Cover, Cover

Just when I was getting tired of Super Junior's "Sorry, Sorry", Allkpop posted a few videos of Navi, a Korean pop ballad singer, covering the popular single as well as another personal favorite, 2PM's "Again & Again."

Navi puts a nice jazzy spin on the two "hook norae."





Here she is on Kiss the Radio, performing a medley of recent megahits, including "Gee" and "Nobody."

어머님께

Happy Mother's Day to my Umma and Emo!


어머니께 (To My Mother) - G.O.D.


"Mama" - Bobby Kim



Lyrics

MaMa 아직도 기억해요 어릴적 당신의 품을
MaMa 어느새 훌쩍 자라서 어른이 되었지만
난 언제나 당신의 무릎이 필요한 작은 아이일 뿐이죠

어디로 가야 하는지 몰라 길 헤매다 문득 뒤를 돌아보면 그곳엔
언제나 당신이 웃고 있었죠 내 그림자를 안고서

MaMa 이제 알 것 같아요 얼마나 힘들었나요
MaMa 힘들고 지쳐 쓰러져 울고 싶었을 텐데
난 한번도 엄마의 눈물을 본 적 없죠 미안해요 고마워요

이제는 내가 기다릴게요 비가 오면 우산 들고 내가 서있을게요
당신이 내게 했던 것 처럼 내가 안아 줄게요

하늘에 뜨거운 저 태양도 밤하늘에 수많은 저 별들도
당신 앞에선 그저 작은 이야기일 뿐인걸

이제는 내가 기다릴게요 비가 오면 우산 들고 내가 서있을게요
당신이 내게 했던 것 처럼 내가 안아 줄게요

그대와 영원히..


"Dear Mom" - 소녀시대 (Girl's Generation)

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

I'm back in the Motherland...

When I left for the Homeland, Super Junior had just released their new single "Sorry Sorry" and I had passed it off as gimmicky and uninteresting (Especially because I thought the lyrics were "Sorry. Sorry. Lick 'em. Lick 'em.")

I'm not sure what happened to me during the one month I was gone, but now that I'm back in the Motherland, I'm totally into this song. I KNOW. I'm a little baffled as well. Trust me. Listen to this song a few times, and you'll find yourself rubbing your palms and saying, "Sorry, sorry." There's something about choreography for this song that's both comical and entrancing.

Gold Miss in English

Just before I left the Motherland, my cousin VP got me hooked on SBS' Gold Miss, a Sunday night variety program, featuring six Korean celebrity bachelorettes on the quest for love. "Gold miss" is a Korean Engrish play on "old miss" or what some knuckleheads would term as a "spinster."

Next week's episode features Hugh Jackman and Daniel Henney. (I know. Hotness!) In order to determine which of the Gold Misses are to meet the dashing duo, the ladies had to complete an assigned mission during their dates with English speaking men.

The results are pretty hilarious.
Those Gold Misses are adorable. I'd totally hang out with them.

Thanks to KmovieForYou the entire English Date episode is available on youtube -- with English subtitles!





The Daniel Henney & Hugh Jackman Episode Preview

Mouse without a Tail

불면증 - 다이내믹 듀오 (ft.바비킴)
"Insomnia" - Dynamic Duo (ft. Bobby Kim)

Most Korean music videos fall under one of these categories:

- Justin Timberlake Rehashed
- Hearts + Lollipops + Mini Skirts
- Rainy & Melodramatic
- Photo Slideshow
- BLING BLING BLING

As much as I love Korean MVs, they can be a little predictable. Recently, however, I came across the MV for 불면증 by 다이내믹 듀오 (ft.바비킴). I was taken with the stop-motion animation entitled "Mouse Without A Tail" about a Mouse that runs a computer mouse and his lonesome life of soju and drudgery.

Check it out if you're interested:

Look,이모. It's Alex!

img src

Last year (just a couple of weeks ago) I attended "Sweet December" a joint concert between ballad singers Park Jung Hyun and Alex. Though I am a fan of both singers, I hadn't intended to go to the concert, especially since we were in the midst of winter intensive classes. But then, my cousin N's close friend and incidentally, mother of one of my students, Mrs. K. graciously invited me to the concert after hearing that I was a fan of Alex' music. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. Truly. It would have been rude.

