(English Subbed) Kim Hyun Joong Cuts at SH King of Kings

cre: TheAlienPrince
PLEASE DO NOT MENTION THE SHOW'S NAME AND DO NOT REUPLOAD.
Chinese to English translation by yulinged@lovekimhyunjoong.com


reposted from Kathy's Bench

[Fan Photo] Kim HYun Joong – Break Down Busan Fan Signing by HyunSaeng China (29.06.11)[30.06.11]

cre: http://www.hyunsaengchina.com

and two Pic cr on LOGO pICTURE

reposted from 
http://obsesswithss501.wordpress.com

he seemed very happy:))

(although this is only a fan wishful thinking....I read somewhere that someone is/was at Busan, too during this FM, visiting a family member...kekeke...it maybe a coincidence, nonetheless a great coincidence!)

11.06.29 김현중 BREAK DOWN 발매기념 팬 사인회-부산 동래문화원 소극장

Hyun Joong's Childhood Story (Hyun Joong mother's interview)

I was reading some facts about leader KHJ and although these facts have long been posted by other Hyunnies, I want to post this here at my page. Reading about KHJ makes me want to know more about the person, and I realize that his personality is what makes him a star now. He was born to be star. The following account of his Omma is very interesting. KHJ is not perfect...but rather unique. And this uniqueness of him is what makes people be attracted to him like a moth. There really is no mystery behind the person. Just an ordinary person who has dealt life like every other person, who has experienced hardships, who knows what he wants early in life,  worked with passion and conquered his dream. 

This is Kim Hyun Joong.

Hyun Joong's Childhood Story (Hyun Joong mother's interview)


CREDITS

- Meteorflower09: Original Poster from PinoyExchange.com

- Newyorkcitygirl: Contributing to Rahstyles.com and the editing, and re-release of this article.



0-4 yrs old, as long as Hyun Joong was lost in the park, it must be because he ran to the singer performance stage.

Since Hyun Joong was born, he was very popular among the neighbours because of his big eyes, sharp intuition and cleverness.

One day, in my dream, all in a sudden, I dream of a truck fully loaded with radish driving passed me. There was a huge radish which was of the size of the truck. Withing my apron on, I ran after the truck, trying to catch the big radish. The radish rolled into my apron and I fell down onto the floor. This was the largest radish I had ever seen in my entire life. I was very surprised. Just when I tried to lift up the radish to take a look, I woke up from my dream. I felt very strange: "Is this a sign that I am pregnant?" Therefore, I went to the hospital for checkup. The doctor told me: "Congratulations!". Indeed, I was pregnant!

Hyun Joong started to walk when he was 9 month old. Before this, although he can sit alone, he couldn't climb, the family members were worried that he might be slow to learn walking. However, he omitted the climbing stage and advanced to the walking stage. All the family members were shocked.

During his 1 year old birthday, he would offer his birthday steam rice cake for the guests to eat. During the Toljabee* event, in order to let him choose the pencil and book, the family members purposely placed both items right in front of him, instead, he chose the brush which was placed beside those items. Hyun Joong started speaking and counting very fast, but he was most interested to sing, dance and play games.

(*Note: Toljabee event is used to predict the child's future. In this case, Hyun Joong picked the brush which symbolizes that he will become a scholar.)

Since being newly wed up to now, our family has been living nearby the SongpaGu Olympic park. Every weekend, there would be a lot of singers performing there. When bringing Hyun Joong and his elder brother who is 1 year older than him to the park for a stroll, both children would be very happy.

Hyun Joong even got lost a few times, I panicked and searched all over the park, eventually he was always found at the stage where the singers were performing.

Once, the dance group "Seo Tai-ji and boys" were singing 'I Know' in the park, Hyun Joong actually ran up to the stage to dance. He even played games with the other singers on stage and laughed happily. Hyun Joong was excellent in his studies, it had never come to my mind that he will become an artist. However now that I started to think, he seems to be different from other kids since childhood.

