Confessions of an Uncle Fan: The Series (episode 18)

2NE1, Dara, Minzy, UEE, Apink, Eunji, Semi, Luna, Girl

Time flies fast, it's already August which means that summer is on its last legs (although the weather has been much better in New York recently *knock on wood*). This week we talk about a totally unexpected comeback, 2NE1 grossing me out, and the wonderfulness that is A Pink's Eunji so let the games begin.

Cool Things of the Week

Former Wonder Girl Sunmi is Coming Back

Well, the inevitable is happening as the word on the street is that former Wonder Girls member Sunmi is preparing for her return to the K-pop scene as a solo artist. When Sunmi left the group back in early 2010 she and JYP Entertainment said it was to focus on her education which was really code for she was burned out and the grind of touring and living in the U.S. got to her. It looks like the hiatus did her good and now we're about to see what she's been working on for the past three years. I'm definitely looking forward to her return, especially because J.Y. Park is taking charge of the entire comeback from the song and music video to the dance and overall concept. If nothing else, this is going to be interesting.

Wasn't a Fan of Last Week's 'Dream Team'

'Dream Team' is one of my favorite variety shows because it combines my love of sports and K-pop into a fun and often exciting show. But this past Sunday's episode was not their best effort. The episode featured girl group members in a series of challenges related to mud wrestling. I understand that this might be a cultural thing but, making girls wrestle in the mud is degrading to me because it's clearly something that they would only make girls do and not boys. Maybe I'm reading way too much into this and it actually looked like some of the girls were having fun and taking it pretty seriously but I ended up not even watching the entire episode.

Teaser Video + Toilet = Gross
I just saw 2NE1's new teaser video for their upcoming single "Do You Love Me" yesterday and it totally grossed me out. I like the whole raw footage idea instead of those overly produced, uber-glossy videos but... it's in a bathroom! I mean, I guess it's a scene about girls getting ready to go out or something but it looks like Minzy just used the toilet and then Dara is on the ground leaning against it. I admit I'm a bit of a neat freak and a germaphobe so maybe that's just my personal view but it actually made me cringe. Gross.

Girl Group Variety Round-Up

A list of all the girl group appearances on variety shows (that I saw) this week.

'Incarnation' - SISTAR Soyu & Hyorin, Lee Yoo Bi
'Weekly Idol' - Jewelry
'Story Show Widow's Cruse' (has to be the oddest English translation of a Korean show ever) - 5Girls' UEE, G.NA, Hyosung, Jiwon, and Yubin (in spirit only but played by comedian Kim Shin Young)
'Thank You' - BoA
'Star King' - Rainbow, A Pink (see Top 5 Current Girl Groupers), SISTAR, Jessica Gomes
'Immortal Song 2' - Girl's Day (see Top 5 Current Girl Groupers)
'1000 Song Challenge' - Sooyoung (partnered with my main man Yoon Do Hyun), Luna, Yewon & Semi
'Dancing 9' - Cameo by YoonA

The Taeyeon Experiment

Each week I will post a picture from Taeyeon's Instagram feed in the hopes that one day, she'll post a picture of herself reading this column.

Happy 6th anniversary to the ladies of Girls' Generation! I thought SM Entertainment had lost their marbles when they announced a 9-member girl group but as usual, they showed that they still know a thing or two about K-pop and proved me wrong.

Pic/.Gif/Video of the Week

Speaking of Girls' Generation, I've been watching the new show 'Dancing 9' which features GG's Hyoyeon and Yuri as judges. We all know that Hyoyeon can bust a move but I sometimes forget that Yuri was also touted for her dancing talents when the group first debuted. Here's a primer for the fellow Uncles out there:

Don't forget to tell the Uncle Fan about the latest and greatest pics/.gifs/videos of your favorite girl groupers. Email me at KpopUncleFan@gmail.com or tweet me @KpopUncleFan.

Uncle Fan Mailbag

It's not a weird question at all. "Fellow Uncle Fan here with a weird question: have you ever been accused of being a pervert for being a fan of K-pop girl groups?"
-ceedoubleyoo

Of course I have. Some of these accusations are in jest and some are fairly serious. The thing is, I have a very distinct line I don't cross when it comes to girl groups, or younger female celebrities in general. It's about enjoying what they do and not enjoying them so much. Don't feel like you need to hide your uncle fanness - everyone is a closet uncle fan yearning to break free.

Oh, I know. "[You] know if the girl [you] met in the gym is a K-pop fan, chances [are] that she is going to read this."
-aellizabeth

Despite my moments of rambling, I have lucid thoughts every now and then. There's always a strategy :)

Very cool. "Forum Link"
-estherahn

I think this is my very first forum chain ever!

A Few Non-K-pop Related Things

Shark Week is back on Discovery Channel and I am a huge fan. Every year, at the end of the week, I always conclude by watching the movie 'Jaws' while eating sushi. #sharkweekrules
I wrote about the 'Superman' sequel on tap with the twist being that Batman would be involved in the movie as well. Things are still in the very early stages but there have been a few leaks on potential replacements for Christian Bale's Batman and the names floating around so far are Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, and Joe Manganiello (Alcide from 'True Blood'). My initial reaction: "Really? That's the list? Hmm..."
Unfortunately Korean MMA fighter Chan Sung Jung, aka The Korean Zombie, lost his match this past Saturday to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (this guy is insanely good) for the title. Jung dislocated his shoulder during the match which ultimately led to a TKO but, it was good seeing a Korean fighter get a shot at the championship. I know he'll be back again.

Top 5 Current Girl Groupers

Eunji - She sang a bit of the song "Winter Love" originally performed by The One for the drama 'That Winter the Wind Blows' on last Saturday's 'Star King' and there's no way you could not like her after that performance.
Hyeri - She caught a lot of heat when the news broke that she was dating Tony Ahn but instead of hiding, she's been going on all the variety shows and taking all the shots from the hosts about her relationship. Good for her.
Taeyeon - Kind of a quiet week for her but her mere presence keeps her at the #3 spot.
Soyu - She's appearing more and more on TV and maybe it's her time to shine.
Park Soo Jin/Seo Ji Young/Jeon Hye Bin/Chae Yeon - Last week I wrote a Way Back Wednesday article on the show 'Love Letter' and I ended up watching A LOT of the old episodes that I still had on my computer. I forgot how much I liked that show and all the female singers who were featured. #gettingold

Song of the Week

Jewelry was all over the place this past week pushing their new song "Hot and Cold". Anyone who works that hard (and cries over mud wrestling) deserves a little love so enjoy.