SKECHERS Sundown Festival Rocks on for 7th Time with Asia’s Biggest Bands

11986945_720073364765583_8309332352026181682_n Festival to be headlined by Thailand’s Potato, Japan’s INKT, Singapore’s Caracal and Indonesia’s J-Rocks

Singapore, 15 September 2015 – Asia’s leading music festival returns for the seventh year with some of the biggest Asian artistes of the moment scheduled to perform in Singapore on 21 November 2015.

Featuring artistes from around Asia, Thailand’s ‘Potato’, Japan’s ‘INKT’, Singapore’s ‘Caracal’ and Indonesia’s ‘J-Rocks’ are the initial line-up of headline acts scheduled to rock it out at the Skechers Sundown Festival 2015, with amazing artistes from Korea joining the ranks soon.

Staying true to its mission, of uniting Asia through music as well as creating a platform for local talents to showcase their skills, the Festival will also feature fringe acts comprising up and coming artistes. Homegrown Singaporean musicians ‘Cheryl Loon’, ‘Cashew Chemists’ and ‘Farrago’ are some of the exciting artistes performing this year, with special guests ‘Ground Zero’ from Taiwan!

Samantha Chan, Director of Red Spade Entertainment, “The local music scene has evolved positively over the years, and we now see more local bands making it big within Singapore and internationally. We are keen on giving them a place to showcase their talent, especially one where they can share the stage with other top regional bands.”

Added Kelvin Goh, Director of Red Spade Entertainment commented, “Over the past 6 years, we have brought over 70 acts and artistes from 11 countries across the region together and achieved our goal of uniting Asian musicians on one platform. Now, we have our sights firmly set on growing the Sundown Festival even more and taking it to regional locations around Asia in the future.”

“Skechers has a long history working with global music artistes. We’re excited to be presenting the Festival once more to show our support towards the progress of Asian music, giving a platform to Asian musicians to showcase their unique sounds,” said Susan Chua, Vice President, Skechers ASEAN.

The iconic Skechers Sundown Festival is held each year at the Marina Promenade, F1 Pit Area, bringing one singular platform to bridge Asian artistes, fans and diverse Asian cultures through music and food. Since its first showcase in 2009, the festival has now grown to more than three times in audience size.

Tickets (Early Bird @ $68, Category 2 General Admission @ $88; Category 1 Mosh Pit @ $118) go on sale from 18 September 2015 onwards.

For more information of the festival, please visit Sundown Festival’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mysundownfestival.

Date : 21 November 2015, Saturday
Time : 4:00 pm till late
Venue : Marina Promenade, F1 Pit Area (next to Singapore Flyer)
Tickets & Prices:
$ 68 – Early bird: General admission only
$118 – Category 1: Mosh pit (Only available on Peatix from 18 September 2015)
$ 88 – Category 2: General admission
$118 – Category 1: Mosh pit (available at SISTIC & Peatix from 1 October 2015)

Url: www.sundownfestival.sg

Make a date with South Korea’s hottest male star, Joo Won, in Singapore

Joo Won_The Gang Doctor_1 Joo Won (Photo credits: ONE)

ONE, the number one Korean entertainment channel in the region, will be bringing top Korean star, Joo Won (the lead actor of hit television series <The Gang Doctor>) on a 2-city tour of Jakarta and Singapore on 9^th and 10^th October 2015 respectively to meet fans.

This will be the first time that Joo Won will visit Southeast Asia, immediately after wrapping up the filming of <The Gang Doctor>.

Titled ‘A Date with Joo Won’ , the meet-and-greet session will allow his fans to have a upclose and personal session with the dashing, boyish actor.

The multi-talented 28-year-old star, who has acted in big-scale musicals, such as Altar Boyz, Grease, Spring Awakening, as well as in TV dramas and films, has been lauded for his charismatic and natural acting skills. Joo Won first appeared on TV in the 2010 drama, <King of Baking>, where he played the antagonist of the title character. The drama was hugely popular and achieved over 50% ratings, earning it a ‘national drama’ status in Korea. In 2013, Joo Won acted in <The Good Doctor> to acclaimed reviews and swept multiple acting awards for his role as an autistic doctor.

