New 2NE1.... enough said --- SCREAM

Excuse me while I step on my Soapbox for a second....

We interrupt this fanfic writing for the following SMH moment *steps on soapbox*.......

So I have to say is it only me, or does anyone else notice that YGE is suspiciously not being nominated or winning any awards this year? I don't really get it. Besides the whole thought process that SM is really stands for Silly Mafia and they rule Korea with too short shorts and skirts. (Makes me laugh that only a couple of years ago how everyone was up in arms that SNSD insulted several, if not ALL of their sunbaes, by either insulting them to their face, telling them they couldn't sing in English or cussing on air. HERE and HERE are the articles. But now they are considered Korea's sweethearts because everyone fell in love with their wholesome bubblegum kpop song 'Gee'. Which I admittedly liked for a bit. But as their mistakes were forgiven and they rose in the charts, so did the hems of their skirts and shorts HERE and HERE. but I digress....) Now don't get me wrong I'm a fan of Suju. I wouldn't consider myself an ELF but I would like to see them in concert someday.

Anyway back to the original WTF of this post. If you paid any attention to the totally biased Korean award shows this year you would have noticed that suspiciously missing from any nominations or winnings was YGE. Does Appa YG care? Prolly not. His artists are known internationally winning both the European Music Awards beating artists like Brittney Spears or Best World Wide Act, Best Asia and Pacific Act and MTV Iggy's Best New World Artist which needs no explanation. Say what you want, but I don't see others being nominated for international awards like this. And let me mention that 2NE1 debuted in Japan, reached #1 in one week and won the best new artist award, but won maybe what? 4 awards in Korea after promoting there all year? Ok so it maybe more and I'm to lazy to look it up, but you get my point. While some may blame the lack of nominations for GD and Top due to the totally stupid and ridiculous five minute scandal that took place, they won 1 award. WTF?!

So lets just lay out a few facts and then you make the call ----

1. Park Bom - Don't Cry was the perfect 'All Kill' in the charts. Topping charts for weeks at number 1. While she only performed once, she was nominated this year for ...... wait for it.... you guessed it NO AWARDS. That's right ZERO, ZIP, NADA, NOTHING.
2. GD and Top - "To promote their album, the duo released three singles: "High High," "Oh Yeah," and "Knock out."All three singles preceded the release of the album. The singles were commercial successes: "High High" was a chart-topper while "Oh Yeah" and "Knock Out" both peaked at number two and number three respectively. The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one on the Gaon Chart with pre-orders of 200,000 copies." - courtesy of Wiki. Ok so we read that right, right? They promoted ALL YEAR practically.....So considering they topped charts, how many awards did they win? ....wait for it .... ONE. Yep ONE. (side note: thanks to all those that overreacted to the miniscule amt of found in GD's hair. Thanks to that scandal they will no longer be promoting in Japan and the album has been shelved. 'Oh Yeah' in Japanese is to be sold as a special release only at YG Family Concerts. >_<)
3. GG (Park Myung Soo and GD) - "With a collaboration with Park Myung Soo , they created a duo called GG for the Infinite Challenge Seohae Ahn Highway Song Festival 2011. They released their song 'Having an Affair' featuring Park Bom from 2NE1 on June 2, 2011, which became an 'All Kill' on various Korean music charts." - Courtsey Wiki -Unable to win an award as it was ineligible due to the fact it was created for the Highway Song Festival... again so ZERO.
4. 2NE1- Lonely, Don't Cry, I am the Best, Ugly all charted at 1. Hate You charted at 3. The 2nd mini Album top the chart at number 1 on both weekly and monthly Gaon Chart ( complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Ranked #4 on the U.S. Billboard World Albums. So not counting the MTV Iggy award and the Japanese award, how many Korean awards did they win? .....SIX ... yep SIX.
5. Golden Disk Awards- (what actually spawned this post.) 2NE1 have been nominated 7 times, three years in a row for the popularity award....How many times have they won?? NEVER. YEP NEVER.
   

Ok so I think I made my point, you can look further into it if you want to, but I say SHANNIGANS. All I can think of is that SM who seems to be racking up the awards, maybe behind a little more than we know. ( I also find it weird that the presidents of YG and JYP are judging in Kpop star, but SM put Boa there. What are too shy and they can't they go on a show? And personally I find weird that Boa has been with SM for since she was like what 12? performing since she was 14? yeah I'm not sure, not a huge fan. hmmmm *cough slave contracts cough*) It just seems to strange to me. People are noticing that YGE seems to be being snubbed as well.

