So This Was 2NE1′s Comeback

After squeezing every possible rendition out of their smash hit I Don’t Care, 2NE1 fans were promised a full-on promotion of each of the remaining 4 songs on their debut mini-album that they have yet to promote (In The Club, Let’s Go Party, Pretty Boy and Stay Together).

So let’s take a look at 2NE1′s activities after they did I Don’t Care-Bob Marley style.

06 September

11 September

13 September

That’s a grand total of 3 performances in 1 week. Whew! That was hectic!

After the massive success of Fire and I Don’t Care, expectations were off-the-charts on what 2NE1 will be doing next. But after watching their comeback performance (1st vid), I felt a little lacking. Is it me or was that performance a big letdown? Oh the agony… where to begin?

First, the style. There was the outrageous futuristic BEG-inspired outfits. We all know YG talents for being fashionably loud. Most of the times, they are a hit. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times. I also didn’t like CL and Bom’s hairstyle in this one. It looked like a cow licked their bangs or something. What’s up with that? On the other hand, I guess they can’t think of a new way to style Minzy’s hair. It also didn’t help that CL seemed to have packed on a few pounds ever since they came from vacation. First Yoobin, then CL??! Nooooooo.

Image courtesy of Allkpop

Fire + I Don’t Care = Pretty Boy

One reason I had huge expectations for this particular song is because their first performance of this song basically introduced the word “fierce” into the Kpop lexicon. Let me refresh your memory.

Pretty Boy is like the middle ground between Fire and I Don’t Care. The tone and intensity is just right. And since 2NE1 is supposed to be the epitome of original these days, I won’t even mention the fact that the intro of Pretty Boy sounds similar to the intro of this masterpiece (oops). It isn’t too upbeat like Fire and isn’t too mellow like I Don’t Care and the performance above, I think, captured the essence of the song.

However, when they performed Pretty Boy the second time around (September 06 perf), they changed the choreography. They retained the chairs but they eliminated the back-up dancers. Watching 2NE1 try to dance to an ideal club song gave me chills to the core. And please, let’s not blame the heels. That’s why we have these things called “practices.”

But that wasn’t really the most cringe-inducing part of their choreo. Check out the 1:55 to 2:25 part in their 09/06 perf.

We all know Minzy is an above-average dancer, but few will agree that she isn’t as good as she’s hyped up to be. It isn’t her fault that I expected too much. You can blame YG for that. Still, this was her chance to prove me wrong. But she didn’t. I mean, it made Hyoyeon’s little dance break in Genie look epic. Even her typical pedotastic routine couldn’t save her from this disaster. At this point, I’m not even sure which is better: this one or Hyun Ah’s dance break in Hot Issue.

Anyway, what’s with the YG ladies getting on the floor? Do they like cleaning the stage or something? Maybe even they thought their dance was so bad that they felt like they were literally littering on stage and had to clean it up. Just look at whatever CL was doing. A few months ago, that MIGHT (huge emphasis on might) have been sexy, but that outfit just made her look 15 lbs heavier.

If you listen closely, you’ll hear a “blech” at the start of her dance solo. That and all the rolling on the floor made it look as if she was reenacting a scene from The Grudge. Is she auditioning for a Korean version of that movie that we don’t know about? Also, during that “to the left, to the left” bit thing (no, they totally weren’t ripping off Beyoncé), CL really has to stop rolling her eyes upward. It makes her look cross-eyed even more.

Fortunately, it appeared as though the girls realized this as they removed the entire dance break in their Music Bank performance. However, somehow, they managed to top CL’s cowlick hairstyle with a more atrocious one by styling it as though a huge turd was placed on her head. There’s a fine line between looking cool and looking like a fool. CL usually pulls off the stuff Yang Seung Ho and Lee Hyun Jong hang around her body. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times. I guess those two were compensating for the lack of accessories on the girls and put it out on their hairs instead.

Not 50 Cent’s In The Club

Contrary to 50 Cent’s In Da Club, In The Club is a slow song reminiscent of their previous hit, I Don’t Care. I liked this performance very much because they tweaked a few minor things that made it refreshing for me to watch 2NE1 again.

First, they brought back the back-up dancers so we finally get to see someone who can actually dance again aside from Minzy. Then they gave CL her shades back. Maybe she can’t express a sad look with her eyes? I dunno why they did it but I liked it. Third, Park Bom in pants! Now that’s a first (I think)! Finally, they incorporated a couple theatrical pieces to their perf. You have the mini-bar to set the mood right and the elevated platform for the actual performance. Nice touch indeed.

Nothing much I can say about Dara and Bom. Those two unnies are like the two constant in each 2NE1 performance. You always know what you’ll get from those two: a solid performance. Although, Dara’s voice cracked a little around the 1:58 to 2:02 mark of their perf above. Also, the two 26-year-olds don’t stand out much to me compared with CL and Minzy.

End of Promotions

So after those three performances, YG finally decided to pull the plug on the promotions for their mini-album. Although I was very disappointed with their comeback, I felt that it was premature for YG to end 2NE1′s mini-album promotions. Sure Pretty Boy was weak sauce. But they bounced back nicely with In The Club.

On the other hand, his cashcow (yet another cow reference) G-Dragon has been killing the charts since he came back, so no big loss for YG there. Fortunately for GD, music charts are based on popularity and not talent. Hehe.

