I’ve done a small article on this already, but now, the time is getting close. Coming up on April 18, 2014, “powerhouse” SM Entertainment’s K-pop queen BoA Kwon (13-year pop star reign, and only 27!) will be staring in the movie Make Your Move with Dancing with the Stars‘s Derek Hough (7-year performer, Emmy Award-winner, and Mirror Ball champion on the show!).
The film was directed by Duane Adler, the same person who wrote the script for Save the Last Dance and Step Up.
Singer Yunho from TVXQ will also make a cameo appearance.
The story is Romeo-and Juliet-inspired. The movie is an independent film, meaning it wasn’t produced by a major studio company. To me, this is a bit dangerous, as it’s hard to promote independent films, since there’s not a history or list of films to observe, and there isn’t a fandom (for instance, Lions Gate has a huge reputation for making awesome female heroines…and has acquired a fandom…). Hopefully, K-pop fans, fans of BoA, and fans of dancing help promote the movie. So far, the trailer hasn’t been spreadng everywhere yet, but there doesn’t seem to be much competition that weekend, so who knows…
Another thing is the story. Many times, in these kind of movies, the stories can be weak. That can be one strike against an independent film that already has a hard time being noticed.
Synopsis
“Cobu 3D” tells the story of two star-crossed dancers who fall in love although their brothers have a rivalry over their underground dance clubs. SM Entertainment‘s BoA plays Aya alongside “Dancing with the Stars”‘ Derek Hough who will play Donny.”
The original title was COBU 3D because the rival dance team Aya (played by BoA) dances on in the movie is called COBU.
BoA is the long-reigning queen, but today’s generation is more familiar with the infestation of “K-pop groups” rather than the solo artists that were so popular in the early 2000s. I grew up with anime, so I’m more familiar with BoA because she sang for Inuyasha. But actually, the first song I heard from her was “Show Me What You Got” featuring Bratz and Backstreet Boy’s Howie D! Again, that was made by Avex, the “powerhouse” label in Japan. So, yea, back to the K-pop groups…
On the soundtrack, we are going to get some new and old songs from some popular K-pop groups, including my personal favorite, f(x)!
F(x)’s song “Nu Abo” will be on the soundtrack! YAY!
Girls’ Generation will have an upbeat song called “Cheap Creeper”.
f(x)’s Krystal, Girls’ Generation’s Jessica, and EXO-M’s Kris will have the upbeat song “Say Yes.”
Henry’s song “Trap” also appears on the OST.
TVXQ will have a new song called “Running On Empty.”
Today is the final day of March, and the final day of f(x) month. Where did the first two months go? 😦 Thank you all so much for joining me and supporting my posts this month. Though it’s the final f(x) day on here, I will still be pushing promotion of this K-pop group throughout the year. You also can always go back to articles about f(x) in my archives.
We won’t end today on a sad note. Grab some more popcorn from yesterday (and another pillow)! Today, I’m going to post some of f(x)’s amazing adventures around the world! They are quite entertaining! You will be introduced to the personalities of the group as well as their daily life as K-pop starz!
So, I hope you all enjoy!
Remember, throughout the year help us f(x) fans in trending #bfx2usand put your city or town behind it! Hopefully, with all of your help, f(x) will give us that Concert tour we’ve been dying for!
Hello f(x)
Travel with f(x) to Kenya, Africa, and Thailand, Asia!
(It’s a full playlist, so just press play and it should go next automatically)*
Amazing f(x)
Travel with f(x) to New Zealand!
(It’s a full playlist, so just press play it should go next automatically)*
f(x) @ SMTOWN FRANCE
f(x) in Japan
Watch Amber as the MC on We Got Married: Global Edition! This is the online spin-off to the original We Got Married (the one with Victoria in it)! Amber is always on MC mode no matter what. It’s just natural for her, even when she’s introducing herself during performances.
f(x) month is coming to a close. *cries* So, for the last two days of f(x) month, I’m going to be showing you some entertaining videos of some of f(x)’s adventures! So grab some popcorn, stuffed animals, and cozy under the blankets or on the couch.
