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SEOUL (AFP) – A South Korean court Thursday dismissed a lawsuit claiming almost four million dollars from singer and actor Rain, ruling he was not to blame for cancelled concerts during a troubled US tour.

Local entertainment group Wellmade STARM sued Rain and his agency JYP Entertainment in March last year for 4.57 billion won (3.95 million dollars) in damages.

The group, which financed Rain's US tour in 2006-2007, claimed he breached a contract with it by failing to perform 16 concerts.

Judge Bae Kwang-Kuk said in his ruling, quoted by Yonhap news agency, that poor preparations by US promoters led to Rain's aborted concerts.

The ruling came seven months after Rain settled a separate lawsuit over a cancelled concert in Honolulu in 2007.

A US court had ordered him and his agency to pay more than eight million dollars for breaching a contract with Hawaiian promoter Click Entertainment to perform the concert.

An agreement was reached last June to settle the case and avoid an appeal, Details were not disclosed.

Rain argued in the US case that the concert stage was not properly set up for him, and that he was unable to use his name in the United States because of a copyright challenge from a US Beatles tribute band also called Rain.

The 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-Hoon, is one of South Korea's biggest celebrities and has a big following across Asia.

Relax News

Susan Boyle, the Scottish singer whose first album has become the best-selling debut in British chart history, has arrived in Japan to breathe new life into the flagging "Red and White Song Battle" on television here.

Boyle - who stunned the audience and judges when she appeared on the Britain's Got Talent show in April when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables - was applauded by fans and accepted bouquets after arriving at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Tuesday morning.

As she was being escorted through the airport, 48-year-old Boyle turned down a request from a TV company to give a rendition of her trademark song, saying her fans would have to wait until New Year's Eve.

Also well-known in Japan - thanks largely to her television performance becoming a worldwide hit on YouTube - Boyle's invitation to appear at the annual music extravaganza, known here as Kohaku Uta Gassen, is an effort to boost its popularity.

The show - which pits a group of male singers against their female counterparts to ring out the old year - first went out over the radio back in 1951 before switching to TV. It has attracted more than 80 percent of the nation's viewers in its heyday. The 80 percent figure has not been neared since 1972, and it fell below 50 percent in 1989.

Today, rival commercial channels have sufficient financial clout to put on programs that compete, while the internet and computer games have won over a large proportion of people who would have watched the program a generation or two ago.

The show runs for nearly four-and-a-half hours, and the honor of taking the stage at the NHK Hall in Tokyo is strictly by invitation and focuses primarily on homegrown talent, although previous foreign participants have included Paul Simon, Sarah Brightman and Cyndi Lauper.

Boyle will be competing alongside Kumi Koda, the 27-year-old singer who has been credited in Japan with starting the trend for revealing increasing amounts of cleavage and making the wearing of lingerie in public more acceptable.

The show, which will finish shortly before the stroke of midnight, will also feature a tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

TOKYO — Singer Ayumi Hamasaki, 31, had her wish come true when her new song “You were…” was chosen as the theme song for the Japanese language version of Walt Disney’s animated film “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” (“Tinkaberu to tsuki no ishi.”) Hamasaki was chosen for the role as she “is as popular as Tinkerbell with Japanese women, and has the power to make those around her feel good,” says one industry insider. Hamasaki said: “I’m just honored to be part of something that is loved by people all over the world.” Another of Hamasaki’s new songs – “BALLAD” – will be used as the theme song for “Sokyu no subaru” to be shown on NHK BS hi from Jan 2. Both “You were…” and “BALLAD” will go on sale Dec 29. “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” opens on Dec 23.

 November 12, 2009 – JapanFiles will release Hangry & Angry's new CD “Sadistic Dance” on December 15, 2009.

The new album from the duo (portrayed by Rika Ishikawa and Hitomi Yoshizawa) contains 10 tracks, including the new single “Top Secret,” plus remixes of tracks from their mini-album “Kill Me Kiss Me,” and a special “h&A Death Tracks” version of Morning Musume's hit “The PEACE!” which was first performed at Hangry & Angry's live performance at Sakura-Con earlier this year.

The USA release will be identical to the Japanese regular edition, featuring the complete 20-page Japanese booklet. JapanFiles is offering free shipping to all customers who order the CD in advance of the December 15 release date.

JapanFiles released Hangry & Angry's mini-album “Kill Me Kiss Me” earlier this year, which also contains the original Japanese-language booklet.

