SS501 back together again

asianfantics.com

Wow, it has been awhile since I wrote on my blog. I have been so busy with my website that I completely forgot about my blog. Well, as you all know, Kim Hyun Joong is back with SS501. And boy are they busy. First thing the group did together was shoot for a French clothing line called Le Coq Sportif. Then they went to Japan to perform in a mini-concert and promote BOF in Japan and then back to Korea to serve as flight attendant to fans on a flight to Jeju Island. Busy busy busy!

jazzholic.com

I am still not happy with DSP not allowing Kim Hyun Joong a break, but he looks a lot better. He is actually getting a little more muscular. Or may be that just me. I hope all goes well from now on.

I heard that there will be a BOF part 2 that will air next February. I wonder if it is going to be the same cast. I am not surprise that there will be a part 2 because the ending did not tie up lose ends. Oh well we shall see.

[SS501] Kim Hyun Joong faints again

www.vtv.vn

In the news: Kim Hyun Joong at TonyMoly's signing event
Urgh! News like this really upsets me. So, we all know what DSP Entertainment is doing. They are capitalizing on Kim Hyun Joong's success in BOF. They want to use is popularity right now to milk in as much money as they can. This is really deteriorating to KHJ's health. Here I was thinking it was very nice of DSP Entertainment to give Kim Hyun Joong one month of rest. I should have known that it was all bogus. And knowing Kim Hyun Joong from his past behavior, he will probably work himself to death. When is he going to say enough is enough? I don't think he ever will because he is very hard-working. Ack! I just hope he doesn't regret it in the future. Most hard working bread winners usually regret in end that they never spend enough time with their families...I hope that does not happen to him.

[SS501] Conflicting News

spazzes.wordpress.com

You know, I have been following SS501 for a long time and this is the first time I found articles that reported different things. Both articles came from respectable sources, so I am a little confused. ISPLUS reports that Heo Young Saeng, Kim Kyu Jong, and Kim Hyung Joon will be coming to the US to relax. They will return in time to join Kim Hyun Joong on March 31 to watch the last episode of BOF with fans. The ISPLUS article states that they will be going back to US as one group in May. I thought that they will be going to Japan in May?!? According to another article released at a later date, Newsen said they will be doing promotion in Japan for their new album in May. So, did I miss something?

Kim Hyun Joong's special gifts to fan

In the last couple of days it was fairly quiet--no news on Kim Hyun Joong or SS501. And then this morning when I checked, my Google Reader was filled with news on Kim Hyun Joong's special gift. And my response is the same as how any Korean fans would respond. Omo! Omo! Is it for real!

www.crunchyroll.com/group/SS501_Fans

I think this was a very nice gesture from Kim Hyun Joong. It really shows that he appreciate the support he gets from his fans. And what a way to thank them. There is a saying that a star is nothing without his fans. This is so true in the US. If their are tabloids that ruins the image of a celebrity, no matter how good you are, you will not make. Of course their are fans that are loyal regardless of the tabloids, but this usually is not. Just think of it this way, the entertainment industry exist because of interests and demands from the fans. No fans, no entertainment. Some times when celebrities become too well known, they forget how they got their fame in the first place. And when they lose touch with their fans, they become forgotten and lose popularity.

It is a double edge sword. The fans are what drives celebrities crazy because they have no more privacy, but yet fans are what brings in the money.

I must end this blog with--Good job HyunJoong-ssi.

[SS501] Unofficial English website

Finally after months of blood and sweat, I have a unofficial website for SS501 in the English language. It is not in any search engine yet so not much popularity, but if you are new to Korean entertainment or just found out about SS501 you should check out the website below. You will get to know SS501 members and watch some of their popular shows. All shows and music videos have english subtitles (unless otherwise noted). I hope this well help increase the popularity of SS501. Or save some English speaking fans some trouble of looking for english subtitle materials. Have fun!

ss501-forever.com



www.be2hand.com

Heo Young Saeng speaks out about KHJ's Thank You speech

Even though I do not know the singers personally, I watched them on enough shows that I think I know what they are like. I always trust my intuition because they are usually right, but I like to keep an open-mind because life is a box of chocolate.

