Now, the only person I can ever truly be bias with is Seo TaiJi. This man can truly do no wrong, he is an artist in every sense of the word. And when you hear his music and listen to the words, it’s hard not to be moved.
The mini-album “Moai” had three new songs from this Music Legend/God, the light and airy feel of the two tracks besides “T’ikT’ak” made you want to enjoy the rest of the Summer on a road trip. ‘T’ikT’ak’ though, is a song that goes back to Seo TaiJis roots of rock and isn’t as “experimental” as the other two tracks.
The MV holds “heavy” meanings challenging todays society and was released on the 20th of this month, first in Movie theatres around the country. This was a joint project with the Japanese movie, “20th Century Boys” and even contained clips of the movie itself.
My sincerest apologies again for the lateness of this weeks update. Before we begin I would like to pass on my respects and condolences to Lee Eons’ family for their great loss. Rest In Peace.
This is the update for the past week, Monday 11th to Sunday 17th.
Festival rocks Jamsil to pieces
Two big Concerts took place in two Jamsil stadiums last week, ETPfest and SMTownLive ‘08. There were strange things to pick up in the media about one of them, but clearly they were both marked as successful. ETPfest opened up to a sold out audience opening its doors to over 40,000 spectators within the two days of the festival. The show was undoubtedly awesome and I think we can all be envious to those of which that attended. SMTownLive opened to Jamsil Olympic stadium with a less than enthusiastic response, but still went on to get a lot of positive remarks from the media due to the Big Name performers there.
Big Bang got busy
With Big Bang releasing their mini-album ‘Stand Up‘, it’s no surprise that they would be in the limelight a lot. With the Olympics still going on there is not much attention paid on the Celeb world or Music world since all eyes are on Beijing, yet Big Bang have found their own way to still pop up on the Media Radar.
First it was their crazy concert in Thailand:
Before they started their official promotions of their new mini-album the Big Bang boys held a concert in Thailand, causing many a fan girl to faint. 20 to be exact and it seems YG Entertainment was proud to mention it. “Our boys are studs and can knock you out with a look” is what they said in my head, after mentioning that.
The release of two MVs within a week.
It took a while to get here, “haru haru” of Big Bang that is, yet as soon as they released that MV with actress Park Min Young, we got another surprise with the release of “Oh My Friend” featuring the psychotically entertaining No Brain. I am all for promotion of underrated KRock Artists mainly because the underground K-Music scene is full of awesome talent, but seriously I couldn’t let ‘haru haru’ sink in and then got bombarded with “oh my friend”. Big Bang make it up though with being cute, and well seeing G-Dragon as a mental patient is always nice….
Thailand got lucky
Well to me, they did. Not only did they get Big Bang but soon after they left, Epik High came for promotions and a showcase for over 1000 fans. “We went there without much expectation, and it turned out we have a lot of fans here in Thailand. We were shocked when they sang along with us during our showcase performances. We have a tight schedule here, we are not feeling tired and is advancing smoothly.” Is what Tablo said on a phone interview about their trip. Any Thai fans out there willing to take me in next time they have Epik High around? Better yet any Thai fans that attended either event of Big Bang and Epik High?
SHINee need mouth to mouth resuscitation.
Noona’s, you wish. Well it’s a play on words to SHINees’ new single “You’re like Oxygen” that they teased us with the week before. The 5 young boys performed it at SMTownLive ‘08 (which was like a promotional tool for the upcoming SM plans to be honest), to a big happy response from fans. I am still waiting on the official MV, but in the forums you can get a listen. I hear only Michael Jackson with this song and as the official release is due tomorrow, wait for that. Although there is some controvercy surrounding the originality of this track, I am still giggling at their attempts to man-up these cute little boys.
lol, Beware of Darth Vader JungHyun….
It’s Wonder JIN?
Mnet is always the place to be for young music pop fans and their events are always fun to keep an eye on. You are bound to get some drama and interesting footage to keep you entertained till the next years version. And Mnet doesn’t want this years Mnet 20’s Choice (last years was the first), to go without some major attention. It’s not enough with their weird awards and choices but they have a strange collab stage going too. Jun Jin of Shinhwa and the Wonder Girls are going to share the stage for something, apparently spectacular. Well that’s what the PD is insisting on (I love how PDs get attention in SK don’t you?), and the PD also claims that after the performance it will by number 1 on search engines…. Ok, we will have our eyes on your project PDnim, but expect our laughter recorded and sent in a package to you if it ends up a joke….
