Korean talent management agency Sidus-HQ is under police investigation for tapping on popular actress Jun Ji-hyun’s mobile to monitor her phone conversations and text messages.
The Seoul Police Department was investigating a routine case and by coincidence found Jun Ji-hyun’s number among the many victims, thus prompted the investigation on Sidus-HQ [via Coolsmurf]
Two Sidus-HQ employees have admitted to the illegal eavesdropping; the police is now investigating if there’s a mastermind behind the act.
Earlier reports suggested that phone tapping is a way to monitor the artist’s private life, but it’s later believed that the agency might want to spy on her career decisions as her contract with the agency is coming to an end soon.
The celebrities’ privacy infringement by respected agencies is not unheard of… it’s so bad that the Korean Fair Trade Commission in November 2008 has requested agencies to change their contract terms which interferes with the personal life of their artists.
This is the first time though, that an agency has been caught red handed in such a serious act. Other Korean agencies are fast to deny any similar practices… but I doubt the public would take their words in good faith.
Korean singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong modelled for fashion brand MVIO, his major apparel sponsor in popular drama “Boys Over Flowers”…
Read the rest of this post »
Korean actress Kim Hee-sun gave birth to her daughter early this morning (Jan 21).
Congratulations, and welcome to the world baby Yeon-a [hat tip to Hanfever]
Jackie Chan has confirmed that he will star in the remake of box office hit “The Karate Kid”. The popular actor will star as a karate master who helps a teenager to stand up to high school bullies.
The role (known as Mr Miyagi) was original played by late Pat Morita in the 1984 film, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
The teenage protagonist (by Ralph Macchio in 1984) will be played by Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son.
The remake is a co-production between Columbia Pictures and state-run China Film Group; filming is scheduled to start in Beijing this summer.
The Mr Miyagi role was a classic… it’s a tough one for Jackie (or anyone else) to emulate. I have a feeling though, that they would switch the film from karate to Chinese martial arts oriented instead… “The Kungfu Kid” perhaps?
Japanese star Erika Sawajiri, 22, and creative director Tsuyoshi Takashiro, 44, tied the knot on Monday (Jan 19) at Meiji Shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Sawajiri was one of the most promising Japanese actresses after starring in drama series “1 Litre of Tears” in 2005, but her career took a downturn in 2007 with some sulky attitude issues.
It was around the 2007 period that her relationship with Takashiro was exposed; the couple later moved to London with Sawajiri taking a long break from the entertainment industry.
It had been rumoured for months that the couple would be getting married, but it was until early January that they finally confirmed about their wedding plan [image from Sankei (Jp)]
LG revealed its watch phone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas earlier this month which managed to get the attention of worldwide gadget geeks…
Looks kinda cool… question is, how much would it cost?
Some fun and offbeat news from various sources…
China – Warning! Panda bites… [BBC]
Design – Cheeseburger bed (pic) [Geekologie]
Design – Toilet bowl that measures your weight… or your poo’s weight to be precise [Yankodesign]
Health – Coffee could cause hallucinations [BBC]
Japan – Super Mario live on stage lol… [Youtube]
Thailand – Elephants are better painters than I could ever be… [Thesun]
UK – A UFO is believed to have struck a giant turbine in Louth Lincolnshire [Youtube]
USA – Lego Obama is inaugurated [Youtube]
Photos from the final race of Super GT Series (Malaysia) at SIC in June 2008…
GT300 – Cusco Racing – Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza – Subaru Impreza
(category – team – machine – based vehicle)
Read the rest of this post »
