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NOW SHOWING: TARGET starring Shin Hae-sun, a thrilling cautionary crime film from Park Hee-kon

by Philippine KPOP Convention October 19, 2023

written by Philippine KPOP Convention

Shopping for second-hand items online becomes a terrifying and life-threatening situation in the Korean action thriller “Target” starring K-Drama’s most renowned actors led by Shin Hae-Sun, along with Kang Tae-Oh and Kim Sung-Kyun. Together, the actors give life to realistic characters embroiled in the hazards brought about by online scams.

Soo-hyun’s (Hae-Sun, from Mr. Queen, Angel’s Last Mission: Love) life falls apart when she is targeted by a killer after buying a used washing machine online. Bent on saving costs due to skyrocketing prices of goods, Soo-hyun falls for a deal when a seller posted a second-hand washing machine online at a very cheap, irresistible price only to find out that she’s been scammed since the item is not working. Annoyed and unwilling to let it slide, Soo-hyun tracks the seller and warns everyone online about being scammed to protect potential buyers from the fraudulent seller. She soon finds out that this is no ordinary scammer and will do anything at all costs to stop her from spreading the word against him. Strange things soon happen as she start to experience receiving strange text messages and deliveries she hasn’t even placed. Shaken, Soo-hyun reports the incidents to the police that led them to a terrifying revelation that she bought an item from a killer.

“Target” starts off with the realistic subject of second-hand shopping, which has become a familiar part of our daily lives, and combines it with the thriller genre with added cinematic imagination. The plot of being scammed and targeted by a criminal in a used goods online market, where anyone can easily sell and buy, and where we hand down our personal information, is not just for the movies, but something that could be happening to someone right now. The film sharply captures the crime of online second-hand shopping and maximizes suspense with a heightened sense of reality.

Shin made us immersed to every moment by expressing Soo-hyun’s emotions as she goes from an ordinary office worker to the target of a killer whose life falls apart as she is anonymously threatened. From the anger of being scammed in a used item purchase, to the fear that someone is watching her every move, and the despair of not being able to escape the criminal’s watch, Shin delicately portrays her character with a three-dimensional, compelling performance. Being not just a victim who is unconditionally targeted, but a woman who takes action to find the culprit, Shin leads the audience with her intense performance. Director Park Hee-kon expressed his great satisfaction in working with Shin Hae-sun, saying, “It is difficult to express various emotions where an ordinary office worker becomes a target of crime, and to coordinate the changes with other actors, but I was amazed to witness her doing that every day on set.“

An Encore Films production, distributed by Warner Bros., “Target” is NOW SHOWING in local cinemas.

Book your tickets online or at your favorite movie houses now!

October 19, 2023 0 comment

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Hwang Minhyun is an epitome of a multi-faceted man in “Unveil in Manila”

by Philippine KPOP Convention October 14, 2023

written by Philippine KPOP Convention

There’s no doubt, Hwang Minhyun has been blessed with talents and a lot of potential that he is willing to share to the universe. He is undeniably a blessing to his fans, which he endearingly calls Hwangdos, as well.

His first Asia tour as a soloist, “Unveil” gave him a chance to show everyone his different facets and what he had become in his 12^th year in the industry. In fact, within a decade, he debuted twice – first, as a member of NU’EST in 2012 and coming back prosperously in 2019, and second, as the 9^th member of WANNAONE, after finishing the survival show, Produce 101 Season 2. Now, with all the experiences and lessons he gained, he is still HWANG MINHYUN, a genuine idol who is ready to make his fans happy and this mini concert is an avenue to achieve that goal.

Kumusta kayo? Ako si Hwang Minhyun.

Hwang Minhyun impresses the media on how present himself in the Press conference last October 7 at the Monet Ballroom 2, Novotel Manila

Hwang Minhyun greeted the media and Hwangdos who won a presscon pass, with glee, last Saturday, October 7th, at the Monet 3 Ballroom, Novotel Manila.

“It’s been a while since I came back to Manila. I’m excited for tomorrow and I hope you enjoy the mini concert.” We could recall the last time he was here was for NU’EST’s tour, Segno in Manila back in 2019. He surely missed the energy he received from then.

Ms. Kring, the host, shared the platform with him and started asking questions from the press.

Here are most of those questions and his answers:

1. Your music often carries meaningful messages and emotions, can you show us the concepts you want to explore in the future in terms of music?

