Fox News, get a fucking life.

Re the Common non-controversy, Jon Stewart pays a visit to Bill O'Reilly's show and owns him good. But I'm not posting because Stewart is "a shot of Levittown to [O'Reilly's] ass" but because it is so depressingly insane (and inane).

K-Pop's ALEX!

[Fuck you, yet again, Blogger, for not posting my entries and for giving me error screens in Chinese. I specified my language to 'English', you bastard. That means you should adjust your damn codes and pop up error messages in the appropriate language.]

So, before that freak out, I freaked out about Alex, who is my new obsession. Take a look at the performance below and see why. And I like Oasis. I admit it.

Bommie's all-kill for 'Don't Cry'.

Love me some Park Bom. She all-killed on the charts, once again showing the dominance of YG. This video is similar to her first single, You and I, in that there's a girl, there's a boy, they fall in love, and he dies. I know, happiness. But happiness is seeing Bommie in all her diva loveliness. Check out the MV.

Chapman To performs a '3D Sex and Zen' movie review.

Because good news also comes in 3s, Chapman To delivers the last piece of HK entertainment goodness for today. Also unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that HK recently released the world's first 3D porn, so the producers claim. The latest incarnation of the Sex and Zen series raked in a load of money in its first day, beating the record set by Avatar. Far from being the male moviegoer's wet dream, however, some are complaining that the 3D-ness is improperly focused on flying bullets and swords. Well, one barely legal kid threw some choice words on the interweb about his disappointment, and the ever present Chapman To decided to deliver an interpretive performance. The result is gold, but since I don't know half the slang, it's only bronzish to me. Nevertheless, I did get that the newly crowned 18 year old was not happy that his beloved Vonnie Lui was subjected to dubbing and then blown to bits, among other things.

Ron Ng......mmmmm........

Moving on...now that Raymond Lam has taken a precipitous fall from grace, time to turn our attention to his other half. I mean Ron Ng. Mr. Ng has always hovered high on my radar, but his acting and singing are of questionable quality. Nevertheless, I generally enjoy his performances. They don't make me squirm the way hmm, Kenneth Ma's performances do. I'm actually very much looking forward to seeing Ron in his latest show, Yes, Sir, No, Sir (though I don't think TVB properly punctuated it), on in the 9:30p slot. He plays a cop alongside Moses Chan. Ron = cop, always a good idea.

This time, the story revolves around a school as Moses is sent undercover as a teacher of a Band 3 (underperforming) school. 5 episodes have already aired, and finally Ron appeared last night - in the closing 30 seconds of the show. Blast it! Luckily we've been seeing him in the ending credits. Well, he's very 型, and let's leave it at that. See for yourself.

Apple Action News pixelates Raymond Lam's animated parts.

As you know, if you live in Hong Kong and speak Cantonese, Raymond Lam Fung has been getting almost Edison-level press lately for his underground relationship with Mavis Pan. He of exceptional bone structure and she of exceptional...um, chest structure apparently hit it off after filming an awful movie together. She had a bit role in The Jade and the Pearl, memorable for nothing until her relationship with Lam was exposed. Oh, how the beautiful fall fast. The so-called scandal has been brewing for a month now, and because I have nothing better to do, I'm posting Apple Action News's interpretation of this relationship. (AAN regularly makes it to Huffington Post's comedy section for it's inane computer animations of news stories.)

Big Bang's 'Tonight' special edition release...almost.

YG thinks its such the shit that it apparently keeps its own time. 22 minutes past the release of Big Bang's 4.5 mini album, that is the special edition of Tonight. As always, YG's late! Constantly updating my pages. In the meantime, eye candy.

TOP counts down.

4 days until Big Bang drops another cannonball of awesomeness (yes, I'm running out of metaphors). I love this sound, and I don't just mean that of TOP's voice, though I love that as well.

It's not uncommon to hear some fans lament about Big Bang's departure from their early days, 'early' meaning anything from VIP to Lies to Haru Haru. But I think that misses the whole point of why Big Bang is such a beloved phenomenon. Great artists are that way because they consistently push beyond the norm. Not to equate Big Bang with the following artists, but Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the Beatles certainly did not confine themselves to the music that launched their careers. I have more to say on this but time for work! Until then, TOP sings to you.

