Legend of Rainism Yoyogi, Solo dance. (credit: teamjihoon625 / source: ratoka) ^@@^
[ *ETA: Why are we still getting that dummy page when we go to (http://love-song.jp) ? We are not amused. Seriously. ]
… here you go.
» The Zepp information site is HERE.
These Love Tour shows will be small, intimate affairs, which to us is even more exciting than a huge arena event. Legend Bob Dylan just had a similar run at these same venues last month. And by the way, a very busy Cloud was kind enough to share her latest cap with us (from the new site?):
And the pieces keep falling into place. 🙂 — Stephe ^@@^
"Ignore the Yoyogi Stadium file name... it's Saitama, folks!"
[ *UPDATED Info, October 13: Well, well, well…! The question is now answered, six months later! And quite by accident.
Terri and I were watching her new Legend of Rainism Tour/Japan DVD this morning (after Fugitive: Plan B) from the very first shows of LoR on August 29 and 30, 2009, at Saitama Super Arena. And there, on the Bonus DVD which chronicled Rain and Crew arriving in Tokyo, and all the behind the scenes happenings and rehearsals that took place leading up to the concert, was this very footage.
So. Now we know. This video is a costumed rehearsal for LoR Saitama, not Yoyogi Stadium (April 2010). Rain still had his SixToFive and trip to the Alps hair, and got it cut shortly after this in a signature mohawkish, Hip Korea/Saitama style. — Stephe ^@@^ ]
°
Where and when this video takes place is unspecified (the upload date is the 18th as well), so this could be concert preparations backstage this weekend, or dress rehearsals from a different day, or even right before Rain and crew left for the venue. And in the whole scheme of things, does it really matter? What is quite obvious here is that it was very recent and our Ji-Hoon was tired but happy, and more than ready to get it on. (I LOVED seeing some of the crew in their “11 Days” get-up. Awesome.) — Stephe ^@@^
Rain Bi LoR, set to Back To The Basic’s “One.” (credit: DC / courtesy of ratoka @YT)
Enjoy these stills from Rain’s Entertainment Weekly interview, Asia broadcast on April 17th. I will be bringing you the video of this interview ASAP, today more than likely, as soon as I can get a clearer translation for it. — Stephe ^@@^
(credit: ratoka @cloudHK)
Good evening everyone!
Rain’s performance today was remarkable as always.
The songs in the beginning are still in regular order
Songs for the encore part have changed to 1. San Tango & 2. Hip SongSecurity was extremely tight,
so I could only record sound…
I was unable to record any video.
The MP3s would have to wait until I return to Taiwan…
Rain was so cute!!
His movements today were just beyond cuteness!!!—
Credit: sherrysss@RainHK
Brief Eng Translation: dsl99a@Rain-USA // sixtofive1982 // SexyBi
Still no fan cams yet, Clouds. *sigh* Surely we weren’t completely thwarted by the Forces of Darkness the concert security? But look at that crowd, will you! Stay tuned…
— Stephe ^@@^
(additional images: RAIN Germany)
SHOUTcast Radio Blog 4/16/2010 — ALLKPOP has reported that KBS, the largest Korean television network, banned KPOP queen Lee Hyori’s ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ music video because it features traffic violations. Mnet Media stated, “Reasons given [by KBS] include Hyori was seen driving a truck without her seat belt fastened on, dancers were dancing on top of the buses and Hyori and the dancers were dancing on the road. All these scenes were inappropriate and violate road traffic regulations….”
» You can read the entire article Lee Hyori and Rain Banned By KBS on SHOUTcast HERE.
We would like to know where KBS was when the public needed saving in 2009. And in 2008. And in 2007. And during the past decade. Because none of the stuff in these music videos is new.
— Stephe ^@@^
Seeing as we’re on a Legend of Rainism roll right now… here are our absolute favorite moments of the tour. (The fact that we both chose the same song is a complete coincidence. 🙂 You can find the English translation in our Lyrics section.)
First, Terri… LoR Seoul: Because Of You (October 2009). Reason—This is the song and the version of BoY where Rain seemed most out of control and like a man on the edge. He nearly threw himself off his feet during the second “hook.” Did you see that? Talk about letting yourself go…! I have to agree with her.
(courtesy of dukedik2)
Now, me… LoR Saitama: Because Of You (August 2009). Reason—Rain was more controlled in this BoY version, yes, and for some reason that came across even hotter to me. Of course he lost that control towards the end, completely forgot about the audience, and danced around that mic stand and was grinding over that mic stand like a man incensed. Those few seconds did it for me. She had to agree.