Plus, she offered to take me back stage to meet Alex. How could I refuse?

Before the concert, thanks to Mrs. K's contact, we went backstage to meet Alex, and, by "meet" I mean say hello and then take a quick photo. He was scheduled to go on stage in 30 minutes, so our meet and greet was understandably rushed.

The only thing I can say after meeting Alex is that he's WAY smaller in person. I know that the camera adds ten pounds, but the WGM cameras must have added at least thirty, because I never would have guessed that he was so slim. Maybe the concert schedule had him running ragged, but Alex definitely needs some kim bap, STAT. His face was not much bigger than mine.

(This only leads me to wonder how small some of the really tiny actresses are in real life.)

The photo below does not adequately convey how small Alex is.















I quite enjoyed the concert. As typical of ballad concerts in Korea, the show was a little sappy, (The overarching theme of Sweet December, if I understood correctly, was about how relationships can be sweeter after a couple has broken up, and then gotten back together) but both artists performed some of my favorite songs.

The concert took place in the Olympic Fencing Stadium. I would have enjoyed the music in a more intimate setting, but I shouldn't complain. We had some pretty awesome seats. We were quite close to the stage. We could have rushed Alex if we wanted -- not that we would. Ballad fans don't really get out of hand. They usually just wave their glow sticks to the music. The only fan that got out of hand was an ajumma who ran up to the stage to get a photo of Alex in action. The security girls had to tackle her, and drag the woman back to her seat. Oh, that Alex. He makes the ajummas go crazy.



Though I like Alex's music, the highlight of the evening was probably Park Jung Hyun's aka Lena Park's performances. She has a very peculiar, almost nasal, singing voice, but it's also surprisingly powerful. One of those voices you either hate or love. I, for one, am a fan of her voice. She even sang one of my favorites. It brought me back to my sophomore year in college.




Thanks to my cousin N. and Mrs. K for inviting me to the concert, and gracias to my other cousin, VP for accompanying me.

Korean Hip Hop - Translated

Please excuse all the forthcoming youtube links. Once a month I spend a number of hours surfing youtube, jumping from one "related video" to the next. Tonight was one of those nights.

In case you're interested in k-pop (particularly hip hop) you might want to check out The Asian Mission.

According to his or her youtube profile:

"[The Asian Mission] is not Korean, I'm white American living in Korea, self-taught in Korean. My Korean isn't perfect yet but my reading's fairly solid. A lot of my older translations could still use some touch-ups."

I came across TheAsianMission's videos while searching for Epik High's newest album. I have yet to check out all of his/her videos, but I like what I've seen so far.

This is one of my favorite songs from their previous album, Pieces Part One. It's called 당신의조들, feating Jisun. My limited Korean will only allow me to appreciate the general sentiment of a song, so I enjoyed reading the translation of the lyrics.



TheAsianMission also translated one of my favorite korean songs of 2008.
기억을 걷는 시간 by Nell

Gee.

Just when you thought "Nobody" was starting to grow on you...
Girl's Generation 소녀시대 just released their new digital single "Gee."
I'm calling it now. This song is going to be everywhere. It's inevitable. You'll hear it blasting from the ABC Mart. You'll hear it tinkling from some middle schooler's new LG Ice Cream 2 phone. You'll hear it on some Dunkin Donuts commercial. You may as well embrace the song now.



Discovered via Coolsmurf

Lily Allen's Cover of "Womanizer"

Is it just me, or does just about everything sound better with a British accent?

Sangsangmadang in Hongdae

I met up with Heng this weekend in her new neighborhood, just around the corner from Hongdae. It's been a while since I've trekked over to the Hongdae area. I had almost forgotten how cool it is. I'm especially drawn to all the quirky little cafes, which is strange, because I'm not big on coffee.