Taeyang counts down.

Taeyang needs a girl like me?! I can deal. 5 days until Big Bang's special release album. Kid's got short fingers. That's okay.

MBLAQ cries.

In case we need a reminder, I'm a dedicated YG fangirl, a snobby one at that; I don't think any other company holds a torch to YG. But occasionally I experiment with other K-Pop drugs, like MBLAQ off the JTune label. There's nothing that really stands out for me about them, and only recognize G.O. Nevertheless, I have 2 of their songs on my iPod, and that seems to be critical mass when it comes to these sort of things. Here is their song Cry, which is getting endlessly looped at the moment.

Less than three Liu Xuan.

What the hell would I write about if I didn't have K-Pop? Ah yes, TVB. And so, here it is. My latest love affair is Liu Xuan. There are some actresses I adore and would quite possibly turn gay for. Tang Wei is high on that list - actually, she is at the top of that list. Liu Xuan is, well, not in an Ang Lee movie opposite Tony Leung, but she still strikes me as crazy sweet. She is also very short for a HK actress and has managed to make Fala Chen look oafish (yes, oafish). This generally makes me feel better about life.

For some unfathomable reason, she decided to sign a contract with TVB and learn Cantonese. This Olympic gymnast is now starring in Grace Under Fire, which is about kung fu and Wong Fei Hong, among other things. It automatically earns negative points because Kenneth Ma is one of the male leads, but Liu Xuan has rescued it from whatever bad acting her co-star is engaged in. I missed the first week and a half so I'm not following the show too closely, but so far so good. 加油!!

Kanauru films Shaun Evaristo's kids dancing to his choreography of Se7en's 'Drip'.

And while we're at it, Kanauru meets Shaun Evaristo meets Se7en's Drip. I am loving everything that comes out of Kanauru/Movement Lifestyle collabs. Living vicariously through this crew.

Ne-Yo + K-Pop collab?

 

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Ne-Yo says he wants to collaborate with some K-Poppers. Fan-tastic. So who's first on the list? One would assume the guy everyone calls 'Korean Ne-Yo' (aka Taeyang), right? Wrong. Via his recent Korean concert visit and Twitter feed, he expressed an interest in working with KYP artists only. Okay, obviously this news is to be taken with tubs of salt. We're assuming he's a newbie to the genre and has yet to be confronted with the amazingness that is Taeyang and the YG Family. Plus, Ne-Yo and Junsu from 2PM would be killer. And 'Taeyang' and 'Big Bang' and 'YG' might have pushed him over the 140 character limit. But really, Ne-Yo, get in touch with Papa YG. Good things will happen to you.

(For the record, Blogspot sucks fuck. So much for making this site user friendly for computer illiterate posters. How the hell do you post pictures next to each other instead in one fucking column?)

Liar Liar.

So maybe YG goes by HK time? In any case, Stupid Liar/Lair has been unleashed! I love the opening bars. Still am not feeling the autotune and die a little every time I hear it in a new track. Nevertheless, I've sipped the kool-aid, and it's delicious. Full track and album dropping on April 8, MV on April 15.

(Keep expecting GD to continue with '...pants on fire.')

Big Bang's stupid little lair.

Waiting for Stupid Liar to be released. No, waiting for the 30 second teaser to be released. Alas, it's 41 minutes after midnight in Korea and still no sign of this liar. Meanwhile, on YouTube, YG's teasing us about some stupid lair. Oops. I'll gladly be their English editor.

G-Dragon endorses Bean Pole and reminds everyone that you are not as cool as him.

Fuuuuuuuuuck. G-Dragon, you KILL me!!!!!! How can a 23 year old kid have so much swagga? I want just an ounce of his charisma, a teaspoonful. Untouchable.

JLS's inspired 'Eyes Wide Shut' MV.

Time to come clean. I like JLS. Generally averse to any act that emerges from a television talent contest, but I've liked most of their hits so far. They make my brand of music, the poppy R&B stuff that I don't mind grooving like a fool to on public transpo. Their latest single (from late last year) just landed on my playlist. It's called Eyes Wide Shut. Yeah, deep. It feels a little early 90s old school, but I think that's mostly because the opening bars sound like they are taken from Monica's Angel of Mine. That said, I don't know what is going on in the video. I don't dislike it; just looks a mess, kind of like mushing all of the following into a 4 minute video.

