U-Kiss Eli's First Trip to Hawaii

U-Kiss fans in Hawaii have been buzzing in excitement after seeing U-Kiss cutie, Eli, posting he was heading to Hawaii on his Twitter account.

Side note: I loved him in K-Pop Tasty Road with NS Yoon-G! And was so excited that he was visiting. Apparently he is also here for Full House China, a drama that he is currently promoting. I hope the weather cooperates for them!

Almost 12 hours later, must've had some layovers, he finally arrived and posted a video of himself settling in to a Waikiki hotel (exact location kept under wraps by yours truly, but if you do some sleuthing, you will know, hehe.) and enjoying the beautiful sunset. He admitted it was his first time to Hawaii. Glad it was actually sunny and not rainy as this is the middle of hurricane season!



He then ventured out to meet U-Kiss' former manager, Jun Kamitoku, who moved out to Hawaii with his family and opened up a pop-up lunchwagon called Kamitoku Ramen. Honestly, the guy does make some really good ramen! (Yelp rates his business with 4+ stars!) And now with Eli's video out to the masses, he is guaranteed to get more businesses. Good for him!

 

Welcome to Hawaii, Eli! We hope you enjoy your stay in our lovely, yet expensive, state!

Credit Eli Kim's Instagram @elikim91.

Review: Coming Out! FT Island

FT Island Comes Back with New Album and New Reality TV Show

My K-Pop/Rock group will always be first and foremost, FT Island. The five member group comprised of lead singer Lee Hong Ki, leader and lead guitarist Choi Jong Hun, vocals and bass guitarist Lee Jae Jin, vocals and guitarist Song Seung Hyun and drummer Choi Min Hwan are just about the goofiest and adorable band I have ever seen.

Watching them grow over the years, you see them handle different issues. From the day to day annoyances a group faces as they start out together, to creative differences in establishing their own voice in their industry, to figuring out if they are going to have a future together. (This last one really scared me, let me tell you.)

Now, almost a decade later, they've come back not only with their newest Korean album "I Will", and also a new reality TV show called, "Coming Out! FT Island".

This review of the first couple of episodes is a little late. I am having a hard time finding episodes online and the most current episodes haven't been posted to Daily Motion, yet, so I apologize.

The reality show is nothing out of the ordinary. It follows the everyday lives of this group. What's interesting about this is that it's the first one the group has agreed to do in years. (Although, I must note that they were featured pretty prominently in 2014's Cheongdamdong 111 which showcased the artists of FNC Entertainment.)

As Korean groups go, they can choose to stay in a dorm room together, or branch out to live on their own. In the first episode, it shows the different homes of each of the five members. All of them, with the exception of Seung Hyun, are living on their own. Seung Hyun seems to still be at home with his parent(s) as they show him being woken up for work by his mom.

It really delves into the background lives of each of the members. Hong Ki shows off his wardrobe and his outings with friends where he finds comfort in having a few drinks with them and have a sense of normalcy. Jong Hun shows off his guitars and his love of the outdoors. Jae Jin...hmmm, not sure what he does that one. Except that he takes a long time to get ready just to go out and eat. Seung Hyun is busy with activities, but is still living at home. And Min Hwan is a full-time gamer who finds time to make ramyun.

It seems that FT Island really had taken a vacation from their promotions after they came back from Japan. And now that they have a new album, it seems difficult to wrangle them together to practice.

Jong Hun, as the leader, has the difficult task of trying to call everyone together for a rehearsal. (He does it by text of all things! Why not just use the cell to call?) One by one, each respond and accept the practice date at time....except for Hong Ki who is out drinking with his friends. He doesn't respond until everyone is at practice and kind of blows them off. Understandably, he wants to have fun. But at the same time, I worry that he really isn't upholding his role in the group. It looks like his activities have really put a strain on everyone, especially the young maknaes.

Each of the members speak about how it's been hard to keep visible since their Japan activities. Express frustration about how it really depends on how Hong Ki is doing and feeling. They really haven't been able to do much without him. (He is their lead singer, after all.) They all voice the concerns about whether they want to stay together as a group and that it's been difficult being all different places.

To fix the problem, or maybe start the healing process, the company approached the group with the opportunity to dorm together for a few days.

The dorm they are placed in is really a two bedroom condo. And quite large from what I could see. They all jockey for a sleeping spot. Hong Ki and Jong Hun, being the elders, take over the largest room for themselves. Jae Jin and Min Hwan end up in the other room, with Seung Hyun taking up the floor in Hong Ki and Jong Hun's room. Poor maknae.

In honor of their first mean, Hong Ki volunteers to cook. Eh? Really? Anyone remember his stew he served to his wife on We Got Married? It wasn't very....elaborate...just saying.