(courtesy of nomokana412)
Neither version is better than the other… they just strike different cords inside different fans. And they are both to die for. What is your favorite LoR song or performance?
— Stephe ^@@^
… let us go all the way back to the beginning of the Legend of Rainism tour and enjoy some of the show at Saitama Super Arena (end of August 2009). Mmm. Just watch the Master at work. Watch how he toys innocently with his prey (all of us). Rain the Pro played the crowd like a fiddle here. — Stephe ^@@^
(courtesy of miyuki6to5) The English translation of “Nan” is in our Lyrics section.
… that when you play the Hoyle puzzle game “Mahjong”, there happens to be a layout option (out of about 40) that’s shaped like an umbrella—with raindrops—called RAINY DAY? I’ve played this game for a few years now, and I never noticed it before last night! LOL Hopefully that isn’t grounds for my “Cloud Card” to be revoked. — ^@@^ (Stephe hangs her head in shame)
Allkpop 4/17/2010 — Rain spilled the beans about his recent comeback in the May issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Rain said about his new concept for Love Song, “You’ll notice that I mostly got rid of big and fancy accessories. That’s because I wanted to focus on myself. The album title Back to the Basic is about that too. I wanted to go back to the beginning.” He continued, “And the choreography where I go shirtless is not about being macho. It’s more about portraying a faithful and real heart and mind….”
» You can read the post Rain For Cosmopolitan in its entirety at allkpop HERE.
» Revisit those fresh new images that will be inside the upcoming May Cosmopolitan issue HERE.
— Stephe ^@@^
[ *ETA: Ahh, dear Ji-Hoon, our writer brains have been working on every inch of this graphic… and though you are very clever, we’re sure we have you figured out. Ha. But we won’t spill the beans here because IF we’re right, it would be mean of us to spoil your real plan. So carry on. Smooches. ]
The official Legend of Rainism site (www.rainism.com) has been taken down, and in its place (according to Sister Clouds with overseas access—we can’t confirm this right now because we only get a dummy page) is a new Japanese website (http://love-song.jp). And on that website is this:
Looks like Back To The Basic is going to Japan in June and July. (**What a surprise, right? But hold up… I’ll feel a lot more confident that this is real and not a hoax when everyone can bring the new website up on their computers instead of a dummy page that says “It works!” As it is right now… this feels funny to me.) And perhaps—this is speculation—some drama filming will commence therein.
I see Osaka there, as well as Tokyo (Saitama Super Arena is located in Saitama Prefecture and is part of the Greater Tokyo area), so… does that mean that » although Rain’s official website says Osaka and Saitama will follow Yoyogi Stadium on the final Legend of Rainism tour, have plans changed and they will be stops on this Love tour instead? Or is Rain trying to put himself in the hospital is Rain hitting Osaka and Tokyo twice this summer? He usually does a global fan meeting in Asia right around his birthday, so I suppose this could fit in with Asia touring plans…
There is no information concerning this tour listed on Rain’s official website yet. As soon as there is, IF there ever is, we’ll let you all know.
— Stephe ^@@^
Here’s a cute news report on how, just as everyone was obsessed with “being a bad boy” and the Rainism dance, people (and even otters) the world over are now desperately trying to copy the major movements of Rain’s golden Love Song abs. Bless our Ji-Hoon’s heart—it probably took him a while to get up from the floor after laughing over this. (**Psssst…. hey, check out our Incredible Fan Love page, where we have a cutie named Edward and his cohorts and their version of the Love Song MV. But don’t be drinking anything when you watch it because you will spew. Trust me.) — Stephe ^@@^
(courtesy of ratoka @YT)
It’s 11:52 PM in Japan right now (10:52 AM here), which means Rain’s first Legend of Rainism “powerbomb” is done and he’s probably kicking back trying to get a little rest—or he’s still hyped up from the show and is having a bit of entertainment somewhere, on the sly. But hearing a few more “Bi Oppa!” screams and shouts as he arrives on a scene is always fun. So let’s do that. (**Okay… so we get Love Song here instead of fans having screaming coronaries, but you know that’s what’s happening so just fill that in yourselves. Ha.) — Stephe ^@@^
(image: rain cloud / vid courtesy of hanururain)
News source Asia Economy is reporting J.Tune’s announcement that Rain has signed on as spokesperson for the SK Telesys W Phone, for the next six months. SK Telesys is a division of SK Telecom, the major telecommunications company that Rain has represented for a while now.
