Chat With ME On KPI!!!

If you guys want a chance to talk over the radio to an INTERNATIONAL audience about WHATEVER you want, sign up for a phone chat with me on KPI which airs on KBS World Radio.

Just leave your name, country, and email address so that I can contact you directly for your phone number and a good time to call you!

CD Drawing Winners For April!!!

1. Samia mohamed moussa
Egypt
1-JYJ music essay -their rooms
2- TVXQ -keep your head down (repackage)
3- Rain vol.5 Rainism
4-Rain's world

2. name: ABDUL.RAHMAN MOHAMMED ISMAIL (A.R)
country: kingdom of bahrain

1. f(x) pinocchio
2. super junior 4th album

3. Sarai Joanna Vides Aguilera
Moreno Valley, CA
BigBang's special Edition album
BigBang's 2nd ALBUM "Remember".


4. Tracy Vallejo
Redlands CA,
Bran New U-Kiss album
new Infinite CD or
Big Bang Tonight.

Your Two Cents: Who Can Come Up With The Best Idea???

It's been over a year since Y2C (Your Two Cents) has been going on and I'm no dummy...
We're in need of a change.

The question that I've been battling with is with WHAT?!?!?!

So I talked it over with Sophia (my producer) and she said, why don't you stop stressing about it and let the listeners decide??

So I thought, "what a great idea!" so here goes...

The listener that suggests the best idea for a way that I can interact with the listeners on a regular basis (with Y2C ending AND the monthly CD drawing ending after April...), we will send out a special prize.

Please post up your suggestions AND (THIS IS SOOO IMPORTANT!!!) your mailing address. I'll let this one go for more than one week~ until we have a good number of entries~

If you have ANY suggestions for KPI in general (aside from just Y2C), please let me know now. THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HELP US TO IMPROVE OUR SHOW!!!!!!!

Thanks and hope you guys have a GREAT week! :)

Your Two Cents: Bedtime Rituals???

What a gloomy Sunday it is in Korea! :(

Weather's very gray...temperature's kinda chilly thanks to the wind.
One of those drink-hot-cocoa-while-wallowing-over-sad-music-or-movies kind of day...

ANYWAYS, hope you all had a great weekend! :) Haha...is it bad that I'm trying to be upbeat after that kind of an opening to this blog entry?

I've been having trouble sleeping these days...perhaps it's the changing of the seasons. In Korea, we say, "봄 탄다" (bom tan-da). This means that we're feeling the effects of the changing of the seasons (becoming Spring). In English, we call it "Spring fever". People feel lazy or restless...perhaps on the other end, excited for no particular reason it seems.

So this week's question has nothing to do with kpop, but I figured it's a good way to get to know the listeners. Perhaps there are some cultural differences that can be seen too. :)

What are your bedtime rituals? What do you do to help you go to sleep? What do you do right before you drift off to sleep? Read? Watch TV? Write in your journal? Listen to good music? Tweeze your eyebrows? Log in your food journal about everything you ate that day? :P

If you have any kpop favorites that always put you in a peaceful sleepy mood, lemme know too! I mean, I don't wanna put my listeners to sleep during the next episode of KPI, but I will play them for you guys.

Well, answer away, and don't forget to tune in next Sunday to hear everyone's reponses!

Your Two Cents: If there were a natural disaster, I would save my...???

This week's two cents will actually have nothing to do with kpop. As we all know, a huge disastrous earthquake struck Japan on March 11th. There were after tremors, not to mention horrifying tsunamis that swept away homes. The consequences even reached my hometown of Hawaii. Though the government evacuated the coasts and warned people to be prepared for a tsunami, luckily it ended up being nothing too major.

We have a lot of Japanese listeners and listeners that know someone in Japan. Sure it's K(orean)-pop, but this shared passion has linked us all together as one. I think I can speak for everyone when I say our hearts go out to those affected by the natural disasters. :(

This is actually where this week's question comes into play...
If you were lucky enough to have time to prep for natural disaster and could save ONE thing, what would it be???
Perhaps photos, a dog, a piece of jewelry (i.e. wedding ring, etc.), a book, journal, etc. etc.
Also, if you want to make any shout outs to anyone affected by this particular recent earthquake, or any tragic disaster, this is also an opportunity to do that. :)
LASTLY, if you have any song requests that you feel is fitting for the situation in Japan, please send them out through the blog so that I can play it for our JAPAN SPECIAL on KPI this week (March 20th).

