Unnie's WWU: Unnie Speaks!!

Since this is a Wednesday Write Up, not a review, I can talk about anything I want to.  First up, I apologize for not keeping up w/ my WWUs for the last couple of weeks.  After my trip to So Cal I went through a little post trip depression.  I missed my friends & the excitement & I just wanted to go back for more Big Bang.  Like a magic spell or hypnotism.  I LOVE my family but for the first time, in a REALLY long time, I did something just for me & as a result, I had a hard time accepting that my vacation was over.  A little post vacation blues if you will.  I decided that it was time for me to "reboot" myself.  I took a little break from all things K related to help me get past the blues.  Not completely cutting myself off.  After all I still had Full House 2 to watch.  I am so addiKted to that lovely piece of not serious fluff.  It has been the perfectly ordered medicine for my blues.  Minus the long weekend wait for the next episode.  That I don't like.  But the flip side of that is that I actually do, to a certain degree, look forward to Monday mornings.

So many wonderful things have been happening in the world of all things K.  Music videos, scandals, law suits ended, concerts, new shows, musical award show wins, MTV European Awards, & the world Star Craft competition.  So many things to talk about.  I don't even know where to begin.  Too many topics for my poor ahjumma brain.  So instead of talking about one thing I have decided to talk about all sorts of things that I've noticed but haven't really commented on just recently.  

*rubbing hands together* where to start? where to start???  

How about with this week's release of Lee Seung Gi's (aka Dimple)  latest Mini Album, "Forest".  It is a beautiful album.  And the first, hopefully not the last, song off the album to be get it's own MV & honestly the MV is really lovely.  That is the actual adjective I used when the video came to an end.  "Lovely" How often do I use that word?  Almost never.   And Lee Seung Gi's voice is amazing.  I loved the MV & the song.  But don't let me be the only one enjoying it.  See for yourself.  

Official Lee Seung Gi MV for Return (Looking Back):

See?  Lovely.  Perfectly lovely MV.  

Next up to talk about...(these btw are in no particular order)

Did I ever mention the fact that I am a PC gaming widow?  Yes, yes I am.  My husband loves online video games.  His current poison is DiabloIII.  He & our 14 yr old monstrosity play against each other a lot.  It would be more but I have strict usage rules for the kids.  Anyway a couple of weeks ago CA came to me excitedly to report on something K related to me.  The huge Star Craft World Competition.  On Nov 17th & 18th Professional Star Craft players around the globe competed against one another in this global competition.  it took place in Shanghai this year.  it also included World of Warcraft players as well...

From the actual Webpage:

"The field has now been narrowed to the 32 best StarCraft II players and 10 best World of Warcraft Arena teams—each of whom will face off for more than $500,000^* in prizes and the title of world champion."

Now granted I didn't tune in, neither did CA.  But he was giddy that he could tell me about something that had to do with my AddiKtion.  Usually it's the other way around.  Although he hardly ever gets excited when I try & tell him about this or that.  His typical reaction is to just nod his head benignly, smile & say, "Oh that's nice."   Still I loved his participation.  What a sweetie for trying to keep clued into the K world.  

Let's see what's next?  Ahhh yes, there was the HUGE scandal that wasn't really a scandal at all when IU accidentally Tweeted a pic of her & Eunhyuk's (of Super Junior fame) picture was released of her in her jammies.  And everybody either cheered them on or freaked out that they were "possibly" in bed together.  is it because they're Naughty Naughty?  Nah. According to IU's peeps it was taken on a day when IU was really sick & Eunhyuk came to visit her & try to make her feel better.  What is the real story?!?!  Oh the heck cares?!?  Really.  If they are dating, good for them!  If they are just friends, good for them!  What happens to them in their personal life, should stay their personal life.  IMHO I hope they find happiness, whether it's together or not I don't care.  There was also the cry of they did it on purpose as a publicity stunt.  People get better lives.  Step away from the magic box & stop jumping to conclusions & "judgments"   Whether it was legit or a set up who cares.  Not me.  It was a cute picture of them both.  And anytime Eunhyuk wants to come & take a pic with me, I'll be happy to participate.  Ahem...in my jammies or out of them.   >:)

And how stinking cute is GD's dad when he brags about what a good son GD is & how proud he is of him?!?!  Omo!!  Omo!!  So cute!  What a sweet dad.  Just the idea of getting a weekend stay at their new vacation house sounds wonderful.  I love that his mom decorated a room just for GD & that his dad was very specific in that the "Ji Yong Crayon" room would not be rented out, ever.  Fine by me, as long as GD is staying there the same weekend I am.  Let's just keep that info from CA when I ask him if I can go by myself for vacation to Seoul.  I have no intention of telling him I plan to stalk oppas in person.  