Kim Hyun Joong excelled in studies when young, had never thought of being a star

5 - 9 years old, childhood time Kim Hyun Joong

From kindergarten, Hyun Joong had shown his multiple talents. Solving math sum very fast and drew well. Also, learned to speak and recognized words very fast. His elder brother who was 1 year older than him would always sit still to learn. However, Hyun Joong was the kind of child who could play almost everything but yet could still learn well at the same time.

We were worried that both children would feel pressured from learning, therefore, we always let them get in touch with nature more often. In order to celebrate their starting of primary school life, our family went for a tour in Jeju Island. During that time Hyun Joong rode on a horse which was many times taller than him and refused to come down. Seeing this, the people around praised him for being so wonderful. During weekends, we always brought the children to fish. This is why until now, if he felt pressured from his artist work, Hyun Joong will always go fishing alone.

Starting from 2nd year of primary school, Hyun Joong became the class representative. He always handled his own things meticulously. Waking up right after his little alarm clock rang at 6am in the morning on time, completing all his home work by himself. When we visited his school, his class teacher always praised him: "Hyun Joong was very fast in learning. He would not have a problem to enroll into Seoul University."

At that time, we thought Hyun Joong would use his learning ability to be successful in his career, we had never thought that he would be an artist.

Actually, starting from 2nd to 4th year of his Primary school, Hyun Joong participated in the Mathematic Olympic Competition and he always won the Gold medal. He also always won in art competition. His medals were so many until it could fill up an entire box. His result was always ranked 1st in the class and often rank 1st or 2nd in the whole school.

To prevent him from being singled out by his friends, we also sent him for extra tuition classes to learn calligraphy and Hanja. Even in the tuition center, he was always top in the class. When still in the lower primary years, Hyun Joong already obtained the certificate for level 3 Hanja qualification examination. His tuition center teacher praised: "Hyun Joong passed the certification examination even lower secondary students found hard to pass." Our family members were also shocked.

Hyun Joong hide 300 millions won (approximately USD237,000) in a book as a gift for his brother

In junior high school placement test, he was enrolled scoring the 4th highest result in the entire school. It was in his 3rd year junior high school when he announced that he wanted to be an artist. As his father was worried that he was too engrossed in his studies, he bought him a guitar to 'rest his brain', this was the trigger point for him to be an artist.

Hyun Joong started to be engrossed in guitar. Hyun Joong guitar teacher said: "He is very talented, something needed to be learned in 3 years he could master them in 3 months. His guitar teacher once advised his father to let Hyun Joong further his talent in music, but his father was strongly against it.

There after, Hyun Joong formed a band, working part time and performing outside. There's once, the neighbours said: "The day before, the child of that household was delivering fried chicken." Only then the family knew that he worked part time in fried chicken restaurant. We felt that as a man one had to be independent, it is alright to go through hardships, so we didn't stop him from working.

Hyun Joong said: "I would follow my parents' wish to study in arts high school, but I will make every other decisions in future." After joining the high school for 1 year, he voluntary dropped out from school. His father & I said: "Dropping out was your own choice, you have to be responsible for your own decision." He was given only 10 thousand won (USD7.90!) pocket money every month.

Due to Asean financial crisis, our business was affected. We started a fashion business in Dongdaemun. We had to work until 11pm everyday. After getting off from work, I often went to the TGI restaurant which my son worked to secretly watch my son working for around 1 hour before returning home.

During winter, while waiting for my son to come back home, I kept looking out for him from the window. At around 1am, looking at my son making his way through the knee height snow with much difficulties, I felt pain in my heart. In spite of that, I didn't want him to see my sorrow and always turned off the lights to pretend that everybody had fallen asleep.

