The (My) Hip-Hop Bias – So You Think You Can Dance Season 6 Review

17 12 2009

Gonna do this q & a style, as if I’m some kinda scholar/celebrity (haha):

Q: First things first, did Russell deserve the win?

A: I lean towards no.  Although I LUV me a lil’ Russell (see above), he had the worst season of duets for any winner in the history of the show.  How many “classic” duets did he have?  By “classic,” I mean ones that will be rewatched on Youtube, linked, and/or tweeted for years to come.  Russell had only one: the Transformers dance; sorry, the “Frog Dance” doesn’t even make my top 10 (see below).

If you go back to Jeanine, she had at least two classics: Travis Wall’s karate chop and  NappyTabs’ last true lyrical.  If you go back to the days when the winner of the show DOMINATED with classics, you’ll get Joshua’s incredible list:

  • Lyrical Hip-Hop w/ Katee & NappyTabs
  • Samba w/ Katee & His Big Butt
  • Contemporary w/ Katee & Mia (holy crap)
  • 1st Bollywood on SYTYCD w/ Katee
  • Argentine Tango w/ Chelsie & Emmy
  • Lyrical Jazz w/ Katee & Wade
  • Russian Folk w/ Twitch

AND I’m being conservative here.  There may be more classics.  Of course, this leads to the argument that season 4 was simply more damn special, and yes, I admit it was (my personal fave).  BUT, I’ll go as far as saying Russell didn’t even have the best season of duets IN HIS OWN SEASON, as you can read in my top 10 of season 6.  That award goes to (and should’ve gone to) Kathryn or Jakob.

Q: So, what are your top 10 dances of this season?

A: Here we go:

  1. Ellenore & Jakob – Contemporary – “Tore My Heart,” OONA – Sonya – “Sonya’s Emmy” (see above)
  2. Kathryn & Russell – Hip-Hop – “I Can Transform Ya,” Chris Brown – NappyTabs – “NappyTabs’ Season of Redemption”
  3. Kathryn & Jakob – Contemporary – “At This Moment,” Michael Buble – “Contemporary Personified”
  4. Ellenore & Legacy – Contemporary – “Machine Gun,” Portishead – Travis – “Travis Officially Replaces Mia”
  5. Kathryn & Legacy – Contemporary – “2 Steps Away,” Patti LaBelle – “Addiction II”
  6. Kathryn & Legacy – Hip-Hop – “On & On,” Missy – “Kathryn, One Helluva Actress”
  7. Kathryn & Legacy – Jazz – “So Deep,” Hot Chip – Sonya - “Classic Sonya”
  8. Ashleigh & Jakob – Lyrical Jazz – “Time Flies,” Lykke Li – Sonya – “The Year of the Sonya”
  9. Ashleigh & Jakob – Hip-Hop – “Whatcha Say,” Jason Derulo – NappyTabs – “Ashleigh Does a Tabitha Impression”
  10. Kathryn & Nathan – Broadway – “Choreography,” Danny Kane – “Hmm, Kathryn’s Actually Pretty”

So, if you do the count, that’s 6 for Kathryn, 4 for Jakob, 4 for Legacy, 2 for Ellenore, 2 for Ashleigh, 1 for CHAMPION Russell.  And my list is completely hip-hop/contemporary-biased, the only two genres Russell can do extremely well.  Absolutely ridiculous that he won.

Q: But according to your wife, you voted for Russell.  She said, and I quote, “After Transformers ended the finale, Loren started giggling and voting for Russell like a 13 year-old girl, and got mad after getting busy tones.”  How do you respond to that?

A: Alright, I confess.  Like the rest of (teenage) America, I fell hard for the (my) hip-hop bias.  America is still in a luv affair w/ black music.  In other words, there are not entire movies based on samba rolls, and there is no foxtrot mogul equivalent to Jay-Z (though it would be funny if there was).