Is it jealously? I mean you don't have to adore any of the artists or even like more than one of their songs, but you can't deny their accomplishments.
++GD - a musical genius. His tracks and producing are gold. He can sing, dance and rap. Being able to write and produce is like icing on a cupcake. It only adds to the greatness. He has no where to go but up. Talent... he's got it.
++Top- Up and coming actor, who proved himself in 71 into the Fire and Iris. He's more than pretty face and charismatic rapper, he also writes his own lyrics and music. If he could dance, well then yeah he'd be unstoppable *cough Choom Top cough*.
++Park Bom - Cute, funny and extremely talented singing wise. Wins over the hearts of young and old and has been voted the one solo album everyone is waiting for. She's the ring leader for 8D domination.
++Dara - actress, singer, PR. Loves her fans, fans love her. She makes it a point to keep them in the loop and many feel like their friends because she's always engaging them.
++Teddy - He helps produce all those kick ass songs. EVERYONE wants Teddy to produce for them.
++Minzy and Taeyang - Dancers and singers extraordinaire. The girl and guy can bust a move on anyone. Dance Battles? They win them.
++Se7en - Dancer and singer.....he's just fabulous. His talent just comes out on stage like no other and it's so obvious he loves what he does.

I could go on and on but I won't. I will just say after YG's artists won the international awards, it was like Korea's entertainment industry just started to shun them. At least that's what I saw. The non winning? It's like cherry on the sundae. Personally I just don't think that it's fair and obviously bias. Yeah I may be overreacting, but you know what it's my blog and I can. You can agree or disagree, leave a comment and do so, but this is what I see. If I was Appa YG I would have dragged all my kick ass artists to Japan too. (I may post my thoughts on him later. I think he deserves that.) Say what you want, but you can't deny that the YG Family has talent. And regardless they should be recognized for it.

So to all the award shows I cared about as much as the Grammy's....... SMEH

We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfic writing *steps off of soapbox*...... this message was brought you by the tabling of SOPA and PIPA. because if it hadn't been, we wouldn't be allowed to mention squat....EVER. #STOPSOPA #STOPPIPA (hahaha I was gonna keep it short, but SMH)

My Opinion on Kids React to K-pop (vid by FineBros)

EDIT 1/9/12: The video has been taken down according to The Fine Bros because of copyright. They are working to resolve the issue and re-upload it. (I knew this was coming as it contained content from 2 of the big 3 companies YG and SM. As a side note the last time I checked last night the likes were 13000+ and the dislikes about 6000+.) If and when the video is re-uploaded I will re-upload it as well.(see below as it has been reposted) For now I will just post the vid of the bloopers which will still raise a few eyebrows.
REPOSTED 1/15/12-


On a more personal note I would like to say this. After reading the article on AllKpop HERE it seems like there only two sides of the fence -- you think it's cute or you're overreacting by being offended. You can tell that some people may be holding back some thoughts, erring on the side of caution. What I will add is that if you are offended by a part or the whole thing THAT'S OK. If you think the video is adorable THAT'S OK. But DON'T put down someone for the way they feel about the video itself. Respect that fact that we all don't have to agree and we're allowed our own opinions no matter what they are. STOP telling people that they are wrong or right simply because their view differs from you. Don't invoke Crazy Fan Girl Rule #1.
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Ok I've been debating on whether or not to comment on this video, and I'm going to. Know that this is my own opinion and if you would like to have an intelligent conversation about it, you can leave a comment or tweet me. I'm more than willing to debate or talk about this, as it's an interesting topic.

First off the nasty comments by people saying that they want to hurt these children says more about you than it does about them and their statements. Keep in mind their age and probably exposure to different cultures. Most of all that they are KIDS.

With that said let me just state some things. Fist in the video there is a total of 11 kids and out of all of them the 3 are minorities. (I only add this because if they maybe had some Asian kids and/or more variety would the reactions have been puesdo cuteness that they were shooting for? If they had known who the groups were and/or liked them, would they still would have put that interview up with the rest?)One of them does say Wondergirls, so you know that she has had some exposure. The thing that bothered me the most were not the statements that were true, but rather the attitude of the kids. In some places yes they were cute/funny, but in others I would have been very upset if I would have heard them say the same things in public. What I noticed was that the kids who were 11-13 in age were the ones that were the most closed minded and felt free to make snarky comments. Now MOST of this can be blamed on the age, but it was the nature of the comments that some may have found cute, that I found offensive. It wasn't the dislike of the music that bothered me, but rather the range of comments that stemmed from the way the people looked to them speaking another language that came in between. Making fun of everything from clothing to looks to the language barrier. It seemed almost closed off and intolerant even for such a young age.

