Rain talks music and movies, but not military duty (AP)

MACAU – In nine years, Rain has gone from an unknown backup dancer to one of Asia's hottest stars. The South Korean actor-singer also has two Hollywood movies to his credit.

But his thriving entertainment career must be put on hold later this year when he reports for two years of mandatory military duty. It's a topic the 28-year-old performer doesn't want to discuss.

In the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau for the latest stop of what is likely his final Asian tour before military service, Rain made sure the media couldn't ask him about his imminent break from the entertainment industry.

At a news conference — delayed 2 1/2 hours — before his concert at the Venetian Macao casino-hotel late Saturday, organizers banned questions that were not preapproved by Rain's managers. Instead of discussing how the break would affect his entertainment career, Rain spoke about Macau and fan reaction around Asia.

He talked about his new movie "Living in the Sky," in which he plays a pilot, and said he wanted to make more action films and take on romantic roles in TV dramas.

Few details of his military duty have been disclosed, but he told South Korean media last month that it would start at the end of this year.

All able-bodied South Korean men must join the military for about two years of service sometime between the ages of 18 and 35.

Managers for the South Korean star, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, refused an interview request in Macau from The Associated Press.

In his short career, Rain has released five Korean albums and a Japanese record and launched a film and TV career. He has also crossed over to America, appearing in a "dance-off" against comedian Stephen Colbert and starring in the Hollywood action thrillers "Speed Racer" and "Ninja Assassin."

But Rain thinks his entertainment future lies in Asia.

"Now America is no longer dominant. Now many Asian movies and songs are very popular. The two regions have the same status now," he said.

Rain's fans are confident their idol will emerge from the two-year break unscathed.

Several dozen die-hard fans were camped out outside the concert venue six hours before show time.

"He is a very hardworking person. Serving in the military will improve his determination. It will make him more manly and more mature. His career might take a different direction after his military service, but I think he will keep getting better and better," said 21-year-old university student Zhao Wenwei.

"All his fans think that if he is gone for two years, we will not forget him. We will remember him by watching his movies and other past works," said the Shanghai resident, who shelled out 1,980 Macau patacas ($255) for her ticket.

"The two years of military service will help build his endurance," said Ivy Tang, an 18-year-old university student from the southern Chinese city Guangzhou who traveled to Macau with about 60 fellow members of a Rain discussion group on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

___

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Rain's website: http://rain-jihoon.com

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Rain talks music and movies, but not military duty (AP)

MACAU – In nine years, Rain has gone from an unknown backup dancer to one of Asia's hottest stars. The South Korean actor-singer also has two Hollywood movies to his credit.

But his thriving entertainment career must be put on hold later this year when he reports for two years of mandatory military duty. It's a topic the 28-year-old performer doesn't want to discuss.

In the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau for the latest stop of what is likely his final Asian tour before military service, Rain made sure the media couldn't ask him about his imminent break from the entertainment industry.

At a news conference — delayed 2 1/2 hours — before his concert at the Venetian Macao casino-hotel late Saturday, organizers banned questions that were not preapproved by Rain's managers. Instead of discussing how the break would affect his entertainment career, Rain spoke about Macau and fan reaction around Asia.

He talked about his new movie "Living in the Sky," in which he plays a pilot, and said he wanted to make more action films and take on romantic roles in TV dramas.

Few details of his military duty have been disclosed, but he told South Korean media last month that it would start at the end of this year.

All able-bodied South Korean men must join the military for about two years of service sometime between the ages of 18 and 35.

Managers for the South Korean star, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, refused an interview request in Macau from The Associated Press.

In his short career, Rain has released five Korean albums and a Japanese record and launched a film and TV career. He has also crossed over to America, appearing in a "dance-off" against comedian Stephen Colbert and starring in the Hollywood action thrillers "Speed Racer" and "Ninja Assassin."

But Rain thinks his entertainment future lies in Asia.

"Now America is no longer dominant. Now many Asian movies and songs are very popular. The two regions have the same status now," he said.

Rain's fans are confident their idol will emerge from the two-year break unscathed.

Several dozen die-hard fans were camped out outside the concert venue six hours before show time.

"He is a very hardworking person. Serving in the military will improve his determination. It will make him more manly and more mature. His career might take a different direction after his military service, but I think he will keep getting better and better," said 21-year-old university student Zhao Wenwei.

"All his fans think that if he is gone for two years, we will not forget him. We will remember him by watching his movies and other past works," said the Shanghai resident, who shelled out 1,980 Macau patacas ($255) for her ticket.

