The cast of Oh My Ghost talks about ghosts, kissing scenes and more at their Media Conference in Singapore

Cho Jung Seok

Park Bo Young-1
Park Bo Young

Singapore, 2015 – The main lead of South Korean popular drama, Oh My Ghost, met up with the media for an exclusive press conference on September 4^th held at the Pan Pacific Hotel, to talk about the telecast of the hit drama on StarHub TV.

As soon as Cho Jung Seok and Park Bo Young entered the conference room, they were full of smiles and laughs. Since it is their first time in Singapore, they started off the media conference by exclaiming how beautiful and clean Singapore is. Park Bo Young also shared that the people she met so far are very nice and she is so excited to meet the fans. They also shared how happy they were to finally taste the ever so raved, chili crab. Unleashing his character as a chef from the drama, Cho Jung Seok joked, “I would love to know how they cook the chili crab. It seems like they used tomato sauce? It was very delicious!”

They also surprised everyone by sharing that their famous kissing scenes did not require much practise or NGs. Since it was Park Bo Young’s first on-screen kiss, Cho Jung Seok made a lot of effort to make sure his co-star was very comfortable as they prepared for the scenes. Park Bo Young exclaimed that “Since it was my first kissing scene, I was very nervous but then I found out that he was even more nervous. So we eventually tried to make each other more comfortable.”

They also shared what they think makes this drama different and unique from other dramas. Park Bo Young said that “A lot of dramas always portray the guys that are always pursuing the woman, in this drama, however, the girl was the one that’s very aggressive.” Cho Jung Seok brought a lot of laughter when he added, in English, “I don’t really like aggressive girls but since its Park Bo Young I’m okay!”

The drama, Oh My Ghost, was mainly shot in the kitchen as Cho Jung Seok and Park Bo Young act as a famous chef and assistant cook respectively. Seeing their cooking skills in the drama, it is no surprise that they actually had a real chef to come and teach them the basic cooking skills like how to hold the pan and how to cut the ingredients. Park Bo Young also proudly revealed, “After the drama, I even learned how to cook really nice pasta.”

Even though the drama is very uplifting and comedic, there’s still a hint of horror. The main lead, Na Bong Sun, played by Park Bo Young, was able to see ghosts. Although she said that she have never encountered any ghosts in real life before, she shared that Cho Jung Seok actually had a very scary encounter before. Cho Jung Seok then revealed how he had a small conversation with a cleaning lady during one his musicals as he was resting backstage. “I did not know it was a ghost until my friend told me that there were no cleaning ladies on the crew,” bringing much chills to the audience.

The duo also shared what it is like working with the other characters on the show, mainly the enthusiastic mother Shin Eun Kyung and evil brother-in-law, Lim Ju Hwan. Park Bo Young revealed, “The way Ju Hwan smiled was really scary, even after the drama I still get creeped out when he smiles even though he is a really nice person!” Cho Jung Seok also shared how fun it was to act together with his on-screen mother. He shared how she was very spontaneous with the scenes. “The underwear scene was not supposed to be like that, but she wanted to make it even funnier so she added her own twist to it,”.

Cho Jung Seok and Park Bo Young ended off the media conference by bringing laughter to the audience by doing some aegyo. Even though Park Bo Young was too shy to do it, Cho Jung Seok showed that he was more than ready as he did the famous “I had a dream. I dreamt of a ghost,” aegyo causing everyone to burst out laughing.

Oh My Ghost! OH我的鬼神君 is currently airing on VV Drama (StarHub TV Channel 855) every Sunday at 10pm till 13 Sep. It will continue to be available via VV Drama On Demand (StarHub TV Channel 857) for one month till 13 Oct.

Synopsis
Na Bong-sun (Park Bo-young) has an extremely timid personality and doesn’t have any close friends. She is often reprimanded at her job as an assistant chef at Sun Restaurant. She also occasionally sees ghosts, thanks to a shaman grandmother. One day, Bong-sun gets possessed by a lustful virgin ghost named Shin Soon-ae. To make up for the lack of romance in her short life and believing that only by losing her virginity will she be able to “resolve her grudge” and move on to the afterlife, Soon-ae is determined to seduce as many men as she can by possessing various women, and she finds the perfect vessel in Bong-sun.