After passing the trainee singer interview, my son would return home only when he was given time off. In order to be a trainee, his pocket money was always not enough. Often, he came back starving by public bus. There were many times, he didn't even have the transportation fee and had to walk home. Despite that, Hyun Joong had never once asked for money from us.

But his love for his family members is extremely deep. When his brother who was studying in America decided to dropped off from his university due to lacking of school fees, Hyun Joong told his brother: "Brother, please read this book." and gave him a novel as a present.

When his brother opened up the book to read, he found a 300 million won cheque hidden in the book. His brother gave his father a call mentioning that no matter how he counted he couldn't believe the cheque amount. It was beyond our imagination that while being a trainee singer, he could still carefully save so much money. Ever since he enrolled into the university (Kyonggi University Digital Music faculty), we never worried about him.

Both of us always told him: "Pray before doing something". Although Hyun Joong said: "Since now elder brother is serving in the army, you can rely on me. Therefore, in the future, don't work in Dongdaemum anymore." We hope that not only he can be a singer but also be able to form a family of his own and be responsible. With this, we have no other extravagant hopes.
Growing up and other pics…

Jung So Min's Fashion Statement

Jung So Min: Hong Mo Nae's Fashion Statements!

reposted from simply..jung so min

cre as labelled

Even though our dear MinMin is no Hong Mo nae in real life,
they do share one thing in common!
And that is being a fashionista in her own right!

To see what I mean below are the few outfits of Hong Mo Nae!

this is a nice combination:))

this one is cute and suits her...

nice bag...

and another beautiful ensemble...

And even though Hong Mo Nae was the opposite of the real MinMin,
she did great as Mo Nae in her first TV on screen role!
And being great even as a newbie really leaves a good impression to the viewers and fans!


credits: mijoo-pearl of soompi
naver

As a fan of Minmin, I find her tastes in clothes really nice and she dresses in a chic style. As if there is no effort at all. She carries herself with innocence yet with glamour also. 

Another Cute MV of Playful Kiss-HyunMin Kiss Kiss (KHJ Kiss Kiss)

One of the cute songs from Kim Hyun Joong's album Break Down, and his favourite song as well as he had said on his interviews. A catchy song that tells about loving someone and wanting her kiss.:)) An addictive melody that will surely catch your attention and make you feel happy just listening, not to add make little dance moves.

cre: iamonlyhuman12345

Hyunmin Kiss Kiss

Annual Income of Bae Yong Joon Questioned

cre: willeneth @soompi.com/byjthread

In 2005, Bae Yong Joon reported his income as 23.8 billion won.

How much does the Hallyu star Bae Yong Joon (39) earn annually? Bae Yong Joon has been known to be a wealthy actor from his stocks. The valuation of his stocks was estimated to be as much as 11.3 billion won as of last April, and his stock evaluation has been ranked in third place following the CEO of SM Entertainment, Lee Soo Man, and the CEO of YG Entertainment, Yang Hyun Seok. But his additional income from dramas, movies, TV commercials, and royalties had not yet been disclosed. Some clues that can say how much he had earned for a year were found at the written judgment by Soowon district court (the name of the judge in charge is Kim Kyung Ran).

According to the judgment, Bae Yong Joon had reported his aggregated income to be 2 billion won when he paid his general income tax in 2003, and reported 9.1 billion won, which was triple that of the previous year. In particular, he had reported his income to be as much as 23.8 billion won, which was the largest sum reported. He reported 9.6 billion won and 9.1 billion won in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The major source of Bae Young Jooon’s income originated from selling products related to his image such as his photos and royalties and appearing in TV commercials, dramas, and movies. He had reported that he expenses 600 million to 7.4 billion won for holding activities, which was subject to receive a tax credit. In 2005, Bae Yong Joon reported 23.9 billion won for his annual income and 7.4 billion won for his annual expenses, and he paid 6.8 billion won for general income tax. But the district tax office had suspected that Bae Yong Joon had overestimated his expenses, and they investigated his personal income and expenses again and levied 2.3 billion won in additional taxes based on the investigation result except for his personal credit card expenses, which amounted to 240 million won, and expenses paid to his personal stylist. On the petition, Bae Yong Joon said, "I have faithfully reported my general income tax without any omission or error. I think it was unfair that the tax office denied my income report in 2005 after I had earned increased income and imposed additional taxes." But the court did not accept his accusation. Yonhap News tried to listen to opinions from Bae Yong Joon, his agency, and his lawyer on the phone, but they failed to contact them.

