Lee Soo-Man, the founder and the producer of S.M. Entertainment makes to Variety 500 list as one of the world's most influential business leader in the global entertainment industry. 

'Variety', founded in 1905, is a well-known American cultural magazine. This year, Variety launched 'Variety 500' which 500 most influential business leaders are selected by Variety's editorial board based on 17 different categories in the global entertainment market. S.M. Entertainment's producer Lee Soo-Man are included in the 'Overseas Overseers' category which reflecting his accomplishments over the past 12 months. 

Lee Soo-Man's profile in Variety stated that the founder has been inspired by MTV performances which are both musically and visually strong and had a vision for the Korean pop music industry. Variety further added the founder "launched Korea's first idol boyband H.O.T, which popularised upbeat dance music with stylish visual concept. The ground's popularity quickly went all over Asia and even created the term 'Korean Wave' which later K-pop become a trend that spread beyond Korea."

Asides, Lee Soo-Man has been awarded by 'Asia Society'  last year thanks to his contribution in spreading K-pop culture around the world at '2016 Asian Game Changer Awards'. Also, the founder was the first figure to receive '2016 Youngsan Diplomat of the Year Award' given by Seoul International Forum Youngsan Diplomat Award Committee thanks to his contribution as a cultural diplomacy leader back in July 2016. 

After an exciting Judges’ Auditions phase, the power now lies in your hands! The top 24 acts are through to the semi-finals and you can start voting for your favourite acts this Thursday evening.

 To vote, tune in to Asia’s Got Talent every Thursday at 8:30pm, and wait for the hosts to announce that voting is open, then go to Facebook or Google to start supporting your favourite acts.

In each semi-final episode, eight acts will perform. At the end of each episode, the act that impresses the judges the most will win the Judges’ Pick and head to the finals directly. The seven remaining acts will be up for voting, and the two acts with the most votes after the voting period closes will head to the finals. The voting period will be open for four days from Thursday evening, when the hosts announce that voting is open, to the following Sunday at 11:59pm.

Facebook Hashtag Voting 

During the episode, each act will be assigned a unique voting hashtag. Fans can vote for their favourite act by using that unique voting hashtag on their Facebook page or via a Facebook comment. Each post or comment may include only one unique voting hashtag.

Fans may post votes for 10 unique and/or same act per day on 10 different postings throughout the voting period.

Facebook Messenger Voting 

Fans can vote via Facebook Messenger by clicking ‘Message’ on the Asia’s Got Talent Facebook page, or search for Asia’s Got Talent in Facebook Messenger. Click "Get Started" and you will see a photo carousel of the acts eligible for voting. Scroll through the carousel until you see your favorite act, then click to vote.

You may repeat the process up to a maximum of 10 votes per day of the voting period.

Google Search Voting 

Fans can vote for their favorite act by searching for “Asia’s Got Talent Vote” on Google. Simply click on the photo of the act you would like to vote for, use the slider to determine how many votes you want to allocate to the acts and click ‘Submit Votes’. You can allocate up to 10 votes per day on Google Search.

For more details on voting, visit www.AXN-Asia.com/AGTVote.

A new episode of Asia’s Got Talent airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on AXN. To follow the journey of this season’s acts, check out #AXNAsia and #AsiasGotTalent.

Asia’s Got Talent is the 67th adaptation of the Guinness-World-Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.

Interested in becoming a cheering member of PyeongChang 2018? To gear up for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Korea Tourism Organization launched the “I am Waiting for Me in Korea” campaign recruiting special cheering members for PyeongChang 2018.

2018 lucky winners selected through the campaign will be made into 3D figurines and be part of a cheering team cheering on the athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Some of these figurines will also be travelling to attractive spots in Korea in wait for the winners at the Sang Sang Stadium (imagination stadium).

Aside from having your own figurine cheering at the Sang Sang stadium, there are also other attractive prizes such as 2 round trip tickets to Korea, 1-night accommodation in Korea and official mascots for PyeongChang 2018 out for grab. You might be lucky and be one of them to visit Korea and meet your own cheering figurine!

First of all, prepare photographs of yourself with views from the front, back and sides. Then log on to the website (http://www.waitinginkorea.com), submit your particulars, select your personalised cheering member and submit your photographs.

Event Information:

Date: 1 – 30 November 2017

To participate, go on to http://www.waitinginkorea.com now.

Available in English, Japanese, Chinese

This article is brought to you by Korea Tourism Organization Singapore and GOkpop.

B:eta, E:psilon, G:amma with K:appa completing the AlphaBAT are excited to be in Malaysia to showcase their latest songs and to meet their Malaysian fans. B:eta, E:psilon, G:amma says Malaysia are full of memories as they have filmed their ‘Oh My Gosh’ music video and met Malaysian fans back in 2014. It is K:appa’s first time in Malaysia and he’s ready to explore the warmness of Malaysia fans. He had his first of durian candy but he did not like the taste.

AlphaBAT recommended their ballad song “Pray” to fans. The song is about a relationship hardship. For future collaboration, B:eta wishes to work with Shawn Mendes and continue by singing a part ‘There’s Nothing Holding me Back’. E:psilon wishes to work with Michael Buble, G:amma chose Charlie Puth and K:appa hopes to have the opportunity to duet with Adele. E:psilon added that he hopes to work with Baek A-yeon as he admires her voice and enjoys listening to her song.