Other connected releases include:

Hangry & Angry “Sadistic Dance” (digital download at JapanFiles.com) - Available Nov. 18

Hangry & Angry “Sadistic Dance” Limited Edition Lunchbox w/DVD (at HelloStoreUSA.com) - Available Dec. 1

“Sadistic Dance”

Track List:

01. Mr. Monkey
02. Top Secret
03. Sadistic Dance
04. Lady Madonna
05. DOUBT
06. Angelia (crash berlin version)
07. Shake me
08. Kill Me Kiss Me (crash berlin version)
09. GIZA GIZA (crash berlin version)
10. The?Peace! (h&A Death Tracks) [bonus track]

TOKYO — Ayumi Hamasaki is only 31, but the pop diva is making sure that her digs in the afterlife will be as lavish as possible. She has reportedly purchased a prime piece of land in Aoyama Cemetery intends to make it her family’s resting grounds, according to Nikkan Sports. The “neighborhood” has many graves with exquisite design and houses the remains of many other famous Japanese people. According to the tabloid, Hamasaki’s mother has already designed a tombstone which will be carved with the words “Hamasaki Family” in English and Japanese characters.

TOKYO — Fans of former Morning Musume singer Nozomi Tsuji, 22, can get their first glimpse of her in a wedding dress in her upcoming book, “Tsuji-chan’s Ribbon Days” (Wani Books, 1,260 yen) which goes on sale Oct 10. This will be the first book she’s published since the shotgun wedding and birth of her first daughter Noa, 1, with actor Taiyo Sugiura, 28, and the edition includes photos of the couple’s July 2007 wedding in Karuizawa, which was off-limits to the media. Tsuji, who was chosen in a survey of middle school students as the most desirable celeb to have as a mother, reveals her feelings on birth and motherhood, as well as info on the 10 years that have passed since her showbiz debut. “There’s lots of Nozomi Tsuji in here, and I hope younger people who don’t know about my Morning Musume era will check it out,” she said.

Two days ago, a Chinese media company released the results from its 2009 Survey on Satisfaction of Public Image of Japanese Performing Celebrities. Japanese R&B and hip-hop singer Namie Amuro, 32, topped the poll with 906.96 points, surpassing Japan's pop princess Ayumi Hamasaki who ranks close behind at 977.33 points. Renowned Japanese animation artist, Hayao Miyazaki achieved 879.94 points, while Tanimura Shinji, Abe Hiroshi, Takenouchi Yukata, Utada Hikari, Norika Fujiwara, Sakata Tojuro and Takuya Kimura are all also placed in the top ten positions. According to reports, this marks the first time a global survey is conducted based on the public's opinion of Japanese performing artistes. The survey results are a combination of the public's opinion and the influential levels of the artistes. A fashion icon, Amuro continues to remain the media darling of the '90s generation. Her unwavering determination and continuous good album releases have earned her a spot in most people's hearts. From the results of the polls, majority of artistes listed in the top 10 positions belong to the 1970s generation such as Takuya Kimura, Ayumi Hamasaki, and Norika Fujiwara. After news of Noriko Sakai's drug scandal erupted, the Japanese actress's rapid fall from grace can be noted from the polls as she currently ranks at the bottom and stands at the 98th position out of 100 Japanese celebrities.

Xin.sg - Thursday, May 21

Besides the usual performance and endorsement deals, many artistes are also likely to invest. According to Korea media reports, actor Bae Yong Joon is currently the richest South Korean celebrity.

With the rebound of the Korean stock market this year, celebrities who dabbled in the stock market benefitted significantly in terms of wealth. According to Korean media reports, there are currently five South Korean celebrities with stocks worth over 1 billion won (about S$1.16million); among them is Bae, who owns the largest portion, 34.8%, of the shares in Korean listed company KeyEast.

As compared to the first trading day of this year, KeyEast's share price has soared by over 50 percent with Bae earning about 6 billion won (about S$7 million) from it, making him into the richest South Korean celebrity at present.

Second in line is the entertainment company which manages the famous South Korean boy band Tohoshinki. Third is Asian superstar Rain, who owns 13.36% of the shares of J.Tune Entertainment, which shares have hit a market price of 3.6 billion won (S$4.3million).

The official website of of pop singer/songwriter Hikaru Utada has announced on Monday that she is postponing her American album promotion tour due to "an acute case of left relapsing peritonsillitis." She was planning to appear in music stores in five American cities this week to promote This is the One, her newest English-language album which ships on Tuesday. Doctors advised her not to travel or use her voice for at least two weeks, but Utada's website says that "she looks forward to rescheduling [her appearances] as soon as she can." Thanks you to AnimeMaine for the news tip.