An amazing performance from October 2004, that I had not yet seen. Oh yeah… Rain was working it. — ^@@^
(Familiar Face + It’s Raining, courtesy of RayJun03)
You know what Rain will be doing on March 5.
•February 5, 2010 • 2 Comments
Seeing as he is a Lotte representative, and that he does the Lotte Duty Free Family Concert each year, stands to reason Rain would be a shoe-in for this year’s 30th Anniversary 8th Family 2010 show as well, along with Kim Tae-Woo and some other big names.
I wonder what songs he will put together for his appearance… any guesses, Clouds? No doubt it’s going to be a spectacular performance, as always. Even if he were singing on a subway in khaki shorts and sandals, you know Rain would put everything he had into it because letting a fan down is not what he’s about.
In anticipation of the show, enjoy this nice fan cam from last year’s Lotte performance: Rain singing September 12. (courtesy of biWithU0625)
— ^@@^
Now Rain knows how JYP feels.
•February 5, 2010 • Leave a Comment
(10/12/09) Korean singer, actor and producer Rain says he “now knows how Park Jin-young feels” after watching his own newcomers MBLAQ perform on stage.
After wrapping up his Seoul performance of the Asian tour “Legend of Rainism”, held at Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium on Friday, the singer met with the media to share his thoughts on his first and new boy band.
“I was watching the first performance of MBLAQ from backstage, and I was more nervous than when I was debuting,” the 27-year-old star was quoted as saying. “I thought of Park Jin-young suddenly so I called him.”
» Read the rest of the article on the Kpop Jjang blog HERE. (credit: asiae.co.kr)
— ^@@^
New on the blog.
•February 4, 2010 • Leave a Comment
• Rain and Ninja Assassin inducted into the CGV Hall of Fame, on our Filmography & Achievements page.
• Lee Joon dances to “Rainism” on an episode of STRONG HEART (presented by RainListings, courtesy of abmshows @ YouTube) on our Inside J.Tune Camp page. (removed at the source)
• Rain and Lee Da-Hye at the Green Growth Committee conference in Chong Wa De (courtesy of scorpiolabibi @YouTube) on our Filmography & Achievements page.
• The making of Rain’s Nikon D5000 commercial with fans, and his D5000 30-second spot (thanks for the tip, RainListings!) on our Commercial Spots page.
Enjoy, Clouds! — ^@@^
Raizo image autographed by Rain.
•February 4, 2010 • Leave a Comment
(No, not this one.)
The seller claims it has been authenticated; I have no way to confirm that, dear Clouds. But if you want it, you’d best jump on it. » eBay Raizo picture, signed
— ^@@^
Rain ate here. Have you?
•February 4, 2010 • Leave a Comment
Novia Lim, a very photogenic blogger who loves eating, cooking, traveling, and photography, was kind enough to share her recent 2010 trip to Langkawi, Malaysia. Langkawi is a part of Malaysia’s Kedah state, near the border of Thailand, in the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It is an archipelago of 100 islands, which explains the sheer beauty of the photos that Novia included in her February blog post.
But the thing that really caught my eye was this: She had dinner at the » Han Kook Kwan restaurant, and discovered that Rain had eaten there as well.
» Enjoy Novia’s gorgeous travel pics HERE. A close-up of the restaurant’s souvenir of Rain is all the way at the end of the post.
— Stephe ^@@^
More Rain magazine covers.
•February 4, 2010 • Leave a CommentIn addition to the ones we already have spread out all over this WebBlog. Because you can never have enough. 🙂
— ^@@^
Rain is Infinitely Yours.
•February 4, 2010 • 1 CommentThis making of Rain’s commercial spot for the Infinitely Yours, City of Seoul campaign took place in late 2009, but I’m showing it now because it simply tickles me how he was throwing his English around like he’d been speaking it all of his life. (So, he likes balsamic dressing. Hm.) Good job, Magic Feet! 🙂
— Stephe ^@@^
(courtesy of rakota29 @ YouTube)
Oh, Sun-Ah. Lucky woman.