As for awards? Well, Psy took home the award for Music Video of the year from the MTV Euro Awards & I say good for you Psy oppa!  You rock.  Well done.  I'm also happy to report I still hear "Gangnam Style" on the radio here pretty regularly.  yesterday I saw an article that said he was up for "Man of the Year" from Time Magazine.  I was so happy for him.  Fingers crossed he wins, he gets my vote.   Then today I saw this article from "Gawker", talking about how Bill O'Reilly recently dedicated an entire segment to Psy & the "Gangnam Style" MV, & it's popularity.  Although all O'Reilly & his idiot sidekick "Dr" Albow manage to do, is prove their stupidity, racist tendencies, & the fact that they are in fact cut off from the real world, by simply opening their mouths.  2 biggest morons on the planet IMHO right now.  But I want you guys to remember that not all conservatives are like Bill O'Reilly.  He's a special kind of stupid all on his own.  I know lots & lots of conservatives that are great, loving, compassionate, people.  Me?  I don't talk politics.  I keep all my political feelings to myself.  Trust me I am informed & have strong opinions BUT they are my business & no one else's.  To quote my daughter whom I just overheard telling off her brothers, when they started arguing, "End of discussion!"  hehehehe...it was seriously so awesome listening to her telling them off.  

And another awesome award, more than well deserved, was when my favorite JYJ man, Xiah Junsu, won at the Musical awards, for his performance in the musical "Elisabeth".  If anyone can get me a legal copy of that musical on DVD I will gladly kiss you.  Or you know, less creepy, pay you.  I actually cried when I read about his win & his wonderfully humble speech.  I was so happy for him to finally be recognized.  Way way way overdo.  Junsu Fighting!

But that is not the only good news for JYJ...

No our Mickey has also received praise for his latest K drama performance in I Miss You.  I admit freely I have not started this one yet.  I want to.  I really really want to.  But it's a melodrama & I have a hard time with those.  I really prefer comedy & rom/com over melodrama.  I get far too emotionally involved & have been known on more than one occasion to do the big ugly cry over a melodrama.  You know the cry...the one where you gasp for air you're crying so hard & you have snot running form your nose & your choking.  Your face gets all red & blotchy & you find yourself wondering for your sanity.  It's a TV show!  Why am I crying so hard over a TV show?  What is wrong with me?  I'm already not a pretty crier so I try to avoid those shows.  I hear great things about I Miss You though & am just waiting for it to either get at least 1/2 way through it's live airing before I start or I might wait till Winter break & just marathon it one day.  It would help if we got a nice big snow storm during winter break & the kids & I were stuck in the house.
{^_-}

And then last night I heard the most amazing news!!  Best news I've heard all year long.  A few months ago you remember I went off & did a serious post about my frustration with the treatment that our beautiful JYJ received in their home country from certain entertainment affiliates.  To date still my most read post, in a 24 hour period, on TCA.   Well last night, a friend posted the news on FB & Twitter that the JYJ/SMEnt court battle has come to a close.  That is MY Christmas Miracle, my fellow AddiKts.  Have you heard?  Allkpop released the news first here.  And I was so excited.  I had a difficult time falling asleep last night.  And it kept me going this morning as I battle a sore throat & stuffy head.  And all I could think was that now maybe we'll get to see our boys on Korean Music shows finally.  Inkigayo Mnet etc...  Maybe Jaejoong's wish to be on an episode of Running Man will come true & I was giddy!!  Until that same friend posted this article quoting the responses of the major stations in SK to the news of the dropped suits.  Which in my opinion translates into KBS is fine with having the boys on their shows.  However, MBC & SBS are too cowardly to say they'll have them on their channels because they haven't yet been given the "all clear" from SMEnt or it's allegedly corrupt President.  But I am cautiously optimistic that it will all have a happy ending for JYJ.  If anyone deserves the "Happily Ever After" ending, it's JYJ.  Don't you think?  

