Breaking: Choi Jong-hoon and Jung Joon-young were just sentenced to 5 and 6 years in prison

Burning Sun Scandal update

The judge handed down sentences earlier today. The sentences are as follows:

Choi Jong-hoon (former FTIsland member): 5 years in prison, 80 hours of sexual violence education and he is banned from working anywhere with children or teenagers for 5 years.

Jung Joon-young (singer and songwriter): 6 years in prison, 80 hours of sexual violence education and he is banned from working anywhere with children or teenagers for 5 years.

“Mr. Kim” (Burning Sun’s marketing director): 5 years in prison

Kwon Hyuk-jun (older brother of Girls Generation’s Yuri): 4 years in prison

‘Heo’ (Entertainment Director): 2 years of probation and 160 hours of community service.

Note: Lee Seung-hyun aka Seungri (Former Big Bang member) who was the Publicity Manager for the Burning Sun Club was not sentenced, but has been facing charges related to brokering sexual services, by hiring prostitutes for groups of people on multiple occasions.

My thoughts: It’s sad to see anyone fall, K-stars included but Choi and Jung were found guilty of non-consensual sex and of filming sexual encounters with women without their consent (Molka) and sharing that information in a chat room for other men to watch and comment on. And the other men participated. It should go without saying that perpetrating this form of sexual violence is very wrong. And being celebrities, which we all know makes them women magnets also comes with increased responsibility to be ethical and responsible when they decide to be physical with someone. It’s too bad these guys will have to learn this lesson the hard way. But it is what it is. At least their victims will finally get some closure.

As South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in regards to the scandal “If the truth is not revealed, we cannot say it’s a just society.”

This is a great timeline of events relating to the scandal: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8503818/burning-sun-scandal-timeline-seungri-jung-joon-young

Here is a story on the initial charges: https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/14/inside-scandal-rocking-k-pop-seungri-jung-joon-young-retire-amid-prostitution-hidden-camera-allegations-8904243/

Here is information about their sentences: https://www.soompi.com/article/1368504wpp/jung-joon-young-and-choi-jong-hoon-sentenced-to-prison-for-sexual-assault

Kakao Talk chatroom participants included: Kangin of Super Junior, Jeong Jinwoon of 2AM, Seungri of Big Bang, Singers Roy and Eddie Kim, model Lee Chulwoo and Yoo In Suk, former CEO of Yuri Holdings.

Thai-Drama: Great Men Academy (8.6/10)

Y’all I highly recommend this show. I had no idea what to expect when I started it, and to be honest, during the first episode I wasn’t sure if I should keep watching. This is because there was strange mix of the realistic, girl wants campus hero and gossips with her girlfriends -and fantastical – she finds a unicorn who grants her a wish, to be with her crush, but the unicorn puts its own spin on it and turns her into a boy.

Thank God I pushed through to episode two because I got to watch a show that I really enjoyed.

Summary:

The main character Love has always been a fan of the popular guy Vier of the famous Great Men Academy but has never had the chance to meet him. One day, she sees the mystical unicorn rumored to fulfill wishes and wished for her love for Vier to get a chance. Unfortunately the unicorn interpreted her wishes in a different way and Love wakes up to find herself… as a guy? (c/o of MyDramalist)

What I enjoyed:

The actors were great

The plot had a little of everything: thoughtful moments, comedy, fantasy, action and romance.

The way the love story played out was both unexpected and very sweet. I won’t tell you what made it unexpected, but I will say I have been hoping so hard that a drama would do what this one did. And it worked!

The story was engrossing and dealt with some interesting dilemmas and ideas around love. The main one was about the capability to love someone no matter what gender they are since the main character transformed back and forth from a girl to a guy. It’s a very Thai theme that I appreciate since I wholeheartedly believe that #loveisloveislove and that everyone deserves to be loved.

What I didn’t like:

There were some moments where I was confused about how something happened, mainly about the unicorn wishes and a contest that students participated in and would have liked some more clarification.

