SM Entertainment plan to take action against Thai cover group Millenium Boy nicknamed 'EXO-T'

Things are heating up for the popular Thai cover group Millenium Boy (nicknamed EXO-T) - both good and bad.  While they're garnering immense recognition and popularity, they are also attracting attention as well as receiving criticism for how closely they're copying EXO and using their name for promotions.

The cover group is comprised of eleven Thai members and one Korean and they've gained a lot of popularity by covering EXO's dances and songs.

As they have over 90,000 members in their fan club, they've held fan meetings and made TV appearances in their country - even hosting an event in Indonesia! Although it'd be fine if the group just stopped at doing covers, but for every event, they've been using EXO's group logo, poster, and album designs, as well as selling merchandise.

They've also emulated the members' hairstyles, outfits, minor habits, EXO member couplings liked by fans, and even allegedly their signs. Because of these great similarities, their fans have started to call them EXO-T, similar to EXO-M and EXO-K.

Due to EXO fans' complaints, Millenium Boy uploaded an explanation and apology onto their YouTube channel, basically saying, "The money we received during our fan meeting was used for our event.  We made and sold clothes, bracelets, and hats because we were following our fans' requests; we didn't make them with the intention of commercial profit." They also explained that their seemingly belittling attitude towards EXO members in their various social media posts were not intended that way. 

A rep from SM Entertainment stated, "It is illegal to use EXO's intellectual property without permission, so we plan on taking action in the future regarding their commercial promotions." 

[Update - SM has now decided to let the group off the hook for the time being. Read about it in the latest article here.]

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Friday the 13th Special: 13 'Scary' Looks in K-Pop

It happens to be Friday the 13th (with a full moon to boot), meaning it's time to flash back to all the scary moments in K-Pop, whether idols are just sporting some freakish hairstyles or going all out with award-worthy makeup and costumes.

Check out some of the pictures below.  While some might just make you smile, others will indeed freak you out!  And some, for extra enjoyment, are accompanied by scared K-Pop idols.

2NE1's Dara

"OMG, I love your hair.  Where did you get it done?" asks the wife of Frankenstein's monster.

Super Junior's Heechul

With this angle and dem eyebrows, it looks like Heechul is about to try out for a Halloween special of 'Sesame Street' as character Oscar the Grouch.

T-ara's Hyomin

Why... just why?  If this didn't alarm you, then maybe the random array of decorations on her bookshelves will at least get you raising your eyebrows.

Jay Park

Both in awe and creeped out by the very intricate make up on his usually adorbs face...

2AM's Jo Kwon

It looks like an 'Exorcism' and 'Sound of Music' collaboration gone wrong in a way... Although, there's no denying the very Jo Kwon expression on his face adding some humor to this otherwise super strange scenario.

SHINee's Key

He pulls this Joker look off very nicely actually.  Definitely creepy, but nothing too alarming.

Super Junior's Kyuhyun

Now this is both creepy and alarming.

MBLAQ's Mir

The paleness of Mir's skin here and the super light green eyes definitely raise goosebumps all over my arms.

Girls' Generation's Sooyoung

A bit freaky at first glance, but becomes somewhat endearing after you get used to it.

TVXQ

Okay, this is not that scary... What is scary about this photo is the hair... It looks like they wouldn't have needed extra bodyguards because if anything, Changmin could have just poked them with his hair. 

U-KISS's AJ

Ah, the light held under the face in the darkness for heightened eeriness.  His eyes look pitch black here like he's been possessed.

ZE:A's Heechul

The makeup and facial expression might haunt you in your sleep!  Or not... because it's honestly somewhat amusing.

---

....oh, where's the 13th one?

And, of course...

J.Y. Park's pants

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TEEN TOP's L.Joe to make cameo on 'Flower Grandpas Investigation Unit'

TEEN TOP's L.Joe will be the next K-Pop idol to make a cameo appearance on tvN's 'Flower Grandpas Investigation Unit'!

The agency T.O.P Media revealed on June 13, "L.Joe will make a cameo appearance on tvN's weekend drama 'Flower Grandpas Investigation Unit'.  He will be playing a high school student who provides a clue within a situation in the drama.  He will be able to show a bit of the acting skills he has been preparing for a while, so look forward to it."

A day beforehand, L.Joe had also written on his Twitter, "Hello.  I am Uhm Si Woo.  It was my first time, so I was very nervous!" and uploaded a selca from filming.  He is dressed in a high school uniform including a name tag that does not have his real name but rather the character's in the drama.  

You can watch his appearance in the seventh episode on June 20!

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SM Entertainment to show leniency towards Thai EXO cover group Millenium Boy

As mentioned previously, A Thai EXO cover group called Millenium Boy (nicknamed 'EXO-T' by their fans) have come under fire for crossing the fine line between cover and plagiarism. Although the boys started off as a simple cover group, they later found themselves in hot water for seemingly profiting off of EXO's name and logos or designs by selling merchandise as well as holding event and TV appearances.

