Tweets abound: The Gori-fied one calls it like he sees it. :)

•June 10, 2011 • 12 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

See there? When the Men were snowboarding on Hokkaido and looking oh-so-suave, and we were all squealing over them, and then RAIN came along and busted their business out in the street by letting us know The Real Deal (looks can deceive, i.e. “General Hospital”), I always suspected that the hyungs would get him back sooner or later.

First SooBong pixelated Rain out of his doggone Twitpics. Now Gori takes a brotherly dig—and a good one, too. I paraphrase in DirtySouth-speak: “His arm’s out of position because he’s the youngest—he don’t know no better.” ROFL! LOL! Hilarious. They are teasing the poor boy to death.

But there’s no doubt in our minds that they do it only because they love and adore their little brother so much. And they love to make him laugh. Nothing will ever change that. ♥

(What IS up with that arm, Rain, huh? Straighten that thing up! Have you contacted Team USA yet? Well, at least you’re covering the armpit hair correctly, so I won’t fuss at you too much. ^_~ 😛 )

(Tweet source and image credit: Park KyeongYeol (standing just behind Rain) / gori7911 @Twitter / English translation: rain bird @rain-eu.)

아직 막내라서그런지 팔의 각이 안사는구나…ㅋㅋㅋ 띵똥! 근데 띵똥이 뭔가요? 드라마에서 나오는건가?

Perhaps because he (Rain) is the youngest of us all, the angle of his arm doesn’t coincide with the others’..kekeke…Dingdong! By the way, what is dingdong? Could I only see it on a drama?

[ETA order site][image] Rain covers Japanese magazine クレアスタ Crazy For Asian Star Vol. 5.

•June 9, 2011 • 3 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

[*Edited to Add: One Internet order site where you can get both Vols. 1 and 5 (Rain’s covers) of Mon Kureasuta is Amazon Japan HERE. The site has some English, and transactions are in Japanese yen ¥.

Vol. 5 is only available for PRE-order until 6/18. ^@@^}

Rain will be on the cover of and is being featured in Volume 5 of the upcoming クレアスタ (Mon Kureasuta) Crazy for Asian Star Interview & Photomagazine (looks like the issue date is August 2011, and the release date may be 6/18).

The reporter’s blurb on the Japanese magazine’s website has this to say about Rain’s featured story:  Speaking of rainy season in June, I remember speaking with a star on a rainy day… RAIN! The man Rain delivered plenty during our exclusive interview about his new movie, the American TIME 100, the Dresden Music Festival… my private interview with RAIN is the latest must see! (loosely translated by Stephe @Cloud USA ^@@^)

JYJ, John-Hoon, Super Junior and other artists are also in this issue.

As you may recall, the last time Rain covered and was featured by Crazy For Asian Star was Vol.1 back in October 2010. And those pictures were lovely indeed.

That’s three mags so far this year, that we know of. Our cover boy is going cover-crazy and we like it. 🙂

Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Vol. 5 & Vol. 1 covers and inside image courtesy of Mon Kureasuta/crea-star.com)

[ETA more images] Rain check.

•June 9, 2011 • 6 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

*Edited to Add: Rain on the 비상/Flight set on Jebudo Island, on the 7th.

(image credit:  with 순둥papa @daramrec.blog.me)

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*Edited to Add: As we understand it… Rain with his translator, back in Singapore during his May 2011 BEST concert stop there. (images: as tagged, @weibo / raincloudHK)

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Cool as a cucumber SixToFive Rain… (captures: yuko @rainstorm, Osaka)

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A 비상/Flight movie poster used to advertise a Space Challenge 2011 event on base. (image source: scola98 @naver / cyworld / Nate News)

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Rain in Chinese magazine EASY (No. 610). (image:  曉曉雲朵 @RainBar / raincloudHK)

Tweets abound: From the 비상 (Bisang)/Flight movie set.

•June 9, 2011 • 9 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Nice to see you in Lieutenant Jung TaeHoon’s “skin” again, JiHoon! So excited about the movie… 😀

(source: 29rain @Twitpic)

Fun Tweets abound: Rain and Crew have “potential”… Team USA to give free fine-tuning. Hehe!