Thanks guys! Times like this, it really makes you realize we have a lot to be thankful for!! Let's all be THANKFUL and POSITIVE!!!

Your Two Cents: Most Overrated Kpop Star???

Uh oh...I have a feeling this question may open up a can of worms, but I'm gonna throw it out there anyway!!!! *cue evil laughter*

It's time to get a little bit negative. I mean c'mon! Let's be REAL. We don't ALL love ALL the kpop stars out there right? And there are some where we're like, "Um...why is this person/group SO famous?!" That's where this week's Y2C question comes into play

Which Kpop star/group (actor, singer, model, MC, comedian, etc) do you think is overrated? You don't think they're THAT good looking, THAT funny, THAT talented in singing or dancing, THAT stylish, THAT whatever!

Let's all respect each other's opinions! It's just an opinion that NOT something we all agree with. I think it would be interesting to see if some of the answers overlap or perhaps we all have different choices. Either way, it'll be a great way to get to know the listeners' tastes a little better!

Thanks guys and have a GREAT week!

Star Chat: Post-Interview With G.na!!!

As many of you may have already heard on our February 20th edition of Kpop Interactive, we had an English interview with G.na. She was seriously the cutest thing ever! Not to mention, a godsend for me because she spoke English. Here's a post-interview report on how it went.

First off, she was ON TIME. I LOVE artists who are on time! LOL In fact, she was there in the studio even before I got there! This was because I had to take a quick bathroom break in between recordings (sorry was that TMI?? ^^;;). She was just so at ease, down-to-earth, and friendly. I could tell she was close with her manager and they got along very well. It was like they were good friends or sisters. I explained to her how the interview was going to go and we went straight into the studio. While my producer and engineer were setting up the cameras and what not, me and G.na got to chatting a bit.

I asked her about adjusting to Korea. She was very honest with her answers and just so...humble and real. I was immediately taken to her in the first five minutes of her conversation. She did mention that she had a lot of Korean friends, but sometimes it was hard because it's not QUITE the same as having a friend that can speak your native language. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to divulge this information, but she did mention that she had written the English lyrics for all her songs. She seemed pretty proud of herself for that so I could tell she took pride in her lyrical skills as well. She mentioned that she hadn't released those songs yet, but they are on standby! I can't wait to take a listen to them when they come out. I'm sure it'll be a totally different feel from her Korean version songs.

While doing the interview, I noticed that she had some pauses where a certain English word or expression wasn't coming to mind. I kept trying to fill in the blanks for her but most of the time, my suggestions were wrong! LOL I made a note to myself that that really showed how much effort she must have been putting into learning Korean. You see, even native English speakers start to see a deterioration in their English skills when living in Korea. This is because there are so many "konglish" (English phrases that Koreans use, but that are different from the actual English definition) phrases and we just use English a lot less when living here. I give her props for doing so well in a foreign country!

After the interview, we took pictures in front of the KBS World sign together and (I LOVE her for this...) she said to me, "how do you keep in shape in Korea?" I was like, "Uh...are u kidding me Miss Skinny Pants?? I'm not in shape!" She said, "Yes you are. You're skinny!" *sigh* I love G.na. LOL!! I told her, " I go to the gym." And she seemed surprised by that. I guess not as many girls she knows go to the gym..?? I dunno... Not all of us are blessed like her with skinny genes though. She was TINY! But TALL. Small face, skinny body, tall height. *Sigh* God's not fair sometimes...

She thanked us and asked us to invite her again in the future, and then had to hurry off to her next scheduling. All in all, a GREAT interview and just such a SWEET girl. It's rare to find people who just love what they do and are so driven yet humble, It's safe to say that she's really making a place for herself in the kpop scene and that this is only the beginning!

Good luck G.na!!

Your Two Cents: Spring Is What To You???

It's already the last week of February!! Can you guys believe that?! That is INSANELY fast...2011 is truly like a rabbit, just hopping and zipping on by.

Well, being that after this week it will officially be March which I classify as the first real Spring month (although the weather still feels like winter right now in Korea...), we'll keep the Y2C question related to that.