SM Entertainment had mentioned that they would take legal action against the group earlier, but later statements have revealed that the agency has decided to show them leniency.

An agency rep told Kuki News, "It is illegal to use the name, choreography, logo, and such that are the intellectual property of SM Entertainment without permission... We did not take any legal action in the past towards contents of non-commercial use with the advancement of the internet and media. However, we will take action against the activities that are used for commercial (profit) purposes... Millenium Boy have explained to us that their promotions are not for commercial purposes, and they also promised not to use EXO's contents from now on. So for now, we have just wrapped this up as a simple happening." 

Although it seems the agency will be letting this cover group slide for now, it's said they will be keeping a close eye on Millenium Boy's future activities. 

Millenium Boy have earned a great deal of popularity in their home country of Thailand as well Indonesia, amassing a fan club count of 90,0000. The boys have been especially noticed for how closely they 'cover' the EXO members, even sporting the same hairstyles, outfits, picture poses, and more. 

However, they've gained criticism for using EXO's name and designs to promote themselves, and they were also subject to backlash from EXO fans, who felt that the Millenium Boy members were belittling the EXO members through their various Instagram or Twitter posts. 

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Homeless man in China claims Girls' Generation's Seohyun is 'departed wife' to beg for money

Of all the ridiculous happenings in the world of K-pop, the latest news that's become a hot topic among netizens involves Girls' Generation's Seohyun and a homeless man in China.

Seohyun was spotted on a poster put up by a homeless man on the streets of Nanchang, Jiangxi, and photos of the scene have been posted online. In order to gain pity and receive donations, the man claimed that the unlikely pair had been husband and wife until Seohyun passed away.

Taiwanese media outlet NOWnews reported, "There's a homeless man on the streets of Nanchang, Jiangxi, China that uses Girls' Generation's Seohyun's graduation photo on a sign and puts on a serious expression to beg for money." On the poster, the homeless man claims that his "wife" died in a fire 2 years ago and that he suffered extreme injuries. He adds that he's begging in order to feed their daughter and his family. 
The news spread online with netizens having mixed reactions. Though many fans found the entire thing hilarious and ridiculous, there were also those who were angry that Seohyun's image was being used in this manner.

What's your reaction?

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[Updated] Kris rumored to work with Chinese 'Tiny Times' writer Guo Jing Ming?

Kris's recent Weibo update is attracting a lot of attention as it is his first in a long while and fans have been dying to know what he's been up to lately.

This update is definitely intriguing but also quite ambiguous as he posted three sun emoticons and tagged Guo Jing Ming, a famous Chinese novelist, screenwriter, and film director.  He is particularly famous for writing the 'Tiny Times' series and 'City of Fantasy' and it is rumored he offered a movie role to Kris for his 'Tiny Times' production multiple times, but was turned down by SM Entertainment.

Now that Kris is involved in a lawsuit to leave SM Entertainment, people are speculating Kris might get another chance to work with Guo Jing Ming.  Not to mention, the Weibo account for 'Tiny Times 3' is following Kris at the moment.  Stay tuned for updates on this rumor.

-

[Update] - In addition to Kris mentioning the 'Tiny Times' writer, the CEO of the Beijing entertainment company that had participated in the production of 'Tiny Times' also wrote a comment on Weibo, mentioning the two. He posted, "Fate is quite a fascinating thing. Because of his agency's refusal last year, Wu Yi Fan and 'Tiny Times 3' were not able to come together. However, those who are fated to meet each other eventually meet again."further leaving netizens to guess that this could mean that Kris and the writer will be working together on a new project.

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GOT7 announce their comeback date and showcase

JYP Entertainment's latest boy group GOT7 announced that they will make a comeback on June 23!

Ahead of their official release date, GOT7 will hold their showcase at AX Korea on the 18th at 7:30 PM KST for their fans. Those who are part of GOT7's official fan club 'IGOT7' will be able to get a first listen of their new songs during the event. Following this, the boys will also hold their first comeback stage on 'M! Countdown' on the 19th and the music and music video release will be on the 23rd.

A JYP Entertainment rep stated, "GOT7 will return to fans on June 23... We ask for a lot of anticipation and support for the comeback of GOT7, who made a refreshing debut with their martial arts skills as JYP's first hip hop group back this year in January."

Get ready for the return of one of the hottest rookie groups so far this year on the 23rd!

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2NE1's Dara celebrates her 10th year anniversary since debut

2NE1's Dara treated fans to a picture of 'tanned-Dara' to celebrate her 10th anniversary since her solo debut.


Dara tweeted on June 5, "It was 2NE1's 5th anniversary recently, but today it marks the 10th year since I debuted as Sandara Park in the Philippines before I debuted with 2NE1. It's already been 10 years. The only thing that's changed is the number. I'm going to live young 10 years from now too." 
She later added the photo above and the message, "Thank you to those of you who have supported me from then until now, and I love you. To celebrate my 10-year anniversary since debut, I'm sharing 'tanned-Dara', who you all don't like very much, and 'abs-Dara'."

Happy Anniversary, Dara!


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