It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to, step to... I thought the Timbaland created opening lines of Aaliyah's 2000 hit "Try Again" would be appropriate since we missed each other last week with allkpop's massive revamp which rightfully took some resources away from being able to publish any new columns. But I'm back now (under Ghostwriter temporarily) and ready to go. We'll combine a few things from last week with this week and so, without further ado, the Uncle Fan is back.
Cool Things of the Week
The Baddest Female
Ever since the announcement of a CL solo project, fans have been foaming at the mouth in anticipation for the latest offering from K-pop's self-proclaimed baddest female. And since YG loves to play the mystery card, there has been very little to come out of the company other than some promotional images and the information that longtime 2NE1 producer Teddy Park would again be taking the helm of the new single titled "Baddest Female". My biggest worry was that it would basically replicate the EDM style music that Teddy and 2NE1 are rightfully known for but as you can tell, no such worries there. "Baddest Female" is basically heavy hip hop mixed with a few different sounds like a dubstep break that starts at the 2:49 mark. The video is, I guess, an eclectic mix of hip hop culture and a tribute to her badassness but for me, just kind of so-so. Personally, it's not the type of music I listen to but I like the fact they went with the straight hip hop sound on this one and might be reserving the more pop oriented sounds for the 2NE1 comeback. I think CL is coming into her own as a performer and she's quickly becoming the most intriguing talent in K-pop.
The Case Against CCM
Korean news outlet Sports Seoul reported last week that CCM, the management company of T-ara N4, tried to influence reporters to write about the new group in a favorable light by coaching reporters on what to write. Even to someone like me who has no reporting background, this is a clear conflict of interest and a pretty big ethical violation. But, unfortunately the news doesn't really shock me because over the years CCM has earned a reputation for poor conduct and many of those charges have been leveled against the CEO of the company, Kim Kwang Soo. Kim Kwang Soo made his bones as the road manager for the legendary In Sooni and worked his way up the management chain to run his own label so I have no doubt the man is a hard worker and smart. However, I do doubt his business methods as his company has been in the spotlight a disproportionately high amount of times for the number of active artists they manage. To be fair, I don't work for the guy or know anyone who has and maybe he's just doing doing what he can to help his artists but I have a feeling this won't be the last time we hear something fishy about the company.
Jang Yoon Jung vs. Her Mom
In a very sad and really heartbreaking story, trot singer Jang Yoon Jung (who is engaged to be married) publicly admitted that her mother lost most of her financial savings through poor investments in a business her brother was involved with and subsequently, she has cut off contact with her mother and brother. Her father in the meantime is in the process of divorcing her mother even amid his poor health. While this sounds terribly one-sided, the blame isn't squarely on her mother as Jang Yoon Jung also admitted that she knew nothing of her financial situation and left all such matters to her mother. That is a major problem. By not taking care of her financial well-being, she opened herself up to these types of poor investments and mismanagement of money. Hire an accountant, a financial planner, someone certified to make proper investments. I give her mom the benefit of the doubt because I don't think after all these years she was trying to harm her daughter, I just think she made a really bad mistake and it cost them everything. Lesson for everyone: whether you have a lot of it or very little, understand how to manage your money.
f(x) + Skydiving = Pretty Badass
On a much lighter note, it looks like f(x) has been having some fun for a new show they're filming called 'Amazing f(x)'. One of the episodes takes place in New Zealand and follows the girls as they do a tandem skydive. I've never been skydiving but it is one of the items on my YOLO/Bucket List. Good for them.
Hyoyeon Joins Instagram
Girls' Generation fans are jumping for joy because everyone knows Hyoyeon is the real fun one of the group so who knows what she'll be posting. I hope her posts are as unfiltered as her interviews. Follow her at: @watasiwahyo.
The Taeyeon Experiment
Each week I will post a picture from Taeyeon's Instagram feed in the hopes that one day she will post a picture of her reading this column. Since we missed last week's experiment update, I thought I'd post two pictures of my fan-ness of all things Taeyeon. Any girl who looks like that and can quote Kim Hyun Sik songs while drinking a little makgeolli (wheat & rice alcoholic beverage) on a rainy day is basically the dream girl.
The Uncle Fan Mailbag
With the revamp of the site, I'm not able to see any old comments but there were two that I remember and were repeated by a number of readers:
1. Why didn't you mention the Lee Seung Gi and his naughty hands?
I didn't know what this question was referring to at first but apparently in the drama that Lee Seung Gi and Suzy are starring in, there's a scene in which Lee Seung Gi accidentally puts his hand on Suzy's chest which is a shock to both because she's pretending to be a guy; the tried and true pretending-to-be-a-boy-but-accidentally-have-my-boob-grabbed plot line. I didn't mention this before because I don't watch the drama and missed the articles but I have come to a very simple and obvious conclusion: Lee Seung Gi is officially the luckiest man on the Planet Earth.
2. Why don't you post anything about Nine Muses?
See Song of the Week below.
My Top 5 Current Girl Groupers
1. Taeyeon - So it turns out that Taeyeon doesn't like the summer and you know what, I couldn't agree more! Summers are hot, humid, filled with mosquitoes and rats the size of Chihuahuas... don't even get me started on what a New York City subway station feels like in the middle August (I've never actually been to the pits of Hell but I imagine it's something similar). Reason #5,206 for why I like Taeyeon.
2. Eunji - She appeared on the show "Thank You" two weeks ago and she was generous, caring, with a little bit of an attitude. Not bad if you ask me.
3. BoA - True Story: I had a dream a few nights ago and BoA was a cab driver taking me to the airport. I asked her, "what are you doing driving a cab?!" She answered, "this is how I take a vacation." I don't know what the hell I ate to make me dream that but, I'll take it as a sign.
4. Kim Seul Gi - She's not a girl grouper but she is a cast member of SNL Korea and a part of the next generation of female comedians. She looks like this shy, sweet girl but on the show, she launches into these hilarious tirades complete with cursing and yelling that cracks me up.
5. Jia - Things have been quiet for the miss A member but luckily for fans she's very active on Instagram and it looks like she's in New York enjoying some time off. Keep the pics flowing!
Video(s) of the Week
Readers have been harping at me for the past two weeks on why I haven't included anything on Nine Muses so I started searching around a bit and watched a lot of video on the group including videos of their latest single "Wild" and I had a couple of thoughts:
1. The opening choreography sequence for "Wild" is mesmerizingly symmetrical (and I like the song).
2. I didn't know that Nine Muses was the subject of a BBC World documentary called 'IDOL'. If you haven't seen it, the documentary follows the group for about a year and gives viewers an inside look at the business and reality of K-pop. Use your internet sleuth skills to find it somewhere online.
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