Today, I’m going to be showing you f(x)’s adventures in the USA. Some really entertaining stuff here. I hope you enjoy! f(x) fighting!
And don’t forget to #bfx2us to twitter, facebook, instagram, and youtube. Thanks for supporting! 🙂
Recently Google, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia and many other websites, especially including WordPress have been trying to fight a new law the U.S. government is trying to pass: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). Has it been difficult to search? Many of them have censored out everything to protest against this law. I know on this website alone, all “Freshly Pressed” articles have been censored out.What do I think of this? As a blogger, what do you expect?
Well, for one thing I do see why the law was released. First off, because we’ve (as in all of us; the people) been illegally downloading movies and music, we’ve been taking from the mouths of celebrities (the famous people) who work hard to produce music and movies for us and thus expect to make a profit. We haven’t been supporting them.
Of course, not to be mean, but what is the music industry anyway? How does that contribute to our society? When the music industry started to truly kick off as an actual business around circa 1904, you think those singers made any money? No. They were broke as smoke. And before then, people only sang in church or when with family or just to perform. And in some streets, they were considered beggars and sinners. Why was this so? Because the music industry serves no greater human purpose but to entertain us. Can we not entertain ourselves? Entertainment is an extra medium, that yes we need to an extent, but something that we can do ourselves. It’s the same with the movie industry. It’s not like a doctor who saves lives, or a teacher who shapes our nation, and yet those people don’t make nearly the money entertainers do. To add, the celebrities aren’t even making the quality materials that are WORTHY of buying. For instance, the music industry for the past couple of years have been totally drowned in “auto-tunes” which alters the pitch of the voice, thus the quality of the voice is gone. Just about anyone can be a singer with auto-tunes. SO why buy something like that? If you want people to buy your stuff, make stuff that’s worth buying. But see, the way things are now, when people make quality stuff they charge a price out of this water because no one wants to do hard work without a price. Again, we can make our own music, we’re just paying them to do so because they offered. We can make our own videos with the right equipment, we just choose not to. We would rather watch other people. But it isn’t a necessity.
All that being said, the music industry was bound to go downhill when some new technology was introduced. Thanks to the internet, one person who has the money to buy something, can post it up and share it. It’s a bit like carpooling; everyone rides in one car to save on gas. Music and movies took the hit to this “carpooling”. There has been a decline in sales for many artists, aside from concert revenue, which also has been declining a bit due to the fact we can watch it on youtube.
Now, I understand that this law protects online intelligence. I can see that when I decide to draw a great picture, and post it on DeviantArt, I will get the credit. At the same time, to me when you share things online, you’re asking for people to “steal” it, because you have given them permission to “share” it. What does share mean? Share-the full or proper portion or part allotted or belonging to or contributed or owed by an individual or group. So when you “share” things on the internet, you have said that the group owns it, therefore you have already given up your rights of ownership. If you don’t want that, DON’T POST IT ONLINE! It’s simple. Don’t obstruct others’ rights to maneuver on the web, and cause further harm to businesses.
The main thing is the damage is done. When internet was released, there were no stipulations. Now, it’s a multimillion dollar industry. And what do people go on the internet for? 1) To talk to friends on social networking sites 2)To listen to their favorite music and/or download 3)To watch movies and/or download 4)To research the latest in bad news, or to do any research. With the piracy act, I can see the music and movie sites going downhill. No website wants to risk being sued or losing millions of people who are very guilty of piracy. Social Networking sites would have to be responsible for every single individual that posts up “pirate” material. That’s hard to do. They also would go under. The only things that would still be around is research…and that’s too boring to do all day. Basically, computer would revert back to it’s origin: a way to further business opportunities and school intelligence. It would no longer be a thing of entertainment. Many people might not mind that. However, it destroys business and marketing tools that could be of benefit to an advanced society.
This is a battle between the old way vs the new. We’re living in 2012. We can’t go back to the old days and how it used to be. We’re far too advanced of a society to revert backwards now. It would be pointless to do so at this point. Censoring the internet will not convince people to buy things, it will only further limit people from having the experiences they once had. It will stop the spread of knowledge that promotes many artists. It will only make people listen to the free radio. But it won’t get people to buy it. Music and movies are an extra expense to patron. Fans will only decrease, and people will go back to the old way of things: Making their own music so they won’t have to buy it.