Bong-sun’s boss is arrogant star chef Kang Sun-woo (Cho Jung Seok), whom she secretly has a crush on. Sun-woo hasn’t dated anyone since getting his heart broken by his college friend Lee So-hyung, who’s now a TV producer. But when Bong-sun seemingly gets rid of her shyness and suddenly changes into a confident, dynamic woman, she finally catches his eye.

Article by: Ayuni
Photos by: Carmen
More HD photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stararena/albums/72157655879406603

We would like to thank Starhub for the invitation to this media conference.

[HD Photo Coverage] SNSD at Tencent Kpop Live Concert

More HD photos: https://www.flickr.com/gp/stararena/8Qtwxz

Tencent X Cantara Global Press conference

TENCENT KPOP LIVE, which is co-hosted by Tencent and Cantara Global, held their Press conference at Seoul Gangnam JBK conference hall on the 31st of August 2015.

This event was grace by directors of both company, billboard Asia CEO director, famous musicians and KPOP artists such as Hello Venus, Playback and Wannabe.
The press conference talked about their future and current status of the Tencent K-pop Live Concert series. Till date, Tencent K-pop Live Concert has reached out to large numbers of online viewers in China.

On the 31 August 2015, Tencent K-POP Live concert, they will be having SNSD as performers and many are looking forward to it.
We can look forward to artistes like F(X), Girls Days and Wonder Girls which are well-liked in China in the future concerts series of Tencent Kpop Live, held and co-hosted by Tencent and Cantara Global.

Hello Venus

WannaB

Playback

We would like to thank Tencent and Cantara Global for the invitation to this media conference.

[Article Coverage] BTS Live Trilogy in Hong Kong 2015

BTS-1 BTS (Bangtan Boys), a seven-membered idol group, held their first ever concert in Hong Kong, ‘BTS Live Trilogy Episode II. The Red Bullet’ on Saturday, 29 August 2015! The Hong Kong stop was also the last stop for the 2nd half of 2015 BTS Live Trilogy tour, which began in June 2015.

On the day of the concert, A.R.M.Ys (Bangtan Boys’ fans) arrived early at the concert venue and queued to enter the concert hall, all ready and excited to meet their idols. BTS performed numerous of their hit songs, such as Boy In Luv and N.O. During Propose, BTS’ vocal line (Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook) serenaded their fans with their voices and beautiful harmony.

At the concert, the members of BTS and Hong Kong A.R.M.Y celebrated leader Rap Monster‘s and youngest member Jungkook’s birthday. During the speech segment, fans and the BTS members sang a birthday song for both of them. BTS members V, Suga, Jin, J-Hope and Jimin also attempt their best to speak in Cantonese and English which left the fans laughing.

BTS Trilogy in Hong Kong Episode II. The Red Bullet proudly brought to you by Sun Entertainment Culture (太陽娛樂) and JACSO Entertainment (加秀娛樂).

More photos of BTS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stararena/sets/72157657917078926/

Article by: Andrea and Annissa F.

We would like to thank JACSO Entertainment for the invitation to cover this concert.

Jessica Jung shares her inspiration behind her collections at the Singapore Press Conference for the launch of Blanc & Eclare Denim Collection in collaboration with Salon by Surrender

Jessica-9

Singapore – Jessica Jung met up with the media for an exclusive press conference on August 27 held at Salon by Surrender, Marina Bay Sands, to talk about the launch of her Blanc & Eclare Denim Collection. Jessica gave insights on what inspires her fashion collection, the pros of being independent and what is in store for the future of Blanc & Eclare.

Wearing her favourite piece from her collection, a sailor-inspired white top, Jessica encompasses the motto “less is more”. She stresses that being understated describes her brand well. The reason behind her denim collection was simple. It is because she love denim. Jessica shared, “My favourite piece from the collection is the high-waisted jeans. It comes with two colors and it has a very nice fit, especially for Asian ladies and is super comfortable.”

