Though it makes their legs look longer and leaner, these so-called kill heels literally killing celebrities’ precious feet.

Recently, on an online community forum appeared a series of photos featuring female stars’ abused feet from kill heels. The photos show IU, 4minute’s HyunA, SISTAR’s Bora and KARA’s Goo Hara, revealing their bare feet. Female entertainers including girl group members usually wear high heels in order to make their legs look longer and prettier as well as make the figure appear more beautiful.

Wearing these kill heels for hours is quite painful as they seem swollen or appear to have band aids all over covering the blisters. Some stars are captured with pain-relief bandages and patches on their calves to relieve pain and stress from their tired muscles. Netizens commented, “How could such bad things be happening to such young girls”, “It must hurt so much” and “They have no choice because they need their legs to look pretty.”

cr : dkpopnews.net

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Recently, diet for each girl group has been revealed.

In the episode of KBS 2’s Entertainment News that aired on March 17, the segment “Entertainment Report Now” aired an analysis focused on stars’ diet.

The rookie group Stellar (composed of Ga Young, Jeon Yul, Minhee, Hyoeun) reveals their well-prepared lunch box filled with low-calorie food such as cherry tomatoes, eggs, and chicken breast. Among the food, a squid draws particular attention, and the group shares diet know-how: for a good diet, eat only the body of squid, not the legs.

Brave Girls (composed of Eun Young, Seo Ah, Yejin, Yoojin, Hyeran), the group which is busy performing “Nowadays You,” come up with an orange and reveal that orange is the main food for their diet. The model-dol (compound of “model” and “idol”) Nine Muses (Sera, Leesem, Eunji, Euaerin, Minha, Hyemi, Hyuna, Kyungri) shows their particular way of dieting, using a paper cup. They fill two thirds of the cup with some steamed rice and the rest with side dishes made of vegetable.

The main diet dishes for the Korea’s leading girl group SNSD (members of Yuri, Yoona, Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun, Jessica, Sooyoung) are brown rice, broccoli, chicken breast, and salad. Secret (HyoSeong, Seon Hwa, Ji Eun, Jing Geo), on the other hand, eats banana, sweet potato, milk, and tofu.

Another attracting point of the episode was when actress Cho Eun Suk unveils the secret of her well-defined abs, the boiled short arm octopus.

Source: Xportsnews

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On January 30th, U.S. magazine "The Atlantic" (Boston, MA) published an article online titled, "Does Korean Pop Actually Have a Shot at Success in the U.S.?"

K-Pop has already made a path for itself in South Korea and Japan, and has been stretching over the countries in Asia for awhile. In the last year or so, K-Pop began making its way worldwide, holding K-Pop concerts in Brazil, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, England, Germany, and more.

This week, U.S. television will introduce some of the most popular K-Pop acts, the Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation.

Girls' Generation will be appearing on "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday and "Live With Kelly" on Wednesday. On Thursday, "The Wonder Girls," Wonder Girls' fictional attempt into finding fame in New York City, will air on TeenNick at 8PM.

The Atlantic writes, "If those sound like small inroads to the American market, it's worth realizing how large these bands' ambitions are. The history of Asian pop stars attempting to crash the U.S. is one littered with artists who went from superstardom in their native country to anonymity in America, along with others who found success only when they morphed into actors or cartoon characters. But the latest contingent headed for the U.S. comes equipped with innovative promotional strategies that may set them up for fame exceeding those of their predecessors.'"

The articles goes on to describe the Wonder Girls success in South Korea before making their way into the U.S. and performing as the opening act for the Jonas Brothers's U.S. tour. It also highlights the Wonder Girls' success at being the first Korean artists to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009 with their English single "Nobody."

It then describes Girls' Generation's plan of a U.S. debut by having Snoop Dogg feature in their remix single for "The Boys." Another hot and popular South Korean female group, 2NE1, was described as "a quartet that raps and sings over often-aggressive beats." The writer then adds that Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am has been working with the group for their U.S. debut album.