What annoys me the most in all these is that YG keeps insisting that one reason 2NE1 is ending their mini-album promotion is because the girls need are exhausted and need a much-deserved break. Blah, blah, blah… Come on, is Sandara’s health really that bad? First, YG gave us announced that 2NE1 will only do one TV show a week. Now, he’s giving us the “much-needed” break crap again. Some thought this was brilliant. Well, I say BS. I understand that he wants to concentrate on promoting GD and Taeyang’s upcoming return because we all know YG is such a hands-on guy. But why feed us this BS?

Meanwhile, 4minute is surging, BEG is still the sexiest shiznit right now, Kara is still bootylicious and that latest group f(x) is also pretty good. Heck, even T-ARA is still relevant. Plus, that female Donghae Amber fella character raps well…and in ENGLISH too, even if she sounds too Fred Durst-ish. And this list doesn’t even include girl groups that are set to make a comeback/debut in the near future (After School (!!!), Secret) and groups that are seemingly ubiquitous (SNSD, Wonder Girls).

This begs the question: is YG starting to feel the heat from the insanely intense girl group competition?

Anyway, I’m still looking forward to 2NE1′s next album.  Every girl group has stepped up its game so I’m very curious to see what trendsetting stuff 2NE1 will bring to the table next time because I’m already sold on the idea that there isn’t much to work around with the type of music they do and the kind of image they already have. But I’m still prepared for my jaw to drop. After all, this is a YG group, with actual talent, we’re talking about. Hopefully, this won’t end up as another overhyped but disappointing album.

Gotta go before 2NE1′s psycho fans find me.

P.S.

I’m not anti-2NE1 ok? For a change, let’s be honest and keep things in a proper perspective when talking about 2NE1.

Also, please bear with me for the massive amount of links in this post instead of more videos and pics. I’ll update it when I can sneak in some free time. Thanks!

Just When I Thought My Abracadabra Fever Was About To Subside… (Updated with Subs!!!)

…they do something like this and blow me away.

UPDATE: I changed parts 3 and 4 with the subbed versions. Thanks to BEGsubcrew for their hard work.

I think I just died from 2:12 to 2:17. Now that’s some sexy back! I might just see my reflection there if I look at Ga-in’s back up close. Glad to see BEG getting a lot of love. The girls were their usual sexy self, but is it just me or were the girls spunkier here? Also, more fireworks! This is what has set apart BEG from the current crop of girl groups. The stage seems so bare and thrifty (? not sure what to call it) with the rest of them, but with BEG, you get a full show each time they perform Abracadabra, or any of their songs for that matter (see Nights, Moody).

Except for the part where they taught the freakishly tall host to dance Abracadabra (awkward), nothing much going on here, only because there are no subs yet. So will somebody please sub this show? Anyone? Bueller? Also look how shy Miryo is with her outfit. Hehe. Cute. Can’t blame her though. That thing runs all the way up to her groin.

Favorite part of the show up to this point. Dayuuumm…this just validated that Narsha is my favorite BEG member. It used to be a toss-up between her and Ga-in, but Ga-in is a very very close 1b. I think Narsha is the most playful member of BEG (and I bet the most fun to be around) so it’s always great seeing this side of her when given the chance. She never fails to amuse/amaze me.

Ga-in’s Rainism made me cringe and laugh at the same time. Hehe. I don’t know if Miryo intentionally went to that side to help Ga-in with her choreo or she just didn’t know the dance.

Check out Miryo’s segment here. That should me more than enough reason why this ep should get subbed quickly. But even though I didn’t understand a word she said, her freestyle here was downright filthy. Baddest female who? (Hyun Bin makes a special guest appearance! Woot!)

Updated: from soompi (thanks very mucho!!! to omnomnom for translating this part)

K: Now, the Brown Eyed Girls have told us that they will show us a few of their talents here today. Now, Miss Miryo over here was part of a hip hop group called ‘Honey Family’ a long time ago, do you guys remember? Yes, she was the lead female rapper, so its obvious that she is incredibly skilled at rapping, isn’t it? That’s why were going to ask you to show us your free style rapping skills here today!

-WOOOOOOT-

K: But just to spice things up we are going to give her different topics to base her rap upon, here we have the topics..

CAPTION: Mission: Incorporate the 3 topics that are drawn into the freestyle rap!

K: We were going to ask you to draw 3 topics, and base your freestyle rap upon them, are you up to it?

M…………………………….. –Laughs- Yes… OF COURSE

K: It looks like she was thinking that one over, but

-LOL-

K: Alright, I’ll pick the first topic. – Picks one- Mm, now lets see what our first topic is… -Untying- Wow they tied it up really tight… -Untied- And our first topic is… <HYUN-BIN>

Caption: Miryo’s Ideal Guy? ‘Hyun Bin’

J: That’s her ideal guy!

K: Oh really? Hyun Bin is our first topic here~

N: The color is suddenly returning to Miryo’s face~ ^^

K: Now I’ll pick the second topic.. And it is… <Hong Tak Sam Hab>

N: Isn’t that skate? (The fish)

K: Hong Tak Sam Hab (food) is a dish with Hong-Uh (Skate) Takju, and Sam Gyub Sal (bacon)

M: Ah… Yes, Hong Tak Sam Hab… Hyun Bin…

K: Yes they’re completely unrelated, this just turned very interesting, ladies and gentlemen.

