He looks so hot even when he's wearing all black and is covering his face with a hoodie and sunglasses.
Rain is leaving for Washington for the "Ninja Assassin" promotion in the U.S.
The young hot star looks great even when he's trying to avoid all the attention.
Source: newscomm.nate.com
For his first Hollywood lead role in "Ninja Assassin", Rain had to forget he was a pop star and trained alongside stuntmen for six hours a day, over six months ― all when he could have been comfortably playing sweet TV roles or dancing onstage for staunch Asian fans.
His secrets to achieving zero percent body fat? Anti-fans and mom, said the 27-year-old in a crowded press conference Monday in Seoul.
"There were many times when I wanted to return to Korea, where I could be busy giving concerts and starring in TV dramas and movies. I seriously contemplated it many times over the eight months (of shooting `Ninja Assassin'.)", said Rain, who showed off his build in a fitted double-breasted suit.
But he stayed because he had made a promise to fans, and also because of his pride.
His trainers, who are now like family, would provoke him, saying that Matt Damon or Brad Pitt outperformed him in lifting 100-kilogram weights.
"I would also wake up in the morning and flip through the `very nice' newspaper articles that criticized me and read negative comments from anti-fans", he said about feeling compelled to prove himself. "I thought I had to show that I can make a debut in the United States rather than just talk about it".
The modern martial arts flick is the South Korean superstar's second collaboration with the creators of "The Matrix" series. He made his Hollywood debut in "Speed Racer", which was directed by the Wachowski brothers, and assumes his first lead role in the upcoming film, which is produced by the talented brothers and directed by James McTeigue ("V for Vendetta").
This is also the first time a local star is playing the title role in a major Hollywood franchise.
He said he pulled off 90 percent of the stunt roles, using minimal wire support. He was hurt on many occasions, and though he didn't break any bones he bears "many scars of honor".
Thinking about his late mother, however, fueled his "passion" for the project.
"My mother used to wake up at 5 a.m. every day and would work all day, come home at midnight and go to sleep at 1 or 2 in the morning. She did this for many years to support me and my sister. I thought if I can't survive this I can't do anything. This is the beginning of a new stage in my life and I cannot afford to be lazy", he said.
"I heard people get three chances in life, and I've had my three: first when I met (music producer JYP or Park) Jin-young, second when I met the Wachowski brothers through `Speed Racer' and third, when they offered me the part for `Ninja Assassin"', he said.
"I'd be lying if I didn't wish the movie to be a box office success, because everyone worked so hard. But regardless of the results this has opened a lot of doors for me, and I hope it will also open more opportunities for Asian actors, and particularly Korean actors", he said, since Asians still have "a low success rate" in Tinseltown.
In addition to Rain, the movie stars Korean-American actors Randall Duk Kim and Rick Yune.
Rain plays the role of Raizo, an orphan who is trained by a secret ninja clan to become a deadly killer. But when Raizo witnesses the murder of his good friend, he turns his back on his clan and plots revenge. When asked if he could relate to his character, he said he hopes he has nothing in common with such an introverted, violent persona but hopes fans will discover a new side to his conventional image.
Rain will continue his promotional tour Nov. 11 to 22 across the U.S., including New York and Los Angeles. He will then visit Hong Kong Nov. 28 and 29, Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec. 3 and finally Shanghai through the following week of December.
Meanwhile, the pop singer will hold concerts in the U.S. for the first time in three years next month, Dec. 24 and 25 at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.
The movie, rated 18 and over, will open in theaters Nov. 26. 98 minutes. Distributed by Warner Brothers Korea.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
Kang In had been arrested for violence and this time he hit a car and ran off only to turn himself in after 6 hours. The star was drunk on the night of 15th and ran into a taxi driving his vehicle.
At the time, taxi driver who was 54 years old was in the car with 2 passengers but luckily no one was hurt.
After the hit and run, he went to a police station on his own in the morning.
