Yuri, Hyoyeon and Shinhwa’s Lee Minwoo will be appearing on Mnet’s new survival dancing show ‘Dancing 9′ as Kpop dance masters, which starts airing on July 20th.

Yuri and Hyoyeon, the dancing queens of Girls’ Generation, as well as Lee Minwoo, a member of the legendary boy band Shinhwa, which made their debut 15 years ago, will be sharing their experiences and coaching the contestants of the new reality programme along with other dance celebrities.

The duo from Girls’ Generation, who had witnessed the spread of Kpop and its dances through their tours and performances worldwide said that they truly felt the powerful impact of dances. Through the show, Hyoyeon and Yuri would like to take the opportunity to share their experiences as part of a performing group and their skills in addition to things like fashion and trend. In the interview, they also said that they will to help contestants who are trying to make a name for themselves with dancing.

Yuri and Hyoyeon always amaze with their dancing skills and the latter came in as runner-up in dancing reality show ‘Dancing with the Stars 2′ so their participation in ‘Dancing 9′ is hugely anticipated.

‘Dancing 9′, the new-concept dance survival programme will include various dances including contemporary dance, dance sports, jazz, street, Kpop dances and more. A total of 500 million won in prize is up for grabs in the dance competition.

‘Dancing 9′ will start on July 20th at 11 pm KST.

Credit: joynews24.com + tvdaily.co.kr + ‘Dancing 9‘ official website

Sunny will be lending her voice for the original soundtrack of MBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘The Queen’s Classroom’ for a song titled ‘Second Drawer’ (두번째 서랍).

The drama, a remake from a 2005 Japanese drama ‘Queen of the Classroom’ (Joo no Kyoshitsu), stars big name actress Go Hyunjung as the cold-hearted teacher and her students.

The song ‘Second Drawer’ is the theme song of one of the main characters, a student Sim Hana portrayed by child actress Kim Hyanggi and the song will depict the feelings of her character. ‘Second Drawer’ is said to be an emotional ballad, which has lyrical melody that goes well with Sunny’s vocals and a preview of the song was heard in the first episode of the drama aired on June 12th.

‘Second Drawer’ will be released at noon on June 13th across major online music sites.

Credit: sportschosun.com

Girls’ Generation has successfully kickstarted the first leg of their 2013 ‘Girls & Peace’ World Tour in Seoul on June 8th and 9th! With two consecutive concerts over the weekends, the girls definitely didn’t hold back on their performances as they managed to keep fans captivated and cheering passionately throughout the three-hour concert extravaganza!

To start off the three-hour concerts, the girls heated up the stadium with ‘Hoot’ and went on to perform about 30 songs overall, which of course, includes their hit title songs such as ‘Gee’, ‘Genie’, ‘The Boys’, ‘I Got A Boy’ and more as well as their hit Japanese singles including ‘Mr. Taxi’, ‘Flower Power’ and ‘Paparazzi’.

Besides that, they also performed a few surprises including a nine-person version of subunit TaeTiSeo’s ‘Twinkle’, a cover of an English classic from the 60s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ and the group’s brand new yet-to-be released Japanese single ‘Love & Girls’. Some other lesser performed songs from their many albums were refreshing to the audience and it includes songs like ‘Say Yes’, ‘TOP’, ‘Express 999′, ‘Reflection’, ‘Talk Talk’ and more.

Other than the catchy dance songs with powerful moves, the girls also performed soothing ballads with their sweet voices such as ‘Promise’, one of their earlier Korean songs ‘Baby Baby’, ‘Forever’ and ‘How Great Is Your Love’.

The wonderfully carried out performances and the well-arranged setlist plus the brilliantly-choreographed stage effects kept fans on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the performances throughout the three-hour concert and there wasn’t a dull moment or any chances for the audience to seek even a toilet break!

The beautiful pink ocean created by the thousands and thousands of fanlights held by fans were an amazing sight to behold and it did not stop throughout the concert except for a few short minutes when the girls were treated to a little fan event during the song ‘Baby Baby’ where everyone switched to the yellow lightsticks, which was given to everyone and the yellow ocean matched the mellow tones of the song. On the second day, fans prepared a paper slogan event, which was beautiful and it brought touching tears to the girls and the audience alike.

