Showbits

• Nakunan si Sen. Loren Legarda kamakailan. Magiging pangatlong anak niya na sana iyon sa kanyang asawang ex-Batangas Governor na si Tony Leviste.
• Graduate na si Isabel Granada ng Aeronautical Engineering sa PATTS.
• Mag-aaral na si Janice de Belen ng Psychology sa Ateneo University sa darating na pasukan. Na-file niya na rin ang papeles para sa annulment ng kasal niya kay John Estrada.
• Nag-file din ng annulment si Jun-jun Santiago (kapatid nina Rowell, Randy at Raymart Santiago) para ipawalang-bisa ang kasal nito kay Sherilyn Reyes. May balitang isang basketball player ngayon ang bagong boyfriend ni Sherilyn.
• Pagkatapos ni Mai Mai at China Cojuangco ay si Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless", "Batman and Robin") naman ngayon ang magiging image model ng Kamiseta, isang all-Filipino Ready-to-Wear line.
• Mga buntis ngayon: Maricel Morales sa kanyang pangalawang anak sa asawa nitong action star na si Ace Espinosa at si Ayen Munji-Laurel sa kanyang unang anak kay Franco Laurel (si Ayen ay may dalawa ng anak sa dating prinsipe ng Brunei).
• Nanganak na si Bernadette Allyson sa kanilang firstborn ni Gary Estrada. Pinangalanan nilang Garielle Bernise ang kanilang baby girl.
• Magpapakasal na si Pilar Pilapil, 51, sa boyfriend nitong isang ministro, 28, sa darating na Mayo sa Cebu. Second marriage na ito para kay Pilar dahil divorced siya sa unang asawa na si Michel Ponti, isang Spanish journalist.
• Nabuwag na ang bandang Eraserheads ("Pare Ko", "Toyang", "Ang Huling El Bimbo", etc.) dahil umano sa mga conflict sa schedules. Ang lead singer na si Ely Buendia ay mag-so-solo na at baka pumasok sa showbiz bilang isang direktor (Film Major ito sa UP).
• Kasalukuyang nanghihingi ng hustisya si Robin Padilla sa pagkapatay sa half-brother nito na si Rodolfo Serafico "Gino" Padilla. Kinidnap si Gino sa kanyang lupain sa Nueva Ecija noong March 15 at natuklasan na lamang ang kanyang bangkay sa isang bakanteng lote sa Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija makalipas ang isang linggo. *

Wong Bin: the Korean actor who caught Asian girls' fancy

by Hideo Kawakami

Against the backdrop of the successful official visit of Prime Minister Koizumi to South Korea at the end of March, and the World Cup which is approaching in less than three months, an unprecedented "Korea Boom" has intensified of late coupled by the desire among the Japanese to know more about their Korean neighbor.

Aside from soccer-related information, attention is focused as well on the spring entertainment scene that has given birth to a Korean matinee idol whose rise in popularity especially among young Japanese girls is nothing less than phenomenal.

I am talking about Wong Bin (born on September 29, 1977), the lead actor in the Japanese-Korean drama entitled Friends jointly produced by TBS (Tokyo Hoso) and MBC (Kankoku Bunka Hoso). The airing of this drama in both countries has elicited tremendous response from the viewers.

Wong Bin emerged as a top star in a TV drama entitled Autumn Fairy Tale (produced by KBS) that logged a 40% viewership in Korea last year. He subsequently signed a contract with the Japanese outfit Yuryoku Production Horipuro which launched a photo collection Dream in Heaven whose glossy pages brim with the pure charm of this male star.

In Friends, he is paired with popular actress Kyoko Fukada. Filmed in Hong Kong, the high rating of this drama confirms his entry into Japan's circle of matinee idols.
According to the Horipuro International Division's Iwanaga Satoshi, after the airing of Friends, his office was swamped with so much fan mail and inquiries that it was barely able to cope. Moreover, even before the overwhelming response in Japan had subsided, Won Bin's popularity has already taken Taiwan, China and Hong Kong by storm, and at this time is poised to catch the fancy of the whole Asia.

Asian movies produced mainly in Hong Kong exploded in popularity in the early 90's and have taken root in Japan largely because of the support of female fans. In like manner, Korean movies are presently creating a big impact on the Japanese entertainment scene thanks to such movies as Shuri and JSA.

Standing at 178 cm, Wong Bin is into motorbike and car racing, revealing a wild and manly side to this stellar phenomenon. The sometimes shy expression on his face reminds one of the Hong Kong sensation Tony Leung in his younger days, and tells as well of the infinite possibilities for this upcoming star.

Last year, Wong Bin made a movie debut in Japan via Killers' Conversations (Kiratachi no Oshaberi), and one can certainly expect the continuing rise of his star not only in Japan but in the whole Asia. *

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