twentyfourcarat.net » K-Pop

SS501 Comeback!!

Katy — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:11:19 +0000

No, I didn’t forget about K-Pop!

Excuse the Engrish!!

Katy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:48:16 +0000

EXCUSE THE ENGRISH but here’s a video of my favorite K-Pop girl group, Brown Eyed Girls, performing You Raise Me Up. I cringe whenever I hear Engrish but I swear, they have the awesome voices.

CL & Minzy – Please Don’t Go

Katy — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:30:39 +0000

These girls are so young and talented.

Favorite Korean Personalities

Katy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:40:59 +0000

My favorite PERSONALITIES in the Korean entertainment industry. Doesn’t mean they are super talented in their profession though (*cough*Sandara*cough*Hyori*).

Jo Kwon – Member of 2AM, an amazing ballad singer, diva extraordinaire, is ridiculously funny yet he always has such a serious face and has the most dramatic and over-the-top dance parodies.

Yu Jae Seok – “MC of the Nation,”, comedian and recently named Korea’s top entertainer. He also kinda looks like my dad.

Sandara Park – Funny and lovable member of girl group, 2NE1. I never noticed Sandara before because she was the least talented of the group but after watching YGTV, her personality totally makes up for it.

Kim Hyun Joon – Korea’s pretty boy with the blunt, witty and adorable personality (how can you NOT love him in We Got Married?). And of course, he’s our beloved Jihoo Sunbae. Okay, that was an act and we can all dream but his real personality is just as good.

Lee Hyori – You would think a celebrity as popular and hot as her would be totally stuck up but Hyori’s the total opposite. She’s so sweet and hilarious… and maybe a little crazy?

Runners up: Park Kyung Lim, Kang Ho Dong (he has the funniest expressions), Seo In Young (she’s looks so innocent but in WGM, she portrayed a stuck-up and whiny bitch… love it), Taeyeon (I never really got into SNSD nor can I even remember all their names but I think her personality is totally cute).

Just one more. Couldn't resist!!

Brown Eyed Girls

Katy — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:23:57 +0000

Had to post this because the Brown Eyed Girls are so talented.

Brown Eyed Girls – My Style (Acoustic Version)

Death of a Dream

Katy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:50:06 +0000

Jaeboem Leaves 2PM

I don’t usually post K-Pop news because that’s what the hundreds of K-Pop gossip sites are for but this just put me in shock and disbelief that I’ve joined the scores of teenyboppers around the world and cried like I lost my favorite idol. Well, I don’t have a favorite but Jay and 2PM were the most entertaining and funniest group to watch. It’s not just about losing an idol though, it’s about someone’s dreams being taken away from them.

2PM’s leader, Park Jaebeom, made an official announcement with his intentions to leave his group. The message reads:

Hello, I’m 2PM’s Jaebeom.

I’m sorry for giving you my last greeting through this letter. I think it will be hard for me to see you all on stage because of my sorry heart. Icm really sorry to everyone, and I’m even more sorry to the fans who have shown me love.

From today, I will leave 2PM.

2PM boys, I’m really sorry to the boys and I’m sorry I couldn’t be strong as a leader and a hyung and have to leave like this. However, I hope you will be more cool and charming.

Again, I’m sorry.

JYP Entertainment has accepted that Jae Bum will leave 2PM. They stated, “We have discussed what was going to happen, and decided on the fact that Jae Bum will leave 2PM.” At least for now, he will be going back to the US and stay with his family.

Click here to see how the scandal began and what led to this.

The world of K-Pop is practically run by fans/netizens and in the small country, celebrities frequently look themselves up online to see what’s being said about them which has led to celebrity suicides in South Korea. Their fans are so crazy and supportive of their favorites stars (or unsupportive) that they buy stocks from entertainment companies to protest and make themselves heard so it’s possible for them to take a star out of the limelight if they really wanted to. A mob of 13-year-olds have power over you if you’re a celebrity over there. Scary thought, isn’t it?

It’s so sad for someone who has worked so hard to achieve his dreams be “forced out” of the Korean entertainment industry for something he said years ago when he first came to Korea as a young JYP trainee. Life was hard because he didn’t know the country and the language, training was hard and intense and he was lonely and depressed; at one point, he even said that he didn’t even feel like he was alive anymore. What he said was wrong and stupid especially towards a country full of pride but his thoughts about Korea has obviously changed and he has undeniably worked hard and has been a great leader to one of the top idol groups in Asia. He has obviously learned his lesson but I guess he couldn’t take the pressure (netizens even started a “Jaeboem should commit suicide” petition) and the same people who released the negative MySpace comments released his positive ones about Korea too late.

He’s even made it to the trending topics on Twitter… it’s news from a tiny country but a star with so much love and support from his fans.

‘Tis an extremely sad day. I hope he rejoins the group after this scandal dies down.