Meanwhile, Girls’ Generation 2013 ‘Girls & Peace’ World Tour has been confirmed for Taiwan on July 20th and 21st at the Taipei Arena and it has been rumoured to be held in other countries but we are still awaiting more news and confirmation on this.

The setlist of the Seoul leg of the concert is as follows (might not be completely correct and further confirmation is needed):

1. Hoot
2. Animal
3. Talk Talk
4. The Boys
5. I Got A Boy
6. Say Yes
7. Dancing Queen
8. Mr. Taxi
9. TOP
10. Flower Power
11. Paparazzi
12. Run Devil Run
13. Reflection
14. Promise
15. Baby Baby
16. I’m a diamond
17. Express 999
18. Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
19. The Great Escape
20. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
21. My J
22. Kissing You
23. Himnae (Way To Go)
24. Gee
25. Forever
26. Into The New World
27. Love & Girls
28. Oh!
29. 봄날 (How Great Is Your Love)
30. Twinkle

Stay tuned to Fanwonder.com for more updates on Girls’ Generation’s 2013 ‘Girls & Peace’ World Tour!

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade…

- An excerpt from William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18′

So, what’s with the sudden sonnet, you ask? Instead of writing the typical birthday tribute, I thought of writing it with a theme instead. Somehow, the sonnet was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of comparing Yoona to the four seasons. I guess those English literature lessons finally came to good use.

As we approach the end of May, we are stepping into the warm and humid summer season (in temperate countries anyway). So how do we liken our dear Yoona to summer? Good ol’ Willie put it in a wonderful way. Certainly, Yoona is more lovely and constant than a hot and sometimes stormy summer’s day. Like the contents of the sonnet, everything beautiful will gradually lose its beauty but strangely, the youth and beauty we see in Yoona never did fade. Instead, she somehow managed to continue keeping us in awe by getting more and more beautiful (if not goddess-like) throughout the years.

Like summer, Yoona always continues to amaze us with her bright and cheerful personality, not to mention that smile that brightens up your day, however bad it has been. She is one of those kind of unforgettable people that you will always remember once you have met her. She was one of the first members of Girls’ Generation that I got to know and there were no turning back ever since, because she and the rest of the group are like magnets pulling you in with their unwavering and passionate performances as well as their sometimes quirky and dorky personalities. And besides that, summer is the season to be outdoors, to embrace the sun and enjoy doing things you couldn’t in other cooler seasons. Perhaps that was why the outdoor wear company chose Yoona as their model – because of her charming and outgoing personality that fitted so well with the outdoors and nature.

After summer, we will witness the weather turning cooler and leaves starting to turn to a shade of crimson and brown before they start to fall and glide gently off the trees, often providing a beautiful scene to behold. It is autumn and it is a beautiful and melancholic but somewhat romantic season. The gentle breeze in autumn takes the humidity and heat off summer. Like scenic autumn, Yoona is often seen with a certain air of grace and poise except when she’s goofing off when the rest of the group or when she is laughing her head off (just metaphorically of course). She is the epitome of beauty and elegance when she needed to be, such as during important events or award ceremonies.

Other than the vibrant colours of nature, autumn also gives off a comfortable and cozy atmosphere; it is neither too cold or too warm to stay outdoors and it is the perfect setting for a walk in the park or just a stroll in the city. The same goes for Yoona. Despite being a huge star in Korea and everywhere else, she doesn’t give off a cold or diva-like feeling; she always seemed to be nice and friendly to people around her, be it fans or staff.

Now that we’re done with my favourite season of the year, we come to the chilling winter, which can get unforgivably cold in the early months of the year. While Yoona isn’t the ‘Ice Princess’ of the group, she has shown that she could pull off the cold image if she wanted to, such as in some photo shoots she has done over the years. It would be refreshing if she could challenge a cold character as an actress as it would be a huge contrast with her usually warmn and friendly image on and off dramas.