After Russell’s win, I’m thoroughly convinced that if any true hip-hop dancer (i.e., not Kevin) does a decent job on his cross-genre duets (i.e., not Phillip), he will win.  A hip-hop solo just gets the girls (and grown ass married men) shrilling more than any contemporary solo by the likes of limber Jakob and cutesy wutsey Kathryn (see above).  And the allusion of a hip-hopper defying expectations when he survives a waltz is still greater than that of a contemporary artist when he bashes out hip-hop.  Was it just me, or were the “Russell, you’ve grown so much” comments growing tiresome?  How come Jakob didn’t get any of those for nailing NappyTabs?

“Russell’s kinda like Joshua in season 4,” said JY.  At first, this got me kinda mad ’cause I have Joshua on an Obama-like pedestal.  He’s the one that brought me to the dark side of mainstream reality TV.  I even pulled out the RACE CARD on my “beloved” wife.  But after a careful dissection of Joshua’s classics to debate JY, I realized that for all of them, Joshua relied on his sick ass partners.  For each and every one of the dances (including hip-hop), you can’t really say that Joshua is the better dancer.  In fact, KATEE SHOULD’VE WON SEASON 4.  But like fellow technician Jakob, Katee fell to the krumptastic solos and the intriguing charm-swagger mix.  Both Joshua and Russell could cry cute tears one minute (“I … I hurt my leg *sniff”), and then yell at you w/ total street aggression the next (“I like to give a shout out to my crew, my girl, and God!”).  It’s a potent cocktail that can lead to SYTYCD glory each and every season.  And of course, Katee and Jakob “didn’t grow as much.”

Q: Do you think  there will ever be an exception to the “Hip-Hop Bias” on SYTYCD?

A: Unlike the rest of the blogsphere, I don’t think a male technician like Jakob or the return of Billy Bell could bring down the “Hip-Hop Bias.”  The allusion that they don’t grow as much ’cause of their Juilliard-like training is too much.

It’s gonna take the female  ”Good Personality Bias.”  Or the “You-Were-Ok-in-That-Cha-Cha-But-What-a-Cute-Personality-You-Showed” Bias.  Or the “Jeanine Bias” ’cause that’s how Jeanine won.  Was she a better dancer than Brandon or Kayla?  Heck no.  But while Jeanine was cracking solid jokes, Brandon was too busy being insecure, Kayla networking w/ Tyce.

Perhaps next season we’ll get the Battle of the Biases, the battle between the Russell’s and Jeanine’s of America.  This season, Mollee was a tad too young, and Ellenore a tad too old (and obviously weird).  Teeny bop gals wanna be like Jeanine, they are Mollee, and Ellenore is like their single, hippie aunt.  Sidenote: Kathryn’s drama queen personality cost her.  She was this absolute vixen/perfectionist/killer on the dance floor, but when she opened her mouth, it was Niagra.  She should consider 3rd a victory, but it looked like she expected more based on her resounding finale.  Just go network w/ Tyce, Kathryn.  Go.  And bring 5 boxes of tissues.

Q: So, with the flawed victor and the other critiques of season 6, do you think this season was a failure?

A.  Absolutely not.  Here’s some of the reasons why folks think season 6 was a failure (from buddytv.com), and why I think everything’s still a-ok:

  • Shortened Season, Extended Auditions.  I think a tight, short season of good choreo is better than a longer one of mixed results.  As far as I can tell, the choreographers were saving their good stuff for the end anyways.  Plus, like an argument for not extending the NFL season, didn’t the dancers in the finale look damn tired to you?
  • Judge Choice Eliminations.  I’d agree with this if they got any wrong, but they were pretty dead on this season.  Meanwhile, my trust for the American public is still reeling after Evan.
  • No Mia Michaels.  Yes, her choreo was sorely missed, but some of her wtf statements were not (e.g., “I hate you, Brandon.”).
  • No Guest Judges.  No argument here; I missed “snapalicious” Tyce the most.  They’ll bring them back next summer.
  • The Season of 10,000 Tears.  I thought the tears (and overall cheese) were truly entertaining, especially Ryan and Ashleigh’s for each other, and Nathan’s for his jetskiing parents.  Yes, can’t say much about their dancing, but their unintentional comedy added a lot to the fun of this season.
  • Injuries Galore! I may be wrong here, but I kinda believe the blogsphere’s theories that Russell’s lack of training caused most of them.  I mean, Noelle, Ashleigh, and himself?  Coincidence?  I think not!  Another reason why Russell is the worst champion in SYTYCD history.
  • Lackluster Choreography.  Yes, it was worse overall, but it doesn’t make the show a failure.  Even the lackluster is entertaining as hell to mock and better than Law & Order reruns.  Some of the new choreographers were slowly getting better, and I believe it’s more exciting to discover the next NappyTabs than to see them run out of ideas (which they did at times).
  • The Gigantic Neon Dancer-Swallowing Disaster of a New Stage.  I’m a sucker for hi-tech stages and cameras, so no complaints here.  And it’s interesting how Korea’s been sporting these kinda stages since the late ’90’s (w/ LCD’s on ALL sides), and America treats it like such a new, revolutionary thing.  I say, well done, SYTYCD, finally!
  • Top 6 Finale.  An Hour Long Performance Finale. Have to concede these.  These were absolutely ridiculous.  No pageantry; no more final chances for Jakob to defeat the “Hip-Hop Bias” via videos; no understanding of the meaning behind Sonya’s last piece!  And what kills me is for what reason?  Obama?  Yankees-Phillies?  NO!  GORDON “ANGRY FOR NO REASON” RAMSEY.  Cooking show 1 outta 1 million.  They couldn’t move him to next week?  Or Friday?  What happened here, Nigel?  Please provide us one of your explanation tweets.  Thank you.

Bottom line: besides the lesser finale, it was still a solid season of SYTYCD.  Still had goosebump moments, still had an impressive final 4, and still had unintentional comedy all-stars (e.g., Team Di Lello, Team Teeny Bop, Team Tappers).  Every hiccup this fall will be corrected next summer, when we get the kids w/o school in the Kodak, the abundant air time, and the ultimate battle between Hip-Hopper v. Funny Girl in season 7!





an asian moment w/ a pseudo-celebrity

28 10 2009
bs1

"what a weirdo." - bill's mind

here’s the short convo i had w/ one of my heroes, espn.com sportswriter and author of the new book on basketball, bill simmons (aka the sports guy) at his dc espn zone book signing:

me: i’m one of the many asians who send u annoying yao [ming] analysis e-mails. *sarcastically rocking the yao jersey.

bill: i don’t get a lot of those these days.  *smile.

ouch, that was a good one.  the man still had it even though he looked ridiculously tired (at 1:30 AM on the day of his book release), was facing an embarrassing book shortage, and had to deal w/ fans w/ a common denominator: smart asses who think they’re funnier than they actually are (like myself).

bs2

"laugh, funny white man. laugh at our misfortune." - my mind

but the man still had a book to sell, so he offered his condolences:

bill: i like yao though.  he’ll be back.  thanks for coming.  *smile.

loren: congrats, and have a good night!  *giddy.

and here’s the sig:

bs3

for those that don’t understand the “chairman yi” reference, allow me to quote one of bill’s columns:

chairman yi

Q: I know it’s pretty obvious, but Yi Jianlian’s nickname has to be “The Chairman,” right? –M. Filion, Montreal

SG: Has to be. There hasn’t been a more effective nickname in years. Not only does it sound like the right nickname for him (“Chairman Yi”), but the joke-trapped-inside-the-joke (during ESPN’s lottery show, there was video of Yi posting up actual chairs and spinning around them for layups) will never stop being funny. And when you think about it, we haven’t been able to call anyone “The Chairman” since Sinatra died. So it’s done — we’re calling Yi “The Chairman.” This meeting is adjourned.