I think it REALLY bothered Heo Young Saeng that Kim Hyun Joong did not thank SS501 during his thank you speech at the 45th Baeksang Award ceremony because he mentioned it during a show he appeared in. Click on link to view article: Heo Young Saeng upset with Kim Hyun Joong. I think the show where HYS mention this is "KBS Star Golden Bell".

iluvse7en.multiply.com------------farhatee.blogspot.com

I like Kim Hyun Joong a lot, but as I watch him on screen more and more, I feel like there is a side of him that isn't so great. I was a little bugged when I saw his acceptance speech that he did not mention SS501, but I kind of let it slip my mind when you said on a separate occasion that he will be with SS501 to the end. But some how I still have this nagging feeling that there is more to him than what he shows on the outside. There have been multiple occasions where the other singers leak out little bit of his personality and it confirms to me that he is not as nice a guy as we might think. I think he can be pretty rude and arrogant with the people he is close to--like the other SS501 singers. There is a "tough" side of him--the don't mess around with me side. But we don't see that side because of etiquettes. Oh well this is just a hunch, I would have to meet someone he is really close to if I really want to confirm this (like that will ever happen), but I am almost 100% positive that there is a side of him that is not so pleasing.

[SS501] Plastic Surgery or AirBrush?

It has been a couple of days since I wrote something on my blog because I have been working on getting SS501 website up and running. After a month of working on the website,. ss501-forever.com is up and running. There are still minor face-lifts that needs to happen, but overall everything looks good.

Talking about face-lifts, recently I came across articles on plastic surgery in Korea. It is actually fairly common. The blog that I came across was talking about how Park Min Jung MAY have had a nose job [popseoul.com]. It is a fairly old article, but he is not the only one who went under the knife. Rumor has it that Kim Hyun Joong had plastic surgery to reduce the bags under his eyes. I think this is true because there is a big difference between his 2005 pictures and 2009. You be the judge.

milkteazoo.wordpress.com [kdramaqueen.blogspot.com]

And of course you have the youngest member, Kim Hyung Joon who had his teeth straighten. I think he had a nose job too, but don't know...

[xanga.com] [imeem.com]

This made me think about air-brushing vs plastic surgery. I wonder which is cheaper from an entertainment standpoint? I think as a viewer, I prefer plastic surgery over air brushing. In the American entertainment industry, air-brushing is the norm. Practically every picture is airbrushed. I can't tell what is real anymore. It is deceiving. At least with plastic surgery it is a one time done deal--your fans know. With regards to SS501, I love their before pictures just as much as their after. A little imperfection just reminds me that they were once like us.

Kim Hyun Joong tough childhood life

Image source: ss601.com

Lately, there has been a lot of news around Kim Hyun Joong because of his acting role as Ji Hoo in the K-drama "Boys Before Flower" (Korean version of Hana Yori Dango). His popularity as sparked a lot of interest in his childhood life. I actually came across three articles that talked about his past life, but can only find one for now. Click on link to view full article. Rina's Entertainment Notebook

The article talks about his struggles to become a singer. It discusses how he escaped getting caught for taking free public transportation rides and how he would not pay for his food. It is a heart-breaking story, and will definitely get the fans all teary eyes. I believe "What doesn't break you can only make you stronger." He is only this successful because of his past. What is so special about this story is that even when things look hopeless and giving up is so easy, Hyun Joong perserved on. I have no teary eyes for Hyun Joon's story, only pride and awe. Everyone loves a celebrity with a struggling past--it is inspirational. I believe he is a better person because of his past. He would not be the same person and in the same place if it weren't for his struggles. I can't imagine him being successful as JiHoo without experiencing a little bittersweet.

Hyun Joong-si -- now go back to the street stall a pay the ajumma/ajussi for the ddukbokki. But then again, the past should be buried in the past. =)

Kim Hyun Joong disperses rumors

Today I found a blog article that says Kim Hyun Joong clarifies the following three things to prevent rumors from going out of hands. I don't know where the original article came from, but the blog gave credit to sparkskey for translation and SS601 + quainte501. So here is what Kim Hyun Joong has to say.

1. He has no plans on going solo.
2. He likes acting as much as singing, but has no future commitments to acting. His priority is to release another SS501 album.
3. Yes, he does have plans to go to America.

