greywing

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S.A.! Eat good food but don't do like I did one year and eat to the point that it's painful~ *shudders* Never again.

091126 [Eng] Maybee's Volume Radio Sunny Call In w/guests MBLAQ, trans. by toebeast: Sunny makes me want to huggle her, like to just squeeze her and keep her in my pocket or something. Includes talk about the concert.

For those who want to see HyoYeon appear on "Strong Heart," it may happen? According to silis7noy2, although the e-mail sent out to the audience states that YuRi and TaeYeon were supposed to guest, "Strong Heart was reportedly recorded today and the person who was there today claims that it was Taeyeon, Hyoyeon and Seohyun." (@soompi)

. . . I have mixed feelings. If Hyo and Seo appear with TaeYeon, we all know who's getting the attention, right? (Even if TaeYeon doesn't want the attention, they'll give it to her.)

ETA: We don't even have to wait for "Strong Heart" to air to see that TaeYeon is the guest fans care about.

NEW GOOBNE CF!!! Not quite turkey but I won't complain. LOL, Sunny trying to eat HyoYeon. Those two were quite "violent" in this shoot. Wait a second. Is there no Tiffany close up? . . . That's a change. But reviewing the individual CFs, I'm not that surprised. Fany looked tired, her expressions out of it or even a little sad, and her individual CF is probably the least dynamic one (some shots don't even have her center). I wonder if she wasn't feeling well that day?

Individual: TaeYeon (is she going for dorky or sexy?), Jessica (huh, I was struck by the fact that the song is actually her singing), Sunny (Sunny's throwing around some great expressions but I'm distracted by Hyo and Yul!), Tiffany (why do they have Fany dancing to a mirror?), HyoYeon (awkward, lol), YuRi (oh my), SooYoung (guitar? and why aren't Hyo and Syoung hitting up clubs??), YoonA (cute =D), SeoHyun (! That was unexpected. <3 Seobaby looked a lot like YuRi at one point)

Goobne, I love you~~~ This ranks right up there with the "dance battle"!!!!

Note: The actual chicken appears in this CF for about a second, if that. LOL

♪ Oh Hyo, oh Hyo, how I wish you were doing things so I could spazz about them but you are never around and/or no one talks about you~ ♪ Don't talk to me about members X, Y, Z, I won't listen~ ♪ Even maknae has been getting modeling gigs and SooYoung was just featured in a magazine~ ♪

So since there is no Hyo!news, I'm going to do something that I've been wanting to do for some time now. Over at SSF, HyoYeonJjang (on LJ known as juneunhae) created the amazing "Get to know HYO!" thread. I've been wanting to do something similar, basically to compile all the tidbits I've gleaned about HyoYeon.

This is far from complete and I will continue to make edits as I remember more things to add/learn new things. I hope fans'll help me out because together we can really put together a source that'll let fans "get to know Hyo," as HYJ put it. However, I ask that you provide sources for any fact or tidbit you bring. I'm a big believer in primary sources or knowing where people got things.

Sources referred to and quoted here are brought to the English-speaking fandom by SoShi Subs unless stated otherwise.

( This is the list that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on, my friend . . .  )

I was thinking about having an Open Thread maybe once a month (first Friday of every month?), but we'll see how it goes biweekly. (I just checked and the other Open Thread was only eight posts ago, lol.)

Again, this is a free-for-all thread. Throw out your questions, random thoughts, inspirational quotes, fun facts, what-have-you. Please keep it clean(ish) and polite.

Oh, and I've wanted to say this for a while: People have occasionally apologized for "jumping in on conversations." I don't mind; in fact, I like it when people talk to each other and not just to me. I'm not sure how everyone else feels about that, but I'm all for it.

To spice up this Open Thread, here is a pic spam with a few of my fave Hyo/SNSD pics. Feel free to post your fave pics as well as any manner of awesome/cute things you enjoy (puppies, kittens, and other cute baby animals are highly encouraged). Please use thumbnails and don't spam with too many gifs. My browser doesn't like me when there are too many gifs.