He has the low alcohol level of 0.081% which is less than 0.116%, the limit of alcohol to be persecuted at the time. However, because he hit a car and ran off, he must face legal consequences.
Source: news.nate.com
Rain is on CNN with the soccer player Park Ji-sung for the CNN's special corner "Eye on South Korea" that is part of "Talk Asia".
Anna Coren, CNN anchor has visited Korea for this interview!
This interview is 40 minutes long on TV but the actual filming took 2 hours! They talked about Rain's success story as a singer, his Asia Tour, and "Ninja Assassin".
His Legend of Rainism concert's backstage has been filmed in a documentary style.
The interview will be showed this 21st and 28th.
Source: news.nate.com
A preview for a Japanese drama starring hallyu (Korean wave) star So Ji-sub will take place in Tokyo next week.
The show, "I am GHOST", will be featured on BEE TV, a mobile phone broadcaster, starting Oct. 20. The preview will be held at the Tokyo International Forum Hall in Yurakucho, Oct. 13.
So, 32, who plays heroine Mitsuki Tanimura, director Toshiro Sonoda and other staff members will give a full account of the filming process during the preview, according to Yonhap News.
"I am GHOST", BEE TV's first action drama, consists of 24 five-minute episodes.
The drama tells the Sad Love Story of a young girl (Mitsuki Tanimura) who contemplates suicide, and a wounded ghost (So Ji-sub).
So Ji-sub debuted as a model for a clothing company in 1995. Two year later, he made his television acting debut in the SBS drama "Models". He gained fame in 2004 when the KBS drama "Sorry, I Love You", co-starring actress Im Soo-jeong, became a smash hit.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
Top hallyu star Bae Yong-joon cut short his stay in Japan and returned home earlier than scheduled due to a sudden deterioration in his health, his agency BOF said.
Bae came home Friday, cancelling some events to meet with his fans. He was originally scheduled to stay there until Sunday.
His agency said the actor seemed to have overworked during his stay in Japan to promote his book "A Journey in Search of Korean Beauty" and the animated version of the mega-hit TV drama "Winter Sonata" he starred in.
Bae, diagnosed with a drop in his blood sugar level and blood pressure, was advised to relax for a while by doctors after his return. He has shown improvement after resting the past days, his agency said, adding he will undergo a medical checkup soon to see whether he needs to be hospitalized.
The 37-year-old actor shed more than 10 kilograms during his travels around the country for the compilation of essays on Korean culture and travel.
Bae fainted on Sept. 17 due to the same ailments he currently suffers from and was hospitalized for five days. He was then diagnosed to be in the early stage of sepsis.
He had been advised by doctors against visiting Japan but pressed ahead with the plan and had a large-scale promotional event in the Tokyo Dome at the end of last month.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
The manager of movie actor Shin Hyeon-joon filed a complaint with the police against the 41-year-old for assault, according to the Gangnam Police Station, Thursday.
Police said that the manager, only identified as Jang, who has been working with the actor for the past five years, claimed that he was assaulted by Shin after having a conversation at a bar in Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu, early this month.
"The content of the written complaint is not enough to prove Shin's charges, so we need additional investigations", a police officer said. "After confirming the complaint with Jang, we will summon Shin and investigate further".
Shin made his debut in 1990 in the movie "The General's Son" and has appeared in numerous films and dramas ever since.
Two of his most famous works include the drama "Stairway to Heaven" (2003, SBS) and the film "Barefoot Ki-bong" (2006). He published a photo-essay "Shin Hyeon-joon's Confessions" last year, which documented his personal story about life and religion.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
Korean pop star Rain has filmed a segment for the F1 Rocks show, the only officially F1 endorsed concert during the Grand Prix week in Singapore.
The three-day music festival, which began at Fort Canning, Thursday, will be recorded and repackaged as two music and entertainment shows that will air to 600 million viewers in about 200 countries, Rain's agency J. Tune Entertainment said in a statement.