CAPTION: ‘Hyun Bin’ and ‘Hong Tak Sam Hab’… That’s so hard~ T_____T

K: And for the last one, how about Miss Miryo, pick one yourself

M: -Deep Sigh- Yes…

K: Is something troubling you? You sighed so deeply

M: Yes… Please… -Picking- This ones telling me to pick it~

K: Yes, I don’t think it matters what you pick now, its just that interesting already!

M: Yes… Please~~

K: -Untying- Hyun Bin, Hong Tak Sam Hab and…

M: JJAN!!! (TADA!!)

K: A COW. Wow, this is just too difficult! Hyun Bin, Hong Tak Sam Hab, and a cow…

M: This is hilarious

Caption: Will Miryo be able to successfully create a rap about these 3 unrelated topics on the SPOT?

K: Now~

-Music Starts-

M: One day I opened my eyes, and I looked upon the headlines,

Turns out Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo had intertwining love lives,

Hyun Bin’s manly attractive sense, gone like the Hong Tak Sam Hab that I was talking about,

No doubt,

Oh my, where do I find a man like that anymore,

When he’s the man of some other woman, he closed the door,

On me,

Like the pure white milk, from a spotted cow,

I wanted to drink his affection every then and now, no everyday

But too bad now, he ain’t solo.

Now I can’t call his name no mo

The man of my dreams, if I shout his name,

I become a desperate and lifeless dame

And I pondered, “Oh, what do I do now?”

And I figured it out, I finally knew what to do and how.

“Call me when you’re solo again~

K: Truth is, I was really sorry because we asked her to do something so difficult all of a sudden but she pulled it off all so well that was incredible!

N: Us, the members, were even surprised at that

K: Classy, yes~ Now, Miss Narsha?

N: For me, well these days I’ve been having a keen interesting in beatboxing,

K: Oh, beatboxing!

N: Yes. Well, I personally think I’m not bad,

K: Well as long as you yourself has confidence, that’s important!

N: But after about 4 beats, they tell me to stop…

J: Its actually after around 2 beats that it starts to get unbearable to listen to

N: But today I really practiced a lot, so

J: Wow~

K: Really?

N: Should I…?

K: Yes, please!

Caption:< Narsha’s 4 Beat Beatboxing>

N: -Beatboxing- -Uh, ye, uh- -Breath- -COUGH- SORRY!

K: So at the end, the cough is a sign that you’re going to wrap things up, yes?

N: Yes, exactly. The cough at the end was professionally designated, and planned, at the end, to allow the audience to know that the end is near.

J: It’s a new method.

N: yes, yes

K: Yes, a new method, ending the beatbox with a cough.

K: Now, Miss Ga-In~

G: Yes

K: What did you prepare for us today?

G: Well for me, I really like to dance~

K: Oh, really Ga-In?

G: Yes, but the thing is… If you see me dance for too long… You might puke, and get the shivers

K: Ah, so it’s a short and sweet thing?

G: Yes, it is! Very short.

Caption: <Ga-In’s Trump Card << Short and Sweet Dance>> >

RAINISM- By GA-IN

Caption: Her back hurts! Short and sweet enough, lets stop!

K: Ah, Ga-In prepared ‘Rainism’ by Rain. It’s a really masculine dance, but it was good, boyish and chic.

J: She resembles Rain a bit as well

K: She resembles Rain?!

G: Wait, pardon?!

J: She does look like Rain!

K: Now that I think about it… She does sort of look like Rain…

Caption: She does resemble him…

K: Yes, her very… Horizontal eyes as well..

J: Attractive eyes

K: Yes, very attractive. Thank you Ga-In, lets have a round of applause!

-Applause-

K: I would love to see more from the Brown Eyed Girls in the future, amazing productions, once again. Now, the Brown Eyed Girls have prepared a little bit more for us today

J:We really prepared songs that would bring out some parts of us that you’ve never heard of before

K: And we’ll be looking forward to it! Round of applause!

end

K: Now, the Brown Eyed Girls have told us that they will show us a few of their talents here today. Now, Miss Miryo over here was part of a hip hop group called ‘Honey Family’ a long time ago, do you guys remember? Yes, she was the lead female rapper, so its obvious that she is incredibly skilled at rapping, isn’t it? That’s why were going to ask you to show us your free style rapping skills here today!

-WOOOOOOT-

K: But just to spice things up we are going to give her different topics to base her rap upon, here we have the topics..

CAPTION: Mission: Incorporate the 3 topics that are drawn into the freestyle rap!

K: We were going to ask you to draw 3 topics, and base your freestyle rap upon them, are you up to it?

M…………………………….. –Laughs- Yes… OF COURSE

K: It looks like she was thinking that one over, but

-LOL-

K: Alright, I’ll pick the first topic. – Picks one- Mm, now lets see what our first topic is… -Untying- Wow they tied it up really tight… -Untied- And our first topic is… <HYUN-BIN>

Caption: Miryo’s Ideal Guy? ‘Hyun Bin’

J: That’s her ideal guy!

K: Oh really? Hyun Bin is our first topic here~

N: The color is suddenly returning to Miryo’s face~ ^^

K: Now I’ll pick the second topic.. And it is… <Hong Tak Sam Hab>

N: Isn’t that skate? (The fish)

K: Hong Tak Sam Hab (food) is a dish with Hong-Uh (Skate) Takju, and Sam Gyub Sal (bacon)

M: Ah… Yes, Hong Tak Sam Hab… Hyun Bin…

K: Yes they’re completely unrelated, this just turned very interesting, ladies and gentlemen.