Credit : KBS Global
http://english.kbs.c...ew.html?No=7821 

Bae Yong-joon made 53 billion won in 5 years

cre: willeneth@soompi.com/byjthread

'How much is Yon Sama's yearly income?'

As Bae Yong-joon lost in the nullity in general income tax, everyone in interested in his yearly income. This is because his overall income was shown in the sentencing documents by the 2nd administration department.

According to the resulting documents, Bae Yong-joon reported his 2003 income as 2,080,000,000 or so won (1,000 won ~ US$1). In 2004 it was 9,100,000,000 won, three times as much as the previous year and in 2005 he reported 23,800,000,000 won. In 2006 and 2007 he reported 9.6 billion won and 9.1 billion won respectively. He had earned more than 53 billion won in 5 years.

His earnings were better than any regular company in 2005. This is the period where his drama KBS 2 "Winter Sonata" made a big hit in Japan and Korea, making him a Hallyu star. This drama was aired in Korea in 2002 and 2003 in Japan on NHK. The sources of his earnings were from the products made related to him and advertisements, dramas and movies. It looks like he won't be making as much money as 2005 because there are no activities like that year.

Meanwhile, Bae Yong-yoon is a major shareholder in his management Key East and his assessment is up to 1.3 billion won to date in June.

Source : news.nate.com/view/20... ( Korean )
Translation : Hancinema

Gong Yoo’s recent pictures at a fanmeeting

by ylee @allkpop.com

Gong Yoo has finally come out of his shell.

On June 25th, Gong Yoo, a spokesmodel for ‘Mango Six‘, a dessert specialty cafe in Korea, held a fan meeting/signing event.

Fans hoarded the cafe to get a glimpse of Gong Yoo even in the pouring rain and heat before the signing event began.

Those who entered the cafe when the doors opened at 11AM, were given a specific number to enter the fan signing on a first-come-first-serve basis. Unfortunately the tickets were sold-out in a matter of 5 minutes. Luckily, Gong Yoo held the signing event for 30 minutes longer than the expected hour to greet those who weren’t able to get in, which displayed his tremendous professionalism.

Gong Yoo’s popularity was apparent when many fans from Japan flew to Korea in order to attend this signing event with some dedicated fans who even waited for the doors to open since 3AM in the morning.

He expressed his gratitude when he said, “It was nice seeing my fans this close-up since it’s been quite a while. I thank everyone who came out even in this horrible rainy weather.”

Meanwhile, Gong Yoo has finished filming for his new movie, ‘Do Ga Ni‘.

Source & Photo: Newsen

KHJ with Kim HeeChul radio show: on June 22, 2011

[RADIO] YoungStreet With Heechul (Audio Only) 

cr:TheHyunjoongnara@yt

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

reposted from soompi.com/khjthread by czakhareina

translations by cheerko of khjthread@soompi.com


KHJ with Kim HeeChul radio show: on June 22, 2011


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlsR4KoKMiY&feature=related


It has been a year since KHJ last visited KHC’s radio program and KHC remembers falling down laughing due to KHJ but unfortunately all the parts involving the laughter was edited out. KHJ greets listeners and hopes the people love his solo comeback with BD. KHC talks about BD winning number 1 spot in many music shows. KHJ admits feeling dazed and unreal about the number 1 spot the first time. He did not acknowledge that he has hit number 1 until the second time he received the number 1. 

