Singer (and essayist) Horan made a recent appearance on the April 19 broadcast of MBC’s Happy Stock Company (or Happy Shares Company), featuring a segment wherein she packed a homemade lunch and had a mother-daughter date at home.

In the segment, viewers were surprised to see that her mother suffered from polio at age 5 that left one leg crippled. It’s not the first time the news has been made known — Horan first referenced her mother’s condition in her recently published essay collection, Horan’s Da Capo — but it’s the first time the fact is becoming known to the public at large.

Asked to share a story, Horan’s mother recalled: “Once, I went to the beach and was walking along the shore with difficulty with Horan. Some mischievous boys poked a lot of fun at my daughter. So Horan asked me, ‘Mom, aren’t you embarrassed?’ and I answered, ‘Why should I be?’ The tears ran then.”

Netizen response? “That [bleep] sold her [bleeping] mother” and “She sold her mother for a TV appearance.”

Some ever-so-thoughtful netizens carried the sentiments, originally written on the site announcing the upcoming episode, onto Horan’s own site, alerting her to the comments. The next day, Horan wrote on her site, “What a despicable world.”

“I’m not using my mother to make up a tragic drama. … How can a person look at another person and say she’s selling her mother or not?”

The next day, however, they were erased from her site. Horan is currently busy with her new acoustic band, Ibadi, who recently released their first album.

Via My Daily, Star News

SONG OF THE DAY

Ibadi - “Hello Hollow” [ Download ]

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I admit the first thing that struck me about Kim Hye Sung was his adorable baby face. But although he’s part of the newest generation of good-looking, trendy young stars, he seems to be slowly differentiating himself from his peers and taking some personal care (and risks) into his acting choices. He’s one I’ve got my eye on for the future.
 

“Kim Hye Sung’s transformation from pretty boy to hot-tempered youth to gay lover”

By the time 2003’s hot uljjang trend had blown over, some new stars had appeared on the scene: uljjangs. [What’s an uljjang?] The first-generation ulljangs included Park Han Byul, Gu Hye Sun, Nam Sang Mi. Second-generation ulljangs: Kim Ok Bin, Bae Seul Gi, Lee Yeon Hee. And also Kim Hye Sung and Kang Eun Bi.

They rose to fame not via television or movies, but through the internet, causing a shake-up of the currently existing star-making system. Uljjang stars weren’t discovered through television station tests, new-actor auditions, talent agencies, or streetside castings; they were made into stars by audiences and consumers themselves.

Five years later. …

SONG OF THE DAY

Deb - “Dopamine” [ Download ]

 
More on Kim Hye Sung, Boy Meets Boy >>

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• Actor-singer Lee Seung Gi broke a finger on the 23rd while filming his segment for the popular Happy Sunday variety program, and underwent surgery. Although he doesn’t think the injury is overly serious, he’ll most likely have stop his broadcast activities for the immediate future. Aw.
• Actress and former Baby VOX popstarlet Yoon Eun Hye is singing for the first time in a long while since she left pop music to transition into a successful acting career. She lends her vocals to “I Love You,” the debut single for new rap duo Mighty Mouth (oops, not Mighty Mouse like I thought, which woulda been kinda more awesome) — but insists this does not indicate a return to her singer status.



• After the recent massive oil spill, reports of local residents going so far as to commit suicide because of their troubles have reached a sympathetic Bada, who was moved by the people’s plight and is putting together a charity concert in the name of reviving the local economy of Mallipo Beach in western Korea.
• Seems like Rain is in the news constantly for one reason or another — and now it’s because apparently the Chinese netizens are angry again. First it was over his participation in singing Samsung’s Olympics theme song — ’cause you know, the only people allowed to sing at any particular Olympics are the citizens of the country hosting it. Now they’re calling him “arrogant” because he turned down Chinese Olympics ambassador (and gold-medalist gymnast) Liu Xuan’s request for a song at an Olympics promotion press conference due to time constraints; they’re saying, “Liu Xuan was dishonored internationally” and “How long would it have taken to sing a few lines?” and “Koreans are impatient and give no leeway so they really seem rude often.” Ahh, nothing like the Olympics to foster discontent. Whatever happened to international harmony, fraternity, and the symbolic Olympic rings?