Or who knows, maybe people will cooperate and start buying the materials. But I know before internet, I didn’t know anything about world music. I listened to my first Utada Hikaru and BoA song and was sold ever since. It introduced me to a new world of music, sound, and language. I’ve been a patron of Asian music ever since. I will admit that at first I downloaded without paying because I was a punk kid. But now, I’ve grown to love the artists so much that I support them with my money. It helped promote those artists around the world. Censoring the internet prevents people from knowing or understanding those artists.
The one thing that did catch my interest was the Protect IP Act. Not to say that I’ve gotten my IP address stolen, but I was banned from a website, and so was my sibling, and I wanted to know why they banned us both. They told me that we had the same IP address, and said we were sockpoppeting…that scared me. It was almost like they knew we lived together without me saying anything. We couldn’t be two individual people on the same website without them tracking us. Because we had the same IP Address, we couldn’t prove we were two individuals. So this Act sparks some interest in me. However, I do realize that it’s my choice to use the internet. If I don’t want people to know my IP Address or things about me, it’s my choice to remove myself from those places that can track it. Plus, this act will stop me from playing my favorite online game Wizard 101. No thanks.
To conclude, I feel that the internet should be a marketplace with a free exchange of ideas. I think people should be responsible for the choices they make regarding the internet and it’s use. I don’t feel the government needs to regulate it. I feel if people don’t want their “thing” stolen on the internet, they shouldn’t use it or post it. Celebrities in the music industry have to keep up with the ever-growing industry, it’s a part of the hard-boiled career they chose. It’s changed since 1970, and it’s going to continue to change. If you don’t want people to post your music from their paid downloads or from your hard copy CDs, you have to find a way to make music in a form that can’t be downloaded. DVD business owners can probably try to ship their investments elsewhere. Maybe even try to make a website and CONVINCE people to buy your stuff. That’s fair, and much better than forcing people to. The business industry is changing, and things will change. We can’t stop it. It will fail. We just have to find ways to advance along with society. Online games already got the message. After several days of playing Wizard 101’s free trial, I bought it. Maybe other places need to hop on the bandwagon.
This sort of reminds me of the Prohibition Act of the 1920s. All that did was create MORE crime. It was a dumb move then, and this is a dumb move now. We have FDR, who loved alcohol, to thank for that one being uplifted. Maybe the next president can give us some hope for a better future.
I’m sure this isn’t a new topic, but it is one that is over-looked in day-to-day society as a contributing factor to many of the employment problems today’s society has: computer is taking over.
Yea, sure, we can blame the lack of jobs on the recession, the over-creation of products, but no salaries that are enough to pay for all of these “inventions” or “products”. But we also have to consider the fact that you’re not out of a job only because businesses can’t find people who can afford their products (and so have to close due to the lack of consumer demand), but that technology is actually TAKING your job.
It’s always been an economic trend in history for there to be a war, an era of advancement and technology, and then an economic crises following. The Great Depression and the ’70s were prime examples. In the ’20s, there was a wave of technological advancements such as the credit system. And the misuse of that system was a contributing factor to the Great Depression. The ’70s also had a wave of advancement, especially with the car industry, but then we ran out of oil for all of those cars. Soon after, there was a recession. And in both eras, the issue was that the industrialization of products were moving faster than the rise in salaries that could afford those products….
But this is probably one of the worst cases in history. In those eras, the advancements didn’t just get rid of jobs, they also replaced the jobs. With the rise of the computer, it’s really devouring jobs that were once handled by humans, and actually cutting down on the employees. I can name several examples.
Travel Agencies
Why hire a travel agent, when you can buy your tickets online. When is the last time anyone really needed a travel agent to book their flights? The computer industry has completely replaced this job. For babies born in 2011, according to a Yahoo news article, Travel Agents will soon be a thing of the past with computers.
Bank-tellers
Online banking is growing in numbers and catching on to people. People even pay their bills online. It’s a better way to keep up with finances. And if you want to remove some money from the bank, use the ATM. The only reason anyone would go to a bank would be to open an account, which can also be done over the phone or online.