The concert is bringing some of the biggest names in music to the island city state, with the concert being broadcast on the eve of the "2009 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix" that starts Sunday.
Rain filmed the clip in the Chinese and Japanese Garden, one of the most popular tour sites in Singapore, along with Mark Webber, the 2008 German Grand Pix winner. They performed as racers fighting for an F1 championship.
Rain's filming is also designed to promote his upcoming movie "Ninja Assassin", which will hit theaters around the world Nov. 26.
Among other stars participating in the concert are Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, DJ Havana Brown and Jacky Cheung.
Rain returned home Thursday to prepare for his concert scheduled for Oct. 9-10 in Seoul, the first leg of his 2009 Asian Tour.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
The first talk show lead for the nation's MC Kang Ho-dong will be partnering with the young actor Lee Seung-gi for the new SBS show, "Kang Sim Jang". It is first time that Lee will be MC for a talk show and everyone around him encouraged him for this position!
The two MCs have already worked together for a different variety show and will be great coworkers for this new show also.
Good luck on the new show!
Source: news.nate.com
He has been in the scenes and possibly part of the violent fight. Kang In had to quit from his MC position in the cable channel KBS drama "Human Network Miracle".
Kang In's last filming has been last 8th and starting 28th, he will not be in the show aired.
Other stars like Eteuk, Shin Dong, and Eun-hyeok are still in the show!
Source: news.nate.com
Moviegoers and drama lovers flipping through photos of Incheon and may think certain places seem vaguely familiar. With beaches, islands, an amusement park, Chinatown and Korea's largest airport, it's no wonder this metropolitan city has established itself as a filming location for movies such as the recent Cannes favorite, "Thirst".
"There seem to be all kinds of interesting sites in Incheon", says Yook Sang-hyo, director of the 2004 film "Hi, Dharma 2: Showdown in Seoul". "The beautiful roads by the seaside and the busy ports make it possible for the city to be a great background for any kind of movie".
He's not kidding. According to the Incheon Film Commission, a total of 27 movies and dramas were filmed in various locations around Incheon in 2008. Thirst, for instance, found the perfect spot last year in a factory near Incheon International Airport.
But fans may also remember the locations of some popular hits from a while back.
One of the most famous on-screen sites in the Incheon area is "Full House", named after the eponymous 2004 KBS-TV drama featuring singer Rain and actress Song Hye-kyo. The beautifully constructed set near Sugi Beach on Si Island, Ongjin County, attracted many visitors even after the drama ended.
SBS-TV's "Stairway to Heaven", which starred Kwon Sang-woo and Choi Ji-woo, also featured a gorgeous house by the seaside on Muui Island in Incheon. It is a well-known tourist site, with shellfish covering the seashore.
Muui Island was also the backdrop for the 2003 hit film "Silmido" directed by Kang Woo-seok. The movie, set in the 1960s and 1970s, is based on the true story of a group of criminals who were brought to an uninhabited island and trained to kill North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.
And remember "My Sassy Girl"? You can't forget Jeon Ji-hyeon, drunk and asleep on a subway station bench, making Cha Tae-hyeon give her a piggyback ride to a cheap motel. That was Incheon's Bupyeong Station. The film also includes scenes shot at Incheon Station.
"What's attractive about Incheon is there is such variety to this city", comments Yi Hyun-shik, an administrator at the Incheon Foundation for Arts and Culture.
"We can still see the 1970s in downtown Incheon, while the 1980s, the years of Korea's transformation, are left in parts of the city here and there. Incheon is a place where you can see the newly changing 21st century".
By Lee Hae-joo Contributing writer
____________________________
Incheon offers a number of on-screen sites including "Full House", named after the eponymous 2004 drama. [JoongAng Ilbo]
Source: joongangdaily.joins.com
Kang In, a member of the popular boy band, Super Junior, was booked without physical detention after a bar brawl in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Wednesday.
According to Gangnam Police Station, Kang, whose real name is Kim Yong-un, got into a fight with a patron, identified as a Kim, in a bar early Wednesday morning.
