Rain and JYP Call for Retrial

Korean singer Rain and his former agency, JYP Entertainment, currently facing a lawsuit regarding the cancellation of the singer's Hawaii concert, hired new lawyers and requested a retrial last Thursday.

According to the federal court in Hawaii Tuesday, the popular singer and agency separately applied for a retrial on April 2. They also requested the suspension of the decision issued last month by the federal court.

Rain and JYP Entertainment also stated that there was no evidence that the contract between Hawaii-based promoter Click Entertainment and Revolution Entertainment, owners of the North American rights to Rain's concerts, was on the behalf of JYP.

Judge Kevin Chang of the federal court in Hawaii will deliberate the singer's and agency's claim for suspension on May 4.

The agency replaced the original five lawyers with seven appeal lawyers as of April 2, while Rain also appointed attorney Terrence O'Toole as of Tuesday.

The popular singer got himself into a multi-million dollar lawsuit when his concert, part of his world tour "Rain's Coming", was canceled several days before its scheduled date in June 2007. Click Entertainment testified that they lost nearly $1.5 million due to the cancellation and argued that Rain and his crew never intended to perform in Hawaii in the first place.

In the ruling, the federal court ordered Rain and JYP to pay $2.4 million each in punitive damages, $1 million for damages related to fraud and $2.2 million for breach of contract.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

Hugh Jackman to 'Date' Local Actresses in TV Show

Hollywood screen star Hugh Jackman and Korean-American heartthrob Daniel Henney will appear in a local matchmaking TV program, organizers of the SBS show "The Gold Miss Are Coming" said Monday. The two actors will be in town Thursday to promote the action film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" in time for its release April 30.

After appearing at a press conference Friday morning, they will meet actress Yang Jeong-ah 37, and the other members of "Gold Miss", a matchmaking program for eligible female celebrities. The group includes comedienne Shin Bong-seon and singer Jin Jae-young, among others. Two will have the opportunity to watch a movie with either Jackman or Henney.

The show will air on April 19.

Meanwhile, the "X-Men" stars will meet Korean fans on Friday evening. A performance will begin 7:30 p.m. at Cheonggye Plaza, downtown Seoul, and the red carpet ceremony will take place at 8:30.

Jackman has appeared in the other three films of the "X-Men" franchise, and the Australian actor visited Seoul in 2006 fall to promote "X-Men: The Last Stand". The superhero franchise marks Henney's Hollywood debut. The model-turned-actor became popular here and in other Asian countries through TV soaps like "My Lovely Sam-soon" (aka. "My Name Is Sam-soon"), and received critical acclaim for his role in the film "My Father".

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

Actor Joins Air Force

Actor Jo In-seong entered a training program Monday before joining the South Korean Air Force in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province.

The star of "A Frozen Flower" appeared before the press sporting a short haircut and wearing black sportswear. Some 200 reporters and 300 fans, including over 100 Japanese women, crowded the venue.

"I'm not the only one entering the military, and so many fans have come to support me", he said. "I apologize for inconveniencing others by becoming a soldier. I'm actually feeling much more at ease now that military service has become a reality. I sincerely thank everyone who came today and I will come back after doing my best in the military"

The 27-year-old entered a weeklong session, including physical exams, a personality test and other formal procedures. Afterward, he will participate in a five-week preliminary training program before entering the Air Force for a 25-month stint of service. South Korean men are obligated to complete a mandatory two-year period of military service before the age of 29.

The actor qualified for the Air Force last November as a soldier specializing in military music. Jo is said to have often expressed his wish to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was an Air Force officer.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

Thieves Nabbed for Robbing House of Actor's Mom

Three burglars who robbed the house of popular actor Kim Rae-won's mother were apprehended three months after the break-in, police said Monday.

Yongsan Police Station said the thieves stole money and valuables worth about 150 million won ($120,000) in January. Among the stolen items were medals, checks, luxury watches and other jewelry.

Since last October, they had robbed dozens of houses in wealthy districts in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Police said the three thieves, who got to know each other when they were in jail three years ago, spent all the money mostly on entertainment.

Among them, a 41-year-old Chung and 29-year-old Lee were arrested, while another thief Park, 42, was booked without physical detention.

The robbers used some of the stolen checks at a gas station in Seoul, allowing police to trace their car as it was recorded by surveillance cameras there.

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

Rain visits Korea

He is going through court because he is being sued by companies in Hawaii for cancelling his concert due to some difficulties that Rain faced.

Rain's fans are cheering for him to have strength and courage to win the court!

He has appeared at a fan signing to promote a certain cosmetics brand. Rain looks like he's been stressed. His complexion is pale, he hasn't shaved, and he has lost some weight! Here he is waving to his fans with a big smile.

Source: cyworld.com

Rain-JYP Mired in Another Lawsuit

Korea's superstar Rain and his former management company, JYP Entertainment, just seem to get deeper and deeper into legal troubles. In the wake of the stunning verdict in Hawaii, Rain and JYP are sued this time by Star M, a Korean concert production company, for 4.57 billion won or nearly 3.4 million dollars in damage compensation.

Star M claims that Rain and JYP failed to uphold their end of the bargain in 2006, when the singer cancelled 16 out of 35 concerts planned. At the time Rain and Star M had agreed to hold concerts in China, the U.S., Vietnam, Australia, Japan, and Korea over the period of one year from October, 2006. However, the American patent office had denied the registration of Rain's concert trademark "RANY" for its similarity with another America singer's trademark. The rejection had made it impossible for Rain to hold any concerts in America. Star M claims that Rain and JYP knew about the problem, but didn't tell them about it.

Meanwhile, Rain lost in a lawsuit filed by a Hawaiian entertainment firm that was in charge of his concert in 2007. The Hawaiian court ordered the singer and JYP to pay more than 8 million dollars in damages. Rain's legal team is getting ready to appeal the court's decision.

Source: world.kbs.co.kr

'Female Big Bang' About to Be Revealed

A new girl group groomed by YG Entertainment, one of Korea's biggest entertainment agencies, will reveal themselves in a commercial where they appear alongside the idol boy band Big Bang.

Referred to as the "female version of Big Bang", the group consists of four members -- Sandara Park, a Korean who became a star in the Philippines show business; Park Bom, who appeared in a commercial with singer Lee Hyo-lee; Kong Min-ji, a granddaughter of legendary traditional Korean dancer Kong Ok-jin; and rapper CL, who is fluent in four languages.

The commercial featuring the group is scheduled to go on air on Saturday, and before that on Friday, the new group's digital single "Lollipop" will be released. The commercial is also part of an ad series for LG Cyon's Lollipop mobile phone, created in music video format. The whole series will be completed by early April.

YG said, "G-Dragon, a member of Big Bang who also writes, composes and produces songs for his group, is producing the girl Big Bang's album. Although they will appear in a commercial first, they will officially debut in May. Since they have prepared for their debut for as many as four years, they will be able to show all the best they have".

Source: english.kbs.co.kr