WISH mini-concert and the brief return of Tony An

This past Sunday, HOTSechgodRG held a mini-concert and fanmeet (that lasted like five hours~!). Unfortunately, they failed to generate 69,950 likes on their FB page in time, so we will never get that guerrilla concert of our dreams. But nonetheless, they still held a "mini-concert" to give the fans something. On top of guests J-Walk, amazingly, Tony made his first public appearance since going to court in December of last year.

The fans wanted to see Tony, and he was on their Wish List, so at the end of the concert, they got their wish. It was a last minute surprise, but, despite being nervous and worried (obviously), Tony felt it was necessary to come out and once again apologize to fans, the other members, and staff affected and to thank all of his supporters. I've commented on Tony's scandal in a previous post, and as I've said, what Tony did was not anything evil. Tony came from a rough family background before he joined H.O.T and really worked hard to build himself up as a successful business man, so it was so sad to see him lose all of that (at least he still has Jaeduc), and I think that was punishment enough. If he was not Korean, it would have been a complete non-issue, but nonethelesss, Tony is not making a comeback just yet of course. If Andy took a whole year off, I can only assume that Tony will be away hiding, reflecting on his actions (he even admitted that he could not watch the World Cup this year) for at least another year. And even then I do not think he'll just jump right back into promotions.

Before the big Tony reveal, HOTSechgodRG put on an intimate, fun little concert for a fan-packed audience. They came out like models, each representing different fashion centers from around the world (Heejun represented Tokyo, Jiwon LA, Danny New York, and Myeonghun Milan... I was just happy that Myeonghun looked pretty good tbh). There was a lot of interaction between the boys and the fans in attendance; they talked about the past, gave out advice, and discussed their Facebook endeavor. Of course I was hugely jealous that they held a hug lottery, since I would die happy if I could just get one Myeonghun hug.

The relationship between HOTSechgodRG and the fans is very unique. It's amazing that fans of each of the four groups came together and can support the boys as a whole. Though they have been able to attract younger fans, which is remarkable given the diverse options that exist in Kpop today, many fans have been with the members since their debuts, or close to it. As such, HOTSechgodRG fans tend to be adults (manly young women in their 20s and 30s), so there's a maturity that allows them to interact so closely with fans, as well as an old familiarity.

The event was filmed, so the footage should be worked into future WISH episodes. I honestly cannot wait to see what happened, especially since I have not encountered any real fan accounts or seen many fan photos from Sunday. 

The WISH Facebook page had surpassed 50,000 likes, and it has been announced that the boys will be appearing on Running Man in late August (they just filmed their episode on the 29th).

HOTSechgodRG releases a photoshoot for 1st Look

As teased on the first episode, HOTSechgodRG's 90s styled photoshoot was released last week prior to the premier of the second episode of Where Is my Super Hero.

90s fashion was ridiculous, but definitely not as ugly as what was going on in the early 00s, especially in Kpop. So of course one would imagine a 90s inspired photo spread would be pretty out there. On the show, it was explained that the stylist lifted a lot fashion points from 90s hip hop, hence the large gold chains and whatever is going on with Myeonghun. With Heejun I can see that they went for more of a rocker look, which was a good choice since if they tried to make him up as a hip-hopper, it would have been very laughable. Jiwon owned the shoot; he pulled off all of the outfits they gave him. His style is already more hip-hop inspired, but he is also very low-maintenance and laid-back, which does not always translate well for fashion shoots. Even in the first photo, he looks good in those acid wash jeans. Danny, however, was my favorite part of it all- pulling those sexy faces like such a natural. Whoa~ Good job, Danny.

To be honest, though, as a Myeonghun fan, I am not happy with the photos. While, yes, it's nice to see everyone, especially Myeonghun, be featured, again, in a photo spread, they dropped the ball on styling Myeonghun. There's nothing redeeming about what they did to him. I will never understand why he dyed his hair blond, so that just contributes to horribleness of it all, but then no one did anything at all interesting his hair. They didn't even throw on a funky hat. His outfits make no sense and lack any effort. It's very easy to make Myeonghun the butt of a joke, and god forbid he gets to look "handsome" for once. I'm disappointed, but then again, I'm not surprised that he looks the worst of the bunch.

If there's one good thing to mention, it would be that his legs look really hot. But that's all Myeonghun right there.

A Shinhwa post

2014 has been a very quiet year for Shinhwa. Their variety show came in with a bang, but Shinhwa Broadcast went out with a whimper, sadly canceled in January without so much as a proper goodbye. Andy's gambling scandal had an unfortunate effect on the group as a whole, but they still returned to fans for a successful 16th anniversary concert in late March (sans Andy, who did make a brief appearance to apologize and thank supporters).

