Lee Yoo Rin IMO

Lee Yoo Rin isn't a name that you'd find on the internet for anything positive.  To be honest, until recently, if you googled her name, the only thing that would come up is her Twitter account.

Dongho Leaves U-Kiss

I'm sure that by now, all of my readers have heard the news that Dongho is leaving U-Kiss and that the group will continue as a six member group.  It's not a rare thing that a member of any particular group would decide to leave the group in order to grow as an artist or to focus on studies for a while.  But Dongho's reason for leaving is because he wants to live as a regular person.

Dongho's lifestyle as a celebrity must have been really burdensome for him, since he's even been getting sick.  For once, NH Media has done something smart by allowing Dongho to leave the company despite the fact that he has three years left on his contract.

I'm sure most of us will miss Dongho, but since it's his wish to live normally, I guess there's not much we can do about it.  He's still young, so I guess he can take any direction he wants when it comes to starting a new career.  I wish him the best of luck with all of his future endeavours.

Nicole Leaving KARA IMO

This is going to be a short one, I promise.  So Nicole isn't going to renew her contract with DSP Media, which means that in January, she will no longer be a member of KARA.  Fans are speculating that this is because she has been discriminated against since 2011, when she and two other members, Jiyoung and Seungyeon, entered a legal battle in an attempt to nullify their contracts.  However, they decided to remain a part of the group in the end.

I have only one thing to say.  These netizens need to stop assuming.  Every time someone leaves a group, they assume that it's because of some mistreatment. They were wrong about T-Ara, they were wrong about SNSD.  For the love of everything pink and adorable, just STOP!!!! It's annoying.


Update: Nicole has released a statement via her Twitter account explaining that she decided to leave DSP Media because she wants to do different things and grow as an artist.  She hopes that she can somehow work out a group contract with DSP so that she can remain a part of KARA, but she wants to sign a personal contract with a different company.

For those who are wondering if this is even possible, it is.  Former DSP artists, SS501, all left DSP Media.  Although they have yet to do any group promotions, they have worked out conditions where they can continue to promote as SS501 should they so choose.

Good luck to Nicole on pursuing her future career, wherever that may take her!

CJ E&M, Superstar K3 and Brad Controversy IMO

I've been unable to use the internet recently, thanks to my very reliable internet provider.  But it's back now and so am I.  

Today's post is about the whole Superstar K3, CJ E&M scandal with Brad Moore, including his interview and then later his Twitter response.  For those of you who haven't heard the story, this is the basic outline. Busker Busker's drummer (a white American named Brad) had an interview with a music site named Noisey.  During the interview, more than a few controversial statements came out about Superstar K3 and CJ E&M.  The points were:

1. Busker Busker had actually been invited to the show to add variety and fun. They didn't actually audition.

2. The performances that were aired on television weren't actually completely live, and many of them had to be edited after the initial recording due to low quality mics.

3. All the money earned by the contestants during the show (for advertising different products and guest appearances etc.) went to CJ E&M/Mnet.

4. Dorm life was strict and domineering, and that they were constantly pressured to take botox shots as well as wear makeup whenever going out in public.

5. The result of the show was scripted, i.e. Ulala Session was scripted to win.

6. Busker Busker's haitus after releasing their first album was simply because the trio wanted to rest after being overworked.

You can read the full interview here. It's in English, so you'll be able to get the full scope of what was said and the amount of damage it has done to all those parties involved.

Reps from both companies responded almost immediately.  The official stance of Superstar K3 was that Brad doesn't have a full understanding of the Korean entertainment industry.  Not only that, but he probably also didn't intend for the interview to come out in such a negative way. They explained the whole advertising funds issue away by stating that the contract to do certain advertisements (e.g Coca-Cola) was between the show and the company, and that it was a part of the contestants duty as a part of the show. And in response to the dorm life and cosmetic processes, they said that the show aired the members going to receive different cosmetic treatments and that this is just a part of the training to become a professional singer in the Korean entertainment industry.

CJ E&M made it clear that they have already paid out those involved with the ad that Moore mentioned and that there is no bad blood between the company that was in charge of their first national tour and the band. They also stated that many music programs do a bit of "touching up" when it comes to live performances.  

Reps from both parties went on to explain that Busker Busker was not scouted, but invited to attend the audition. And that they had not told them that Ulala Session would win, but what they would be expected to do if Ulala Session did win.