(Thanks to rain bird @rain-eu. for this information.)
Be on the lookout for new W Phone CFs and/or still shots, which could be surfacing at any time. Maybe the many commercial shoots Rain did earlier this week had to do with that… ? — Stephe ^@@^
» You can learn more about the W Phone at Telecoms Korea HERE.
This fan cam was uploaded about an hour ago… and so, with the other elements in this footage taken into consideration, we do believe that it was indeed taken after Rain’s plane touched down in Japan today (yesterday, Asia time). Very cool.
The Legend of Rainism shows at Yoyogi Stadium this weekend are ON. — Stephe ^@@^ 1:25 pm EST
(courtesy of hora0118)
It is perfect because it has all of the elements that a REAL fan cam does: a cocky “Rain” all in white and backed up by his crew… fan girls hopelessly in love and screaming for “Rain” on cue, and getting “the shot”… and a full-out Rainism performance. The girls even loved his Magic Stick. We adore this! 🙂 — Stephe ^@@^
A student in America and his friends put on a Rainism performance for their school’s cultural day. Great job, nok1295.
… for your iPod Touch or iPhone, and for not a lot of money ($4.99). That’s right—with one flick of your finger, you can be inside Raizo’s world, going Ozunu on ninja and throwing shuriken at will (with that same finger). This has to be GREAT for relieving stress so that you don’t slice and dice in real life. You think? — Stephe ^@@^
(courtesy of andysipodstop)
As we understand it… these are slated for inside the May issue. ^@@^ (images: ratoka @rainHK)
…on the Strong Heart show set. Hmm. What could he be doing in this fan cam? Texting a friend? Catching up on world news? Laying the law down to MBLAQ? “Just because hyung will be gone to Tokyo soon doesn’t mean you can goof off. Don’t make me have to come back here early, understand?”
Ha—just kidding… though you never know. 🙂 ^@@^
(credit: DC / courtesy of ratoka)
…all over the world, from across Asia to Europe, to Latin and North America, and places inbetween. Has your Back To The Basic special mini album arrived yet? Cloud USA Forum member Katie, in the U.K., just got her special delivery from DVDHeaven and has presented it in a magnificent spread on her blog.
Purplezest 4/15/2010 — Well it arrived today from DVD Heaven, which is VERY fast to say they only shipped it out on the 8th, so it’s taken less than 6 days to get to me which is amazing – I was expecting it to take much longer – I was expecting it sometime next week (haha) not today… so it was an awesome surprise. I wonder how long the one from YesAsia will take to arrive….
» Check out the MANY mind-numbing Rain visuals as Katie unwrapped that sweet package HERE. This is just one of them.
°
Our girl Duggu of Rain Destiny Peru and JUSTRain had some crazy excitement at her place as well… seeing as not only her album came in, but also the ones ordered for other Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and Mexican Clouds. What a stash! There are some happy Latin Clouds in the world tonight.
If Rain’s Back To The Basic has hit your town, give us a shout! (When ours arrives, I dare say you will surely know it.)
— Stephe ^@@^
[ *ETA 4/16/10: Forgive me, Clouds! I was a bit off in my accessment here. “Part 1” refers to part one of this translation with more parts to come. This translation actually covers videos #1, #2, and #3 up until about the 7:40 minute mark, before Rain’s co-star from Full House (actor Kim Sung-Soo, who played “Min-Hyuk”) came on the stage and surprised him.]
Our wonderful friends in the Rain Blogosphere have kindly provided a translation of the goings-on during Part 1 of the Win Win show with Rain. Halleluia! Join me in thanking them most profusely. (Ladies, we bow to you!) Clouds, it’s a long post… you might want to get comfy with your favorite beverage for this one. — Stephe ^@@^
» Our Rain and Friends Do Win Win video post is HERE.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Of course, I couldn’t help reacting during certain sections of this translation… so when you see brackets [ ] or my call sign ^@@^, or both, you know that’s me and not the translators. They use parentheses ( ). Enjoy! 🙂
[Eng trans] KBS 2 Win Win Show – World Star Rain (Part 1)
Korean to Chinese: EuhHye @Bi withRain
Chinese to English: huhuhuhu @rain-cloud
Provided by Cuckoo
MCs: Kim Chengyou, Cui Huating, Kim Xinying, Taiyan (Girls Generation), Yourong (2PM)
—
Kim: “Hello. Nice to meet you.” (Rain also happily waving his hands and said “Nice to meet you”) “Because Rain is World Star, so we have to be international in our greetings!” [teasing]
Yourong: “Why use such old fashioned words like ‘hello.’ We should say ‘Yo! Rain is coming!’ This is true foreign style greeting.”