What reminds you of Spring? What is Spring to you?

Perhaps it's the cherry blossoms. If your country isn't a four season country, maybe it's just what you see in Korean dramas. Perhaps there's a specific song that reminds you of spring (i.e. "You Are My Spring" by Sung Shi-kyung). Perhaps it's a certain outfit that you can now wear. Maybe it's an annual trip you and your loved ones take. Maybe a type of food? Perhaps something school related (i.e. Spring Fling dance?) Whatever the season represents to you...let me know!!!

See you guys on air!!
Thanks :)

Your Two Cents: Shout Outs From???

Hi everyone!
It's been over a year since I've joined KBS World and tool over the reins of KPI and joined the duo of KPC with DJ Young.

I know we've gained (and I'm sure LOST..lol) a lot of listeners over that period of time so I thought this week, we'd give shout outs from wherever country, group, fan club, etc. you represent!

Before, our listeners were dominantly from other parts of Asia, but these days, I'm seeing more and more feedback from the US, Canada, South America, Australia, Europe, etc.

So go ahead and let me know where you're tuning into us from!!! Perhaps even how you found out about us!

Thanks and see you guys on air :)

Your Two Cents: What do you do at your family get-togethers???

As you all know, next week (February 2nd) is Lunar New Years in Korea...and many other Asian countries! This is HUGE in Korea. It falls within the TOP TWO holidays in Korea. This is similar to Chuseok where everybody goes to visit their parents/family and eat LOTS and LOTS (and LOTS and LOTS) of good food for pretty much 3-5 days straight. This week, we have an EXTRA long holiday because Lunar New Years falls on a Wednesday. So Many people get the rest of the week off. Some even get the day or two before it off as well. Lucky bums. Hehe

ANYWAYS, I don't know how many of our listeners celebrate the Lunar New Year, but I thought this would be a good question to throw at you guys:

How often do you have BIG family get togethers (with ALL your extended family members)? And if you do have them, what do you traditionally do at them? If you say eat and play games, I want you to be specific. What kinds of foods do you eat? What kinds of games?

I'm Korean, but I grew up in America, but out of all the states, I grew up in Hawaii. So the types of food I grew up eating is just about as FUSED as you can get. So I'm curious what types of foods other people are used to. :)

Answer away, and be sure to tune into KPI next Sunday!

November 2010 CD Drawing Winners!!!

Congrats to last month's CD Drawing winners!!!!
Don't forget to get your entries in for this month's (December) drawing! We have one EVERY month where we pick out four winners and ship out a kpop CD of their choice to wherever they are in the world!
Just email me your full name, mailing address, and TWO kpop CD choices (this is in case your first choice is unavailable/sold out) at angela@kbs.co.kr.

Good luck!

1. Gretchen Geraldino
Puerto Rico
Any SHINee Album
Any Super Junior Album


2. Lizet Gamino
Bakersfield California
United States
1. Postman to Heaven OST
2. King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo OST
3. Any Super Junior CD


3. Isaac Semrad.
Brandon MS. USA.
se7en - Digital Bounce
U-Kiss - Break Time
G. Dragon - Heartbreaker


4. Ana Claudia Diaz Tiburcio
Lima Peru
SS501 - song urman
edition of Boys Over Flowers cd

Your Two Cents: Best Song of 2010...Plus Some Thanksgiving Pictures!

Man it really is winter now huh?? I'm typing this all bundled up in my warm bed while it's snowing outside! It's actually kind of a lot too! So beautiful...

Anyways, this past weekend, I celebrated Thanksgiving with the expat community in Korea at my friend Dorothy's house. She holds an annual Thanksgiving party for all the expats that crave the American Thanksgiving feast, but doesn't have family here to make it. She provides the main Thanksgiving dishes (i.e. turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, etc.) while everyone else brings other side dishes or drinks. I contributed by chipping in for some pizzas and fried chicken! ^^ I can't really cook...or more like am too lazy to. Here are some pictures from the night. If you watch or listen to English broadcasting from Korea (i.e. Arirang radio/TV, TBS efm radio, KBS World), you may recognize some of the faces in the pictures...


Yum!!!



This year was an INTIMATE party. Previous year's had doubled the people!


