No, Sera, No!

Breaking News via Allkpop

Man, seems like not even a year since I was captivated by Nine Muses' Lusciously sexy Ryu Sera and now it's been announced that she's leaving the band! Nine Muses have been going through quite a bit of member shift, since even LeeSem and Eunji have recently departed, but Sera was not only one of the original members, but the group's leader as well!

 I'm hoping that the real reason for Sera leaving is to focus on a solo career, since she's been making a lot of these great homemade videos featuring her singing her favorite songs in relaxed sittings. My favorite one has to be of her sining the classic  King Harvest "Dancing In The Moonlight", Sera is so cute just hangin' around the home humming tunes to herself!

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The K-Pop Arms

Didn’t realize I’d be enjoying the new SBS reality show “Roommate” so much- I’d initially only tuned into it because I'd already seen the hilarious footage of the messy Afterschool dorm  when they went to interview cast-member Nana before she moved into the Roommate Building. The first episode was pretty much what I expected (awkward greetings and small talk among residents), though it was pretty cool seeing a side of Nana I hadn't before, I wasn't sure how much I'd be checking into the show.

Nana and Hong Soohyun

This all changed with the second episode and the sole reason for this sudden spark of interest in the show is because it was episode two when eccentric “4-Dimensional” 2NE1 vocalist Park Bom showed up! Holy CRAP, I FORGOT how freaking fun she is- she has SO MUCH personality and dizzy attitude that from the MINUTE she showed up, she had me cracking up and wanting to tune in for more! 

The One and Only Park Bom

From waking everyone up at 3 in the morning as she tried (unsuccessfully) to get ready for bed while the others slept, and finally giving up and sleeping in the living room (and how hilarious when the late night arrivals came home and found her sleeping there, LOL)

 ...to mischievously sneaking drinks and snacks into her bed and nibbling them under the sheets when she thinks no one is looking: 

...as well as talking to the cameras in her room like they are real life friends standing right next to her, it was like watching 2NE1TV all over again!

examining the camera as Song Gayeon looks on

 I’ll admit, when the other (guy) roommates are on, I ain’t that interested, but BOY, whenever Bom is there, it is as fresh and funny as anything! Recently, both Nana and Lee Sora have stated how much they love Bom, and it’s easy to see why- she is so naive and sapcey about things, she’s like a wide-eyed innocent child- a child who can belt out the ballads like a goddess!

Orange Caramel meets 2NE1

Future best Buddies Nana and Bom

Bom's quirky habit of speaking exactly what's on her mind has also paved the way for some fun scenarios like when she confessed that she wasn't keen on "Mom" Shin Sung Woo cooking their meals with his full mustached and bearded face, so with her pressuring, they trooped out into the yard to shave it off! Bom giggled throughout the segment, and when Shin needed water to wash off the shaving cream and she sprayed her water moisturizer all over his face, she was dying with laughter! So much fun!

"Mom" Shin shaving off his beard and mustache at Bom's request

 And trips to go shopping haven't been so entertaining since that 2NE1TV show when they went to London- as usual, Bom's 4-dimensional way of tlaking ans thinking had everyone cracking up!

Just shopping with the girls

 ...and even back at home, she's entertaining just sitting in bed all day (which she does, all the time, ahaha) bonus points for her venturing out sans makeup- though she DID have a bit of shyness when Nana came into the room straight from a Music Show appearance in full glamoured-up makeup!

Eeek! You're so pretty and I'm all ughhhh!

 Aw man, sad to say, I've been hearing quite a bit about how poorly the show is doing in the ratings, but for MY money, it's all the other boring storylines that are bringing the show down (I'm particularly bugged by the forced "lovelines" that they're always trying to start between flatmates) because when Bom is onscreen, it is 100% pure fun entertainment!

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Some Lustin' For Luvian

 My world of Asian gravure has been shaken to the core with The Chive (of all places) introducing me to the wonders of luscious Chinese Model Luvian Ben Neng (also known as Li Kai Shi 李凯诗) which all started when they uploaded THIS salaciously sexy photo:

 "HOLY CRAP, this girl is just DEVASTATINGLY pretty!" was my initial response, and after quickly perusing the other sexy samples the Chive uploaded, (and being stunned by them all!) I knew I had to see MORE! 

  Going Online, I was to soon discover that Luvian was already getting popular in gravure circles, and I was THRILLED to find that there were many, MANY photo sets to enjoy!  MAN, just going through the pics from a single set and you can see why she’s been getting quite a name for herself! 

 What IS it about this girl that’s so MYSTIFYING to me? Is it her eyes? Is it her slightly Eurasian looks, those lush (admittedly false) eyelashes, or is it that alluring beauty spot just about her Lips? Dunno, but boy, SOMETHING about her just set her apart from all the other models that have been coming out in the forums lately into a vibrant new package!

    Luvian’s photo shoots run from sexy Bikini Sets to Blisteringly HOT Lingerie Shoots, but she can also stun dressed simply in Fashionable Ensembles shopping around town! From Sweet to Sexy, CLassy to Coy, whenever I open a new photo set from her, I'm always surprised at what she's chosen to "dress up" in this time!

 Oh Yeah, I am DEFINITELY going to be keeping an EYE on THIS girl!!!