CAPTION: ‘Hyun Bin’ and ‘Hong Tak Sam Hab’… That’s so hard~ T_____T

K: And for the last one, how about Miss Miryo, pick one yourself

M: -Deep Sigh- Yes…

K: Is something troubling you? You sighed so deeply

M: Yes… Please… -Picking- This ones telling me to pick it~

K: Yes, I don’t think it matters what you pick now, its just that interesting already!

M: Yes… Please~~

K: -Untying- Hyun Bin, Hong Tak Sam Hab and…

M: JJAN!!! (TADA!!)

K: A COW. Wow, this is just too difficult! Hyun Bin, Hong Tak Sam Hab, and a cow…

M: This is hilarious

Caption: Will Miryo be able to successfully create a rap about these 3 unrelated topics on the SPOT?

K: Now~

-Music Starts-

M: One day I opened my eyes, and I looked upon the headlines,

Turns out Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo had intertwining love lives,

Hyun Bin’s manly attractive sense, gone like the Hong Tak Sam Hab that I was talking about,

No doubt,

Oh my, where do I find a man like that anymore,

When he’s the man of some other woman, he closed the door,

On me,

Like the pure white milk, from a spotted cow,

I wanted to drink his affection every then and now, no everyday

But too bad now, he ain’t solo.

Now I can’t call his name no mo

The man of my dreams, if I shout his name,

I become a desperate and lifeless dame

And I pondered, “Oh, what do I do now?”

And I figured it out, I finally knew what to do and how.

“Call me when you’re solo again~

K: Truth is, I was really sorry because we asked her to do something so difficult all of a sudden but she pulled it off all so well that was incredible!

N: Us, the members, were even surprised at that

K: Classy, yes~ Now, Miss Narsha?

N: For me, well these days I’ve been having a keen interesting in beatboxing,

K: Oh, beatboxing!

N: Yes. Well, I personally think I’m not bad,

K: Well as long as you yourself has confidence, that’s important!

N: But after about 4 beats, they tell me to stop…

J: Its actually after around 2 beats that it starts to get unbearable to listen to

N: But today I really practiced a lot, so

J: Wow~

K: Really?

N: Should I…?

K: Yes, please!

Caption:< Narsha’s 4 Beat Beatboxing>

N: -Beatboxing- -Uh, ye, uh- -Breath- -COUGH- SORRY!

K: So at the end, the cough is a sign that you’re going to wrap things up, yes?

N: Yes, exactly. The cough at the end was professionally designated, and planned, at the end, to allow the audience to know that the end is near.

J: It’s a new method.

N: yes, yes

K: Yes, a new method, ending the beatbox with a cough.

K: Now, Miss Ga-In~

G: Yes

K: What did you prepare for us today?

G: Well for me, I really like to dance~

K: Oh, really Ga-In?

G: Yes, but the thing is… If you see me dance for too long… You might puke, and get the shivers

K: Ah, so it’s a short and sweet thing?

G: Yes, it is! Very short.

Caption: <Ga-In’s Trump Card << Short and Sweet Dance>> >

RAINISM- By GA-IN

Caption: Her back hurts! Short and sweet enough, lets stop!

K: Ah, Ga-In prepared ‘Rainism’ by Rain. It’s a really masculine dance, but it was good, boyish and chic.

J: She resembles Rain a bit as well

K: She resembles Rain?!

G: Wait, pardon?!

J: She does look like Rain!

K: Now that I think about it… She does sort of look like Rain…

Caption: She does resemble him…

K: Yes, her very… Horizontal eyes as well..

J: Attractive eyes

K: Yes, very attractive. Thank you Ga-In, lets have a round of applause!

-Applause-

K: I would love to see more from the Brown Eyed Girls in the future, amazing productions, once again. Now, the Brown Eyed Girls have prepared a little bit more for us today

J:We really prepared songs that would bring out some parts of us that you’ve never heard of before

K: And we’ll be looking forward to it! Round of applause!

end

Finally, why nothing on the leader? She always get to talk the least in their guestings. Like I said, the clip above was my favorite part of the show up to that point. Until they did this…

Iz over! If after watching this you’re still not convinced that BEG is the most talented girl group out there right now, then you’re either on crack or a 2NE1 fan. Just kidding. Seriously, was that the best version of A&A (besides the original) you’ve seen/heard? Call me crazy, but this might be even better than the R&B version of 2PM themselves. Live versions are always great, but doing it with a live band is the best. So jazzy! And I likey!

If that didn’t blow you away, the second perf definitely would. Narsha looked like a cute kid with her wig and outfit when she came out. Then she started doing her thing and it surprised the hell out of me. Man, that was some hot shiznit! Mind you, this is a Drunken Tiger song, not some weak sauce rap song where the verses are just being spoken. I haven’t heard the original, but I’ll definitely be checking it out soon. If that wasn’t enough, she even got the high notes perfectly (kinda weird when they zoomed in on her because she looked like she couldn’t fully open her mouth during those high notes). Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Miryo. She looked like the female Outsider doing her thing up there (Narsha likes performing with awesome/legit rappers, no? While Miryo likes to co-rap with other females). If they did the best rapper survey after showing this ep, Miryo would be number one of course. But I bet the rest would be tied at number 2, all of them with zero votes (or 1% at most), no doubt about it. Lastly, I want that banner thing they were waving. And while I’m at it, kindly sign it as well.