Inception

Columbia Pictures logo

Rene Margritte's Son of Man

MC Escher

Star Wars - Death Star

Taeyang's Prayer MV

Night Sky star chart

Star Wars - Cloud City

Ne-Yo

Actual JLS video:

Very obsessed with G-Dragon's 'Obsession'.

Seriously, GD. Dear Leader pisses charisma. I don't understand a word (of Korean) he's saying, but this kid is one powerful drug. I fantasize about being him, when I'm not pretending to be CL. You will feel cooler just by blasting his songs in your ear. Really, try it. His 眼神 (no direct translation but something like the look he gives off in his eyes) cuts. Beware if you're in the audience when he and T.O.P. take the stage. Slaughter.

Shinhwa fangirlism begins.

New obsession: Shinhwa. I remember these guys from my first foray into Asia in 2002. I have their CD buried somewhere. Kim Dongwan appeared on a recent episode of Strong Heart with Seungri and G-Dragon, and I decided I want to marry someone like him. But I will not be, so instead I have songs like this one to look forward to. Just One More Time (다시 한 번만) off their 9th album, simply titled Volume 9. I listened to it at least 30 times today. Really need to learn Korean.

K-Pop anniversary!

Cause for celebration! Exactly a year ago today, I stumbled upon a video. YouTube recommended one Wedding Dress by some Korean bloke named Taeyang. And well, you know how it goes. Taeyang and the YG family have accompanied me through one difficult but exciting year, difficult because I was still treading water with my thesis but exciting because I finally finished the damn thing and managed to get a job soon thereafter. One year and many CDs and DVDs later, I am an avowed Big Bang and YG fan. Yes, my life is enriched by the fruits of their creative labor. Since I am too tired to celebrate in any spectacular way, let me just repost the video that started it all. And it should be noted that 0'57" was what sent me over the edge. So thug.

Official MV for Big Bang's 'Tonight'.

Score! Re yesterday's post about the MV shown on The Big Bang Show, indeed, YG has released a second version. This one is much improved. I still would like to have seen more cruising in Sin City because how hot would that be? But I love that Daesung got a lead role and played jilted lover. He's got an army of VIPs wanting to cuddle, or make violent love. Anyway, no more talk.

Conspiracy theory about Big Bang's 'Tonight' MV.

Let me be the first to say...

Last night, or 10 hours ago, SBS aired The Big Bang Show, a one hour special of live performances, interview, and a Secret Garden parody. They also revealed an MV for Tonight. Half a day later, this MV has yet to appear in any official form. We know that YG is thinking internationally, even if there are no (public) plans in place for the current album, so it's a bit confusing why he would withhold the video from YouTube when that has been the primary means of international exposure for the group. There is also the issue of conflicting information about the content of the video, namely Daesung's missing bed scene. Yes, word is Daesung plays romantic lead - but the video shown on SBS last night was decidedly unromantic. Similarly, regarding content, as some posters have noted, the song is called Tonight yet much of it takes place during the day.

And a personal note, I was just not impressed. It almost reminded me of the disastrous first I Need a Girl video, though not quite so bad. The content was not cohesive - Las Vegas at night (very cool), day shots at some glitzy neon sign junkyard, and a desert. Yes, all vaguely Sin City, but there was no theme beyond this. (And I'm really not feeling the stylist for this album. Not the biggest transgression so perhaps more on that later.) There are a million possibilities for this song and shoot location, and you're telling me random shots of the boys singing is the best YG can do? This just doesn't seem like a worthy successor to such great videos as Lies (death by pineapple and subsequent incarceration of G-Dragon), Haru Haru (cheesy girl-gets-cancer story line but great tension between G-Dragon and TOP), and one of my favorites, Let Me Hear Your Voice (black and white concept of boys trapped by cityscape). Oh, and how can I forget Tell Me Goodbye, which had nothing to do with Iris, the show for which it was a themesong, but which could have been its own movie.