After sharing a bowl of super-sized ramen, Heng and I went to check out the new (at least new to me) multi-story SangSangMadang building. I don't think I've got a handle on everything that SangSangMadang has to offer, but it seems to be an intersection point for art and commerce.















I may have my facts a little mixed up, but here's the breakdown of the facilities, from what Heng and I could determine:

Basement: Cinema (indie Korean & Foreign films, I think) + Live Performance Hall
First Floor: Stationery Shop and handmade crafts
Second Floor: Gallery (This part was still under construction when we went)
Third Floor and Up: Recording Studio, Film School, Record Shop, Photo Studio, and Cafe.

If you sign up for a membership with Sangsangmadang, Heng says that you can access the gallery for free. I'm sure there are other perks, but Korean membership cards still tend to baffle me.

Heng and I spent a couple of hours at the record store, Label Market 2 (I presume that there's another Label Market somewhere else in Seoul). This is all conjecture, but I think the store is named Label Market because the albums are arranged according to record label. (Just call me Sherlock Holmes!).

You're not going to find any Wonder Girls or Big Bang at this shop. By virtue of the fact that I've never seen most (if not all) of these bands on MNet, I'm assuming that the featured bands belong to the Korean indie music scene.

With colorful CD Walkman spread throughout the store, you're invited to sample any album at your leisure. You can essentially listen to every album in the store. It's pretty awesome. I only listened to a small handful of albums, but I already found a number of bands that sounded interesting. I was particularly interested in a band called Sugarbowl and another one called, Funny People. They both have a bit of an Maroon 5 kind of vibe.















Label Market also features music from artists around the world. [Cyndi they have all the albums for Mocca and Olivia. Want anything?] I, for example, got to skim through the entire She & Him album, and as a result, have decided to purchase it off itunes (because I have a bum CD player). I also picked up an album for my sister by a band called Sunshine State.

I have no problems admitting that I love me some k-Pop, but the genre can get a little tiresome, so if you're looking to explore the diversity of the Korean music scene, you should definitely take a trip to Label Market.


See the red stage behind me?














Label Market also boasts a calendar of in-store performances by many of its featured artists. On the day we were there, we were treated to a free(!) performance by an indie band called, Achtung (악퉁). I do not mean this as a slight at all, but the band kind of reminded me of Hanson. I quite enjoyed their performance (even though I found the lead vocalist's pama and glasses distracting).














This intimate, non-bar venue is a great way to experience live music in Korea. You just have to put up with all the amateur photogs. I swear, everyone and their mother in Hongdae has a DSLR camera. Nah, I'm just jealous...

I did momentarily take out my little snap-n-shoot to record a bit of Achtung Live at the Label Market. Take a look if you're curious.


Achtung - Live Performance in Hongdae from Annalog on Vimeo.

Edit: I forgot to mention that Sangsangmadang is right next to Su Luxury Noraebang, the one with the windows. I'm terrible with directions, so that's the best I can give you.

Who wouldn't want a condo, all the way up in Toronto?

This song has been out for a couple of months, but I just discovered it, and to my surprise, am really liking. Though the original single, "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain seemed to be playing everywhere, I was not impressed. I especially like the remake because Jojo is turning the tables on T-Pain's (and Lil' Wayne's) talk about putting "shortiez" in mansions or Penthouses.

This is they same reason why I disliked "Whatever You Like", T.I.'s musical promotion of prostitution. Now, I find myself humming the tune thanks to Ron Clark Academy's parody "You Can Vote However You Like."


"Shortiez" of the world, go and get your own penthouses.

For Your Edification

I'm sure you're wondering how I remain so well-informed about the k-pop scene despite my return to the Homeland. It's all thanks to my dear friend, the Internet.

The New York Times may be slacking on their coverage of Korean pop culture, but that doesn't mean you need to remain uninformed.

Here are a few links for you:
Dramabeans
Popseoul
Coolsmurf
Seoulbeats

Seoulbeats also offers a weekly video show on youtube. They certainly have some zingers.


