The former star of “The O.C.” is facng four misdemeanors: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving while having a 0.08 percent or higher blood alcohol level, driving without a valid license and possession of marijuana (28.5 grams or less).

Barton, 22, was arrested in West Hollywood on Dec 27 after her vehicle was seen straddling two lanes of traffic and she failed to signal when making a turn, police have said.

This kind of behavior seems like becoming a trend in Hollywood these days… especially among up and rising stars. It’s kinda disappointing to see these news.

BoA’s previous 5 albums had also topped the chart before; she is only the 2nd artist to have had 6 albums topping the chart in a role. The other pop star that have managed to do so is Ayumi Hamasaki with 8 consecutive chart-topping albums.

Sohn Ho-jun, a member of the male trio Tachyon, will debut as an actor in China.

He has recently left for China to film a joint Korean-Chinese TV drama in Shanghai. The drama drew the spotlight for its lead actor, singer Danny Ahn. Sohn plays a young man who goes to China to achieve his “Chinese dream.”

The other two members of the trio, Kang Dae-kyu and Chung Jung-kyun, have been helping Sohn to hone his acting skills and choose the right costumes and accessories for his role.

Tachyon has gained popularity recently for the song “If Not,” the title track of its new single album, and has been performing both in Korea and China due to Sohn’s drama filming schedule.

The drama will premiere on China’s CCTV early next year, and will air in Korea on cable TV in December.

Source: KBS Global
Credit: kpopkingdom.com

Group Super Junior member Kim HeeChul got conjunctivitis and had difficulty carrying out activities.

Kim HeeChul said in a interview with Sports Korea: “Got conjunctivitis recently, thus unable to wear contact lens to do all the filming. Initially my eye condition was not really good. Then, I never take care of it now, causing it to be in a tense situation,”

Kim HeeChul has myopia. If he never wears spectacles, he can not see the person in front of him clearly too. However, he is unable to wear contact lens now because of sore eyes, he needs the staffs to help him to open his lunch box before he can eat it.

Kim HeeChul is currently hosting SBS [Inkigayo] and filming SBS [Golden Bride]. He has difficulty reading the scripts.

Kim HeeChul expressed: “Recently busy with drama and singer activities, no time to go hospital for treatment. Hope to receive treatment soon without delaying any activities, so sorry causing everyone to be worried.”

Credit BLG
Translated by weier@sapphire-sg.org + mjtl75@kpopkingdom

Best Ballads Vol. 2 features some of the most popular recently released K-pop ballads, collecting 28 slow-tempo songs for your picking. Shin Hye Sung and Lyn’s Winter Story music drama duet “Love… After” (CD 1 - Track 1), Jun Jin’s solo single Love Doesn’t Come (CD 1 - Track 2), Kim Jong Kook’s “Letter” (CD 1 - Track 4), Son Ho Young’s “I Cry” (CD 1 - Track 6), The Name’s “Love…” (CD 2 - Track 1), and Oh Jong Hyeok’s “Deadly” (CD 2 - Track 6) are just some of the hit songs on this two-disc compilation. The sweet voices of Park Hwayobi, Kan Mi Yeon, Suh Young Eun, and Byul and unique sounds of Turtles and Rumble Fish come together on this release, along with crooners Lee Juck, Kim Bum Soo, and KCM and popular groups M.C The Max, As One, and Brown Eyed Girls. You can also find touching songs originally featured in dramas like Stained Glass, Seoul 1945, Something Happened in Bali, Winter Sonata, Fashion 70s, and Fox, What Are You Doing?.

Born in Korea, Younha had always wanted to become a J-pop singer. Her big chance came when a drama producer listened to one of her demo tapes. She went on to sing the song Yubikiri for the Fuji TV drama Tokyo Wankei -Destiny of Love in autumn 2004. 2005 saw another highlight for Younha when her single Hoki Boshi (”Comet”), featured as end title song of the anime Bleach, managed to secure the No. 15 spot on the Oricon charts. Younha has since solidified her status as J-pop star, sending her debut album Go! Younha all the way to the No. 12 position. Younha’s captivating smile, her crystal clear voice, and her talent as a songwriter and pianist have turned her into an exemplary figure on the J-pop scene. Now 19-year-old Younha launches her official debut album in Korea.

The album sees her collaborating with high-quality musicians from the K-pop scene. Besides Wheesung who lent her his song writing skills, Younha also teamed up with Hareem and Hwang Chan Hee, and got involved in composing work too. The principal song on Younha’s debut Korean album, titled “Secret Code 486″ (Track 3), was penned by Wheesung and presents a touching ballad. Also performing “Immature Greed” (Track 10) with Wheesung as well as the titular The perfect day to say I love you (Track 4), Younha is ready for her debut in the Korean music scene.

Combining boy band looks and rock band talents, F.T. Island are Korea’s newest and fastest rising stars. Bolstered by the popularity of their M.net variety program Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, the band has already become extremely popular amongst young people. The name F.T. Island, short for Five Treasures Island, refers to the band’s five members, with Lee Hong Gi on vocal, Lee Jae Jin on bass, Choi Jung Hun on guitar, Choi Min Hwan on drums, and Oh Won Bin on guitar and vocal. With the members averaging in at only 16 years old, the sky’s the limit for this promising band as they release their debut album, Cheerful Sensibitility.

As a sign of F.T. Island’s potential and star power, there are some very impressive names attached to the band’s debut title. The album is produced by Kim Kwang Su, who has worked with K, SG Wannabe, and See Ya. In addition, Brown Eyes’ Yoon Gun, notable songwriter Ryu Jae Hyun, and Tamura Mitsuyoshi, who has produced for SMAP and Porno Graffitti, have also contributed to the album. The 13-track Cheerful Sensibility comes with mellow rock ballads and pop rock numbers that highlight the band’s youth and energy.

Following in the footsteps of his Shinhwa bandmates, it’s now time for Kim Dong Wan to present his debut solo album! Known for his charisma and good guy image, he especially lost weight and adopted a new look in order to show his best side for the album. Shin Hye Sung, Lee Min Woo, and Jun Jin have all found success as solo artists, and Dong Wan is sure to be equally successful, especially with the support from his friends.

The other members of Shinhwa all participated in Kimdongwan Is. Shin Hye Sung, who is busy preparing his own solo album, duets with Dong Wan in “Person Who Stays” (Track 9), composed by Park Chang Hyun. Lee Min Woo composed My Love (Track 7), which features Eric on rapping, while Jun Jin helped with the dance choreography for the song. Andy meanwhile lends his rapping vocals to the up-tempo “I Like Summer” (Track 8). Dong Wan also teams up with MC Mong, Byul, and Epik High’s DJ Tukutz in the album, making for a positively star-studded release.

Get ready to Explore M.
It took Lee Min Woo far over a year to come up with the follow-up to his last major album Second Winds, but now the long wait is over. In his element once more, he has not only launched a successful Japan solo live performance recently, but also established his own M RISING ENTERTAINMENT studio. As for his new CD, he has spared no efforts and got directly involved in the songwriting and composition work for 9 of the 12 featured tracks. To realize his latest ambitious work he collaborated with such talented Korean musicians as Drunken Tiger’s Tiger JK, Yoon Mi Rae, a.k.a., t, and Epik High’s Tablo. This time’s principal song is Stomp that’s placed right in the middle of his unique new urban hip hop style for which M especially went to a sampling company in the US to equip himself with a large scale sound spectrum. As a result, fans can look forward to a special LP that blends elements like urban hip-hop, and R&B as well as main stream pop a la Timbaland. With such an attractive musical premise, all listeners should be in for a musical joyride whenver they reach out to Explore M.