Drive-Through Windows and Waiter Jobs
Recently, when on the expressway, I went to a McDonalds that had the computer take my order! No lie! And when we pulled up, it automatically sent the food to us! Look for that job to be gone in the next couple of years. In some Japanese sushi bars, they don’t even have waiters. Sometimes, they have automatic menus where you press the button at your seat telling it what you want, and the order is automatically sent to the chef, and sent back to you on a conveyor belt. They’re called Rotating Sushi Bars. Chicago just opened its first one.
Sure we need them now, and we might need some in the future, but with online classes, I’m sure there will be a shortage of teachers because what’s not appealing about doing classwork AT HOME? And if you don’t have a car (or don’t feel like getting up), you can easily get your degree online. You just have to remember to meet certain deadlines. Even though, people generally go to college to have the “experience” because of social reasons, but it won’t truly be necessary if you want a degree.
Record Labels
Come on, music can be spread online and uploaded and promoted by the individual artist. Youtube already has those connections to promote individuals. Some people try to get under record labels because familiar artists are under them. But in recent years, many record labels have folded. The most they would need would be equipment and a video team. And electronic equipment is taking over the voice already, so who needs singers? Soon, who’ll need dancers? We can digitize bodies and movement now (prime example is Tron and Beowulf).
Toy Industry
Certainly not as exciting as having a cell phone, video game, or a computer. Online dolls seem more sensible to little girls than actual dolls: they’re free (or included in mommy’s internet bill every month). Action Figures just don’t cell like they used to. Boys would rather be playing their favorite character on a video game where virtually they can travel to different worlds and places without using their imaginations. No more tearing up the house to build cardboard cars and toy houses. It’s all on the computer. And it’s seriously hurting the toy industry.
Social Organizations
Wanna get in touch with old pals? It’s no longer a big deal to go to school reunions. We have facebook now, where people can get in touch with old buddies online. With facebook and youtube, social clubs and organizations are useless. You can find people who like the same things you do on online forums.
Newspaper and Magazine Industry
News won’t really be gone because we need journalists who can actually get access to certain areas so they can get the latest in news. BUT there will be a shortage of journalists because of online news and blogs, such as this one, that more people read than ever to find out the latest in news. There’s even Yahoo Answers that can research for people and give quick answers. Which is the reason that…
Libraries really don’t need to exist anymore. You can find everything online now, including summaries of books that you don’t want to read, but have to for a school report. I don’t remember the last time anyone in my college classes actually read a book for class. If they do read, it’s a fictional book strictly for entertainment, and eventually, the book is made into a movie.
Arts And Crafts Industry
Maybe just for day-to-day fun, but digital art is becoming a popular thing now. Soon, what will be the point of knowing how to paint and draw? Cartoons are being replaced by digital media or just becoming live action shows.
Department Store Clerks
There will be a shortage soon. First off, Walmart is devouring stores itself. Second, people are ordering what they want online more often now. Therefore, some people will eventually not be needed. Stores are starting to become more and more empty. The only ones who go are those who don’t have credit or debit cards. But possibly, it eventually will be the complete way to shop.
There are so many other jobs that are subject to leaving! And all because of the computer. People have been the main contributor to this massacre of jobs. That’s progress for you. It hacks away at the old and begins with the new. It’s really something to consider if you’re looking for a long-lasting job. You may not want to think of these jobs as long-time careers…unless there’s some “revival” in the near future.
Well, I’m curious to know…anyone else have any other job ideas that they feel might be replaced by computer? Do you feel the computer can truly get rid of jobs, or will they be back? Are you excited for the computer to take over? Do you think it will open doors for new job opportunities in the future? Do you feel there should be restrictions on computer usage? Share your thoughts and comments!
Ever feel like you’re not wanted around when you walk into a room? Forum? Facebook page? Youtube commenting section? I’ve had that feeling recently, and it was no mere intuition. It was complete clairvoyance of the situation. I walked into a Detective Conan forum about several months ago, and me being me, I went into the General Discussions area to chitchat. I had just started back up watching Detective Conan anime, and was on the DCTP TV (Detective Conan Translation Project Television) watching it, which was great. But it suddenly stopped. And so I moseyed my behind over to the DCTP website.