But will these latest South Korean acts make any waves in the U.S. market? The writer continues, "While these three Asian outfits are the latest to harbor U.S. hopes, they aren't the first. That distinction was awarded back in 1963, when Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto's melancholy tune "Ue o Muite Aruko" (retitled to "Sukiyaki" in the West) became one of the most unlikely songs to top the Billboard charts. For three weeks, the sung-in-Japanese track stayed at number one, making Sakamoto the first Japanese artist to chart and the only one ever to reach the top spot."

Other Asian artists who made their attempts, but never reached the success that Kyu Sakamato had, included Pink Lady (Japan), Hikaru Utada, BoA, Puffy (Puffy AmiYumi), and Rain.

"First was Japan's Hikaru Utada, who made two of the top three best-selling albums in Japan over the last decade and was named as the "most influential artist" of the '00s by the Japan Times. She released her English debut in 2004, which featured production work from Timbaland and was greeted with indifference. Four years later, the "Queen Of Korean Pop Music" BoA also tried to crossover via an English album and a remix featuring hot-at-the-time Flo Rida."

"Similarly, Korean superstar Rain was named one of the "100 Most Influential People Shaping Our World Today" by Time magazine and went on to appear in the film Speed Racer and star in the movie Ninja Assassin. Yet despite building his fame in Korea on music, Rain never released any music in the United States. He sold out a few concerts, but he is ultimately more famous in America for having a dance-off with Stephen Colbert than for any songs he has made."

Closing the article, the writer comments on the Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, and 2NE1's success rate in their attempt to break into the U.S. market.

On the Wonder Girls, the writer says, "Whereas Utada and BoA just showed up in America and presumed being big in Asia would equal sales abroad, Wonder Girls is being introduced—or, for those who saw them open for The Jonas Brothers, further developed—specifically for the teen and tween markets. Given the music industry's hyper-segmentation, it's a smart move to focus on the same audience that turned artists like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato into household names."

However, Girls' Generation doesn't seem to favor as good a comment as the Wonder Girls, and the writer writes that they "seem poised to repeat the mistakes of previous Asian artists. They released "The Boys" virtually void of promotion, and now will have to hope an established American rapper can give them a boost—although, to be sure, "featuring Snoop Dogg" trumps "featuring Flo Rida" any day."

Not much is said about 2NE1's chance of success as they have yet to release anything official for their U.S. debut.

You can read the entire article by "The Atlantic" here.

NOTE: The article makes a mistake that the Wonder Girls' made their debut through a reality show showed on MTV, which was actually "MTV Wonder Girls," a show that was used to introduce the members to fans prior their official debut.

Source: The Atlantic , koreaboo.com

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How much money does it take to dress, feed, and shelter a girl group?

According to Y Star, a Korean cable channel, the figure comes out to 65 million won per month for a popular 7-member girl group. The figure translates into approximately $60,000 United States dollars.

The biggest drain on money, not unexpectedly, is for the monthly rent on their dormitories. Approximately $22,000 dollars are spent on sheltering a girl group each month.

Apart from that, money spent on hair and makeup comes to a whopping $19,000 dollars per month – and that’s with a 50 percent celebrity discount. For skin care, companies invest $9,000 dollars to keep their idols looking blemish-free.

Add in the miscellaneous expenses – $10,000 dollars for food and transportation – and the companies are looking at nearly $60,000 dollars per month to keep their stars on top.

Source: Star Today via Nate

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A warning bell has been sounding over the health conditions of girl groups lately, as many have admitted to taking an IV.

On December 24th, reporters were able to meet with girl groups backstage from KBS 2TV’s “Music Bank“, and were shocked to discover bandages on the members’ hands. These bandages covered the contact points where IV needles were inserted.

Orange Caramel’s Raina expressed, “Our members aren’t in good health lately. Colds and fevers are common, but because of the fatigue, we’re not in good condition. I just got an IV at the hospital before coming here. Maybe it’s because of my cold, but my throat is closed up, so I’m worried about my live.”

In SISTAR’s waiting room are medicine bags labelled with Hyorin and Bora’s names. Hyorin revealed, “Sometimes we get IV treatments at the hospital and get medicine. All of our members got an IV before coming here.”