•February 3, 2010 • 1 Comment
Practicing all of those hours with our Magic Feet. And the tango turned out GREAT.
Will Rain be coming to the Hollywood Bowl?
•February 3, 2010 • Leave a Comment
The 8th Annual Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles is coming up on May 1, everyone. Tickets are on sale now, but thus far the list of MCs and artists who will perform has not yet been released. Rain has stormed the stage of the Hollywood Bowl before—could we be so lucky that he might do it again? Keep your eyes sharp, your ears tuned, and your fingers crossed so that you don’t miss out.
» brief Music Festival notice on kpoptime
» the preliminary Korea Times Music Festival website
» the Korea Times Music Festival Facebook
— Stephe ^@@^ 5:18 am EST
But why? (So many questions, not enough answers.)
•February 3, 2010 • 4 Comments
WHY do people keep commenting that the movie title Ninja Assassin is redundant? It ISN’T. It would be if it was describing Raizo as a ninja who assassinates (because a ninja IS an assassin, oxymoron, I got that). However, the title is actually describing Raizo as a person who assassinates ninjas. Likewise, he would be called a Bank President Assassin if he were a ninja who killed bank presidents. Or a Farmer Assassin if he were a ninja who killed farmers. In this case, the word isn’t talking about him—it is telling you who he kills. C’mon, think about if for a minute. Sheesh.
°
WHY is mention of Rain supposedly enlisting soon continuing to pop up everywhere I look, even on Taiwanese travel sites? Could it be that he’s been mixed up with another entertainer? Actor Joo Ji-Hoon (my first time seeing him was in the drama Lucifer: The Devil, he was really chilling!) just went into the army yesterday, after announcing his intention to do so last summer. » HERE is a quick article about Joo on allkpop. And you know the media—it would be so easy for one of them to see Joo Ji-Hoon on some tip sheet, JJH, and think Jung Ji-Hoon. I’m probably grabbing at straws here, but the possibility did cross my mind. (And I desperately want Rain to have at least one more year before he does go. We need a drama or an album to immerse ourselves in while we wait for him to finish his duty.)
°
WHY did TVXQ—and not Rain—win the voting war over on Ellen DeGeneres’ website? Are they even still allowed to sing together, or are the lawsuits over and done? Not that I have anything against TVXQ; I don’t. I’m just a little surprised that we Clouds didn’t do better, I suppose. Oh well. You can’t win them all.
°
WHY is everyone on the Korean show “Strong Heart” so determined to get Rain and UEE together as a couple, even Lee Joon and Kang Ho-Dong? Not that I mind or anything… it just seems that what started out as harmless fun has turned into an overwhelming obsession. And I can bet you, now that » UEE and Rain have had The Phone Conversation, people still aren’t going to let it go, not until they get them alone in a restaurant on some date. I hope poor UEE’s ready because I’m thinking she’s about to be set up but good. Bless her heart! LOL! — ^@@^
Rain appointed honorary ambassador of Green Growth…
•February 2, 2010 • Leave a Comment
…along with actress Lee Da-Hye, and will be attending the Green Growth Committee’s conference held in Chong Wa De (the Presidential residence of the Republic of Korea) on February 3rd. Over the next year, Rain and Da-Hye will appear in Green Growth promotions and attend all major events. Their role is to increase the people’s awareness of the policies of the Green Growth vision.
(source: rain bird @ rain-eu / soompi.com, credit: Star News)
For a better understanding of that vision, you can read South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak’s thoughts on Korea taking the lead concerning global green growth » HERE, at the JakartaGLOBE.
— ^@@^
Ninja Assassin still opening around the world.
•February 2, 2010 • 3 Comments
“He doesn’t look like a killing machine to me. He looks like he belongs in a boy band.” My favorite line in the entire Ninja Assassin movie, spoken by a clueless police investigator. Boy, did I ever laugh! And of course, my favorite line from Raizo was, “Then we all die together…!” along with the exasperated expression he wore when he said it. (Dang, twice wasn’t enough. I’m ready to see NA again, but we have to wait an entire month and a half for the DVD. Gah!)