When asked what her inspiration for her collection was, she simply exclaimed “Travelling! I love traveling and looking at the different cultures. Different colors from different places really help.” She also shared that the different styles from her sunglasses collection are from different cities. “For example, Paris has a more chic and elegant feel, hence the cat-eye frames. While Shanghai is more suited for round frames.” Jessica even joked that a design inspired by Singapore might even come out soon!

Jessica, who separated from popular girl group Girls’ Generation last year, just began working alone on her new fashion line Blanc & Eclare a few months ago and commented on the pros of working independently. “You can make decisions on your own and you are also able to work very closely with your team.” She also added that it was easier to communicate and share ideas with one another.

Not only is Jessica a well-known singer turned creative designer, she is also well-known to be the sister of idol, Krystal Jung, who is a member of f(x). These sisters even had their own variety show “On Style” where they share their everyday moments and occasionally talked about fashion. Hence, it is no surprise when Jessica shared that “Krystal have always been giving me input throughout my journey as a designer. She has been given me advice and it would be like that continuously.”

Jessica also shares that she values comfiness the most in her designs. It is important for her that people who buy her designs are comfortable in it. This shows how, even as a new creative director, she still manage to show how she prioritise the comfort of the people who wore her clothes as compared to the visuals of her design.

Jessica then ended off the press conference by concluding that she would love to work with other artists in the future and hope that everyone supports Blanc & Eclare.

This is the first time Creative Director, Jessica Jung came to Singapore to promote her new brand Blanc & Eclare. We hope that she continues to expand her brand and maybe eventually open up her own fashion store all over Asia. I’m sure lots of fans and fashion-enthusiast would look forward to that one day.

Article written by: Ayuni
Photos taken by: Hui Ling

We would like to thank Salon by Surrender for the invitation to this media conference.

[Article Coverage] EXO Planet #2 – The EXO’luXion – in Hong Kong

South Korea phenomenal boy group EXO came back to Hong Kong for their second concert titled EXO PLANET #2 – The EXO’luXion – in HongKong. The concert tour which started in Seoul on March 2015 was held for two days in Hong Kong Asia World Expo Arena from Sunday (16/8) to Monday (17/8). EXO’luXion in Hong Kong started at 7.30 pm sharp with Overdose, the song which is their 2nd Mini Album title in 2014, continued with History (2012) and El Dorado (2015).

EXO who came to Hong Kong with their leader Suho, and eight other members; Xiumin, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun also had a lot of fun during the Full Moon and Machine stage. EXO member Chanyeol stood in a big DJ equipment and soon, the concert hall changed into a huge clubbing session. All fans, from balcony to standing sections jumped together with the EXO members once the song started and it made the ground of seating section shook! EXO members especially asked the fans to have fun and put their camera inside the bag. “We had prepared different performances so please jump and play together with us! Everyone put down your cameras, play with us and enjoy our performance,” Baekhyun said.

EXO’luXion in Hong Kong which was organized by Media Asia Entertainment lasted for three hours. The concert was closed by a special song which was arranged by Chanyeol, Lay and Chen; Promise. During this song, the fans prepared a special banner project for EXO written in Korean “Forever we will be together! (We) promise (you)! Okay!” and this made the members speechless. During the encore speech, the youngest member Sehun expressed his gratitude towards their fans. “I already said this yesterday, but for the fans who weren’t here yesterday, I’ll say this one more time. I am happy because all of you are here. Thank you!”. A sweet song titled Angel was the closing song for their concert. Before went backstage, the EXO members promised they will come to Hong Kong again for their next concert. Thank you for the great performance, EXO! See you during your next concert!

Concert Set List:
1. Opening VCR – The EXO’luXion
2. Overdose Remix
3. History
4. El Dorado
5. Speech
6. Don’t Go
7. Playboy
8. Baby Don’t Cry (Kai and Sehun dance stage)
9. My Answer
10. VCR
11. The Star
12. Exodus
13. Hurt
14. VCR
15. Peterpan
16. XOXO
17. Lucky
18. 365
19. 2nd Speech
20. Christmas Day
21. First Snow
22. Miracles in December
23. Full Moon
24. Machine
25. Let out the Beast
26. Run
27. VCR
28. Call Me Baby
29. Love Me Right
30. Growl Remix
31. Wolf
32. 3rd Speech
33. MAMA
34. VCR
35. Promise
36. 4th Speech
37. Angel

Article by: Annissa F.