Freaking love triangles. I hate them. The heartbreak of some second and third leads – or sacrificial lambs as someone once ingeniously called them – made me sad.

Random Trivia:

The cast is part of a company created ensemble group 9×9 that also stars in Family We Trust.

Overall:

This drama is fun and interesting and it’s easy to root for the lead. I give it two thumbs up.

Best Songs from K-Drama OST’s

These are all of my favorites which I figured I should share with you 🙂

Goblin

Favorite Song: “Stay With Me”

Singer: Chanyeul & Punch

2nd Favorite Song: I Miss You

Singer: Soyou

Her Private Life

Favorite Song: Almost all of them

Singer: Almost all of them

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Ryeo

Favorite Song: Can You Hear My Heart

Singer: Epik High ft. Lee Hi

Touch Your Heart

Favorite Song: Make it Count

Singer: Chen

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Favorite Song: Double Trouble Couple

Singer: MAMAMOO

Man to Man

Favorite Song: Destiny

Singer: Park Bo Ram & Basick

Because This is My First Life

Favorite Song: This Life

Singer: Moon Sung Nam

I Am Not A Robot

Favorite Song: Do You Know Me

Singer: Stella Jang

Oh My Ghostess

Favorite Song: Leave & Gimme a Chocolate

Singer: Park Bo Young & Jo Jong Sook

*Best actor sung K-Drama OST songs

Arang and the Magistrate

Composer: Kim Hyeon-jong

*Best instrumental K-Drama OST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku3qspuV0II&list=PLz_s6vkVLdXqNIP8CZYWewrMeY4Nrlks1&index=17

K-Drama: Extraordinary You (1st Impressions)

I breezed through the first four episodes of Extraordinary You and I love this drama so much! It’s really going to hurt to wait for new episodes, but luckily I’ve got a busy couple months ahead which will hopefully help.

There are so many things to adore about this drama. Here is a list:

It is unique. Even though it’s about a girl who finds out she is actually a comic book character, which is similar to W (k-drama) and Unexpected (c-drama), the plot line and camera angles are very different then any drama I have watched.

The plot is very interesting. See summary below. The way it’s executed is fantastic and there is something for everyone since it’s part fantasy, mystery, school plot and romance with some humor thrown in.

The main character Eun Dan Oh played by Kim Hye Yoon is hilariously adorable. She is a tad bit whiny but I forgive her because she makes the unbelievable believable.

I have zero idea what’s going to happen next from episode to episode, so it leaves me hanging, but excited to see what comes next.

SUMMARY

What would you do if you found out that you were, in fact, a character in a comic? And an extra character on top of that? Change the course of the story, obviously!
Eun Dan Oh is a 17-year-old high-school student from a wealthy family who suffers from a lifelong heart condition that inevitably means she will not live past her teenage years. However, when Dan Oh realizes she is experiencing long gaps in her memory as well, she comes into the unhappy inheritance of another fact in her life: she is a character in a Korean webtoon and all of her actions are predetermined by the artist who draws her. To make matters worse, she discovers she is only a supporting character in the cast. With her newfound understanding of the world she inhabits, she is determined to find true love in her own plot-line and circumvent the author’s plans for her character by utilizing the flashes of storyboard she alone is able to see.
(Source: onehallyu)

Best Songs from C-Drama OST’s

These are my personal favorites:

Accidentally In Love

Favorite Song: “To Be Your Love”

Singer: Guo Junchen

The Big Boss

Favorite song: Silhouette

Singer: Eleanor Lee

Meteor Garden

Favorite Song: Counting Shooting Stars

Singer: Connor Leong

The Story of Ming Lan

Favorite Song: Don’t You know

Singer: Hu Xia & Yisa Yu

Go Go Squid

Favorite Song: Nameless Generation

Singer: Chen Xue Ran

There are probably more great songs from c-drama OST’s, but this is all I could think of off the top of my head, which I think validates that I like them the best of all.

The 4 Ways K-Dramas Have Taken Over Our Real Life

Who knew that an addiction to K-Drama’s would not just mean a steady viewing schedule but would mean other changes would happen at home too.