Rain: “Yourong didn’t talk like this before.” (Yourong bowed his head: “Rain… brother.”)
Kim: “From today, all guests coming to our Win Win Show have to do a self introduction. Please, who are you?”
Rain: “I am Kim Chengyou’s neighbor, and I personally know his daughter quite well. I am Rain, who is coming back with my new album.”
Kim: “How do you feel coming back as a singer after one and half years?”
Rain: “Just a few years’ time, there are so many idol groups. I want to hurry up and do my activities together with them.” (words on screen: Golden time of idol group)
Xinying: “Only doing activities as a singer?”
Rain: “Of course, I have other ultimate goals.”
Xinying: “You mean falling in love activities?” [Uh oh… here we go! — Stephe ^@@]
Rain: “Of course!” [teasing]
Huajing: “Oh, artist activities, love activities.” (the two words sound similar in Korean) (Words on screen: two birds with one stone, wanting both work and love)
Kim: “Actually you may be considered as a ‘senior idol.’ Do you have ways to compete with them? [younger idols — ^@@^]
Rain: “I can’t be called an ‘idol’ now, because the freshness has gone. From now on I plan to show you all my sticky side…” (laughs) [Hm. He still looks pretty fresh to us, doesn’t he? — ^@@^]
[translator] Diversified attention. Yourong & Taiyan’s.
Taiyan: “Many domestic fans are waiting for Rain’s come back. Now is the time to answer audience’s queries.”
Yourong: “Diversified attention. Yourong & Taiyan’s 앙 (a spoiled expression).”
[translator] The MCs said Yourong and Taiyan’s앙 today is 2% lacking. Therefore we need the senior idol to demonstrate.
Rain: “I did this quite frequently 8 years ago.” (Words on screen: frequently made 앙 when as young as Yourong). “I am very confident doing this.” [LOL! Yep–that is one spoiled rotten look, Rain. LOL! — ^@@^]
Kim: “Before we listen to the questions, which question do you think most audience will ask?”
Rain: “The 1st one may be you are getting older now, will you still continue dancing? The 2nd one may be have you watched X rated movies?” [Stephe’s eyes get REALLY big here.]
Taiyan: “Why do you choose a ballad this time? Is it because it’s too hard dancing as you get older?”
Rain: “Because I want to show a new trend – you could dance even during a ballad song. Actually I had this idea at ‘It’s Raining.’ I didn’t do it with JYP, I did it after I am independent.”
Taiyan: “I hear that you wrote the music and the lyric yourself?”
Rain: “Right! It’s about a story with an ex-girlfriend. I watched on DVD that a boy lingered in front of the girl’s house after they separated, therefore I wrote the lyrics like that.” (MC : “Lingering in the rain?”) “Not in the rain, but there was the experience of waiting in front of girl friend’s house.”
Xinying: “Can’t let him go off like that! […get off that easily, I think. — ^@@^] Please perform in front of us!”
(words on screen: The Song to Make You Stay: Rain thinking about his girlfriend and wrote the song and the lyric)
Taiyan: “How may air mileage have you accumulated?”
Rain: “Maybe about 670,000 km. In 4-5 years I wish to travel on my backpack. […with just my backpack, like on a road trip? — ^@@^] Also want to travel around the world.”
Yourong: “I hear that Rain has his private jet!” [Yeah, way back for the Rain’s Coming tour, provided by Korean Air. Not now. Good grief. Why do people keep asking about something from 2007, as if it’s entertaining now? — ^@@^]
Rain: “At the time of ‘World Tour.’ There were about 300 staff.”
Huajing: “So you could run about inside your jet?”
Rain: “Actually I will hide my own character when there are girls present, especially in front of beautiful flight attendants.” [That’s why you don’t have a permanent woman now, Rain — you’re too shy, sweetie! — ^@@^]
Kim: “There are altogether 6638 questions from the audience. Out of these, is there one that you personally want to answer?” (moving quietly towards Rain) “I am personally curious if you have watched X rated movies. Can you answer this?” [Of course he has. PLENTY of them–he’s a guy! I can’t believe you’re asking him this on television! — ^@@^]
Rain: “I have graduated! I missed a lot of X rated movies during senior high, so I have graduated now.” [LMAO! And he answered! Truthfully! LOL! — ^@@^]
Yourong: “Er, excuse me, it’s a question that Taiyan wants to ask: Bi Oppa, whom do you want to date amongst the members of Girls Generation?”
