" such as statements or talks, he said.

After the incident, Yonhap said the Seoul government "banned its nationals from entering the communist state, indefinitely postponed their scheduled Red Cross talks and began looking at ways to push the United Nations to condemn Pyongyang."

This latest action occurred during South Korean maritime military drills. North Korea said the incident stemmed from those exercises, code named Hoguk, and called the activity "war maneuvers for a war of aggression."

The "South Korean puppet group" engaged in "reckless military provocation" by firing "dozens of shells" inside its territorial waters "despite the repeated warnings of the DPRK" or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's military said in a statement.

"The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK standing guard over the inviolable territorial waters of the country took such a decisive military step as reacting to the military provocation of the puppet group with a prompt powerful physical strike," the statement said.

"It is a traditional mode of counter-action of the army of the DPRK to counter the firing of the provocateurs with merciless strikes," said the statement, which warned that it "will unhesitatingly continue taking merciless military counter-actions against it" if the border is crossed.

A senior U.S. defense official said South Korea informed North Korea before firing its first artillery rounds, as part of that training mission, and that "there's no reason North Korea should have been surprised by this firing of artillery."

The U.S. military does not publicly announce its military posture or "state of readiness," but no changes have been observed from what U.S. forces in Korea were doing before this attack. The official says that North Korea has a history of unpredictable behavior and that "in some ways, this is not surprising for them."

Some U.S. forces had been helping the South Koreans in their training exercises, but were not in the shelled area.

Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean denuclearization, urged restraint on both sides when he spoke to reporters about the incident. He was in Beijing to discuss nuclear matters with Chinese diplomats.

"The U.S. strongly condemns this aggression on the part of North Korea, and we stand firmly with our allies. The subject did, of course, come up in my meetings with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I think we both share the view that such conflict is very undesirable. I expressed to them the desire that restraint to be exercised on all sides, and I think we agree on that."

This incident comes after a U.S. scientist reported that North Korea has a new uranium enrichment facility. North Korean officials said the facility is operating and producing low-enriched uranium, according to Stanford University professor Siegfried Hecker.

The enrichment facility contains 2,000 centrifuges and appears to be designed for nuclear power production, "not to boost North Korea's military capability," Hecker says.
But U.S. and South Korean diplomats said the latest revelation confirms the country's long-term deceit.

Sanctions have been progressively placed on North Korea in response to a succession of nuclear and missile tests and the sinking of the South Korean warship in March.

The United States said it would not dismiss restarting six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the North. However, it said it would not return to negotiations unless North Korea showed good faith.
Countries that had been negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program issued swift reactions. The six-party talks include both Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and China.

The United States "strongly" condemned North Korea's action, and a U.S. Defense Department official told CNN that the "hope is that this is just one isolated incident, not an escalation into a different military posture" by the North.

U.S. President Obama, who said he deplored the action and plans to call President Lee, said he doesn't believe North Korea is living up to its obligations. U.S. Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican leader who's in line to become the next speaker, said he joined Obama in condemning North Korea's "hostile action."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had "taken note of relevant reports" and expressed its "concern." "Relevant facts need to be verified, and we hope both parties make more contributions to the stability of the peninsula," he said.

Russia's Interfax news agency said Russia condemned North Korea's artillery shelling and said "those who initiated the attack on a South Korean island in the northern part of the inter-Korean maritime border line assumed enormous responsibility."

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's cabinet held a ministerial meeting, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku announced a government statement condemning North Korea and calling the act "unpardonable."

Asked whether the violence in the Yellow Sea would make resumption of six-party talks more difficult, Bosworth said, the "resumption of the six-party talks has never been an easy process." A formal round of talks was last held a few years ago.

"We strongly believe that a multilateral diplomatic approach is the only way to realistically to resolve these problems."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged that "any differences should be resolved by peaceful means and dialogue."

A U.S. official with knowledge of U.S. strategy on North Korea says it may be time to adjust U.S. military policy in the region.

While the exercises "are designed to deter further provocative behavior by North Korea, obviously it's not working. When we announced joint military exercises in the Yellow Sea, it only angered China. And in other waters, it doesn't seem to be effective deterrence against the North Koreans," the official said.

Coming on the heels of the Cheonan sinking, the Asia Foundation's Snyder said the act "raises fundamental questions regarding what sorts of internal stresses the regime may be facing."

"It also signals dissatisfaction with the inter-Korean relationship and an apparent willingness to keep inter-Korean tensions high. The incident could reflect a more aggressive view of what a nuclear North Korea thinks it can do without facing a broader escalation of tensions."