Finally, I like this rock version of Eojjeoda better than the emo version they did before. And check out Narsha. Told you she was the most playful Brown Eyed Girl. Then you got JeA. Listening to her sing live is always a treat. Just check out how she rips her part in Eojjeoda. Amazing vocal prowess. And Narsha’s just so proud to be a part of BEG, waving that banner every time she got. But who wouldn’t? Just when I was about to get old of Abracadabra, and right before I was about to be swept by some s-s-s-s-sexy Muzik, (still hotter than f(x)’s debut and 2NE1′s comeback IMO, more on that later), they pull off something like this (granted they taped this a few weeks ago but only aired it this weekend) and remind me that they’re still the best girl group around.

To that, I say MORE BEG PLEASE! And somebody sub this damn episode already! And yes, Abracadabra fever is still very much alive! Still, I wish the girls would be given a much-needed break. They’ve been promoting their songs non-stop for more than a month now. Even if they’re veterans who have been through this before, their schedule is too craaaazy! Pulling off sometimes two-, three-a-day gigs, every day of the week. If they do get a break, hopefully they can secure their own show that will give their fans a glimpse on their lives off the glamorous stage, ala-2NE1TV.

PS

For those who want a ripped version of the last three songs, you can join the BEG community at LJ and get your copy there.

Thanks to CodeMonmonSeason4 for the uploads.

4minute Comeback Stage!!! S-s-s-sexy Muzik!

Updated 2: I replaced the video with this one from Music Core. This performance basically made this entire post irrelevant. Dammit Music Bank. Fortunately, their Music Core comeback was a lot better, from the performance to the costume and stage design, than the one they did at Music Bank (is it me or do all performers these days give their least effort in their MB performances?). I just thought Ji Yoon took off her shades too early. Other than that, this performance was perfect.

Update: since this was from Music Bank, the video may no longer be available once you click it. Byane-yo.

INTRO

First, Hyun Ah! She’s insanely scorchin’ lately. And I found out that she just turned 17! Umaygaad! I definitely believe she’s the sexiest female idol below 18 today. She’s become such a temptress in their comeback. And she set the tone with her wicked (FIERCE is so overused right now) rapping in the first part. They went gangsta and pulled it off effortlessly. The all-white outfit was a nice touch. It was a refreshing change from all the black/dark leather costumes among the female groups today.

However, it would have been a lot better if they also included Ji Yoon’s part in For Muzik. I guess they had to do their perf within 4 minutes or something. Hopefully, they’ll include her bit from For Muzik in their subsequent performances, or better yet, do the entire intro, then Muzik. I would have also liked it very much if they showed a close-up of each of the member during For Muzik. The cameraman only focused on Hyun Ah the entire time.

MUZIK

Shaky start for Ji Yoon. I think her herky-jerky dancing is affecting her singing a bit. I also would’ve preferred if she lost the jacket. Show off that sexy body for crying out loud!!! After the MV gave us an overload of Ji Yoon’s oozing sexiness, her perf here left me wanting more. More, Ji Yoon shots I say!

I was surprised that Ji Hyun had as many parts as the Yoon Sisters (Ji Yoon and Ga Yoon). But more surprising was that I think Ga Yoon had the most lines out of the five. Speaking of sisters, what’s up with Ji Hyun’s twin So Hyun? She was like the odd woman out. She already has the fewest lines in the song, so did she really have to do her part in the corner? Poor maknae. She definitely needs to get more camera time.

It was fun watching how the backup dancers suddenly appeared out of nowhere, disappeared, then re-appeared again at the end. Ha! I really liked the systematic chaos in it before coming together in the last part. This got me thinking. If memory serves, with the exception of BEG’s Abracadabra, all the idol groups this year have gone on stage without backup dancers. Backup dancers used to be an essential part of a Kpop performance. Even balladeers had backup dancers. I think this trend of no backups started last year with 10 out of 10, then Gee and Sorry Sorry, all the way to Fire. Is the dancing of the current crop of  idols so good that backup dancers have become unnecessary today? Or are companies just cross-cutting? Discuss.

I’m also digging the d-d-d-d-dancing music part a lot. The choreo kinda reminds me of the rap part of Mirotic. It’s as catchy as the song itself. I almost forgot, but did you see Hyun Ah’s legs? W0Ot! She should definitely do Abracadabra in Ga-in’s outfit at least once. But I think Hyun Ah’s rap part might have looked less awkward if she had a mic in her hand instead.

Overall, I was satisfied with their comeback stage. I was worried that Cube might have rushed the girls (again?) with their comeback but I think they did well. After the Muzik MV came out, I couldn’t wait to see them perform it live. Now, I’m very curious on what adjustments they’ll do for their next perf. Considering she “debuted” her eyes here already, is Ji Yoon going to lose the glasses for good next time? What outfits will they be wearing next time (please no jacket for Ji Yoon)? Next time, will Hyun Ah wear the wig and do the chair dance? Will they perform For Muzik again? And if they do, will they do a longer version with some Ji Yoon in it? Is somebody going to do the split next time? Who will be collaborating with 4minute this time? Will it be 2PM/2AM appearing as the backups next time? Will they put the car in their background next time?

Aigoo…so many questions, so many possibilities. When’s their next performance? I might be slightly disappointed if they don’t shake things up a bit later on. Cube has lots of options to keep 4minute’s Muzik perfs fresh throughout its run, and I have faith that they won’t screw it up. Also, I hope that the camera people/director get the shots right next time. I was borderline nauseous after watching 4minute’s perf. The spiraling shots were too fast and the “creative” angles were out of place. Keep it simple next time, ok?