KCH asks if KHJ forgot to thank anyone when he won the number 1 spot as he was dazed and unprepared for the glory. KHJ says that he forgot to mention his parents. KHC provided soft music for KHJ to say few words. KHJ says that he is very sorry that he forgot to mention his parents. The next time, he will remember his parents if there is next time. KHC says that there certainly will be next time. 

KHC asks if there is someone who first called to congratulate him when he first won the number 1 spot. KHJ says that he is raising a puppy/small dog at his house. KHC asks if it was his dog who called him first. Kekekekeke KHJ says it was the person who was watching his puppy who called the very first time. That person was the very first person to call him to congratulate KHJ when he came down from the stage. KHC cannot stop laughing about it—that a dog was watching a TV so that KHJ can receive doggy congratulations.

KHC asks who was the first celebrity person to call KHJ to congratulate him. KHJ says that YongJoon hyung texted him. KHC initially thought KHJ was talking about another celebrity then clicked that KHJ was talking about BaeYongJoong. KHJ responds that when BYJ calls KHJ, he asks what he is doing. KHJ responds that Bae laughs a lot. KHC says that many women waits for Bae’s smiles. KHC says that Bae occupies the admiration of women in their 30~50 age group and KHJ the age group of 10~20. KHJ says that he also has many nuna fans. He says that about 50% of his fans are in their 30’s 20% are in their 40’s and 50’s and only about 10% are teen fans. That is why he is used to writing ~~nuna when goes on fan signing events. One time, he attached nuna to someone who asked for his autograph wearing a uniform. That person said she is not a nuna. 

They also talked about KHJ’s manly look with the comeback, esp his stage outfit for BD. KHJ says that when he first got the outfit, he was a bit embarrassed due to the deep ‘bust point’. Female fans have said that he looks sexy and he and KHC agree that slight exposure is sexier than total or much greater exposure. They also talk about preferring women with slight sign of exposure than total exposure –like women wearing short, flattering skirts which shows some mystery.

KHJ’s part of the feature that he does not feel confident—they are talking about”chi-chi” and KHJ feeling not so confident about his “chi-chi”—(sorry but I do not know what they are talking about.) This is Kim HeeChul’s last radio program and KHJ is his last guest.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQRAI877Yak&feature=related


KHJ imitates Cha SeungWon of Greatest Love…esp where Cha says” GeukBok”—Overcoming a difficulty/success. KHC says that he rarely watch dramas as he is too much into games and drinking after working. But he plans to watch Greatest Love and he says that Siwon of SUJU is close to Cha Seung Won and has seen that imitation before as well. 

Now to the questions posted by the listenes; they have to come up with questions starting with “b” sounds. KHJ says he can think of “brazil”=which is Korean for bra.

KHJ says that he monitors his work by himself as he cannot concentrate if watches with others. KHC says that the President of SM or Kim SooMan monitors his work for him. He says that he does not get embarrassed by monitoring with other people but he just cannot concentrate as he wants to watch it one time to monitor himself. Sometimes BaeYongJoon would also give him some pointers as well. 

What does KHJ like to eat esp when it is raining outside. KHJ says that he likes to drink “joongyosoo or soju. He says that he is not good at cooking. He can drink a lot as he likes to hang out with people. KHC says that he also likes to drink with Sam-D and HOngi and he feels that it requires good control and mangagement. 

Someone asks if KHJ is envious of any female singers. KHJ says that he is not putting any female singers down but he has not felt envious of female singers. Actually he at times feels sorry to female singers as they have to wear high hills, must expose themselves more than male singers and their hair is longer so they could hinder their performance more. 

About being called 4-D: KHJ says that 4-D does not exist. He says that he and his friends are all alike and he is just being blunt and honest. KHJ drew the uzushin by himself. When he came out with solo album, he thought about the items for the showcase. So he came up with alien head shaker for his fans to shake at his showcase. (KHJ has a good business sense!)

