Tae-Goon is one Sexy Beast. :P

Oh yes. Yes he is.

Tae-Goon (also called "The Second RAIN") is releasing his third single titled "Betrayed." The MV dropped on September 16th.

Alright, I'd never heard of Tae-Goon before. Nor did I know that he's already released three mini-albums prior to this. But damn! This guy's got it going on! All of Rain's style in the form of a cuter guy and a more fluid dancer. Not saying that I don't love Rain, but Tae-Goon's starting to put him to shame a little bit.
*stares at Tae-Goon's picture* Actually, to me, he looks like the product of throwing Christofer Drew Ingle (of NeverShoutNever!) in a blender with Rain to make a new person. And boy, the outcome is gorgeous!!!

"Betrayed" is an absolutely amazing song. Check out the MV for it here:

Enough Already!

Only a few more days until the release of G-Dragon's first solo album, "Heartbreaker," and he's already going to end up the most searched person on Korean web--not because of interest in the album, but for interest in the five plagiarism accusations that's tacked to this album.

First off, there's the most well known and the most serious "Heartbreaker" plagiarism accusation. After thirty seconds of the song being released, and netizens began talking about the similarities, Hollywood bigwigs got involved with the accusation of G-Dragon plagiarizing Flo-rida's "Right Round." Yes, I'll admit--the electrobeats in the first verse of both songs sound strikingly similar. But it's only thirty seconds of a song that could range from three and a half to five and a half minutes.

Secondly, "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" have both been accused of copying "She's Electric" by Oasis. Now, I've compared this song to the teasers for both of these songs, and they sound nothing alike. So that isn't a valid charge, really.

Thirdly, "Boy" is said to be plagiarizing "Not Ur Girl" by Katharine McPhee. Okay, before I say anything else, I must make this comment--would G-Dragon even know who Katharine McPhee is?! I mean, seriously. I don't think that the songs sound too similar, either.

Fourthly, the concept art for the album is accused of copying Lee Jun-ki's photo shoot for "JStyle," in which Jun-ki also sported white hair, smokey eyeshadow, and extreme paleness. One striking difference, however, is G-Dragon's use of unqiue style and splashes of color. If you compare the two photos, you'll see that there's enough difference with G-Dragon's that it can't be plagiarism.

Fifthly, the cover art for "Heartbreaker" is said to copy the cover art for American band Spiritualized's 2001 album "Let It Come Down." Now, how likely is G-Dragon to have intentionally copied them, if I live in the United States and I've never heard of Spiritualized in my entire life?

The only things that haven't seemed to have gotten any criticism or plagiarism accusations are his leaked track "Gossip man" and his preview for "The Leaders" which features Teddy and CL.

I feel very, very sorry for G-Dragon with this whole thing. I can tell that people have been trying to come up with charges against G-Dragon. However, I think that a lot of these accusations are invalid, since there's plenty of difference to a lot of these things.

I, personally, am mucho excited for G-Dragon's album! Patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting for the release! =3

1 Week Left!!

Ladies and gentlemen, just one week left until the release of G-Dragon's solo album! I've got this marked on my calendar and I'm counting down the days!
G-Dragon has *recently* replaced Seungri as my favorite Big Bang member. T.O.P. has got second position. **sigh** I never realized how great that G-Dragon actually was until I re-listened to Big Bang's Since 2007 album and heard his cover of "This Love" by Maroon 5. Ah-may-zing. =P

Okay, so, to my knowledge, G-Dragon has released two *titled* teasers of two of the tracks on his album--"Butterfly" and "Heartbreaker."

"Butterfly" is an extremely beautiful acoustic track that has been getting rave reviews from fans all over. G-Dragon describes his song as "the fluttery feeling of love when it first begins." He also says that this is a song to close your eyes and think about the one you love when you listen to it. And that's exactly what I did, and it fits! ;)

"Heartbreaker" is a very upbeat electro track that I loveloveloveloveLOVE! However, it's been getting a ton of plagiarism allegations. I, personally, don't care about Flo-rida or "Right Round" or whatever it's called. Whatever it is, G-Dragon can pull it off better than Flo-rida. ^-^ Either way, this is also the title track for his album, and it's going to be the main single. It's a really great song.

Here are YouTube embeds of "Butterfly" and "Heartbreaker." Take a listen for yourself, and see what you think about them!

Ninja Assassin Trailer Released!!!

Well, well, well. It looks like the trailer for Ninja Assassin has finally been released! So, I watched it in high definition...and I'm loving it. I think that it's undoubtedly going to be a great movie!

However, it's success in the box office will be one of those things that we'll just have to wait and see. This movie will premiere five days after the second film release in the uber-popular Twilight saga. Boo. Hiss.

