BoA, Tablo, Xiah, Jin BoRa in AnyBand

I am downloading the MV as I am writing this ^^ . This is the phone CF series that Hyo-Ri did – u know, the Anycall, Anystar, Anyclub, Anymotion series. Anyway, they actually formed a project band called “Anyband” !!

I have included pics from their press conference, 2 translated Chinese news and 1 non-translated Japanese news. Err…the J-news actually contained some of the things that Tablo & BoA talked during the press con…I see if I have extra time to go through it so **maybe** I’ll try my hands in deciphering the text.

Note: Please click on the pic for the original size.

C-news #1 (with Pics):

From left: Tablo, BoA, Jin BoRa, Xiah Junsu

 

Korean Stars adopting easier-to-pronounce foreign names

More and more Korean stars are advancing into foreign markets and are finding the need to come up with names that are a bit easier to pronounce for foreigners but sound very unique and a bit strange to their Korean fans.Popular movie starlet Jun Ji-hyun will be known as ‘Gianna Jun’ in Hollywood when she advances into the American film market with the upcoming “Blood – The Last Vampire”.

Ballad king Lee Seung-chul, who is attempting to advance into the Japanese market, will be known as ‘Rui’ by his future Japanese fans.

TV actress Lee Da-hae, who currently appears in the KBS2TV drama “Hello Aegisshi/ Hello, Miss,” has chosen to cute name, Cherry. Lee was known as Cherry during her school days in Australia.

Though there are many changing their names, there are also many who are choosing to keep their famous Korean names. Yoon-jin Kim, one of the stars of the hit American show “Lost,” simply moved her family name behind her given name. Asian pop stars BoA and M (Lee Min-woo) have also retained their names.

Source: RKI KBS

I don’t really like the name chosen by JJH – Gianna. I like her Korean name better. As for BoA, her name should be written with a capital B and A. Some people wrote it as Boa, which is incorrect. That’s because her full name is Kwon Bo Ah. I don’t regard M as retaining his own name, well, he uses “M” and not “Min-Woo”, right?

I can understand why they need to use another name because sometimes it’s really hard for the people from the West to remember all 3 parts of their names with not-so-easy spelling. E.g JJH can be spelt as Jeon Ji-Hyun or Jun Ji-Hyun. Furthermore, Korean names are not that easy to pronounce. “Jung” is not pronounced with a “J” sound in front – I heard Korean people pronounced it more to “Chung” with a “Ch” sound. I’m also not very good at pronouncing them. The only thing I will do my best is to correctly spell their name .

 

BoA + Wheesung ?

This was taken from a post by Skye @ Just Wheesung forum:

SportsHankook reports that BoA is scheduled to participate in Wheesung’s new album due out this May. Wheesung, a prominent male R&B artist known for his unique voice, is said to have personally invited BoA to sing a duet with him. BoA happily agreed, as they have known each other for several years. According to the article, famous hit-maker, Park Geun-Tae, who is also the producer of Wheesung’s new album, is trying to come up with a duet song that will showcase the two singers’ distinctive voices.

Original Source: Taken from Boajjang. Credits to J-Dragon.

Park Geun Tae is from the same agency as Wheesung (Orange Shock), he’s also a famous producer/songwriter. The not-so-good news is that Wheesung has once again delayed his Vol 5 album release to May!!! Gosh…it’s been almost 2 years since his last album..yeah he has 1-2 singles and lots of collaborations with other artists but I want his Vol 5 album!

The good news is that I hope there will be sparks with this duet collaboration.

 

Top Sexy Stars Promoting Global Brands

By Park Hyong-ki
Staff Reporter

World-renowned fashion and sports brands are going after a new look in Korea to appeal to the younger generation by using the nation’s top pop and movie stars in their marketing campaigns.

Calvin Klein, one of the world’s fashion leaders, has picked bombshell singer Lee Hyo-ri as a new model for the company’s new line of jeans, “Pure Calvin.”

Under the contract, Lee will not only represent the brand in Korea but also in Asia, making her the first Korean pop star to promote CK across the whole Asian market.

Chosen for her “sexy, modern and fresh image,” Lee will begin appearing in CK ads next month, the company said in a statement.

Levi’s Strauss & Company, a leading jeans maker, has also chosen movie actress Park Si-yeon to model for its “Levi’s Lady Style” brand.

The company previously used a Korean star, BoA, to promote its brand in Japan which is a center stage for the young singer.

Park will be the first Korean actress to appear in Levi’s ads exclusively for the Korean market.

Top global firms used to promote their brands in overseas markets by showing the same ads used at home with homeland actors or actresses. But to make their globalization successful, they need to localize first. Marketing experts claim that to this end, an increasing number of international companies will be looking for more domestic stars for marketing and advertising.

Reebok chose a Korean pop singer, Ivy, for her “independent, sincere and sexy image,” as part of its efforts to boost its brand awareness that compared with Nike, Adidas and Puma is weak in Korea.

“She will be participating in Reebok’s various promotional events starting in mid-March or early April and appeal to consumers interested in simple sports in daily life,” said a Reebok spokeswoman.

Paul Harrington, CEO of Reebok International, said early this month that Reebok will aim to become the No. 3 in Korea by 2010 by spending 10 percent of its sales on marketing.

Lee So-yeon, a movie actress, has also landed a modeling job for Shiseido, a Japanese hair care and cosmetics manufacturer.

Source: Korea Times

Ah…I wonder if Hyo-Ri will film TV ads or print ads for CK Jeans. Hyo-Ri is currently one of the top female artists in commercial earnings. She has just released a single called “Toc Toc Toc” – I have no idea why it’s called “Toc Toc Toc” and I haven’t listen to it. Yes, I know…she looks pretty and sexy but to me, that’s all she is. She can’t sing, compared to say..Ivy. Ivy can sing better than Hyo-Ri.