KHJ believes in aliens or life elsewhere. He very much likes movies about the space like transformers, amagetton?,,, He looked into space travel already…he thinks it is possible in 2018 for 2-uck (money) for 30 minute travel. As a requirement, he cannot have had any history of surgery to travel. So he plans to keep healthy and not get any surgery until he is able to travel to space. They talk silly about whether KHJ may be able to go out into the space to view the scene and whether there may be space gift store to buy souvenirs. KHC asks for souvenirs from space at that time. 

KHC points about KHJ receiving consultation at the Knee POP master show because sometimes he feels that his popularity is like bubbles. KHJ at times feels as if he cannot comprehend this amazing popularity. He realizes that all this popularity is not forever and will end soon or later. KHJ believes in short yet deep /thick life—a life that equivalent to blazing fire. KHC says that KHJ’s life so far has been burning brightly for a very long time and wishes for it to burn long and forever. 

Fans have written in whether certain things are more 4-D:

A seemingly silly person wrote in about wearing suit to his new job for first week, then president told him to be comfortable so he wore slipper and short pants then the president told him to at least have some sense and then he started to wear everyday Korean garb to work and his nickname is 4D at work. KHJ feels that is not 4D but some kind of planned rebellion. KHC kind of agrees. 

Another person eats only the crispy skin part of the chicken, the hard chocolate part of the ice cream and the inside of the mandoo only. KHJ says this person also is not 4D but a person with very poor eating habit. KHC says similar things. They think that person has no consideration for other people the way he eats and needs to starve to know that is not way to eat. 

Another person says that her classmate sleeps in class and does not go to any tutoring program after school and yet is ranked the top of class. KHJ says that person also is not 4D but a genius. KHJ provides more consoling advice to the poster saying that she can find her own gifts and good qualities. IT does not have to be in academics but it could be drinking the beer faster than anybody,,,He says that it is not always true that there are academic areas where one succeeds just by studying—it is not always like that.

Another person says she does not resemble anything about her parents. Her father is A type her mother is Btype and she is Otype. She feels miserable about it. She considers her father a superman . KHC says that Otype can be born out of AB parents. KHC wondersif she is 4D or if she is adopted. KHJ says that the poster would feel too sad to hear that. KHJ says very nicely that she has a diverse family. He thinks that would be very nice and harmonious family. KHJ says if the mother yells to eat, the father would try to calm the mother down to bring peace and the Otype child can tell the mother to stop yelling…he thinks it would be an interesting family.

Straightforward questions from the fans:

KHJ is well known for his loyalty to friends,,does he still operate chicken store with friends? KHj says he does. KHC encourages him to say anything he wants as this is KHC’s last radio prog. KHJ says that he and his friends started the chicken store because they always talked about having a place to get together to socialize and to stay in touch when they get older. Since it did not cost that much, the idea of chicken store came up. They started the business as something to do as fun and to perpetuate friendship and then it became a big hit. In the beginning, they would keep it open and then close it up so that the friends can grill some pork skins and drink and enjoy company. Then, suddenly, one by one, customers started to come in. The business is really good at this time. I basically invested but I do not do any type of serving over there. I sometimes wait around till the closing time and then spend some tiem with the friends afterwards. This is a kind of business that you have to do with true friends with whom you have trust. Partnership is not easy. But currently, two friends manage the place and keep it going. They get along fine and they do not resent that I am more a distant partner. Money can be sensitive issue and that is why it is so important to have trust. KHJ also says that there is no monetary greed at all and that is also very important. KHC says that Shindong of SUJU also set up PC room with some of his closest friends from childhood and it is doing really well. But KHC finds that there is lots of similarity bet Shin Dong and KHJ’s business because there is hardly any monetary greed and there is lots of trust and belief in each other. KHJ agrees that that is really the best way to go. KHJ says that his friend cooks all the chicken by himself instead of hiring someone to cook as different cooks can change the taste as well as methods of cooking. 