•June 9, 2011 • 7 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Okay, Rain. Okay, Crew. Your fine synchronized form has caught Team USA‘s sharp eye, they are quite impressed, and they would love to give you some additional synchro pointers in their pool. (And who wouldn’t want to get those Magic Feet and all that’s attached to them in the water, hm? Yeah, we see straight through that… Pretty smart, yo.)

All right, we’ve passed the info on. All that remains is for Rain to carve some time out of Red Muffler/Flight: Close to the Sun movie filming, gather the Men, and make the trek to the nearest U.S. training facility… hahaha  ^_~ 😛

The future of the U.S. synchronized swimming team, perhaps? 2012 Summer Olympic Games, here they come! LOL!! ㅎㅎㅎ 😛 (image source: gori7911 @Twitpic)

(image courtesy of: U.S. Synchronized Swimming)

Tweets abound: The U.S. Synchronized swimming team gives Rain and Crew a cute shout-out.

•June 9, 2011 • 10 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Well, you could knock us over with a feather right now, what with Team U.S.A.’s synchronized swimming team retweeting one of Rain’s earlier pictures. (The Man and the Men were showing some fine form in unison there atop the Marina Bay Sands Skypark, for sure.) Hahaha!

Very, very cute. We’re a bit flabbergasted that you noticed Rain’s tweet to begin with, but thanks, Team U.S.A.! Thumbs up.

(source: usasynchro @Twitter / tip and capture: ratoka @The Cloud Photo Board)

Rain Ad campaign of the day: Today’s Tea, 2007.

•June 9, 2011 • 7 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Rain 070209 CF Todays Tea. (courtesy of worldcloud @YT)

Rain Bi CF Today’s tea Oct.2007. (courtesy of hiroio @YT)

[images] More of Rain at 비비고 (Bibigo) Hot Stone restaurant.

•June 9, 2011 • 1 Comment

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Remember last month, when Rain stopped in at Bibigo and the restaurant shared that on their Twitter?

Apparently that was in Singapore, on May 21. Here are some fresh images for you. Enjoy.

(Credit : http://www.cyworld.com/jcmanse | raincloudHK)

[clip] Singapore’s national water agency, PUB, releases their highlights of Rain’s May 21 presscon.

•June 8, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

From PUB‘s admin channel on YouTube, 6/6/11:

“Popular Korean star, Rain, was in Singapore for his Best 2011 Asia concert tour. The 28 year old was in a jovial mood during the press conference held on 21 May 2011, at the Marina Bay Sands.

Midway through the press conference, our adorable mascot, Water Wally, made a surprise appearance, much to the delight of Rain and the local media. An advocate for environment preservation, Rain has been encouraging everyone to use water wisely and to protect our water resources and Water Wally wanted to thank him for his efforts.

After a quick exchange of superstar hugs, Water Wally welcomed Rain as a Friend of Water and presented him with a certificate for his efforts towards the water cause.”

Highlights of Korean pop star, RAIN’s press conference in Singapore. (Credit: pubwebadmin @YT)

[quickie][fan cam] Another point of view of Rain outside Singapore’s Indoor Stadium…

•June 8, 2011 • 3 Comments

after he left such an impression on every fan there by touching them in greeting, after his exhausting show. — ^@@^ [fancam] RAIN (BI) Outside Singapore Indoor Stadium. (Credit: syaliza@YT)

syaliza’s comments: “Rain is such a sweetheart! He went over to his fans who was outside the concert venue before getting into the car! Such a darl he is!”

[tweet][no Rain] Awesome KPop moment of the week: Getting a tan Kostyle.

•June 8, 2011 • 8 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Ko SooBong getting his mocha-on at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark hotel, during the BEST Rain 2011 Singapore stop back in May.

My, my, my. 🙂

(Credit/source: kostyle0324 @Twitpic, 5/22/11)

[Eng trans] Tweets abound: Rain is trumped by his hyungs? ROFL!

