Big props for Johnny Noh and AllKpop for knowing that Kpop was going to be big and Time Magazine is now recognizing that. Time interviewed Johnny and others about the growing popularity of Korean pop music.
“Korean artists are now out there,” says Johnny Noh, who runs the (AllKpop) site. “People like [Korean artists] and want to know more about them.”
For many artists in Korea’s booming music industry, social media like YouTube and Twitter have become crucial tools to reach audiences in formerly hard-to-access markets like the U.S. and Europe. Korean artists are bypassing traditional outlets like radio and television, “aggressively steering their efforts to go international via the Internet,” says Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based agency specializing in the international marketing of Korean pop acts. “Social-media-savvy K-pop stars are now tweeting, YouTubing and Facebooking their way up music charts across and beyond Asia.”
The International Secret Agents Concerts are back for the biggest year yet in 2010. ISA presented by JCPenney and teaming up with MTV Iggy and 4C The Power are bringing this groundbreaking concert series with a line up of industry buzzing accomplished talent to Los Angeles and New York. International Secret Agents 2010 is coming to New York and Los Angeles. The biggest YouTube stars will be performing and that includes David Choi, Jay Park and the Far East Movement.
Our friends who love Korean dramas wanted to remind us that the Seoul Drama Awards has opened up its ballots and you can vote for your favorite actor or actress. Sadly our staff doesn’t know much beyond Rain or Lee Byung Hun, but hey, you probably know more than us
This video is hard to digest and it makes me nauseous like after downing soju shots all night long. It’s the Ktown cast reel and even this little 2 minute video makes you cringe. Imagine what a full episode will feel like?! There’s a small snippet at the end of the reel that shows what drama may come our way and it’s obviously overacted by one of the girls. TMZ got a hold of this video and they must’ve been laughing their tails off at their offices. This is going to be a train wreck! UGHHH!!! Damn you attention seeking reality actor wannabes. Why are you screwing it up for the rest of our peeps?
Two months ago Clara Chung was invited out to a White House sanctioned event at the U.S. Department of Education. While at the event Clara had the opportunity to shoot a PSA video and participate in the TEACH campaign. Along with Clara, many other celebrities and other government officials will be participating in this campaign. This PSA video will be released nationwide in the upcoming months in an effort to help promote the young rising working generation about become teachers. Clara might seem familiar to you: she won Kollaboration LA a few months ago. Since then, she’s produced some great songs. Check out Clara’s PSA below.
Nooooooo! Someone once said that bad PR is still good PR but do we really want to have a show that could create more stereotypes about Koreans and Asians or make them look like idiots with an IQ of less than room temperature? According to MTV’s Iggy, the Tyrese produced reality show is called “Ktown” and they’re, “going to show Asian Americans like they’ve never been seen before to the rest of the world.” Ugh! We all know it’s not going to be pretty and more like a screeching train wreck. Who are these people?! ARGHHHHHH! We have a situation!
Funny Comment of the Day: Since we posted this, a friend of ours (KMC) had this interesting comment …..
Ahem I just want to comment about the Korean Jersey Shore article… I was kind of kidnapped by my friend and ended up at VR in Korea Town months ago. So picture this, ME and my 3 over the hill MALE friends in this teenie bopper club filled with half dressed girls in outfits smaller than my belt.. OF course they are all getting their grind on booking girls left and right…while I am pooring shots for their new underage friends stuffing my face with fruit hoping the night will be over soon. As we get older, our bladders get smaller so I found myself in the bathroom line for most of the night.. and while I was in the line I heard this guy say “Yea, I’m here for the Korean jersey shore shoot”. I looked at him and said “You’re Korean? You look Filipino!” He said, “I’m from Miami”. Naturally I said well then this is obviously fake coz we all know most Asians here in K-town don’t like to tan. Dark Asians don’t get laid. PUAHHAHHAA…
If you’re a reality show junkie then you probably have been watching True Beauty, ABC’s reality show about challenging physically attractive men and women to reveal their “inner beauty” (or the lack thereof) via hidden camera trickery. It’s a rather sad statement on how people view beauty. Unfortunately the only Korean on the show, Amy Schmoldt, was eliminated from this week’s episode because of her failures at the Las Vegas casino. At the end of the show, they revealed a video revealing her lack of inner beauty to teach her a lesson.
