Tag: korea

  • When Kpop Went Beyond American Pop

    I love when I do long and weird titles. xD

    I don’t want to offend anyone — I know I’m doing my generalization, but let’s be honest~ I haven’t been into the American commercial pop scene since… I left Britney, and I left her circa her Toxic days too.

    Even though people say I’m a music snob (I don’t know why…), I really like my easy-to-digest commercial pop of pretty idols that I can worship,  catchy music, and dance routines. I was big on the dancing, and I’m not talking about jiggly butt dances or Waka Waka stuff — as you know, I prefer my Shakira in her Donde Estan los Ladrones days… — I’m talking about sync dancing that gets you pumped, all the UMPH from the Nsync and Britney days of late 90s and very early 2000s.

    I gave a try to the Katy Perrys, the Jonas Bros, the Justin Biebers (yes, yes I did.) — by the time Ke$ha was out, I had already given up. I didn’t even try Miley because her voice exasperates me, so I wouldn’t be able to stand her singing voice.

    And then Kpop happened.

    Maybe it was because I saw these Asian faces looking back at me — then again, maybe it isn’t — or maybe they put something in my kimchi (though I’m pretty sure I started eating kimchi after my Kpop thing), maybe it’s because they’re just better… who knows, but there’s something so VERY fascinating about the way Kpop is spreading.

    We’ve been looking how it’s grown over the past 2 or 3 years into a phenomenon. I wonder how big is going to get, I want to see it get big… but not only Kpop, of course — other types of Asian music. I want to see how Kpopers get famous, Cpopers, — okay, not Jpopers, but definitely Jrockers, and the Taiwan music scene, and the indie Japanese scene~

    So obviously, I made a playlist prompted from the Kahi post I did a day or two ago.

    These are songs from from the Kpop industry that just stuck out. It’s a bit thin on the earlier years [the playlist is ordered by year], but it begins getting pretty heavy in 2008. I tried picking just songs that are dance pop and not ballads just to keep the list in check — at the moment it has 30 tracks, that I hope will expand into more songs as the months and years go by~

    [iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLDD96E58EC50B1F36&hl=en_US”]

    Here’s the YouTube link.

    If you have any suggestions as to what it’s missing, comment away.

    *EDIT*

    Must include MVs (so songs released as singles), not older than late 90s.
    Also… song must work as MV too. So no awesome songs but tacky videos. Sorry.

    Now tell me, how did you get into Kpop?


  • After School, Kahi and Dancing with Heels~

    Needle heels should be banned from choreographed music videos.
    on Meisa Kuroki dancing with heels.

    I’ll eat my words by the end of this post, don’t worry.

    As you all know, I’m a late K-pop bloomer. Since everyone around me seems to be into Kpop, I don’t keep an eye on it because I don’t feel like I need to… I just wait for my friends to tell me what to watch. LOL

    It is in my search for Glee + Kpop posts (because I want to see how much audience would be into it… not many), I ended up on the video posted on a celebrity gossip website, that shall remain nameless, of After School’s Let’s Step Up MV.

    They described it as Glee Korean style — which is not. As you know I love Celtic music, hence I also have a fascination with Riverdance, and tap dance. Let’s Step Up blew my mind. LOL Are you kidding me? Glossy pop music mixed with tap, mixed with Riverdance? I love it.

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  • Worldwide Anthems~

    This post took a really long time… it’s been on my to-do post-it for a while~ I even have a post-it with the songs that I wanted to include, and the ones I could ask people about.

    So check out the list on YAM Magazine ;D


  • DBSK – Before U Go Long-form Version

    After DBSK pretty rocking dance tune of Keep your Head Down, the guys decided to release — alongside a repackaged version of their album — the single for Before U Go with a music video styled as a slick action crime drama. The regular 5min. version of the video is actually pretty interesting, because it’s packed with some fighting, and some sort of story that we can follow.

    It’s like the teaser of a quality Korean drama. LOL

    And then… they decided to release the long-form video. I like to talk about it when MVs get turned to short films. So we must talk about it. Yes, the long version is still pretty slick, but there’s one BIG problem.

    The remaining DBSK guys Yunho and Changming end up the 16min run of the MV looking like lousy one-dimensional goodies, while the baddie is an anti-hero. I actually felt a lot worse for him than the “good” guys. What’s up with that?


  • Online Film Critics 2010 Nominations

    Another one for Black Swan O+O

    OMG, Natalie Portman news – still SHOCKING. xD

    Amazing Oscar timing.