Anyway, congrats to 4minute for a successful comeback. Yeah. The Queen has definitely, ehem, come.

2NE1 Is Still Kinda Awesome, But…

(UPDATED!)

…they really have become the most overrated group right now. But it’s not their fault.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an anti-fan. Heck, I even had a 2NE1 addiction for a couple of weeks after watching 2NE1TV. It became so bad that I had to look at the picture below each day just so I could move on to normalcy.

She says, "I don't care." I say, "WTF?"

So what if she’s cross-eyed? I think CL still has the tightest body in all of Kpop right now, while Minzy is probably the cutest maknae around.

However, the recent influx of girl groups in the Kpop scene already had me on the brink of giving up my 2NE1 fandom. But what really pushed me off the edge was the sudden germination of 2NE1 fanatics who spam the comments section of Kpop sites, YouTube and other Kpop message boards. If you’re a fan of Kara, BEG, 4minute, SNSD or even T-ARA, I’m sure you know what/who I’m talking about.

Fortunately, my fascination quickly shifted to another quartet, a  superiorly talented, albeit underrated one at that.

You see, as one of the many Kpop fans who can’t read/understand Korean, I mainly rely on websites that translate my daily Kpop news to English. These include the simple but always reliable K Bites, the always opinionated Seoulbeats, the glitzy Allkpop and the controversial Popseoul. Besides reading the latest Kpop news, which is practically the same in all 4 sites, I’m also interested in finding out what their readers (mostly non-Korean Kpop fans) have to say about the article.

The comments didn’t bother me at first because everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But as girl groups kept debuting and making comebacks one after the other, the once tranquil comments section became a venue for bashing and trashtalking. Although these fans aren’t required to be unbiased, these kinds of articles (srsly?) only fueled the fire between 2NE1.  But I guess the author didn’t know that. Or maybe she did and just wanted to express her fandom. Whatevs. Maybe I’m just looking for something to nitpick. But at least some writers were decent enough to put things in a proper perspective.

Shocking news: 4minute is pretty good!

I have to admit that I was also part of those who doubted the originality of this group and dismissed them as one of those soon-to-be-forgotten acts right after they debut. Because let’s be honest. Even if they claim that their name was inspired from their desire to capture the audience with their charms in 4 minutes or whatever (also, check out how people shamelessly bash this group at the comments section), I know for sure that they got their name here:

listen from 0:40 onwards and compare it with the intro of this.

You can even argue that the 2:45 to 2:50 mark of Hot Issue sounds like the 2:00 to 2:05 part of Boom Boom Pow. Check it out below:

Then you can’t deny the fashion similarities between 4minute and 2NE1. Of course, this drew the ire of 2NE1 fans, who were quick to point out that it was Hyun Ah and friends who are the copycats. So I guess the debut of 4minute was the turning point that transformed the borderline-fanatic 2NE1 fans to crazier-than-SNSD-antis non-2NE1 girl group bashers.

However, before finally ignoring 4minute completely, one of the girls caught my eye. She single-handedly convinced me that I should give 4minute another chance. Maybe it was her cool voice. Maybe it was her sultry look. Maybe it was her overeager, overcompensating, exaggerated dance moves. Or maybe it was the mysterious vibe behind those sunglasses. Whatever it was, it made me interested. Plus, after digging the Google machine to find out more about her, I find out that her resemblance to Yoobin (hottest WG member) is uncanny. And she’s talented too. Fer realz.

Who's who?

So little by little, I came to appreciate each of 4minute’s members. Hyun Ah, the central character who everyone wants to hate on. Ga Yoon, the main vocalist who is the least attractive in the group, for me, and looks more Chinese than Korean. And the Hyun Twins, So Hyun and Ji Hyun. They’re like the female version of the SHINee Twins, Onew and Key.

I know 4minute isn’t the most original group to come out these days, but who is anyway? Another thing I liked is that they sort of came out of nowhere and people didn’t really have any expectations about them. But they’re doing well now and it’s unfortunate that those delusional 2NE1 fans are raining on their parade.

In a way, this heated rivalry between the two newbies (although the girls will deny that there’s one), reminded me of last year’s rivalry between two rookie boy groups. Remember how SHINee burst out of the scene, topped charts and swept away rookie awards? This year, 2NE1 has done the same ever since they debuted. What 2NE1 lacks in talent compared to SHINee (what? 2NE1 fans please don’t tell me they’re more talented than SHINee), they more than make up in stage presence. So what does that make 4minute? And no, please don’t say U-Kiss.

Well, there was this other boyband that debuted late last year. Its members weren’t really strong vocally. They were pretty good dancers, but their debut song was kinda weak compared to SHINee’s and the song was just too gimmicky overall (you know how some fangirls’ go crazy over the tiniest guy-to-guy action). Still, their launch was moderately successful (probably mainly because they were from JYP, one of the Holy Trinity in Kpop), although nowhere near the magnitude of 2NE1′s or SHINee’s. It took them a little while, but this group really took off after they released their second album that showed their more serious side. Coincidentally, this group has collaborated with 4minute, at least once, already.

Going back to the 2NE1-SHINee comparison, if YG’s one perf per week strategy for her beloved girls continues, I’ll bet it will come back and bite him on the ass. will backfire. So I’m curious to see what YG will do to top I Don’t Care’s success. Although they won some awards, SHINee’s comeback this year was a disappointment overall, at least for me, mainly because of the high expectations that surrounded it. But YG is a pretty smart guy so I’m sure he’ll come up with something to sell albums. Heck, he was even witty to come up with a new meaning for 2NE1′s name. On the other hand, YG has failed before. Big time.