His latest work, <The Gang Doctor>, is Joo Won’s first TV drama on SBS (Seoul Broadcasting Network) and on ONE. Acting alongside other Korean big names, including Kim Tae Hee (Jang Ok Jung), Jo Hyun Jae and Chae Jung Ahn, the show has been dubbed the most popular Korean drama series of 2015, garnering record ratings in Korea and in the region. It is the first TV series to cross the 20% ratings mark in Korea since the 2014 supernatural hit <My Love From The Star>. And just days ago, it was also announced that due to its immense popularity, the series will be extended by two more episodes, bringing the total to 18 from 16 episodes. <The Gang Doctor> is currently airing on ONE, every Thu and Fri at 8.55pm/ 7.55pm (JKT), within 24 hours from Korean’s first telecast in the PPALI-PPALI show time.

ONE is available in Singapore on: Singtel TV Ch 513, 604 and StarHub TV Ch 124, 820 and 823.
ONE’s programmes are also available on demand on: Singtel TV Ch 514, 605

For more information, please visit www.onetvasia.com/JooWon

<The Gang Doctor> Synopsis

A medical prodigy with incredible surgical skills is forced to make illicit house calls to the wealthy to pay for his younger sister’s dialysis treatment. On one such assignment, he meets an heiress who has been kept in an induced coma by her brother as he desires her share of the inheritance. After she is rescued from her predicament, she embarks on her revenge against those who have plotted against her.

Seoul Girls Collection SGC Super Live 9th Fashion Show and Concert

SGC Super Live-2 South Korea – ‘SGC Super Live 9th Fashion Show and Concert’, organised by Seoul Girls Collection, was held successfully on 6th September 2015 at Ilsan KINTEX. This fashion show and concert, which lasted for approximately 3.5 hours attracted a large crowd and attention from fans and media. It included showcases of numerous collections and also performances of artistes such as GOT7, Wonder Girls, EXID, G-Friend, Monsta X, Pocket Girls and Kye Bum Zu.

SGC Super Live-6 SGC Super Live-1 SGC Super Live-4

There was also live streaming of the fashion show and concert, provided for many overseas viewers who were unable to attend this event in person.

GFriend-2

Not long ago, Seoul Girls Collection, has also announced ‘SGC Super Live’ World Tour in Manila, Bangkok and Singapore respectively. If you live in these countries, or is interested in going for any of these upcoming events, do stay tuned to their Facebook for more updates and details!

For more photos, do visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/stararena/albums.

Photos by: Quek Y. S.

We would like to thank Seoul Girls Collection for the invitation to this event.

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.

NTU students celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday with NTU Fest

Singapore, 29 August 2015

· K-pop girl group Dal Shabet and MediaCorp celebrities light up the night

· Record-breaking largest logo made of 10,000 photographs, made-in-NTU science and technology exhibition and art showcase to mark SG50

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students are holding their biggest public event of the year – NTU Fest – at the Promontory @ Marina Bay today. Comprising a day-long carnival, charity run and concert, the mega event celebrates Singapore’s Golden Jubilee and marks the start of NTU’s new academic year.

Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, will launch the event by unveiling NTU’s record-breaking NTU Fest logo formed by 10,000 photos of NTU students and the community. The photos – that took five months to put together to commemorate SG50 and will enter the Singapore Book of Records – surpass the previous record of more than 1,000 photos.

Mr Heng, who also chairs the Singapore50 (SG50) steering committee, will then launch the evening segment of the NTU Fest concert with a National Day song, accompanied by MediaCorp actress Rebecca Lim, NTU senior management and student performers.

Ms Tan Hui Jun, Chairperson of NTU Fest 2015 organising committee that has been working feverishly over the past year, said: “NTU Fest is a unique opportunity for the public to experience the richness and diversity of our university, as it showcases some of the best talents that we have at NTU.

“This year’s NTU Fest is particularly special as we also celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday. We hope this event will inspire people to see how far Singapore has come, and how bright the future looks with so many talented youths,” she added.

The student organisers’ final line-up of 50 carnival booths, 2,400 runners and a wide slate of local and international artistes attest to their hard work and success.

Celebrating Singapore’s Golden Jubilee

In celebration of SG50, the NTU students worked with the university to put together two exhibitions spanning a diversity of disciplines. An art exhibition features eye-catching art installations based on the theme of “SG50 and beyond”.

A science and technology exhibition presents more than a dozen made-in-NTU inventions. Among the innovations on display are interactive ageing technologies, cutting-edge medical devices and satellites designed and built by NTU students and researchers. NTU, which is driving to be at the forefront of electromobility research, is also showcasing a student-built car made out of 3D-printed parts, the NAVYA, Singapore’s first driverless vehicle, and BMW’s latest i8 hybrid sports car that runs on electricity and petrol and i3 electric car.