However, for most parts, Yoona is like the warmth that we seek in the middle of winter. Her cute and cheerful personality melts the coldest of hearts and that was probably how she won the affection and love from so many fans from all over the world. Also, winter is where the jolly season of Christmas falls and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Yoona and the rest of Girls’ Generation is perhaps the best gift we have ever received in our lives. Can you imagine how life would be if we never got to know them? No? Me neither.

And finally, spring – the season for love, the beautiful season for blooming flowers and chirping birds. Like spring, Yoona is always refreshing and you really can’t help but love her when you see the perfection that she is and that doesn’t change over the years. Whoever your biases are, you can’t deny that you will always have a soft spot for Yoona because she is that special. And spring, you know what people always says about it – it’s spring so love is in the air! Having always making an appearance on polls that go along the lines of celebrities you would want as your first love or celebrities you would want to date, I guess it is no surprise that people loves Yoona and there’s just no reason not to. She makes you feel like falling in love again and I guess that’s what spring is about too.

One of the highlights of spring is the blooming of the flowers to signal the end of winter, the end of the cold and the emptiness in nature while all goes to rest. It certainly wouldn’t be too much to say that Yoona has bloomed into one of the prettiest people I have ever seen. Her photos as a child and teenager were often shared whenever topics of celebrities’ younger days were brought up. She hasn’t changed much (you can tell it’s Yoona from the first glance at her younger self) and yet she managed to get more and more beautiful by day. Beauty isn’t just skin-deep though; the beauty of her heart and personality somehow manages to radiate on her person and made her perfect, or as close to perfection as anyone can get.

Spring gives off the happy and pleasant feeling – the same could be said about Yoona. She makes one feel like they are walking and bouncing with light steps; she makes one feel so dizzingly-happy like they could sing and dance in the streets accompanied by the spring air and the fragrance of blossoming flowers.

While words and photos aren’t enough to describe how lovely and wonderful Yoona is, we would like to take this opportunity to wish Yoona a very happy birthday! Be yourself always because we love you for who you are. Smile and take care always because we are always here for you. Now, enjoy your day and have a great year ahead!

Photo credits: limyoona.com, Eider, yoonyul.com, Newsen, Innisfree

After six long years since their last concert here, the boys of TVXQ made their return to Malaysia with yet another set of jaw-dropping performances!

The boys of TVXQ were in town last weekend for the Malaysian leg of their ‘TVXQ! ‘Catch Me’ Live World Tour’, which started in Seoul in October 2012 and has since sold out all across Asia!

TVXQ’s Yunho and Changmin kept fans and concertgoers captivated with their passionate and dazzling performances throughout the near three-hour concert with hit songs from their career including the opening performance of ‘Rising Sun’, ‘Mirotic’, ‘Catch Me’, ‘Humanoid’, Changmin’s heartfelt performance of self-written track ‘Confession’, Yunho’s enchanting performance of ‘Honey Funny Bunny’ and many more.

To the delight of local fans, Yunho and Changmin also greeted in Malay with phrases such as “Apa khabar? Kami TVXQ!” and “Saya sayang awak”.

Thousands of fans were entertained by the spectacular performances of TVXQ at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam last Saturday evening (May 18th) and the RM1.5 million-invested concert stage with an unique layout provided an intimate concert setting for the concert to allow a closer and more personal experience with TVXQ’s signature dance moves, catchy beats and of course, the soulful ballads.

The collaboration of JPM Music and Korean companies SM Entertainment and Dream Maker Entertainment made this successful concert possible and we would like to convey our sincere thanks to them for allowing coverage at the astounding and breath-taking TVXQ concert in Malaysia. We also look forward to more Kpop concerts in Malaysia in the future!

Yuri will be taking on her first lead role as an actress in her first ever movie!

As announced by SM Entertainment on May 16th, Yuri has been selected as the lead female role for the movie ‘No Breathing’ alongside Lee Jongsuk and Seo Inguk, where she will play the role of a musician in a movie, which revolves around the theme of swimming, the first of its kind in Korea.

In ‘No Breathing’, a film about the love and friendship of three youths who were childhood friends, Yuri will play the character of Jungeun, a girl with a laidback personality with dreams to become a musician and her character will be involved in a love triangle with the male leads.