Busker Busker's agency responded to the article, saying that Brad had said that there were a lot of misunderstandings back then, and that a lot of the issues he spoke about were due to a lack of understanding of the culture.  

Brad also released a personal response via Twitter, stating that he really didn't understand how the industry worked back then and is now learning not only the language, but the culture and that all three members are happy. 

IMO: Honestly speaking, after reading the interview, I thought it was brave of him to speak up about the evils in the industry.  A lot of us enjoy kpop without knowing just how much our idols have to sacrifice to make us happy.  It was a great eye opener.  

I also believe that the reps dealt with this issue in a clean, positive way.  No one called anyone a liar.  While there may be a lot more under the surface, the face of peace is at the forefront, which is the way I probably would handle the situation as well.

That being said, a lot of people who read the three articles associated with this scandal had a mouthful to say about Moore's final statement. They seem to feel as if he's apologizing for what he said in the article and trying to eat his words.  They seem to be implying that there might be some pressure applied from the bigger companies involved. 

That's not the way I see it, though.  In the initial article and interview, Brad made a statement that pretty much says they have a lot more freedom than most artists in mainstream kpop do.  He also stated that they had to fight for it, but they're happy.  His Twitter response does not contradict those statements.  He's saying that a lot of the issues that he viewed as major problems are norms in the industry, and that he didn't know this because he didn't understand the culture.  He never said that they have had to returned to the lifestyle of normal kpop celebrities.  They are still enjoying the contractual terms that they fought for, but now he has a better understanding of what is going on in the industry.

My closing statements are that we all have an idea of what it's like in the kpop industry.  The celebrities give up a lot of their freedoms to give us what we love.  They work hard, even if they don't write and produce their own music, and often times they are underpaid.  This is all general knowledge to kpoppers.  Knowing this, we can either to continue to support the artists that we love and respect, and, by extension, support the companies and the industry itself, or we can protest and boycott and let the industry die.  The choice is yours.  Clicking your tongue at these companies won't help the situation if you continue to buy albums, watch music video and cast votes.  However, if you think about the artists who have chosen this lifestyle, I think it's best to continue to love and support them.  To many of them, seeing their fans watching them as they perform and smiling and waving at fan signings is the reason they enjoy what they do, and continue what they do.  So now I present to you the two choices, make everyone sad by abandoning the industry, or accept the industry for what it is and make everyone happy.  Quite frankly, the change will come as more artists step up and fight for their rights.  I'm personally going to just keep on supporting and wait quietly for the time when things really change.

IU and Clara Scandals

First, I'm going to start off with Clara, because quite frankly, I don't have much to say.  Her scandal is one that may seem a bit overrated.  She's being criticized for lying.  Not only that, but her image is so ruined by it that she may even lose some gigs because of it.  And, once again, I can't help but side with the general public on this.  I, personally, don't want a liar in my space.  It's hard to trust their words.  It's even worse because she's a celebrity and the things she's lying about are things that really don't matter.  No one really cares if she doesn't like chicken and beer.  Everyone cares that you lie about it though.  It's even worse because she's only known for her pretty face and "sexy" body.  I  honestly think it would be best for her to not do any more variety shows at the moment, or even ever.  She's a model, so she should d stick to doing commercials and photoshoots and making appearances at events. Variety shows are tricky to navigate and even the best get caught up on them.  Of course, it's easier for them to bounce back because they have actual talents that they can display for fans that goes beyond looking good.  Clara doesn't.  Therefore, her agency needs to be smart, not greedy, and let her do what she does best: look good.

Now on to IU's issues.  Recently, she's been making headlines quite often.  Her comeback is coming up and all of her fans are looking forward to it.  However, amongst this good news, there has been some nasty (and not so nasty) rumors floating around about her.  We all know about the Twitter picture scandal with Super Junior's Eunhyuk.  It seems that that has fueled hatred, not only among Eunhyuk's fans, but with her fans as well.  

Someone has been spreading rumors about Korea's little sister.  The rumors were that she was pregnant and either secretly engaged or secretly married to Eunhyuk (can't really remember which).  Either which way, it doesn't even matter any more because the person spreading the rumor has been caught.  