I like forums generally. It’s an interesting way to connect with fans, though a great majority of the time I get banned for double posting in my excitement, being “too mean” in a debate, or simply “having two accounts” because I am an identical twin, and apparently in the world, twins are the same person. In the case of being a twin, there is often no way of knowing if the two accounts are the same.
Though wouldn’t that apply to anyone, even if they weren’t an identical twin?
Anyway, to get to the point, recently I was banned from the DCTP forums. And because I am a twin. Yes, people didn’t know whether I was one account or another. And yes, my twin sister can be a troll when it comes to things she doesn’t care about. But that is not the the REAL reason we BOTH were banned. I know the real reason. I actually felt it long before “sock-poppeting” was used as an excuse.
On those forums, I am the type of person who seems to disagree with whole populations of people, especially people in authority. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m Black, and Black people like me seem to have that bad. In this particular forum, I strongly disagreed with the canon couple of the anime. Well, you know how large anime “canon-couple” boards can be. And trust me, most of the mods are considered “strong fans”.
Me, being a newbie, I spoke my piece about my opinions on the lead female love interest and how I felt she lacked depth and served little role but to support Shinichi (the lead character). Of course, they didn’t like it.
Later on, my sister also joined the boards. I suppose people felt we were like backyard bullies by then, scheming to gang up on them to “argue” the point. My sister was just simply there to make fun of them because she doesn’t take this anime seriously. So, about three members (my estimate) decided they would eliminate the problem: Me.
I always seemed to disagree with the mods and other “important” figures on many parts of this particular anime. My sister only showed up in General Discussions. I was all over this board, probably the only board I actually went on frequently. I mean, giving it its props, it’s an organized board, they got their shit together. And the forum mod is cool as hell.
But these three other members decided they would get me banned. They actually planned this for a month before I was banned. One even PM-ed me and I had to tell him off. And one stalked me in the forum trying to find anything on me that would get me kicked out. Eventually, those two cooled off because I showed them my Facebook…and they realized I was an identical twin. But there were still two leeches, and I know who they are. One is a serious fan of the lead love interest, and one is an obvious and complete enemy. They may or may not be mods, but they certainly DID NOT want me around to stop them from being Know-it-alls.
I used to post long paragraphs like I do here, and I would offer legit arguments. I suppose they didn’t like it. Instead of bravely coming up with a good debate to counter-argue, they decided, “We’ll just eliminate the person making us look bad”.
They decided they were going to tell the Mod just how I was “sock-poppeting” with two accounts. Now, I wasn’t worried because I knew that I wasn’t doing this. But I suppose when the majority is great in power and targets the threat, the king has no choice but to go with what the public wants: eliminate the weakest link. Thus, we have The Lottery. If you haven’t read that story, it’s a good read. A Jewish woman wrote it, how she was targeted for being Jewish and not celebrating Christian Holidays or doing normal traditions. The story is very real. When you are the only one who seems to be different, you will be targeted, especially if you are not afraid to stand up for yourself or speak up, even at the cost of being hated. There are people who are not afraid to choose a side, not in fear of being disliked for having opposing views.
So if it was about me spamming, or my sister trolling, I would accept, but because it’s not, I refuse to go back. The odd part is, for three months, I had the feeling they didn’t want me around. They would always comment back saying stuff like “Do you even read/watch this anime?” or “Yea good to see you soragirl6, I mean soratothamax” or “Came back to give faded logic”? And two of the three times, I ignored it. But apparently, the trio have won, and I, the victim of the “lottery” have the red token. I was stoned. What do I do?
1) Refuse to go back to the forums, even when the ban is lifted, giving them EXACTLY what they wanted. Not to be around people who won’t accept me, and to have anyone who wants to talk to me come find me.
OR
2) I go back to the forums when my ban is lifted to show them that it didn’t bother me, and that I’m still going to be me, and that I’m not going to let them ruin my fun.
Which is better?
Has anyone else ever felt this way or has anyone else had to decide between the two? Which do you think I should do?
Generation Next 