1)My kid went to school with sageuk hair lol We are currently watching Don Yi (circa 2010) and she loved the little girls hair so much that she is now sporting an identical hairstyle (though not as perfectly done), which actually looks really pretty on her.

2) I’m Rachel and I’m a kimchi-a-holic. I’ve always loved Korean food (#Bibimbap4forlife) and liked kimchi, but watching everyone eat it in k-dramas made me crave it. And the more I ate it the more I wanted it. Now it’s a fridge staple that I don’t think I could live without. Luckily for me, we have a large Korean population where I live so finding it isn’t too hard and I can pick and choose whose I like the most. My favorite meal with it is rice drizzled in sweet soy sauce and a fried egg.

3) K-Dramas are solely responsible for my unhealthy eating habits. This is because my fried chicken and beer intake have increased exponentially. Watching everyone in K-Drama’s eating fried chicken and drinking what looks like ice cold beer always makes my mouth water. Next thing I know I’ve decided that’s what we’re having for dinner.

4) Sometimes I walk around with random Korean words and phrases in my head, and more often then not, I have no idea what they translate to in English lol

C-Drama: Go-Go Squid (First Impressions)

I have no idea how to rate this series because there are things I love about it, things I kind of hate and even some things I love and hate. I’m halfway through and can’t decide whether or not I want to go on.

WHAT I LOVE

The acting is great. Especially Li Xian because he seems to have immersed himself in the character completely. And it looks like Yang Zi is following the character as it was written in the script to a T. I say that without having seen the script, but it sure seems that way.

I like that there is a plot line with a unique theme. It’s about competitive hackers and refreshingly, they actually show some competitive hacking, unlike those business dramas where you never see the business or anyone actually working.

The characters are also all fairly likable, and multi-dimensional. And for once, no one is all bad. I also like that the show looks at past experiences and how they develop people into who they are and how they handle things.

WHAT I LOVE AND HATE

Full disclosure. I ship Li Xian or his character for myself. He is exactly the intense, muscular stocky guy with amazing bone structure that I love to look at. Half of me thinks this show is great because I get to look at him to my hearts content. Half of me hates this show because it reminds me that my glory days (twenties) are over, so I have zero chance of having a Lu Xian/Gun of my own, which is a little heartbreaking to think about.

WHAT I HATE

I can completely understand why the lead female, Tong Nian, falls in lust with “Gun” because… see above, but I just can’t seem to get past the way she handles it or the fact that she thinks she’s in love with someone she’s never had a conversation with.

I have an eight year old girl who I’m trying to raise to be smart, self-reliant, confident, and thoughtful and I would never want her to act like this girl. What makes it worse is that I ‘m assuming she gets the guy in the end after acting like that, which is a terrible message to girls everywhere. Bad role modelling is the worst. I wont give away the plot, but I will say she is very close to being a cyber stalker/real stalker. If she was an older guy acting this way with a younger female, instead of a cute girl, her antics wouldn’t be cute, they’d be grounds for a restraining order.

There’s also one scene where “Gun” criticizes Tong Nian’s outfit and she responds that she will wear whatever he wants next time she sees him. It’s one thing to want to please a guy, and dress in something he likes, but that seemed like a step too far. It reminded me of the girl in the movie Coming to America that the Prince was arranged to marry who answered “whatever you like” to every question he asked about her preferences.

I do like that the female character is academic and talented and has her own career, but the chances that she would give all that up to be with him seems way too high. This basically leaves me with the hee bee jeebies so it’s been hard for me to cheer on their love story.

I also hate Yang Zi/Tong Nian’s hair. So much. I know bobs and straight bangs are a trend in China, but American me just cannot get on board with them. Her clothes were a mess too. She’s basically dressed like a kindergartner on every episode that I watched, so between that and her hair she looked like a twelve year old, making their supposed age difference just a little bit creepy. I am blaming her stylist completely because Lu Xian/Gun’s outfits were all that and a bag of chips, almost as good as the leads from Full House (Thai version) who I think has had the best fashion of any male character in a drama series.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I really like the opening song for the series.