•June 8, 2011 • 7 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Now if this isn’t THE most hilarious thing I have seen all year…! ROFLMAO

SooBong tweeted the images, but which one of you hyungs actually took the pictures that Rain tweeted earlier and blurred him out of them? That’s what I want to know. Hahaha! (Fit punishment for him calling you all “General Hospital” back during your winter snowboarding vacation, eh? Good one! ㅍㅎㅎ ^_~)

I’m going to laugh about this all day, probably until I’m in a stupor. Trust. 😀

(Images: kostyle0324 @Twitpic / Tweet: 29rain @Twitter)

[fan mades] Belated birthdays are terrific, too! :D

•June 8, 2011 • 11 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Dear JJ, you reduced me to tears with this one—happy tears. ^^ I literally put my head in my hands and wept. (Thank goodness I was alone, because I cry ugly. LOL!) Thanks for thinking so kindly of me. I am humbled.

Dear Kongsao, you had me flailing all over the place with your liberal dose of Rain and MBLAQ! And you picked the best song ever for this video. Thanks for being so sweet and warming my heart! And thanks for getting JJ’s vid to me, too.

Please enjoy these two videos that were sent belatedly to me, everyone. Cloud USAers have got it going on! 😀

Happy Birthday, Stephe! Wish you all the best!!. Set to “My Girl” (내 여자 / Nae Yeoja) by Rain. (Credit and edit: JJ / tubetubehawaii @YT)

RAIN BI _[MIX]~~ TELL ME!!. With MBLAQ! The power of brothers. (Credit and edit: Kongsao / RainbiRunway25 @YT)

[ETA Eng trans] Tweets abound: If this is “General Hospital”, we volunteer to be their nurses.

•June 8, 2011 • 18 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

We’ll get our RN licenses and everything, no problem. Just sign us up. 😀

The Man got a huge Twitter-itch this morning and started slinging these AMAZING pics out like gangbusters. (We don’t know what kind of soju the Crew’s got him drinking these days, but please keep it up! We are simply enthralled.) This looks to be when they were at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark hotel in Singapore, during Rain’s BEST Singapore concert stop last month.

Dear heavens, they were up there. Waaaaaaay up there!

This is what you call living on the edge, folks.

Thank you, Rain, for sharing these marvelous images of SooBong, Gori, and cutie KyuSang keeping you company. You look fabulous, and your worldwide fan base truly appreciates it. ♥

Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

{*Edited to Add: I didn’t try to translate his pic caption—울 셋이 미스터 쾌남들 ㅎㅎ—because several of the words have no English counterpart, so an experienced Korean speaker needs to do that. However, I can tell you that his brief tweet—ㅎㅎㅎ—meant that he was pretty tickled. It is the Korean texting equivalent of “hahaha!” or “hehehe”.  ^@@^}

[*Edited to Add #2: Thanks to rain bird @Rain Europe for a translation of Rain’s pic caption: “The three of us are jolly good fellows, hehehe.”}

(source: 29rain @Twitpic, 6/8/11)

Looks like THIS is where they were! Gah!!!

[post] MCM Korea facebooks about Rain’s new cover.

•June 8, 2011 • 5 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^ 2:23 am EST

MCM Korea facebooked rather early this morning about Rain adorning Men’s Uno Hong Kong this month wearing their sharp MCM fashions.

They also mentioned his presence at the new MCM boutique launch in Hong Kong last month, the limited edition MCM By Rain Collection that is to be sold there exclusively, and the back story behind it all, featured inside the magazine. (Loose English summary: Stephe ^@@^)

(source: MCM Korea @Facebook)

Well, bless our stars and garters… we’re on Faxo. And so is Rain! :)

•June 8, 2011 • 6 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

The Cloud USA fan site and the media blog have been nominated in search engine Faxo.com‘s Website Vote Wall contests for Best Fansite and Best Forum, Message Board, or Blog of the month… and we wouldn’t have even known if one of our peeps hadn’t mentioned it last month. How about that? 😀

There we were, horsing around on the Forum one night in late May with a roomful of Clouds, when suddenly community member Takitsubi said something to the effect of, “Cloud USA  is doing well in the Faxo poll. I’ve got to get some more votes in!”

