In defense of Park Bom

First of all, prior to watching Roommate, I was never Park Bom's biggest fan. But getting to peep into her "life" on the show and how she interacts with her housemates, I came to appreciate her and I have been slowly changing my mind about her. So now that shit is hitting the fan from all directions, I just felt the need to voice out what I think about all this crap.

To those who are unfamiliar, there have been "breaking news" surrounding Bom during the past week that have been very hurtful, to both 2NE1 fans and Park Bom herself. It started with the resurfacing of a 4-year-old dismissed case about her alleged attempt to smuggle drugs into Korea. Which was already cleared by YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk himself in this statement.

However, respite was short lived because now the Korean media are questioning Bom's real age. And it is at this point that I roll my eyes and groan because they clearly have nothing else to talk about (because someone's probably shutting them up about the Sewol tragedy and the donation money the government supposedly used to build a badminton court instead) and are pulling all these "news" out of their asses.

It's stupid. All these news about Bom and none of them are really worth our time. If this results in Bom leaving Roommate, I’m gonna be so pissed. Also, Bom is the sweetest little thing (as far as I can tell) and does not deserve so much unwarranted hate. No one does.

Also, in what US school are sophomore high school students 17 years old? NO. Here they go mucking up ages because of the confusing East Asian Age Reckoning thing. They’re claiming that Bom was 17 in 1998 because she was already a sophomore. Well, I am one month older than Bom (here I go revealing how old I am) and I was definitely a sophomore high school student in 1998. AND I WAS 14 YEARS OLD. I was 17 years old during my freshman year of university.

And please. Even if she were actually 2 years older than declared, WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MATTER?! Does it change anything? Does it affect her career as a singer? All it changes is the fact that more people need to be calling her noona or unnie and need to be giving her the respect she deserves.

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My Lists: 15 favorite k-pop songs of 2014 thus far

Once again, another 6 months have passed just like that and we're now entering the second half of 2014. How is time flying by so fast?!

The first half of 2014 saw the return of the king of k-pop Rain, as well as the debuts of two amazing rookie groups, Got7 and Akdong Musician. We've also been given the long-awaited full-length albums of 2NE1 and Taeyang (it was about damn time, honestly). And this past months also gave me my current addiction; a song by artists I never paid much attention to before, Soyou & Jung GiGo.

So just as I've done for the past year, I'm listing down my favorite songs released during the first half of this year, for the months of January to June 2014.

Rain - "La Song"

Got7 - "I Like You"

Gain (ft. Bumkey) - "FxxK U"

Soyou & Jung GiGo (ft. Lil Boi) - "Some"

Bangtan Boys - "Boy In Luv"

CN Blue - "Can't Stop"

Girls' Generation - "Mr. Mr."

2NE1 - "Come Back Home"

MBLAQ - "Be A Man"

A Pink - "Mr. Chu"

Akdong Musician - "Melted"

Exo - "Overdose"

Taeyang - "Eyes, Nose, Lips"

Beast - "Good Luck"

Taeyang - "1AM"

What are your favorites of the year so far?

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First Impressions: High School King of Savvy

I've just finished watching the second episode of tvN's newest rom-com High School King of Savvy and so far, so good. Unfortunately, the show wasn't picked up by either Viki or Dramafever, so looking for the subbed episodes proved to be more difficult than usual. Still, where's there's an insane international fanbase, the subbed episode will be found. Huzza!

First of all, everyone knows I love me some Seo In-guk, that much is a given. And keeping with the trend of my loving him in every drama he's in, I do love him in this role of corporate-director-hyung cosplaying high-schooler. He was cast in this role perfectly.

I love the character of Lee Min-seok. He's not just a lazy high school student who is somehow forced into pretending to be his older brother. Yes, he's that, but he's also a guy who loves his brother despite the 8-year separation. He's a guy who hates seeing his adoptive father hurting. He's the guy who stays and makes sure a drunk stranger is safe before he heads home himself. Yes, he's a highly hormonal high school student, but Seo In-guk plays him with so much heart.

This is the first drama I'm seeing Lee Hana in but I think I already love her. She plays awkward and ungainly so comfortably. I'm no authority, but I'd say she's quite perfect for physical comedy. Her portrayal of Jung Soo-young is so relatable even though I'm nowhere as socially problematic as her (if anyone, I would probably think I'm more like her younger sister Jung Yoo-ah - the bulldozer stalker).

