The season finale of America’s Best Dance Crew is upon us! Who is it going to be, Beat Freaks or Quest Crew? This season, I’m freaking the vote and it’s not just because I have a vagina. I sincerely believe in the Beat Freaks. While it’s beyond me why anyone would need more than one reason why they should freak the vote, I’ve come up with a list of reasons why you should vote for Beat Freaks: More »

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It really seems like it was only yesterday when the Beat Freaks’ Seven Super Heroes swooped into America’s Best Dance Crew. Week after week, these steel tempered bgirls not only set the standard for their fellow competitors, but also challenged and defied mainstream portrayals of women. Beyond season three, the Beat Freaks have secured a meaty chapter in ABDC history as the first all-female crew to contend for the championship. More than that, they could very well be the first all-female crew to take home the spoils of a hot ABDC battle. More »

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For the most part, everyone knew the dance moves and did them well. So we were looking for something original and creative. But this is a dance contest. So the most important thing was the dancing which had to be crisp, sharp, and in the case of groups, in synced. We favored videos with less editing because it’s harder to dance straight throughout the video without stopping. Still this left quite a few videos to only select 10 best. So then we looked for creativity and something different that distinguished the videos from each other. More »

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While we’re waiting for parental consent forms from a couple of entries for the Dance Contest before we can announce the top 10, you’ll be happy to know that Ningin will be doing a video interview with the Wonder Girls sometime after they finish the NYC concert. The interview will be entirely in English so we’ll get a chance to see how much they improved since the last time Ningin interviewed them back in September at the NYC Chuseok festival. More »

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Wonder Girls just finished their Myspace page. We know this because Ningin just finished designing it for them. It’s not something we normally do, nor do we especially like doing Myspace layouts in general. But JYP asked and we just couldn’t say no. So if you have a Myspace account, go friend them!

Please don’t ask us to do your Myspace page for you. Like I said, this is not what we do on a normal basis. More »

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I think we can all say it’s been a good week? I’m glad so many people have entered the Wonder Girls Dance Contest. There were so many good videos; it’s great to know that so many people worked hard for WG. Good luck to all the entries!

Despite that one WG contest is ending, there are 2 more in addition to a couple other contest. Be sure to check them all out!

Enjoi! More »

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I have a ginormous fetish when it comes to Korean dramas. Their catchy plots always have the power of hypnotizing me, making me yearn to see them more and more. The male stars are always so dreamy with their dashing looks, deep voices, and their clothes, which fit their gorgeous bodies perfectly. Recently, I found another Korean drama that I became addicted to instantly. More »

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After much YouTubing, we are getting very close to choosing our top 10. We still have some prepping and a final round of deliberation before we can release the top 10. In the meantime, I thought you’ll be interested in some notes I have from the contest. More »

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Okay, so the crepe and the choux creme (cream puff) are probably here to stay, but after nearly a year of duking it out in the snack trend arena, the Moffle (モッフル) is still kicking strong.

So, what exactly is it? It’s basically a couple of slices of hard mochi cake sandwiched in a glorified, proprietary waffle maker. Of course, plain mochi tastes pretty bland, but the whole point of the Moffle (or the moffuru) is that you can sandwich literally anything inside of the mochi slices ala panini/pressed sandwich style. While it may seem like it’s just a case of subbing one carb for another, most of you know that mochi becomes a remarkable duality of textures when it is grilled: crispy and gooey. More »

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Like I’ve said several times, censorship in any shape or form simply sucks. I guess a new form of censorship and a violation of freedom of speech (if South Korea has such rights) has come down on South Korea, and this time it affects the online gaming industry. Korea Game Industry Agency (KOGIA) and game companies are bleeping out words they consider profane, vulgar, and unacceptable while online gamers chat with each other. While that’s all fine and dandy, I suppose, as an effort to minimise vulgar language among young people and to promote intelligence in individuals’ speech, reading this article makes me go buh and huh. Their reasoning for banning such words are: More »

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When watching the second-to-last episode of ABDC season 3, I became sad. We are one episode away from knowing who America will vote best, but can I really live with no more shows until season 4? I am going to be in ABDC withdrawal! How will I get my fix for Quest Crew and Beat Freaks?