Bae YongJoon forever young
In the heart and soul. The beloved Hallyu star had shoulder surgery recently after his well publicised shoulder ligament injury. After the two injuries Mr. Bae YongJun received after filming his last blockbuster he has been recuperating in the States and now will remain in the hospital for a week. South Korea’s prize smile should keep himself fitter and safer so he can swoon more Ajummas in to the Hallyu Wave…
East of Eden, right down the street
This has gotten tongues wagging for a while now with the uber awesome cast. The cast has a lot of big time names in it that leave your head reeling. Song Seung Hun, Yun Jung Hoon, Park Hae Jin, Lee Da Hae, Lee Yeon Hee, Han Ji Hye, Dennis Oh, Jo Min Ki, Lee Mi Sook, Kim Bum, Shin Eun Jung and many more are set to star in it. The teaser has finally been released and it will be interesting to tune in and see how this drama goes. The plot speaks of revenge, murder and ill-doings, definitely something to watch with a cup of tea and chocolates. Bring it on MBC.
The teaser:
damn, be prepared for drama, drama, drama and needless shedding of tears…
It’s also time for this weeks Music charts thanks to Edward1849 of Soompi
Weekly Music Chart - 3rd Week - August
1. Lee Hyori - U-Go-Girl
2. Davichi - 사랑과 전쟁 (Love and War)
3. Seo In Young - 신데렐라 (Cinderella)
4. Uhm Jung Hwa (feat. T.O.P) - D.I.S.C.O
5. Shinee - 누난 너무 예뻐 (Noona’s Pretty (Replay))
6. Wonder Girls - So Hot
7. Mighty Mouth (feat. Sun Ye) - 에너지 (Energy)
8. Zi-A - 사랑해 미안해 (I Love You, I Am Sorry)
9. Cool - 사랑을 원해 (I Want Love)
10.Brown Eyes - 너 때문에 (Because Of You)
Ok guys, here’s the latest roundup of the news of the past week (Monday 4th to Sunday 10th). Enjoy.
Super Junior-H with not so Happy news
Yesung of Super Junior Happy injured his back last Friday during the Music Bank Rehearsals. He tripped on a Power Cord and fell from the stage, he was sent immediately to the Hospital. The rest of the boys continued the performance like the troopers they are, check out the vid. My favourite of the lot is Ms. Patty (total lol soyboy!).
Get better soon and stay fit and healthy Yesung.
JYP ever the young’un JYPs new album concept, ‘pimp’?
Park Jin Young the coolest Producer on the block doesn’t seem to notice that he can never be sexy. As much as I love this guys talent, I think he should stay away from these crazy photo shoots. JYP please be as great as you are in the recording booth but please put on some clothes and act your age? Just a tip. By the by to the random netizen that said, “He is as sexy as a gorilla. His stomach muscles are like chocolate.” Please be exposed to some more men, thank you, take a look at Kwon SangWoo for instance, and since when were gorillas sexy?
Big Bangs comeback
Well 08.08.08 has come and passed and Big Bang released their newest mini-album. There were some rave reviews by some and not-so-happy reviews by others. No matter what, Big Bang showed us that they are as popular as ever as their album sold an impressive amount in just pre-orders (100k). The album as covered by the staff earlier this week has a wide range of genres and as some people here in the international section are not so keen on it, Big Bang dominates the Cyworld chart as the Top 10 includes every track of the album, even the intro “Stand Up”.
Korean Films rock the movie theatres
One of the main reasons for plenty of people to get in to the Hallyu Wave has got to be their movies. I for one am a huge KMovie fan and finally, the movies are nabbing a nearly 50% market share of the Korean Movie Market, 47.7% if you’re going to nitpick. Awesome movies are out this summer and one of the best picks has to be the Korean western “The Good, the Bad, the Weird”, starring three of the most talented actors Jung WooSung, Lee ByungHun and the ever awesome Song KangHo. Keep watching those Kmovies people.
Kang HyeJung hits the US
Well, kind of. Young actress Kang HyeJung has been cast in ‘American’ movie ‘Wedding Palace’ about two people who meet in L.A and get married. It focuses on their different cultural backgrounds and will be shot mostly in the US with some scenes in Korea. Its produced by Korean American company TU Productions.
