Yahoo Singapore Celebrity

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Private photos of BIGBANG’s G-Dragon and rumoured girlfriend leaked

(Photos: POPBEE)

BIGBANG member G-Dragon's private Instagram account (@peaceminusone) has been hacked, publicly revealing personal photos taken with his rumoured girlfriend, Japanese model, Nana Komatsu.

On one of the photos posted on the private account, G-Dragon’s long-time friend and bandmate, Taeyang, commented, “Let’s write a song called ‘lovers’.”

Another photo shows a woman - speculated by fans to be Komatsu - with her back to the camera being hugged by G-Dragon.

(Photo: POPBEE)

Dating rumours about two stars began swirling in May this year when they were spotted at a restaurant together in Tokyo. They also participated in a photoshoot for Nylon magazine at around the same time.

Nana Komatsu and G-Dragon in a photoshoot (Photo: POPBEE)

In a statement to Donga News, BIGBANG’s label, YG Entertainment, said, “We cannot confirm this because this is the artist’s private life.”

After the hacking incident, G-Dragon temporarily deactivated his private account, and after re-opening it, he posted a note asking for fans to unfollow him.

He also uploaded another photo on his public account that says, “I can’t handle people anymore.”

(Photo: G-Dragon’s public Instagram account @xxxibgrdgn)

Feeling similarly violated, BIGBANG member T.O.P also recently posted a note on his Instagram account pleading with Chinese fans to stop visiting his home. T.O.P claimed that fans were ringing his doorbell in the middle of the night and warned that he would call the police. 

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Ex-EXO members Kris Wu, Luhan settle contract war

L-R: Kris Wu and Luhan (Photo: Cinema Online)

Two former members of Korean idol group EXO have finally reached a settlement with their company, SM Entertainment, after long-drawn-out contractual disputes that began in 2014.

After several failed court-mediated agreements, both parties reconciled on 21 July and agreed that Kris Wu and Luhan’s exclusive contracts with SM Entertainment will remain in effect until 2022, as per the original agreement in their contracts.

SM Entertainment will manage their activities in Korea and Japan, but outside of those two countries, they will entrust management of both artists to third-party companies.

The court also ruled that Wu and Luhan were to share all related revenue with SM Entertainment despite being managed by other companies outside of Korea and Japan.

Legal representatives of SM Entertainment have also released a statement clarifying that “there are no plans for both of them to return as members of EXO”.

Currently, both Wu and Luhan are active in China’s entertainment industry and have also begun taking steps into Hollywood.

Luhan will be making his Hollywood debut this year in the movie “The Great Wall”, which also stars Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

Wu has confirmed his appearances in the next instalment of the “xXx” film series, as well as science-fiction film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” opposite supermodel Cara Delevinge.

Both singer-actors filed to terminate their exclusive contracts with SM Entertainment in 2014, claiming unfair profit distribution, ill treatment from the company, and the length of their contracts.

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Singaporean singer Nathan Hartono impresses on Chinese singing show

Singaporean jazz singer Nathan Hartono blew judges away during a performance on the first episode of season five of “Sing! China”, the Chinese equivalent of the hit singing show, “The Voice”.

A YouTube clip of his appearance on the show was released on 15 July, and has already exceeded 300,000 views after just three days.

In the clip, Hartono performs a cover of “Have You Ever”, a song by Taiwanese singer William Wei, and has all four judges of the “Sing! China” – Jay Chou, Wang Feng, Na Ying and Harlem Yu – floored with his stage performance and “sunshine boy” appeal.

The show’s long-time judge and renowned Chinese singer, Na Ying, was especially taken with the singer-songwriter.

Na praised him for having the looks, talent and style, and even requested for a hug from him, while gushing about how handsome the 25-year-old was.

Despite the interest he received from all four judges, Hartono chose Chou to be his mentor for the show, saying that he hopes to improve his Mandarin songwriting.

“My dream is to write my own songs and be proud of the type of music I create. So I hope my mentor will be able to guide me on that,” said Hartono in the clip.

Chou even teased a possible chance for them to perform together at his upcoming concert in Singapore, earning a huge smile from the young singer.

The clip of his appearance on the hit show has already been shared multiple times on Facebook, with countless comments praising his performance, and many encouraging him to make Singapore proud in the finals of the show.

An alumnus of Berklee College of Music, Hartono began his music career when he won the Teenage Icon talent competition in 2005 at 14 years old. He then released his debut album, “Let Me Sing! Life, Love And All That Jazz” a year later. Earlier in July, he also held a solo concert at the Esplanade.

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Korean game show stars lose their way in Singapore’s MRT

Photos from KBS World TV

A Korean celebrity duo who were taking part in an episode of “Battle Trip” got lost while taking the MRT from Changi Airport, drawing laughter from an audience who were watching the travel game show.