I don’t know if it’s age or maintenance or what, but actor Hu Yi Tian seems to get more attractive every show he does. There is a marked difference from Rush to Dead Summer to now. Also, this must have been his easiest role yet since he was paid, at least up to episode 12, which is where I left off, to say ten lines and make a few faces.

My theory, which I will expand on in a later blog is that most guys level of attractiveness correlates with their haircuts, which is proven in Go Go Squid, since Li Xian is cute no matter what, but looks way better once he ditches the younger him flash back hair.

SHOULD I KEEP WATCHING?

I honestly can’t decide.

C-Drama: Le Coup de Foudre (9.5/10)

I’ve had Le Coup de Foudre on my list for awhile now, but with 35 episodes I put it off until recently. OMG is it good! It’s about two high school desk mates and their feelings for each other in school and as adults, and the friends who surround them. It is very mellow so even the dramatic scenes didn’t stress me out. Some viewers may not like this type of pacing, but since I watch to get away from the stresses and chaos of real life, I really enjoyed it.

Characters

The characters are well developed. I didn’t hate any of them and my favorite at the end was not someone I would have thought would be my favorite when I started the show. They grew on me over the course of it (#FeiDaChuanforlife). The leads Janice Wu/Wu Qian, who I last saw in My Amazing Boyfriend and Zhang Yu Jian were both great. My only critique of the female lead,character is that she played with her hair a lot, and her choices didn’t make sense. And I have nothing bad to say about Wu in this role. And Zhang played the cold stoic type better than any other actor I’ve seen so far. Both of them also had to perform a range of ages, since the plots follows their high school and adulthood years and they were impeccable.

The other actors were also fantastic. My appreciation for Actor An Ge who plays Fei Da Chuan is mostly because his expressions are on par with Aaron Yan and the best Korean drama actors. You can tell what he is trying to convey without him saying a word, which I think is the height of talent. Plus the character is kind of adorable in his kind, but cluelessness.

Plot development

The story was really sweet, and took real life considerations into account, which I really appreciated. It even focused on some situations that people face in the real world like abuse, injury, unexpected pregnancy, terminal illness and bankruptcy, but in a way that was interesting, not depressing to watch. I think the male lead, albeit cold, was the most loving character I’ve watched in a long time. I like that there was a good sismance. And I LOVE that the love triangle didn’t leave me feeling heartbroken for the second lead the way a lot of them do.

There were also a lot of funny moments. The times when the leads were feeling jealous of someone else were usually scripted as comedy. And the second to last episode had me laughing out loud through the whole thing which helped end the show on a really high note. The ending was also nice and happy and didn’t leave me hanging the way a lot of c-dramas do.

My one critique is I have zero idea what the female lead was thinking for part of the show. Some of her choices did not make sense to me, and I wonder if scenes got cut that would have explained it or if the directors and everyone else involved just failed to see that this part of the plot was really unclear.

Fashion

Kudos to the stylists who worked on this show. While not all the clothes characters wore were fashionable, I can only assume it was out of extreme thoughtfulness by the stylists. The lead female wore plain Jane clothes until the last few scenes. Her best friend was a bit hipster boho. Her brother was clean cut and even her parents dressed like parents. The lead male was really clean cut and simply dressed while his closest relative wore clashing clothes with a lot of gaudy patterned shirts, which is what, if his character were real, he’d probably wear. And a second lead female who was meant to be a heiress was extremely fashionable. I want almost all of her outfits to be in my closet, even though she is the size of a blade of grass so I strongly doubt they would fit me. And their is a running joke about a mink coat and how ugly it was that I really appreciated. My only criticism is that some of the pants people wore were ill fitting and ugly, which is a trend I see in a lot of c-dramas and would likely see on the streets of China, although I hope not. If so, China, please put the mom jeans and bell bottoms away. Please! For your own good.

