The group 2NE1 has so far had the debut stage on SBS’s Inkigayo, but have not been scheduled to appear on any other music programs like Music Bank or Music Core. They’re next scheduled performance is slated for the next episode of Inkigayo, again. With MBC’s track record of easily flared tempers, could YG be embarking on a collision course with the top executives of MBC/KBS and the possible banning of future performances by YG artists like that of SM awhile back?

In any case, this week’s single performance of Fire by 2NE1 should be fantastic since they’ll have plenty of time prepare for it with only one performance on their sleeves.

So initial thoughts?

I think YG has themselves a real shot at a successful girl group here. They played their cards right by building up hype and anticipation before their debut just like SM does with their groups (SNSD comes to mind).

I havn’t followed the pre-debut ramblings but at the moment I don’t see the allure of CL. In fact, I prefer all the other members over her. She’s got this American feel that just doesn’t seem right for some reason.

Minzy (the one with the short hair) is apparently the odd one out but from the looks of it she can sure dance. Reminds of Sohee from WG kind of.

Park Bomi doesn’t seem to have a real “talent” outside of being vocal support. She just sits there acting all pretty. Perhaps eye candy to take the attention away from the trainwreck that I dub CL?

Sandara Park, the only one I heard of before 2ne1′s debut. She kind of looks like a female TOP. Enough said on that one.

Lets see how this group pans out when they release an actual CD with more than one track on it.

I’m not korean, nor do I live in Korea, but I know a bad situation when I see one. The Fanclub situation in Korea is painful to look at sometimes. As an outsider, its easy to shrug off most “bashings” or little “flamewars” that occur from time to time. But its a different story when these internet wars turn real. Thats exactly the case at the 2008 Dream Concert.

If you didn’t already know, a few things unfortunate events happened at the concert. In short, some Super Junior banners were taken down and cut apart. And the boycott during Girl’s Generation’s performance.

Now, all of this is based on rumors and internet news since I personally did not attend the concert so if you’ve got more more info for me, I’d be glad to hear it.

Let’s talk about the boycott first. I have never in my life been in a venue with a performance where the audience showed 0% support/thanks. This was exactly the case at the concert aside from the dedicated SNSD fans (which imo made up only a tiny portion compared to the massive stadium)

Kind of shocking to see a completely dead silent stadium. Now, there are supposedly a million reasons why this “boycott” is justified. IE: SNSD+various boy band romance rumours. SNSD poking fun at other groups dances (like junjins), and most of all… the “suju banner incident”.

Which brings me to, the Super Junior banner incident. The banner was torn down, and apparently cut/trampled on by anti’s. Who the anti’s were, we’ll probably never find out. However, its widely held that they’re SNSD fans. Why wouldn’t they blame them anyways? after all, one of their sole intents at the concert was to show (antisupport?) towards that very group.

It really was unfortunate that the whole banner thing even happened at all. Those banners aren’t easy to make, and probably represented hours and hours of dedication and work from the fans. To see it go in such a fashion really kills you (no matter if you’re a fan of said group or not). The crying and screaming shows how crushed they were. But then again, I would call ELF “shit-starters”. They sure dish it out sometimes (what with ganging up on their own ex-fans (internet speculation?), forever 13 member/anti suju-m motion). Yet, they can’t quite handle some retaliation.

Specifically, this begs the question. What happened first, the boycott, or the banner incident. A boycott doesn’t happen in minutes. Its gotta be planned and agreed on in advance. To blame the boycott on the banner incident is just silly.

Looking at this whole incident from afar shows the ugly side of some fans in Korea. They’ve gone abit off the deep end. Instead of appreciating the artists for their music alone, they’ve idol’ised them too far. It’s become their life, consumed them whole. Maybe its a part of Korean culture I don’t (probably never will) understand, but its definitely not something I’d like to become a part of. They’ve made it seem like you can only be a fan of ONE, and ONLY one “group”. To physically damage someone else’s property, or to intentionally boo someones performance out of spite… I shake my head.

This kind of reminds me of some of the craziness over in Europe and soccer. Anti’s over there commit even more serious offences in the name of “support”.

Theres a pretty fine line between “appreciation as a fan”, and “dangerously infatuated”. I hope that this incident has shown the powerful effects of hate, and that things will be resolved.

Long post? Yea…

That sums it up right there. The Wonder Girls are back and their new single has been leaked. Upon first listen, it doesn’t seem quite as catchy as Irony or Tell me (but then again I didn’t find those terribly catchy upon first listen either). They’re looking/sounding more and more like FinKL with their new look. Too bad leopard print makes me want to puke, no matter who’s wearing it.

AKB48 – Hone Hone Waltz

*Cringe* Granted, this song was meant for a kids television show so I’m grasping at straws here, but the fact remains that AKB48 churns out some extremely gruesomely “kidpop” I would like to say.

Now, fast forward to AKB48′s first concert tour, where they sang a multitude of their singles and b-sides. Also thrown into the mix was a bunch of songs not released on their singles, but rather more obscure DVD’s and CD’s, often carrying the name Team X Stage X Disc, etc. What particularly caught my attention was the song Faint. This song was/is included only on the Team A 4th Stage DVD, and CD I assume (which hasn’t been released yet). This song takes a huge drastic change from the “kidpop” arena and jumps right into a style Goto Maki would feel right at home in. The costumes, the dance choreography, everything takes a huge jump from what fans are used to seeing from AKB48. Its only a glimpse of what this group is capable of in the future. Hitting the mainstream market square in the eye! Watch out H!P, haha.

AKB48 – Faint Performance from 1st Concert Tour

AKB48 fans might want to argue that theres other performances that were just as amazing, this is the defining bit that caught my eye… I might rewatch this concert and comment on the other… performances as time progresses.

And in the words of another forum poster on the Faint Performance, “damn Itano thighs”. Who can’t agree with that…