MC Jang Geun-seok

Although I didn’t watch August 23’s broadcast of Mnet’s 20’s Choice awards (a wannabe VMA’s, really), looking over the full winners list, my first reaction is: “What were they smoking?”

Some choices made sense. I get why Jang Geuk-seok, shakin’ his thang above as the event’s MC, was awarded Hot Movie Star (Male) because he’s had a great year coming off the drama Hong Gil Dong and recent movie Baby and I. And Hot Sports Star is a topical choice, going to the recent gold-medalist female weight lifter Jang Mi-ran, while the annoyingly catchy, ubiquitous earworms “One More Time” and “So Hot” (by Jewelry and Wonder Girls, respectively) are no-brainers.

But even the fact that they’ve got a “Hot Schoolgirl” category (winner So-hee), or “Hot Comment” (I think they meant catchprase) are kind of, pardon my French, retarded. And don’t even ask me what “Hot Sweet Music” means.

Furthermore, I get that “American beef” was a hot topic this year, but to highlight it at an awards show as the “winner” of Hot Issuemaker seems a little crass. Or just stupid.

Check out the full list beyond the jump, along with pics of the show in all its tacky glory.

MNET 20′S CHOICE WINNERS AND ATTENDEES >>

Tags: awards, Big Bang, Girls Generation, Jang Geun-seok, Jun Jin, Kim Ji-suk, Kim Min-hee, kpop, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Hyori, Park Min-young, Park Shi-hoo, Park Yong-ha, Ryu Seung-beom, singers, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wonder Girls, Yoo Seung-ho

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• Ara and Jang Geun Seok are dolling up and gettin’ down in an online teaser ad for a cosmetics brand, showing off what is being dubbed their “techtonic” Tecktonik dance. Touted as sexy and cute, I’d use any another term — dorky-cute, disco-lite, uber-goofball? — instead.
• 21-year-old Moon Geun Young opens up in an interview about her feelings about how her fame has affected her younger sister, who has explained that it’s hard being the little sis of Korea’s Little Sis — she’s always being compared or treated with awkward curiosity. Now a high school student, younger sis lives abroad and studies in Australia, where Moon Geun Young explains that she can hopefully “stand on her own without being in my shadow.”
• According to the director of Rain’s company JTunes, Rain hasn’t mentioned any interest in a woman in the past seven years. (What about guys?)
• Fashion designer Andre Kim (who’s had a long career but hasn’t seemed to have a new idea in years) tells The Star Show that of all the numerous celebrities he’s worked with, sob queen Choi Jiwoo is the star with the perfect body. (He lists Lee Byung Heon as the most charismatic male actor.)
• Yoo Seung Ho (that young cutie who played young Yonsama in Legend) has been cast in the music video for “Don’t Go, Don’t Go,” R&B duo Brown Eyes‘ comeback single. (Starring opposite is new Japanese actress Ishizaka Yuri.) His role entails “emotional” and “heartbroken” acting; looks like he’s trying his best to shed the child-star image.
• With only a week till his new drama airs, Lee Dong Gun is lining up the CF offers, promoting pre-harvest rice sales and fielding more proposals from beverage, clothing, and construction companies. While it’s common for a new drama to bring the CF offers, it’s cited as being unusual for the offers to come in before the drama has even begun. Maybe they’re just happy to see him back onscreen after his recent rough patch.
• Some of JYP’s teen-sex-kitten proteges the Wonder Girls had a few words to share about their Svengali-master on MBC’s Brain Battle (isn’t that shooting a little high?). Apparently JYP gets “sensitive” when he’s hungry (unlike the rest of us robots); Yoo Bin explained that while recording their album, he’d gotten so hungry once that he’d scolded her. After a snack, she saw him being affectionate with another member and felt sad. (Maybe he was upset with, I don’t know, her work? I’ve seen her performing.)
• Singer JOO cites an occasion prior to her debut when JYP had commented on her weight, saying, “What’s with this [flab]? It’s like tofu.” Because teenage girls don’t already have enough issues about their looks — thanks, Mr. Monkey-man.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Alex - “깍지껴요” (hold hands), from his recent first solo album “My Vintage Romance.” Overall, the album sounds a lot more mainstream than his previous work, going more into ballad and pop territory. He does have the voice for it, even though I prefer the more innovative music of Clazziquai. [ Download ]

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Tags: Choi Ji-woo, Go Ara, Jang Geun-seok, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Dong-gun, Moon Geun-young, news bites, Rain, Wonder Girls, Yoo Seung-ho

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Remember that kid Damdeok who almost stole the show in Legend from his older counterpart, playing Bae Yong Joon’s childhood self? (A refresher.) Yoo Seung Ho showed up on the 30th to the press conference for his new movie Do You See Seoul, which he filmed two years ago, and you can already see the difference from his appearance in the movie posters. Kid’s all done growed up.

It even feels odd for the actor himself: “It’s strange even for me to see how I looked two years ago… it’s me before puberty.” About being called a child actor, he explained: “From now on, I want to grow naturally into various acting roles.”

Do You See Seoul is set in the 1970s when simple village children from an isolated island town travel to Seoul on a school field trip (somehow the description reminds me of Truffaut). Yoo Seung Ho co-stars with actress Oh Su Ah; the movie opens on May 8.

Via Joy News

SONG OF THE DAY

Huckleberry Finn - “휘파람” (Whistle) [ Download ]

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Tags: Yoo Seung-ho

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 15 Comments →

Wonder Girls: “Tell me!”

 
The following article brings up an interesting point but is ultimately pretty weak in its assessments. But it IS mainstream press, so I suppose that’s to be expected.

In any case, the topic is worth noting, even if the article makes the Lolita complex sound like a natural part of life or whatnot, rather than something that merits any sort of criticism. Being in touch with sexuality isn’t a bad thing, and I don’t think it’s productive to repress it either, but on the other hand, it’s an entirely different thing to praise a culture of nymphet-worship. Which I concede may be overstating the issue a bit. (Is it really?)

All I say is, the guy may have been charming and intelligent, but a society full of Humbert Humberts is not a place you want to raise your kids. Just sayin’.

Hung up on the Lolita complex: “I like teens!”

In a recently aired episode of MBC sitcom Kimchi Cheese Smile, there was a scene in which the thirtysomething single female character played by Lee Hye Young looked to a TV monitor playing MBC’s drama Legend, smiling as she observed the child actor Yoo Seung Ho, and said:

“Wow, we should protect kids like that on a national level.”

One after another, adults are uttering these kinds of candid admissions in their adoration of pre-teen and teenage stars. It’s nothing new that the debut ages of entertainers have been growing younger and younger, but the unrestrained admiration of these stars by those in their twenties, thirties, and forties is something that’s only arisen in the past few months.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Sort - “잊었니” (Have you forgotten?) [ zShare download ]

Little Lolitas and their precocious sexualities >>

Tags: Girls Generation, teen sexualization, Wonder Girls, Yoo Seung-ho

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