All right, here’s some PR in action: A song from EZ Hyoung’s newly released second album is being used to promote the U.S. version of the romantic drama movie My Sassy Girl.

EZ Hyoung’s label Antenna Music is touting this as a big deal, that his song “Beatles Cream Soup” has been selected as the “Korean image song” for the film, but don’t think this means he’s going Hollywood all of a sudden — this is only for the Korean release of the movie on October 30. The flick starring Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford has pretty much already fizzled on whatever U.S. buzz it was hoping for, going straight to DVD earlier this summer.

According to Antenna Music, the song is also said to be used in another U.S.-produced indie film, but as no specifics are given (the contract hasn’t been finalized yet), forgive me for not being impressed. Don’t get me wrong — I like EZ Hyoung — I just find transparent attempts at PR to be laughable.

SONG OF THE DAY

EZ Hyoung - “Beatles Cream Soup” [ Download ]

Via Star News

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Meh.

The “female Rain” pop dance-singer Sohn Dambi is making her Hollywood acting debut.

One thing she’s got going for her is that her debut comes in a dance-themed movie, Hype Nation, and even if her vocals are mediocre, she’s a decent (though overhyped) dancer (see MV below). The flick is backed by Universal and, according to the article, was in search of a female lead “with East Asian appeal.” Hence Sohn Dambi taking the role.

She’ll star alongside hip-hoppers B2K, who face off in the movie against top Korean b-boy group Gambler. Because she’ll speak entirely in English, she plans to start studying with an English tutor.

Apparently she also hopes of breaking through to the U.S. music scene, but is starting with film. (I say: A pan-Asian superstar like Boa has the odds stacked against her, so it’ll only be that much harder for a B-list singer like Sohn Dambi to break through…) Also, she’s pretty, but she’s never acted before, and the fact that she was cast despite non-fluency in English plus an absence of demonstrated acting ability doesn’t make me approach this movie with high hopes.

Check out her “Cry Eye” video (which makes me laugh, for all the wrong reasons):

Via My Daily

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(At least figuratively?)

U-Know Yunho and Micky Yoochun light up the stage (top pic) with the rest of their DBSK groupmates at the 2008 Asia Song Festival.

October 4, Seoul World Cup Stadium.

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According to the Seoul Central District Court, the Korea Music Copyright Association received a request from an American songwriter that sales be stopped for Jang Nara’s sixth album “Dream of Asia.” She’s charged with infringing on copyright by recording a song without permission, “Mirage” [신기루], for which she also recorded its English version, “If You Ask Me To” (listen below).

Korean version “Mirage”:

Engrish version “If You Ask Me To”:

The written application states: “The producers used the song on the sixth album without consent of the copyright holders, and the American songwriter has clearly stated never giving permission… This is a clear act of copyright infringement.” The application demanded that the album be pulled from online music services, and the recording cease production and sales.

Bad Korea! We all know you rip off artists all the time, but now you’re finally starting to get called on it legally. First Hyori, now this? Maybe kpop would be better if you started writing your own songs. (Then again, maybe not.)

Via Yonhap News

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(First thought at seeing the photo: Why don’t I have a disco-ball swing?)

Rapper MC Mong performs to 8,000 concertgoers at Seoul’s Jamsil Stadium on the evening of August 30. DJ KOO opened the show; MC Mong performed a duet with Park Jung-hyun (”Love you to death”), and also had special guests Sohn Ho-young and Cool.

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