What fascinates me so, at this moment, is that Ninja Assassin is still being played in theaters all over the world. Is that not fantastic or what? 🙂 Now, this is the spot where, usually, I would give you an NA overseas opening schedule to “ooooh” and “aaah” over, but that’s pretty impossible seeing as everywhere you look, the list is different and there is no way to tell what website, movie site, blogsite, or newspaper is right. So, in celebration of Ninja Assassin‘s worldly travels, I’ll simply give you something else.
°
Though it appears that the London premiere was 11/27/2009, the movie officially opened in cinemas across the UK on January 22, 2010. MANY cinemas. Scroll down and » check out the map in the middle of the Glasgow Quay page for Odeon Theaters. And take a look at the » NA showtimes at Screenrush.co.uk—that is a lot of towns across Britain. Some places far north in Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Falkirk, and Glascow, to name a few) unfortunately didn’t get the movie until today, February 2, but at least their wait is over now. So. We still have a way to go, I reckon, until the final FINAL numbers and monies are tallied.
°
Back in November, Dino-Ray Ramos, a Filipino freelance writer and university instructor out of San Francisco, had the opportunity to sit and talk with Rain about the movie. » You can read that interview on Dino-Ray’s blog HERE.
And last but not least, how about a little fun?
» Ninja Assassin Trailer in Spanish
» Ninja Assassin Trailer in German
» Ninja Assassin Official B-Roll
» Ninja Assassin Restricted Trailer. DO NOT watch this one unless you are sure you can handle the CG gore. I loved it. I don’t know what that says about me.
°
If you need more, hike on over to our Ninja Assassin page, where there are goodies galore, including that awesome LEGO trailer.
Ninja Assassin is still on a roll. — Stephe ^@@^
How far Rain has come…
•February 1, 2010 • 2 Comments
From back-up dancer to Bad Guy to Rainism, and everything in between… singing and dancing Rain continuously inundated us with his talent for the entire decade until we were senseless.
And he’s still not finished with us. Yet.
(Above: LoR Sad Tango encore, Taiwan, 2010. Below: backing up JYP in 2001-02, wowing MTV NYC, It’s Raining, Rain’s Coming, Legend of Rainism.)
More LoR Taiwan. We are in heaven.
•February 1, 2010 • Leave a Comment(courtesy of lung0626 @YouTube. You go, girl!) Though I did have a scary moment with the trampoline interlude before “I’m Coming,” as that is how Rain twisted his knee at Saitama Super Arena back at the end of August, from what I understand.
— Stephe ^@@^
°
I’m Coming
Love Is…
We’re so glad to get news on Bbaek-Ga.
•February 1, 2010 • Leave a CommentAccording to KoME World (and Sports Hankook), all of Koyote rapper Bbaek-Ga’s IVs have been removed and he has walked around on his own. He is upbeat and motivated, and may even be home now, though he will have to return to the hospital in mid-February for further scans.
» You can read the KoME World article HERE.
I’ll bet that the moment Rain’s plane touched down in Seoul after LoR Taiwan, one of the first things he did was hurry to his close friend’s side. That just sounds like something he would do.
— Stephe ^@@^
Rain and the Nikon D5000.
•February 1, 2010 • Leave a Comment
As you all know, before he jetted off to Osaka for his LoR performances there, Rain filmed some new Nikon commercial spots (with Rain fans, actually!) at the COEX Mall, around mid-January. Well, thanks to one of our favorite YouTubers of all Time, you can take a look at the first one out, the 30-second spot. Hopefully a 60-second and 90-second spot will be released too. Keep your fingers crossed.
» Watch the new Nikon D5000 commercial spot HERE.
And in celebration of this momentous occasion, let’s revisit some of Rain’s previous Nikon work. You can watch the actual video ads over on our Commercial Spots page.
— Stephe ^@@^
New on the Blog.
•January 31, 2010 • Leave a Comment
• 2 additional Jung Ji-Hoon quotes under “Perseverance, Self-Sufficiency” (on the Rain on Life… his words page)
• 1 new January article (on the ARTICLES & Images page)
• Does Rain have his own airplane? Cloud commentary (on the Word on the street page)
Enjoy, my fellow Clouds!