Soo-young is both amusing and cringe-worthy. She's awesome as a sister and as a person, in general. Completely humble and persevering, I could do better with trying to be more like her. But then, her social weaknesses creeps in and I'm just screaming at my laptop screen for her to back away and shut up. If you've seen the first episode, you know what I mean. Nonetheless, she's a very likable character and I can't wait for both boys to fall in love with her. That's where we're headed, no?

Finally, I can't believe how much I'm loving Lee Soo-hyuk in this. I've only ever seen him in White Christmas (and several clips from Vampire Idol, and then a handful of music videos and runway shows) and he wasn't particularly good in that one. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about either. Granted, that was his first drama ever. I'm so glad he's seemingly much better at acting now. The duality in his portrayal of Yoo Jin-woo is delightful.

For a second lead, I love that Jin-woo is, right off the bat, being given a multi-dimensional treatment that not a lot of second leads get. On the one hand, he has that hard and unnerving side to his personality that's apparent whenever he's working. He's brutal when it comes to work but at the same time he's never not respectful and polite to his colleagues. But then you see a total 180-turn when he turns into this fearful and insecure little boy in the presence of his father. It's also good to note that despite him not reciprocating the feelings of our lead girl, Jin-woo was never rude or particularly cruel. I wouldn't complain if he ends up with Soo-young in the end (especially since our lead guy is still considered jailbait).

While not laugh-out-loud funny, this drama has me smirking and smiling all throughout. It's cute and zippy, though not quite cut from the same rom-com cloth as its predecessors. I just love that the story has a lot of heart and characters you want to root for. I can't believe I need to wait a whole week for the next episode. Gah! Episode 3, I need you!

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Currently Watching: You're All Surrounded, Angel Eyes, Roommate, Burning the Beast

Admittedly, I have more dramas in my download folder that remain untouched. Despite that, all my free time is still mostly spent glued to my laptop screen. There truly can never be enough time to watch all the shows, sadly.

While Witch's Romance just ended (and oh my lordy did I love it to bits and pieces and I will probably re-watch it very soon - I need a Yoon Dong-ha of my own), I still have some more dramas on my currently watching list.

1. You're All Surrounded - I started watching a while ago but I had sort of let this fall to the side and only recently picked it up again. And then I ended up marathoning 5 episodes last weekend and fell deeply in love with each and every character - except maybe for Prosecutor Han, he's an asshole.

I just love how Eun Dae-gu's secret is out of the bag now. I love how Seo Pan-seok and Uh Soo-sun reacted to the reveal. I love how they both care so much for Dae-gu. But Dae-gu's a tough one. And I love being able to witness how the wall he's built around him is slowly being taken down one brick at a time by the people around him. I can't wait for him to allow Pan-seok in. That's an intense bromance waiting to happen.

2. Angel Eyes - This drama is about to end this weekend, I'm still on episode 11 though. I never thought I would be so in love with Goo Hye-sun and Lee Sang-yoon together but I am. I wasn't expecting this much chemistry between them and I am so loving it. They are perfect together. But this also means I am about this ready to get my claws on Vice President Oh and her machinations. I need my OTP happy, and they won't be happy once daddy's secret is out. Ugh.

Also, I love that the drama keeps giving us flashbacks to our OTP's youth, if only because it's the only way to get more of Kang Ha-neul on my screen. As I've already mentioned previously, he's the reason I started watching the show anyway.

3. Roommate - How much do I love these housemates? Let me count the ways:

• Shin Sung-woo is perfection and I am truly befuddled by the fact that he never married. He would be the perfect husband. He cooks, he cleans, he's a sweetheart, and he's freaking hot. 
• Lee Sora is such a beautiful person as well. It's telling by how much the younger girls in the house just adore her. 
• Hong Soo-hyun is adorable and quirky and a breath of fresh air. 
• Lee Dong-wook is adorably dorky and I'm pretty convinced he's got a major crush on Bom. 
• Jo Se-ho is hilarious and sweet and his signature pajamas make me snicker. 
• Park Bom is hilarious and aegyo-riffic. She was never my 2NE1 bias, but she's slowly climbing up that list. 
• Park Min-woo and his dimples keep slaying me on a weekly basis. It doesn't help either that he seems to be such an awesome oppa to Ga-yeon.
• I never really cared for Nana but this show has started to change my mind about her. I never thought she'd get along this well with Bom and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that those two are cut from the same cloth. 
• Park Chanyeol has just completely obliterated my EXO bias list with his puppy dog ways. His relationship with Shin umma is beyond glorious.
• Seo Kang-joon is either really dim or a total variety genius. He's hilarious! And, I'm also quite convinced, that he and Min-woo will be the couple to go on that overseas trip.
• And last but not the list, adorable Song Ga-yeon. What a force to be reckoned with. She's strong and gorgeous. I love her.