Also check out this blog entry at Soompi.

Feeling Down?

Katy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:09:38 +0000

I’ve been visiting OverheardInNewYork.com (and the rest of the Overhead In… family) for years and it never fails to amuse me.
Browse (if not shop) Asos because it’s one of my favorite online shops.
Laugh at the Roast List because it’s funny (and hope I never end up on there).
Lurk Soompi because it’s the best online community. Ever.
Watch videos of Jo Kwon on Youtube. Love him or hate him, that guy is a fucking hilarious diva.

All for TVXQ

Katy — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:45:04 +0000

This video made me tear.

Tasha – Black Happiness

Katy — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:41:46 +0000

Tasha (a.k.a. T) is a a part Korean and African-American hip hop artist in Korea and she’s one of the best! She’s known as the Queen of Soul in the Korean music industry and married to the Korean hip hop legend, Tiger JK. This was one of her first music videos I watched that got me hooked on her music.

Halloween Ideas

Katy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:10:10 +0000

Flapper. This was #1 choice this year until #2 came along…
Black Rocker Bunny. This was inspired by So Nyeo Shi Dae’s Elle Girl photoshoot. I think it’s cute and I LOVE what they’re wearing! No way am I going to splurge on the Louis Vuitton bunny ears though so anyone know where I can get a similar one [made]?
Vampire. I just want to wear a cape.
Marie Antoinette. I really wanted to be her last year but I don’t feel like wearing a blond wig this year. The costume isn’t complete without the wig so she’ll be a back up this year.

What are your plans for Halloween?

F.T Island – I Hope

Katy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:21:13 +0000

They don’t look like a typical rock band because they are IDOLS.

Things I Love

Katy — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:27:16 +0000

Twitter. Please don’t ever leave us again.
F.T. Island.They are one of my new favorite groups and they’re not your typical idol group (even though they only look like a group of pretty boys) because they play their own instruments. Dun dun dun. And I’m totally in love with their music which is a mix of “ballad pop rock…insert a k somewhere in there too” (via @thematteo). Sigh.
Cellinique. After reading Eki’s review on the products, I was impressed with the results so I went and purchased a lot of their products and this stuff works!! Honestly, I never gave a shit about my skin before but now I’m going to start taking care of it. Pam suggested me to “do how to Koreans do!!” so that’s next on my list.
L.A. Chicken. It’s a small chicken joint on No.5 and Cambie in Richmond and it’s the best fried chicken ever!! It brings KFC, Church’s and all those other franchises to shame. The place looks like shit BUT the chicken IS the shit and the couple who owns it usually throws in a free piece of two when we order. I wonder why we never went there in high school because it was literally across the street.
Stephen Chow. I was reading Amanda’s entry which brought back fond memories of laughing my ass off through my childhood to Stephen Chow’s movies. If you’re Chinese you probably grew up with him too and he IS a genius in the Hong Kong movie industry… I get cramps watching his movies because they’re soo funny. I just saw a picture of him and wow he’s so old now!

Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra

Katy — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:13:34 +0000

Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra

Whose going to win the Korean girl group wars?

Down with these leggings!!

Katy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:21:25 +0000

I have mild trypophobia and this doesn’t make my skin crawl like this
but what kind of stylist would let anyone wear these fugly leggings?

Twitter and Things

Katy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:27:40 +0000

RIP MICHAEL JACKSON I’ll only say it here here because I never did on Twitter and lost a bunch of followers (dude, I KNOW! It’s the end of the world!!). Anyway, some of my favorite MJ songs are Billie Jean and Will You Be There. ♥
Whose going to be the next celebrity to pass and almost take the internet with them? I almost died because I kept on seeing a blank white screen on Twitter!! That’s when you really start appreciating Mr. Fail Whale because then at least you know Twitter is on it.
(NOTE: I started this entry in mid-May). Because of the ~~recent~~ earthquakes in L.A., I was thinking that if something catastrophic happened in Vancouver (eg. “THE BIG ONE“), I think the first thing I’d do is Twitter about it even if Richmond was sinking and a giant tidal wave was rushing to my house.
I love how Twitter’ers get soo shocked when you say that you’re “not in the mood for shopping.” But I guess IT IS QUITE SHOCKING.
Weird geeky “fetish” = blogs with the Blix Wordpress Theme (even though it’s all over the internet)! I think it’s a great first impression (especially for newer blogs) because the theme is so clean and it’s always been one of my favorites. Besides, a lot of the blogs I religiously follow once had the Blix theme up the first time I visited.
Move over ~~Tasha, Lexy,~~ Yubin, CL and Miryo:

Unlike

I Like Boybands.