Most of us are already thinking that Ninja Assassin won't do to well in the box office because of the release of New Moon. That's probably true. But then again, the reasons behind choosing November 25th for a release date range from college students being on holiday to guys ditching their girlfriends (who are undoubtedly watching New Moon) to see an action flick. And that second reason is probably the most true. I went to see Twilight on opening night (when I was still a fan) and saw a ton of miserable guys.

But either way, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. But what do you guys think?

Click the link to view the trailer for Ninja Assassin: Ninja Assassin Hi-Def Trailer!


"Fear not the weapon, but the hand that wields it."

Gackt's On A Roll!

Over the course of June to August, Gackt will have released five--yes, you counted correctly, five--new singles. Over the course of January to August, he will have released eight new singles. Around the end of 2008, he released two other singles. Ten singles after the album Diabolos. Is anyone expecting a new album? I hope there's one in our future!

As of July 1st, Gackt has been a solo artist for ten years. =3 And he has had such an amazing career, being with Malice Mizer before his solo career for quite a while, and then going solo for ten years. It makes you wonder how old he really is! ;) Gackt decided to ring in his tenth anniversary with a single countdown--one new single every week in June. Week one was Koakuma Heaven, week two was Faraway ~Hoshi ni Negai wo~, week three was LOST ANGELS, and week four was Flower.

His next single is called The Next Decade, and is set to release on August 5th.

Well. Talk About Real Exposure!

*Many thanks to POPSEOUL! for this info*

It looks like the Wonder Girls are going to be opening for the Jonas Brothers for the entire United States leg of their world tour. So, instead of opening for fourteen shows, the Wonder Girls are now opening for forty-four. Talk about impressive!

Apparently, the audiences really liked the Wonder Girls. Because of this newest revelation, the Wonder Girls are going to be performing in areas that don't have such a huge Asian population. Now this is true exposure in the United States! I think that the Wonder Girls have totally crushed BoA's promotional stuff, and the Girls haven't even released their debut album yet! =D

Go Wonder Girls!

Wonder Girls Get Exposure

Well, well, well, it looks like the Wonder Girls have already gotten some exposure in the U.S. before their tour with the Jonas Brothers kicked off. The Seattle Times has written an article about the Wonder Girls on their website. Whether it was in print or not, I don't know, because I don't get the Seattle Times. BUT--it was featured in the "Music and Nightlife" section of the Seattle Times website. It's pretty good exposure, and even if many people don't read the post, at least their name has gotten out there.

And apparently, they've decided to sex-down for this tour. Take a look at this quote from the article:

"And unlike racy American girl groups such as the Pussycat Dolls, the Wonder Girls are much tamer, with '60s-style matching clothes and hairstyles."

And check out this quote from Yenny:

"Asians like more cute and pretty girls, they're more like conservative. Americans like more sexy and funky, like Lady GaGa."

Hopefully the Girls won't be like Lady GaGa who did those poses on the cover of Rolling Stones. But it seems like the Girls are going to keep their act tame...probably only for the length of the tour, I suppose.

On a completely unrelated note...

Rain was on CNN! =) He was on their explaining about how Michael Jackson influenced his music and his dancing style. "He was my idol," Rain had said. Wow. Poor Rain--his idol died on his 27th birthday. =(

New Koda Kumi Single! :D

Alright! Koda Kumi is releasing a triple A-side called 3 Splash on July 8th, 2009. The song that's promoting the single is titled Lick me♥. I haven't seen the PV, just listened to the song. Apparently, people don't think this single will amount to much. Personally, I like Lick me♥ and can't wait to hear the other songs. Here's the track listing:

1. Introduction
2. Lick me♥
3. ECSTASY
4. Interlude
5. Hashire!
6. Interlude
7. Lick me♥ (Remix)
8. ECSTASY (Remix)
9. Hashire! (Remix)
10. Outroduction

Lick me♥ is supposed to be the pop number. ECSTASY is your dance number. Hashire! is the rock number. People aren't too psyched about how things sound for this one, but let's just wait and see what happens.

Paranoia Info

So apparently, the Eiko Shimamiya single Paranoia is not a rumor after all! This single will only be released in a CD+DVD edition, and will also be included in the I've Sound 10th Anniversary 「Departed to the future」Special CD BOX. The track listing for this single has also been released.

1. Paranoia
2. To lose in amber (I'VE in BOKUDAN 2009 live version)
3. Paranoia (Instrumental)

It's slated to be released on July 29, 2009.

Gackt Set to Release Four New Singles!!

To celebrate his tenth anniversary as a solo artist, Gackt is releasing four new singles for the "10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY COUNTDOWN" collection. Well, the voters definitely DID choose a great month for Gackt to be named as our Eye Candy! (Which reminds me...that post needs to go up soon..)

The first single is titled Koakuma Heaven. It's alternate title is THE 1st HEAVEN. It's set to release on June 10th, 2009.

1. Koakuma Heaven
2. My Father's Day
3. Koakuma Heaven (Instrumental)
4. My Father's Day (Instrumental)




The second single is titled Faraway. The alternate title is THE 2nd HEAVEN. The set release date is June 17, 2009.