Xinying (saying rather bitterly): “This is the world where only the No. 1 will be remembered.” (everyone heard this and laughed)
Rain: “I like all the members of Girls Generation.” (words on screen: managing image?)
Kim: “Then whose name do you remember first?”
Rain (facing a very strong question): “Wow, you have become very capable!” [Does Rain mean… you’ve become like a pit bull? Heh. — ^@@^]
Kim: “Ah, what happened to you today to treat your brother like that…”
Rain: “Actually, I first remembered Taiyan’s name, because when the album was out, Taiyan was always in the very front and in the very middle. Also we have been to the same TV program.”
[translator] Kim watching Rain Part 1. I have surpassed JYP.
Kim: “Now we have to ask some spicy and deeper questions. You’ve got to feel nervous!”
Rain: “Shouldn’t I feel excited? I prefer spicy questions!”
Kim: “I have surpassed JYP.”
Rain (shaking his head): “This question!!”
Kim: “Wait, I will give you ample time to answer later. Now tell me how old are you?”
Rain: “Twenty-nine.” (words on screen: Born 1982, now 29) [As of this moment, Rain’s Korean age IS 29. His International age, as we know, is 28. Korea counts your yearly age from the moment you are born, therefore during the whole of your first year, you are technically one year old. The day after you’ve been alive one whole year, you are into your second year, therefore you are two years old in Korea, while Internationally you are considered to be a one-year-old child. Etc. — ^@@^]
Kim: “I think you have already surpassed your mentor JYP.” (Rain shaking his head) “How do you feel?”
Rain: “As an artist, I want to surpass him.”
Kim: “Didn’t I say it just now, you have surpassed him. In which aspects you still want to surpass him?”
Rain: “Isn’t there a cool way to answer? I’ve surpassed JYP, I have surpassed him long time ago! Isn’t it? Has he tackled the overseas market? Has he got a private jet? Has he filmed any drama series? Has he got any grand award?” [Some people on the Internet actually thought he was being serious here, when he was obviously teasing JYP. Good grief. People, get over yourselves. — ^@@^]
Huajing: “Didn’t Rain even surpass JYP in terms of love affairs rumors?”
Rain: “Me? That you don’t understand! Although I can’t make it public here, but Hyung [big brother JYP] has a lot of love affair rumors as well.”
Kim: “Didn’t you say you two were very relaxed together. Then what is the real reason you left JYP?”
Rain: “I want to leave home to try build a nest of my own. He agreed to my ideas happily. I’m very grateful about this.”
Kim: “Did you ever regret after you left JYP?”
Rain: “Never. I think I must take all kinds of challenge when I am young, and try to taste not only success but also failure. This way when I am 40 or 50 and have my own children, I will have enough stuff to educate them. If I only choose a safe road to walk, I won’t be where I am now. If that’s the case, may be to all of you, Rain may be only just a dancer singer.” [Smart guy! — ^@@^]
Huajing: “Our Jihoon must have earned a lot of money right? Aren’t you living in a big house? Kim lives next to you right?”
Kim: “Ai, this kid’s house is bigger than mine!”
Huajing: “I heard that Rain is rich with fixed assets. Kim too.”
Kim: “Oh oh, this kid’s building is much bigger than mine!”
Rain: “To tell you the truth, I had a very hard time when I was small. At Christmas in 1999, my mother was seriously ill, but I didn’t even had 100 Won [10 cents US] pocket money at that time. JYP’s office was quite small then, and he always dropped some pennies on the floor. I picked up the money to buy instant noodles and milk. At that time, I even caught skin disease because I couldn’t take a shower after dance training.”
“I made up my mind then: I must buy a big house for the whole family to live together, to enable us to eat what we want to eat. I could afford to buy anything my father wants. I would be a good brother who could give pocket money to my sister. This is my wish.”
[translator] Kim watching Rain Part 2. It seems only ordinary people could have ordinary love courtship.
Kim: “I think only ordinary people could have ways for an ordinary love courtship.”
Rain: “It’s difficult for me because many people know me. Seem you are the exception.”