To read the full article please click on link. http://shigellavirus.wordpress.com.



I was a little worried that with his popularity, he might think of going solo. Thank goodness that is not something to worry about. SS501 is meaningless without five members--well unless DSPenter adds another singer...Well enough of that, KHJ already said NO!

I am glad that he will be putting off acting for a little bit. He has lost too much weight while filming BOF that he now looks a little scary--his eyes are bigger and he pale. I believe the article said 8 kgs which is almost 18 lbs! There is a big difference in the way he looks in episode 1 and episode 17. But, I notice that he looks very different from when he first debutted. The other SS501 members look about the same, but he has changed quite a bit. I like him more as a singer/dancer. Kim Hyun Joong has some cool dance moves and a nice voice. I would hate to see that all go to waste. But what is important is that he does what he wants. As a fan, I am supportive of either route he picks.

As for him coming to America, well I have mix feelings about that. I already expressed concerns in my previous article about goofying around in America, but if the other SS501 members are coming, I guess they might be promoting their group here. There were several articles online about K-bands going overseas like Europe and America to do some promotions. I am going to stay neutral on this. No Comments. I will be objective about this one.

Chow!

Park Jung Min & Kim Hyun Joong injuries

What is going on with all these injuries?

Image credit: http://forum.japantoday.com

It was reported that Park Jung Min injured his knee during his performance in the Korean's musical version Grease. He further injured his knee during his performance for KBS SS501 Super Special on February 27, 2009. Credit: http://marinastory.wordpress.com.

Image credit: http://krnloup.wordpress.com

Recently Kim Hyun Joong was in car accident while heading to a filming site for Boys Over Flower. Days later he reported that he is suffering from lower back pains may be from the accident. This caused DSP to rearrange his schedule so he can have one month rest after the filming of Boys Over Flower. Credit: http://www.boysbeforeflowers.com & http://popseoul.com.

I am wondering if a lot of it is pressure from DSP Entertainment (SS501's management group) to perform or fulfill contract agreements. Or is this just a fluke because Kim Bum was in two car accidents and Koo Hye Sun was in one serious car accident during the filming of Boys Over Flower. Credit: http://minsarang.wordpress.com & http://seoulfull.wordpress.com.

I know in some countries actors and singers are more of a job where the management company is your boss. In the US, a lot of the actors/singers are their own bosses. They pick and choose what they want to do. They hire a management team and not the other way around. Well now that I think about it, I think in any country when you are new to the entertainment industry there is a lot of pressure. There is a lot of work because you need to promote yourself or your image. I guess if you are already famous in the entertainment industry you become your own boss because Korean actors like Jang Dong Gun and Rain seem like their own bosses.

Whatever it is, I hope everyone recovers and that there are no more accidents. Best to everyone's health.

{SS501}--Hyun Joong & Hyung Joon

Today, there weren't anything new on the SS501. So I decided to talk about the leader, Kim Hyun Joong and the youngest member Kim Hyung Joon. There names are so alike that a lot of the time you will see their pictures swapped on the web OR you might get confused because they are referring to the wrong person. It is actually pretty annoying if you are a Kim Hyung Joon fan because when you try to do a search on him, you get the other one.


This picture came from user lily07 on crunchroll.com. It is a very old picture, but in the blue jacket is Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Hyung Joon is in the white jacket. These two singers are my favorite in the SS501 band. I started off liking the leader first, but Kim Hyung Joon is really growing on me. When they first started off, they all looked like little boys, but now that they are in their early twenties, Kim Hyung Joon turned out to be a very good looking man. Click on the link below to see a music video of him in UR Man (eng sub and romanization available). It is just unfortunate that I can't find much of him on the web.

Kim Hyun Joong is of course the most popular member in the SS501. I don't know if it has anything to do with him being on the MBC program We Got Married with HwangBo, but one thing for sure is his role as Yoon Ji Hoo in Boys Before Flower has really gotten the girls going crazy.