Now you may be asking, "Unnie do you think it was your article that blew the whole thing over & caused SMEnt to finally give our guys a break?"  Well....*blushing* you said it, not me.  {{Giggle.  Just kidding.}}  Of course I don't.  I doubt, I or my little article, had absolutely anything to do with it at all.  I'm not that naive or that vain.

Let's see I'm also watching King of Dramas, up to episode 3.  Siwon rocks the comedic timing in this one.  Way better than his performance, so far, in Oh My Lady.  So between the epic awesomeness of the hair styles in FH2 & Siwon's performance in KOD, & Dimple's new MV/album release, I am a happy happy unnie.   I'm gearing up for more holiday fun & for Winter Break & for a new year.  A new year, new dramas, new music, new music videos & more TCA blogging & reviews.  And that Addikts wraps up my WWU.  I hope you have all had a great Nov.  And I hope you have a great Dec.  I will be back next week as well.  No worries.  I'll probably disappear again as I get closer to Christmas but I will do my best to not neglect my WWU's until then.  

Saranghamnida, 

P.S. I apologize if this post rambles or makes no sense.  Like I said I am battling the beginning part of a cold & this post took all day to write because the computer screen made my head hurt so much.  So I had to keep stopping myself & starting again later.  Which means this post is probably disjointed & makes no sense in places.  I'm also on cold meds.  Ooo I am high as a kite.  Not really.  It's just Dayquil.  But it still gives me blank spots in my head.  Does that make any sense?  Plus I just had a lot of different topics & things I had been setting aside to talk about with all of you.  As usual I hope you got a giggle or chuckle & that my post made you smile at least a little.  Lots o' love guys!!

Unnie's Wednesday Write Up: The Flip Side of the KPop Sparkle

While perusing various ideas for this week's WWU I decided to once again poll friends & readers to see if any of them could help me unblock the writer's block.  Just some topic that would spark an interest in my brain & get it moving again.  Thank you peeps for the many creative ideas that now reside on my iPad for future use.  Then I saw an article that a friend posted on FB, that detailed the recent mistreatment of one of my favorite KPop stars, Kim Junsu (Xiah) of JYJ.  What he had to endure at the hands of one of the top entertainment companies in Seoul, is deplorable.  Now to be honest this is not the first time this company or one of its underlings has snubbed our lovely Junsu or the rest of the guys from JYJ.  Oh no.  It's just another example of the blacklisting & bullying our boys have had to endure in the last 3 years.

Pardon me AddiKts as I take a brief departure from our usually light hearted topics & delve a little deeper into a subject that I feel very strongly about.  I hope that you stick through this post & hear my plea at the end. I am one of those people that have never been able  to sit idly by & allow people to be bullied.  No I have always done by my best to stand up for those I see being treated unfairly, unjustly or with cruelty.  Will my little post make a difference I highly doubt it but at least I went down fighting the only way I could.

Let's get back to my topic this week....
Now most of you already know of the details as to why JYJ has been blacklisted (IE Banned) by the beasts of the South Korean Entertainment industry, aka SMEntertainment & SBS, but there are a few of you that are unaware of the details, so for you I will give a few background details...

In 2004 a new group called, DBSK entered into the world of K Pop.  The group included 5 incredibly talented young men.  Including the 3 men who would later go on to form JYJ.  What happened?  Well the boys, who were all signed by SMEnt, as TEENAGERS, entered into a grossly unfair contract.  A contract that would then give the bulk of their earnings back to the conglomerate SME, something that SMEnt is well known for doing. Taking advantage of the talent it signs at incredibly young ages.  Thereby leaving their talent, {{with all their hours & hours w/ very little sleep or down time because they are too busy; training, touring, promoting, singing, dancing, entertaining, as if they were slaves w/ very little to show for their hard work, sincere effort, sweat & tears}} out in the cold, contract wise.  Figuring out that this contract was grossly unfair, 3 of the 5 members of DBSK, 5 years later, decided that they would try to renegotiate their contract, all to no avail.  Here is where it gets tricky.  What happened to the other 2 men?  No one really knows.  No one knows for sure if it was all 5 men wanted out of the contract & the other two changed their minds, or if the other 2 were pressured to change their minds or if they were never a part of the break away to begin with.  Only those parties on the inside would know those details of the break up, and so far no one is talking.  The other 2 men, also incredibly talented stayed w/ SME & continued to be DBSK.  Meanwhile Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun & Kim Junsu decided to take their case to the courts.  And they won.  Their contract was declared invalid by the court.