Hong Ki and Min Hwan go out grocery shopping for the necessary ingredients and it's hilarious how Min Hwan kept trying to put other things in the cart and Hong Ki puts it back. Yet when it came to alcohol, there was no debate or argument and Hong Ki put it into the cart.

Hong Ki cooks up a meal of sauteed meat and veggies which he actually really looked at ease putting together. In comparison to his bumblings in the kitchen when he made a spicy stew for his onscreen wife, he was put together this time around. He served it up to his members and they enjoy it together.

At first, the camaraderie seems to be back to normal. But annoyances surface again when everyone leaves for their activities, except for the two youngins. And Jong Hun comes home to cook seafood stew only to find that they have already eaten. Yea...you can tell he was mad. And you don't want to make your leader man. Especially when he had just bought all expensive seafood ingredients to put into his special stew. They pretty much ate without the rest of the group. Something called "consideration" wasn't there.

And that's where my video ended, with tensions arising once again in the group. I like that this show is censored, yet it still shows the more mature side of the guys. Hence, the 19+ rating.

It's nice to see what they really are thinking. It's a little unnerving that there seems to be so much tension. They don't seem to be as tight of a group as before. And they are definitely more opinionated now.  (Btw, you really should check out Jae Jin's waxing ritual that he takes Min Hwan on.)

Sigh, I will need to find more english subbed versions. If anyone has a good site, let me know!

Image and Article Info on Show Here!

Idols Open and Close Social Media Accounts

It's hard for me sometimes to keep up with the comings and goings of K-Pop idols on social media. It seems at times that they come and go as they please like the ebb and flow of a tide.

Since my biases are mainly FT Island and CNBlue and sometimes I like to blog about Super Junior, I mainly stick with them. But there's so many more idols out there, trust me. In the past I've blogged about how FT Island bassist and vocalist, Lee Jae Jin, had closed his Twitter account for apparently no reason. Not too long after that, both lead vocalist Lee Hong Ki and Leader and lead guitarist Choi Jong Hoon had both opened up their own Instagram accounts.

Slowly, but surely, idols are reaching out to more of their fans through social media. So it came as a surprise that Heechul (aka Heenim or Hee Dictator) of Super Junior mysteriously closed his own Instagram and Weibo accounts.

But with every closure, two more must open. Hmm, I think I heard about that somewhere? It's like the Hydra myth where you cut off a head and two more grow back. Same concept.

So, following that vein, and of course my biases, FT Island's Lee Jae Jin and Choi Jong Hoon let fans know through their Instagrams that they have opened up Weibo accounts. Follow them both at "JamesJin" (Jae Jin's) and "ChoiJongHoon90" (Jong Hoon's). I definitely liked Jae Jin's stab at an Anglicized name. The name, "James" suits him and is still very close to his original name.

Follow, follow, follow, these two handsome cuties. And don't forget to check out Jong Hun for updates on his new drama, JTBC's "Heroes", where he will play the lead role of Choi Hee Yeol.


Credit: Lee Jae Jin and Choi Jong's Instagram. Choi Jong Hun's image courtesy of @ftnorinori (as stated on original image.)

Lip Syncing and K-Pop Idols

Over the years, lip syncing has been noted as a serious offense. It shows to fans that artists are "fake" and can't be trusted. And it tarnishes the reputations of other artists who have a real passion for their craft.

Take for example one time R&B dance duo, Milli Vanilli, from the late 1980's and early 1990's. Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus had a breakout with their hit, "Girl You Know It's True" and it took the world by storm. And they soon followed with other hits, "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" and "Blame It On The Rain". But after speculation began to surface about whether or not Fab and Rob could barely speak English, let alone sing it, critics began to probe into the background of the duo. The heat was on when they had been performing "live" to "Girl You Know It's True" and the track kept on repeating, "Girl you know it's...girl you know it's..." over and over. This forced Milli Vanilli to run off stage. It was then revealed that they were lip syncing their songs and they were stripped of their Grammy.

So, in a nutshell, you are committing social suicide if you get caught lip syncing like these guys, you will not be deemed worthy. Period.

When I got into K-Pop years ago, I was initially pulled into the dancing and bright lights and choreography. The songs were catchy, but I noticed that not everyone were singing during the performances. A friend of mine explained later that it's impossible sometime to sing and dance to the choreography at the same time, so some groups perform to tracks.

Oh, the conflict of emotions that had passed through me back then! On the one hand, I could understand why they lip synced because some of the moves really were complicated. But on the other hand, it was the whole Milli Vanilli thing. Argh argh argh.

To me, sounding out of breath while you're singing and dancing is understandable. And honestly, very much appreciated! Who cares if you have hair flying all over the place and sweating like a hog? Why do you practice 18 hours a day only to sing on a track?? Argh argh argh.