Either of these spectacular teams is game, so right now voting is so important… We know from season one that when you don’t vote (*cough* Kabamodern *cough*) then your team might not have enough support. SO, VOTE! One crew secured a spot for next week’s finale: Beat Freaks As usual, this left the other two teams to compete for a spot: Quest Crew vs. Fly Khicks. More »

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Even in the thick of a focused and meditative air, the energy was still raring high whilst the performers jiggled and giggled their anxieties out of their bones backstage.

As we mentioned in the playlist recap, Beat Freaks, Quest Crew and Fly Khicks all had the same challenge: integrate five different hip hop moves into the same bloated mastermix of five songs. Though I’ve enjoyed this season, I was—on the whole—pretty underwhelmed by the entire spectacle of season three. However, tonight’s face off between Quest Crew and Beat Freaks thoroughly quenched my thirst for a real throw down. More »

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The World Baseball Classics (WBC) is happening again! It’s going to be as exciting as Olympic baseball! Even though I’m a baseball fan, I don’t really get excited about Olympic baseball, so I’m not really excited about the WBC. I started writing a long post about why I don’t think the WBC is good for baseball, but then it occurred to me that it has nothing to do with Ningin. So instead, here’s a preview and some notes about the Asian teams: More »

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Alright, we are finally seeing progress for Korean pop star Se7en! I am sure most of you loyal fans have been waiting patiently for Se7en to make his move here in the USA. However, we haven’t had too many sources telling us what’s going on with the man so far, asides from his official MySpace. Well, now we have a shiny new site to keep us updated on Se7en’s activities: Se7enWorldwide.com More »

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Clearly, when confronted with the final countdown, the creators of Avatar knew full well that the only way to go out was with a seismic bing-bang-boom. Although it’s a little sad that Avatar is over, it was a wise choice to stamp this series with an expiration date right from the get-go. Given the ever-present tick tock nestled in the corner of their minds, the writing team of Avatar went all out and wasted no time at plopping viewers into a fully rendered world, complete with its own mythology, a cast of dynamic characters and an engaging philosophical journey. Don’t let the “Nickelodeon” or “kids” tag convince you otherwise; it’s really a thing of maturity, intelligence and beauty.

Warning: read on only if you are willing to catch a whiff of some spoilers. I am not liable for blowing your mind. More »

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It’s that time of the month where I’m expecting my cellphone bill to come and haunt me to deduct money from my bank account. Upon retrieving it from my mailbox, I found it strange that it was in an envelope since in the last six months or so, it wasn’t in one — meaning it was folded and taped up into a single document kind of thing. Warily, I opened it up, expecting stupid advertisements. Along with my phone bills in Korean and in English (the latter must be a new feature), I saw the Boys Over Flowers advertisement brochure you see to your left. More »

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Had a chance to talk to JYP today. He’s also seen a lot of the entries and it made him really happy that so many people have entered. Since you guys put him a good mood, he’s upping the prizes. The Grand Prize winners, you won’t just be meeting with the Wonder Girls but you’ll also be meeting with JYP and 2PM.

JYP offered other stuff for the winners as well which I’ll announce tomorrow. I need to double check something first.

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Hip Hop Decathlon…? Before I start whining, it’s not just me. Quest Crew’s Dom (aka D-Trix) saw it fit to point this out, too: you know a decathlon consists of ten different events, right? Well, if you didn’t know, now you do. But whoever comes up with the ABDC episode challenges should know better. Five challenges ≠ decathlon. Sigh… all vocabulary policing aside… More »

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Utada has been pretty busy since we last interviewed her. Faithful Utada fans should have already seen her LA video by now. Only a few more weeks till Utada’s new album is coming out. I know I’m very excited. In the meantime, here’s a small Utada fix that will help pass the time – Utada Contest #2 for an autographed Exodus album. More »

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Freaks with foot fetishes around the world should rejoice after hearing this news. Some guy named Zhang Kui who lives in Shenyang, China has successfully broken his wife’s 10-year comatose state by biting her toes. Yes biting, not sucking. Nevertheless, if you ask me, that still falls under the same fetish group. More »

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