And we were like, “Wha? Who? Where?” And the next thing we knew, we were immortalized on Faxo’s Best Fansite Wall in 14th spot at the end of May. Huh!

So here we are, smack-dab in the middle of the June polls as well. Pretty cool, yo.

Thanks so much for your votes and support, everyone! Like we always say, ain’t no fan like a Rain fan. Thumbs up!

» Best Fansite poll for June (cloudusa.org)

» Best Forum, Message Board, or Blog poll for June (cloudusa.wordpress.com)

Rain himself is nominated for:

» Actor of the Month

» Musician of the Month

» Sexiest Twitter

» Follow Me on Twitter

» Mr. Twitter

» Best of Twitter

Goodness gracious. That’s a lot of nominatin’, and he’s doing pretty well. Clouds are fierce! Jump on in and have yourself some fun. If Rain and Cloud USA tickle your fancy, give us some Click Love on Faxo.

Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

[clip] OMG: Check this tvN segment on the “life-sized Rain doll.” LOL!

•June 7, 2011 • 7 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

If ever we needed a translation, it would be for THIS entertainment tvN Enews segment from the end of May. ROFL! I can only imagine. 🙂

[Rain (Bi) TV]110520 Rain @ tvN Enews. (credit: tvN / source: DC / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

[quickie][fan made] Rain, heaven-sent.

•June 7, 2011 • 3 Comments

Aww…! How lovely! Wonderful job, JJ…! ♥ ♥ — ^@@^ Bi, Rain It’s smiling 009. Song: “When I Dream” by Carol Kidd. (credit and edit: tubetubehawaii @YT)

[clip/Eng trans] Rain interviewed about his time in Dresden, Germany by…

•June 7, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

… SBS Good Morning on June 7.

110607 Rain interview_The Best Concert Asia Tour & Dresden Music Festival. (Source: DC, tudou / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @rain-eu.) 

~0:06
Singer Rain held a joint concert with cellist ‘Jan Vogler’ in Germany’s Dresden.

0:09
Rain received an enthusiastic response from the local press and fans.

0:13
Rain : Hi, everyone. This is Rain. Nice to see you again.

0:16~0:25
Q : You’re about to hold a joint concert, how do you feel now?
Rain : I’m pleased to become the first Korean and pop artist to perform in Dresden.

0:28
Rain arriving in the Dresden Airport.

0:35~0:49
It was said that ‘Jan Vogler’, a world renowned cellist from Germany and executive director for the Dresden Music Festival, was the first to offer to hold a joint concert with Rain.

0:52~1:07
Q : The joint concert has ended in great success.
Rain : By definition, it was a meeting between pop and classic. I think the cello melody was well-suited to the atmosphere of the pop music. Well, please look at a clip from the concert.

1:10
Rain & Vogler at the Dresden Music Festival on 19 May.

1:16
Rain’s powerful dance performances such as ‘Rainism’, ‘It’s Raining’, and ‘Hip Song’ received much spotlight.

1:37
By being combined with classic, ‘Love Song’ and ‘The Way to Avoid the Sun’ were new and fresh translations of pop music.

1:49
Rain and Vogler showed off their perfect teamwork, performing together.

1:55~2:04
Q : How did you feel performing with Vogler ?
Rain : Vogler was very sensitive to my tune during the concert, so the concert seemed to end successfully.

2:12
The concert attracted the attention of the local public with its unusual subject matter that included the new form of concert, the splendid performances, etc.

2:26
His last song brought a big applause continuously.

2:28
Everyone clapped their hands for about 10 minutes even after the conclusion of the show.

2:30~2:38
Q : How do you like your concert?
Rain : I didn’t know that Europe love Korean culture so much, so I was also astonished to see that. Anyway, I feel great now.

2:39~2:45
Rain : Hope you are always healthy, and I’ll be back with my good result.

2:50~
Rain who has elevated the status of South Korea in Germany.
We hope to see more of his work in the future.