In the show, teams are sent to different countries and judged on their travel experience.

Singer Lee Sangmin and variety show star Kim Iljung had boarded the train from Changi Airport MRT station with the intention to travel towards Raffles Place to savour a breakfast at Ya Kun Kaya Toast.

Lee and Kim boarded the train and took a nap, thinking that their train would go directly towards their destination. When all the commuters on board alighted to change trains at the Tanah Merah interchange to travel toward the city centre, the duo stayed put, oblivious that they were supposed to do the same.

The train went back and forth between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah stations, and after hearing the train announcement for the Expo station three times, the duo realised their mistake. By that time, they had already spent about an hour on the train.

During the broadcast, Kim said, “We kept stopping at Expo, so we thought ‘wow, Expo must be really huge!’“

After their long train ride, the duo finally managed to get to Raffles Place and enjoy their kaya toast breakfast.

Catch the full clip of their hilarious adventure in the MRT train here:

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BIGBANG member slammed for behaviour in China

(Photo: Sina Weibo)

BIGBANG’s Seungri has been heavily criticised by Chinese netizens for his behaviour on a train in China.

On Monday, 11 July, a photo of the 25-year-old singer sleeping on a train with his right bare foot lifted up against the window was published on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo.

The BIGBANG vocalist was on an express train from Xuzhou to Shanghai to film a TV programme when the photo was taken.

Since the photo was uploaded, more than 1,800 Chinese netizens have left both positive and negative comments about his actions.

Some of the comments include “Let’s just admit that what he did was wrong”, “What an unpleasant sight”, “He made such a mistake because he was tired”, “Fans are still going to defend his actions anyway”.

Seungri has not acknowledged the incident. 

Seungri, the youngest member of BIGBANG, is also known for being a close friend of Singaporean socialite Kim Lim, whose father Peter Lim owns La Liga football club Valencia CF. 

Kim Lim and Seungri at a Valencia CF-Real Madrid match last year. (Photo by Dreamers Radio)

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JYJ’s Yoochun acquitted of all sexual assault charges

Photo: Dreamers Radio

Park Yoochun, a member of popular K-pop group JYJ, has been cleared of all four sexual assault charges that were filed against him.

A female employee at an adult entertainment first accused Park of sexual assault on 10 June this year. Soon after her complaint, three other women accused him of sexual assault in 2014 and 2015.

According to Yonhap News, Seoul’s Gangnam Police station stated, “After thorough investigations, it is difficult to prove that there was force involved”.

After five days of investigations into these cases, the police said they will forward the case to the prosecutors’ office.

This result comes a few days after it was confirmed that Park’s DNA was found on the underwear of the first woman who accused him of sexual assault.

Park was known for his acting roles in popular dramas ”Rooftop Prince” and “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”, which also starred “Descendants of the Sun” star Song Joong Ki.

He enlisted into active Korean military service in August last year.

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Actor Kim Sung Min’s organs to be donated

Actor Kim Sung Min (STAR N News)

The family of South Korean actor Kim Sung Min has agreed to have his organs harvested for donation following his brain death.

“Kim had previously expressed his intention for his organs to be donated after his death. His kidneys, corneas and liver will be donated to five other patients who are suffering from incurable diseases,” Yang Chul Woo, the director of Seoul St Mary’s Hospital’s organ donation center, said on Sunday (27 June). Yang was speaking on behalf of Kim’s family.

The 43-year-old actor fell into a coma after he attempted suicide on Friday (24 June). He was pronounced brain dead at Seoul St Mary’s Hospital on Sunday (26 June).

The star of the 2002 drama “Miss Mermaid” was found unconscious in his home with a tie around his neck. His wife asked the police to check on him shortly after the couple had an argument.

According to a report by Korea Times, Kim’s wife told the police that her husband “often spoke of suicide when he got drunk”.

Kim had a history of convictions for the smuggling and using of illegal drugs since 2008, when he was first arrested for smuggling methamphetamine from the Philippines.

Last year, he was found guilty of various drug charges by a Korean court and jailed for 10 months before being released this January.

Besides his lead role in “Miss Mermaid”, Kim was a regular on the variety show “Qualifications of Men”.

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Stars at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards 2016 red carpet

On 3 June, the biggest Korean stars descended on Kyunghee University’s Grand Peace Hall in Seoul for one of the biggest film and television awards ceremony in Korea.

The global hit drama, “Descendants of the Sun”, walked away the biggest winner of the night, winning the Grand award in the television category, and bagging popularity awards for its two main leads, Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo.

The best television drama award went to the crime-thriller “Signal”, which also won their female lead, Kim Hye Soo, the best actress award in the television category. (Photos: Associated Press and BNT News)

TV’s hottest on-screen couple from “Descendants of the Sun”, Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki (L-R), dazzled at the red carpet event for the awards ceremony.