Cecilia (TBS efm reporter and previous Arirang TV weather girl), me (who used to also be the weather girl after Cecilia), Sunny (also known as Kim Sung-hyun, host of Breakfast Club on Arirang Radio), and Gina (Arirang Radio reporter and current Arirang TV weather girl)


Robert Joe (used to do some stuff for TBS efm and Arirang Radio/TV), Brian (as if he needs any introduction!), me, and Kasey (good friend of everyone)

Just looking at those pictures is making me hungry again!

Anyways, hope you all had a great weekend. On to the Y2C question for this week. By the way, this will be the last Y2C question for 2010. I'm gonna change up some things for the last few weeks of the year to squeeze in some more songs and things like that. It will be back in 2011 though so please participate lots and lots then too! =)

How's about we end the year off with:
Best song of 2010? What was your favorite song that was released this year?

Be sure to tune into KPI on Sunday (KST) to hear everybody's answers and of course have a few of those songs played! Thanks guys!

Words Behind The Music: 4men "Say I Love You"

“Say I Love You”
-4Men
*requested by Pa Xiong




입을 맞춰도 불안하고 품에 안아도 초조하고
Even as I kiss you I’m nervous. Even as I hold you, I’m anxious
잠이 들때도 꿈처럼 사라질까 밤새 뒤척이고
even when sleep’s upon me, I’m afraid it will all disappear like a dream so I toss and turn awake all night
보면 볼수록 겁이나고 겁이 날수록 더 보고싶고
the more I see you, the more I get scared. And the more I get scared, the more I want to see you.
사랑할수록 니가 날 떠날까봐 두려워지나봐
as I fall more in love with you, I guess I’m afraid that you’ll leave me

사랑을 다줘도 불안한건 남자야
even after giving all his love, being nervous is what a man is like
넌 너무 모르지 남자의 사랑을
you have no idea huh? About a man’s love.


사랑할수록 더 보고싶고 보면 볼수록 더 안달나고
the more I love you the more I want to see you. The more I see you, the more I gotta have you
평생 내 여자로 만들고픈 조급한 마음인걸
it wants to forever make you my woman, this impatient heart of mine.
평생 내 여자로 살아줄래 나 말곤 없다고 말해줄래
won’t you live as my woman for the rest of your life? Won’t you tell me that there’s no one else but me?
조금도 불안해 하지 않게 한번 더 말해줄래
to make me a bit less anxious, won’t you say it one more time?
Say I love you..

사랑할수록 닮아가고 날이 갈수록 더 좋아져
the more we love, the more we become similar. As the days go by, it gets better

함께 할수록 나 너없인 못살어 너 책임져
the more we’re together, I can’t live with out you. You better take responsibility for that

사랑을 다줘도 불안한건 남자야
even after giving all his love, being nervous is what a man is like
넌 너무 모르지 남자의 사랑을
you have no idea huh? About a man’s love.



Say I love you.. Say I love you..
약속해줘 You are the only my love..
promise me, you are the only my love

한 여자만을 사랑하니까 내겐 그 여잔 너 하나니까
Because I only love one woman. Because to me, that woman is you and you only
자꾸만 니 사랑을 보채도 날 미워하지는 마
even if I keep begging/badgering for your love, don’t hate me
평생 내 여자로 살아줄래 나 말곤 없다고 말해줄래
won’t you live as my woman for the rest of your life? Won’t you tell me that there’s no one else but me?
조금도 불안해 하지 않게 한번 더 말해줄래
to make me a bit less anxious, won’t you say it one more time?
Say I love you..

Your Two Cents: Most Thankful For...???

Hi everyone~
Being that this is the week of American Thanksgiving, I thought, why not revolve our Y2C question around it.
Granted that when the episode of KPI actually airs on Sunday, Thanksgiving would've already been over...but still. =)

So what are you MOST thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Perhaps you underwent some physical issues and so your health is really that much more precious to you then ever. Or maybe you met someone this year and so you're thankful for that new love in your life. Maybe you got a new job and so you're thankful to be employed when many others are still dealing with the repercussions of the global recession. The reasons are endless! Let me know what one person or thing you're EXTRA thankful for this year is!