Recently, a Korean music show, "Show! Music Core" stated that they would only have groups perform at least 50% of their songs live. No matter how small the part, they are taking the stance that if you're an artist, you should be able to sing. Well, hallelujah, amen and can I get a "thank you Jesus!" on that! Again, why do you practice 18 hours a day only to sing to a track? And for those groups with instruments, like FT Island, CNBlue and AOA, let me just say that it was really refreshing to see CNBlue actually go onstage "plugged" into their speakers. THAT. IS. LIVE. MUSIC. And I'm glad their company, FNC, was going with it.

CNBlue Bassist Jung Shin and drummer Min Hwan on tour

On the flip side, Super Junior's Ryeowook, made an interesting point through his Twitter:

"To singers, brilliant stages and lights are just as important as sound systems are.. It's true that performance-centric idol singers just lipsyncing is a problem as well, but I think it's tyranny to emphasize just live performances without any improvement..".

This, I can only take to mean, is that if shows are going to make groups sing live, then these shows have got to step up their game and make sure the sound system is working. There have been many times when mics haven't worked, not everyone could get a mic to themselves, or the sound had been sub par. Ryeowook's vocals are known to sound exactly the same as the recorded track. Can you imagine not being able to hear him because of a bum sound system? Unacceptable! Good point, Ryeowook!

Super Junior's Ryeowook

I am torn on both sides. But honestly, I have to say, I would love to see more live show performances. How they do that, I dunno. But I feel strongly that if you're dedicated to your craft, you have pride in what you do, you will want to make sure your best work is heard. The fans deserve it.

Source: Super Junior Ryeowook's Personal Twitter and AllKpop

FT Island's Front Man in "Vampire"

Lee Hong Ki as Count Dracula

FT Island's front man, lead vocalist Lee Hong Ki, will be stretching his acting chops again. This time, he'll be tackling on the role of the most infamous and debonair monster of all time, Count Dracula.

Many people know of Count Dracula as the one time Romanian Prince Vlad "the Impaler", known for impaling unlucky victims on stakes, hence the nickname. As well as the lead character in Bram Stoker's, "Dracula". Pop culture has talked about him being suave, dashing but a horrifying blood sucker who quenched his thirst by entrancing lovely ladies to come to him so he could indulge in a little snack.

Super Junior's Sung Min, INFINITE's Sung Gyu and FT Island's Hong Ki will rotate in the role of "Count Dracula"

I am not familiar with the musical. The characters are all different from any version we've seen here in the U.S. Their version has characters named, "Adriana", "Pierre", "Lorraine". I have no idea who those are, unless they're supposed to correspond to the English counterparts, "Mina", "Van Helsing" and "Lucy". It's all a mystery to me. But it will be interesting to see how much will differ from the book and movies that have come out so far.

I'm especially interested to see how Hong Ki will bring his off-beat, endearing and sometimes comedic style into such a serious role. I had a taste of that in his last TV series, "Bride of the Century", where he played a plutocratic heir to a big named shopping mall. I felt he really pulled off the high brow brattiness in that role. However, I must say that sometimes I felt the depth of hurt and despair he experienced didn't reach down far enough to be really believable. And when he tried to be sexy, I didn't get the feeling that there was enough for the scene. I mean the girl didn't even look tempted! I actually didn't care for her, but anyways. (Sorry Hong Ki, I love you, I really do! Mianhae!)

If you take a look at the teaser, he looks very promising as the Count. I think even more so that the other two idols that will be rotating the role with him: Sung Min's Super Junior, Sung Gyu's INFINITE. Of the three, I think Hong Ki really gives off more charisma. Will be looking forward to the reviews!

Opens August 10, 2014.

Source: 24-7 K-Pop

CNBlue's Jungshin Injured During Concert

CNBlue Bassist Lee Jungshin

Oh the troubles of being an idol and doing fanservice. I think CNBlue bassist, Lee Jungshin, will need to be a little more aware of his surroundings from now on whenever he goes to greet their fans.

The young idol went out to shake hands with fans after a concert in Hong Kong. As he was reaching out to some of them, he suddenly dropped off the edge of the stage, falling about 4 feet to the arena floor.

It took fans, and his bandmates, by complete surprise. I don't think they realized the edge was that close either. And arena staff and security quickly swarmed to his aid, removing a barricade. His fellow band members, Yonghwa, Jonghyun and Minhyuk were shocked, but couldn't hide smiles of amusement afterwards.

Yet...only drummer Minhyuk reached down to help Jungshin up. Geez. Thanks a lot guys! It must've been hard for Jungshin to gauge the distance to the edge with all the lighting.

Unfortunately, Jungshin suffered a hand injury as a result of the fall. This quite a bit troubling since, as a musician, use and dexterity in his hands is vital. Although not much else is known at this time, I hope he has a speedy recovery so he may continue rocking his heart out!

For the original story and fan cams of the event, click here.

Source: AllKpop