I am really sad that this show is over because I enjoyed it so much. Lucky for me, it’s based on a book titled I Don’t Like the World, I only Like You, and some angel has translated it into English. Yay for that : ) Here is the link for it: https://www.novelupdates.com/nauthor/qiao-yi/

My Absolute Favorite Male Actors from Asian Dramas

These are the guys who I consider the very best at their jobs, which are to interest me, make me laugh and/or cry, keep me entertained and sometimes make me swoon. They are the actors I anxiously await new work from because they are amazing.

They are listed in no particular order, since I like them all pretty equally. What they all have in common is an ability to act. probably beyond what they have been allowed to do. They are all expressive, most can do comedy as easily as they do drama, and they all fully immerse themselves in the characters that they are playing.

Park Seo Joon (Korea)

There are not enough adjectives to describe why I like Park’s work. He is basically the total package. He plays humble just as well as he plays arrogant. He was not just especially hot (which is not a requisite for this list btw, though I would like to commend him for his perfect abs and make out abilities, which seem to be on point). He was also oh-so-humble and sweet in Witches Romance (which I only recommend for his performance), and in Fight for My Way (one of my favorite dramas of all time), while he was completely conceited in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. He was also hilarious and made me laugh during every episode. His comedic timing is also showcased in Midnight Runners, along with his ability to do action. Basically, he can act in anything.

My only problem with Joon is that he does not act in nearly enough stuff. And I refuse to watch any interviews with him or the show he’s in in Spain. This is because he could turn out to be an amazing person, and not just an amazing actor. Than I might start viewing him as a prospect, not just an artist, which would be deeply problematic.

2. Aaron Yan (Taiwan) (China)

Although typecast first into youth shows, since he started acting so young, and then romantic dramas, I believe with all my heart that Yan could act out any genre presented to him. If I were a producer I’d bring him to the U.S. and give him something Oscar worthy, but I’m not one, so a girl can only dream. That said, I love him in a romantic drama because he’s truly believable in whatever character he plays, and his love for the female lead looks completely sincere (because 🌟 acting). I think his seeming sincerity is what sets him apart, along with his expressions (that I’ve referenced on this blog before), which are incredible. As a viewer I can see what he is trying to convey at all times even when he has no dialogue.

My favorite Yan show is Just You (one of my fav dramas ever) because it is cutesy and interesting and entertaining (plus I really love his co-star Puff Kuo and think they make a great team). In Just You he manages to be a character (Qi Yi) that is multi-dimensional. Qi Yi is anal retentive, hard working, bitter, lonely, mature, youthful, responsible and kind, all at once. That is not an easy feat, especially in a drama that is fairly lighthearted. Yan is also (in my opinion) the very best male actor kisser in all of Asia (major feat, right?) and the fact that he may not be the least bit attracted to any of the ladies he has kissed, despite getting all 10’s from me for it, makes him an absolute rockstar actor in my book. And during the only time I have ever watched a behind the scenes of a show video (since they are not normally my thing), I saw that he is a consummate professional who goes from being himself into character the second the cameras are rolling. Lastly, he gets no acting points for this, but he is also the actor I would most like to have a conversation with because he seems like a fun, funny, and intelligent person, and I’m impressed by his personal strength.

3. Puttichai “Push” Kestsin (Thailand)

First off, this man could have chemistry with a rock, as observed after he was in a show where he spent over a dozen episodes falling in love with a bird (Leh Nangfah). Watching that, I really wanted to be that bird. I’m guessing most viewers did. Kasetsin clearly took his role seriously because he talked to that bird and cuddled that bird like it was a person and made a story that is fantastical and kind of crazy totally believable.

As an actor, he is not only capable of delivering perfect dialog, like Yan he has great facial expressions and like Joon he is great at comedy (Wannueng Jaa Phen Superstar had me laughing out loud). He can play anyone from a student to a CEO and can play a romantic lead like no other.

He gets no extra points for this since it’s not about his acting, but from a aesthetic dental perspective Kestsin has the most perfect smile (even better than Park Bo Gum’s). I also appreciate his willingness to be exploited into taking off his clothes in all of his lakorn’s so his fans will be happy.