1. Faraway ~星に願いを~ (Faraway ~Wish Upon A Star~)
2. Oblivious ~顔のない天使~ (Oblivious ~The Man Without A Face~)
3. Faraway ~星に願いを~ (Instrumental)
4. Oblivious ~顔のない天使~ (Instrumental)

The third single is titled Lost Angels. Its alternate title is THE 3rd HEAVEN. Its release date is June 24, 2009.

1. Lost Angels
2. No Reason
3. Suddenly
4. Lost Angels (Instrumental)
5. No Reason (Instrumental)
6. Suddenly (Instrumental)

The fourth single is titled Flower. The alternate title is ANNIVERSARY DISC. It is set to release on July 1st, 2009.

1. Flower
2. In Flames
3. Flower (Instrumental)
4. In Flames (Instrumental)

Eek! I am so super-duper excited for this!!!!! :D Could there be an album coming up in the future?

Ninja Assassin Movie Poster and Release Date!

Bi (Rain) is the lead role of Raizo in the upcoming action movie Ninja Assassin. The movie had originally been slated to be released on June 1st, 2009, but the date was pushed back to November 25, 2009. I wonder why they're releasing it on a Wednesday, though. Aren't new movies usually released on a Friday?

The rating for the film has also been revealed. It's rated "R" for stylized, graphic violence throughout and strong language throughout. Apparently, Rain does not do a striptease *cry* (via the rating not mentioning anything about nudity), but it's got a lot of gory action, so that's good enough for me. ^_^ I've been psyched to see this movie when I heard it was released. I still hadn't caught Rain's part as Sanjo (?) in the Speed Racer flick.

From what I've heard, this is going to be one of the best action movies of 2009. A lot of people were impressed by the stunt reel that went up on YouTube a while ago.

Wonder Girls Set To Tour With Jonas Brothers!

It has been announced that Korea's Wonder Girls are to be breaking into the American music business by being the opening act for Disney's Jonas Brothers. They will be opening for the brothers for thirteen of their concerts in seven cities. That's saying quite a lot. I've looked at their tour dates, and there are about fifteen places they're going.

You might be thinking, "Wonder Girls, opening up for the Jonas Brothers, selling their souls to Disney? That won't get them anywhere!" Well, Disney is one of the most powerful companies in America. There is no easier way to break into the American music scene than touring with a Disney group. If the preteen fans of the Jonas Brothers like the Wonder Girls, then they've got a solid fan base there. They have people who will buy their merchandise, their records, and tickets to their concerts.

But how long will the Wonder Girls last under a Disney contract? The girls have got some pretty high sex-appeal, which is pretty inappropriate for Disney. In fact, sex-appeal is one of the things that seems to make Miley Cyrus want to break away, along with Ashley Tisdale. For Miley, you can sort of tell by the way she presents herself in public (via her, a 15 or 16 year old girl wearing an evening gown fit for an adult to these awards shows), and all of those controversial pictures of her--especially the one on that Vanity Fair magazine cover. Ashley Tisdale had wanted to take a new direction with her music by using the song "He Said, She Said." However, Disney didn't like the lyrics in the chorus (Baby I can see us moving like that, touching like that, kissing like that) and made her write a clean version for promotional purposes. It frustrated her, but she did write a clean version. But that still doesn't mean that her unclean version of the song wouldn't be used. It was put on the album, which was marketed mainly to her pre-teen/teen fans, and the clean version didn't make an appearance on the album. Did I mention that that version was also put on DanceDance Revolution SuperNOVA 2? Tisdale is still trying to take her album in a new direction, what with her upcoming album, Guilty Pleasure.

If the Wonder Girls keep their act sexed-down, then they might be able to last under a Disney contract. If they stay with Disney for a while, garner a huge fan base, then when they decide its time to break away and "grow up," they might have fans who follow.

The Wonder Girls are releasing two English digital singles, Nobody and Tell Me this fall. Their debut English album is slated for October, I think.

New Single From Utada Hikaru!

Japanese pop singer Utada Hikaru is releasing a new single on August 21st, 2009. It's called "9 Sai no Omoide" or "9-Year-Old Memories."

Rumor had it that this single would be the opening theme for "Kingdom Hearts III" (if there is such a thing), but apparently that is untrue.

~Two New Eiko Shimamiya Singles~

On June 24th, Eiko Shimamiya MIGHT be releasing two new singles! *squee* They are titled Super scription of data and Paranoia. Super scription of data is the opening theme for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, and we don't know what Paranoia ties in to.

After June 24th, Shimamiya might possibly have released four new singles since the release of her second studio album Hikari Nadeshiko. Does this mean that she could be releasing a new album soon? Well let's certainly hope so! I've been waiting for a new Eiko album for over a year! *squee*