— Stephe ^@@^
Lay your head on Rain every night.
•January 31, 2010 • 4 Comments
My intention isn’t to advertise for this person… but the product is so intriguing, I just have to post this. 😉
I’m not sure if he still is at present, but as you know, Rain has been a spokesmodel for Clinic Clear (see his CF, from our Commercial Spots page, » HERE). Well, someone in Malaysia has a Clear Men Limited Edition Rain pillowcase for sale, for $10 bucks. I haven’t seen this pillowcase at any of the Clinic product sales sites that I’ve been to, so I cannot vouch for its authenticity (people do make their own Rain merchandise sometimes). But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It might be, and perhaps I can’t find this product because it IS a limited edition. Who knows.
In any case, it sure is fun to think about laying my head down on Rain every night. Haha!
— Stephe ^@@^
(If you absolutely must see for yourself, here is the blogspot link. And if you absolutely must buy it, I certainly don’t blame you—I wouldn’t mind having it myself—but do so at your own risk!)
Bi Yourself topic #3.
•January 31, 2010 • 7 Comments
I find myself wishing that we had fan meetings in the US, the way they do in Asia. Being able to spend part of a day in an auditorium or close setting with someone you admire sounds like heaven to me. I’m so envious! What do you think about fan meetings? If somehow we were to get one here, with Rain, would you go?
°
Oh, that’s an easy one. Can you spell yes? I’d be there in a heartbeat, and I know Terri would too. An Atlanta fan meet would be right up our alley, and nothing (barring natural disasters and Acts of God) would keep us from it.
I’m sure Rain has seen that fan meets are not a part of American culture and he probably has no plans for any such thing here. I don’t think he realizes that we don’t have fan meets because our celebrities aren’t interested in the concept, not us. Many American celebrities don’t do half the amount of work he does in a year, yet they are too busy with their little lives to give their fans the time of day. Somehow we’ve got to let Rain know that we are just like all the other Clouds across the world in that we want to spend quality time with him and show him the love.
Rain, come to Atlanta!
— Stephe ^@@^
So how would you feel about a fan meeting in America?
Rainism, Kaohsiung Stadium.
•January 30, 2010 • Leave a CommentWell, what can we say? You know we love fan cams! 😉
(courtesy of spcia @YouTube)
— ^@@^
Rain works the Taiwanese crowd a bit.
•January 30, 2010 • Leave a CommentThe kind of fan cam that makes you giggle… courtesy of linkie18. 😉
— ^@@^ 8 pm EST
The drought in Taiwan has ended… because of Rain.
•January 30, 2010 • Leave a Comment
According to Taiwan Entertainment News, Rain made the Kaohsiung concert fans extremely happy by greeting them in Taiwanese (as in his prior interviews) and by expressing his appreciation for them in English, while performing. Many famous artists and the Kaohsiung City mayor were in attendance as well, which had the stadium in even more of an uproar. An estimated 30,000 fans were there… so you know the noise had to be deafening! You can browse the entire TENs article » HERE.
Enjoy these terrific fan cams from lung0626 @YouTube. Lung, we are forever in your debt! Thank you. 🙂
Legend of Rainism Taiwan 2010, opening
Legend of Rainism Taiwan, “Because of You.” My favorite part of ALL of the LoR shows. Haha!
Stay tuned for more updates on how everything went in Kaohsiung.
— Stephe ^@@^ 6:48 pm EST
We’re coming down to the wire!
•January 30, 2010 • 2 Comments
It’s almost time, everyone. Here in Atlanta, it is 4:25 am Saturday morning (EST), but in Taiwan it is 5:25 pm Saturday evening (CST), which means… in roughly two hours Rain and Crew will be storming the stage for their final Legend of Rainism performance of the tour. That place is going to be a madhouse (in fact, it probably already is!). Knock ’em dead, Rain! Give them a great show.