Kang and his friend moved outside the bar and continued to fight with Kim and his friend.
Police said that Kang was fully intoxicated.
"I was provoked without any reason", he was quoted as saying.
However, Kim claimed that it was not he but Kang In that started the fight.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
Movie stars Lee Seon-gyoon and Seo Woo are expressing the prohibited love.
This film will be released on October 29th and the teaser poster has been released! The poster shows Lee and Seo on holding each other firmly.
Lee doesn't have the same gentle and sweet image, but now carries the strong and secretive look. Seo Woo looks like she is mysterious and has a lot going inside her mind.
The two character's love story is not sweet!
Director Park Chan-ok has been working on this film since 2003 and has been almost 7 years. Finally, the story of wanting older sister's man is being revealed!
Source: news.nate.com
Korean singer and actor Rain said he wants to work with his"hero" Al Pacino someday.
MTV presented a question and answer session between the Korean pop star and his fans in time with the release of the first full clip from the action flick "Ninja Assassin", in which Rain plays a starring role.
Asked whether there is any action star he would like to team up with for a movie, Rain said, "When I was young, `Scarface' was my favorite film. Al Pacino is my hero. I want to work with him".
Rain said he sustained lots of cuts on his body while acting for the new film, "Ninja Assasin", which hits theaters Nov. 25.
"I have lots of cuts on my body. When I was doing a stunt, even though everyone took care of me, I still got hurt a lot", he said.
Rain told his fans that diet was the hardest part of the training he went through for the movie.
"I ate chicken breast for eight months with vegetables. That was terrible. No sugar. No salt. I don't want to eat chicken breast anymore. I like junk food, French fries, hamburgers ― I love it", he said.
He indicated that in the future he will make an English-language album for international fans.
"I don't have plans yet for an English album, but I will. Please wait for me", he said.
The young Korean actor is already a pop-culture phenomenon in Korea. Now, with his first starring role, he seems poised to earn some new fans in the States.
Filmed in Berlin, Germany, the action adventure movie is produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
'World's Saddest Wedding'
Jang Jin-yeong said good-bye to her husband in his arms as she left this earth. It is known that she had married Mr. Kim 4 days before her death!
Mr. Kim has made their marriage official through turning in documents last 28th. Jang's cancer has been worsening yet, the marriage procedures were continued.
The disease did not stop these two lovers from getting married. They did not tell anyone of their secret marriage and have been able to make their love official.
The wedding took place in America soon after they went last July.
When Jang had received news that she had cancer, she decided to break up with her boyfriend last September. However, Mr. Kim has been by his side ever since. This love grew stronger as they went hiking, visited concerts, and made as many memories as possible.
Mr. Kim was able to fulfill his promise that he would be her man as long as she lived. Mr. Kim did not leave her side even after her death. He has nursed her and was able to let her go with her smiling and at peace.
Source: news.nate.com
Korean actress Jang Jin-yeong passed away Tuesday evening after losing a battle against stomach cancer. She was 35.
Jang had been hospitalized in Seoul after her condition recently worsened and doctors had reportedly been giving her morphine and other drugs to relieve the pain.
The news of the actress' sudden hospitalization Tuesday startled fans, as it was thought that she was recovering after resting for a month in Los Angeles.
Jang was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September last year when she paid a visit to the hospital for a regular checkup. What she thought was a stomach ulcer turned out to be cancer, and Jang has been out of the public eye ever since.
"Actress Jang Jin-young passed away today at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital at Catholic University of Korea. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer, she was always positive and tried to pay back the love and support her fans sent her. We will remember her passion toward films and we hope she stays in our hearts forever", Jang's agency, Yedang Entertainment, said through a press release.