Journalist Andrew Salmon and CNN's Steven Jiang, Yoko Wakatsuki and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Source: CNN


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Big Bang will perform in Japan's NHK Music Festival

Popular Korean boy group, Big Bang, was confirmed to be attending of one of the most prestigious music festival in Japan. One of the YG Entertainment representatives told Star News that “Big Bang was confirmed to attend the said event”.
He also added “In the beginning, Big Bang has recently finished working on their newalbum in Korea. Because of the upcoming YG Family Concert this coming month, they were forced to refuse some of the events they were invited.” Although he also said that “it’s been a long tradition and the all of the Japanese fans meant a lot to Big Bang. Their appearance would also be a national prestige for them”.  Organizers of the said event will formally announce the list of performers at the end of this month.

-omitted unnecessary parts-


Source: ameblo.jp
Translation by: Yuri@ibigbang
(via ibigbang)

Fans' vote results for the ‘2010 MAMA’ released

The online and mobile vote results are out for the ‘2010 MAMA‘ (Mnet Asian Music Awards)!
A total of 550,605 people from all over Asia participated in the polls, with the majority of voters being females in their twenties. These votes are factored into the final awards selection, and make up anywhere from 10-30% of the criteria for winners.
The results are as follows:
  • Best New Male Artist: CNBLUE
  • Best New Female Artist: miss A
  • Best Male Group: Super Junior
  • Best Female Group: 2NE1
  • Best Male Solo Artist: Rain
  • Best Female Solo Artist: BoA
  • Best Solo Dance Performance: Rain
  • Best Dance Performance (Male): Super Junior
  • Best Dance Performance (Female): 2NE1
  • Best Solo Vocal Performance: Gummy
  • Best Vocal Performance (Group): 2AM
  • Best Band Performance: FT Island
  • Best Rap Performance: Epik High
  • Best Collaboration: Ga-In & Jo Kwon
  • Best Digital Single: Park Bom
  • Best Music Video: 2NE1
  • The Shilla Asian Wave: 2PM
  • Song of the Year: Super Junior
  • Artist of the Year: Super Junior
Credits: vitalsign@allkpop

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Agencies use caution towards SNSD, KARA, and Big Bang’s participation in Kohaku


In contrast to news articles in Japan hyping SNSD, KARA, and Big Bangs participation in the Japanese annual music show, Kohaku Uta Gassen (Kohaku)“, the groups’ agencies are instead showing a more cautious response.
Speculation that Korean idol groups will be attending the music show has been a hot topic in the Japanese press lately. The media has been writing articles of their possible attendance even before Kohaku’s announcement of the official list of performers, showing a new phase in which K-pop is becoming of increasing significance in the Japanese music industry.
But despite this, the three idol groups are still weary on whether to participate in the show. “It’s difficult for us say anything when an official announcement hasn’t been made yet, was the general statement made by all three agencies.
It can be said that the Korean agencies are being cautious due to the possibility of unexpected conditions.  For example, if, for some reason, the agencies choose to exclude their groups from the event at the last minute, they would need to protect themselves from the respective consequences, so being cautious at the outset helps avoid any trouble. Additionally, showing interest in an event when the official announcement hasn’t even been made yet won’t always result in a beneficial outcome.
There is also the problem of keeping loyal to the Korean broadcasting companies. If the groups attend Kohaku, which is to be held on New Year’s Eve, it would be impossible for them to participate in the Korean year end public TV music show broadcasts.
The official announcement for the performers of Kohaku will be posted between late November to early December.

Source: Newsen
Credits: vitalwarning@allkpop

Taeyang confirmed to attend MAMA 2010

Mnet's MAMA has sent an update today for its artist performance lineup. Check for it below.
Korea
2PM
2NE1
Miss A
Tae Yang
Tiger JK

China
Chang Jie
iMe

Japan
Perfume
Chemistry

Source: MNET


BIG BANG Invited To Japan's "61th The NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen"

According to the Sports Nippon newspaper, Korean groups BIG BANG and KARA will be making their first appearances in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. The last Korean artists to perform on opposite teams at Kohaku were Lee Jung Hyun and RYU in 2004, but BIG BANG and KARA will be the first groups ever to do so.

BIG BANG, who made their debut in Japan last year, will be participating as an ordinary member of the White Team, rather than as part of a special project. They are planning to arrive in Japan on December 26 and stay until the new year. This means that they will be absent for NHK’s annual press conference introducing the first-time Kohaku participants, but they have already recorded a video message for the event.