Taiwan looks to be quite excited and more than ready for him. Enjoy this January 29th news clip, with footage from the previous LoR stop at Osaka Jo Hall, Japan. The way Rain rolled up his jacket sleeves and added gloves to his ensemble is kind of cute.
(video credit: sherrysss01 @ YouTube)
I was hoping that, inbetween all of the rehearsing, interviews, and various other PR stuff that Rain probably had to do once he arrived, he managed to get at least a little rest and relaxation. Well, I have it on good authority that he did, thank goodness. He and his peeps took a time-out at an entertaining tourist night market (Lioho), played games, grabbed some munchies from a food stall, and took cell phone pictures of each other to commemorate the occasion.
Two or three posts ago, I was curious as to whether Kaohsiung Main Stadium’s massive musician’s stage (situated at one end of the stadium) would be where Rain would perform or if he had other plans to centralize a more open stage set-up, perhaps. Well, this posted seating chart tells me that the musician’s stage may indeed be the spot. Of course, we won’t know for sure until concert pictures and videos are posted.
(from Ticket.com/tw)
°
(courtesy of RAIN Germany / credit: rain-cloud / upload: 비 with Rain)
With this being the final performance of the tour, the Encore after-show will probably be even wilder than the one in Osaka. Celebration time! The end of a long, hard road. Rain, you’ve done well.
— Stephe ^@@^
Singapore will be getting more Rain on TV.
•January 29, 2010 • 2 CommentsFIC Brings Fox, tvN, Nat Geo Music to Singapore
Singapore — TV buffs will soon reap more fruits of a union between StarHub and FOX International Channels (FIC) come February! Starting February 1, StarHub TV will launch three new channels under the FOX umbrella. The new additions are—FOX, tvN, and Nat Geo Music…
tvN (StarHub TV Channel 175) is Korea’s leading general entertainment channel with its exclusive high-rated programming in self-produced dramas, entertainment, reality and lifestyle programs. Powered by CJ Media, the creator of some of Korea’s best quality entertainment programming, StarHub viewers can get access to their favorite Korean superstars in tvN’s star-studded programs featuring Rain, Lee Jun Ki, Kwong Sang Woo, Song Hye Kyo, Park Eun Hye, Lee Hyo Ri and more. Some hottest Korean hits available on tvN include The Fighter, 8 Days, and Love Rescue. tvN will be offered under the Chinese Entertainment Upsize group.
» You can read the entire article on Asia Media Journal HERE.
We want more Rain on our TVs, too. As it is, unless you have access to an overseas Asian channel or two, you get no Rain AT ALL in the US. And that’s just wrong!
— Stephe ^@@^
The crowd was jumping!
•January 29, 2010 • 2 CommentsRain’s arrival in Taiwan yesterday. He was warm and gracious, and everyone was SO excited. You certainly don’t need a translation for this! 🙂
(courtesy of rakota29 @YouTube)
We hope Taiwan is ready for a storm.
•January 29, 2010 • Leave a Comment
Well, Rain is safely in Taiwan (he flew in on the 28th) and is probably preparing like a madman for tomorrow night’s LoR performance at Kaohsiung Main Stadium, workaholic that he is. And what an amazing venue, more than worthy of our Bi. It is solar-paneled and holds 40-44,000 people (the China Post has claimed that 40,000 are expected for the show—I don’t know how true that number is, but we’ll see). Take a look at this beauty.
And this is a stage inside the python-shaped stadium, where many musicians have already performed. My guess is Rain and crew will tear the house down here on Saturday the 30th, unless they’ve decided to go with a different set-up, perhaps something more centered.
Can’t you just see them dancing up a storm? What a night that is going to be. What a SHOW. Dear lord, if only we were there!
— Stephe ^@@^
Rain outtakes and general silliness.
•January 28, 2010 • 1 CommentWell, if this isn’t one of the cutest fanmade videos ever. And I really cracked up when Rain and KJK were hit on the head with those lids. Haha! Enjoy it. — ^@@^
(credit: miyupi / courtesy of RainListings)
Site News.