So, go ahead and edify yourself on the finer points of k-pop culture and find yourself something to talk about around the Korean water cooler. Just make sure that you don't go around thinking that all Koreans keep up with Korean entertainment news. Believe it or not, there are actually Koreans out there who have no idea who Daniel Henney is. I know. Blasphemous.

"All the mavericks in the house put your hands up"

I have to give it up for SNL. In addition to their inexplicably hilarious Mark Wahlberg bits, their election 2008 sketches have been quite funny. The Palin skits, thanks to Seth Meyer's writing and Tina Fey's uncanny impression, are simultaneously sidesplitting and a little cringeworthy.

The Palin rap during last night's Weekend Update segment momentarily made me happy that Governor Palin is McCain's VP pick. I said MOMENTARILY.

"The Palin" rap, written by Seth Meyers and performed by Amy Poehler makes me laugh everytime. Thankfully, you can catch the video at the NBC site.




For those of you who are outside of the U.S. and like me, couldn't figure out how to enable those proxy thingamagigies, you can catch the clip on youtube. Unfortunately, you just have to sit through a bit of inane chatter between the Fox News folk.

Do you want Boa to "Eat You Up"?

If you follow k-pop, then you probably have heard that Boa, one of Japan's favorite female pop stars, intends to dance her way across the American charts. I think the Motherland is full of talented performers, but I've always been skeptical about the ability of Korean pop singers (i.e., Rain or Se7en) to translate their appeal for mainstream American audiences. Asian artists in general just have so many hurdles to jump over. First of all, mainstream America still isn't used to seeing an Asian faces in entertainment, unless they're dropping some martial arts moves, draped across a sports car, working the 24 hour deli on Law and Order, or Lucy Liu. Secondly, mainstream America does not find Asian accents sexy. Perhaps feelings will change years from now, but as it stands, despite the fact that there are two Korean characters on Lost, it's not going to be easy for a Korean performer to go gain the attention of Walmart America without being able to enunciate the word "really." Also, it's difficult for an Asian singer to perform pop, R&B, or hip hop without coming off like a poser. Asians are associated with cellos and pianos. God forbid they should try to pop-n-lock, freestyle, or sing a run.

Though I am skeptical (and desperately hope that I am proven wrong), I think that if any Korean artist or group has the potential to become more than a blip on the American pop scene, it will be a female singer. After all, provocative dance moves and bare midriffs seen to translate well across many cultures.

Okay, just my two cents. Back to Boa.

Boa's team just released the MV for her first English language single "Eat You Up." I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't consider myself a Boa fan, but I am familiar with a few of her singles. From the looks of her MV, she seems to have adjusted to a more American style of pop dancing. The girl can definitely dance. I also liked the fact that she didn't have to doll herself up as pop tart. She kept it simple in some fitted cargo pants and hoodie. (Though, me thinks that she kept the hood up for the first half of the video so that she could remain ethnically ambiguous.)

As for the song, "Eat You Up" it's not bad, but it's not all that memorable either. It seems to be in line with what Britney Spears has been releasing as of late, but Britney can get away with a lot. At this point, the public is just happy to see that Britney can perform without melting into a puddle of a Red Bull and Cheetoes.

I would have liked to seen some other Korean pop acts (e.g., Big Bang or Clazziquai) make it to the American pop scene first, but I'm happy that Boa is making a solid attempt to break the barrier. Go get 'em, Boa.

(By the way, I'm so used to hearing the name Boa. Does the name sound weird if you're not familiar with the k-pop scene?)

"Take on Me" MV: Literal Version

Saw this video on the Frederator Blog. It made me giggle, so I thought I'd share.

You're probably familiar with "Take on Me" by A-ha. (Come on now, what else are you going to sing at the noreabang?)Well, some clever folks posted their version on youtube. It's the original video, but the song has been redone to literally narrate what's happening on screen. It's pretty hilarious. The "sketchy arm" line had me laughing out loud.

I Can Do Whatever I Like (T.I. Says It's O.K.)