Katy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:26:49 +0000

Here are some of my ALL TIME favorite songs (most of them are old). Sorry guys, it’s mostly K-Pop because once I get into my K-Pop phase, I don’t listen to anything else! The Backstreet Boys were lucky that I didn’t start listening to Korean music until I was 13 or else they would’ve lost one obsessive teeny-boppin’ fan. I tried to do 1 artist + 1 song but it didn’t work too well because I had to cheat. In no particular order:

SS501 – Wings of the World
Loved how my Kyu and Young Saeng got teary while singing this… it’s definitely one of their best ballads. Must add Find because I love Young Saeng’s voice (although I wish everyone else got to sing more) and I also love Deja Vu but I wish JM didn’t try to speak English in the beginning. Out of all the groups, SS501 still tops my list because of their music and distinctive personalities. They are one of the most underrated groups IMO. BUT thank god their “cutsey” (WTF DSP!!) days are over… on with their new look please!
Epik High – Love Love Love
Epik High is definitely one of the BEST groups in Korea! I love 95% of their songs. If you like hip hop, check them out (don’t worry, I wouldn’t consider them a “boy band” at all).
Big Bang – Haru Haru
Asian guys with make up? Have to love them anyway. My thoughts on BB: they really only need Tae Yang, T.O.P. and G-Dragon, why does G-Dragon always play the main character in all their music videos and I LOVE T.O.P.’s voice!!
G-Dragon – This Love
At first, I found this song sooo annoying but I’ve developed a strange obsession for it. I love watching our dear little leader perform; maybe it’s the fact that it amuses me when he looks so feminine in some of their videos with all that make up on or because it’s always entertaining to analyze what he’s wearing. Here’s an English version.

Sorry guys, I couldn’t resist!! Don’t be surprised, it’s only G-Dragon.

I burst out laughing every time I see the rabbit and the naked woman drawing shirt! You can't say BLAME THE STYLIST with him because he'd probably wear some of these outfits on his own anyway... but what IS Mr. YG thinking, letting him do this to himself?! If it was anyone else, they might get bashed and lose fans but he can because well... he's G-DRAGON!!
Lexy ft. Tae Yang & T.O.P. – Super Fly
One of my favorite female Korean rappers and my two favorites from Big Bang!
YG Family – YMCA
This songs brings back sooo many memories. Gotta love YG!!
Drunken Tiger – G-Fresh
This was THE song that got me into Korean music.
T – Black Happiness
Love Tasha!! Her and Tiger JK was the most perfect union of Korean-ness. Sigh.
1TYM – Falling In Love
Another one of the songs that got me into Korean music. I honestly love ALL of 1TYM’s songs and I think they are a classic so here’s a couple more: The Reason Why I Close My Eyes, Without You, One Love and Can’t Let You Go.
Jinusean – Telephone Number
I had a hard time choosing one Jinusean song too! Their first song I heard was the How Deep is Your Love remake.
How can you not stare at Hero's freakishly PERFECT face (and hair)?

DBSK- O
I like DBSK but I think it’s stupid to have so many different names… I was like WTF is a TVXQ? I thought it was a DVD player but anyway DBSK’s got the whole package, look like they came straight out of an anime and have a lot of awesome songs including Rising Sun and Love in the Ice. They’re probably the biggest boy band in Asia although I never really got into the whole DBSK/DVD player obsession.
Fly to the Sky – Condition Of My Heart
Another one of the first Korean songs I’ve heard and one of the best songs EVER (because Brian and Fany sang it). Le sigh.
Yoo Seung Jun ft. Yuki Hsu – Can’t Wait
This song came out so long ago yet I can still listen to it over and over and not get sick of it! I also use to think that YSJ was the hottest thing ever to grace our earth except I’ll always remember hating the blue jumpsuit he wore in this video because it looks like he’s wearing a giant blue condom. Oh well.
Shinhwa – Angel
Did you think I was going to leave Shinhwa out of the list?
Super Junior – Marry You
The thought of a THIRTEEN member boy band is just a LITTLE intimidating (I mean, Korean names are hard enough to learn if you’re not Korean) but I won’t judge and have to admit, I just LURVE their music. It’s a shame how some of the best voices get drowned out though… seriously, who’d want to be in a 13-member boy band if they had a choice?
Clazziquai Project – Love Mode
I love Clazziquai Project because their music is very mellow and soothing. Plus DJ Clazzi and Alex is from Vancouver! I only started listening to them after watching Alex on the Korean TV show, We Got Married.
2NE1 – Fire
This is one of those songs you have to listen to a few times before you get totally addicted but I just had to add these girls to the list! I’m not a huge fan of Korean girl groups because their voices can get really annoying but I think it’s the fact that 2NE1 was bred by YG! I can’t wait to see where they go and the release of their first album.

And the stuff I absolutely love that everyone can understand:

Where to get these songs? YESASIA of course (if you want to go the legal route). If you really want to support your favorite [overseas] artist, I suggest you buy their albums because some of them really depend on their album sales. Do you have any favorite [Asian] songs?