Photo coverage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stararena/albums/72157655134419853

We would like to thank Media Asia Entertainment for extending the invitation to us to cover this concert.

[Press Conference] ‘2015 1st Power Music with BTS and KM’

Press conference SH power music -1

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian A.R.M.Y, be prepared because BTS is coming to Indonesia! This 7 membered Korean boygroup which is consisting of Rap Monster, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook will be coming to Indonesia for the first time. It has been announced by PT SH Elim Jaya Entertainment previously that they are going to bring BTS to Jakarta for a Fanmeeting & Showcase on September 11th 2015. The event itself is titled as “2015 FIRST SH Power Music with BTS and KM”.

The fanmeet and showcase will be held at The Kasablanka Hall Jakarta for 2.5 hours. BTS is scheduled to sing around 10 – 15 songs. Besides, BTS promised to make all the fans in Indonesia happy by giving their best for this upcoming event in Indonesia. “BTS will give so many surprises for all fans in Indonesia, there will be games, high touch event, and others, please anticipate for it” said Romi, the representative from PT SH Elim Jaya Entertainment on the press conference held on 30th July 2015 at Snowbay Water Park, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.

This showcase will be opened by KM, an Indonesian girlgroup who is managed under SH Entertainment as the opening performer. KM is scheduled to sing 5 songs.

The presale of ticket has started from July 24th 2015 until July 28th 2015 and was said to receive good response so far. “The VVIP section is sold out, the reguler sales will be started as soon as possible for all sections except the VVIP” Marchelhya, the other representative from PT SH Elim Jaya Entertainment explained. A 10% discount and a snowbay ticket pass are given for all ticket holders who bought the presale tickets. The ticket price ranges from Rp 700.000,- to Rp 3.000.000,-. The sections are divided into five different sections which are VVIP, Major General, Major, Sergant, and Soldier respectively.

VVIP ticket holders will be getting high touch and photo session pass and Major General ticket holders will be getting the high touch pass only. For the other sections, don’t worry, you can be one of the lucky 100 fans to get a gift from BTS. Do you want to be the lucky fan?

Be sure to stay tuned on SH Entertainment’s twitter for more information and updates about the event!

Article and photo by: Angela

We would like to thank SH Entertainment for extending the invitation to StarArena for this press conference.

Are You Ready To Play With Jolin Tsai?

24^th July 2015 – The Queen of Chinese Pop was back in town for her fourth concert PLAY WORLD TOUR, titled after her latest album.

The night was full of the sexy entertainment and chock full of entertaining tunes that had the entire audience on their feet. Sets and costumes were spared no expense, as the singer donned headpieces and multiple costumes amidst props like a huge diamond-studded skull and a Barbie doll set up.

Jolin Tsai definitely knew how to impress as she appeared on stage with headpiece full of silvery snakes that each had a life of its own to the appropriately named song, “Medusa”. Her vocal skills had definitely improved since the last time she was here four years ago, and it was lovely to see Jolin rocking fast tempo songs to soaring notes in ballads.

Going back to her roots, Jolin pulled out hits and classics from her 16 years worth of tracks like “Prague Square” and “Dancing Diva”, as well as trying to squeeze in as much songs as possible in the three hour long concert. From highlights of certain tracks to medleys, the singer spiced things up with different arrangements that was a treat for fans, some of who flew in specially for her concert.

Her posse of dancers also did not let down, as they first appeared in high heels, providing a subtle subversion of gender roles, and later on became gazers in a jazz club scene.

Despite having a 360-degree stage, Jolin was not intimidated by the sheer size of the stage as she constantly revolved around the four sides of the stage. The pint-sized power dancing machine showed off her moves through the physically demanding dance routines, and did not seem to tire, fitting her title as a dancing diva.

Another highlight was when Jolin took a trip down memory lane, and turned the stage into a scene straight out of a 1920s movie as she appeared in a flapper dress.