One would have to be the giggle/laugh when the girl is like "what are they saying?". And the other when the kids were like "They all look the same." There other comments here and there that actually made me a tad irritated. While like I said some people may say "well they are just kids, what do you expect?" I'm a firm believer that kids echo what their parents say/think. It seems like they haven't had an exposure to anything to different. If they feel free to say this now, what are they like in real life in the same situation? Are they giggling because someone is speaking Korean, Italian or any other language that isn't English? I personally don't find it funny or cute in any sense. If they can't respect other cultures, no matter which one, what are they learning really? Now I am not saying this is who they will be in 2,5, 10 + years, but all I can think of is what if it's another kid?

I grew up in an environment like that. (Maybe that's why I'm so annoyed with it.) In my HS there was only two Asian students (maybe three) and I dealt with not fitting in anywhere. Kids went around saying things like "Me love you long time" with no thought on how that made me feel or what it was really implying (to this day if I hear you say it, it will be fighting words and I won't let you get away with it). No matter what the age, people should respect each other and some things aren't ok to say. I don't know what else to say and may add more later. In the videos defense there were only TWO or THREE kids that showed this tendency and not all of them.

Now for all the Blackjacks spinning out of control because they compared to 2NE1 to Lady Gaga. Yes as we know they aren't, but in reality they are going to be compared. ( Gaga's hit 'Just Dance' really became a big hit about January 2009 and 2NE1 debut in May of 2009) While 2NE1's look didn't resemble Gaga at first, you can say in some of the videos it can be close to the old look of Gaga's. (And it was just one snarky kid that made the comparison) The reality is that they will be compared if they dress that way for the U.S. debut unfortunately, it's inevitable. Gaga staked a claim here in the U.S. first and her fans are just as loyal as 2NE1s. So this is a moot point, even if it does make you mad, there's no reason for it to. YOU know the truth, I know the truth, all Blackjacks know the truth, so just let it go.

There were other comments made that Suju was like any other boy band from the 90's.Do I agree with this? Ummmm NO. But again look at their age, they were probably born or conceived when N'Sync and Backstreet were big here in the U.S. So really where are they getting their reference. Am I offended? Not really, they are just uniformed and again echoing their parents I'm sure. Now for them to say they are like Big Time Rush, well really how could they know that that BTR was probably thought up because of the Backstreet Boys, N'sync and groups like Super Junior? But in reality we know that they were probably modeled after them due the popularity of all the groups. (Again its a age gap thing. If you said many people compare 2NE1 to Destiny's Child, no one goes up in arms simply because the group was very popular at it's time.) So you can take this as a compliment or simply blow it off as kids comparing it to what they know.

And again the one snarky girl and boy that made the offensive comments made more commenting the pictures. In all honesty it was these two that turned the whole thing sour for me. Regardless of age, it was borderline racist in it context. I know many kids that have never been exposed to Kpop and are accepting of it regardless of the fact they have no idea what they are saying. It was the Snarky boy that shouted "I HATE MY GENERATION! WHY COULDN'T I BE BORN IN THE 80s?!" when he was told that the groups were very popular world wide and here in the U.S. Really? Does he even know what the 80s was like style and music wise? Me thinks he was just shooting for the attention. Although If I was his parent I would be COMPLETELY embarrassed for his attitude and words. These two and a couple of the older girls were very judgmental because the music was simply different.

While most of the agreed they would never enter training to become an idol, I think that was an example on the differences between American and Asian cultures. It's hard to put into words, but more or less there's a reason America is number 12 and Korea is number 1. How much are you willing to sacrifice or give up to pursue your dream and try to obtain it? Would you work hard every day, dawn to dusk, simply for the chance you may be able to debut? In what I call the 'you owe us generation' instant gratification doesn't allow for this train of thought to even been considered. But again we host shows like American Idol that take no training for you to release an album and the same goes for many people who are discovered. Where as most of the 'idols' in any Asian country can say they attended schools like Harvard, Berklee College of Music and/or all eventually end up in college to further their musical/drama education.

All in all I'll say this.... I think that this video is going to raise a lot more hell than they thought it would. If anything Kpop fans can be extremely loyal and/or over the top. But remember before you react that way, ask yourself "Is this how we want to be known? Is this the introduction we wanted into the world as Kpop fans?" Keep it in check, be an adult about what you say, try to remember these are just kids and then make your comment.
**Edit 1/9/12: After talking with my best friend BittenUsagi (blog is in the side bar) this may have been edited to create a rise out of people. Editing it in a way that would get the most hits. I would have to agree with her and say it's a likely possibility. They did send out a tweet saying "Any Blackjacks out there like us?" and then the link. They did brag about both their like count and number of hits. So editing it so they knew what buttons to push? A definite possibility. I will see if I can get my two friends to write a short blog on their thoughts and post them here as a guest blog.