( This thread may be IMAGE HEAVY )

ETA: MAMA aired so that means . . . happy birthday, craver199103!

ETA 2: YAY! SSF subbed Shim Shim Ta Pa! . . . And I was so off with my guesses as to what was going on re: everything! ROFL. I apologize for that but do give it a watch; the talks are a lot of fun and the atmosphere is very comfortable. The things they discuss on SSTP are things that they don't really bring up anywhere else. I can see how Nicole would thank HyoYeon for food now; if Hyo always feels the responsibility of being "unnie," she must try to insist on paying for Nicole's meals too.

ETA on Sunday/weekend roundup: Biweekly didn't work out so well but we managed not to talk about SNSD so much! But no one wanted to pic spam? Noted. Lots of music and anime and manga suggestions in the comments for those interested.

( Some supplementary general thoughts and responses to comments and other stuff from over the weekend--Hyo has her driver's license? )

( SNSD @ Women's Volleyball League Opening Celebration: Vid links and commentary )

( Wednesday Night TV: 'Glee' & 'Top Chef' )

Open Thread tomorrow: yes or no?

Here at my blog, I don't provide news. I don't even cover everything that SNSD does, only the events, videos, pictures, and tidbits and rumors that I want to talk about. I think people know this but for those who do want to get more into K-pop and don't know where to start looking, here are links to the sites that I use.

( Links for General K-Pop News; SNSD fansites; K-drama goodness. )

If you have a resource link you'd like to share, please do!

And just because I can't resist not talking about SNSD:

• Sunny possibly becoming a regular on SGB? Sunny has very quietly but steadily asserted herself into the variety show scene! Becoming an SGB regular would mean three regular TV spots: "The M," "Invincible Youth," and "Star Golden Bell."


• SeoHyun did a photoshoot with SHINee for Vogue! I thought the one pic looked like they were burning Seobaby as a witch but actually it's a spread based on the Swan fairytale (the one where the brothers are transformed into swans and the sister has to make them all shirts to turn them back). So Seobaby is getting more modeling opportunities!


• Jessica confesses she doesn't always sing in the chorus! (Wow.) Who will appear next on "Strong Heart"? TaeYeon? I think TaeYeon has a high chance; SeoHyun has a good chance; I don't even give odds to Hyo for anything anymore.


• And "Hello Baby" ended today--rather anticlimactically actually.


• Fan pic of the girls arriving at Starbucks for an event (for charity?; pic credit: diya@dc, silis@soompi) features SeoHyo holding hands. =) I think only SeoHyun, HyoYeon, Jessica, Tiffany, and SooYoung are there.


• This is where I pretend I didn't see the huge version of the concert promo pic (D: D: D:) and instead post more fan pics of the Starbucks event because the pics of Hyo almost literally took my breath away: Look, Hyo and Jessica holding hands! and then Hyo is like, "What are you doing with my hand, Sica?" and decides it's safer to hang with SeoHyun. I often don't think Hyo is as photogenic as the others but then there'll be a pic that just makes me kind of gasp. Like this recent concert pic courtesy of Sica's dedicated fan. It's just something about her hair laying just right. In the Starbucks pics, it was her hair being tied up like that and in that dark color. Mmm. And hardly any earrings today.

Anon, who doesn't have a handle I can use as reference =(, left me these two links from MKMF 2007:
→ 071203 MKMF 메이킹 SM 퍼포먼스 리허설 장난치기 (MKMF Making SM Performance Rehearsal Play around) - The opening seconds of Hyo and Stephanie I had never seen before.

→ 071117 071119 MKMF 비하인드스토리 소녀시대 편집본 (MKMF Behind Story SNSD Edit/Cut) - I thought I'd seen this subbed before but I don't remember the last bit where the reporter asks the girls about HyoYeon's dancing while HyoYeon is above stage practicing. I just found it cute that they're talking about Hyo without her being there. Once upon a time, Jessica was jealous of Hyo's moves? Nope, just jealous Hyo got to be all up on KimBum, lol.