[fan account, sort of] ROFL! Poor guy. I’ll bet his girlfriend got an earful when they got home. :)

•June 7, 2011 • 8 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Or who knows? He may not have minded all that much. (Poor guy!) 😀

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Rain seen shooting in Jebu Island today, 6/7/11

By: Garden Lee @Twitter

Image: Garden Lee @Twitpic

English translation: rain bird @rain-eu.

제부도 왔습니다… 영화 촬영하네요. 란희신 비 엉덩이만 쳐다봅니다.ㅜㅜ

When I came to Jebu Island, they were filming a movie there. (My girl friend) ‘Lahnhee’ ssi accompanying me was only looking at Rain’s backside. ㅜㅜ

[Cloud USA announcements] Bi Yourself Open Thread for 6/7-6/13.

•June 7, 2011 • 38 Comments

(Rain goes all Red Bling and Golden Abs at an M!Countdown “Love Song” performance last May 2010. This kind of Swarovski Crystal hotness comes only once or twice a millennium, folks. IF then.) 

» You can visit the previous Open Thread HERE. And of course, don’t forget that our Cloud USA Forum is a most excellent place for Rain love, fan communication, and self-expression.

By the way — have you left a message for JiHoon on The Cloud today?

» Our Project page for newbies on how to register for and USE the Official Cloud Rain Fan Club site in S.Korea is HERE.)

If you can, PLEASE follow Rain’s lead and give Japan a helping hand. Donate to the 7th Cloud’s Appeal-Donation for Earthquake Victims in Japan or to the charity of your choice.

Well fans, with the exception of Red Muffler/Flight: Close to the Sun shooting and working on his upcoming album, JiHoon might be able to take a little bit of a load off this month. Probably not much, though. A little birdie has said that he could be working most of June and on his birthday, June 25. Again. *sigh* And there is talk through the grapevine of some concerts on his home turf. We have no details, but if that’s true, we should know soon enough.

This time next week, we should be putting Rain’s birthday scrapbook together and taking lots of pictures so that you all can see… dun dun DUN—The Goodies. Remember, the deadline for getting your pages, cards, and Emails in is this Friday, June 10. We are taking note of everyone who has left comments in the community about sending things, and will make certain to look for those, so don’t worry. Cheers, everyone!

(And thanks for all of your well-wishes for my birthday. They were wonderful, and so are you.)

Stephe ^@@^

Rain check.

•June 7, 2011 • 1 Comment

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

BEST Encore Rain and a Lot(te) Rain: Ahhh… time for captures and fan art! Can’t do without it! ♥ (images: as tagged, @rainstorm Japan)

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The China Times reports on Rain being vindicated and his libelers indicted. (image: sherrysss @Cloud Taiwan)

[post] We’ll put our money on Rain keeping his real signature. :)

•June 7, 2011 • 18 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

If I were a mega-entertainer and someone had approached ME for an autograph, and then had the audacity to insult the way I’d naturally written for ten years when I was interrupting my personal time to give it to her out of the goodness of my heart, my feelings would have been a little hurt and I would have printed out huge blocky letters like a First Grade student (I’m sure you can read this, huh, lady?) and handed it to her. With a smile. And then chuckled with disbelief after she left.

I’m in my third week as a beginning Hangul student, and this looks just like my and my classmates’ elementary school writing! LMAO! He’s just being funny and engaging us all in that fun. Changing his autograph to something like this would have his celebrity peers laughing at him nonstop.

Good one, JiHoon. ㅋㅋㅋ 😛

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Soompi News 6/6/2011 — by Kyouria

World Star Rain Wants New Autograph

World Star Rain revealed a story of being embarrassed for his autograph at a restaurant.

On June 5th, Rain tweeted, “I went to eat a meal at a restaurant and gave an autograph when the restaurant owner asked. She asked me ‘Why are you scribbling?’ and told me to stop kidding around, requesting an autograph again.”

Rain posted two pictures asking, “For the first time in 10 years, I’d like to change my signature to be recognized at one glance—which one would be better?”

Netizens have responded “It is cute”, and even Huh Gak, the winner of Superstar K3, replied “Personally, I like Bi more.” What do you think better-fits Rain’s global status?