*On a personal level after thinking about this vid, it's not the comments they make regarding the music (all people have different tastes) but rather the comments made in between about how the people spoke and looked. While a few complimented the videos, the insults kinda just flew when commenting on anything else. At the end of the day we, as Kpop fans, know how hard they all work, are working and will work. We know the blood, sweat, sacrifices and tears they shed and made to achieve their level of success. And in the end that's all that matters.

'Music breaks down the barrier between language that allows all of us to communicate and feel the same thing' - CL 2NE1

Let's talk about Corn Bom aka Park Bom

One of my favorite aliens...8th dimensional queen (they came up with a whole other 4th dimension for her lol) and kick butt singer Park Bom. Many know her from 2NE1 and her silly, quirkiness in 2NE1 TV. She's completely adorable, and someone I can see myself hanging out with her.

But my love and bias of Bom isn't something that I wanna discuss today. Ok well kinda don't cuz some people may just see this as a 'Bom is the greatest post' but whatever. What I would like to talk about is 2 things. 1. her singing voice 2. her weight

1. Singing voice - Some people complain that she can't really sing. But it's obvious she can. She has a wonderful voice. The thing that people fail to realize is that if you really think about it, she as well as all of 2NE1 sing all the time without really resting. Bom tends to sing the hook and her notes always range all over the scale. This can be a difficult thing to do on a constant basis without rest. If you've never sung in a choir or anything it may be something that you don't get. It's easy to say 'well she can't sing, listen to her voice crack' but like if you were to talk and talk all the time with no rest in between, dance and watch what you eat, eventually you're voice is gonna go. (Personally when I don't get enough sleep my voice cracks or sounds harsh, so imagine their schedule where sleeping more than 4 hours is a luxury.) Add lymphadenitis and 5" heels and you'd be cracking too. BUT when her voice is rested it sounds like this.
GO TO 3 MINS ~

Before her illness started to affect her singing voice ~


2. Weight - Personally I don't find it anyone's business and people are too cruel about it. Has she gained? Wow she lost! blah blah blah. I don't think that she's ever looked big and honestly sometimes I get sad that people feel so free to comment on it. Some of the bloating in her face has to do with her condition, while at times she may have gained weight. But if you look at her right now, she's almost too skinny. She's always had a "S" shape, but with anyone with long legs, she has a short torso which can make her middle look bigger cuz there is almost no waist. Geez cut her some slack she's human. I love ALL of 2NE1 but you don't see people commenting on CL's and Minzy's weight issues. And both are as beautiful as Bom. I don't know if they are comparing her with Dara, but in my opinion Dara is too skinny. I believe the last time she talked about her weight she was 85 lbs. IF THIS DOESN'T BOTHER YOU, YOU'RE WARPED. 85 lbs is scary skinny and here in the U.S. we'd be doing an intervention. I could go on about the signs she shows of anorexia, but I won't. She's beautiful and hopefully she knows that. ( Case in point this is in an actual article on AllKpop -- #3. Which girl group is the lightest?

The members of 2NE1 are the lightest with a group average of 43.5 kg (95.9lbs). They stand at 162.5 cm tall. Dara is the lightest member among all the girl groups, weighing in at 40 kg (88.1 lbs) ).<--- WHO THE F CARES? Why is this in an article. I think it's pathetic. And people having to know how much they weight? SMEH

So in conclusion just this ---- IF BOM WANTS CORN GIVE HER CORN.

But the point is that everyone has their thing, but I think that people just need to let them be them. Let Bom be human with all her flaws and charms, because in the end she has feelings just like us. How would you feel if you saw some of the nasty crap people feel free to say behind the screen of a monitor simply because of the anonymity? Cyber bullying doesn't just happen to normal people, just because a they are famous doesn't give anyone the right to break Wheaton's law. Try to put yourself in their place before you say something.

She works hard....they work hard, ALL of them... Cut them some slack for pete's sake.That is all.

-- Hate me if you want but this is what I think.
(On a more personal note, let me just say how much it bothers me to know that Papa YG calls her 'Stupid Bom' and everyone knows it. Maybe it means something different in Korean, like a term of affection, but to me it's just unnecessarily mean. Her eyes always seems so sad when people use it/bring it up.)