When interviewed about the good news, Yuri said that she was happy to be able to show a new side of herself through the movie and she liked the character after reading the scenario for it. She promised to work hard for her debut film, which is scheduled to start its shooting on May 19th and will make its premiere in the second half of the year.

Credit: enews24.net, starnnews.com, Newsen

TVXQ! EVENT CREW SET THE STAGE FOR AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK PERFORMANCE IN MALAYSIA!

TVXQ! “Catch Me” World Tour, Live in Malaysia, 18 May 2013

Kuala Lumpur, 15 May 2013 – Kuala Lumpur shall soon welcome the return of ‘K-Pop royalty’, TVXQ!, the biggest alternative Korean pop band in Asia. With the performance they’ve all been waiting for just around the corner, Malaysian Cassiopeias are brimming with excitement – and rightly so! TVXQ! ‘Catch Me’ Live World Tour concert organiser, JPM Music, has now been joined by the band’s production crew (all the way from South Korea) and are in the process of building the stage that will be unlike any other stage used in TVXQ’s Asian tour so far.

More than RM1.5 million has been invested in the development of this stage which is specially designed for the Malaysian fans to enjoy an intimate concert experience. The layout of the stage and audience seating allows a great number of fans to feel that they are getting up-close-and-personal with Max and U-Know as they rock the stadium with their electrifying dance moves and soulful sounds.

This performance will mark TVXQ!’s third appearance in Malaysia since the band was formed in 2003 and it is also their first time performing in Malaysia after an absence of 6 years. Their break from the limelight has not left the group’s following to diminish and in fact, their fan base in Malaysia has continued to grow over the years. So whilst many of the thousands attending the concert this weekend will be long time followers of TVXQ!, there will also be many new fans who have been won over by the boys’ previous successes and earlier music.

Fans attending the concert which will be held at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam on 18th May 2013, are advised to take note that the concert time has been changed to 6.00pm. For those who are still keen but have yet to make arrangements – tickets are available (but in limited supply) and there’s just 3 days left before the big day so don’t miss out!

Tickets are available to purchase through http://www.ticketcharge.com.my and all official outlet of Rock corner.

For more information, please log on to www.jpmmusic.com.my or visit the official JPM Music Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JpMusic.my. Email to enquiry@jpmmusic.com.my for any enquiry of tickets or call +603-77128690 (Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm) for details. You can register yourself at www.jpmmusic.com.my to get the latest concert updates too.

It’s May 15th and it’s a Sunny day today! In conjunction with Sunny’s 25th birthday, let’s take a look at the A to Z of the irreplaceable sunshine of Girls’ Generation!

Alcohol: Sunny’s drinking prowess is well-acclaimed by her members!

Birthday: Sunny shares the same birthday as her two older sisters!

Catch Me If You Can: Sunny played the role of Brenda twice in the Korean production of the Broadway musical; first, in the second quarter of 2012 and the second time from December 2012 to February 2013.

Dubbing: Sunny participated in dubbing (or voice-acting) for animated film ‘Koala Kid: Birth of A Hero’ with SHINee’s Taemin.

Energy pill: One of Sunny’s nicknames. Why? Just take a look at her famous aegyo!

Fashionista: While most of Girls’ Generation are fashionistas in their own rights, Sunny is the one who pulls off the best sporty-casual fashion, which is evident especially in airport photos!

Gamer: Apparently, Sunny’s an avid gamer and I’ll bet that she can probably beat the majority of us at it too!

Handsome: Sunny came top in a poll where she took the majority of being a female celebrity who is both pretty and handsome! Fellow member Yuri came in second.

Intelligent: Sunny is smart and agile when it comes to handling surprising incidents that happened out of the blue. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

Jitters: or the lack thereof. Have you seen her handling chickens, snakes and cow without fear?

Kuwait: Sunny was born in California but her family moved to Kuwait she was just an infant but due to the Cold War, her family moved to South Korea.

Lee Soonkyu: The endearing Korean name of Sunny. She once jokingly said that Soonkyu is her offstage personality/alter-ego while Sunny is the glamorous Girls’ Generation member that people see on stage.

