… definitely a lucky person! What a contest! This has definitely been the most popular contest Ningin has ever hosted by a lot in terms of total entries. We had close to 500 entries on the first day alone. A good number of entries also included messages to Utada. I hope you guys know Utada isn’t receiving these messages. However, we’ll send them over to Utada’s publicist but no guarantees she’ll read or respond to them. It’s too bad we don’t have more prizes to give away. We’ll see about getting more when her album comes out. More »

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So after years of searching for the right actress to play the lead for the movie ‘Hua Mulan’, director Jingle Ma (it’s good that his last name is not Bell) finally found her leading lady. Many Chinese actresses were rumored to play this legendary heroine, including Michelle Yeoh, Liu Yi Fei and I-think-I-am-Hot-Shit Zhang Ziyi, but the role finally went to famous Mainland Chinese actress Zhao Wei (who also goes by Vicki Zhao). For those who follow Asian cinema, her most recent works include Red Cliff II and Painted Skin. According to director Ma, Vicki has the quality to cross play, as evident by her character in Red Cliff and Red Cliff II, in which she plays the legendary Sun Shangxiang, a tomboy who has extensive martial arts training and fights in wars alongside men (just like Mulan did). More »

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In New York City this week, Japan Society will kick off a ten-day introspective film series entitled Shinjuku Ecstasy. From February 18 till March 1, the series will feature twelve classic independent films from the Art Theatre Guild of Japan.

Originally conceived in 1961 as a distributor of European art films in Japan, the Art Theater Guild (ATG) began co-producing Japanese independent films in 1967. For the next 30 years, the ATG became a major force in the art-house movement in Japan. ATG filmmakers tackled controversial subjects in Japan, such as homosexuality and capital punishment. More »

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If you were watching Super Bowl commercials, you wouldn’t have noticed that the upcoming G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra movie features an Asian cast member playing a leading, main male character role. How could you have missed it? South Korea’s Byung Hun Lee is “Storm Shadow” but is masked throughout the trailer. More »

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It’s exactly one month till BoA officially releases her American debut album, and you can now preorder it on Amazon.

The pop princess is taking her debut seriously by pulling out all the stops for this moment. Not only have they hired top notch producers, music video directors and photographers, but doing whatever it takes to get BoA on the map. If only Se7en did the same.

The album is officially called BoA (self-titled) and will be released on March 17th. You can preorder your album here for $11.99. More »

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Here I am, going through Google’s Image Search, looking for a nice picture of a Korean taxi for a blog entry. This one thumbnail beckoned me, and I clicked on it because it did not look like any of the Korean taxis I’ve seen in my life. Next thing I know, I’m staring at my screen, minus all the purple stuff and the text.

I know some people think all Asian countries are the same thing . . . but to this extreme? Now, I’ll give the person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe what they meant were that these were Korean taxi drivers in Beijing? If that’s the case, then it would make sense, but I don’t know. “Lots of Korean taxis” is what they typed and no matter how I try to make up excuses, I still think it’s a moment of fail.

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I don’t think it’s a big secret why the Wonder Girls are trying hard to learn English. America is considered the big stage when it comes to entertainment and the Wonder Girls hope to successfully perform on it…one day. We here at Ningin want the Wonder Girls to crossover as well. In general we want every Asian artist, actors, and filmmaker to crossover successfully. It’s what Ningin cares about, it’s why Ningin exists. More »

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At the age of 12, Sun Mi’s love for singing and dancing eventually turned her into a JYP trainee, where she trained alongside future Wonder Girls Sun Ye and So Hee. Despite her successful and busy career, she continues to attend school and has no plans on giving up on her academic goals. More »

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What would the Wonder Girls be without their power rapper Kim Yoobin? Yoobin was trained under Good Entertainment for about two years before she was chosen to replace former member Hyun Ah. The change was very quick, and needless to say, it was a tough situation for her. The Wonder Girls already experienced some fame with their hit song “Irony,” but hit a rocky point from both the loss of Hyun Ah and the injury Sohee incurred while filming the movie 뜨거운 것이 좋아 (”I Like It Hot“). More »