More amazing, though, is the entire video collection under this user, JNGromp. Tons of old clips from the 2007 era I'd never seen before or had never seen in full. Unfortunately, no subtitles. I think many of these clips have been subtitled--I know I've seen quite a few subbed--but have since been deleted from YT. I can already tell I'm going to be killing/wasting lots of time just watching these, though. It's weird just seeing them do interviews without the set line up they almost always use now (front row, sitting: four eldest--TaeYeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany; back row, standing: five younger--HyoYeon, YuRi, SooYoung, YoonA, SeoHyun). Thanks, Anon!

( A list of some choice vids that I will continue to edit as I get through vids. Who was just saying that they miss debut-era SNSD? )

091104 SNSD_Gubne CF Shooting @ Entertainment Relay

I cannot even express how much I ridiculously love this. Best thing to wake up to. I've been cautiously excited and curious about the new Goobne Chicken CF--the Goobne CFs kind of infamously have little to do with chicken ever since the "Dance Battle" one--once photos started leaking out of the girls in workout outfits, but I didn't expect them to be randomly dancing around! HAHAHAHA. So funny. All of them! <3 I have to say, though, that Sunny and HyoYeon's little dance was . . . interesting. HAHAHAHA. Oh my God. I love it.

Ever since . . . the limbo game in "Horror Movie Factory" Sunny has climbed up the list of my favorite SNSD spontaneous dancers. I think HyoYeon, SooYoung, and Sunny really enjoy just busting it out--and with whatever random style happens to strike them at the moment. These three are also pretty quick to pull other people into their dancing ("Song Battle" with all of SNSD was filled with such moments). Tiffany is also someone who'll jump in really quickly and join in someone's dancing randomness. She's not as spontaneous but she likes to get in on the fun. But they're all rocking it here with SeoHyun pulling out some true randomness and TaeYeon being her dorky self (lol, I'm having flashbacks to that random "YAY!" dance she did in the "Hello Baby" X-files at the amusement park; even YuRi was like, "What was that?!"). OMG, did anyone see TaeYeon sitting on the floor and working it before the camera zoomed into SooYoung's randomness (also lol)??? YuRi's also workin' it and Jessica is just . . . so not Ice Princess and just having fun with the others (aw, YoonSic =D).

So awesome.

ETA: Subbed version by toebeast. crazy51 amd HL both threw the link at me. LOL SeoHyun.

I've watched a few of the performances of the new girl groups and whatnot (I liked Rainbow's MV but I was kind of surprised to see how much of their song "Gossip Girl" is mostly group singing) and I have a few requests for SNSD's new title single whenever they should release it:

( Calling SM management . . . )

This is a post about Lee MinYoung, a.k.a. JYP's Min, a.k.a. the trainee/artist whose continued existence in JYP seems to be questionable. (Among the "Former" artists listed on JYP's wiki page, there's a "Min": Lee MinYoung?) I think anyone who's seen the Little Winners performance would be as curious to know where Min is today as they would be about Hyo. And for good reason. Min's got moves:

( With the record selection, and the mirror's reflection, I'm dancing with myself~ [Aside, but how great was Artie's solo number in 'Glee' this week?] )

( Random links and Kristin Chenoweth love! )

HOLY!:

SNSD Concert officially announced for December 19th and 20th.

It will be the start of Asian tour, to include Shanghai, Bangkok etc

See also allkpop.

Uh. That's a surprise. I mean, concert before second album? Wow. What? Wow. And it's an Asian tour thing? What is going on?!

Wait. How? I mean, where are they getting the time to rehearse and put this thing together? My mind is having a hard time processing this. And an Asian tour would mean taking members with gigs away from Korea, right? Do they plan to just hit up the concert venues and then fly back to Korea for a time or hit up the venue in one country and fly to the next one afterwards? Would Taeng have to pre-record a bunch of ChinChin, same with YulTi and MuCore, SunYul and Invincible Youth, Sunny with The M, SooYoung with Fantastic Duo? And when is Jessica supposed to be doing her run of Legally Blonde?

My brain!

. . . I wonder what'll be on the set list.

juneunhae, will you be hitting up the concert?! And, AG, I guess we'll get to see how SNSD's endurance holds up, eh?