Trio group VNT added, “Yumi isn’t in good condition and got an IV as well.”

SECRET, who created two hits this year with “Madonna” and “Magic,” expressed some of their fatigue as well. Member Zinger was revealed to have been in the hospital for laryngitis recently.

TS Entertainment, their agency, stated, “Zinger had a fever along with laryngitis so she got treated at the hospital in addition to receiving an IV. She’s gotten a lot better now, and is just taking medicine.”

The reason for their deteriorating health is their killer schedule. Girl groups are also forced to work in unfavorable conditionsm such as having to wear mini-skirts, hot pants, and tube tops in freezing weather. Such outfits have recently developed into a controversy with T-ara‘s outdoor ‘Yayaya‘ performace.

Girl groups are also not given ample time to rest. With many year-end ceremonies to prepare for and unending event schedules lined up, those that are lucky get around 2-3 hours of sleep at best.

Starship Entertainment, SISTAR’s agency, revealed, “Because of their busy schedule, the members haven’t been able to rest properly. We’re trying to give them a break period as best as we can, but with preparations for year-end events, interviews, and broadcast programs, it’s not as easy as we thought.”

Regardless of such conditions, these talented girls have managed to get up on stage and show off their vocals while executing perfect dance choreographies, impressing many with their ‘professional mindset.’

Source: Sports Chosun

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In your opinion , Which girl group member is the most popular in Japan?

Japan’s SNS site Mixi researched on the Korean girl groups with the greatest number of fanclub members. Although it’s hard to get an accurate representation through only one site, Mixi is one of the most popular social network services amongst Japan’s youth, boasting over 21 million members.

On September 24th, Mixi reported that KARA’s Goo Hara had 6,500 fans, likely due to her similarity in appearance to Japan’s Amuro Namie.

The member with the second most fans is SNSD’s Yoona with 5,500. Yoona was also previously chosen as the #1 most popular SNSD member in a survey that ranked their popularity in Japan.

KARA’s Nicole (4,500), SNSD’s Taeyeon (3,300), and KARA’s Kang Jiyoung (3,200) followed Goo Hara and Yoona. Other members had about 2,300 to 3,000 fanclub members each.

4minute’s Hyuna has about 1,000 fans on Mixi as well.

Group wise, SNSD held 24,700 members, while KARA held 23,800. Both teams have managed to rank in the top five overall category for Japanese girl group idols.

Source : Newsen

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Girl groups are at the center of the music industry with their cute looks, impressive choreography, and flashy outfits. The variety of groups have been increasing lately, making the competition fiercer than ever. But what’s behind the spotlight?

The truth is that girl groups are under severe observation, which is one of the primary reasons that members all live together in one dorm. The situation has advanced to the point where idol groups now have a separate manager that lives with them and manages their private lives.

One girl group CEO even dorms his girl group right across from his home, scaring them with the statement, “I’m always watching you guys, so act accordingly.”

There’s also one similarity between every girl group: they aren’t allowed to have personal cell phones and computers. Cell phones are taken away the month before they debut, and companies purposely take away computers and TVs in their dorms.

One girl group manager revealed, “They don’t have enough self control yet. We’re also assuming that they don’t have the skills to reject phone numbers from male idol groups. Naturally, they aren’t able to focus on their promotions with such options open to them.” The reason computers aren’t allowed in dorms is to prevent them from reading hateful replies online.

Most producers revealed that their girl groups were given cell phones and computers a year into their debut.

There’s also the once a month visit that all girls get, and it makes those around them worry more than usual. One anonymous girl group member is said to be completely unmovable when on her period, but she’s somehow able to show off her impressive dance moves on stage. One industry representative commented, “That’s the strength of performance. She could be dying and still fly around on stage. It’s the mind set of a true professional.”

Another girl group’s agency always checks their girl groups for those monthly visits via female managers. One representative stated, “We don’t check to see if they need special treatment or not. We check because if they don’t get their periods, it’s pretty much a dead end to the entire team.”

Source : Sports Chosun

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