KHC asks KHJ what kind of business would fit KHC if he decides to go out and open shop. KHJ asks if KHC usually go out at night. KHC says that he rarely is out when the sun is up. KHJ thinks Potato-tang or Korean style Potato soup might be good and call it Kim HeeChul’s KangWondo Potato-tang. KHC thinks that is something new. KHC really likes that idea. KHJ says he can put lots of cabbage with deep broth. He thinks that potato soup will bring much profit. He heard about it. KHC wants the production team to cut this part of the interview so that this news does not go out to any other potential rivals who also is looking for type of business. KHC says if he does open such a place, would it be oK for him to use the store name as KHJ gave him. KHJ says fine and he will send flower bouquet with potato in it. (I think there was a brief scene about potato soup restaurant in Greatest Love and about the pretty potato flowers . I did not think KHJ likes romantic comedies but he has watched Greatest Love and Secret Garden…maybe he is studying for his next acting job…hahahaha)

KHJ says goodbye and hope that the listeners remember forever KHC’s rado program. They joke that they start with “chi-chi” and ends with potato soup.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDFv5NDzkUM&feature=related

2PM, Kim Hyun Joong, and 2NE1 are compared and graded on their comebacks

 by limabean17 @allkpop.com

The summer season has just begun, yet there are already huge comebacks attracting many fans with new music, hot styles, and energetic performances. The biggest names at the moment are 2PM, Kim Hyun Joong, and 2NE1.

They’re currently being called the “BIG 3″ and were rated by Nate News in five categories including: catchiness, style, transformation, live performances, and response from the audience. Each artist(s) could get at most five stars for each category. Check out their scores and reviews below!

1. Catchiness – 2PM > 2NE1 > Kim Hyun Joong

2PM (4 Stars): 2PM has returned with their highly anticipated album after 8 months. Their title song is “Hands Up”. With a strong beat and refreshing melody, it makes for some great club music. Seemingly aimed for clubs, the song’s catchiness is definitely the best out of the 3. The simple notes and repetitive lyrics of the chorus, which goes “Put your hands up, put your hands up, put p-p-p-put,” get stuck in your head after listening to it just once. The song never loses its stylish electronic sound.

2NE1 (3 Stars): 2NE1 has returned after 9 months with the title song “I Am the Best” from their single album. They created a unique song by combining various sounds and styles such as electronic, hip hop, and reggae. However, the melody isn’t that striking. They just make you remember the title by repeating “I am the best” four times during the chorus.

Kim Hyun Joong (3 Stars): Kim Hyun Joong has released his first solo album since his debut in the music industry. The title song is entitled “Break Down”. He created a strong sound using an E-brass and synthesizer. It’s a step away from being really addictive because it was created with only the performance in mind. The melody line is not difficult, but there is no point. In other words, the song is more for being seen than for being sung along or danced to.

2. Style – 2NE1 > 2PM > Kim Hyun Joong

2NE1 (4 Stars): You can’t tear your eyes away from them. Their hair is overwhelming. Sandara has her hair up like a comic character and Minzy is attention-grabbing with her gray hair. They wear leather vests and jackets with various patterns, prints, and studs that are matched with leggings. It’s worth seeing their chain-styled necklaces. However, one star was taken off because the style is far from the popular trend.

2PM (3 Stars): It’s fun to see them because this style is very different from their previous ones. Rather than wearing matching, uniformed outfits, they’re all dressed according to their individual personalities. They do this by wearing different jackets, like a red leather one, a denim one, and one with patches on it. It is even more fun because the LED lighting turns on when Taecyeon and Wooyoung are on the stage. However, it is a bit disappointing because there isn’t anything radical about their look.

