Tuesday, July 2, 2013

[Infinite Releases Teaser for "Destiny"]


Any Inspirits out there?

I was so excited when I saw that Infinite released a new teaser video for their upcoming single "Destiny"! This MV looks so dramatic and intense...

A deserted town,
face palms of frustration,
melancholy piano music,
hands clenching on steering wheels,
an empty runway,
...and a wind farm?

Well. That ruined the moment I was having.
Anyways, at least the boys still look good, right? Besides, did you see that chair smash? It was pretty intense, if I do say so myself. Oh, and the catching on fire part...Was this concept inspired by the Hunger Games? (ba-dum-tsh)

According to the video, the full MV will be released on July 16th. In the meantime, check out the teaser below!


Let me know your thoughts - leave a comment!

[A Pink Releases Teaser for "NoNoNo"]

The girls of A Pink are almost ready to come back! They have just released another teaser video for their mini-album "Secret Garden" through the track "NoNoNo".

Contrary to previous belief, the girls aren't going to follow through with the natural "fairy" image, but are instead sticking with a combination of brightly colored, eye-popping outfits and...sailor uniforms? Well, regardless, from the tiny glimpse of choreography we see, I'm sold! The girls' moves are bubbly and charismatic (not to mention, fun to imitate!). The vocals, too, seem very strong (particularly Eunji) and the melody is rather catchy~ I cant wait for the full MV release!

They are planning to release their mini-album and start promotions as of July 5th; in the mean time, enjoy the video below!


As always, please comment and let me know what you think!

[Celebrity Army Recruits - Too Much Freedom?]

Recently, allkpop released an article discussing the apparent privileges of celebrity recruits in the South Korean military. After the scandal with Se7en and Lee Sangchu, SBS' "On-Site 21" shared more unbelievable material. The episode showed celebrities using their cellphones freely, purchasing alcohol, and drinking in their hotel rooms past 2 AM. It was also speculated that the celebrities often wear casual clothing when they go out and address superiors informally (merely as hyung). 

But, the most shocking news to me was what a former Defense Media Agency employee claimed:


"The gym in the Defense Media Agency (only for celebrity recruits) has widescreen TVs, PlayStation gaming consoles, snacks, and clothes... [The celebrities] tell the workers who are actually working on media PR to get off the computer so they can go browse the internet...They also take days off like they're children asking to leave school. They say things like...'I'm going to go cut my hair at a hair salon. I have to maintain my style.'"

Furthermore, one of the women who used to work at the agency stated:

"They'd grope our butts as a greeting, and then make us take love shots with people we've never met before. They treated us like hostesses at a bar. Once, one of them told me to sit next to him, so I did. He then put a piece of meat in his mouth, took it out and told me to eat it. He said it was a test of love... But it was a situation where if we complained, we'd get fired. Who'd take it up to them?".

If this news is true, which seems more and more likely every day, the celebrity soldiers and the South Korean government have a lot to explain. It's completely disgusting for this type of behavior (especially the sexual harassment of female employees) to occur, regardless of one's celebrity status. Furthermore, this behavior is hardly fair to the normal, everyday citizens who enlist as soldiers; they work considerably hard in the military and do not (to my understanding) receive as much slack as the celebrity soldiers.

We'll have to wait and see if any proof arises from these speculations.

How do you feel about this situation?
Please leave a comment below!

Monday, July 1, 2013

["Man of Korea" v. Dal Shabet]

Dal Shabet's new music video for "Be Ambitious" is receiving a lot of attention (although, not exactly "good" attention). A popular male rights group in Korea, "Man of Korea", is claiming that the video:

(1) Demeans both females and males by promoting fervent sexuality over traditional (slow-paced) relationships

(2) Insults the South Korean army (as the girls are seen laughing at clips of soldiers in a movie theater in the beginning of the music video)

I'm not trying to be a prude netizen, but I do feel that the lyrics are a bit inappropriate. 

The girls sing about wanting their boyfriends to look at their legs and be more physical with them as opposed to holding their hands or talking on their phones late at night. Contrary to what most netizens would argue, however, I actually found the video enjoyable. The choreography wasn't crude or "overly sexy" for my tastes (i.e. pretty much every HyunA video) and the beginning scene with the military men wasn't exactly demeaning. But, the lyrics did have a bit of insinuated material that I was uncomfortable with (is everyone really that crazy for sex nowadays?)... On the other hand, if we take a look at Hollywood stars and popular music in the European/American industries, this song really isn't too bad in comparison.

We'll just have to see what happens with the injunction, I suppose.

In case you haven't seen the MV, you can watch it below:


What did you think about the video? As always, I welcome your feedback through comments!

[Happy Birthday Leeteuk! (Super Junior)]

우리의 특별한리더 이특의 생일을 축하합니다!
Happy birthday to our special leader, Eeteuk!

Now, I'm just going to throw this out here... I'm a huge Super Junior fan. However, this fact won't influence future posts about any other groups (I will never put down another fandom, but will give my honest opinion - I can't stand anti-fans). But, I'm giving myself some slack because it's my bias' birthday~

If you're a fellow Super Junior fan, or if you would just like to support Eeteuk, please help trend #HappyTheBestLeaderSJDay on Twitter!

In the meantime, I'm scouring the net for more K-Pop information I can post... wish me luck!

[MYNAME teaser ~ "Baby, I'm sorry"]

Due to the fact that they've been promoting in Japan recently, MYNAME hasn't had a Korean single out for a long time. Personally, I still consider them a "rookie" group. I can still remember their debut with "Message" and how I used that song as my ringtone for months... good times...

MYNAME has reportedly invested a huge budget in this MV (approx. 500,000,000 KRW/$430,000) and it definitely shows. The Hollywood-esque cinematography is eye-catching (albeit, graphic as well)... I can't wait to see the final product!

Check out the teaser and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!