    Also… YAY! Kim Hye-ja for Best Actress in Madeo/Mother again!

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  • Southeastern Film Critics Winners

    Okay, all the critics loved The Social Network. But the SEFC also show some love to The King’s Speech~

    And YAY for Madeo (Mother)! xD

    I’m unsure where exactly is “Southeast” in America xD

    TOP TEN FILMS

    1. The Social Network
    2. The King’s Speech
    3. Winter’s Bone
    4. Black Swan
    5. Inception
    6. True Grit
    7. Toy Story 3
    8. 127 Hours
    9. The Fighter
    10. The Kids Are All Right

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  • Los Angeles Film Critics Winners

    First, let me spazz as the LA Critics surprise by choosing Korean Actress — awesomest ahjumma for the award season — Kim Hye-ja for Best Actress with her work on Bong Joon-ho’s Madeo (Mother). The pick kind of baffles me since I consider Madeo a 2009 Film, and Kim Hye-ja was even nominated in my first Experiments Awards.

    Still… *goes crazy*

    Then, the LA Critics also surprise with a tie for Director choosing Olivier Assayas for Carlos, as well as David Fincher for The Social Network. While adding a personal sting by picking Olivia Williams for Best Supporting Actress runner-up — RUNNER-UP!!!! — for her work on The Ghost Writer… beaten by Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom. LOL

    • Best Picture – The Social Network
      1st. Carlos
    • Director – Olivier Assayas – Carlos
      tie. David Fincher – The Social Network
    • Actor – Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
      1st. Edgar Ramirez – Carlos
    • Actres – Kim Hye-ja – Madeo (Mother)
      1st. Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
    • Supporting Actor – Niels Arestrup – Un Prophete (A Prophet)
      1st. Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
    • Supporting Actress – Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
      1st. Olivia Williams – The Ghost Writer
    • Screenplay – The Social Network
      1st. The King’s Speech
    • Cinematography – Black Swan
      1st. True Grit
    • Documentary – Last Train Home
      1st. Exit Through the Gift Shop
    • Foreign – Carlos
      1st. Madeo (Mother)
    • Animated Film – Toy Story 3
      1st. l’Illusionniste (The Illusionist)
    • Score – The Ghost Writer
      1st. The Social Network
    • Production Design – Inception
      1st. The King’s Speech

    via Living in Cinema


  • Boston Film Critics Awards Winners

    And Boston is TOTALLY completely IN LURVVVV with The Social Network.

    • Film – The Social Network
    • Actor – Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
    • Actress – Natalie Portman – Black Swan
    • Supporting Actor – Christian Bale – The Fighter
    • Supporting Actress – Juliette Lewis – Conviction
    • Director – David Fincher – The Social Network
    • Screenplay – The Social Network
    • Cinematography – True Grit
    • Documentary – Marwencol
    • Foreign – Madeo (Mother) Korea
    • Animated Film – Toy Story 3
    • Film Editing – Black Swan
    • New Filmmaker – Jef Malmberg – Marwencol
    • Ensemble Cast – The Fighter
    • Music – The Social Network

    via BSFC Website


  • Satellite Awards 2010 Nominations

    I’m never really good with Satellite Awards, I always forget them. But then again, there’s so many Satellite nominees per category… it seems a bit excessive. It’s like chucking all the best performances of the year, instead of choosing five spots even if three good performances will be left out.

    And when there’s not enough good performances… they just fill the category up!

    Inception is leading this one ;P

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  • Asia Pacific Screen Winners 2010

    They were held today at my worst possible timezone. I only made it to the Best Actress award… barely. I was already nodding off, but I had to stay up for that one.

    I knew Yun Jeong-hee was pretty much a shoo-in for Best Actress for her amazing role on Poetry — what’s up with all these Korean ahjumas, they are fierce! — but I was secretly rooting for Fan Xu on Aftershocks because her role left me emotionally drained.

    Also~~~ APSA > Oscar – why?

    Please, awarding Aftershocks, Poetry and Caterpillar? Anyone who awards these, it’s on my good list — even if it’s not an “official” category, Shinobu Terajima winning the Jury Award is big. Oscars will never EVER nominate Shinobu Terajima for Best Actress — unless they surprise me. Please, surprise me  — and they will never ever nominated Yun Jeong-hee either. Considering Japan and Korea chose other films to send…

    Anyway! So many awards, eh? Check the sidebar to keep up to date with the Award Season~~~

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