I've sort of trapped myself into a terrible, terrible sleep pattern. I would like to blame it on jet lag, but I've been back in the States for nearly two weeks, so I'll need to find another excuse. I basically can't fall sleep until around 4 AM, which means that I end up sleeping until noon. This also means that I end up missing breakfast! I'm supposed to have three square meals a day. This is no good.

I've been trying to push myself into a non-vampire like sleep schedule, but I'm traveling to Hawaii in a couple of weeks, and then back to the Motherland in a month and a half. Perhaps all my efforts will be in vain?

It's now 2:45 am, and I've spent the last thirty minutes watching Weird Al music videos on youtube. (Thanks a lot, Wired Magazine.)

Anyway, my whole reason for posting was to inform you that Weird Al just released a parody of T.I.'s hit, "Whatever You Like." Oh, Weird Al, you are one funny dude.


Good Night, America. Good Morning, Motherland.

O.M.G.

I just spent most of the day grading papers and writing up progress reports (Yes, thanks to the magical powers of the Internet, I am bringing the exciting world of hagwon all the way to my little apartment in California), so I'm just taking a quick blog break.

I will blog more tomorrow, but can I just write a big, uncharacteristic OMG in response to the tragic, tragic news of actress Choi Jin Shil's suicide?

Choi Jin Shil used to be one of my favorite Korean actresses. She was the star of my high school favorite 별은내가슴에 (Star in My Heart). She was sort of the Julia Roberts of Korea. She was beautiful, but was also known for her likable persona. The news of her suicide is quite distressing. I can't imagine what her family and friends are going through.

I hate to generalize, but where as many American celebrities often turn to drugs or alcohols (and public displays of foolishness) to drown out their woes, Korean celebrities (at least within the last few years) seem to turn to death. Is this cultural, coincidental, or one of the new dangers of a life in the public eye? Whatever the case may be, I hope recent tragedies inspire awareness, discussion, and change.

R.I.P. Choi Jin Shil












(picture source: Dramawiki)

TV Music by Josh Groban

My sister sent me the link to Josh Groban performing a medley of theme songs from the past 60 years of TV, including my jam from the Golden Girls. The clip is from Sunday's 2008 Emmy broadcast, so you better watch it before they take it down from youtube.

Koreality TV

I usually stick to Onstyle, Fox Life, CGV, or OCN when watching TV in Korea. Other than the music shows and a few dramas, Korean shows have always been a little too "busy" for my tastes. After watching the third season of Project Runway for the umpteenth time, I have become more interested in a few variety programs. In case, you were interesting in watching more Korean TV, here are a few of my picks.











무한도전
Infinity Challenge
MBC/Sat 6:35 PM
This one is a classic, starring some of those most popular male MCs in Korea, including my MC crush, Yoo Jae Suk. Each episode, the cast is given a special mission where hilarity inevitably ensues. Past missions include sportscasting live matches at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; a traditional Korean meal with Paris Hilton; and more recently, preparing for Chuseok dressed in drag. (I really wanted to see that episode). I think this is one of those shows you can enjoy without knowing a lot of Korean. Their exaggerated expressions and reactions are universally goofy.











미녀들의수다
Global Beauty Talk Show
KBS / Mon 11:05 PM

If you are a young foreign woman who speaks at least a smidgen of Korean, you've probably had a Korean person say, "You should audition for Misuda!" I used to watch this show back at home with Cyndi's mom (Thanks, youtube!), but haven't been watching the program as often now that I'm actually living in Korea. This show features young foreign women from around the globe (okay, mostly Asia) who share their experiences and thoughts about life in Korea. The show seems to be running out of original topics, but when it first began, the show offered interesting insight into the perspective of foreigners (the non-laborer types) in Korea. Most of the panelists are not ethnically Korean, so their level of Korean is quite impressive -- definitely better than mine.