( Some senseless, groundless musings on the upcoming concert. )

Rinooooooooooooo! Of course she choreographed f(x)'s "Chu~♥"--that's why you can easily picture the boys, particularly SHINee, doing it. (I had actually wondered if Rino had done it but now it's confirmed.) Rino. ;_; Why can't SM use you to give something like that to SNSD?

I haven't checked out Rino's Twitter account for a while, but looking now she was in Korea from Oct. 12-16th. SM must have flown her out first class. HAHAHAHA. She must have been teaching f(x) the choreo. Rino also mentioned that she didn't do SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong"--Misha Gabriel did, who also did "Ah.Mi.Go." Rino, meanwhile, did the choreography for SHINee's "Noona Neomu Yeppeo (Replay)," "Love Like Oxygen," and "Juliette" and SNSD's "Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)." Rino must be on SM's rotating list of choreographers.

Of course since Rino was in Korea (again--she'd visited for "Replay," I believe), I have to wonder if Hyo got to see her at all.

And let's face it: Beats Freaks is awesome. They're too cool to bother counting out beats when they're putting together choreo. Rino mentioned she and a few other Beat Freakers had participated in Missy Elliot's 2004 "I'm Really Hot." I totally caught sight of Rino and Theresa in Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music" MV (@0:55 that's Rino on the far left in the white tee and baseball cap; @3:26 you can clearly see Theresa with her bright red hair dye job and I believe that may be Theresa @1:11 rubbing up on Britney, lol).

Dude, Beat Freaks. I think a lot of the choreo they did for ABDC, though shorter, is tougher than the stuff that Rino gives SM's groups, lol

Question: What's happened to all of Hyo's bling? I take it that she's consciously been more or less "cleaning" up her image by not wearing her bellybutton ring and not decking out her ears (though wearing a necklace that says "SEXY" and that teal blue curved barbell in her right ear's rook piercing are . . . interesting choices), but what happened to the two mystery rings that she used to wear all the time and that had been shifted across her fingers over time? I haven't seen 'em this time around in the "Genie" promotions but she was still wearing them up until "Gee." Seeing a "Gee" period pic made me wonder what happened to 'em. Huh.

Over at Dramabeans, there's an open thread every Friday. Javabeans, the blog mistress, can do this because she has a huge readership. I've never really had a readership but I've been pleasantly surprised (and grateful) for the readers who have somehow stumbled upon the ramblings of this lone SNSD fan ranting into the Internet ether (and of all my other ramblings over random subjects in the past).

So this is a little experiment. I'm throwing this thread open to you readers. Want to just say "hi"? Have a suggestion? A question? A random comment you've been wanting to make but it didn't seem to fit into any discussion? Want to share something? Though I've been obsessing over SNSD for a long time now, feel free to mention anything you want.

I hope that this can be an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other better and for people to share interests. I only ask that you keep comments clean and polite.

(And if this doesn't go well, I'll know better than to try it again in the future. =D)

ETA on Sunday: Thanks, guys, this was awesome! Maybe we can try this again in the future. Feel free to drop off more thoughts and comments as you please.

Let's not pretend that the auction of SNSD's "Chocolate Love" MV outfits wasn't a popularity contest. Because it was. Whether it was a case of fans trying to compete against the fans of other girls by proving theirs is more popular by beefing up the bids or an actual, outright bidding war among fans of the same girl who really, really wanted an outfit, the auction is a definite instance of each girl's earning power.

So let's do pretend that these numbers can translate more literally into quantifying the comparative popularities of the SNSD members, while keeping in mind that this is only one case and shouldn't be extrapolated to represent everything SNSD does and has done. Popularity among the girls is always shifting and each is strong(er) in certain categories. (For example, if the girls make money off of television appearances, Sunny should be making more these days than she has been since she has a regular spot on "Invincible Youth" now. Similarly, SooYoung should also be out-earning SeoHyun who doesn't have any current non-SNSD activity.) I'm using the auction because we have concrete numbers. I know that the auction only encompasses those that are willing to spend their money on their idols for collectibles--but this financial outpouring is exactly what I'm interested in and these are the pockets SM wants to dip into (the auction was for charity but these are the same people SM is tapping). So I'm going to play a little game of percentages.