Source: Nate News

(original images source: 29rain @Twitter)

[post] MTV K gives you the complete Rain music video collection. *swoon*

•June 7, 2011 • 6 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

OMG. How awesome is this? N-i-c-e, Anna and MTV K! You came through for Rain and we thank you. 🙂

*delighted*

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MTV K 6/6/2011 — by Anna Park

The Complete Rain Video Music Collection

In honor of Rain’s victory in MTV K’s Hottest Summer Body Poll, we’ve compiled all of his hottest music videos in one place! Starting with his debut MV for “Bad Guy” and ending with his love story with actress Han Ye Seul in “Love Song,” MTV K’s got you covered!

As an added bonus, we’ve included MTV Iggy’s exclusive interview with Rain from back when he was promoting Ninja Assassin! Rewatching it makes us proud of our world star Raizo all over again…

Don’t forget to check out the rest of MTV K’s videos — ranging from live performances by JYJ and BoA and more to music videos and exclusive interviews with your favorite idols (Jay Park, U-Kiss, 4Minute) like the ones from the Korean Music Festival in LA this past April!

» To see the entire collection, which includes “Bad Guy”, “Me (Na)“, “How To Avoid The Sun”, “Instead of Saying Goodbye”, “You Know”, “It’s Raining”, “I Do”, “I’m Coming”, “Rainism”, “Love Story”, “Love Song”… and a bonus Ninja Assassin interview and Ninja Assassin trailer, please go to the original post on the MTV K site HERE.

And enjoy!

(Photo credit: Cyworld/SixToFive)

Revisiting 2008: Rain makes a comeback with “Rainism.”

•June 6, 2011 • 14 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Some of you were here from the start of last April to the end of May 2010, when Rain’s mini-album Back To The Basic dropped and he hit all the music chart shows—what we call the comeback trail—with “Love Song” and “Hip Song.” But many of you weren’t around to see the comeback trail that came before that, when “Rainism” dropped and Rain hit the ground running with it. Please enjoy these, a few of his music chart show performances from that period, when Ninja Assassin was in post-production (yes, the fans were stoked and he had his share of wins).

I was really craving our Magic Feet and his Magic Stick… and this did the trick. It usually does. 😉

[clip] Rain (Bi) – Rainism Music Core HD. (courtesy of MuzikTrack @YT)

[clip] Rainism-081019_SBS. SBS Comeback special. (courtesy of xxyip @YT)

[fan made] Rain(Bi) RAINISM Mix.  (Credit and edit: miyupy @YT)

[clips] The Media has some Rain fun.

•June 6, 2011 • 2 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Haha! They’re still talking about » the Hoonie feeling good in Dresden, and Se7en “complimenting” Rain on his doggy eye-smile via Twitter. 😀

[Rain (Bi) TV] 110531 Rain @ Ent News_Rain’s Twitter @ Dresden. (Credit : Rainsnow / ratoka @YT)

[Rain (Bi) TV]110524 Rain @ Ent News_Rain’s Twitter with se7en. (Credit : rainsnow / ratoka @YT)

[poll] From MTV K: Rain Dubbed K-Pop’s Hottest Summer Body.

•June 6, 2011 • 9 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Well… yeah. *no surprise written on my face* 😀

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MTV K 6/6/2011 — by Anna Park / Photo credit: J.Tune Entertainment

Rain Dubbed K-Pop’s Hottest Summer Body!

The votes are in, and the numbers don’t lie: Rain is K-Pop’s Hottest Summer Body, chosen by MTV K readers from all around the world!

Rain’s reputation as K-Pop’s Sexy Icon has proven itself once again, without much explanation needed. I mean, just look at him!

Out of over 100,000 votes, Rain secured a whopping 34.4% of votes, beating out second place TVXQ‘s Yunho by over 7,000 votes.

To celebrate, Rain’s victory, we’ve compiled his full music video collection, along with MTV Iggy’s exclusive interview with the world star from his Ninja Assassin days — Stay tuned!

It would be wrong not to mention that F(x)‘s Victoria garnered the most votes out of the female candidates, making her the Queen of the Beach babes in K-pop this summer!