L-R: Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo, the two main leads of the hit drama, “Descendants of the Sun”, both took home popularity awards as well as the iQiyi Global Star awards.

D.O (Do Kyung Soo) from the idol group EXO won the  Popularity Award (Actor) in the film category.

L-R: Shin Dong Yeop and Miss A’s Suzy, the MCs of the show.

Park Bo Gum, the star of drama “Reply 1988″, which won best directing under the television category.

Jeon Do Yeon, the main lead for movie “The Shameless”, won the best actress award in the film category.

Yoo Ah In was nominated in both the film and TV categories. He walked home with the best actor award for his period drama “Six Flying Dragons”. 

Han Hyo Joo was nominated for best actress for her role in the romantic comedy “The Beauty Inside”.

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Photos: Dressing up for 'Young & Fabulous' movie premiere

The gala premiere of “Young and Fabulous”, a new local film about three teens who aspire to be cosplayers, was held at Golden Village Vivocity on Tuesday (24 May).

The cast and director of the movie, local celebrities and a group of cosplayers dressed up to add a touch of glamour at the premiere.

The cast and crew of “Young & Fabulous” at the gala premiere.

The cast and crew of “Young & Fabulous”.

The movie’s three leads Joshua Tan, Joyce Chu and Aloysius Pang (left to right)

Cosplayers at the premiere.

Showbiz veterans Kym Ng, Xiang Yun and Dawn Yeoh (second to fourth from left).

Actor Terence Cao (left) was also at the premiere.

Actors Elvin Ng, Romeo Tan, Ian Fan (first to third from left).

The stars of “Ah Boys To Men”.

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Jazz musicians Rachael Yamagata & Joey Alexander to perform in Singapore

Fans of jazz, get ready to groove with these two musicians who will be staging concerts in Singapore very soon.

Rachael Yamagata and Joey Alexander

Twelve-year-old jazz piano prodigy Joey Alexander will be having his first concert in Singapore on 24 May, while popular jazz singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata will performing at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 2 June.

Despite his young age, Indonesian pianist Alexander has already been widely recognised for his talent. His 2016 debut album ‘My Favorite Things’ earned him a Grammy nomination, and he was also dubbed ‘a genius’ by American jazz publication, Downbeat.

Joey Alexander

Known for her moody, melancholic songs, American jazz songstress Yamagata will be back in Singapore once again for a full concert, where fans can expect more soulful, emotional performances.

Rachael Yamagata

Tickets for Joey Alexander’s concert on 24 May at 7.30pm are priced at $168 (excluding SISTIC charges) and available on the SISTIC website. 

Tickets for Rachael Yamagata’s concert on 2 June will be available on the SISTIC website on 11 May.

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GOT7 to have first concert in Singapore this June

Photo: JYP Entertainment & ONE Production

If you were disappointed that Jackson couldn’t make it to Singapore the last time GOT7 was in town, you can catch him at their first concert in Singapore on 24 June.

GOT7′s ‘Fly in Singapore’ concert tour is named after the title track from their latest album, ‘Departure’.

The multi-national boy band from South Korea kicked off the Asia leg of their very first concert tour in Seoul with two sold-out concerts on 29 and 30 April, and will be capping off the tour in Singapore. They will tour North America beginning 1 July.

The concert will be held on 24 June, 8pm at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hall 601-604.

Tickets are priced at $288 for VIP (for both standing and seated areas), $248 for CAT 1, $208 for CAT2, $168 for CAT 3 and $128 for CAT 4.

The VIP package includes 1 exclusive laminated pass and lanyard, as well as a chance to attend either a fansign (only 100 will be selected randomly) or hi-touch event (only 500 will be selected randomly).

Details on the fansign and hi-touch events will be revealed on ONE Production’s Facebook page in a week leading up to the event.

GOT7 was last in Singapore for the launch of the first K-pop hologram theatre attraction at Resorts World Sentosa on 23 February this year. This concert will mark the fourth time that the group will be visiting Singapore.

Photos from GOT7′s concert in Seoul (JYP Entertainment)

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Which Descendants of the Sun character would your mother get along with?

(Photo: Viu)

Is your mother like the righteous (and sometimes too social) Yoo Si Jin, or a mystery like Seo Dae Yeong? Take this quiz to find out which member of the latest Korean drama craze Mum would totally get along with!

WATCH: Descendants of the Sun on Viu

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Angry EXO fans in China feel shortchanged by 30-minute gig

Photo of EXO from Yahoo KWave

By Elizabeth Tong

Thousands of EXO fans in China paid top yuan to watch the hugely popular K-pop group perform in Shanghai on Sunday (27 March) but their experience ended on a sour note after the concert lasted only 30 minutes.