춤추는 용형동제
Dancing Yong and Dong
Mnet/ Fri 6:00 PM

I've only seen a couple of episodes, but watching Shin Dong do the U-Go Girl dance cracks me up to no end. During each episode, Jung Jae Yong (from DJ DOC) and Shin Dong (from Super Junior) are assigned to learn a dance from a popular music video. After tutorials from professional dancers, they are ambushed throughout the week with pop dance quizzes where they are then forced to perform an excerpt of the dance. It doesn't matter if they're having dinner or getting their hair done at the miyongshil, they must dance. I can't recall the consequences for failing the test, but I think it's some form of shame. At the end of the episode, Jung Jae Yong and Shin Dong must perform the entire routine (in costume). I think they're allotted up to three mistakes -- collectively.
















우리 결혼했어요♥
We Got Married
MBC/ Sunday Night

At first my emo-bu couldn't understand my mom & emo for staying up late to watch this show, until one night, he watched a full episode, and then he was like "I see." The premise sounds lame at first, but stick with me. Popular celebrities are paired up by the producers and assigned to live as a married couple. This show is what VH1 would probably label as "Celebreality." The marriage and scenarios are completely staged by producers, but the show is driven by the personalities and chemistry of the celeb participants. Each couple represents a marriage archetype. Every WGM fan has their favorite couple (or spouse). I think that a person's favorite is very telling about an individual. My mom, for example, likes Crown J. A! He's showy, but sweet. I guess my mom is more of Seo In Young type of gal. My emo, on the other hand, likes Alex. I'm a big fan of Alex the singer, but Alex the husband is too romantic. He's really big on "events." I can't say that I'm a fan of anyone in particular, but if I had to pick, I'd go with Kim Hyun Joong from Double-S501. I am by no means into those so-called "idol" groups, but I do like the fact that he is goofy and weird, though a little dim. He also reminds me of a Japanese actor that I like.














패밀리가떴다
Family Outing
SBS/ Sunday Night

This one's a current favorite. Each week, the celebrities, acting as family, take an overnight trip to the countryside, somewhere outside of Seoul. The producers send the current residents (usually a halmuni and harabuji) to spend a relaxing night in the city, while the "family" takes over. During their stay, the cast plays games, does chores, cooks for themselves, and torments each other -- just like a real family. The show seems to be growing in popularity thanks to the excellent chemistry between cast members. Off course, my crush, Yoo Jae Suk acts as the family patriarch. His interactions with Daesung (boybander from Big Bang), Lee Hyori (formerly of FINKL), and Lee Chun Hee (actor) are especially fun to watch. After watching the show, I also realize why Hyori is such a big deal. She's really quite personable and funny.
















세상에이런일이

SBS Thurs 8:50 PM
Wow! How?
I haven't really been watching this series since moving to Korea, but my mom is a big fan. This show features segments of curious (Oh! Wow!) events, things, and people from around the world (Okay, mostly Asia). For example, I once saw a segment about a girl in China who eats chunks of dirt -- by choice. She cooked dinner for her family, and then took out a side of dirt for herself. Wow! I also recall a segment on a Korean man who eats crab shells and bones, as if they didn't have the potential to hurt his jaw. The show had the man consult with a dentist, and his teeth appeared perfectly normal.

Sorry. Couldn't find a clip.

It's Not Hyorish!+

Despite it's appallingly bad title, I finally caved and bought Lee Hyori's new album It's Hyorish. I know. I know. I too can barely think the name without my eyes rolling towards the back of my head. Even though I had let the ear worm "U-Go Girl" invade my head, I hadn't intended to buy Hyori's album (even if she did pose in front of a Love's Bakery truck). But, then, I heard a sampling of her songs while shopping in Myeongdong, and found myself liking what I heard.

I remember that back in the day, when Hyori first went solo, they used to compare her to J-Lo. I think the comparison is quite apt. Hyori's music, if I may call it that, is simply ear candy; not wholesome for the soul, but undeniably enjoyable. If you can accept the strategically catchy beats, (eh, how should I put this) curious Engrish, and highly produced vocals, then I think you may find a surprisingly appealing album. It's very conducive to staring mindlessly out the bus window during rush hour traffic.

Anyway, in case you're curious, I've uploaded the songs to imeem so that you can take a listen. Really, it's not that bad.