Minwoo, in 2014, was the most productive member. He celebrated the 10th anniversary of his solo debut, putting out his mini-album M+10 and holding solo concerts, appeared on Laws of the Jungle down in Brazil, and he also made a return as a dancing master on Dancing 9. However, the later half of the year looks promising for Shinhwa fans. After three years, Eric is starring in a drama again; Discovery of Romance will air in August. Dongwan has returned from his English study abroad trip over in Canada and is reprising his role as Hedwig in the Hedwig and the Angry Inch musical. Hyesung had been teasing his solo comeback for a while now, and he finally announced a remake project of his past songs for his solo debut 10th anniversary. He released the remade duet with LYn "Buen Camino" in early July. There's even the possibility of a new Jun Jin solo album later this year. And still, Minwoo is going strong.

Andy, of course, remains out of the public eye, and I really, really hope he has not beaten himself up over his scandal too badly. I find it very easy to forgive him for what he has done, especially since he's an otherwise flawless individual. By the time Shinhwa is actually gearing up for a comeback, a year will have passed since the incident, and I hope the public has forgiven him as well.

Where Is my Super Hero

This past Saturday HOTSechgodRG made their return to the small screen with their brand new OnStyle show Where Is my Super Hero (WISH), and it was well worth the wait.

The boys, as always, were simply delightful to watch. Though there's a new channel and a new title, it still felt very much like the Handsome Boys of the 20th Century I fell in love with. They have not lost any steam since Handsome Boys ended or any of the "magic" they have between them. Of course, it is very unfortunate that Tony is not there to join them. But I am very hopeful since Danny has started to really let go and get crazyyy (case in point, see g.o.d's "Saturday Night" MV).

OnStyle is a style/fashion network, and as such, the debut episode featured a lot of talk about style and fashion. For their initial meeting, they were tasked with picking out pieces that were representative of their own personal style. Danny showed up looking like his usual dapper self, while Myeonghun came in wearing a green track suit. I was shocked to find out that he actually had a different track suit from that yellow one he's been wearing all the time for like the past five years, to be honest (Myeonghun looks better in green, too). Oddly enough, both Heejun and Jiwon arrived wearing large winter coats- Heejun's long and brown and Jiwon's white and puffy. Heejun also mentioned that his favorite fashion piece is shoes- very weird considering he only wears ugly hi-top sneakers literally at all times. Obviously, none of them are exactly known for being stylish, fashionable, or trendy (okay, so Danny is not that bad at all), so nothing should be a surprise. Heejun, in particular, is known for his.... unique... fashion sense, so I'm really hoping that by the end of this series Heejun might start dressing a little more maturely (or at least just start wearing normal pants).

The show then went into how famous designers have produced pieces that were very similar to past stage outfits from their 90s boyband days. Models were also brought in, wearing representative group outfits... those poor young men. I remember when I first got into 90s kpop I thought the outfits were ridiculous and many lolz were had. Sure, the outfits were pretty ridiculous (NRG usually looked as though they were wearing stuff made from old mattresses during "I Can Do It" promotions), but there's something very charming about that whole 90s idol aesthetic. Today Kpop is so manufactured and trendy that looking back on the first generation is a little bit jarring and maybe a little embarrassing. In keeping with the whole reflecting on throwback fashion, they have also undertaken a 90s style photoshoot (featuring one of the photographers that shot them for Nylon).

Near the end of the episode, they showcased how unfamiliar they are with social networking by trying to set up the WISH Facebook page. To Danny's astonishment, Heejun literally had no clue what was going on, and Danny got kinda annoyed. He though SNS and FB were two different things. Danny tried to explain that SNS is like H.O.T and FB is like Heejun and that Twitter is like Woohyuk. Heejun reaffirmed that he really is dumb (though lovably dumb). Hilarious. It also took an inordinate amount of time for them to figure out what their first message would be.

Next week, Jang Suwon will be making a guest appearance~

The WISH page is currently over half-way to their goal of 69,950 likes.

HOTSechgodRG are finally making a return

Last year, Moon Heejun was able to bring together four other first generation idols (Tony An, Eun Jiwon, Danny Ahn, and Cheon Myeonghun) for the QTV program Handsome Boys of the 20th Century, which in turn resulted in the formation of project group (perhaps now the term "super group" is a better description) HOTSechgodRG. The show was a hit, and if it were not for Tony's gambling scandal, the group probably would have seen continued success. The first half of 2014 saw very little HOTSechgodRG activity, but it was announced in May that the boys would be returning for a new show in July.

In mid-June, Danny, over on Twitter, revealed a Facebook page for their new project, and the page has kept fans updated ever since. Their new show, Where Is my Super Hero (WISH) will be airing on the OnStyle network, which is a style channel, which is very odd considering how they are not really known for being fashion-savy (I'm looking at you Heejun). From what we know HOTSechgodRG are on a quest to win over young women's hearts (they already have mine tbh) and reach 69,950 likes on FB. That specific number is very important in that it represents the number of seats at which Jamsil Olympic Stadium is considered to be sold-out. If they succeed, they plan on holding a guerrilla concert.