4. Burning the Beast - For some reason (Okay, I know the reason... Because of Let's Eat, my officemates are now officially obsessed with Doojoon.), I have revisited my love for the group and have brought other people on the ride with me. My friend is watching it mostly for Doojoon, but I love me some Junhyung. Ever since Monstar happened, I forgot about my love for Kikwang and Doojoon and it's all about Junhyung now. 

These guys are idiots, by the way. And I mean that in the best sense of the word. I love them.

There are several more dramas on the way that I have my eyes on. One of them is the upcoming tvN noona romance High School King of Savvy starring Seo In-guk, Lee Hana, and Lee Soo-hyuk. Another is Jung Eun-ji's new series Trot Lovers. 

A bit further down the road is Discovery of Romance, the Eric Mun and Jung Yumi reunion vehicle that I absolutely can't wait for. I need it in my life so much. I've been a fan of the pairing since Que Sera Sera and this is a fantasy come true for me. The fact that they added Sung Joon to the cast is like cherry on top of an already spectacular sundae.

If the drama gods decide to throw in some more reunions, I wouldn't mind. They seem to be doing that a lot nowadays (i.e. Kwon Sang-woo and Choi Ji-woo for Temptation, Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara for Fated to Love You). Some Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye, jebal and thanks.

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Psy drops new single featuring Snoop Dogg

Psy just dropped new single "Hangover" featuring Snoop Dogg and, obviously, there will be people dissing and hating it. Not everyone will like it and, I'm almost 100% certain, it will be compared to "Gangnam Style" from here on to infinity. It shouldn't, but it will.

Do I like it? Yes. Do I love it? Not yet. Do I like it more than "Gangnam Style" and "Gentleman"? I'm not quite sure. But I will say this, I think it was definitely a huge risk and a brave move on Psy's part. Was it a smart move? I think so.

More than the song though, I think the video is something worth talking about. I love the video.

You know what I think is awesome about the video? Even though the song is 90% in English and features Snoop Dogg and is clearly Psy’s attempt at making the Western world understand him, the video is still one of the most Korean-looking videos I’ve ever seen in my life. And I've seen a lot of them.

Twerking dancers aside, there was a whole lot of Korean culture to ingest. Soju bombs, chowing down on ramyun at convenience stores (GS25 cameo), Korean drinking etiquette, old-school barber shops, noraebangs, disco pang pang at the amusement park, jjajangmyun at a billiard hall, and more soju till the sun rises. All these are things I’ve learned about Korea after years of kdrama watching and two visits to Seoul -- but Psy and his team were able to squeeze them all into a 5-minute video. Plus, it had awesome cameos from Big Bang's G-Dragon and 2NE1's CL. Daebak.

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tvN releases teaser and posters for High School King of Savvy

There are a handful of upcoming dramas that I'm excited about, which is sad because I actually haven't gotten a move on with the currently airing ones. I think I'm only into episode 7 of Angel Eyes, I've only seen the first episode of Doctor Stranger, I'm only at episode 4 of Fall In Love With Me, and the only drama I'm updated with is Witch's Romance. But still, the teasers and posters of Seo In-guk's upcoming tvN series is something I'm really looking forward to.

In this drama, Seo In-guk is set to play the role of a popular high school hockey player who, for some reason, will have to masquerade as his corporate executive older brother in tvN's upcoming rom-com High School King of Savvy. It's really strange to me how this guy can still easily pull off looking like a high school student and, at the same time, look completely at ease in dapper suits that make him seem more mature and older than he really is. It's that duality of looking like both a noona-killer and an oppa in this man-child that keeps me fascinated.

The drama will feature two women vying for this high school king's affections; one is his fellow high-schooler played by Lee Yeol-eum and the other is her older sister who works at the same company as his older brother played by Lee Hana. At this point, because all press has been pointing toward Lee Hana being the main lead, it's enough to assume that it's going to be a noona romance, but I don't know this for sure. Still, the fact that it's set to follow Witch's Romance, which in turn followed I Need Romance 3, all noona romances, I guess it's safe to assume the same for this new one. And you know how much I love them noona romances. Haha.