all asian-big-men disses aside, one may wonder why smart ass sports fans would wait 3 hours to pretty much flirt w/ another smart ass sports fan.  picture this: early fall 2004 … an asian boy just started law school … has no friends … no fellow smart asses to flirt w/ (and that’s how doods flirt with each other, via sports talk) … stuck in the library by himself on a weekend night … but still laughing his smart ass off to one of bill’s non-sports masterpieces … w/o a care in the world … feeling like there is someone out there who understands the smart ass (lonely ass?) within.  a moment like this is why i luv bill simmons.

now i sound like a stalker.





ten lists of 10 – one-year anniversary in dc/va edition (part ii)

1 09 2009

#6 – things that make me feel young

the old english d, the cursive w!

  1. my love of baseball caps
  2. striking up convos w/ 4-year-olds at the mall candy store, “trust me, you should go with the gummy cherries.”
  3. how i still watch a video i dig a million times like i did as a frosh in college
  4. sports cards
  5. a partner asking, “how do you like your scotch?”
  6. a realtor saying, “i understand why you’d want to move downtown”
  7. my pop christian books (e.g., don miller) being used and abused, while my youth pastor’s wedding gift (ancient christian commentary on scripture) is unopened
  8. my reaction to the acronymn “ira” (individual retirement account)
  9. mariah carey’s “dreamlover”
  10. republicans

dads at the candy store don’t seem to take my advice as well, “son, let’s go [and stop talking to the child molestor-looking asian man]” … at target, when jy’s in the restroom, i sneak a peak at the sports cards section; try it, you won’t regret it … ”scotch? uhhh, ummm, on the rocks *gulp?” … go illegaly download “dreamlover” NOW; i’ll be waiting … i’m beginning to realize only old republicans (who like to call a black person hitler) have the time to go to these townhalls on health care.

#7 – things that make me feel old

  1. my need to wear baseball caps
  2. teen choice awards (aka the “wtf?” awards)
  3. drake (rapper)
  4. having no clue what chat app my teen cousins use
  5. having no clue what it’s like to be “on red bull”
  6. twilight references (aka the “what?” references)
  7. the audience and add of america’s best dance crew (abdc)
  8. when kids say, “lebron james is my favorite nba player of all-time!”
  9. when i say, “but working for hollister won’t enhance your resume!”
  10. relating more to the king of queens than gossip girl

drake’s “best i ever had” is as hard as a 2pac song’s first line … is aim chat now two or three generations old? … red bull? my late nights in college were inspired by this ancient concoction called “mountain dew” … abdc, thanks for teaching me dance moves for the first 45 seconds; now, how ’bout them next 45? … *sigh, being more resume-oriented than nintendo-oriented means sounding like mom and dad.

#8 – women that would take me “5 seconds” to say no to (aka the george costanza/marisa tomei special, aka my fantasy female draft cheat sheet)

#1 w/ a bullet

  1. leah remini from the king of queens (and it’s not even close)
  2. alicia
  3. norah
  4. jun ji-hyun (aka gianna)
  5. natalie portman
  6. angelina
  7. esperanza
  8. maggie cheung
  9. the hostess of top chef (i don’t even know her name)
  10. penelope (post tom cruise)
  • note to self: hopefully, none of the above like short, stocky, quirky, bald, and ASIAN men.
  • note to wives/girlfriends: i’m not a pig ’cause after watching e! news, you’d crank out a list in 5 seconds.  99.9% chance it features johnny.
  • note to husbands/boyfriends: thus, it’s ok to share your list, as long as it does not feature her bff and/or megan fox.  actually, don’t share it w/ me if it features megan fox (see list #7).