KARA debuted in Japan just this year. They will be part of the Red Team, but details about their participation are not yet known. ). The honor of performing on Kōhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful J-Pop artists can perform.

Note: Kouhaku is a big year end music event in Japan arranged by NHK. They form 2 most popular music teams and then let them battle on the New Year’s Eve night.It’s usaully the male artists on white and female on red team.Kouhaku’s the legend music show in Japan TV history and have the highest TV rating.The artists who attend this will get a lot of popularity nationwide and it’s their lifetime career highlight. The honor of performing on Kōhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful J-Pop artists can perform.

Source: tokyograph
Note by vip_shasha via bbupdates
Credits: tisya@bbupdates
 
 

Ukrainian group copies Big Bang?

K-Pop is spreading globally and some astute Ukrainian netizens recently noticed that the MV for Ukrainian group Время и Стекло / Time and Glass looked very familiar to Big Bang’s MV for their Japanese single ‘Tell Me Goodbye’, which was released back in May.

After reviewing both MV’s, I can see why people would see think that it was copied as there were many similar scenes. In any case, you can be the judge & jury by comparing the two MV’s below.







VS






Credits: ghostwriter@allkpop

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Big Bang nominated at the 52nd Japan Records Awards

Japan Record Awards committee has announced today that BIGBANG is nominated for the Excellent Work (Grand Prize Category) for Tell Me Goodbye in this year’s 52nd Japan Records Awards. The grand prize will be chosen from one of the ten Best Song winners, which include EXILE, the winner of the last two years. The winners are as follows:
BIGBANG won the award last year as The Best Newcomer and also performed live at the award event. The results will be announced on December 30 on TBS.










Sources: 47News (via teambigbang) + Tokyograph + TBS (via Gilbakk)
Credits: tisya@bbupdates

Big Bang x Marvelous Cream Project Message

Turn on CC to see subs*




Video from: YGEntertainment
Translation: Tisya@bigbangupdates
Subbed & Uploaded by: Yvonne@bigbangupdates


Friday, November 19, 2010

Big Bang Ice Cream


From November 21 to December 12, Patiscream (ice scream shop in Japan) will be selling its’ special line ice cream collaboration with BIGBANG! YES you read that right! BIGBANG ice cream!
Each individual ice cream flavors are ideas given by each member.

here are the flavors:
Strawberry Rose Chocolate for G-Dragon
Chocolate Banana for SOL (Taeyang)
Strawberry Azuki Beans for T.O.P
Melon Milk Cake for D-Lite (Daesung)
Raspberry White Chocolate for V.I. (Seungri).
Each ice cream includes different layers of ice cream too!

BIGBANG Ice Line Up

 



G-Dragon
Raspberry Hall
Strawberry & Kirsch & Rose Cream
Milk Cream
Golden Vanilla Ice
Strawberry & Kirsch Sauce
Sponge cake
Strawberry & Kirsch & Rose Ice

SOL
Chocolate Ornament
Chocolate Cream
Chocolate Sauce
Anglaise Sauce
Custard Cream
Banana Confiture
Chocolate Chips
Classic Choco Ice

T.O.P
Strawberry
Mochi (Japanese rice cake)
Fresh cream
Red Bean
Strawberry Ice
Mochi
Strawberry sauce
Bean Paste
White Milk Ice
D-LITE
Melon
Fresh cream
Melon Flavored Milk Confiture
Melon Ice Cream
Rich Milk Confiture
Sponge Cake
Melon Ice Cream
VI
Raspberry Chips
Raspberry Sauce
Raspberry Cream
Framboise Ice
Raspberry Confiture
Ivory White Chocolate Ice


The entire box set including all 5 flavors will cost 2,300 yen or around $27 US.

Credits: trish@ibigbang


Big Bang might not be attending the MAMA?


Big Bang’s decision of whether they’re going to be attending MAMA, which will be held in Macau on the 28th, has gained attention from many people.
In this year’s MAMA, 2NE1, Gummy and other YG artists are attending this event, but because Big Bang took a 2 year break, it has not yet been decided whether they will be boarding the plane to Macau.
First, it does seem like some of the members of Big Bang are eligible to attend. T.O.P. and Taeyang have been active due to their solo albums. The only thing is that because Big Bang as a group haven’t been active, not all of the members will be able to stand on stage.
Mnet and YG Entertainment have not revealed on what they’re planning to do yet. MAMA staff is currently busy trying to fit all the artists, who are attending, in their schedule and are deciding whether or not to put Big Bang in their schedule.

(source: solshin3 @ 21bangs)