"The two years of military service will help build his endurance," said Ivy Tang, an 18-year-old university student from the southern Chinese city Guangzhou who traveled to Macau with about 60 fellow members of a Rain discussion group on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

___

Online:

Rain's website: http://rain-jihoon.com

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Rain talks music and movies, but not military duty (AP)

MACAU – In nine years, Rain has gone from an unknown backup dancer to one of Asia's hottest stars. The South Korean actor-singer also has two Hollywood movies to his credit.

But his thriving entertainment career must be put on hold later this year when he reports for two years of mandatory military duty. It's a topic the 28-year-old performer doesn't want to discuss.

In the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau for the latest stop of what is likely his final Asian tour before military service, Rain made sure the media couldn't ask him about his imminent break from the entertainment industry.

At a news conference — delayed 2 1/2 hours — before his concert at the Venetian Macao casino-hotel late Saturday, organizers banned questions that were not preapproved by Rain's managers. Instead of discussing how the break would affect his entertainment career, Rain spoke about Macau and fan reaction around Asia.

He talked about his new movie "Living in the Sky," in which he plays a pilot, and said he wanted to make more action films and take on romantic roles in TV dramas.

Few details of his military duty have been disclosed, but he told South Korean media last month that it would start at the end of this year.

Managers for the the South Korean star, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, refused an interview request in Macau from The Associated Press.

In his short career, Rain has released five Korean albums and a Japanese record and launched a film and TV career. He has also crossed over to America, appearing in a "dance-off" against comedian Stephen Colbert and starring in the Hollywood action thrillers "Speed Racer" and "Ninja Assassin."

But Rain thinks his entertainment future lies in Asia.

"Now America is no longer dominant. Now many Asian movies and songs are very popular. The two regions have the same status now," he said.

Rain's fans are confident their idol will emerge from the two-year break unscathed.

Several dozen die-hard fans were camped out outside the concert venue six hours before show time.

"He is a very hardworking person. Serving in the military will improve his determination. It will make him more manly and more mature. His career might take a different direction after his military service, but I think he will keep getting better and better," said 21-year-old university student Zhao Wenwei.

"All his fans think that if he is gone for two years, we will not forget him. We will remember him by watching his movies and other past works," said the Shanghai resident, who shelled out 1,980 Macau patacas ($255) for her ticket.

"The two years of military service will help build his endurance," said Ivy Tang, an 18-year-old university student from the southern Chinese city Guangzhou who traveled to Macau with about 60 fellow members of a Rain discussion group on the Chinese search engine Baidu.

___

Online:

Rain's website: http://rain-jihoon.com

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Bill Roedy reflects on military and MTV in new book (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – As the former head of MTV Networks International, Bill Roedy drew on his military career to build a youth entertainment business across 165 countries with an audience of millions -- and he had fun along the way.

He says there have many highlights during his 22-years at MTV -- which he left in January -- including: "Singing with Bono and Bob Geldof in a Tokyo karaoke bar at 5 a.m., me dressed as a policeman and Bono dressed as a nurse."

Roedy reflects on his career building what he described as arguably the most distributed brand in the world, owned by Viacom Inc, in his new memoir "What Makes Business Rock," which was published this month by Wiley.

"I worked very hard to respect and reflect local cultures, which means every channel is different and that was quite unusual back then and it still is," he told Reuters of creating 175 channels from Australia to China to Germany to Brazil.

"Everything was sensitized to the local audience and that was really the key factor I think to our success," he said. "We play rap in the Middle East ... but the lyrics are not angry street culture, they're more about, I love my mother."

In the Middle East, Pakistan and Indonesia MTV airs the Muslim call to prayer five times a day. On the other hand, Roedy says he has also enjoyed "bringing 'Beavis and Butthead' to Russia and 'Jersey Shore' to Italy."

Roedy spent 11 years in the U.S. military, serving in the Vietnam War and several years at NATO nuclear missile bases in Italy, before attending Harvard Business School and then discovering his passion for television working at a local Boston station. He moved on to HBO before joining MTV.

"I designed the (MTV Networks International) organization from lessons really learned in the military which is, even though we got big, keep the units small and close to the enemy, in this case the competition," he said.

Along with celebrities, Roedy has also met dozens of heads of states, including former Cuban President Fidel Castro, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

He has negotiated in dozens of languages in various political systems and through an array of government regulations -- a job he says was made a little easier with MTV's charitable work, primarily fighting the spread of HIV.

"The bottom line is that for the bottom line, doing good in the world is good for business," Roedy wrote in his book. "I have little doubt that in many countries MTV's proven record of engagement without pushing a political agenda made it a lot easier for us to receive government approval."

Roedy plans to continue his HIV/AIDS work with groups including the Staying Alive Foundation, which educates youth, amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

"Using the knowledge and experiences I've acquired in 30 years of working in global media, I will continue to speak for those with less voice and less opportunity," he wrote.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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