•January 28, 2010 • Leave a Comment
We have a BRAND NEW FORUM! Just go to » our home page, click on “Cloud USA Forum,” and stroll right in. Join us! 🙂
°
Added to the blogsite this week:
• Rain’s official fansite open performance in Japan (on the RAIN EXTRAS page)
• Five new January articles (on the ARTICLES & Images page)
^@@^
They’re just telling us what we already know.
•January 28, 2010 • 2 Comments
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) — A Seoul court ruled Thursday that South Korean pop singer Rain and his former management agency JYP Entertainment were not responsible for canceled concerts in the United States.
» Read the entire article HERE.
°
This is sweet vindication, but still strikes a bit of a nerve with us here in Atlanta. Why? I’ll tell you. Because all of that ridiculous folderol back in 2007—the copyright infringement suit by The Company That Shall Not Be Named, the shoddy and dangerous concert staging prepared by The Promoter Who Shall Not Be Named—not ONLY did the Hawai’ian Cloud not get to have their concert, the timeline of the entire I’m Coming world tour was thrown off and Rain didn’t get to come to Atlanta before having to start filming Speed Racer.
It’s been eight years since Rain debuted. That one concert was our only shot for a performance in Atlanta in all this time—and we lost out.
At least these STARM folks have been dismissed as well. Now—all of these money-grubbing companies can cut out their lame lawsuit tactics, stop trying to stick it to Rain, and go get a life. Leave the man alone.
— Stephe ^@@^
Ninja Assassin DVD to be released in the US.
•January 27, 2010 • 7 Comments
Hold on to your hats, everybody! The moment we’ve been waiting for is here, hot off the presses.
Warner Home Video has announced the DVD and Blu-ray releases of NINJA ASSASSIN on March 16, 2010.
The only extra material on the DVD release will be additional scenes. The Blu-ray/DVD Combo will include the deleted scenes, along with featurettes (“The Myth and Legend of Ninjas”, “The Extreme Sport of a Ninja”, “Training Rain”, “Clash of the Titans Theatrical Sneak Peak”), and a digital copy of the film.
» You can see all of the original package artwork for the releases HERE.
We are stoked, especially about the additional and deleted scenes. March can’t come soon enough. 🙂
(source: DVDActive.com, 8:44 pm, ^@@^)
Bi Yourself topic #2.
•January 27, 2010 • 4 Comments
Do you think the media revealing the amount of money that Rain or J. Tune makes for any given contract helps or hurts his image?
°
Personally, I don’t like it when the media slings all of those high figures around, especially when they don’t show how much he’s giving away in the same breath. Which is why we have a page dedicated to his charitable contributions, so that we can try to keep up with those things ourselves. And they certainly don’t mention his strict monthly allowance, or that dear ol’ Dad keeps an eagle-eye on every penny. Or the effect those totally LAME lawsuits had on him. Or how much his sister’s education cost when she was in school. Et cetera.
I think that what Rain is paid, taken out of context, can be very misleading. And whose business is it, anyway? Even if I was making a killer salary, I wouldn’t want it in the local paper!
— Stephe ^@@^
°
So what do YOU think?
Rainy Day, Season 2!
•January 26, 2010 • 2 Comments
If you’ve been over on our RAINY DAYS page, then you know that at the end of Season 1 of this terrific Japanese program, Rain mentioned that Season 2 would be released in 2010. And, seeing as Season 1 left off at the end of 2008 (with Rain’s MKMF return to Korea performance after wrapping the filming of Ninja Assassin in Berlin), that can only mean Season 2 might give us backstage goodies concerning the Six To Five store openings, the Ninja Assassin premieres, the Legend of Rainism world tour, and other great stuff that happened in 2009.
Well, the news has come down from on high that the new season begins broadcast next Saturday, February 6. Hoorah! The sooner it is aired there, the sooner we might get our hands on it here in the States.
Here is a quick preview, with Rain wishing everyone health and happiness and telling us all to look forward to Rainy Day Season 2. This shows a lot of what I’ve been anticipating, so you know I’m stoked. — ^@@^
(credit: rainsnow // scorpiolabibi @ youtube)
Cloud USA 
