Archive for January, 2008

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Chest Hair = Sexual Harassment

Posted in Uncategorized on January 17, 2008 by illdielaughing

hairy

From Mainichi Daily News:

Once a symbol of virility, hairy chests now gross out enough Japanese to see their exposure judged as a form of sexual harassment, according to Sunday Mainichi (1/27).

Earlier this month, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) banned the display of a poster advertising the 1,000-year-old Somin Festival because it featured a photo of a loincloth-clad man with a bare but hairy chest.

JR East said it couldn’t let festival organizers display the poster because it was sexually harassing in that many women were likely to find it offensive.

Um… There was just a big ellipses over my head after reading that. I prefer a non-hairy chest but I’m not going to feel physically threatened by a poster with a hairy man. Is he going to jump out and fondle women with his chest hair?

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Ya Shim Man Man is Over (Wtf do I do with my free time now?)

Posted in Seoul, TV with tags on January 17, 2008 by illdielaughing

That makes me so sad. I LOVE that show but because of low ratings the show has been canceled.

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Ya Shim Man Man first aired on February 18th, 2003. The last show came on January 14th, 2008 making it five weeks away from a five year run. For those of you who don’t know, Ya Shim Man Man is a great talk show in which celebrities try to guess the top five answers of a question that was answered by thousands of people online. If you don’t guess within the top 5 answers you get a blown in the face with air. it seems juvenile but it’s hilarious and the entertainers end up talking about their personal lives as well. The MC’s and comedians on the show always make it worth watching so even if you’re favorite entertainer isn’t on the show it’s always a fun watch.

In memory of the show I’m posting some of my favorite episodes. Please watch them while listening to Vitamin C’s Graduation Song. (Heh heh, just kidding).

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NEWS (The JE Group)

Posted in Music with tags on January 17, 2008 by illdielaughing

I don’t really like NEWS’ music but I do like two of their members Yamashita Tomohsa (YamaP) after seeing him in Proposal Daisakusen and I like Ryo after seeing him in Attention Please. So, since I’m going to Japan at some point in the next year and a half I decided I should delve into their pop culture as well. So I looked at some of NEWS performances.  Some of the fashion choices and dance moves are just beyond me.

The pink and leopard  print gloves. First of all, on anyone they’re tacky, on men they’re just wrong.
And the dance move at  :24 … *sigh* You know that saying or question, “Gay or European”? I think it should really be “Gay or Idol star?” because if that isn’t a gay man hailing a taxing in NYC (in slow motion)  or just a really  flamboyant move in itself I don’t know what it is.

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Behind-the-Scene: Purple Line (PART TROIS!)

Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, Music with tags on January 16, 2008 by illdielaughing

I was laughing SO HARD when I heard the first two 10 seconds of the video. You’ll see why if you just watch.

Junsu at :55-ish… so adorable.
Jae Joong is failing at life at 2:10-ish

WHY THIS MAKES ME HAPPY: This means that there’s more to the Purple Line MV! I would have been really disappointed if there wasn’t more. I think the full version is supposed to come out tomorrow… Can’t Wait.

I still can’t get over how much the guys–mostly Jae Joong and Yunho–are singing/rapping in their noses. Forget the nose! Diaphragm!  Diaphragm!  Diaphragm!

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Jae Joong no longer DBSK’s reigning Camera Whore?!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on January 16, 2008 by illdielaughing

Has Junsu taken the spotlight? Maybe not, but I just found it funny how adorably confused Xiah looks in this video.

“Shooting for real?”

“Do you want to do it?”

“Yes.”

Haha, I was dying in the beginning when Xiah was just waving and staring blankly into the camera.

Maybe this isn’t so entertaining, but I haven’t watched any random DBSK vids in a while and this just reminds me why I love these guys.

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200 Pounds Beauty Nominated for 12 Awards

Posted in Movies, Seoul on January 14, 2008 by illdielaughing

12 nominations at the Grand Bell Film Festival exceeds the 11 that The Host garnered last year.

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I was really surprised that 200 Pound Beauty got nominated for 12 of the 19 categories including Best Director, Best Film and Best Actress. If you read my blog often you’ll know that, though I found this movie funny at times, I think over all it doesn’t deserve any of the nominations it got. I think the movie was so popular in Korea because the issue with plastic surgery is such a soft issue and to be very frank about it in an easy genre like a romantic comedy draws people in. But to be honest, this is just another average romantic comedy like My Love Ssagajy, He was Cool, and Seducing Mr. Perfect.