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Wonder Girl Ahn Sohee has accomplished much in her short sixteen years of life. Asides from being part of the #1 girl group in South Korea, she’s also an accomplished actress and model, as well as a general cutie to boot. What’s surprising is that she’s done all of this while managing to attend her classes at Changmun’s All Girls High School. More »

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The Wonder Girls first debuted in 2007 and recently celebrated their two-year anniversary on February 10th. Since then, the Wonder Girls have released several projects that have dazzled the Korean music charts. Each of these albums have their own special charm, which I will guide you through! More »

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At first glance, you would most likely never expect that the Wonder Girls have only been impacting South Korea’s mainstream for a mere two years. Their success is measured in both the ability to continue impressing both die hard fans and casual listeners alike—all while maintaining a hot and exciting image that keeps their fans and the media constantly at the edge of their seats just waiting to see what they come up with next. I’ve compiled a list of the most memorable Wonder Girls moments, starting from the moment they debuted and through each step that made them one of the most influential girl groups in South Korea. More »

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You’ve got just two days to enter and win a pair of tickets to the largest Asian American talent competition in United States! Ningin will be giving two winners each a pair of tickets to Kollaboration 9 in Los Angeles this Saturday, February 21. Ningin favorite BoA will be performing live as a special guest! More »

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Hey Ningin, hope you all had a great V-Day! I know I had a great time being food poisoned and spending a painful and sleepness night for all the wrong reasons. Being my first contribution here at Ningin I would like to say I am an absolute Hong Kong bad movie nut, and recently went on an inexplicable marathon to bring you all the tragic relationship movies of the recent past. More »

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Updates (or Rule Changes)

1. You can submit more than one video. This means you can do one by yourself, one with a group of friends, one with your siblings, one with random people, and however many other combinations exist in your life. This change was implemented due to the voluminous requests for multiple entries. More »

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Happy belated Valentines Day everyone! I hope you enjoyed lots of chocolate. But in case you didn’t, there’s always White Day which is a month away.

In case you’ve been MIA, Ningin is still accepting participates for the Wonder Girls Dance Contest. You can read more about it here. Contest closes on February 26th.

Here’s this week’s wrap up: More »

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The new Lil’ Mama music video for “Truly In Love” is truly significant for its ‘firsts.’ It’s the first time we hear a softer Lil’ Mama rapping AND singing in a 50s doo-wop sounding Solange Knowles-esque song. It’s probably the first time an Asian American male (singer/songwriter Love’ *Peter Toh) is featured in an American music video as a romantic interest. It’s also the first time we see Fanny Pak, dance crew of ABDC Season 2 fame, in a music video. This, however, is not the first time I’ve liked a Lil’ Mama song.(Umm, whatchu know about me? Whatchu whatchu know about me?) Enjoy! More »

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“Black Box” Reduces Traffic Accidents is the article’s title. To veer off onto an entirely different direction, I have to say that I’ve been playing Chrono Trigger too much. When I read “black box,” I immediately thought these taxis had those sealed black chests, and I nearly yelled WTF. More »

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Since Mai focused on a male-centric version of the best celebrity valentines, I decided to take the XX chromosomes route. While everyone has their own opinion of the perfect Valentine, this list will vary from the cute sweet to the sexy sultry.

Enjoy! More »

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It’s almost time for the most romantic time of the year: Valentine’s Day. Some of us will either treat or be treated to a most relaxing and pleasurable day. And some of us will spend it alone—wondering what in the heck happened to that arrow that cupid was supposed to hit us with?! During this special time of the year, there are many famous people who also celebrate it, and it makes me wonder what it would be like to spend Valentine’s Day with one of my favorite Asian stars… According to media experts (and myself, too!), here are some of the top ideal Valentine’s Day lovers. More »

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