Kim: “Do you have any experience of dating non-artists, ordinary girls?”
Rain: “Yes, during my high school.”
Kim: “What about after your debut?”
Rain: “Yes. I would be lying if I said no.”
Huajing: “Really? Did you have the time?”
Rain: “Only you don’t know it!” (words on screen: secret love. There is time for love no matter how busy)
Rain: “I have debuted for 8 years so it seems I could talk about love affairs. When I just debuted and was at the age of Yourong, I said no too.”
Kim: “So how many love affairs you have had up to now? So you feel this question is not strong enough right, ok, let me ask in another way. How many artists have you been going out with up till now?” [Nosy, nosy…! — ^@@^]
Rain: (at first shook his head) “There are artists, I can’t say no, but I can’t announce who they are.”
[translator] Love affairs: total 4 time, 2 before debut, 2 after.
Rain: “I have been in love 4 times. Pure, ordinary first love during senior high. Then one love after I got into university before debut. Two times after debut.”
Kim: “Of the two artists after your debut, anyone we know?”
Rain: “May be.”
Huajing: “So what is your relationship with your ex-lovers? Friends? Don’t see each other again?”
Rain: “I’m not the type of person who cuts all contact once it’s over. I still have frequent contact with lady artists who have worked with me before.”
Kim: “Do you have the idea of marriage with the girls you have dated?”
Rain: “Every time I’m in love, I will tell myself ‘I want to marry her.’ I have this in mind with every relationship. When we date, I always have in mind ‘if I live with her, what kind of ideal family we will have?’ I am the type who is very sincere when I’m in love.” [Awwwww… — ^@@^]
Rain: “I have been hurt once in my love relationship, because she told me that my real love is my work, and not her. But I don’t think so, and I told her once: I do all these because of you, but reality is more important. We quarreled many times because of this.” [Wow. Was this chick INSANE? Where was her self-esteem? — ^@@^]
Rain: “My father once said, once you met the girl you like you mustn’t let her go. He met my mother for the first time in Myung dong and they had me! [teasing about them “popping him out”/giving birth to him immediately] But I can’t be like that. I am not the active type, I am more an introvert, I only know to stand by her.” (words on screen: Rain’s father was the beast man of his times).
Rain: “But I am a very sweet man! I think no matter how tough a man may be, once he is in front of his lover he will unconditionally become weak. He will know how to let her spoil him. I want to show in front of my girl friend the side of me that others cannot see. Up to now, the date that was most impressive and unforgettable to me was: the day when I met my girl friend for the first time, I carried her on my back. [gave her a piggy-back ride] Beautiful memories…”
Huajing: “How do you avoid people’s attention?”
Rain: “Most of the people will stay inside cars right? But you will soon feel fed up. Have to go to the suburb, like Nanshan, Daofengshan, or even further away – the scenery is quite nice at Qingping. What’s happening to me?! [because he’s telling all of his business 🙂 ] I like to hold hands and walk when I date.”
Huajing: “In the suburb? Won’t you be recognized easily?”
Rain: “There are ways! You must not try to disguise, because if you do, you look strange and people will recognize you even more easily.”
(words on screen: fragrance of a pro).
Kim: “I tried this and I know very clearly, the more natural you are the better you could hide it.”
Rain: “The more you pretend the more suspicious people will become. On the other hand, if you pretend very naturally that she is just a good colleague, it won’t be discovered so easily.”
Huajing: “Such a sweet person Rain. Why do girls always choose to leave you?” [Okay, I would have popped the guy in his mouth right then… — ^@@^]
Rain: “Because both of us are busy, and we don’t have time to create memories, so the gap gets further and further. Oh.. why am I telling everything…”
Kim: “Our secret guest tonight may be one of your ex-girlfriends!” (translator: Kim hyung, you are scaring our Jihoon.)
Rain: “I had an arranged date before my debut. It was the first and last. She’s a model, very pretty model. But I was only a trainee, with no money and no car, so…” [I do believe he is talking about Kim Ah-Jung here… but I could be wrong. In any case, I find it quite chivalrous how he always protects his exes’ identities. — ^@@^]
Kim: “What is your ideal type of woman?”