High School King of Savvy will premiere on July 16, replacing Witch's Romance every Mondays and Tuesdays on tvN.

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Kim Woo-bin's attempt at aegyo

...in this behind-the-scenes clip from a recent CF shoot for Yakult Seven is absolutely killing me. This man should not be this adorable. But he is. And I'm so dead.

That's all. 

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Current Addiction: Roommate

When SBS first announced the concept of Roommate, I was like, "hmmm… sounds interesting." But now that we're three episodes in, I'm all like, "OH MY GOD THIS IS THE MOST PERFECT SHOW EVER."

I was totally not expecting this.

The producers definitely knew what they were doing when they started casting this show. Even the way they we're divided into the 5 bedrooms is perfection. Every single member feels like a perfect fit. They're all vastly different, to be sure, but I can definitely see them evolving into a real family with the way they're creating relationships with each other.

The refreshing thing about Roommate is how, as opposed to the Western idea of Big Brother or MTV's The Real World where strangers are put in the same house and the audience brace themselves for conflict to arise, the roommates on this show are respectful and all make a conscious effort to get to know their housemates. We see friendships being made and it feels genuine. I love that.

Sure, not everything is unscripted. I do expect there to be PD interventions and scriptwriters telling them how the day should pan out. But the the interactions feel sincere and the bonding moments seem candid enough.

I first decided to watch the show because of 2NE1's Park Bom. As a 2NE1 fan, I'm just excited whenever the girls appear on variety shows, because it's not a common occurrence. Also, I've always thought actor Park Min-woo (Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, I Need A Fairy) was adorable. Aside from those 2, I didn't really know much about the other cast members. I like EXO well enough, but in a group of 12 members Chanyeol always flew under my radar. I've only ever seen Lee Dong-wook in one drama (My Girl) so I really couldn't call myself a fan, no matter how pretty he is. And the other 7 housemates, I just wasn't very familiar with.

So I downloaded the first episode and tuned in with mild interest but then ended up, two hours later, turning my laptop off with wide-eyed wonder. How can we find so much entertainment in something so mundane? Like, literally nothing happens. But I'm glued to my screen with a huge dorky smile on my face. And as soon as an episode ends, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. It doesn't matter that every episode is 2-hours long. It doesn't feel like it.

Ugh. This show is owning me right now. I've since decided that Chanyeol is an adorable puppy and he has now completely annihilated my EXO bias list. Shin Sung-woo is also super awesome and I love how this long-haired rock god has turned into a doting mother hen who clucks after his kids if they've eaten or not. I love how Lee So-ra is turning out to be this amazingly independent woman who is learning to adapt to living with so many people and (if previews are accurate) is turning out to be the stronghold of the women in the house. I love how Lee Dong-wook, despite his pretty actor status, is a major dork underneath it all and is just as befuddled by life as most of us are. I love how refreshing Hong Soo-hyun is - and let's be honest, we would totally be all over those flower boys as well, were we in her shoes. Jo Se-ho, I feel, is the glue that holds everyone together and he is just a natural ice breaker. Bom is hilarious and adorable and the sweetest little thing ever. I do ship her with Dong-wook, like hard. Nana is funny and gorgeous and I can't wait for the friendship she is slowly building with Soo-hyun and the other girls. Seo Kang-joon and Park Min-woo are too gorgeous for words but are just as dorky as anyone else, and their bromance is golden. Maknae Song Ga-yeon is scary-strong but really gorgeous when dolled up. I love them all.

I think I need to re-watch episode 3 while waiting for episode 4. I think the Bodong (Bom / Dong-wook ship name) moments will be enough to tide me over until next week. If not that, then Chanyeol singing "Love is an Open Door" should do the trick.

P.S. The house is also a major part of why this show is awesome. If I could illegally download a house, I'd think I'd download this one.

Roommate is a part of SBS's Good Sunday lineup and airs right before Running Man.