Having paid for ticket prices ranging from 4,000 yuan ($835) to 10,000 yuan ($2087), the fans vented their anger online as the event organiser had promised that the “2016 K-Friends with EXO Live” concert at the Shanghai Gymnasium  would last for three hours.

The organiser had also said before the concert that all nine members of EXO would be performing. But Lay (Zhang Yixing), a popular China-born member of the group, was nowhere to be seen on stage due to a conflict in schedule, further fuelling the ire of fans.

Many EXO fans who attended the concert raged about the poorly organised concert on Chinese microblogging site Sino Weibo and demanded a refund.

A Chinese news report said that the Shanghai cultural administration has ordered the organiser to refund the concert-goers. But this was not enough to placate the concert-goers as they can only collect the refund in person.

According to some fan accounts, the band members were told by their manager to stop performing after having sung only three songs. But EXO stayed on to perform three more songs and left the stage after thanking their fans.

EXO has performed at many sold-out concerts in Asia and won a string of awards including the Sino Weibo Global Fan’s Choice - Male prize at the 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

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Weezer to make Singapore concert debut on 15 Aug

Photo: Spin

American rock band Weezer will be making their Singapore concert debut  on 15 August at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Formed in Los Angeles, the band first caught wide attention with their catchy, distortion-soaked singles “Buddy Holly”, “Undone - The Sweater Song” and “Say It Ain’t So” off their 1994 self-titled debut (commonly known as the “Blue Album”) and their geeky charm.

Twenty-two years later, Weezer is set to release their 10th album - their self-titled “White Album” -  on 1 April. 

Tickets  go on sale on March 19 (9am) and will be available from SISTIC, with prices ranging from S$108 to S$158. As of now, Singapore is the only Southeast Asian stop on the band’s touring schedule.

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Singapore celebs lend their voices to fight HIV discrimination

(Photo: Paint The Town Red's Facebook page)

Youth movement Paint The Town Red has enlisted Singaporean celebs Benjamin Kheng, Nat Ho, Onn Shu An, Jemimah Wei and Roz Pho to campaign against stigma and discrimination towards people with HIV and AIDS.

In a new video launched on Tuesday (1 March), designated by the United Nations as #ZeroDiscriminationDay, the celebs give voice to those with HIV/AIDS who are afraid of openly speaking about their condition.

Paint The Town Red aims to raise awareness so youths “can be more responsible for their sexual health”, and at the same time end stigma and discrimination to reduce the fear of getting tested.

Video from Paint The Town Red's Facebook page.

For more information about HIV/AIDS testing, visit the Action for Aids website.

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SIXBOMB not embarrassed by bodysuit costumes

Never mind the new single. Why does this Korean girl group look like a bunch of pink sausages?

Korean girl group SIXBOMB recently made a comeback to the K-pop scene with a new song, “Wait 10 Years, Baby” dressed in tight pink latex bodysuits.

The suits seem to be the centre of attention rather than the group's attempted comeback.

The costumes have already been deemed to be inappropriate for public broadcasting.

During an interview with STARNEWS, when asked if they were embarrassed about wearing such stage costumes, the members replied without hesitation, “No. We were quite upset over the bad comments about it at first, but afterwards we realized that it was a good opportunity to create awareness for ourselves.”

“When we first saw these costumes, we definitely didn’t think of it as sexual or racy. In fact, we thought it was pretty because it was in such a pretty pink colour,” added member Da-in.

This relatively unknown group has been garnering a lot of attention because of their unique stage outfits, which have since been dubbed as ‘pink sausage’ outfits by Korean netizens. The music video featuring them has already clocked more than three million views since it was uploaded on 18 February.

According to the ladies of SIXBOMB, the CEO of their company sifted through several websites in order to find the pink latex bodysuits. “Not only did it cost quite a sum, it also took over a month to be delivered to us from America. So it’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to perform in them on national broadcasts,” said member Soa.

Originally debuting with six members in 2012, the group disbanded shortly afterwards, but returned to K-pop in 2015 with four new members.

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Priyanka Chopra and Janet Hsieh discover connection at Oscars red carpet

The Oscars red carpet might be an unlikely place to bond with an interviewer, but that was exactly what happened to Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra and Taiwanese-American host Janet Hsieh.

Hsieh uttered a few words in Hindi while asking Chopra some questions on behalf of HBO Asia, impressing the Indian beauty despite her limited knowledge of the language.

After Hsieh mentioned that she “spent a little bit of time at Jamshedpur”, Chopra replied excitedly that it was also the city that she was born in. And both ladies shared the love for the town that they both spent some time in.

Marveling at their newly discovered connection, Hsieh, who is married to Singapore-based actor and host George Young, exclaimed, “Oh my god, this is too crazy!”

Even Chopra could not believe the coincidence as she smiled and added, “This is amazing.”