Korean girl group Wonder Girls will release their first eponymous TV movie in February via U.S. cable channel Teen Nick, making them the first Asian singers to star in an American television movie, their agent said Tuesday.
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Wonder Girls (JYP) |
Originally titled “Wonder Girls at the Apollo,” the movie’s title was recently changed to “The Wonder Girls.” A brief teaser video has been released via YouTube and Facebook.
Scheduled for official broadcast on Feb. 2, the series is garnering attention from fans here since Teen Nick is a channel seen by more than 70 million households in the U.S. market. Teen Nick is affiliated with Viacom/MTV networks, one of the four largest media companies in the world.
Teen Nick’s movies have also created some of the biggest stars, including Drake, Miranda Cosgrove, Keke Palmer and Victoria Justice, not to mention its celebrity chairman, Nick Cannon, who’s also the husband of R&B star Mariah Carey.
“Cannon appears to have made up his mind about the movie, recognizing the Wonder Girls’ high potential,” JYP Entertainment in Korea said in a press release. “The Wonder Girls will become the first Asian artists to play the lead role in a U.S. TV movie.”
The show will feature various episodes of the five young band members during their stay in the U.S., “mixing fiction with reality,” the agent added.
Prior to the release of their movie, the Wonder Girls will showcase the music video for the movie’s original soundtrack “The DJ is Mine” at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, slated for Jan. 11 in Las Vegas.
The group will be making an appearance alongside their producer Park Jin-young and Teen Nick chairman Cannon at the massive electronic show.
Produced by singer-songwriter Park Jin-young, the Wonder Girls debuted in 2007, with each of the five members selected through separate auditions.
The group became an instant hit that year with “Tell Me,” eventually scoring five consecutive No. 1 hit singles including “So Hot,” “Nobody” and “2 Different Tears.”
Bagging several “artist of the year” awards in 2008, the group entered the U.S. market in 2009 with the English version of “Nobody,” which was released just one day before the start of their tour with the Jonas Brothers.
The Wonder Girls were initially signed on for 13 concert dates across the U.S., but they were eventually given the opportunity to join the Jonas Brothers for a total of 45 concert dates.
“Nobody” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2009, making it to 76 and becoming the first Korean group to ever enter the chart. The song also went on to top the Taiwan and Hong Kong music charts.
The group will be heading to the U.S. later this month, shortly after promotional activities in China, according to JYP.
By Shin Hae-in
(
hayney@heraldcorp.com)
<한글기사>
원더걸스 주연 TV영화 美서 방영
(연합뉴스) 걸그룹 원더걸스를 주인공으로 한 TV영화가 다 음달 미국 전역에 방송된다.
JYP엔터테인먼트는 3일 "원더걸스를 주인공으로 한 TV영화 '더 원더걸스(The Wonder Girls)'가 다음달 2일 미국 케이블TV 채널 틴닉(Teen Nick)에서 첫 방송된다"고 전했다.
틴닉은 세계 4대 미디어 그룹 중 하나인 바이아컴(Viacom) 산하 청소년 채널이다.
JYP는 "팝스타 머라이어 캐리의 남편으로 더 유명한 닉 캐넌 틴닉 회장이 원더걸스의 성장 가능성을 높이 평가해 이번 영화 제작을 결정한 것으로 안다"면서 아시아 가수가 미국 TV영화 주연을 맡은 것은 이번이 처음일 것이라고 전했다.
"더 원더걸스'는 원더걸스가 미국에서 활동하며 겪는 다양한 에피소드를 다룬다. JYP는 "원더걸스가 실제로 '겪을 법한' 에피소드에 잔재미를 더한 픽션"이라고 소개했다.
원더걸스는 영화 방영에 앞서 오는 11일 미국 라스베이거스에서 열리는 '2012 국제전자제품박람회(CES)'에 참석, TV영화 주제가인 '더 디제이 이즈 마인(The DJ is mine)'의 뮤직비디오 공개 행사를 열 계획이다.
이날 행사에는 원더걸스와 JYP의 박진영 프로듀서, 닉 캐넌 틴닉 회장 등이 참석할 예정이다.