I want to do music for a long time and there’s a lot I need to unveil. Please look forward to what I will prepare in the future.

2. What do you want to explore in the future in terms of your acting?

There’s no role or specifics that I look forward to play. However, when somebody gives me a new offer for a new character, I love the process where I study about it and get myself involve to it, so I look forward to more variety of roles in the future.

3. With the success of “My Lovely Liar”, would you also like the ability to hear the lies of people or have a photographic memory instead?

Photographic memory, like in the drama, it would be difficult to have an ability to hear other people’s lies.

4. Can you give us one fun episode during the shoot?

The whole shooting was a lot of fun, but a particular scene is the camping scene The directorn didn’t give us specific instructions of what we need to do, the director told us to feel at home as if he’s really on a camping trip with his girlfriend, he roasted the meat, did the barbecue where the meat even fell in the charcoal. I thought the director will not use that scene, but he used it for a very natural scene to come out.

5. Which of your songs has the lyrics that you want to share to Hwangdo?

“You have to be happy, ‘cos you’re my Universe” that’s my message and wish to all Hwangdos – that they will be happy in their lives

6. You mentioned that you want to travel. What was your dream destination?

I really love travelling and there’s a lot of countries that I haven’t visited so far. In the future, if I have the time, I want to bring my backpack and do a world tour

7. You are also introducing travel destinations that you’ve been to, through the Hwanglog. If you have a chance to travel here in the Philippines, where would you like to go and is there anything that you want to try here?

I really love nature and Philippines is very rich with it, I heard that Boracay is a wonderful place, and it is popular with its sunset. I’m looking forward to go there to capture the sunset myself and share to my Hwangdo.

8. The photographs that Minhyun show the world through his eyes were beautiful. If you are holding a camera right now, what moment would you like to capture?

Of course, I would like to capture everyone here – the media and also my fans, the Hwangdos who are seating here right now

9. What are your current interests?

If you’re asking about my latest interest, to be honest, I don’t have a lot of interests right now. I’m not the type of person with a lot of interests, but if given the chance, I would like to study more about photography.

10. How is the process of preparing for the stage as a singer is different from preparing for shooting as an actor?

As a singer, preparing for a stage takes months and a lot of external help from the staff while as an actor, I have to come on set, or the shooting location prepared along with the staffs and the synergy comes out

Before leaving to prepare for the fansign session of 100 lucky Hwangdos, he ended the press conference by pulling out a piece of paper, which caused laughter in the hall. “Maraming Salamat po. Mahal ko kayo.” He heart-warmingly read.

Mahal na Mahal ko Kayo.

LOVE is in the air as Hwang Minhyun graced the stage of the New Frontier Theater last October 8, 2023. Starting off with the title track of his solo debut mini album, “Truth of Lie”, he performed “Hidden Side” passionately with its signature choreography. An MC himself, he introduced the host, Kring Kim who will be with us as he showcases fresh and unexplored facets of himself. Thus, the title that we have for this tour, “Unveil”. He also thanked everyone for the success of the drama he just finished, “My Lovely Liar” and when asked about his favorite scene, he couldn’t choose a specific one because he appreciates his character, Doha’s growth throughout the drama, that also helped in his own development and exploration as an actor. He then serenaded the fans with the ballad from his debut mini album, “Honest” and “Earphone”, his solo track from NU’EST’s second full-length album, ROMANTICIZE.

There is no dead air because after the 1st set, Minhyun talked about the special gift that was given to the ticketholders of the highest tier – it is a memopad, that he thought is practical because he also love taking notes and he wants us to remember him whenever we write on it.

Unveil “Timing game” has 4 questions that involved his talents – dancing, singing, and acting . He was not able to guess the first category where he had to dance the part of the MV shown in the screen, but he sung confidently in the second and third one where he sung the missing parts of “Universe” in acapella. How good it is to witness that sweet harmonious voice live. For the last one where he had to state the line following the viral scene from “Alchemy of Souls”, he did not pass as he admitted that his memory is not that good with his drama lines. It is still good news because the punishment made him wear cute headbands and danced to Baekhyun’s Betcha and NewJeans’s Super Shy which the fans really love.

He went back to being Hwangtimental (a nickname for Hwang Minhyun who becomes sentimental when he is singing) with soundtracks that he had the honor to interpret, “So Beautiful” for the webcomic, After School Lessons for Unripe Apples and “Tree”, a rendition of “Just Watching You” for the second season of Alchemy of Souls.