MC: Sunny played the role of emcee for several shows including music shows ‘The M’ and ‘Music Island’ as well as major events such as the Super Joint Concert in Thailand in April 2013.

Nomination: In the 6th ‘The Musical Awards’ in 2012, Sunny was nominated for ‘Best New Actress’ for her role as Brenda in musical ‘Catch Me If You Can’.

Original Soundtracks (OSTs): Do you know that Sunny participated in several OSTs for dramas? In 2012, she sang ‘It’s Me’ with f(x)’s Luna for the ‘To The Beautiful You’ OST and previously, she has also lent her vocals to the OSTs of other dramas such as ‘Oh! My Lady’, ‘Heading to the Ground’ with Taeyeon and more.

Pyrotechnics: Even the bravest person has their weakness too! Sunny has a fear of loud noises and she still gets surprised at the sounds of pyrotechnics! Poor Sunny!

Quotable: If you look past that first impression of Sunny’s aegyo and cuteness, she is probably wiser than most of us. She said a lot of quotable things in recent times such as “It’s most rewarding when I hear that fans gained strength from watching Girls’ Generation. Girls’ Generation will put on more performances to give you strength so you can say those things for a long long time.”

Radio host: Sunny was a DJ for the radio show ‘Chunji’ until July 2008.

Slam Dunk: She once mentioned that her favourite manga is the sports-themed manga ‘Slam Dunk’. She also said that she enjoyed reading ‘One Piece’.

Talented: She is one of main vocals of the group, she dances, she acts, she models, she hosts events, tv programmes and radio shows plus she excels in variety shows. Need I say more?

Uncle: It’s a widely-known fact that SM Entertainment’s founder Lee Soo Man is Sunny’s uncle.

Variety shows: Sunny is well-known for being a variety-dol (an idol who excels and is entertaining in variety shows) and she has taken part in various variety shows such as ‘Invincible Youth’ with fellow member Yuri, ‘Invincible Youth 2’ with Hyoyeon and ‘Star Golden Bell’ in earlier days.

Witty: One of the factors of Sunny’s success in variety shows is probably her wit and humour, bringing the shows to life with laughter!

Xantrochroic: Initially, Sunny gave everyone a huge surprise when she appeared with short, blonde hair during ‘The Boys’ but I think it is safe to say that most of us fell in love with that cool and chic transformation!

Youthful: Ever since Girls’ Generation’s debut, Sunny has been given the nickname ‘fake maknae’ because she was often thought as the group’s youngest member!

Zealous: Sunny may have been the last to join the company and the group but she was by no means lacking. She had previously diligently trained for many years at another entertainment company before auditioning for SM Entertainment, nailing it and debuting as the last member of Girls’ Generation!

So, the A to Z of Sunny are just the tip of the iceberg for this lovable person that you have to get to know over time! Words and facts aren’t enough to show you how wonderful she truly is. And for now, while still on the never-ending path of getting to know her and loving her, we shall conclude this with a sincere birthday.

From all of us at Fanwonder.com, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNNY! We love you!

Credit: Helianthus (leesoongyu.com), usnthem.dothome.co.kr, YuriKwonBlkPearl3@youtube.com, cho09@youtube.com, ctimtiyaz@youtube.com

Guess who’s the next Girls’ Generation member to throw the opening pitch for a baseball game?

It’s no other than Tiffany and she will be throwing the first pitch for a Major League Baseball’s game between Los Angeles Dodgers versus Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles at 7.10 pm PDT on May 6th!

Tiffany is appearing at the baseball game in support of fellow Korean, Ryu Hyunjin, a left-handed starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers team, who was just signed with them last December for a $36-million deal. He is also reportedly a fan of Girls’ Generation.

Meanwhile, singer PSY also made a recent appearance at a Dodgers’ game last Tuesday where the team beat the Colorado Rockies.

Other than the opening pitch for the game, Tiffany will be involved in a photo shoot while she is in LA.

Credit: girlsgeneration@twitter, hankooki.com, sportschosun.com