After winning the Miss South Chungcheong Province beauty pageant in 1992, Jang started her career as a model. She made her first appearance as an actress in 1997 in the television miniseries "The Angel in Me" (KBS). She continued to appear regularly on television before making her big screen debut in the 1999 horror film "Jaguimo" starring Kim Hee-seon. Her first big hit was the movie "The Foul King" in 2000, and from then the actress was seen in numerous films such as "The Siren" (2000), "Sorum" (2001), "Over the Rainbow" (2002), "The Scent of Love" (2003) and "Singles" (2003).
In the horror film "Sorum", Jang played a mysterious wife with a secret and won the Best Actress Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. The hit movie "Singles", where she played the quirky character Na-nan, also got her the same recognition at the 2003 awards. Her character in "Singles" was a big hit among young women, with many changing their hairstyles to the short and curly hairdo the actress wore in the film.
"The Scent of Love" was also one of her best known works, where Jang played a patient diagnosed with stomach cancer.
In 2006, Jang joined fellow actor Kim Seung-woo for the movie "Between Love and Hate" ("The Unbearable Lightness of Dating") and won the Best Actress Award at the Korean Film Awards.
The actress returned to the television screen in 2007 in the drama "Lobbyist" with fellow actor Song Il-gook. She was diagnosed right after the drama finished.
Along with numerous films, the actress also appeared in various commercials ranging from cosmetics to electronic goods.
A ceremonial funeral hall will be set up at the ASAN Medical Center in southern Seoul.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr
After hearing the devastating news of actress Jang Jin-yeong's death, they have all come to say goodbye to her.
They are all shocked to hear this and are grieving for the abrupt death.
The actress' health has deteriorated so badly after a year fighting cancer.
She came to Korea in August when the battle against cancer became harder. Her funeral will be on the 4th.
Source: news.nate.com
Rain also known as Jeong Ji-hoon has returned to Korea with an injured knee.
He was performing a concert in Japan where he injured his knee and had to return to Korea in haste. He jumped as a routine for his performance where he landed incorrectly.
It is not very serious but he will definitely need some time to rest. It is unknown as to whether he can attend the Incheon Korean Music Wave this 5th.
Source: news.nate.com
Hyeon Bin is so lucky to be loved by the top actress Song Hye-kyo!
She has been in a magazine shoot and interviewed through HIGHCUT magazine's 11'th issue.
The staff say that she is always smiling, light hearted, and happy just like a person in love! After "Worlds Within" drama the relationship between Song and Hyeon grew and became lovers that became a hot topic!
The two are the same age born in 1982 and they made public their relationship to the pre
ss last July.
Source: news.nate.com
Korean pop star Rain will be kicking off his Asian tour this weekend in Japan.
The singer will perform both Saturday and Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City. Tickets for the concert, titled, "Legend of Rainism 2009: Rain Asia Tour in Japan", are already all sold out according to J.Tune Entertainment, Rain's management agency.
After his performances in Japan, the singer will stage concerts in Seoul and Hong Kong in October and December, respectively.
"Because he'll be promoting his Hollywood movie 'Ninja Assassin' in November, he only has a few dates on his tour schedule", said an official at J.Tune.
"But though there are only a small number of concerts, we're all doing more to increase the quality of the performances".
Source: joongangdaily.joins.com
So Ji-sub and Zang Ziyi are in their first romantic comedy film, "Sophie's Revenge" which is being a hit in China!
Last 14th, the film was released and for the first week it has hit the box office chart's number 1. And among other films released in the same genre, this film has received the best ratings and reviews!
This film will be released in more than 800 theaters because of its great popularity. It will be soon released in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries.
It is about a famous actress who wishes to find revenge for her lost love, a doctor, to Sophie.
Source: news.nate.com
Hyeon Bin and Song Hye-kyo will be in Yokohama, Japan on the 26th of September for the promotion of their drama, "Worlds Within".
The two have revealed their relationship to the world and will be attending this event as a couple and coworkers! It is definitely bringing so much attention to them from their fans!
They have been in a relationship starting this June after they have met through working in the drama together.
Song has recently been in China for a apparel brand commercial shoot and has returned on the 19th!
Source: news.nate.com