Like I said earlier, I’m not a 2NE1 hater, but I’m not a 4minute apologist either. I’ll even be the first to point out that they’ve had their share of shaky performances. This happens when your company rushes your debut to cash in on a trend.

To make a long story short, watching 4minute’s performances made me realize that they actually have some talent. Although their stage presence isn’t as great as 2NE1′s yet, they might just be more talented than their YG rivals. Yeah, that’s right. I said it: 4minute might be more talented than 2NE1, as a group. Individually, I don’t know yet since I haven’t seen enough of their non-Hyun Ah/Ji Yoon members. However, I think 4minute has more potential than 2NE1. Ji Yoon’s voice can adapt to any kind of song, Hyun Ah’s rapping will shoot up once Cube lets her use her own voice and I’m sure the Twins have something good in store that will catch us off guard, at least I hope they do. In fact, the songs on their debut album shows how much they’ve improved in such a short time. The songs are so awesome that I can’t wait to see them performed live. Plus, Ji Yoon without glasses!!! Her new ‘do looks Rihanna-ish but whatever. It looks good on her and depending on 4minute’s comeback outfits, she might just take over CL as the female idol with the tightest body.

Maybe I just don’t know how else 2NE1 could top their success with I Don’t Care. I mean let’s be honest. CL is a pretty good rapper, but her singing voice is as good as Rihanna’s at best, and that isn’t a compliment. Minzy has a similar singing voice to CL’s, but her best asset is her dancing. She’s a fine dancer, albeit in a pedotastic, scandalous kind of way. But if she wants to pop and lock her way to the top, she still has a long way to go. I think she has the most potential in the group. Bom has a powerful voice and Dara can surprisingly hit them high notes, but can you imagine them singing other than those high-pitched tunes? Plus, I doubt if they can dance to a style other than what YG imposes on them. CL’s stage presence can only take them so far.

One thing 2NE1 has going for them is their great command of the English language, which is unprecedented among Kpop idols. This is one of the reasons why they’ve gained lots of fans outside of Korea. Unfortunately, some of them have trolled the Kpop sites we’ve come to love, which has totally ruined my 2NE1 experience. And don’t even get me started with GD and all the hoopla surrounding his first solo album. That’s for another post. Forget plagiarism (The Leaders? Heartbreaker). Two words: autotune overkill. I wonder what Jay-Z would say about his album… Oh wait.

Thank goodness these girls came back. And while we’re at the boyband comparison, they’re comeback this year was like DBSK’s last year. Calm down Cassiopeians. I know it’s sacrilegious to compare DBSK with another group but check this out.

• Both came back with a very (!!!) sexy image.
• Both groups aren’t really known for their dancing but pulled off the sexy moves perfectly.
• Both groups still have the best singers among all the Kpop groups today.

Does this make Kara, this year’s 2008 version of FT Island? Not too bad.

I think I’ve ran out of boybands to analogize. And you still have T-ARA, Jewelry, the comebacking After School, and SM’s new baby, f(x), while SNSD and WG are in a league of their own. That’s a boatload of girl groups. Am I complaining? Certainly not. I say, bring it on!

Netizens Speak the Truth!!!

From K-bites via BEGirls

She's like a supervaiseeerrrrr (stolen from BEGirls)

Brown Eyed Girls Miryo has been voted by netizens are the best rapper amongst all idol groups.

On community portal site DCInside, a poll was carried out from 18th till 25th August on ‘The rapper which you think is the most talented amongst female idol group members’, and Miryo was voted #1 with 3,072 votes out of 9,358 votes (32.8%).

The rest of the poll results show:

1. Brown Eyed Girls Miryo (32.8%)
2. 2NE1 CL (29.2%)
3. KARA Nicole (18.9%)
4. Wonder Girls YooBin
5. 2NE1 Gong MinJi

That should those delusional 2NE1 fans. I still like 2NE1, but come on, saying shiznit like Minzy dances better than Hyoyeon or CL is the best female rapper out there? That’s like saying Yoochun is talented or something. Just kidding! DBSK fans, please spare my life. But I will admit one thing: CL’s body has been ridiculously smokin’ lately.

Who cares if she's cross-eyed? (stolen from allkpop)

But I’m kinda surprised that Minzy is in that list. And Nicole too. I didn’t know Kara had a rapper.

Anyway, congrats to Miryo. She tops my female rapper list too. Second would be E.via then maybe CL and Yoobin. I heard Tasha is dope but haven’t had the chance to listen to her yet so I can’t include her in the list. After being treated to a sweet dance battle (even without Hyoyeon) recently, maybe we can have a freestyle rap-off between these nasty females next. Who’s with me?

Moar Ga In Goodies!!!

If you still can’t have enough of Ga-in, like me, then head here http://kinview.co.kr/image/?page=1&q=손가인&m=. There are tons of GIFs and never-before seen (at least for me) Ga-in pics, including a couple of you-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it shots. HOOOLY!!!

If that isn’t enough, the site even has some pics of a very young and cutesy Ga-in. I thought I was ready to move on to you Narsha, but because of this, it’s unfortunate that you have to wait just a little more, just until I get my senses back.