Monday Kiz goes solo
After the devastating death of Kim MinSoo of the talented duo Monday Kiz earlier this year, news has reached us that the other half Lee JinSeong will continue. Monday Kiz’s record label gave up finding another partner and wants Mr. Lee to try his luck as a solo singer. We wish him the best of luck in his efforts.
Hana Yori Dango still dangling in the air
It was announced earlier this year that Mr. Hyunjoong of SS501 was going to star as Hanazawa Rui in the Korean adaptation of Hana Yori Dango, and then not too long after that they claimed it was not confirmed. Group 8 who is producing this version seem to be meticulous in their casting project as it has been extended yet again. I know that it’s going to air next year but it’s getting ridiculous as they refuse to tell us who is going to star in the drama. Apparently 80% of the idol stars have auditioned for the drama but no one has particularly stood out yet. They are still deciding on who is going to make them rake in the most money without looking like they sold out.
Maybee wants you to be as inventive as ever
Pretty and talented Songwriter/Singer/DJ Maybee has allowed her fans to produce both her recent single and Music Video. The single was written and produced by 20 high school girls who are avid supporters of Maybee. It was released on the 4th last week as a digital single. Maybee is great to encourage and reward her fans for their own creativity. And its pretty nice that the song is dedicated to her. It’s called “Maybee Praise Song” if you were wondering.
Nell makes their way in to Japan
After a successful comeback earlier this year with their album “Separation Anxiety”, Nell find themselves being invited to the Japanese SummerSonic Rock Festival. Foot traffic reaches highs of 80.000 (concert-goers) and it’s good to think that they will be able to be exposed to the almost-eerie yet ear pleasing music of Seo Taiji discovered Nell. All those hours “researching” in that insane asylum paid off, right guys?
It’s time for this weeks Music chart, credit goes to Mr. Edward1849 as ever, from Soompi.
Weekly Music Chart - 2nd Week - August
1. Lee Hyori - U-Go-Girl
2. Davichi - 사랑과 전쟁 (Love and War)
3. Uhm Jung Hwa (feat. T.O.P) - D.I.S.C.O
4. Shinee - 누난 너무 예뻐 (Noona’s Pretty (Replay))
5. Wonder Girls - So Hot
6. Brown Eyes - 가지마 가지마 (Don’t Leave Don’t Leave)
7. Mighty Mouth (feat. Sun Ye) - 에너지 (Energy)
8. Alex - 그대라면 (If It’s You)
9. Sung Shi Kyung - 안녕 나의 사랑 (Goodbye My Love)
10.Zi-A - 사랑해 미안해 (I Love You, I Am Sorry)
After what seems like my week vacation (while Michelle took over the reigns of the weekly update), I realised how much I enjoyed writing these up. And I hope that you guys do enjoy them. With a thanks to Michelle, lets go ahead with this weeks news.
The Legend is Here.
And it’s damn good he is. Musical God Seo TaiJi has made his comeback sooner than expected and we are not complaining. He dropped his album earlier this week and unsurprisingly it’s been selling like hotcakes. Let me be honest for a sec here and tell you how I reacted to the news, I fangirled when I heard he was coming back sooner, I fangirled when the teaser started, and I super fangirled when I heard his voice again. Funnily enough I am no fangirl, but you guys need to know how awesome this man is. He didnt just pave the way with pretty bricks for this generations biggest creative singers but he also planted flowers and added shrubbery. His impact breathed life and enriched the soils of the K-Music industry, as his single “Moai” sold an astounding 37,408 copies on the first day of release. (thats not even including preorders and illegal downloads throughout the week ). This breaks Brown Eyes record in June, that shook up the industry itself, (they only sold 15,000). This is more significant as it is a single album (commonly known as mini-album), as opposed to Brown Eyes’s full studio album. How is that for you? Seo TaiJis re-introduction in to the Music Biz, breathes life in to it and makes things more exciting! Bring it on.
Check out the super awesome MV teaser, that he shot on Easter Island:
Held Up Due to Heavy Rain
Is apparently the reason why Big Bang is not back. They were originally scheduled to release their MV and mini-album on August 1st. But, due to the downpour their MV filming had to be delayed as they are filming outdoors. They have set both their album and MV release for the novel date 08.08.08, those dates over the years are usually left for gimmicks and marriages (I prefer the date 11.11.11 wait for my album then). Oh right and on the day of the Olympics, I’m anticipating the release as the teaser was entertaining and the words “stand up stand up wake wake up” have been ringing through my head ever since I heard it. I like these boys more now since they also mentioned that they regard Seo Taiji as “the best of the best”. Oh little Big Bang you are after noonas heart. <3
Malaysia and MTV go hand in hand Huzzah! All thirteen! I counted it three times!