Now, this movie was so popular and I’m maybe one of five people who didn’t like it but I wasn’t charmed by Kim Ah Joong’s character or acting. I really only liked Joo Jin Mo in the movie. I know the movie was about how plastic surgery doesn’t make you happy and good entertainers should be allowed to entertain no matter what they look like. I also really liked that one part in the movie where one obnoxious singer in the movie was jealous of Kim Ah Joong’s character and asked what her concept was and Joo Jin Mo shot back “Singing, what’s yours?” I really like that moment because I’m sick of people with no talent making money. I will give Kim Ah Joong’s prop for her singing. She has some serious pipes but the film really wasn’t that good. And it frustrates me that fads are more important than real art and really good cinema. I love romantic comedies but that genre is getting a pretty bad rap lately because they’ve become worse and worse.

But maybe I’m taking the whole thing to seriously. All I know is that The Host is definitely a better movie than 200 Pound Beauty.

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Cya, Gong Yoo

Posted in Rant, Seoul with tags on January 14, 2008 by illdielaughing

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He’s off to complete is two years of military duty. He was just gettig his career off the ground so it’s unfortunate to see him go but I think he’ll still has a good fanbase when he’s released. Good Luck in the Military, Gong Yoo!

You’ll find unintentional war rambling after the jump.

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Kidnapping Granny K

Posted in Movies, Seoul with tags , on January 13, 2008 by illdielaughing
What do you do when you just can’t sleep and you need a good laugh before you hit the sack? Watch a Korean comedy of course.

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My movie of choice? 2007’s Kidnapping Granny K. I was surprised at how touched I was at the end of this movie especially since I was about to turn it off in the beginning. But after the scene in which the below pictures were taken, I decided to invest in this film and I’m not mad I did.

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This movie is about three guys who kidnap “Granny K” and ask her four rich children for a ransom of 50,000 dollars. Granny K–or Mrs. Kwon–raises the ransom to 50 million because she is tired of her spoiled kids. The movie starts off right away and the entire premise is set up in the first ten to fifteen minutes. One of the guys needs the money to bail his pregnant wife out of jail, another guy needs to regain the money that he was scammed out of and the last guy kind of just gets caught up in the whole idea. So they get together, by chance they eat at Mrs. Kwon’s restaurant, and there, with very little to no thought, they decide to kidnap her.

GrannyK

Why this movie works: At it’s core it is a message about a disturbing truth, the way children forget their parents and take them for granted. This undercurrent is why I found the movie touching and important in terms of making such a painful issue main stream and funny.

This movie is far from perfect but it’s entertaining and it’s worth watching if just to see Nah Moon Hee’s hilarious acting as Mrs. Kwon.

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Lee Junki: Actor, Goodwill Ambassador

Posted in Seoul with tags on January 12, 2008 by illdielaughing
I’ve always wondered exactly how people were chosen to be Goodwill Ambassador. I know part of it is the level of their celebrity and another part of it is the amount of work they have already done, but what else?
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Maybe I’m wondering because Lee Jun Ki has just been named a Goodwill Ambassador to China. Lee Jun Ki’s immense fanbase in China–created by his roles in King and the Clown and Time Between Dog and Wolf–was the deciding factor in his being chosen. Jun Ki will be given his official title in Beijing this Friday and he will waste no time, meeting with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs the next day. The main purpose of Korea appointing Jun Ki as the Goodwill Ambassador now is to open up better cultural communication between the two countries, leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

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What Little Korean Girls Should Look Like: Girl’s Generation

Posted in Rant, Seoul with tags on January 11, 2008 by illdielaughing

Girls’ Generation limited edition dolls are finally on sale and I’m sure they’ll be flying off of the shelves.girlsgeneration-200801111-popseoul.jpg Picture Credit: popseoul!

I have a problem with these dolls, not because I don’t like Girl’s Generation, but because all quite a few of Girl’s Generation, who’s supposed to represent young girls, has had some kind of plastic surgery. So, I mean, being dolls is somewhat typical but it still gives girls a skewed image of what real beauty is.

It’s in the same vein as those “bratz” dolls. I can’t stand them. Calling a doll, to be marketed to already bratty children, “bratz” is just condoning the behavior of spoiled children everywhere. Obviously, I don’t think that having a bratz doll will magically turn you’re child into a brat but the whole marketing of the dolls–and the movie–is really unsettling. I feel strongly about this especially because I have a younger sister I really don’t want her getting the idea that being a “brat” is cute or reasonable behavior.

But then again, am I reading too much into this?

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