I was originally going to use these numbers as part of a larger post musing on the SNSD fandom (the land of milk and honey, rainbows and lollipops, peace for all and good will toward men, kumbaya~), but then I saw the numbers and I thought they deserved a post of their own.

( For your viewing pleasure, three handy-dandy tables. )

( Put your money where your fandom is. )
( I know I'm not funny. D: )
( This week's Hello Baby, featuring Hyo the fashion terrorist. )
( Mini movie review: Shadows in the Palace (2007; Korean) )

SNSD - Chocolate Love MV (Ver. 1 + 2) - Both versions, at once, in split screen, so you can compare! Or have your brain break from all the flashing lights and scene cuts. I actually think you don't even have to spend time comparing--I just let my eyes focus on whichever version they want to at the moment.

South Koreans Struggle With Race

Hitting up NYT means I also couldn't resist checking out all the "Protect Yourself on Facebook!!!!" articles. Not enough D: in the world. Knew I shouldn't have succumbed to the pressure of trends! (But it is nice to be connected to my far-flung family.)

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - Snarky one-liner heaven! Social commentaries clothed in sheer absurdities and dandyism! Read it! It can still make me smile. Although . . . I've never actually seen it performed. Aside from bits of the movie.

Now that I think about it--and because I caught up on the episodes--30 Rock gives me a very Wildean feel. Very witty and snarky and sometimes outright absurd but insightful in its ways. Episode 2 of this season, "Into the Crevasse," was hilarious. <3

For those who have seen The Prestige (2006), watch Brown Eyed Girls' "Signs" MV (the more I listen to it, the more I like having the song in the background) and just try to tell me that you didn't immediately think of that movie in the second half.

I was musing last night that the real reason Batman gets so pissed off at Wolverine in The Prestige is because Wolverine stole Alfred from him. Tragedy! Never mind that they belong to different comic 'verses; crossovers happen! Wolverine exists to cameo in everything. It's like a law of nature.

. . . I haven't seen a movie in forever. D: I don't even know what's out in theaters most of the time. *sad*

When I first saw pics of the IEF performance, I kept thinking they were from Dream Concert because in my heart I kept wishing that they wouldn't reuse those costumes. However, the recent performance (Live Power Music? JTV-Jeonju '2009 Song Daekwan Song Festival' Celebration Concert?) confirms that Fany has butchered her bangs and was trying to channel old school Madonna's high ponytail, if not the pointy bra at IEF (D:), TaeYeon is trying to rock extensions? (and not succeeding IMO), and Hyo has decided to dye her hair again?

Didn't she just dye it a lighter brown a few weeks ago? Granted, I like Hyo in darker hair. It gives her a maturer look. Unfortunately, it tends to make her stand out not as much. Just. Can't. Win.

At the recent performance, Hyo gave Taengoo a nasty surprise during "Chocolate Love." Ouch! Hyo definitely stepped on Taeng's foot. I'm not sure what happened, whether Hyo was moving too far back (Taeng pushed her forward a step or two afterwards) or if TaeYeon actually slipped on the rain-slicked stage (Sunny took a tumble during "Genie") and thus couldn't get her foot out of the way fast enough. Either way: OUCH!* What surprised me was that Hyo didn't say anything to Taeng when they finished! I'd've turned around and said, "Sorry!" Hyo, I hope you apologized! And what was up with SooYoung? Did she forget the choreography to "Chocolate Love"? She kept glancing at the others and her moves seemed really unsure at parts.

*ETA: An anonymous visitor showing some Hyo!love dropped by to suggest that instead of anyone stepping on anyone's foot, Taeng slipped and ended up snagging Hyo's heel in the process, which is why Hyo lifts her foot. In that case, Hyo, you don't need to apologize, but you should've laughed about it with Taeng because you two don't interact enough!

Soompi's silis7noy2 works some translation magic again and brings us an account from one of the staff members of the Samyang Ramen CF shoot. LOL, Sica!