HOTSechgodRG cancelled their plans for Christmas concert Legend Back after Tony's scandal broke (and possible scheduling conflicts), which left fans very upset (though understandably it would not have been the same without Tony). I am interested in any form of HOTSechgodRG concert regardless of the circumstances, so I hope something does happen, and they can see that they are still very much dearly loved idols. Heejun and Jiwon. especially, have strong fanbases within Korea, and then there's the fact that H.O.T and NRG have many fans in China (but ya know, as FB is banned in China, that's not going to be necessarily reflected in the number of likes), so I think a successful concert is very much possible. Also all but NRG have held concerts at the stadium, and since I am a Myeonghun super fan, I would really love it if he got a chance to actually perform there in front of HOTSechgodRG fans.

At the moment they have nearly 23,000 likes; I'm sure after the first episode airs that number will surely climb~

WISH will be airing today (Saturday July 19th) at 10 PM KST. 

For more about HOTSechgodRG, check out my tumblr sideblog devoted to the group: http://hotsechgodrg78.tumblr.com

And please, like their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/2014wish

Will H.O.T ever reunite

I've been a fan of H.O.T for as nearly as long as I've been a Kpop fan just in general, and it seems every year the question surrounding a possible reunion gets thrown around more and more. This past week HOTSechgodRG appeared on the talk show Family's Dignity: Full House sans Danny, as he was busy with g.o.d's reunion concert. Naturally, g.o.d's successful comeback led to Heejun briefly discussing the possibility of H.O.T getting back together. Unfortunately, Heejun did not reveal anything new or exciting. He basically explained that he does not like addressing the notion because he does not want to get fans' hopes up but he also does not want to disappoint anyone.

While I would love to see H.O.T reunite, I seriously doubt we will see it happen any time in the near future. Reply 1997 was hugely popular and brought created a lot of nostalgia for the 90s, and of course, it also put H.O.T back out there. So one would have assumed that last year would have been a perfect time for a H.O.T reunion. That never happened, and Heejun has mentioned that, with the formation of HOTSechgodRG, talk about getting back together left the table. But more importantly, Tony An's gambling scandal pretty much ensured that a reunion won't happen for a few more years. Tony was banned from multiple television stations, and KBS went as far as banning all of H.O.T's songs from their channel (though another guest did dance to "Candy" on the previously mentioned episode of Full House which airs on KBS). Personally, I do not feel as though what Tony did was that "bad." Yes, gambling is illegal in South Korea, but Tony used his own money to merely bet on sporting events, and that just does not strike me as being horrible enough that his career should be ruined. However, what Tony did is very serious in Korea and he has pretty much not been heard of since December, so I do not understand why people still insist on bringing up an H.O.T reunion.

Similarly, I'd say we won't see Sechs Kies and NRG reunions in the foreseeable future. Both Lee Sungjin and Kang Sunghoon had gambling/fraud scandals (Sungjin, despite claiming in February that he was preparing for a comeback, also recently had a run in with the law over drunk driving and more accusations of fraud), and Ko Jiyong and Moon Sunghoon have left the entertainment industry. Plus, it's relevant to note that there was an attempt at getting Sechs Kies to reunite for the DSP Family concert last year, but it was only attended by Eun Jiwon and J-Walk.

Nonetheless, I do believe H.O.T will get back together eventually. We will just have to wait several more years.

g.o.d drops new album and MV for "Saturday Night"

I'll be real and start off by saying that it initially took a while for me to get into g.o.d. For the longest time, I associated them with more ballad-y type music, and since I am really not into ballads, it was pretty hard giving them a chance. But long story short I did give them a shot, and at this point in time, I do consider myself a fan, obviously. Now after a nine year hiatus and many rumors surrounding a comeback, g.o.d has returned with a new album, and I am pumped~

"The Lone Duckling" was a nice preview of what was to come, and the video teasers of each member that were released at the end of June were moving (especially Hoyoung's) and built up the suspense and excitement.

Overall, their Chapter 8 is a fairly solid album, and I can tell that it will do particularly well in Korea. The songs that stood out to me, and that will probably enter into my regular playlist, were "Sky Blue Promise," "Smile," "Stand Up," and "Saturday Night." "Sky Blue Promise" is a cute song that came with a sweet MV showing the group shooting photos for the album .

"Saturday Night," much like "Friday Night," is a fun song, with an even more fun video.

Personally,  I was very pleased to see Danny letting loose~ And he was pretty hot as that skeevy DJ~ Taewoo in the tiny car and being dwarfed by Choi Hongman were also pretty lulzy moments. The video perfectly fit the song.

g.o.d coming back after disbanding nearly a decade ago is very poignant, and it does give one hope that maybe other groups will follow suit in the future. However, unlike g.o.d, the other big name first generation male groups all have seen serious controversy in recent years (gambling scandals), so it's very unlikely we will see that much desired H.O.T reunion or a full Sechs Kies appearance. Nonetheless, it's delightful to see another first gen group make a comeback~

First post

I love 90s idol groups and 90s Kpop just in general and I wanted to be able to write about what's happening or what has happened with my fave 90s groups, so here we are...