I don't know what it is, but Kim Hyun Joong does not look as good as the past years. I guess anyone who has a tight and demanding schedule like Kim Hyun Joong will age faster. He also lost quite a bit of weight and looks a bit pale. He has lost quite a bit of coloring in his face. I hope he uses the one month rest he has in March well. I like Kim Hyun Joong's down-to-earth low key personality. He has been known for his good manners. See Youtube video clip of him bowing as a sign of respect and thanks during the his win as TV's Popular Male Actor at the 45th BaekSang Arts Awards on February 27, 2009 . He plans on coming to the US to study dancing/singing. It will differently be a culture shock for him. There are a lot of discussion that him coming to the US means he is here to fool around. I hope that is not true. I would be very disappointed and that kind of scandal can affect the success of SS501.

As for our lovely remaining three singer. I like Kim Kyu Jong next, Heo Young Saeng, and then Park Jung Min in that order. I will discuss them in a future posting. But all in all, you can't have SS501 without all five singers/dancers.

WHAT! Hyun Joong at the age of 10.

Just out of curiosity today, I decided to search the numbers of blogs on SS501 and I came across over five million of them. Ha! There goes the chance of a SS501 singer coming across my blog.

No, I have a life. I don't sit in front of my computer searching on SS501 all day long. I have Google Reader and I set it to pull new information daily off the web on topics I am interested it. It is a very cool feature. So I get a daily dose of SS501 ready for me when I open my personalized iGoogle.

Today, when I logged onto my Google home page, one article stood out. It is about Kim Hyun Joong, the leader of SS501. There was also a picture of him when he was in middle school. The article talks about his younger years and his favorite band. Finding article like these are a jewel. Unlike the American celebrities, it is very rare to find information about the past and childhood of Asian celebrities. Or may be I am not searching hard enough *shrug*.

The following picture and information came from Emily's blog at. She mentions that picture was courtesy of DSP Entertainment. Visit emilytheblackpearl.wordpress.com to view full article.

When information like this get posted on the web, I always wonder if the article is true or not. I also wonder where the heck did they get this information from let alone the picture.

One thing new to me is that I did not know Hyun Joong had an older brother. I knew he had a younger brother who is currently studying overseas (Hyun Joong helps pay for his tuition). So Hyun Joong loves Seo TaiJi which is a heavy metal group in Korea. Interesting. I wonder if he listen to any of the heavy metal music in America. Heavy metal is a love hate relationship. You either love it or hate it. Thereh is no in between. I bet Hyun Joong's dream was to follow his idol and have a band of his own. Who knows, may be he will change career. He is still a very young man.

This article also proved me wrong. In Korea, kids do start their own band. I wonder why AXERS was not successful? It would be fun to watch a young Hyun Joong bobbing his head as he is playing the guitar. But, how different things would be if he was a band of a different group. I wonder what SS501 would be like. Hindsight is 20/20. I have heard him play his guitar many times, but I never really thought he was really good. May be I just have a very high standards. May be I thought he would play his guitar like Metallica, but I am sure he is very good, since he started playing at a very young age.

The story about him trying to buy a guitar is so touching and heartbreaking. It makes his success so much more sweeter and worthier. I just hope success and money does not change him and that he remains down to earth. I hope he will have another opportunity to meet Seo TaiJi.

Why I blogged SS501.

So I still haven't explain why I chose to blog SS501. A lot of it has to do with watching them on the MBS program called "Thank You for Waking Me Up". This show goes by some other name too. Rarely do you get to see your idols sleep and watching these young men struggle to get up was funny (because of all the pranks) and heartbreaking. I don't know how much of the show was set up and how much of it is reality, but it is really funny to watch.

Another reason why I chose SS501 is because like the number 501 has a meaning to them, it also has a meaning for me. Not only is 501 my home address number, 501 has a special meaning to me in Chinese. In addition, the boy band started in 2005 around the same time when I moved out of my parents place to the address 501.

Lastly, from what I have seen in interview videos and some reality TV shows, these young men are very down to earth. SS501 consist of very polite young individuals who are very shy. The shiest one being Young Saeng. I think Young Saeng is also the most self-conscious. I don't believe SS501 is the best Korean singers/dancers, but I love their dancing and music. They are still very young and have a lot to learn. But they have improved and changed a lot since their debut in 2005. I wish they will sing something that is completely in Korean instead of combining it with English. It seems very popular in Korea to have a little bit of English in their lyrics though. I don't know why, but it is very hip right now.