And just a little tidbit of info:
I usually start compiling together the comments and put together my script towards Thursday night or Friday morning (Korea time) so if you add on your comments right before the show, I'll still check it later, but the chances I read them are a lot lower because I have the basic script prepared already. Just FYI. ;)

So if you want your answers read, the earlier you post them the better! Thanks guys like ALWAYS and have a GREAT week and GREAT Thanksgiving if you celebrate it. Eat lots of yummy food!!

October CD Drawing Winners!!!

Congratulations to our October KPI CD Drawing Winners!!!
Remember if you wanna enter our monthly Cd drawings, email me (angela@kbs.co.kr) your name, mailing address, and TWO choices of kpop CDs that you want to win. At the end of the month, I pick out four names and we mail out one of your choices to you wherever you are in the world. You can enter once a week so a total of four entries per month! Good luck!

Marwa hassan alhazemi
United Arab Emirates
1- Super Junior - The 2nd Asia Tour Concert : Super Show 2 ( 슈퍼주니어 - 두번째 아시아 투어 콘서트 )
2- Don't Don Repackage (CD) [Album] (돈 돈)



Jennifer Dyachenko
Sacramento, CA (USA)
1. The new 2AM album ~ Saint o’Clock
2. Any 2AM album
3. 2PM mini-album ~Still 2:00PM


Aaron Jauw
Singapore
1)G-dragon-Heartbreaker
2)2ne1-to anyone


Selene Lim
Selangor, Malaysia
1. W and Whale
2. Horan / Ibadi or the OST for City Hall
3. Bobby Kim / Hweesung / Hwanhee

Your Two Cents: What's Your Favorite Winter Food???

Hi everyone,
I'll keep it short and sweet and jump right into this week's Y2C question! ^^

The weather's getting colder and colder and being that we have so many listeners from all over the world, what is your favorite dish to warm you up in the winter season?? It can be from whatever country...whatever food...whatever you like to eat during the winter! Tell us about it (what goes in it, how it's prepared, how common it is, what it tastes like, etc.).

Answer away and tune into this week's KPI to see if your answers are read on air! ^^

Your Two Cents: Most Unique Voice???

Hi all~
Hope everyone's been having a great month of October so far. We've already passed the midpoint so far which means Halloween is just around the corner!

This week's Y2C question is about a singer's voice. I don't necessarily mean how great of a singer they are. Some people have nice voices, but they can't sing all THAT well. Some people have not such nice voices, but can do amazing things with it (vibration, falsetto, etc. etc.) that makes them an amazing singer. I think the best example of explaining my point would be Fly To The Sky. Most people think that STRICTLY from a vocal technique point of view, Hwanhee is the "better" singer. That man can put so much ups an downs in one breath that it leaves you in awe. However, (this is just MY opinion!!! please don't get offended) I actually like the tone of Brian's voice better. It's more clear and sweet. Do you guys get the point I'm trying to make?

Basically, I want you guys to get the difference between just the voice tone and quality versus singing ability.

ANYWAYS, so this week's question: Who do you feel has the most unique voice tone? Where the second you hear it, you know who it is. This isn't about who's the best singer. It's simply just the voice. Actually, re-using the example from before, I think Hwanhee is one of the singers at the top of my list. The second I hear Hwanhee, I know it's Hwanhee. Another example can be Bobby Kim or Kim Gun-mo. They both have unique voices.

Answer away, and don't forget to tune into KPI on Sunday! ^^

Post Star Chat With Lim Jeong-hee!!!

Like always, here's the lowdown on how my latest Star Chat interview went. *cue evil laughter: muahahaha...*

So for those of you who missed it, I got a chance to interview Lim Jeong-hee for last week's KPI on KBS World Radio. If you missed it, never fear, you can just watch it again HERE.

When it comes to celebrities or ANYONE for that matter, you can tell a lot about them by their punctuality. So props to Lim Jeong-hee who came right on time with not one, but TWO managers. I have to say, her managers work really hard for her. They were very cordial with me and the staff. Brought me THREE copies of her latest mini-album and were carrying around a whole stack. I ran into them later after the interview and I realized they were circling the floor, giving out CDs to some of the producers they were running into. If you noticed during the interview, she kept mentioning how important it was to find a GOOD management team. I don't think that was just something for her to say. I think she really does appreciate her management, which is good because they do seem to work hard for her.