Besides being actually quite interesting and maybe not all that wise (do you really want to share your secret to winning auditions?), YoonA's CF Queen segment on "Strong Heart" got me thinking. ( Surprise, right? )

sinchan video mash-up goodness: SNSD dance compilation (KJE Chocolate + Idol Big Show + YuRi's "Get Right" + MBC Star Dance Battle) to SHINee's "Ring Ding Dong."

I ridiculously enjoy that little piece of showmanship Hyo put into her KJE Chocolate solo, where she makes the motion of tucking a piece of hair behind her ear (in this vid @ around 0:21). There's something playful and playfully arrogant about the move combined with her expression that gets me every time.

Sometimes I forget about the YT "favorite" feature and then I accidentally click on my folder . . . and discover some goodness all over again:
→ XM AN #36 Wrestling Challenge - Yoon Eun Hye Superwoman (en)
→ XM @N #15 Wrestling Challenge - YEH Superwoman (en)
→ Yoon Eun Hye - Young Girl Warrior

Yoon EunHye was a member of girl group Baby V.O.X. but probably better known to people getting into K-entertainment now as the main actress of K-drama Coffee Prince. Anywho, I feel bad for every guy who went up against YEH in Korean wrestling in X-Man and lost. X-Man rules went like this: in girl vs. girl fights, the one who won according to the rules of Korean wrestling (you make your opponent touch the ground first), won. In guy vs. guy and girl vs. guy fights, the won who lost according to the traditional rules, won. But YEH had several bouts against guys where they changed the rules and said that it was a "win to win" fight. Men YEH defeated in these bouts include Shin JungHwan and Eun JiWon. Yup, that same JiWon Hyo fangirls. HAHAHAHAHA.

Kang HoDong, who is probably familiar to people as the MC of all sorts of shows like "Star King" and now "Strong Heart," used to be a professional Korean wrestler. This man is no joke. Which makes the YEH vs. KHD wrestling match even funnier. Their matches in the "Of course" game were awesome too. LOL.

Also among my favorited vids: The Goobne "Dance Battle" CF, which had nothing to do with chicken because no one orders chicken and then decides to have a dance battle while they're waiting for it to be delivered (and we don't even see anyone ordering chicken!), is one of my favorite SNSD CFs. (Oh, YuRi!) Here is a fancam of its filming.

Whut? NO! And this is why I don't understand fashion. The colors, the colors! D: At least the guys got jeans. For those wondering, these are endorsement shots for the new SPAO line that SM is heavily invested in.

There is no "Glee" tonight because the #*%*@#*$ World Series. As I don't have much interest in baseball, this is an injustice! So to make up for it, I will link "Glee" songs that I like to listen to a lot (but not all the "Glee" songs because there are lot, usually at least three per episode or something): ( Gleeeeee! Huh, there is a decided lack of Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) in this list. D: )

HyoYeonJjang is, of course, jjang, and has provided some more Hyo-related entries from JaeWon's cyworld. Unfortunately, they're raw and C&Ping them into Google Translate coughs out some really weird sentences, but here they are so you can try it yourself! ZOMG! A kind visitor provided translations and explanations! Thank you!!: ( I'm so glad to know that JaeWon talks about Hyo, even if he needs to work on his punctuation. )

And because it will never not be awesome: the "Into the New World (Remix)"!
→ Rehearsals: M Countdown, Dream Concert '08
→ Performances: M Countdown, Dream Concert '08, 17th Mokpo Song Festival, an MBC show, YTN Star, Dynamic Concert

I could love this song and performance just for those fierce opening twenty seconds or so. They need to bring this performance back.

And I just read that YuRi was admitted to Joong Ang University, the same uni that SooYoung attends, so congrats to her. =D

Top Chef: Jennifer! Why falling apart? D: D: D: And who could have predicted that she'd be the most emotional cheftestant saying goodbye? Michael V.! Why being an ass? Not that I'm that surprised. And, of course, Teddy Bear~~~~! Really, though, what a mean episode. "You know how you spent all yesterday planning your dish? Sorry, we completely misled you!"

*This post has nothing to do with that TLC.