4. Seo Kang Joon (Korea)

I was first introduced to Seo in Cheese in the Trap (the show version). I didn’t love the show, but he gave me my very worst case of second lead syndrome ever. His character, although a technical bad boy was just so everything, and the girl still fell for the sociopath (which sadly happens in real life way too often). And although I liked the character, I think that if another actor played him I wouldn’t have been as receptive, because Seo played him just right. He was able to play sincere, angry, sweet, responsible and irresponsible at one time. And later in Are You Human Too, he plays two completely different characters with different attributes, and does an amazing job. I really think this ability, to create such multi-faceted characters is what sets Seo and my other favorite actors apart.

Seo is also a professional, which I gauge from the fact that he seems so mature when he acts. I’m sure this comes from his years of acting experience, but I genuinely cannot believe he is 25. This is a compliment to him because it’s not easy to seem mature at that age. I’m sure I didn’t seem half as grown up as he does at that age.

5. Ahn Hyo Seop / Paul Ahn (Korea)

Ahn’s acting stole my heart in Thirty But Seventeen (see my review here). He was adorable. And like Seo, he managed to take a character and elevate it,making a character that was not meant (by the writers and director) to be my favorite into my very fav of the drama.

I also love Queen of the Ring, which is cutesy with a positive message and Ahn stole my heart (as a viewer) in that too. He is just charming, even when he is meant to be conceited, musical (Top Management) or back from the dead (Abyss) which is why I will basically watch him in everything he does from now to eternity.

K-Drama: Why I Dropped Encounter Halfway Through

I dropped the kdrama Encounter, despite it having some positive things going for it because I just couldn’t go on.

It was episode 9 when I dropped it, but I almost stopped during episode 1. This is because:

Park Bo Gum’s hair. I mean way to take a generally attractive guy and make him look terrible.
The scenarios that led to couple meeting were kind of ridic. Just too contrived.
The leading lady is supposed to be this business mogul but she takes a sleeping pill then goes out in public. I mean what? Why? That’s really dumb. Then she loses her purse and doesn’t think to borrow a phone from someone to call the hotel *she owns* where someone would obviously come pick her up. Then she almost gets hurt because she’s tired and the leading man acts all helpful, but what if it hadn’t been him, the way she messed up she could have been a kidnapping victim or fish food by the end of the night. And then there is a missed connection because she ends up busy and can’t make an appointment, but she never thinks to call the place to say she’s running late. I mean my 8 year old could be a mogul if this is the level of attention to detail that they need to have.
A scene at a beach in Havana where people are doing an entire dance routine in the background like Cuba is just one giant flash mob. It was just too eye rolling for me.

The things this show has going for it are:

Park Go Bum’s famous smile, which he flashes thousands of times in this drama
A sincere seeming romance
Some likable supporting characters
Great acting by the “villains”

But despite all this, I just couldn’t take it because:

The plot is basically older rich women and younger poorer man which is good with me, although I can’t think of a k-drama that has pulled this off, so please let me know if you can think of one. The thing is even though the couple seemed sincere I just couldn’t root that hard for them. I am probably being unfair here and too hard on the female lead (versus male) but she just didn’t seem all that appealing to me. She was way too serious i.e. no fun and had “mom hair”/”professional bob” and her smiles all seemed forced. As a result, she seemed basically sexless to me, definitely not a lady who could steal the heart of a younger man.
There were many factors in the way of the couples happiness and by episode 9 I realized that the show was more emo doom and gloom then sunshine and light. I wanted something happier and wasn’t invested enough in the couple to continue.

And speaking of Park Bo Gum, I just happened to google for something, I won’t say what, and came across this hilariousness from 2018:

LA Times Writer Mistakes Park Bo Gum And Song Joong Ki For A Gay Couple

He saw their Domino’s ad and thought they were the cutest couple.

I mean in his defense, I would have thought the same thing. Especially if I saw the other ads < click to here to see them 😂😂😂😂😂

LA Times Writer Mistakes Park Bo Gum And Song Joong Ki For A Gay Couple