Rain: “It seems I like sexy and lovely girls. I may be very dazzling on stage, but in front of my lover, I am willing to kneel down for her. [Oh, Clouds… can you just picture Rain kneeling in front of you? Wah — ^@@^] Aren’t you the same, Hyung? I hope I am a husband with two sides of the charisma, so I hope my other half is both pure and innocent, and yet at the same time tiger wild.” [Ha. So he wants a wife who’s “a lady in the street and a freak in the bed,” as we say (proper slang) in the ATL. Fair enough. — ^@@^]
A better quality video of Rain’s latest comeback stage, where he came out on top of 2AM for the second week in a row… Love Song and Hip Song on M!Countdown. Beautiful to watch. It just never gets old (probably because Rain never does the same performance twice. Ever). — Stephe ^@@^
(credit: cloudbb @rainHK / courtesy of raincloudcloud / tip: sixtofive1982)
All right. It has been roughly thirty-six hours since news concerning this disturbing subject matter started to break… and believe it or not, we are STILL waiting on all of the major news sources—Asian and English—to give everyone a CORRECT, unified story. What is the problem here?
One version is that Rain and eight investors of J.Tune Creative are being sued for embezzlement of funds (2.5 billion KRW, $2.25 million US) by another investor named “Mr. Lee”. Version #2: Rain and eight investors are bringing the lawsuit themselves—suing J.Tune Creative for misuse of funds (2 billion KRW, $1.8 million US). Version #3. Rain and seven (not eight?) J.Tune Entertainment (Not Creative?) staff are being sued by a fabric company because said fabric company lost its investment in SixToFive. Version #4: A lawsuit for $180,000 US has been brought against J.Tune Creative by a fabric company owner named “Mr. A” who says he didn’t get the proper return on his investment. (Isn’t that the chance you take when you invest in something? Just asking.) Version #5 should be hitting the Internet at any moment now.
Blogs and fan sites must pretty much report what they are given by the big news organizations… but there is no excuse for major source journalists to mess around like this, particularly when someone’s very reputation is at stake. How irresponsible. So until everyone gets their act together, or J.Tune and Rain have a press conference and speak with their own mouths or post an official statement on an official medium, we are not putting any of that stuff here.
We can’t make any pre-judgements about J.Tune Creative—with its chain of command and infrastructure separate from Rain, who knows what was going on there?—but we can about him. As if Ji-Hoon would embezzle anything and dishonor his deceased mother after living ten years with that burden and basing every step he took on that… seriously? The word on the street (if it is indeed true) that Rain intends to sue for libel and the slander to his name once the charges are answered is uplifting. By heaven, he should.
— Stephe ^@@^
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —Rentrak Corporation (Nasdaq: RENT), today announced the top ten DVD sales and rentals for the prior week based on estimated consumer spending. According to the company’s Retail Essentials and Home Video Essentials tracking services, the top ten selling DVDs and the top ten most-rented motion pictures, per data collected for the week ending April 11, 2010 include….
Ninja Assassin is still hanging in there after its March 16th US release. Still Top 10… Bravo! » You can see both Rentak charts on FOX Business (dot) com HERE.
[ *ETA: We have these same performances, but less skippy/jerky, in our newer post Two For One. ]
We do believe that his new M!Countdown performances are the only ones that will come our way, which does make sense seeing as he’s got to leave for Japan ASAP, and Music Bank continues to stay up in the air concerning any showings at all.
Most of these new M!Countdown vids—his second week on the show—have been scoured from the Internet already (you know Mnet and their “looking a gift horse in the mouth” complex), but hopefully these two will hang around a little longer. Enjoy them while they’re up! (Rain won #1 for the second consecutive week against the same competitor, 2AM, with 959 to 888 points.) — Stephe ^@@^
(courtesy of BigBangSHINeeWorldJP / our source: allkpop)
(caps credit: ratoka @rain cloud)
The full Seung Seung Jang Goo show on KBS, broadcast on the night of April 13. In Korean. English subs and/or English translations to come… Please be patient. Why not enjoy the Rain visuals now? Try not to go straight to the wrestling, like I did. 😉
P.S. My heavens—that wrestler was HUGE…! Poor Ji-Hoon! No wonder he collapsed.
Part 1 (credits: cashewmania / cut by RainBunnie @YT)
— Stephe ^@@^
This year’s KTMF at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles is roughly two weeks away, and it looks to be a spectacular event in the making. To fans who have their tickets and have finalized their travel plans—enjoy the fireworks, and don’t forget to tell the rest of us all about it when you get back home!