• It’s common knowledge that actresses Han Ji Hye and Han Ye Seul are good friends — but who knew they’re also too good to mingle with the masses? Apparently the two go out clubbing — no drinks, just dancing — twice a year: once on each of their birthdays. Actor Lee Chun Hee recalled on a soon-to-air episode of Sang Sang Plus seeing the two at a club before they were famous, dancing together and ignoring any male attempts to approach them. Asked why, Han Ji Hye said that before their debuts, it was because “we had pride.” Afterward, it was because “we knew we were going to be actresses so we decided not to party with anyone else, just dance with the two of us.” Hm, I’m trying to figure out a way to interpret her answer as anything but bratty and stuck-up. Someone tell her pride and ego are different things.

SONG OF THE DAY

Bada - “Destiny” [ zShare download ]

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Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 11 Comments →

Actress and bone marrow donor Choi Kang Hee

 
Alls I’s gotta say is: Anti-fan culture is ridiculous. Even supposing a celebrity donates money or performs an act of charity purely for the attention, the bottom line is that worthy causes are benefited. As far as I’m concerned, that’s what we call a win-win situation.

Stars’ good deeds meet with harsh criticism

“When news of my charity work is reported, I fear the rise of anti’s.”

Not long ago, that’s what actor Kim Tae Hee said in an interview with the press. She’s been a spokesperson for three years for the Make a Wish charity, and in June she even donated 5 million won herself to the group.

However, she tries to keep news of such events from leaking out because she wants to avoid the negativity that results, expressed in comments like, “She’s just trying to act angelic” and “It’s a publicity stunt.”

(On left) Envelope: “Donation.” Computer: “Do you just want to seem angelic?”
(Right) Heart: “Bone marrow donor.” Netizen: “Publicity stunt!”

SONG(s) OF THE DAY

Kim Gun Mo - “Rainy Christmas.” Merry Christmas Eve everybody! [ zShare download ]

The Manhattan Transfer - “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).” The Kim Gun Mo song above takes its opening few measures from this song by the jazzy vocal group Manhattan Transfer. [ zShare download ]

Who else has been accused of being an attention whore? >>

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Yoon Eun Hye, Lee Hyori

With this generation so internet-savvy, and the stars living in an overwhelmingly wired society that analyzes their every move, it’s no surprise that more and more, celebrities are using the internet (Stars: They’re just like us!) to reach out to their fans — in affection, in exasperation, and in defense of themselves.

Lee Hyori, Yoon Eun Hye, Gu Hye Sun …
“Women who can’t live without their homepages!”

Conveying malicious gossip via the internet

The 16th was a day when the internet found itself abuzz with singer Ivy’s plea, “Stop writing false rumors.” All day, her name remained the most-searched term online, and she censured the press in a posting she put up on her mini-homepage: “I can’t take you reporters just writing whatever you want to condemn a person. Please stop writing fiction, and don’t speak so recklessly about something you haven’t heard or seen for yourselves.” …

SONG OF THE DAY

Type R - “By My Side” [ zShare download ]

Other stars defend themselves online >>

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 9 Comments →

The “uljjang” phenomenon is one that is fascinating, odd, borderline disturbing (or at least perplexing), uniquely Korean — and now, it appears, waning.

The word uljjang comes from a mashup of the word for “face” and a slang term for “best,” thereby meaning “best face” or simply “good-looking,” in the same way that momjjang means “well-built body.” However, the term also refers to the phenomenon of recent years where ordinary (albeit extremely good-looking) people have become bona fide celebrities simply from a photo posted online in their blogs, mini-hompages, and cafes. The photo in question would be widely circulated, and the hottie would find him- or herself vaulted into quasi internet celebrity, and then real honest-to-goodness mainstream celebrity once they’d been “discovered” and debuted as actors and entertainers. (Some were discovered in more conventional ways, aka off the streets and in public locations, which is how I hear Nam Sang Mi, pictured above, was first found, although I don’t know for sure that that’s true.)

Many uljjangs may have faded back into relative obscurity soon after the initial buzz, although a fair number went on to success. According to the following article, however, it seems the phenomenon — as with so many internet-spawned fads — is on the downtrend:

Why are there no recent internet “uljjang stars”?

Where have all the “uljjang” stars, who’d once seemed to pop up every day, gone?

Starting with Gu Hye Sun of the currently airing King and I and Nam Sang Mi of Time of Dog and Wolf, and including others such as Park Han Byul, Kang Eun Bi, and Bae Seul Ki, many stars who’d originated as “uljjangs” are now in the entertainment industry, but it’s not so easy finding new uljjang stars. …

 
(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Romantic Couch - “Star Bossa” [ zShare download ]

 
Where have all the uljjangs gone? >>

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