His VCR that showed his thoughts on his growth and his interests, that included “As long as I don’t give up and continue on with my career, I am confident that I would succeed at some point. These were the things that I imagined myself to be in to strive and work harder” touched fans and made them appreciate him more.

Minhyun once again entered the stage with a denim outfit, and danced to “Perfect Type” and “Cube” which showed the sexy and confident side of him. It was then followed by the second segment, “Hwang Minhyun’s Music Album Season 2” where he acted like a DJ who reads a letter from his fans and dedicate a song for an advice. Through this, we had an opportunity to hear his sweet melody that started with Lyn’s “Back in Time” that pierced through our souls as the soundtrack of “Moon Embracing the Sun” and he continued advising the so-called “Yul” who wrote a letter with a situation that seems similar with his character in Alchemy of Souls, Seo Yul, with melancholic covers of Jung Seung Hwan’s Snowman, then “Crazy” and “White Night” from his favorite artists. He closed the segment with a special arrangement of “Universe” that definitely moved the hearts of every Hwangdo as they waited for this moment, to witness it live, especially for those who saw him for the first time.

Sadly, the mini concert is ending, but he came back for an encore with “Crossword” and “Smile” that really felt good as he greets the fans and did his best to meet their eyes. In between these songs, a VCR from his Hwangdos was shown in the screen then the audience started singing the chorus of Universe together while raising the banner with the message, “We love Minhyun in every universe” which really reached him. He happily took a commemorative photo with his fans and expressed his gratitude for their love and support even we’re miles apart. “Now as I go back to Korea, I have to go back filming my new series, Study Group. I am doing my best so when it comes out, please support Study Group as well” Minhyun informed everyone of what we can anticipate despite the distance. He sent his beloved Hwangdo his well-wishes to continue to be together forever. “Kita muli tayo, Minamahal kong Hwangdo. Mahal na Mahal ko Kayo.” he shyly said, but it warms everyone’s hearts.

With a final bow, he bid farewell to the fans, rooting for another chance to see them again. Hwang Minhyun’s appreciation was deeply felt by Hwangdos in the venue and Hwangdos felt the same way. Indeed, seeing him and experiencing his “Unveil” made us realize how much this man deserve the love and we can fall in love again and again.

2023 HWANG MIN HYUN MINI CONCERT ‘UNVEIL’ IN MANILA was made possible by PULP LIVE WORLD and TONZ Entertainment

October 14, 2023 0 comment

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Manila’s favorite Cherry Prince is Back! EXO’s Chanyeol Sparks Frenzy with Ever Bilena’s Fun Meeting

by Philippine KPOP Convention October 10, 2023

written by Philippine KPOP Convention

It’s all about the celebration of beauty with Ever Bilena’s first male and international ambassador, EXO’s Park Chanyeol!

October is definitely off to a good start as EXO’s Chanyeol marked his first ever Funmeeting with Ever Bilena last Sunday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Plenary Hall. The full-house show was filled with excitement from EXO-L’s and Yeolmaes who have been eagerly waiting for this collaboration.

Ever Bilena Cosmetics is among the country’s top local make-up brands that offer a wide range of affordable and high-quality products while remaining on top of the beauty trends. Last August 2023, they excitingly announced EXO’s Chanyeol as the brand’s new representative, making this the second local brand Chanyeol has endorsed this year–talk about being a Pinoy king!

Following the success of his May event with fellow EXO member, Sehun for EXO-SC’s Back-to-Back Fancon, Chanyeol has returned for yet another sold out show! The announcement of his Fun Meeting with Ever Bilena even broke headlines and uproar from the entire Filipino K-Pop Community. The fast sellout of tickets shortly after its release dates is definitely a clear testament to EXO-L’s and Yeolmaes unwavering dedication for the multi-talented icon. Indeed, EXO is truly about making history.

FUNMEET HIGHLIGHTS

The funmeet kicked off with CHANYEOL performing his solo song, Nothin’ from EXO-SC’s studio album “1 Billion Views”, setting the stage for an exciting and energetic night. Chanyeol shared after the opening performance that he was initially asked to not perform but wanted to make the night even more special for the fans so he pushed through. EXO-Ls and Yeolmaes admired the gesture and appreciated Chanyeol’s effort to make the fun meeting a memorable night for them.