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[Update] 2NE1's Sandara Park arrives in the Philippines and #WelcomeHomeDara trends world wide

Days prior to 2NE1's All or Nothing concert in Manila on Saturday, Sandara Park arrived in the Philippines for some solo promotions and prompts the hashtag #WelcomeHomeDara to trend world wide. Needless to say, the entire country is beyond excited to have the National Krung Krung back on Philippine soil. The other girls - CL, Bom, and Minzy - don't arrive until Friday morning, just in time for a press conference and a meet & greet in the afternoon.

In the meantime, Dara has been shooting TV guestings and the first of which was a pre-recorded episode of Gandang Gabi Vice which is scheduled to air this Sunday evening. Apparently, Dara's friends from Star Circle Quest joined her on the program, including ex-boyfriend Joseph Bitangcol. I hear Ryan Bang was on the show also.

As I'm writing this, I'm waiting for her appearance on daily noontime show Showtime. It's probably gonna be a short stint, but it's bound to be funny. Dara's also scheduled to drop by the Big Brother House today as a celebrity guest on Pinoy Big Brother. Which means I will have to rush home in time for the primetime telecast.

Late last night, Dara also guested on Aquino & Abunda Tonight. One of the hosts, Boy Abunda, shared that Dara had requested that the interview be conducted in mostly Tagalog, much to the delight of Filipino Blackjacks - myself included. In the interview, they discussed several topics including 2NE1's upcoming concert, Dara's trainee days, and little brother Thunder.


{ROYALACES} 140514 Sandara Interview on Aquino... by YGSRASubs
Dara will, indeed, always have a special place in the hearts of Filipinos, k-pop fan or not. And the concert this Saturday is bound to be very special. Not only will 2NE1 be celebrating their 5th anniversary, Dara is also celebrating her 10th year in the entertainment industry this year, and she's in Manila for all of this. Add to that the fact that freaking Winner will be joining them as a guest act, can you imagine how much I'm kicking myself for not having tickets to watch the show??? I hate my brokeass self so much right now.

I guess I'll just have to drown in all news 2NE1-related in the next few days. Gah.

UPDATE:

Dara's short guest stint on Showtime was adorable and her Tagalog is still as awesome as ever. Below are several videos from the variety show.

Dara performs her first single in the Philippines, the 2004 hit "In or Out"

A couple of 2NE1 fans join Dara in dancing "I Am The Best"

Two lucky fans receive free concert tickets to this Saturday's show

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Kang Ha-neul and Lee Jun-ho to join Kim Woo-bin in new film "Twenty"

The gods have heard my prayers and answered them with much gusto. Yesssss, Kang Ha-neul will be starring in a new film alongside my favorite man at the moment, Kim Woo-bin. Woo-bin had already previously confirmed his involvement in the movie but news sites are currently validating the news that Ha-neul and 2PM's Junho will be joining the cast.

I can't wait to see Woo-bin and Ha-neul together again in a project that has to be a hundred times better than The Heirs. The new movie, Twenty, is a light comedy that chronicles the lives of three 20-year-old best friends. Also, I think it's time to mention that Woo-bin's role is being described as "a passionate and horny youth without a job" - HAHAHA. That right there is killing me. I can't wait to see him in this role. Seriously. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.

Also, my dear Ha-neul. I love this boy. So much so that I'm sticking around watching Angel Eyes with hopes that the flashbacks to the lead characters' youth are used in abundance. I've loved him in all of his dramas and I'm still waiting for that one big role that will catapult him to leading man status.

One of my biggest hang-ups about The Heirs was the non-existent friendship between Woo-bin's and Ha-neul's characters. Sometimes, I swear to god, you can see the palpable jealousy in Young-do over the fact that Hyo-shin sunbae and Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) were so close. He even actually called Hyo-shin out on the favoritism at one point. Well, in this movie, they can finally have that bromance. I'm a ball of spazz.

I haven't seen Junho's acting skills yet, but when it comes to 2PM he's one of the guys I wouldn't mind watching. I think he received good remarks for his acting in Cold Eyes. I hope he does well in this one too. I surely wouldn't mind seeing him bromancing it up with Woo-bin and Ha-neul.

To top it all off, directing this movie is rookie director Lee Byung-hun (no, not Storm Shadow Lee Byung-hun) who had previously worked on the writing for movies such as Speedy Scandal and Sunny. Those two projects were awesome and anyone who had worked writing those scripts must know a thing or two about heart-warming comedies. Right?!

I am so ready for this movie. Unfortunately, they don't go into production until this summer - and by that, I mean Korean summer. So around July-August, I suppose.

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