The first thing I really thought when I saw Lim for the first time was, "Wow, she's not photogenic." She looks so much prettier in person. Even the picture that she and I took together isn't very flattering of her. Don't be fooled all~ she's beautiful! I think the video clip is a little better though.

Okay so with the first impression stuff out of the way, personality-wise, Lim was very quiet and reserved. I could see why she's not exactly a singer known for her "variety show" talents. She's not cold or anything...not at all. She's very warm and sincere. She just seemed...REAL. She didn't care about the extra fluff, or about putting up an image, or about saying the "right" thing for the media to approve of. She thought about her answers and said it. That's all there was to it. Some of the younger stars or group stars think more along the lines of "how can I make this answer interesting or funny?". She didn't think like that. She just answered whether it was funny or not. It was pretty refreshing actually.

We talked a little about dieting and her weight-loss. She lost like 6-7 kilos! She said she hiked a lot up the mountain near her house. So ladies, that might be the way to shed those pounds if you're looking for Lim Jeong-hee's secret. Haha

We had to wrap things up quick because she had another schedule to get to RIGHT after the interview. She left asking if she could contact me when she needed help with her English. Haha

So that's it. Nothing all that juicy, but I really REALLY wanna emphasize that as just because some singers aren't right in the enter of the spotlight (in variety shows and lots of interviews) doesn't mean they should be overlooked. Lim is so sweet and RAW in a very genuine and souful way...whether it be in her music or in real life!

STAR CHAT: Im Jeong-hee!!!

Hey all,
quick update:

We FINALLY have a new STAR CHAT on this week's KPI! YAY!!!! It's been a tough streak because stars are starting to jam pack their schedules so much that it's hard to grab them even for a quick interview =(

Also, as you all know, these days, the BEST way to promote yourself as a star is VARIETY PROGRAMS...
this makes radio interviews almost...obsolete. I mean it DOES happen, but it's not as appealing to entertainment agencies anymore. Who knows, the stars themselves may enjoy radio interviews more because they're a lot more raw, free-flowing, and less burdensome. However, the moneymakers backing these stars up (aka their agencies) are all about the coverage/exposure/promotional effectiveness.

Alright, with that ranting aside, we have IM JEONG-HEE coming into the studio!!! For those of you who aren't as familiar with her, she's the singer that 2AM's Jokwon recently did a collaboration with. Refer to the blog entry before this one for the song and the words behind the lyrics. =)

Hope you guys tune in! I know it's been awhile since we had a Star Chat so I wanna thank you guys for being so patient with us! Chuseok and summer trips/vacations/etc. didn't make the past couple months the most ideal time for scheduling interviews...hehe

Always trying to improve our programs for our LOYAL listeners,
Angie

Your Two Cents: Which k-pop entertainer will still be around in 10 years???

How was everyone's weekend??
I'm sure you all are sick of me talking about the weather, but I swear the weather's CRAZY! LOL
It's SUNNY one minute, POURING BUCKETS the next. Shouldn't monsoon season be over already?! It's practically September already!

Bizarre...

Anyways...
This week's Y2C question is this:
Being that the turnover rate on which star is the "IT" star is so freakin fast in k-pop, it's hard to stay on top for a long period of time. For example, remember who was super hot last year? Perhaps Lee Min-ho from Boys Over Flowers? Not that he's NOT popular now, but nowhere NEAR as popular as he was last year! I barely hear about him anymore! And that's just one year!

So which kpop star (singer, model, actor, etc... can be in any type of entertainment) do you think will still be hot in 10 years! Let's be realistic, they probably won't be like NUMBER 1 hot because we'll have newer and younger acts coming out. However, still relatively hot. Like within the top 10 or something.

Some examples of stars still at the top after 10 years is of course Lee Hyo-ri, Yoo Jae-suk is still very popular, hmm...DJ DOC didn't exactly MAINTAIN their popularity throughout the years, but they still got it judging that it's been 16 years since they debuted and they hit #1 on the music charts with their most recent comeback. Shinhwa has been around for forever and they're MIA right now because of some of their members being in the military, but I'm sure they'd still be pretty popular. These are just a few examples...so give me YOUR picks!

Answer away and don't forget to tune into KPC all this week and KPI next Sunday...RAIN OR SHINE! ^^