Once the court declared the contract invalid,  they thought they were free of the SME snare.  However, they have found themselves in quite the opposite of that original belief....this story is far from over.  Appeals were filed, of course.  Years of dragging this & the guys through the court systems.  Hearing after hearing all with no clear answer or ruling.  During all this court drama, allegedly SM began what amounts to nothing more than coercion, bribery, blatant blackmail, strong arming, & threatening.  Proving they are nothing more than playground bullies, who then "encouraged" the entire student body to blacklist the students, in this case JYJ.

Even though the men of JYJ won in court, SM once again, Allegedly - stepped in to interfere by ensuring that their contract w/ a Japanese based entertainment/production company, that was helping them to become JYJ,  would be stalled.  They have had numerous other troubles as well... everything from having a hard time getting passport clearances that would then enable them to promote their new album, to not being allowed to perform their songs on the stages of Inkigayo.  No wonderfully fun & zany appearances on variety shows, & certainly no interviews scheduled to help promote themselves.  Imagine being blacklisted & banned by your own countrymen?!?!   Now Allegedly - SME has managed to not just influence the South Korean entertainment companies to keep the men of JYJ off their stages but they have also somehow managed to allegedly attain control of the courts.  As once again the court's final decision has been delayed...this time...indefinitely.  When will this nightmare for our beautiful JYJ end?  Who knows.


Now what prompted my tirade against SM?  Well this week, Kim (Xiah) Junsu was invited to perform at the 32nd National PARA Games Opening Ceremony, hosted by none other than SBS.  A concert that was promoted w/ his name in full use for the event, drawing in thousands of fans.  He was scheduled to be the last performer of the evening.  However, just before the group ZE:A went on, Allegedly - SBS introduced them as the last performance of the evening.  And when ZE:A was done, the cameras were turned off & packed away.  At this point the MC for the night came back on stage & announced to the waiting & probably confused audience that Junsu was the actual last performance of the evening.  Remember by this point the cameras were packed, the show was no longer being filmed or airing on TV.  Did this blatant & disgusting show of blacklisting stop our Junsu?  No.  He went on stage w/ his beautiful smile showing the audience & the world that he was not going to be pushed under or aside by anyone.  By all accounts, he performed his songs full of energy & happiness, telling the audience he was "grateful to be invited to such a wonderful event" & then going on to say that this was his "first official gig as a solo artist and he was so happy to be there." 

Now there is a classy, graceful, intelligent, caring & inspiring man if ever there was one.  Our Junsu ever the dignified & gracious gentleman.  I was so proud of him!  What an example of grace under fire.  I applaud his humanity.  Thank you for your heart Junsu.  It's one of the reasons you are so loved by so many adoring fans.  

While my heart breaks for this amazing man, my insides seethe w/ anger at the injustice & cruelty of SBS & SME & the other cowardly companies who refuse to stand up to SM.  While the South Korean entertainment industry are patting themselves on the back for garnering attention around the world for the success of Psy's Gangnam Style, they are at the same time trying to push down one of the most talented & creative men/groups around, just because he & his fellow JYJ members had the audacity to stand up for themselves & ask for fair treatment & to be properly compensated for their grueling schedules.  THIS is the prime example of the "Flip Side of the KPop Sparkle".   Does this mean South Korea or all of the entertainment world found within are corrupt?  Of course not, what a ridiculous conclusion to jump to.  These few men that seem to hold the most power & influence seem to be the main reason things are bad for artists.  Remember what they say, "With absolute power, comes absolute corruption".  I think these conglomerates have way too much money & avarice & are as corrupt as they can be, which has gone to their heads & they have forgotten how to be decent human beings.  

The South Korean entertainment industry is known for its hard, tightly packed schedules for its talent.  Schedules that go all night long, filming schedules, concerts after concerts, promotional tours, endorsement deals, interviews.  Very little sleep, improperly balanced diets & it leaves our favorite K Idols exposed & vulnerable to car accidents, health issues, exhaustion, & I imagine is responsible for a big portion for the depression & suicide problems facing SK artists.  For a prime example of exhaustion leading to accidents, there was the huge car accident that nearly killed 3 members of the sensational group Super Junior, several years ago.  Which btw also happen to be a K Pop group under SMEnt.  There are no unions in South Korea & these companies work these men & women to the bone.  