#9 – sports teams (and ranking in ‘08)

  1. detroit tigers (4)
  2. portland trail blazers (2)
  3. washington wizards (5)
  4. washington nationals (6)
  5. san francisco giants (9)
  6. seattle mariners (8)
  7. chicago cubs (3)
  8. detroit pistons (7)
  9. houston rockets (1)
  10. los angeles clippers (nr)
  • note to my sports friends: this list provides prima facie evidence that when the clips start 15-10, i am not jumping on the bandwagon but instead, started the ignition.  thank you.
  • note to the tigs: go!
  • note to yao: hang in there, buddy; i still have your boys in my 10.  yao 4 life.

#10 – junk fast food chains (i.e., not subway)

did i mention it's not even close?

  1. white castle (and it’s not even close)
  2. chick-fil-a
  3. five guys
  4. arby’s
  5. hungry howie’s
  6. steak escape/charley’s grilled subs
  7. wendy’s
  8. a&w
  9. chipotle
  10. mcdonald’s

chick-fil-a’s polynesian sauce makes me want to go to polynesia (was that pc?) … arby’s + david “bff” cheng = high school … steak escape/charley’s is my go-to mall food, and for some reason, i’m pretty loyal (i.e., “f panda express!”) … a recent wendy’s ad featured the spicy crispy chicken sandwich as “the sandwich one grows up with”; i started tearing … i’ll always be a mcdonald’s apologist, so much so that when one screams, “i hate lawyers who work for big tobacco,” i tend to shy away ’cause i’d kill to defend the big mac in court (kill).

note: i finish with the most difficult to produce list in human history.  if you enjoy mental challenges, go to “fast food chains” in wiki, and try not to be stressed by having to make cuts.  for me, it was in-n-out due to lack of cali experience.  *sigh.

feel free to hit me w/ your “counterlists.”  just expect some counterarguments from moi …





ten lists of 10 – one-year anniversary in dc/va edition (part i)

22 08 2009

#1 – things i luv about dc/va

he's just like us!

  1. the aura of barack obama (and the minute chance he’ll be at the five guys u’re at)
  2. five guys (lots of them)
  3. dogfish head ale house
  4. driving down conn ave by the monuments at night
  5. the weekend section of the washington post
  6. thomas boswell of the washington post
  7. the kennedy center river terrace (w/ a bottle of stella)
  8. haircuts by local koreans
  9. the underrated greenspace of dc
  10. everyone’s a lawer

#2 – things i hate about dc/va

  1. everyone’s a lawyer
  2. i-66 e on friday night
  3. dc traffic during tourist season/protests
  4. the median price of a home in va
  5. the median square footage of a home in dc
  6. the average number of parking spaces in dc (0)
  7. the average temperature on the metro (95 degrees f-in’ hot)
  8. the frozen yogurt market players (e.g., yogen fruz, iceberry)
  9. how every area is “hot,” which means that none of them really are
  10. republicans

#3 – so you think you can dance season 5 dances

  1. “ruby blue,” roisin murphy | jeanette and brandon | choreographer: wade
  2. “mad,” ne-yo | jeanine and phillip | choreographers: nappytabs
  3. “love lockdown,” kanye | jeanine and phillip | choreographers: nappytabs
  4. “you’ll find a way,” santogold | phillip
  5. “libertango” from forever tango | jeanette and brandon
  6. “move,” mims | jeanine and ade | choreographers: nappytabs
  7. “gravity,” sarah bareilles | kayla and KUPONO | choreographer: mia
  8. “if it kills me,” jason mraz | jeanine and jason
  9. “eyes on fire,” blue foundation | kayla and kupono | choreographer: sonya
  10. “loving is really my game,” brainstorm | jeanette and brandon

#4 – underrated michael jackson songs

  1. “wanna be startin’ someting” from thriller (and it’s not even close)
  2. “you rock my world” from invincible
  3. “can’t let her get away” from dangerous
  4. “they don’t care about us” from histroy
  5. “jam” from dangerous
  6. “will you be there” from dangerous
  7. “stranger in moscow” from history
  8. “p.y.t. (pretty young thing)” from thriller
  9. “scream” from history
  10. “butterflies” from invincible