During the press conference, AlphaBAT performed ‘Oh My Gosh’ and ‘Get Your Luv’ captivating the audience with their ecstatic performance.

AlphaBAT reminds the audience of their schedule in Malaysia and are looking forward to meet their Malaysian fans.

In celebration with Chingu MUMA (MUsic & DraMA) Festival, Chingu is giving out a trip for 2 to Mnet Asian Music Aawards 2017 (MAMA) in Yokohama Arena, Japan which held on 29 November 2017 (Wednesday).

How to join:

1. Under a K-pop group’s photo, send a creative hwaiting message to them in the Comment box. Each hwaiting message counts as one vote to make them the winner of the Most Jjang K-Pop Group!

When they win, you also stand to win a trip for you and your chingu to watch MAMA 2017 LIVE in Japan! So the more hwaiting messages you send, the higher the chances it is for you and your bias to win.

*An Astro GO ID is needed to qualify for this contest

How to get an Astro GO ID: bit.ly/registerAstroGO

Terms and conditions: bit.ly/ChinguMUMAContestTC

MAMA 2017 contest period: 10 - 14 November 2017, 12PM

Prize: A pair of ticket to MAMA 2017 + Air Tickets + Accommodation

Nominees:
EXO

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

BTS

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

Wanna One 

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

BLACKPINK

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

Red Velvet

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

TWICE

Send your hwaiting message HERE to vote

Don't miss this great chance to meet your favourite idols in Japan.

To kick start the month, fans of Yoo Seung Ho will get to experience another first from this young actor as he stars in his first romantic comedy with new MBC drama, I’m Not a Robot, where he plays the role of a stereotypical chaebol who falls in love with a female robot. A complete 180 change in genre from his last drama – Emperor: Owner of the Mask – the new MBC series is directed by PD Jung Dae Yoon of highly successful W: Two Worlds, and will take over Hospital Ship’s timeslot.

Romance drama Money Flower will see the reunion of Jang Hyuk and Park Se Yeong who last collaborated in 2016 for Beautiful Mind, while Hate To Love You is a daily evening drama about the discord of a family going through divorce and the life of a young woman determined to start anew.

Fans who previously enjoyed Remember: War of the Sun and Suspicious Partner will be thrilled to catch Nothing to Lose. Unlike most legal dramas that tend to revolve around defence attorneys and prosecutors, this new SBS title will shift its attention on Seoul’s District Court judges instead.

Meloholic is another title to look out for this November as TVXQ’s Jung Yunho plays a young man with the ability to read a person’s true thoughts and feelings. While many of us would think having this ability is a gift, this drama shows how sometimes a gift could turn out to be a dreadful curse.

Asides about the exciting drama programme, WINNER new variety show - Youth over Flowers: Winner is available on Viu too. After completing a mission on New Journey to the Wests 4, WINNER’s Song Min Ho won a chance to film Youth over Flowers with his band. All four members are suddenly ‘kidnapped’ and put on a plane to Australia, where they will have to find a way to survive with no prior preparation and supplies.

Fans can enjoy the above shows on viu.com or via the Viu mobile app for FREE! Viu Premium users will be able to enjoy unlimited downloads for offline viewing while on the go. Viu also offers download-to stream capability and personalised multi-device synchronisation for a seamless viewing experience.

*photo credit: MBC, Viu / source credit: Viu

Expect new sensational drama - 'Bravo My Life', 'Nothing to Lose', 'Doubtful Victory' and variety series - 'Law of the Jungle in Cook Islands', 'The Show: Fan PD' to hit your TV screen on ONE HD (Astro Ch. 393)!

Bravo My Life

Sets in the world of television drama production, Bravo My Life revolves around a love triangle that brewed between Ha Do Na (played by Jung Yu Mi), an assistant director with a stagnant career and two of her love interests, Kim Bum Woo (Hyun Woo), an actor who is struggling to debut, and Shin Dong Woo (Yeon Jung Hoon), an arrogant workaholic.

Nothing to Lose

Be sure to also catch Park Eun Bin “Nothing to Lose” as she plays a judge who abuses her authority and who struggles to reveal the truth about her brother who she is accused of framing for murder. When two judges with temperaments of extreme ends faced with a complex case and stakes get personal, how will they each handle the situation and work out a solution despite their contrasting viewpoints?

Doubtful Victory

Not to forget Yoon Kyun Sung's upcoming drama “Doubtful Victory” as he plays a framed ex-convict and prison escapee, Il Seung who becomes a fake detective that becomes a part of Metropolitan Investigation Unit. Il Seung, whose name means ‘a victory’, felt anything but victorious after being wrongfully put a death row. Given a chance to take on a new identity as a detective, will Il Seung win the race against the odds to rewrite his life?

Variety Shows

Don’t forget about the variety shows airing on ONE HD! Be the first to see the return of Kim Byung Man’s return from his injury, in “Law of the Jungle in Cook Islands” and “The Show: Fan PD” where you can watch passionate K-Pop fans produce the perfect entertainment program based on their beloved idols' strengths, talents, and unique humour.

Catch the last episode of Temperature of Love & While You Were Sleeping

Last but not least, you wouldn’t want to miss out the finale of “While You Were Sleeping” on 16 November at 9.00pm, same time as Korea; and “Temperature of Love” on 28 November at 6.55pm!

*source & picture credit: ONE HD