FYI...
10:31 PM - Feb 09, 2024
The past 2 weekends were big ones for 3 Korean music groups. The indie rock band The Rose performed on both Sundays at Coachella. LE SSERAFIM played both Saturdays. And ATEEZ became the 1st K-pop boy band to perform there. Then the haters tried to ruin my fun.
07:58 PM - Apr 23, 2024
"MOTHER OF THE BRIDE was filmed in Phuket. It was actually the 1st time I’d had the pleasure to visit any part of Asia. But I didn’t really get a sense of the country & its culture until my brother joined me for a week after I’d finished my work on the film." —Wilson Cruz in our Chgo Tribune article
chicagotribune.com
Go away with … Wilson Cruz – Chicago Tribune
Thirty years ago, Wilson Cruz made history as the first openly gay actor portraying a gay role on a television series. The critically-acclaimed “My So-Called Life” jump-started a career that would include the films “Nixon” and “After Louie,” as well as shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “13 Reasons ..
09:52 AM - Apr 23, 2024
Six years after she won critical acclaim for her debut novel “If You Leave Me Now,” Crystal Hana Kim has published “The Stone Home.” The novel centers on a homeless mother and daughter who are sent to live in a South Korean reformatory center designed to break down their will to survive.
11:17 PM - Apr 19, 2024
Childhood friends, nosy neighborhood ajummas & ajussis, lots of food, goat bleating (for real), and love are all a part of the popular “Reply” series. The K-dramas evoke nostalgia for an era that seems like both yesterday & a lifetime ago. Have you watched any of the trilogy?
12:07 AM - Apr 15, 2024
In 2021, COVID-19 took my mom. I didn't have many photos of her when she was young a woman, so I took the photo from her 1969 citizenship documents, restored it, and then turned it in to a glass portrait.
Today was her birthday.
Today was her birthday.
08:33 AM - May 05, 2023
For “Dune,” I shot initially in Budapest, which is quite wonderful architecturally. The city is also very welcoming. They’ve got grand boulevards and the Danube River running through demarcating the hilly Buda and lower plain Pest – hence Budapest. —Babs Olusanmokun
chicagotribune.com
10:04 AM - Apr 10, 2024
I'm ready for another So Ji-sub K-drama anytime soon, please... How about you? But in the meantime, I've reviewed two of his films (ALWAYS and BE WITH YOU) and six of his KDramas. Let me know if you've seen any of them!
11:17 PM - Apr 07, 2024
"My favorite scene in THIS IS ME...NOW was the intervention scene. It was very cool to play off whatever JLO would throw at us. I play The Idealist. This scene really challenges that persona, because she's a romantic who believes in happily ever after.” -Ashley Versher
11:43 AM - Apr 02, 2024
I take a look at 7 of the most popular K-dramas, including a problematic one. What was your gatewayKorean show? Are any of these series responsible for your viewing addiction?! Share your favorites with me, please!
04:18 PM - Mar 30, 2024
"My parents escaped Vietnam on a boat. They came to the U.S. as refugees. I was born & raised in Boston with immigrants from the Dominican Republic & Haiti. Having exposure to diverse cultures helped shape my love of community." —Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply
12:42 AM - Mar 28, 2024
After Mai Whelan won “Squid Game: The Challenge,” she could've gone anywhere to celebrate. Her choice of Ohio surprised many, but Whelan said it was the perfect place for her to rest after the arduous competition.
12:00 AM - Mar 28, 2024
One of the aspects of Korean pop culture that I wish would disappear is when idols/actors kowtow to fans after they're "caught" dating. Just because fans buy tickets to concerts or films, they have no right to dictate that you remain alone for their enjoyment. Eeeesh!
10:49 PM - Mar 21, 2024
Hi everyone, I just wanted to share that as of today, I am 4 years cancer-free!
06:51 PM - Mar 20, 2024
For today's Substack newsletter, I reviewed K-dramas with a prison theme! I promise you that they’re not as depressing as the subject matter might suggest. Although some of them actually are... 😬
12:59 AM - Mar 16, 2024
I reviewed 7 of my favorite Jung Hae-in projects, including the film TUNE IN FOR LOVE and his super fun reality show JUNG HAE-IN's TRAVEL LOG. Have you watched any of my picks?