Amy was adopted from Korea as an infant and grew up with Caucasian parents in New Jersey. Although she doesn’t identify with the Asian culture, she describes herself as an “outrageously beautiful Asian girl”. Amy believes that her exotic look and “all American personality” is the perfect combination to appeal to the masses as the Face of Vegas. Amy loves to shop, gossip and look in the mirror. Amy admits that her mouth gets her in trouble and says that her father calls her blonde because she tends to act a little ditzy. Amy is constantly in trouble for giving dirty looks, but she claims it is just the way her face naturally is. She admits to being oblivious to most things around her.
Ballerina Seo Hee has been promoted to soloist in the American Ballet Theater, one of the world’s top three ballet companies (along with Britain’s Royal Ballet and the Paris Opéra Ballet).
Seo is the first Korean ballerina to become a soloist in the prestigious company. She was promoted to the position below the principal within just four years of joining it.
The 24-year-old dancer began her ballet training at Sunhwa Arts Middle School in Seoul and is recognized for her great physique and expressive skills. Her promotion did not come as a surprise as she had starred as Juliet in the theater’s performance of “Romeo and Juliet” last year.
“I feel good but also calm at the same time,” Seo said. “This is just the beginning, and I will work even harder from now on.”
Since the hangover from South Korea’s exit from the World Cup is finally fading, we can now redirect our lives to non-sporting topics. And today’s topic is why do non-Koreans like Korean dramas? That might be overreaching but it seems like non-Koreans know more about Korean dramas than I do. This past weekend I visited Los Angeles and ran into a handful of friends, both Korean and non. On Sunday morning for brunch, I met up with two Chinese friends and they told me how much they love Korean dramas and how their mothers love watching Korean dramas. This is a conversation I’ve had previously with various other friends, and I still find it surprising. Is it the writing? Hard for me to believe because the themes are similar. Remember when you first started watching Korean dramas? Didn’t it seem like every Korean girl would succumb to cancer and the boyfriend was left alone at the end of the movie in tears? Of course they expanded beyond this cliche of a story.
I asked my brunch mates why they like Korean dramas and they said their mother’s have best explained it in this way: Korean dramas have better styles and real good looking people. That’s it?! Oh how superficial but it attracts a ton of interest from many other Asian countries. Then again, maybe their mother’s have a point. Who doesn’t think Daniel Henney is handsome? Rain? And of course who doesn’t love (lust) Korean women? Well, if we’ve peaked your interest, then check out dramafever where you can find an archive of those Korea drama hits. It’s hard to argue against watching Lee Byung Hun in Iris. You be the judge?
“You’re sooo funny!!!” How many times do you hear that? (I know I hear it at least 9 times a day).
Asians have been emerging in so many industries from politics to food, and sports. And FINALLY we are being noticed as funny! Makeitinthemotherland.com has recently posted a great list of the Top 10 Asian comedians of all time, with Korean-Americans not only making the list, but topping the list.
Margaret Cho made it to the number one spot and is being called “the original Asian comedian”. Being a woman comedian, she fought all the odds against her. Bobby Lee is of course up there thanks to his 9 years on MAD TV, portraying characters like Kim Jung Il and Connie Chung. And possibly the newest claim to fame belongs to Ken Jeong (a.k.a. Dr. Jeong). First working professionally as a medical doctor, Ken got his first acting job and breakthrough role in Knocked Up (playing a doctor) and has been stealing scenes and cracking us up ever since.
These 3 are just to name a few Korean-Americans from the list. But there’s no doubt that Asian comedians (with or without their ethnic jokes) are funny and are paving the way for the next generation.
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