It makes sense in a way, since Victoria was recently chosen as a new model for Carribean Bay water park, together with her hubby Nichkhun of 2PM, who she beat out by 1,250 votes! Check back later for the couple’s full sexy CF, as the couple was spotted filming atop a beautiful waterfall earlier this month.

Because we had twelve candidates in the running this time, Brown Eyed Girls’ Gain and 2AM’s Changmin have unfortunately been eliminated from the list, making the “Top Ten Hottest Summer Bodies in K-Pop” as follows:

1. Rain
2. TVXQ Yunho
3. Super Junior’s Siwon
4. f(x)’s Victoria
5. 2PM’s Nichkhun
6. After School’s UEE
7. Wonder Girls’ Yubin
8. Lee Hyori
9. Girls’ Generation’s Yuri
10. Big Bang’s Taeyang

(poll chart credit: MTV K)

Cloudy Day: Fan Art inspired by Rain.

•June 6, 2011 • 10 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Cloud USA Forum moderator and baby sister in spirit Katie (a.k.a. Purplezest) thrilled me on my birthday yesterday with 222 pictures of Rain, all at one time. I was quite overcome. I certainly wouldn’t mind being overcome like that again sometime! *squeal!* Of course this and the birthday video Terri made me are both going over to my Favorite Things page.

Unni loves you, Katie Girl! ♥

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Yes, these Rain quotes are known to many of us, which makes seeing them all together like this all the more special. Bravo, Cloud NovemberRain…!

“This is something my friend @krysantea and I did to share with everyone… we used words from the man himself as our inspiration to make this artwork… hope you guys like it.” — NovemberRain, posted on The Cloud English Talk Board

[article] Revisiting 2010: Once an MTV Movie Badass, always a Badass.

•June 5, 2011 • 18 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Remember what we were all doing, fans, a year ago to this very day?

After interminable weeks and months and Sundays of nominating Rain for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards Badass title, and voting nonstop to get him that Badass title after his nomination was finalized, and bombarding MTV to correct Rain’s bio and fix his broken Badass page link after Terri sounded the alarm, and preparing for his visit to L.A. (U.S. clouds flocked to California and joined fans already there), and congregating with our Cloud USA community members on Facebook, Twitter, the forum, and MTV.com all at the same time… we all gathered in front of our televisions as well and breathlessly waited to 1) finally catch a glimpse of Rain and 2) see if he would win.

When Jaden Smith actually announced “Rain!” at that podium… we damn near passed out. And the world damn near freaked out. MTV correspondent Adam Rosenberg, live-blogging on the MTV Movies Blog, shouted, “RAIN!! HOLY HELL YES!!!!… He kicked some incredible ass in Ninja Assassin!” Haha!

It was my birthday weekend, and all I had wanted was for Rain to win for “Raizo” because he and the character both so deserved it. We were all exhausted because for months and Sundays we had also been dealing with the TIME Magazine 100 influential voting AND covering Rain’s crazy Back To The Basic comeback performance schedule on four music shows all at the same time… and when he won 2010 Badass, it was like a shot of pure adrenalin straight into a vein. My heavens, but JiHoon was gorgeous as he strolled up there to get his MTV popcorn statuette. The women in the Gibson Amphitheater audience stared at him as if he were prime rib at a barbecue. It was about a minute and two seconds of sheer joy that I’m sure none of us will ever forget.

So now, it’s exactly one year later. I’ve no idea who was named this year’s Biggest Badass Star at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards tonight, but I wholeheartedly congratulate them on their win. I’ve been voting instead over on MTV K for Rain’s oh-so-golden abs, and am grateful for this slight reprieve from last year’s hardcore, brain-busting Badass voting (it was not as brutal as TIME, but brutal enough with everything else that was going on, y’all know it).

There will only be one true Biggest Badass for us, Rain fans. Ever. Am I right? As a matter of fact, I’d advise MTV to have future statuettes from all categories shined and polished because he will be taking more of them home. Trust. 🙂

» Have a nice, HUGE Hunk of Nostalgia: Revisit Rain’s 2010 MTV Badass odyssey over on our MTV Movie Awards 2010 project sub-page from last year. Watch him arrive at the Red Carpet. Watch him smack that perfect backside because he’s “been working out.” Haha! Enjoy this piece of MTV USA history that is exclusively his.