I have not heard of this kind of malfeasance since McCarthyism took root in Southern California in the 50s & destroyed the careers & lives of anybody who stood up for themselves in the entertainment industry.  Today this would never fly in the US, where the talent gets final say in their contracts & their schedules.  Maybe you'd say US stars are spoiled & pampered too much, & I would wholeheartedly agree.  And I believe there are few to none of our US stars, that have 1/10 the same work ethic that our favorite K Idols have.  Do I still love K Pop & K Drama & South Korea?  Oh heck yeah!  But these things need to be changed.  These artists are human beings & they deserve to be treated fairly & paid fairly for the amount of work they put in.  They need to be protected from the greed & corruption they are forced to tolerate day in & day out. 

To that end I have a message for these corporations pushing out pop idols like automatons on a conveyor belt & pushing the talent to the breaking point.  Just so you know SME, & your dirty partners in crime, you know who you are btw, you can pat yourselves on the back for all the awesome attention that the KPop phenom is garnering.  But this means that the world is noticing you as well, which means the world is going to notice the dirty details soon enough.  You can only hide it for so long.  Then the whole thing will burst open & all your shady "under the table" dealings will be shown in the light of day.  

I will do my best to help expose you for the slime bags you really are, you might be saying who cares what a stay at home mom in the US thinks of all of this?  And you are probably right.  I am just a stay at home mom.  I live in the safety & comfort of my upper middle class white suburban neighborhood.  In the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.  I am little and yes I admit, to you, I am even insignificant.  But haven't you ever noticed how the little guy always wins in the end?  And eventually all of us little guys & girls will amount to one great big voice & we won't be silenced so easily.   Then like Daniel in the Lion's Den we'll prove that you, the evil in this story, cannot win.  Bullies never win.  Someday someone or something is going to stop you & justice will prevail.  Until that day I will continue to cheer on all of the JYJ members.  I will cheer for their hard earned success & I will cry at their conquests.  They say that it isn't surviving the trial that shows who you are, but surviving the trial w/ grace & dignity & a smile on your face.  So far I think JYJ is the winner.  All you are doing is proving you are too ignorant to see you are showing your true colors to the world by your treatment of these amazing men.    

The saddest part of the whole thing is that all of us who were not able to be there in the beginning of DBSK & witness them as the powerhouse they were.  Oh we have their YouTube MVs & fancams of their concerts etc... but if you have ever gone back & listened to their albums or seen their performances it is very obvious that this was THE group.  I am so sad that I will probably never get to see all 5 men together on stage or in a new MV.  I weep at the loss of friendship between the JYJ guys & Yunho & Changmin, the other 2 men of DBSK.  I can't imagine the heart break that JYJ has had to endure through their trials w/ their bullies.  How terrifying it must be to think your own countrymen have ill will & grudges against you.  The trials of dealing with all of this must be exhausting.  Emotionally, mentally & yes even physically.  To feel as though you are constantly having to fight so hard just to make small gains in your career.  Jaejoong, Yoochun, & Junsu we are on your side.  We pray for you.  We weep alongside you.  We support & encourage you to keep following your dreams & never let the bully win.  

Keep your friendship strong & continue to give us beautiful happy pictures of your sweet bromance...

My favorite JYJ picture.  They are so sweet & cuddly here.  

I leave you AddiKts with this plea to please, of ALL the posts you read on TCA, that THIS one you share.  Like it, Google + it, Pin & re-pin when you see the pin on Pinterest, help spread the word.  SME & SBS & their dirty dealings need to be exposed.  Do I really think TCA can make a difference?  No, not really.  We are small & insignificant.  But all of our voices combined can make a difference.  Even if its just to help the men of JYJ see that they are not alone, we are all rooting for them & love them.  Sometimes that is all that is needed.  They need to see our hearts.  Another way you can help is by signing this Twitition to try & get SBS to apologize to JYJ.  It may not actually happen but anyway we can get the word out helps.  

Until next week....

Saranghamnida, 


P.S. All of my sources for this Ahjumma Article can be found at the following links.
Twitlonger
American K Pop Fans
Asia Sentinel