Kim Hyun Joong (3 Stars): His concept highlights his masculine attractiveness. The clothes are generally good, but the detailing falls short. His strengths are the leather short-sleeved tops and pants. His pants are detailed with liquor designs and his top slightly reveals his chest. He also has the Mohican hairstyle and wears sunglasses. However, he wears only black from head to toe, which lacks something special. To our disappointment, it also hides the details.

3. Transformation – Kim Hyun Joong > 2PM > 2NE1

Kim Hyun Joong (4 Stars): His current concept was not what we expected. Kim Hyun Joong did a complete makeover 180 degree transformation. Although he played the innocent Ji Hoo in “Boys Over Flowers” with his soft SS501 flower boy image he has changed this perception tremendously. His new song, sound, and dances are completely manly. His beastly, strong concept is impressive, especially the part of his dance where he moves his hip and butt. He receives the highest score because he completely abandoned his pretty boy image. His mature charisma is simply great.

2PM (3 Stars): They’ve changed a bit from their standard image as “beastly idols”. Instead, they now seem like fun-loving clubbers. They’ve also rediscovered a part of their “10 Out of 10 Points” days. Instead of a unified group dance, they’ve turned to some fun and lighthearted choreography. Instead of ripping their shirts, they show that they’re enjoying themselves. They have cleverly softened the impact of this transformation by combining their past and new image into “fun-loving beastly idols”.

2NE1 (2 Stars): They’re basically showing the same image. They’ve chosen to stay as themselves instead of experimenting. “Fire,” “Clap Your Hands,” and “Can’t Nobody” have continuously portrayed their concept as tough and fun-loving girls. The lyrics for “I Am the Best” show their usual confidence and their visual appearances were always striking. However, their music, choreography, and image introduce nothing new, at it’s core it’s just basically the same thing.

4. Live Performance – 2PM > Kim Hyun Joong > 2NE1

2PM (3 Stars): Live performances are important for singers. Out of the “BIG 3,” 2PM is the most stable. Each singer is assigned to a part of the song that matches their vocal talents, so they manage to perform well live. Granted, with an easy melody line, there is no opportunity for them to showcase their singing abilities.

Kim Hyun Joong (2 Stars): Even in SS501, he wasn’t a main vocal. As a solo artist, he has revealed his limitations. He seems uneasy while singing because of his quiet voice and his weak pitch when hitting high notes. However, we gave him bonus points because he’s singing the whole song by himself.

2NE1 (2 Stars): CL’s rapping and Park Bom’s singing are decent. However, it was hard evaluating their live performances because the entire song was drowned out by the electronics and a whirring sound. It was impossible to even hear, let alone evaluate, their natural voices with all the whirring. We took off points because the song did not allow us to hear them singing live.

5. Audience Response – 2PM > Kim Hyun Joong > 2NE1

2PM (4 Stars): The stage becomes one with the audience. The members said, “I want to have fun,”creating a chance for them and the audience to do so together. During the chorus, the audience puts up their hands and sings along. 2PM goes off the stage to sing and hold their fans’ hands. The shouting and screaming was definitely the loudest for them.

Kim Hyun Joong (3 Stars): Kim Hyun Joong knows what the audience wants. As he dances, he shows off sexy dance moves. He has many good points, such as shaking his butt and showing his muscles when he puts his hand to his chest. Whenever he does a sexy move, the audience cheers and screams a lot.

2NE1 (2 Stars): It’s hard to enjoy the performance together with the girls. For their comeback stage, they received a lot of cheers and applause. However, the performance was not meant for the audience to join in on the fun. The melody line for “I Am the Best” is totally hectic and complicated. It’s a bit hard for the fans to find a spot for them to cheer and cry out names or encouragements. So of course, it is inevitable that the response is pretty weak. Simply put, it’s a stage put on only for the 2NE1 members themselves.

Overall, Nate News rankings for the “BIG 3″ put 2PM on top with the best scores. Following them was Kim Hyun Joong and then 2NE1 in last place.

Source & Photos: Nate