I think DSP Entertainment did a very good job promoting SS501. Having them on reality TV shows really help their image. It is unfortunate that their promotion focus mainly on the Asia continent. It would be nice to see them in the US. I honestly don't know what the fan base in US is like, but if people are requesting videos the be English subbed, it can't be small, right? It is also very unfortunate that you can't purchase their CDs/DVDs in the US. Even when I go to yesasia.com, most of what is available is in the Japanese language. I don't know where oversea Korean fans get their music, but I am guessing they download them online. If anyone knows a reputable online site to get music videos, CDs, or downloadable songs online please let me know.

The link below will take you to quainte501 playlist on youtube.com that has a lot of SS501 music video. Enjoy!
SS501 music videos

Who are the SS501 singers?

SS501 is pronounce (double S 501). The SS stands for Super Singer OR Super Star. In Korea, 501 represent the five members as one. This translates to the super star/super singer of five members acting as a whole. I have also saw an interview that super singers is a future state, but I can't seem to remember which member said that.

Members (left to right)
Park Jung Min
Kim Kyu Jong
Kim Hyun Joong -- Leader
Heo Young Saeng
Kim Hyung Joon

The members of this band had to audition with DSP Entertainment to be part of the band. This is very different from the US where a band is form from a group of people playing an after school band together in their basement or garage. I think this is just a culture difference though.

Kim Hyun Joong is the oldest member of this band, hence the leadership role (another cultural etiquette). Born on June 6, 1986, he will be 23 this year. The next oldest member is Heo Young Saeng, followed by Kim Kyu Jong, Park Jung Min, and Kim Hyung Joon. If you wish to know more about these boys, wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS501 is a good place to start.


As of today, February 27, 2009, Kim Hyun Joong is acting in a Korean version of Hana yori Dango. Which literally translate to Boys Over Flower in English. If you are interested in watching Hyun Joong act, you can watch Boys Over Flower at mysoju.com and Park Jung Min is busy starring as Danny Zuko in a Korean version of the musical Grease. The Koreans really love Grease. I think they love it more than we do in America. ;) So where does this leave the other three singers? Heo Young Saeng is temporarily the leader of the remainder three boys (again because he is the next oldest). They have been promoting SS501 through various televised programming in Korea. The three of them released two songs/music video "UR Man" and "Because I Am Stupid". "Because I Am Stupid" is one of the songs in Boys Over Flower Original Sound Track (OST). Both songs can be found on the web. You can also view videos of all three members singing the song. Some people are even nice enough to subtitle it for you. I chose not to create a link for these songs because some videos may be violating copyright laws. I can differentiate which ones are so better save than sorry. Mianhamnida!

Oh! How can I forget, Kim Hyung Joon and Kim Kyu Jong also sang Lonely Girl also an OST. This is one of my favorite song, but it is not as popular on the web. I wonder why?

All five members will become one again in April. Yippee!!!!

Introduction

Dedicated to the five members of SS501.

No, no, no...I am not writing this blog to express my love for SS501 or to tell you how cute they are. Nor am I going to tell you what they did. There are enough information about SS501 on the web that I don't need to contribute. Also, these boys already get enough females telling them how cute they are that I don't need to do that. This blog is just to express my thoughts and feelings on the events and posting about SS501 members that I find worth commenting and discussing. You may find that once in a while my blogs are meant for SS501 singers to read. I know, I know, I am dreaming, but who knows may be one day they will stumble across my blog (but I doubt they will be able to read it). Oh well!

These days, with so many information on the web about actors and singers, it is very difficult to differentiate truth from fiction. The internet allows us to stay connected with our idols whether they are overseas or at home. The internet also allows people to express their feelings. And these are mine...

In my life, I have had plenty of idols (Jang Dong Gun, Rain, Han Jae-suk, Kang Dong Won, etc (just to name some of the Korean ones)). Some have disappointed me (mainly the ones in US) and some I have just lost interest in. I thought with time, I would lose interest in SS501, but to this day, I still find myself searching about them daily on the internet. I even thought about creating an unofficial US website for them, but I can't seem to find contact information for DSP Entertainment to get some details. So here I am, writing my first blog on a very special boy band in Korea, SS501.