12:18 AM - Mar 13, 2024
For Adrian Sutherland, touring gave him an eye-opening opportunity to experience life outside of his community. Sutherland resides in Attawapiskat First Nation on the western shore of James Bay. His new album “Precious Diamonds” includes 2 Cree songs he wrote.
09:27 AM - Mar 12, 2024
My latest exclusive interview for Rolling Stone magazine: CHUNG HA reveals the next step in her evolution after a 1.5-year hiatus: “I knew that I had to have a comeback eventually, because I had promised my fans that I would. This is what I love to do.”
10:11 AM - Mar 11, 2024
In the Oscar-nominated film PAST LIVES, the Korean concept of inyeon is used to lead viewers into believing that Nora (Greta Lee) & Hae-sung (Teo Yoo) are destined to be together, if not in this life, then in the future. Perhaps they were together in a past they can't recall. My latest SALON essay.
04:49 PM - Mar 08, 2024
I'm rooting for the Korean-centric US film PAST LIVES to do well Sunday at the Academy Awards. But this got me thinking about some of my favorite Korean films that I wanted to share with you. Sure you've seen PARASITE. But how about ONCE UPON A TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL or THE WAY HOME? My latest reviews.
06:56 PM - Mar 07, 2024
#QuantumLeap 's Raymond Lee told me that throughout all the lean years, he had the support of his mother – who had been an actress in South Korea. A rarity for Asian American talent, Lee has top billing on NBC’s popular sci-fi series. Our interview👇
03:42 PM - Mar 05, 2024
This is not nearly as controversial as the Airbnb discourse or the thread of wedding guests pre-paying for their meals, but contrary to popular belief, I don't love every KDrama. I'm fairly picky. That said, here are 10 shows that tested my patience... Not even Gong Yoo could save "BIG" for me.
06:25 PM - Mar 02, 2024
I love to watch KDramas with strong women characters, who aren't a "girlfriend" afterthought thrown in as eye candy. These 5 Korean shows are among my favorites: MY NAME; HAPPINESS; FLOWER OF EVIL; UNCANNY COUNTER; and THE K2. Have you seen them? I wrote capsule & full reviews of all 5.
07:37 PM - Mar 01, 2024
2 Threaded Spouts
Four years ago, I had been asked by a different magazine to write a cover story on #TWICE . As much as I wanted to, I couldn't, because I was recovering from cancer surgery & knew I didn't have enough energy to do them justice. But I'm healthy now! When TODAY asked me to interview the +
11:48 AM - Feb 23, 2024
I do believe that most people asking for changes in published articles are just trying to do their jobs, and I can appreciate that. But overstepping boundaries has become the norm now in pop culture — especially K-pop. Stop asking for "corrections" when there is nothing that's inaccurate.
09:46 AM - Feb 21, 2024
(Edited)
"The last time I went home to Toronto was so much fun," P1Harmony's Keeho told me. "We did a show [and I invited about] 50 people. I cried on stage because it was overwhelming for me. But just being able to go back home and experience it – it felt very surreal."
10:10 AM - Feb 20, 2024
I'm sorry I stole your sugar gourd. I will buy you a new one. 🫰 새해 복 많이 받으세요!
11:37 PM - Feb 09, 2024
FYI...
10:31 PM - Feb 09, 2024
The boys could’ve learned a lesson that would’ve served them well — that there are repercussions to their actions; and that sometimes, the worst action is in pretending that a wrong never occurred.
jaehakim.substack.com
That Time a Group of Boy Scouts Got Their Ya-ya's Being Racist
Do you ever wake up one morning, remember something from the past and can’t shake that memory? Every now and then, I do. And this is one of those instances … According to the Boy Scouts of America, the organization’s mission is to “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their li..
05:38 PM - Feb 06, 2024
"I’ve enjoyed working in New Orleans. The Phillip Noyce film, 'Fast Charlie,' starring Pierce Brosnan – which I have a small part in – was filmed a lot in NOLA. It’s always a pleasure to work there and enjoy the creole food, unique dialects and music on every corner in the French Quarter."
01:17 PM - Feb 06, 2024
"But even growing up in NJ among a lot of other Koreans, I also didn’t quite fit in either. My family wasn’t religious, I didn’t speak Korean and I was really into the rock music thing, so shared identity didn’t necessarily help in terms of fitting in."
01:09 PM - Feb 06, 2024