» Do you see him?

» The infamous Twitter Tracker.

» Popcorn, anyone?

Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(from Adam Rosenberg’s live commentary on the MTV Movies Blog, 6/6/2010)

Happy Birthday, Stephe…You’re the BEST!

•June 5, 2011 • 41 Comments

Terri :-}

RAINY DAY Season 3, episode 10. He uses every single joint in his body to dance.

•June 4, 2011 • 4 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Asia broadcast, 6/4.

Aaaaah! Cue the music, and let’s pick up right where we left off—with JiHoon looking oh-so-foine in his Hollister Cali long-sleeves (and other strategic attire to protect him from the elements inside that frozen gymnasium) during a final straight run-through for the ADIEU! 2010 concert. And, just like last week, our Magic Feet is as cute as a button and looks absolutely fabulous from head to toe. (Do all men fill out Hollister shirts like that? Naw. This is a special case, yo.)

Hooo-kay now… during “Only You”, those pop-thrusts were live-performance worthy. Mama appreciates that, dear. More than you’ll ever know.

I’m sure you all recognize the setups for “I Do” (with the couple chairs), “My Girl” (with the single chair), and that you realize “Fresh Woman” is coming up as well, seeing as the Crew has their roller skates on. (And of course someone is back there trying to pull a Kim YuNa on ice—an arabesque and a heel-stretch. Notice I said trying. :P)

Haha! Big points to some stage crew for acting as the concert audience. They “throwed” their hands in the air on cue, and probably waved ’em like they just “don’t” care. 🙂

“…5…6…7…8—” (a rather lively launch into Fresh Woman)

“소리 질러! (soli jilleo!)” Scream! No problem, Rain—it almost always makes me scream to witness what makes you so different from many, many other dancers… the way you use every single joint in your body to dance, from your fingertips to your toes and anklebones and everything in between. Even in a casual rehearsal such as this one, fans, it’s possible to see every joint in him that pops, even when he only moves it for a split-second. Michael Jackson did that, beautifully. Someone else who does it, I’ve noticed, is JunHyung of BEAST/B2ST. (That boy is something else, with his shoulders and neck and wrist bones and fingers popping like Rain’s. The sheer joy of music and dance combined that shines in JunHyung’s eyes reminds me of what I see in Rain’s eyes as well. As if music flips some kind of internal switch. What a talent.)

And this, friends, is where we part ways with RAINY DAY for this week. If a translation is made available, I’ll bring that to you here. Next time, we might finish up this rehearsal or possibly move on to the actual concert, so… See you then!

Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

[clip] Yes, the Champ was there!

•June 4, 2011 • 4 Comments

Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

This is one nice clip from KBS TV’s YunYeGaJunGye show, aired today, regardless of whether it’s translated or not!

The show starts off talking about the best competitive athletes (looks like soccer star Park JiSung and Olympic swimmer Park TaeHwan are shown in the footage), goes on to the best competitive celebrities, and then does a very cool showcasing of why Rain belongs in that category.

Love it!

(courtesy of ratoka @YT)

Recommended Rain viewing: Cloud USA staff video pick for 6/4.

•June 4, 2011 • 9 Comments

Video: “Brothers & Me” (Kim TaeWoo, Rain, and JYP, off of TaeWoo’s latest album T-School.)

By: Jim, Cloud USA photograher and videographer

Jim’s POV: “First off, the song is great. It gets you right here.” *points to his heart and his gut* “Plus, the three of them aren’t just singing—they’re living the song and you can tell by looking at ’em. Big difference. AND “Brothers & Me” reminds me of my life growing up with Stephe and our baby bro, all these years. We laughed, cried, did everything practically together. Good or bad, happy, mad, even death hasn’t split that up. One is in spirit, but there’s still three of us.

So enjoy this, everybody!”

(Video courtesy of boazhann @YT)