Hello to all the Malaysians first of all. Last week Malaysia were hosts to the 2008 MTV Asia Awards. Where the 4 nominees for Best Korean Artist were Big Bang, SNSD, Super Junior and Wonder Girls (in alphabetical order). Super Junior won that night and a big Congratulations to them! To those that didnt win, it’s an honour to just be nominated. And for Super Junior I was expecting an “You like me, *in between sobs* You REALLY like me” acceptance speech, ah well, maybe next time.
It pays to be pretty
No it really does. When formerly faceless star Zia revealed her entire face on Music Bank last week, people went nutso. Let me refresh your minds about Zia, when it took so long for her to show her face, netizens went around labelling her as “ugly” and “fat”. This naturally made the poor girl upset and took a little time off from the Biz. Netizens dont seem to remember that the faceless singer technique is tried and tested in Show Business and has been successful for some, you don’t just hide your face cos your ugly. O_O They have paperbags for that. Anyhow, Zia performed, people liked what they saw, she was the number 1 on the searchlist and her album sales increased to 1000 per day from a previous daily high record of 500-600 orders. Being pretty really does pay. Wow how shallow.
Here’s the performance that converted those non-believers:
SBS is powermad and reckless I love the running man, he’s almost mocking
As international fans its hard not to notice the latest crackdown on Korean Entertainment videos on Youtube. The most popular users have been suspended and videos have been deleted. SBS is behind it. They allied with youtube to delete any SBS videos due to copyright. Funnily enough, SBS can dish it out but they cant take it. Not too long after that, they were hit with a copyright violation themselves. How’s that for ha-ha worthy? They stupidly leaked a video of the Chinese Olympics Opening Ceremony Rehearsals on their channel. I don’t understand why they would do such a thing as I’m pretty sure they were told explicitly to keep ‘mum‘, but alas what goes around does come around my powermad friends. Ironically that very segment was put up on youtube and deleted due to copyright infringement. What do netizens say again, oh yes, LOL.
BoA returning to Korea?
We covered not too long ago a case of two concerts being held on the same night. It was unclear to some the true purpose of the comparison, but nevertheless it was relevant. Now it seems that poor SM is suffering and had to pull BoA out of Japan to increase ticket sales of his SMTOWNLIVE ‘08. We never knew it was that dire a situation SM, perhaps the ticketsales were actually lower? BoA fans are complaining as to the real reason why she couldnt perform in the first place. She was scheduled for the Chinese performances and not the Seoul performance. it was thought it was due to schedule problems but now people are thinking otherwise. Not our problem…..
Davichi are Vitchin’! Yeah, that’s really them, I just loved the picture.
These girls are undoubtedly talented. And their efforts are finally paying off. Ok, the ex-ulzzhang needs to work a little more on her vocals, but they have a lot of decent and excpetional music out there. Davichi are also quite the performers, they beat out so much great competition to hit the number 1 spot. Their first and most significant in my opinion (if my memory serves me right). They beat out competition from killer balladeer Sunbaenims Brown Eyes, and awesomeness Sunbaenim Uhm JungHwa. Well done girls, count me as a supporter!
Here is also the weeks top 10 from good ol’ Edward1849 of Soompi. Weekly Music Chart - 1st Week - August
1. Davichi - 사랑과 전쟁 (Love and War)
2. Uhm Jung Hwa (feat. T.O.P) - D.I.S.C.O
3. Brown Eyes - 가지마 가지마 (Don’t Leave Don’t Leave)
4. Shinee - 누난 너무 예뻐 (Noona’s Pretty (Replay)
5. Wonder Girls - So Hot
6. Mighty Mouth (feat. Sun Ye) - 에너지 (Energy)
7. Sung Shi Kyung - 안녕 나의 사랑 (Goodbye My Love)
8. Alex - 그대라면 (If It’s You)
9. Lee Hyori - U-Go-Girl
10.Super Junior Happy - 요리왕 (Cooking? Cooking!)
Last week Malaysia were hosts to the 2008 MTV Asia Awards. Where the 4 nominees for Best Korean Artist were Big Bang, SNSD, Super Junior and Wonder Girls (in alphabetical order). Super Junior won that night and a big Congratulations to them! To those that didnt win, it’s an honour to just be nominated. 