“wanna be …” was one video away from being bigger than “billie jean,” etc. (instead it peaked at #5 in the u.s. CRAZY) … “they don’t care …” and “jam” hit so hard, especially in comparison with the modern softies like usher and jt … “will you be there” is hurt by the annoying 2-minute intro and the free willy association, but is one of the most surreal experiences in music … “p.y.t.” has mad luv, but should get more for its staying power (i.e., who can rock “beat it” these days?) … if “butterflies” was sang by anyone else, say john legend or alicia, it would’ve been a bonafide hit, but barely anyone felt the sexiness of jacko ’cause of his past; i did.

#5 – things that annoy me on facebook (and rationale)

look at me!  i'm married!  you're not!

  1. the couple profile pic (yes, your single friends are on facebook too)
  2. the random pic profile pic (if you are trying to be funny w/ your face, your face is probably funny)
  3. the <name> likes this comment (great, thanks for having no rationale whastoever)
  4. the “in a relationship” status w/o a link to anyone (so lame for your stalker friends)
  5. the “it’s complicated” relationship status (every relationship is complicated, immature drama king/queen)
  6. the gift application (thanks!  that’s so sweet of you to send me a 4 pixel by 4 pixel icon)
  7. how i cannot remove lame applications, like the gift application
  8. the twitter spammer (quality over quantity people!)
  9. not sharing/untagging photos (see rationale 4, and you’re paranoid)
  10. the “cities i’ve visited” dominator (yes, your friends with toddlers are on facebook too)

note: i have violated several of the above.





heaven on earth #30: nationals park | dc (review)

19 05 2008

bored, honey?

reason #7,858 why i luv jy: she either likes or is very good at pretending to like accompanying me on my nerdy/manly pilgrimages to the heart of the sports universe (i.e., the venues).  it’s getting to the point that jy may enjoy worshipping at the altar of greasy junk food, thundersticks, and pointlessly yelling at the coach to guard the open three-point shooters more than me (or at least she deserves an oscar) … and i’m the least bit concerned.  ’cause like every boy in america who stinks at world of warcraft, one of my life goals is to attend every nba and mlb venue before i die (except for those in cleveland … i hate cleveland) …  and it’s such a blessing to grow old with someone that’s willing to sacrificedelay her night at the opera for drunk boys in xxxl jerseys screaming for spoiled boys in cheesily-colored jerseys.

jy and i attended the chicago cubs v. washington nationals game on april 26 @ spankin’ new nationals park (cubs dominated 7-0 on carlos zambrano’s solid 7 innings).  the following are my initial thoughts on the ballpark:

the “majesty”/dimensions: b-

hit it here!!!  or not.

overall, i like a ballpark that has what i call the “majesty” factor: it kinda overwhelms you with its size and beauty (especially with some sun splashed across the green) … but at the same time, i want a ballpark to have its fair share of home runs, not to be a hitter’s park but to be hittable (so i can achieve every boy’s dream of catching a homer).  cases in point: wrigley field in the chi lacks majesty and is too hittable (cubs fans are stressed enuf as it is but have to worry about 9th-inning homers); safeco field in seattle is unfreakingbelievable to look at but kinda a snoozer during the game; comerica park in the d is perfect (and yes, i’m biased).

nationals park is pretty with its open design and its patriotic colors (with a dash of fenway green).  however, although nationals park claims that it’s fair and statistically leans toward being hittable, i’m a tad concerned about the wind effect from the nearby river (just like at&t park in san fran).  that day, it was a tad blustery and when jy and i hit up batting practice, we didn’t see any go out of the park for a home run.  none.  i once attended bp at comerica park and saw marcus thames knock almot everything out.  the word is that the wind makes it nearly impossible to hit a homer down the lines, but there aren’t that many seats down the middle.  so, potential problem here that needs more numbers before drawing it as a conclusion.