The final artists list, if anyone missed it, is as follows (Old School and New School):
Choi Sung-Soo
2PM *scream*
Wonder Girls
HAHA (MC)
Leessang *scream*
Kim Jong-Kook *double-scream*
Yoon Soo-Il
Kim Yun-Ja
Ju Hyun-Mi
Lee Eun-Mi
KARA
Nicole (MC)
BEAST *triple-scream*
The new 2010 Korean Music Festival website is live. » You can visit it HERE.
— Stephe ^@@^
Have you ever wondered who put together this bit of movie credit sequence greatness?
(courtesy of Mr Jouig26. **Embedding has been disabled, but don’t worry — just click on the video again and watch it on YouTube.)
Well here he is, Lee Hee-Bok, the Korean creative director for Kyle Cooper, the “wizard” of title sequences. And did you look closely at the sequence? Did you see how it indeed tells the ENTIRE story that happened in the movie in less than two minutes? That’s talent.
HanCinema 4/12/2010 — Well-made films distinguish themselves from the very outset. The title sequence does more than merely list the names of the cast and crew — it also signals how the storyline of the movie will unfold.
“Spider-Man 3” captured viewers right from the beginning with fragmented images that resembled a shattered mirror and droplets hanging in spider web. “Ninja Assassin” shocked viewers with end credits written in a font that looked like spilt blood accompanied with an image of a whirlwind of swords….
» You can read the entire HanCinema article A Korean Master of Movie Title Sequences HERE.
» For an added treat, enjoy gazing at these beautiful Ninja Assassin main title and special sequence graphics on the Prologue collaborative film website. Click on “FILM”, and you will find Ninja Assassin down the left sidebar.
— Stephe ^@@^
Or so says Kyle Kinder of the Houston Movie Examiner. Haha!
Houston Movie Examiner 3/19/2010— Driven by a pulse-pounding plot that never yields, Ninja Assassin is a tour-de-force of action and agility that harnesses some of today’s most cutting edge special effects and stylistic camera work. The pacing of the film is a dream come true for adrenaline junkies, never getting bogged down in lengthy descriptive scenes or resting too long on a particular point….
» You can read the DVD review article by Kyle Kinder in its entirety at the HME HERE.
— Stephe ^@@^
* [updated] Our Cloud Projects page. Have a look, and do your thing. Have you sent Rain a Happy Debut Anniversary card this month, or a silver lining letter yet?
* Rain’s newest Lotte (Classic & Pop: Shall We Lotte?) and Nature Republic (White Therapy) CFs, plus our favorite SK Telecom spot (In A Word!), over on our Commercial Spots page.
* [updated] Our Food, Glorious Food page, with new Korean and Southern American recipes for April.
* Back To The Basic has been added to our Discography section, and the lyrics for Love Song and Hip Song—so far—have been added to our Lyrics Pages. (We hope you are enjoying our B2TB playlist as you browse!)
* Rain’s heartfelt 2006 documentary “The 7 RainMakers” has been added to our Documentaries & Interviews page. Can you guess who the seven people most instrumental in helping Rain achieve his life dream at that time were? See if you’re right…
* G.O of MBLAQ singing Stevie Wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair” on our Inside J.Tune Camp page.
* The “Love Song” music video has been added to our Videos & Gallery page (though there is already an offsite video link right in our sidebar for your convenience).
* New events have been added to the calendar on our Korean Culture ATL page, over on our CloudUSA.org home.
* Of course we had to update our Rain On The Horizon (his schedule over on CloudUSA.org) calendar wallpaper to April, and we couldn’t resist having Rain’s SPECTACULAR DANCERS grace that page. (So yummy.)
* Our Favorite Rain Pics are in a constant state of update. So head over and enjoy yourself tremendously.
Have a great week, Clouds! — Stephe ^@@^
A cute clip from the Seung Seung Jang Goo (Win Win, or On The Up And Up) show broadcast in Seoul today. Looks like a fun time was had by all. I wonder which appearances Rain enjoys better… the ones like his comeback stages of the past week, or the more casual ones, such as this? What do you think? — Stephe ^@@^
(credit: rainHK / courtesy of CodeMonMonMixes)
Cloud USA 
To all of the Clouds voting for Rain…
•April 18, 2010 • 2 Comments… over on the TIME.com poll, we have one thing to say:
♥ You ladies are ROCK STARS. ♥
Thanks so much!
Stephe ^@@^ & Terri :-}
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Posted in Bi Rain, Cloud USA
Tags: bi rain TIME poll 2010, Cloud commentary