Anyway, thanks to http://community.livejournal.com/begirls/ for the hat tip. BEG lovers definitely need to check out that LJ site. It’s still new but the people there are definitely making up for lost time. They even posted scans of the latest BEG album. Yahoooeeeyyy!!!

SON GA-IN Photo Spam!!!

Is it Ga-in or Ga In? Whatever. Because I still have Abracadabra and BEG’s hips stuck on my head, and more recently, Eojjeoda, eojjeoda, eojjeoda (!!!), I figured that posting Son Ga-in pics might be therapeutic for my BEGaddiction. I know she isn’t the prettiest girl in today’s Kpop scene, but Ga-in’s eyes are killing meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! She’s very seductive and sexy even if she’s so delicately thin. And I’ve also realized by digging through her old unsubbed (can someone please sub them?) videos that her off-stage antics are sooo adorable .

I stole most of these pics from other people’s sites, except for a couple of GIFs that I made myself (yeah, my BEG addiction has been that bad) and some YouTube caps. Anyway, I hope this post helps OUR Son Ga-in craving. I haven’t really found a site that has a massive Ga-in photofest, which is another reason I decided to do this. Enjoy.

Idol Army caps that I made into a GIF

Another Idol Army GIF. Thank goodness Wooyoung saved her from that creepy Roora (Raymond Bagatsing lookalike) guy

This is too cute not to post. Tomato girl

This might set your PC on fire

Even Narsha is mesmerized by Ga-in

Ga-in covering CSJH's One More Time, OK? with WG's Sun Mi and SeeYa's Gyuri

Rawwwrrrr!!!

More Narsha and Ga-in lovefest

Looking kinda like 2ne1's Minzy here

Too much makeup but still a cutie

Shy or seductive? Both!

Isn't she just adorable here? Very innocent-looking!

Really, really pretty here

Scarily thin here but that look will melt you

Modeling for Nike. Perfect angle!

SNSD-inspired. Looks like a cartoon version of her on her shirt

I like how she doesn't look scarily thin here. Soooo sexxxy!

This fashionista look is soooo chic. The fit is perfect!

Covering Ivy's A-ha. To quote one comment on YT: "there's no way somebody's that hot!"

Her real hair underneath the wig. Not a big fan of this hairstyle but as long as she wears the wig, I'm ok

Long stockings + Ga-in's legs = hotnessssss

Tomboy look suits her just fine too. Omomomomo

Sailormoon outfit. I likey! They should make her an honorary SNSD member

Kinda looks like Tiffany here but that leather outfit is too sinful

The Snow White look

That oh-so-subtle tattoo on her left wrist just made her 1,000,000 hotter in my book. The summer outfit didn't hurt either.

1950's-inspired or Wonder Girls-inspired? Who cares?!!! They added their own flavor to it

Just look at those legs! Just look at them! After you're done, look at them again and repeat!

Surprise! Even Ga-in has some cleavage too! Hoooly!

This is why ABRACADABRA live is such a holy-shiznit-srsly-scorching perf everytime

Srsly. Can she get any hotter?

When she's not in seduction mode, her natural cuteness surfaces instead. Aigoo...

More wigless Abracadabra pics

It's always good to see her looking healthy. Please maintain this figure Ga-in!

From Family Shares. Look at that concentration. Too bad it only hit the floor. Hehe

How can you not resist that look? Grrrr...

Always fun to see childhood pics of celebs. Very cute! She kinda looks more Chinese than Korean as a kid

There goes those legs again. This begs the question: which is sexier? her eyes or legs? Discuss

She could definitely pose as Minzy's older sister

I don't know if Miryo is having fun with this perf or if she's laughing at Ga-in's position. This was at Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate. Can't wait for the vids!

More from Chocolate. This Rainism perf is making me really really antsy

Even with her shades on, she's still crazily seductive

Don't worry Ga-in, you're still cute even without makeup

I'm currently melting

Ok, so even after posting these pics, Ga-in fever still isn’t over for me. I think it became even worse. So, I’m going after you next. Yeah I’m looking at you Narsha.

Thanks to:

http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Son_Ga-in.php (got most of the pics here)

http://community.livejournal.com/omonatheydidnt

http://4browneyedgirls.wordpress.com/

GA-IN Group Hug!!!

Poor girl. She was probably the most emotional because she had to make the biggest transformation in the group, from most conservative to ultra-hottest. Holy. Let’s not go there. We all know how hot they are right now, on the charts and on the stage. A well-deserved win. Congrats BEG. Can’t get this song out of my head. Actually, I can’t get BEG, especially Ga-in and Narsha, out of my head.

Thank You INKIGAYO!!! (Even if It Almost Gave Me a Heart Attack)

Did I die and go to Kpop heaven?

As I am still recovering from taht perfromance, please forgiv me if I can’t type and spell proprly.

GA IN!!!! Holy mother of mercy!! I thought this dance battle would ruin her, buto bviously, it did teh opossite. She did the imposssible and became even hotttteeerrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NICOLE!!! This gurl certainly knows waht her asssets are…. Shiznit!!!!

HYUNA!!! Srsly, the hating against 4minute should stop. I wished they sent JiYoon, but Hyuna did a pretty good job. These YG diehards are srsly becoming more annoying than those psycho DBSK fans.

MINZY!!! Not fair to put Ga In, Nicole and Hyuna against this pedotastick lady. This is toooo sinful!

My only gripe is… where is HYOYEON!!!! I want a Minzy vs. Hyoyeon showdown…… If you can bring Stephanie from CSJH, even better. I just might die on the spot. WTF.