As a gesture to give back to the community, the students gathered more than 100 underprivileged children who have been mentored by NTU students and 41 needy families to participate in the charity run and spend the day at NTU Fest. In addition, proceeds from the registration fees for the run will go towards a two-year training programme in partnership with SportCares Foundation to promote character development in underprivileged youths. NTU students will mentor the youths and join them in swimming, sailing and windsurfing training.

Commenting on the students’ efforts, Associate Provost (Student Life), Associate Professor Kwok Kian Woon said: “I am proud of our students who have truly stretched their abilities and revealed new talents, as they give back to the community through this project. Given the huge scale of the event, not everything may run as smoothly as we would wish, but the students have proven yet again that they are up to the challenge. They have also showed us that they have big hearts. They have touched the lives of many disadvantaged children and families through this event and through their project to help the youths at SportCares.”

Star-studded line-up

Dalshabet (01) (Photo provided by NTU Singapore)

Performing at NTU Fest this evening are Dal Shabet, one of K-pop’s most popular girl groups and more than a dozen Mediacorp’s hottest stars and deejays. MediaCorp is the Platinum Media Partner of NTU Fest.

Dal Shabet is scheduled to perform some of their most popular hits, including Supa Dupa Diva, B.B.B (Big Baby Baby), and Joker, the new title track from their latest album Joker Is Alive.

Elvin Ng (Photo provided by NTU Singapore)

Five of the Eight Dukes of Caldecott Hill – Ian Fang, Shane Pow, Romeo Tan, Jeffrey Xu, Zhang Zhen Huan – will also be out to entertain the crowd. In addition, appearing on stage with Rebecca Lim are Elvin Ng, Jeffrey Xu and Zhang Zhen Huan, who star in Channel 8’s latest drama serial, Sealed with a Kiss, plus the cast of Channel 5 drama, Tanglin – Nat Ho, Eswari Gunasagar, Elfaeza Ul Haq and Jae Liew.

The evening show will be hosted by 987FM deejays Gerald Koh and Joakim Gomez from the popular radio show, The Bro Code.

Carnival full of treats and attractions

The carnival booths run by NTU students and vendors feature a wide range of cuisines, games and fun activities for the whole family.

Making appearances at MediaCorp’s Toggle booth in the carnival are up-and-coming actresses Jayley Woo and Seraph Sun as well as actor Shaun Chen. Local comedians Alaric Tay and Chua Enlai from The Noose will also appear in character.

NTU Fest’s Gold Media Partner, The Straits Times, also has a booth at the NTU Fest carnival.

This is the second year that NTU Fest is being held. Last year’s inaugural event at the Padang attracted more than 8,000 people and featured a star-studded line-up headlined by K-pop stars Running Man’s Kang Gary and singer Jung In as well as MediaCorp artistes.

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.

Ticketing information for 2015 1st SH Power Music with BTS and KM

Poster 2015 1st SH Power Music with BTS & KM

BTS-ticket-price-seat-plan1

Event: 2015 1st SH Power Music with BTS and KM
Date: 11th September 2015, Friday
Time: 6pm [4pm for VVIP ticket holders (high 5 & photo session) and Major General ticket holders (high 5)]
Location: The Kasablanka Hall, 3rd floor of Kasablanka City, Jakarta Indonesia

Things to expect on that day would be a showcase, group photo session (VVIP ticket holders), high 5 session (VVIP and Major General ticket holders) as well as a lucky draw where 100 fans will get a special gift from BTS!

Official ticketing partner:

Indotix (online & offline)
Website: http://www.indotix.com/
Twitter: @indotix
Outlets: Jakarta – Senayan Trade Centre (STC Senayan) Lantai 2 no 1044 and Ruko Grand ITC Permata Hijau Blok Sapphire No. 27
Bandung – Bandung Ticket B0X

YES 24 Indonesia (online)
Website: http://www.yes24.co.id/
Twitter: @yes24indonesia

Snow Bay, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (offline)
Twitter: @SnowBayID
Outlet: Counter Snow Bay, TMII. Jl. Pintu II, Komplek Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 13560
Promotion: There will be a discount of 10% for each ticket purchased at Snow Bay, TMII counter.

Major and Sergeant Class tickets are also available at Qoo10, http://shentertainment.qstore.id/ (Twitter: @qoo10INDO). Customers will be given 1 free ticket for Snowbay, for every ticket purchased.