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Catching Up With Shakalabbits

New Shakalabbits Anthologies with Video Collections

  This past weekend my friend and I were cruising at a local department store when the Wonders' snazzy song "That Thing You Do" from the Tom Hanks movie of the same name came on, and as we stood there groovin' to it, I was immedaitely reminded on how freakin' great the J-Pop ska group Shakalabbits' thrashing cover of it was! I asked him if I ever shared that video with him, and when he said he hadn't, I made sure that when we got back to my house that he got to see it!

 Needless to say, he loved it (even demanding I make a copy of the song for him!) and this got me to wondering just WHAT Shakalabbits were up to! Jumping onto the trusty CD Japan site, I was to find that they'd JUST simultaneously released two CD/DVD Greatest Hits with all their hit singles (as well as favorites chosen by the band) and all their super COOL videos! This was particularly a thrill for me, since, even though I'd bought one of their DVD Video collections before (the awesome Video Music Awards greatest Hits Vol.1):

...it didn't include a lot of their later songs, especially songs "Dazzling Soup" and Monologue" which were the first songs I loved from them- or their really early stuff like "Even If I'm Alone" and "80", happily,  they ALL were on this new package! WHOA!
 I immediately ordered the two CDs (well, added it to my existing T-ARA order, which was set to ship out in only another week) and jsut today they came in! So stoked, for while there, SHAKALABBITS was just about my favorite group, and these videos have always been a BIG part of what I loved about them-for the FIRST TIME, I'm seeing these PVs nice and crystal clear!!!

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Secret's Hyosung as Adorable Ghost in "Cheo Yong"

Hyosung in Cheo Yong: Ghost-Seeing Detective

 As my bias in the cheerfully cute group SECRET, it piqued my interest when I first heard pretty Jeon Hyosung was going to be in a drama, (and as a ghost helping a detective, no less!) But as the months went by, I only heard about it in a roundabaout way, and it wasn’t until just this past week that I finally decided I’d better hunt the drama down and see if I could get it!

The Ghost and I: Hyosung meets Oh Ji Ho

 Well, the drama “Cheo Yong: Ghost Seeing Detective” wasn’t hard to find, and I found that in the time since I’d first heard about it, it had aired and actually finished! Usually these K-dramas run for 22 episodes or so, this one only ran 10. I downloaded all of the episodes and found a subbing team that translated it (albeit a very englisshy translation, oi!) and have JUST finished watching the first episode!
   First off, I have to say that Yoon Cheo Yong (as played by cool Oh Ji Ho, the actor I always thought looked like a Korean Hiroshi Abe) is an intriguing character from the onset- He’s been born with the ability to see spirits, and his mysterious battles with the undead start off the show with a bang, but it’s when he transfers back to the main  Police station that things get good- 
   Seems Hyosung’s an adorable ghost named Han Na Young who spends her days with the people at work in the station, skipping back and forth between rooms, cheerfully talking with them and advising them, never minding the fact that no one can see or hear her! 

So cute watching her having one-sided conversations with the workers, her chipper and spritely persona just making me smile!

But when Cheo Yong arrives, she is stunned to find that this gentleman can see AND hear her, a fact that thrills her to no end! As a ghost bound to the building of the station and with no one to actually interact with, she makes it her mission to follow Cheo Yong all over the place, chatting excitedly about every thing that comes to mind!

"You can see me, right, mister?"

"I won't let you pass until you acknowledge me!"

DAEBAK!!!

Man, Hyosung is REALLY stealing the show for me, she is SO doggone innocent and CUTE! Really, by the end of the episode, I had a hard time believing that that busty, sultry femme fatale leading SECRET was this same girl playing sweetie NaYoung! But when she smiles that huge toothy smile, I’m all like, “Ah yes, that’s my girl!”

   PS: In a timely coincidence, right as I began watching the show, it was announced that Hyosung was going to be releasing her very first SOLO album outside of Secret! Since I was high on Hyosung love, I immediately put in MY order (which tempted me with it’s free poster and DVD!) so it looks like there’s gonna be a WHOLE LOT of Hyosung love here in the coming weeks!!!

Hyosung's first Solo Album "Top Secret"

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Autographed 4Minute!!

 My Autographed 4Minute World Special Edition CD arrived from Yesasia today- (Yes, I know I swore off these guys, but with specials like this, how can I resist!) and it looks cool, though I have to admit, the signatures are so scribbly, I can't tell who is who! And I thought Rainbow had illegible handwriting, LOL
   Hmm, I'm guessing the signature in the upper left hand corner is Gayoon since I can kind of make out a G and a Y, but for the rest, your guess is as good as mine...That’s the thing when signatures are so stylized, they very rarely look like actual letters!
   Sigh, Looks like the only way I’ll be able to crack this is I'll probably have to match the sigs up with pictures of other 4Minute autographed memorabilia online.
 Edit: OK, going online, I was lucky enough to find a picture of a trading card signed by all 5 members with their signatures signed right under their respective images, giving me an easy “cheat sheet” to determine who was who…

 ...now all I now had to do was match up the signatures!

 Hahaha, well, looking at the card, it seems my initial guess of the lefthand signature being Gayoon’s was wrong- that signature belongs to Jiyoon! Gayoon actually had a lot more swirly and elaborate sig (the center one)… Nice to finally know who’s behind the signatures now, I especially like Jihyun’s, a feminine autograph from such a beautiful lady!

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