Sitting down with the show’s emcee, Denise Laurel, Chanyeol shared great memories of when he first got invited to become the brand’s ambassador, “I remember that I had a very, very beautiful moment.”

Chanyeol also mentioned that while filming the ad campaign, he became really fond of Ever Bilena products and expressed his deep gratitude for being selected as the brand’s first male and international ambassador. “It’s a great honor for me to be the very first male ambassador of Ever Bilena,” Chanyeol happily expressed.

Fun games like Sipa, Tagalog Tongue Twisters, and a segment called “The Guess List,” were played during the show in which Chanyeol effortlessly identified all Tagalog words that corresponds to images being displayed on the screen—standing out with guessing the word “Pogi” among them.

CHANYEOL’s EVER BILENA PICKS

When asked about his favorite products, Chanyeol chose Ever Bilena’s Serum Tinted Lip Balm. He mentioned, “Originally, my lips are very dry. I didn’t do anything, I just put this product on my lips and it became well moisturized.” He further shares that he even used the lip balm as part of his make-up routine for that evening using the shade Naked.

“It was supposed to be a secret but doing my make-up today I used Ever Bilena products. Don’t I look pretty tonight?” Chanyeol asked the crowd which gave him an uproar of cheers in response. “I think today’s going to be very special.” he happily expressed.

Apart from the Serum Tinted Lip Balm which had other shades like: Latte, Toast of New York, and Bloom (his favorite), Chanyeol’s other EB picks are the Plus Shape & Set Brow Duo, the Fearless Serum Skin Foundation, and the Two-Way Cake Serum Foundation with shades Oriental and White Beige.

Fans even teased the singer-songwriter urging him to do a sample of endorsing the products and saying his iconic tagline “Ever Bilena For Every Beauty” afterwards, to which he did enthusiastically igniting the fans’ excitement even further.

“After the product promotion of Ever Bilena, I think I will be able to show the face that you’ve never seen before. And I believe that you would be able to see a new color of me through Ever Bilena products.” the singer-songwriter reveals.

“You guys are a powerhouse fandom for a reason.” – Denise Laurel

Yeolmaes and EXO-Ls were definitely in for a treat that night as Chanyeol prepared a lot of special surprises.

Chanyeol had an intimate one-on-one with fans and serenaded them with the EXO’s all-time favorite and go-to Tagalog song, Hawak Kamay by Yeng Constantino. Prior to the special performance, he says, “It’s been a long time since I last visited the Philippines. Sayang if I just leave the Philippines like this. So I prepared a small gift for you guys. With one heart, let’s sing this song together.”

Lucky fans were also gifted with Ever Bilena products which he personally handpicked and packed himself. Of course, it wouldn’t be a gift from him if he didn’t add more personal touch to it. Designing the gift boxes with his fruit representation, Cherry; his dog, Zzar; and lastly, a drawing of him and EXO-Ls together full of hearts and love–he really went all out to make this surprise even more special.

In return, EXO-Ls successfully surprised Chanyeol him back with a heartfelt fan video featuring messages from fans across the country. More efforts were made to surprise the idol, presenting him with the iconic Same Day Edit (SDE) video prepared by Ever Bilena’s team. Furthermore, the “LOVE CY Fanlight Exhibition,” organized by PCY Union PH, Chanyeol Philippines, REAL_PCY Philippines, and other EXO Filipino fanbases, marked the spot for the overall surprise and celebration.

Chanyeol turned emotional, expressing in his final ment, “While watching this video you made me realize that my existence itself already gives you a lot of strength. So I have this determination that I cannot live without trying my best or trying harder.” With the fans’ love and support, he continues to say that he is very determined to work harder to become EXO-Ls’ pride and live a better life from that moment on.

“I’m really overjoyed tonight. I was really extremely happy. I was able to see how I looked tonight and really saw how happy I was. And that’s all thanks to you guys.”

The show came to an end with Chanyeol receiving a standing ovation and loud cheer from the crowd. All “firsts” are undoubtedly one to keep as a core memory, serving as the foundation upon which we build our appreciation for the journey ahead. Indeed, this unforgettable fun meeting will forever be engraved in the hearts of all EXO-Ls.

Explore more of Ever Bilena Cosmetics on www.everbilena.com.ph/ and follow them on Shopee and Lazada.

CHANYEOL EVER BILENA Fun Meet in Manila is brought to you by Ever Bilena.

Check out more photos from the PRESS CONFERENCE: