Many fans are crying out for their Apop idols to cross over and debut in the states, but there has been little effort and success in these unfamiliar grounds. This year, that has changed. In comparison to recent years, there have been quite a few crossovers and like many fans, I’m cheering them on.

So, now I present the crossover highlights of 2008! More »

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For Asian artists, 2008 seems to be the year of comebacks, newcomers, and tenth anniversaries. Here I’ve created a list ranking my top ten songs of 2008. More »

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This year has proven to be successful for many artists. Not only have they sold millions of records, but their singles have become chart toppers and award winners. As such, I have compiled a list of the most prominent artists of the 2008 year. Some have just debuted, some have made impressive comebacks but all have achieved something great. More »

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There’s just no end to the ever-increasing number of actresses swimming about in Asian media. Many are fluffer, some are passable, and few are the real deal. It was nearly impossible to whittle down, but based on standout performances of 2008, here is my list of the top three actresses, each representing China, Japan, and Korea. More »

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In watching many Asian film, I have learned the names of many of their actors that have become my favorites and household names. The “best actor of the year” list that I have composed were based on some of the most prestigious and/or popular film award festivals in each country listed for the male categories, although there are dozens of Asian film festivals out there. I have also added a few comments of my own about the actors. More »

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I’ve rounded up ten of my favorite Asian films for 2008. They’re in no particular order and each is unique. Some are comedies. Some are dramas. Some are for the whole family. And some might have you scratching your head asking “What did I just watch?”

Anyone posting spoilers will be dealt with severely. More »

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…at the bottom of this blog post.

What a contest! This was easily our most popular contest of the year! It’s great to see so many people chipping in and doing their part as fans to help their favorite artist.

As I was going through the entries, I wondered if people just uploaded and didn’t bother to tell their friends. See, uploading the BoA videos was a means to an end with that end being, exposing BoA to more people. So I hope you guys went the extra step and told your friends to check out your uploaded stuff. There’s probably a lot more people in America that don’t know who BoA is than people that do. Those are the ones that need to be educated if BoA is to have a better chance of crossing over! *cough MTV Iggy* More »

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This year was especially plentiful in well-written dramas, and while I’m a fan of many, four of them left a lasting impression on me for various things ranging from original themes and innovative perspectives to straight up fan girl appeal. While this is by no means a definitive list of the best of the best, here are my favorite dramas of 2008: More »

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I know nothing about potteries and antiques, especially with their prices. However, I do know that something old is generally worth more than something modern. However, I don’t know if I’d be willing to pay almost $4.2 million bucks on a jar through an auction. Sure, it’s from the Joseon period, sure it’s old, but for a jar? If I was the buyer, knowing how I am a klutz, I’d have that jar damaged the second I have it in my hand. I guess it’s a good thing I cannot afford such antiques!

This is an interesting tidbit, though. To see that such a jar managed to survive this long. Though, I find the artwork on the jar fairly ugly. Maybe it’s just the picture, but it’s not exactly appealing to me. But man, if I had $4.2 million bucks . . . I’d travel the world with that fund.

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Ok, we’re not saying these are Best Asian websites of 2008, but we are saying they are the most popular according to the internal data we collect on Ningin. Based on the number of Frontpage articles as determined by Ningin’s Social News system, these are the Most Popular Asian Media Websites of 2008: More »

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Two things I love to do - watch anime, and rank things. Naturally, ranking anime is just my cup of お茶, so I figured I sum up some of my favorite anime of the year, and maybe give you a heads up in case you didn’t get around to watching a particular series. I’ve taken into consideration all regularly-airing TV series that have had at least one episode air in 2008 (no straight-to-DVD, no OVAs), and I’ve limited the number to 15 because we’d be here all day if I didn’t stop there. More »

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I started out with the intention of writing the Top 10 Moments of 2008. You just don’t know how much has happened in a year until you sit down and have to write about it. Below are 10 distinctive moments for me in 2008, but trust me, there’s so much more that happened. If your favorite 2008 moment didn’t make the list, don’t be sad. There’s always next year! More »

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It’s the end of the road for 2008. Goodbye Samurai Girl, Edison Chen and your photos, and of course goodbye to George W. Bush. Special thanks to Beijing Olympics, the cast of Hana Yori Dango, and Barrack Obama. You’ve been great!

If this year was good to you, then you’ll probably look back on it with fond memories. If this was a rough year for you, I’m talking to you American economy, then it’s a good thing 2008 is just about over. As a wise turtle once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” (5 points to the first person who correctly guess where that’s from.) More »

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Hope you’re enjoying your weekend. Many things are going on here at Ningin, so please take the time to look through. We still have a BoA contest and a Jay Chou contest going on. Enter and you just might be our lucky winner!

Here’s your weekly wrap up: More »

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Last week, I had the opportunity to show my support of ethnic print media by attending KoreAm Journal’s Benefit Show at the Laugh Factory in Long Beach, Calif. The benefit was coordinated as an SOS effort to keep KoreAm afloat amidst the harsh economic times. Despite the short amount of planning time, the event managed top garner an impressive turnout.

The event’s performers included headlining comedians Kevin Shea, Eliot Chang, Randall Park, Walter Hong, Andy Hur and PK, the event coordinator and Kollaboration executive director. Note to self: bring an extra pair of pants in the future to avoid pissing yourself again. That’s how funny they all were. Just kidding, I didn’t really pee in my pants. Don’t want to relive any traumatic childhood memories, now. More »

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In support of KoreAm Journal, some of the comic community’s funniest talents came out to perform at the Laugh Factory in Long Beach, CA on Thursday, December 11. The event was moderated by Kollaboration’s PK (Paul Kim) and featured actor James Kyson Lee, of NBC’s Heroes, as the guest of honor. The musical line up of acts included Bobby “Big Phony” Choi, Caroline Kang, Dumbfoundead, and Samuel Geunjin Kang.

Tearing up the comic stage was a string comedians: Andy Hur, Walter Hong, Eliot Chang, and Kevin Shea, as well as PK. Hur, a self-professed “former fatty,” had no trouble cracking jokes about his recent weight loss, which made for some good – albeit typical – chuckles. For the most part, he pretty much screamed throughout his whole set, and I found myself wondering if he was using this act as a forum to air out hunger pains. Not bad, but mostly disturbing to watch. More »

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Um, wow. I’m actually quite speechless about this. A hacked up Chrono Trigger for the NES of all systems? Why that one? I didn’t think anyone would actually still use the NES in the first place! Well, I know of one person, but she’s not Chinese, so I don’t think she’d play this game and understand it.

And to read that they did the same thing to Final Fantasy VII. Oi. Some people have too much time on their hands! More »

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JYP Entertainment has finally opened an official YouTube channel for his most prized possessions. Yesterday, the official JYP Entertainment channel added links to official individual artist channels, and Wonder Girls along with 2PM, were the first chosen.

Along with all of the usual, like all of their promotional videos, JYP Entertainment has also released some videos that haven’t been seen before, like the making of their first video Irony.

You can check out everything here. More »

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Bandai Entertainment Inc. will be hosting a special event with free anime feature film screenings and sale-priced DVDs this Sunday, December 14th at the Downtown Independent theater in Los Angeles.

The free event begins at 12pm and will also have lots of Bandai Entertainment DVDs for sale in the lobby at heavily discounted prices for the holidays. But you don’t have to buy anything! Instead kick back and relax with a free screening of “Gunbuster the Movie” and “Freedom” from the HONNEAMISE label to show off the amazing quality of Blu-ray High Definition and Dolby TrueHD.

The Downtown Independent (formerly ImaginAsian Center) is located in downtown Los Angeles at 251 South Main Street, Los Angeles, Ca 90012. The best place to park is the lot directly behind the theater which is located on S. Spring Street.

I advise you go to early if you want a seat cause it’s FREE!

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When everybody heard the news that BoA is going to appear on MTV, BoA is crossing over with a new English Album, and BoA released an English single, there was a lot of blog posts, a lot of buzz, and a lot of excitement. Nothing unusual there. As more details came in, we learned that it’s not so much MTV, it’s MTV Iggy. What is MTV Iggy? That was the question in my mind a couple of months ago. Now that I’ve actually had time to breath for a little bit, I’m realizing that I’m missing the much bigger question, and it seems that a lot of people have as well.

BoA is looking to crossover to an American audience. She is releasing an American album. She just released an American single. Why is she on MTV Iggy — MTV’s second attempt to reach Asian Americans after the failed Chi, K, and Desi — when she should be on the main MTV channel? When British pop stars crossover, there’s no MTV Brit. They appear on the parent MTV channel, on their new artist webpage, and their music circulated through the MTV hit-making machine. More »

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