My opinion on this is that I think Leon Ent did a good job with ignoring the rumors to be honest. I mean, they feel as if because they ignored it, it got out of control.  But how often does pregnancy rumors spread about regular people.  I've had that rumor spread about me on at least two different occasions, in two different countries.  Most times, it's spread by some hateful person with nothing better to do with their time than to discuss someone else's life.  And it seems to be true in this case since the person spreading the rumors was not only an adult, but a man.  

Rumors like these can be hurtful, especially if you're living in a society where celebrities are supposed to be "perfect".  I still think these rumors were more humorous than anything else though.  Not as humorous as in, "Haha he made a funny."  More like humorous in, "Well, we know it's not true, but it would be so cool if they did get married." 

I personally think that Eunhyuk and IU make a cute couple.  I was actually a little disappointed when the original scandal broke out because I actually had this belief that they were a couple.  And then they both denied anything more than friendship.  

Anyway, I wish IU all the best on her comeback. I probably won't bother watching any lives since I'm not really a fan, but I'll watch the MV once it's released. 

How I Feel about Allkpop

Allkpop is a good source of information.  They keep their articles up to date with translators and their own personal journalists checking different sources constantly.  However, there are several things about this website that I, along with quite a few other people, have noticed and dislike.

1.  Allkpop tends to post a lot of articles on non-issues.  I mean, it's great that these celebrities are posting selcas, but must you write an article everytime one of them decides to use their Twitter and Instagram accounts?  I mean, seriously, we're already following them on every social network they join, we do NOT need to see an article that only has four sentences, if that many, because a celebrity took a picture of his or herself and posted it on their personal accounts.  Also, no one cares if one artist isn't a fan of another. We already know that JYJ have a tight friendship. Give us information we don't know or that we actually want.

2. Rumors have their place in the entertainment world.  And it's nice to know what's being said about what idols. But AKP has a habit of confirming rumors that haven't been confirmed.  So often they'll post "breaking" news, only for it to be denied by company reps and entertainers themselves.  They'll tell us that a couple has broken up only to find out a few hours later that they are still in a strong relationship.  Or we'll hear that two celebrities are in a relationship and this information was confirmed by an anonymous, but reliable, source, only to find out that the "reliable" source wasn't really all that reliable.  Rumors should be marked as rumors, not fact, especially if they haven't been confirmed by the parties directly involved or their reps.

3. AKP seems to have a bias towards certain artists.  There would be constant updates on certain celebrities, their names popping up at least once everyday.  And then, there are those artists that just rot away in the space of nothingness, despite the fact that they're doing more than those people in the spotlight.  I mean, some artists only need to post a selca to get attention, while others have to get in an accident, or a major scandal to even get mentioned in a two sentence post.  Kpop fans would really like  to know about all the artists they're following and not just the insanely popular.  There's also the fact that sometimes, an artist would get some recognition, but only that of the negative type.  They could donate their kidneys and AKP would ignore that, but if they tell a fan to stop stalking them, it becomes a major issue.  Things like that are a major turn off.

4. Fan wars seem to be a specialty of AKP.  They forever post articles that compare two artists or show some kind of discord between two or more artists.  And most time, it's not even anything important.  It could be a variety show clip where a member of one group says she/he doesn't listen to another group.  They word the title in such a way that it gives off a negative connotation.  However, this fault is not solely the fault of the staff of Allkpop, since the fans who comment seem to have nothing better to do than to bash the members of whichever group because they state that they don't like a particular group.   Still, a lot of these problems could be avoided if they would just stop trying to coin titles that would instigate problems among the fandoms.

Still though, AKP is the most current and updated source for K-entertainment news, so I'll continue to scourge within the depths of non-issues to find those articles that stir any emotions in me.  

Good News

It's a shame that these days, I usually have scandals and court cases to write about. It gets kind of depressing actually.  But recently, there was some good news on the different entertainment sites, and it was better than a new release or a selca.

Infinite's leader, Kim Sunggyu, is known among his fans for his good manners and bright smile (as well as his very squinty eyes).  His kind personality was once again showcased as he gave out money to some of his fans, that had stayed late into the night to support him, so that they would be able to catch taxis home.

Now, I don't really have much of an opinion on this, but my feels exploded when I read the article.  As an Inspirit, I'm proud that my favorite group (tied with B2ST) has such a kind hearted leader.  They've been around for about three years now (they debuted in 2010) and his kindness seems to only become more profound as time goes on.  I hope that it's a trend that we will continue to see in the future, not just from Sunggyu, but from all the other idols that have ever and still do display such basic kindness to their fans.