Like I've said before, I live in an SNSD K-pop bubble, so it wasn't until I saw Kara's cover of 2PM's "Again & Again" that I realized that SNSD brings some awesome attitude, precision, and dancing to their cover performances. Watching Kara do their cover here, I just felt like there was a lack of "oomph!" that became clearer when After School did bring more "oomph!" to "Again & Again."

So here are some old but good performances of non-SNSD songs that SNSD has done:

( I've linked all of these before, but you know what? They're still awesome. And I keep hoping that SNSD's new concept goes in these directions because THEY CAN DO IT. )

( Hello Baby and SNSD-flavored reality shows )

( Sometimes I wonder where Hyo'll end up after SNSD. )

In other K-pop news: BOOM! How can you go off to do your military service? D: I love your 싼티 ways. =(

. . . And I didn't mean for this post to be this long, lol.

Bonus link: Arirang interview with SNSD in Vietnam. During the original fancams and whatnot, it actually took me a while to figure out that they were saying "Xin chào các bạn." LOL Made me smile to see a HyoYeon sign among all the others.

Bonus AWESOMENESS from HyoYeonJjang who proves that she is truly 짱: translation of Shim JaeWon's cyworld entry about his "Anonymous" duet with Hyo. Unfortunately, there is no answer as to why we did not get more awesome duet goodness from the two of them, just the dispiriting realization that there was some lost opportunity for there to have been more such goodness. =( Why no more dance duets, Hyo, JaeWon?

Remember when Jessica used to dance like this (UCC), this, this, this, this, and this (even in that little bit she's hitting it hard and precise)?

. . . Yeah, neither do I.

( More SNSD: first kiss? and old fancams; brief look at Ursula K. Le Guin's Annals of the Western Shore series )

For those who like their "Top Chef" with a huge heaping of snark, Max Silvestri has done Season 6 episode recaps @ Eater NY. Some of it is hilariously wrong.

ETA: OMG! So, I was going through K Bite's archives because I was like, "Let's see what I'm missing out on in the K-pop world." And then I saw a subbed version of the first episode of new talk show "Strong Heart," which YoonA guested on. So I was watching and then I got ridiculously excited. Was it seeing Kim TaeWoo, Big Bang's G-Dragon and SeungRi, Epik High's Tablo, or Solbi? NO! It was unexpectedly seeing Moon JungHee, one of the "Alone in Love" alumni! EEE! It brought back sweet memories of her and Kam WooSeong's character's bittersweet romance. It really speaks to how much I loved that drama that I get all fangirly when I see any of its actors pop up (Kam WooSeong, Son YeJin, Lee HaNa, and Moon JungHee particularly). <3! ZOMG!! Moon JungHee pulled out some Latin dance! I know she was in a movie where she played a player (Dance with the Wind, I believe) and eeee! Moon JungHee! I had to seek out the raw just to see what she brought to the talk show. <3 <3 <3

I wasn't going to watch "Invincible Youth" but then I was curious to glimpse all the groups' dorms and so I watched it anyway. ( Not sure IY is a show I would really watch. )

( Other TV: Top Chef, Glee )

YAY! Madonna has granted "Glee" rights to her entire music catalogue! I am a shameless fan of old Madonna and can dig the dance-y beats in her less impactful new stuff. I can't decide what song I'd want to hear/see more: "Like a Prayer," "Like a Virgin," "La Isla Bonita," "Papa Don't Preach" (Quinn!--though that storyline might be gone by next year), "Take a Bow," "You'll See," "Lucky Star," "Dress You Up," "Material Girl," "Who's That Girl," "Vogue," "Express Yourself," "Human Nature" (Finn and Rachel with their UST or Schuester and Emma with their UST? Or Puck being an asshole and annoying everyone?), "Power of Goodbye"--oh man, with an entire Madonna-themed episode, they have so much to choose from! !!!!

Madonna 80s Megamix, peoples! And another with a wider spectrum. Really, there can't be enough Madonna megamixes in the world.

Oh, Madonna, you truly brought in-your-face sex to the music stage . . . for better or worse.