Having made the news previously for her controversial track, “We’re All Different, Yet The Same” which she performed towards the end of the night, Jolin’s conviction in using music to support what she stands for showed her firm beliefs in encouraging a person to follow his feelings.

Known for her ease at speaking with the audience, fans were worried that fan interaction would be kept to a minimum as Jolin shared, but the singer started loosening up towards the end of her concert. Jolin’s musical ties to the local music scene were through two Singaporean musicians, brothers Paul and Peter Lee, who were amongst her first producers.

Jolin’s confidence and ease on stage comes with her many years of experience on stage, and she was in control of the entire atmosphere. She knew exactly how to get the energy level up, from telling the crowd to “Get Off Your Asses!” to snapping selfies.

Article by: Michelle Ng
Photos taken by: Quek Yu Shan

We would like to thank IMC Live Group and Star Planet for extending the invitation to StarArena to cover this event.

What to expect for BIGBANG World Tour 2015 [MADE] in Jakarta?

27 July 2015, Jakarta, Indonesia – The long wait is over. One of biggest Kpop groups, BIGBANG will be visiting Indonesia once again after their last visit to Indonesia for ALIVE Tour in 2012. This year, Indonesia is scheduled for MADE world tour on 1st August 2015 at Indonesia Convention Centre (ICE), BSD City which is promoted by MecimaPro.

In previous MADE Tour concerts, BIGBANG performed several songs from their recent album series from “M”, “A”, “D” such as Loser, Bae Bae, Bang Bang Bang, We Like to Party, Sober and If You. Not only the newest songs, VIPs will be satisfied with numerous hits songs and solo performances from each member of BIGBANG. In this press conference, the media were informed that this upcoming concert last around 2 hours, with BIGBANG performing around 20 songs. As to whether BIGBANG will perform their new series’ songs in this upcoming concert, it would be a surprise for those attending this concert held on 1st August 2015.

“The preparation itself is almost done, it’s like 80% and still on going, we are focusing on the production matters right now” said Adella Usman, the representative of the MecimaPro for the press conference held at Gandaria City on 26th July 2015. The Korean management has arrived in Jakarta since 25th July night to make the preparations for the upcoming concert this 1st August.

For VIPs who are going to watch the concert, selfie sticks, tab, pocket cameras and also professional cameras will not be allowed into the venue. “Only medias are allowed to bring professional cameras into the venue.” the representative of MecimaPro continued.

Regarding the seat sections, there are eight different sections. The VIP section will be getting more “services” as the VIP ticket holders can get a pass for both fast track and sound check. The tickets are still available both online and offline. For more details on ticket sales: https://stararena.co/2015/06/09/150801-bigbang-world-tour-made-in-jakarta/ Have you bought your tickets for this upcoming concert?

Photo and Article by: Angela

StarArena would like to thank MecimaPro for the invitation to attend this press conference prior to the concert.

[Article Coverage] Nam Ju Hyuk‘s Meeting with Hong Kong fans

Nam Ju Hyuk-1 On 8th July 2015, Nam Ju Hyuk appeared at Landmark North (上水廣場) for his first ever fan meeting in Hong Kong. Fans who have missed him since his first visit to Hong Kong in 2014 for MAMA were able to catch a glimpse of this sauve actor during this fan meeting.

The popularity of Nam Ju Hyuk, who acted in ‘Who are you – School 2015’, was evident when the whole mall was crowded with his fans; trying to take a photo of him, getting his attention using creative self-made banners and cards.

He appeared to be rather shy and during the interview, he said that he was pleasantly surprised by the number of fans who came to see him for this event. He also mentioned during the interview that he became best friends with M.I.B band’s Kangnam through the show ‘I’m Going to School’. He added that due to their busy schedules, they were unable to meet recently.

Last but not least, Nam Ju Hyuk shared that he is in the midst of preparing for a new drama and hope everybody will anticipate it. Fans of Nam Ju Hyuk do stay tune for his upcoming works!

Article by: Lau Wing Kam
Photo taken by: Fok Wing Lam

We would like to thank SMILES Production (笑聲製作有限公司) and Landmark North (上水廣場）for extending the invitation to StarArena to cover this event.