scoreboard: a+

hd baybee

the hd scoreboard is the best i’ve ever seen ’cause it’s like 1,000,000 dpi (i did not sound like a patent attorney just now).  i kinda understand the traditionalists who balk at anything that is not wrigley and may be distracting to hitters, but even they might fall for the minutia that fills up them screens (e.g., every at bat for each batter, whether the batter throws left or right).

special features:  b+

america

while dc sports no brilliant skyline to fill up the gaps (like seattle), it does have its own charms to complement the ballpark: the capitol building (seen above) and the washington monument (which we unfortunately didn’t spot).  nationals park also has its version of the centerfield biergarten, the red loft, which i liked for its flashy, “love in this club” bar.  note the hanging lights behind the red loft, giving that area (the main entrance) a euro charm.

mascots: d

uhhh ...

when did george wash. and thomas jeff. get so creepy?  the allure of big heads and bobbleheads has never made sense to me (maybe ’cause i have one).  are kids supposed to be drawn to them?  find them cute?  i’m digressing here, but check out a bobblehead at night in the dark for a true fright and a great horror screenplay.

amenities: c+

jy = jennifer garner + fred durst

ballpark food needs to find a good balance between ghetto and bourgey, and if possible, it needs to be memorable like the grilled onions on the dogs at wrigley (*stomach growls) or the sushi at seattle while watching ichiro.  unfortunately, nationals park caters more to the bourgey (i.e., the politicians who sit in the $350 “presidential seats”) and even features a vendor that sells trademark food from other ballparks … but alas, it is a young place and at least covers all the bases (e.g., more beer than bud and bud light).

overall: b

- loren





can you stand the rain?

10 04 2008

popseoul! is one of my fave blogs … luv the sarcasm and the “jack@$$ery” …

but popseoul! and i strongly disagree about one thing:

popseoul! thinks korean singer, rain, is a total tool; i think rain is a demigod sent here to destroy the universe with his sheer sexiness:

BEST PERFORMANCE EVER!!! better than jt, better than usher, better than *gulp michael (rain’s more refined than the raw michael; who says an apprentice can’t outdo his master?) … and this is coming from someone who’s getting married (see above), not from a lonely teenage girl in malaysia.

case in point: february 29, 2008.  jy and i attended the jyp tour in the garden, nyc.  sweet show except the place was half empty (as opposed to “sold out” as jyp claimed during his set).  the place was half empty ’cause:

“where were the chinks (besides me)?”

do uknow who brings out the chinks (and the rest of asia-america)?  do uknow who DID bring out the chinks?  the sexiness did:

that’s why, unlike popseoul!, i believe rain is the only hope to asian-kind in america … even though he is an esl student whose repeating the first grade over and over (and over) again … even though he’s been experiencing a few problems lately.

instead, jyp entertainment is hoping “the hills” crowd digs a lil’ bit of soul … a lil’ bit of G-SOUL (git it?):

the dood was alright that night … kinda boring … kinda short … but seriously, how can jyp producemanufacture the sexiness, the triple threat (i.e., singing, dancing, & uhhh sexiness?) … and then come out with a lil’ g-soul (with none of the above) to sweep through america, land of really, really tall and good looking people?

to make matters worse, do uknow who is indirectly funding this fiasco?  my precious, overworked wonder girls (who couldn’t last more than 3 songs that night):

all the profits of “tell me” are being horribly invested by this man:

who made jy scream like a fourteen year-old, which was quite the sight to behold.

bottom line: although it was nice to be in a room full of koreans (who enjoy their music by not dancing to it but filming it with their digi cams) … and although the first 30 seconds of “tell me” were worth the price of admission for me (such an amazing intro) … i left the garden semi-disappointed … yearning for a PHENOM … yearning for a yellow brothuh to conquer whitey … yearning for some chinks in da house … yearning for the sexiness.

rain isn’t a tool; he’s our only hope ……..

- loren