This is what I think. YG is teasing us and will actually unleash a second, and official, MV that will be much improved and subsequently rock the world. This accounts for the delay releasing on YouTube. Forever a master of hype, he knows that the Big Bang fandom is abuzz from last night's show. The K-Pop universe is on edge. They're no longer waiting for Big Bang to exert its dominance; it's now just a matter of how crushed the competition will be. After a 2+ year wait, it's hard to believe that this would be it for crafty promotion efforts and that Big Bang will simply slip into the usual music show promotions like the mere mortal idol groups. YG knows that fans are crying for more, some literally, and tension is building over the missing MV. He'll hold out long enough for this issue to generate noise and then - BAM - hit us with a superior MV, with Daesung getting his knickers off, or something like that. Fans will be so stunned that we will immediately sing praises of Big Bang and declare once more that YG is in fact a genius; lesser idol groups will whither at their own imperfections and mourn their inadequate management; and overseas non-fans will curiously click the 'featured' YouTube video like I did back in the day and suddenly be opened to a whole new world of wonderfulness. And we will see Daesung in a bed scene.

So, am I right? Wait and see. Of course, this could be a massive fail of a guess on my part. In which case, bring out the next video!

UPDATE: I didn't watch all of the Big Bang Show last night so I missed this bit of news. There is a very brief shot of GD rapping in English on the Tonight set. English version? (In which case I'm not buying another CD.) End the suspense already, YG, and wewease the secwet wideo!!!

Keone Madrid + Mari Martin + Vinh Nguyen = AMEN!

And how did I forget to share this?!! I LOVE it, seriously. This is how you put your talents to work for God. Nothing else to say, except to explain that it's choreographed by Keone Madrid, who is part of that Movement Lifestyle/YG collective. His partner, Mari Martin, also plays a role. Music: Where You Are by Deitrick Haddon and We Need You by J.R. Support!

Big Bang.......what a tease.

This teaser for Big Bang's new Intro track and album has been out for a few days but for some unfathomable reason has not made it to my blog. Amended. Yes, went into schoolgirl convulsions when it first popped up on my Youtube. Hello, folks. Big Bang, in Vegas, sporting styling shades, at night. Am now counting down the hours until SBS airs its first special on BB. Word is their newest MV will be released. And if I read right, another one of GD and TOP's tracks off their album is also getting a video. But that one will just have to be leaked in time as it's all BB promotions for the moment.

So, exhibit A - teaser. Exhibit B - my latest editions. I really did not intend on buying these right away. In fact, I didn't even think the BB album would be out in HK. But I was cutting through Causeway Bay this afternoon, by way of Victoria Park, and there happens to be an HMV conveniently located next door. Took the opportunity to boost BB's overseas sales. I actually was going to buy Seungri's album but decided on the other 2. Alas, the only reason was because I need to eat lunch this week. Sidenote, it's one of the albums being sampled in the store so there's a wall of fresh copies. And, for the record, I'm not the only HK fan excited about this release. Three girls, who are well above 10, gasped when they saw the new album and remained huddled around the discs for some time. Doing BB proud.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:

Arden Cho and Gerald Ko sing love.

This is perfect.

Break it down, Seungri.

Baby Seungri. Such a cute kid. Maknae's trying, real hard. But he's finally breaking through, down, wherever. Big Bang now has 5 bonafide stars.

Big Bang is Back.......almost.

Travesty. Haven't posted in ages. As a student said on Monday, "Who blogs?! That's so sad." Well, I'm a sad, old woman then.

So what have I been watching (always an appropriate question)? Too many things. Burning Flame III, Last One Standing, Rosy Business, 7 Days in Life, Autumn's Concerto. Currently in my DVD player is Autumn's Concerto (after having, excuse the pun, burned through Burning Flame III several times). My passion for Vanness Wu has been reignited. That show is truly one of my favorites, which reminds me I have to finish a review for it one of these days. However, also on my radar is Big Bang's Korean comeback. It's been 2 years and 3 months since they rocked Korea with an album. Luckily I did not have to wait that long as I had yet to start my steamy affair with K-Pop. In honor of my current eye and ear candy, a picture.

 

"Fingers up if you own a mad six pack."

GD+TOP = Knock Out

Starting off the new year right. GD+TOP MV for Knock Out.