barbara

Lea Salonga (broadway star) discussing 10 of her cultural essentials - #2 "BTS About six months into the pandemic, I saw “Dynamite.” I can’t remember how I stumbled onto it, but I couldn’t move and I was like, “I have to finish this now.” The dancing and the synchronization and the charm — obviously, they’re beautiful people. It was a great way to find joy and something to look forward to when I woke up for the day in the midst of the world falling apart." It seems to me that she must have started every day with it. Totally understand.

I just read an article about why our Hobi's face is flushed after one drink. Evidently there is an Asian genetic mutation and it's not a good thing. If the article is paywalled and anyone interested in the entire thing, I'll copy it and post it. Basically "The redness and other symptoms may be thought of as a severe warning from the body that alcohol is extremely toxic to this individual, much more so than to many others." "An estimated 45 percent of East Asians get the “glow” when drinking." I'm not too worried about Hobi because he doesn't seem to like drinking (and the symptoms may be why). But an interesting fact. Of course, drinking to excess has, generally, many negative consequences, including an increase in lots of otherwise avoidable diseases. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/08/15/asian-glow-alcohol-gene-mutation-cancer-risk/

I'm still holding out hope for Lady Gaga. Since he seems to be avoiding anything that is upbeat and dance-y (which Seven most certainly is), the only actual way for Tae to really hit the top of the charts for any time is if he does have a collab with someone of her stature (I don't actually like her much but she has a crazy wonderful voice and I believe she would admire Tae for his crooning and blues ability, so fingers crossed.) I'm trying to remember if any one else's collab with someone big was announced in advance. Of course, we knew about Coldplay and Taeyang. IU is well known in Korea but her collab with Yoongi was the first release for D-Day. This release seems like a slow train....

Clearly his greatest gift is his prescient insight into talent and his ability to make the right choices for personality and talent combinations.

To the rant - I made a comment on a Facebook post that evidently is from a JK stan group. There was an article, and much sentiment, about how JK can be such a great solo start and what an amazing solo career future he has ahead of him, blah blah blah. My comment was simply "BTS 2025" - and I got a message saying that the administrators of the page would let me know if I could join (and I didn't know I was trying to...) but no word back, so evidently just saying that JK will be with BTS as a member of the group he loves was too much for them. And totally agree about the Tae promotion - I really don't understand why the feature song is the last, really, to be released. I can't even guess if it's going to be more smooth crooner stuff or something he can dance to. And it's not a competition. I am sure that all the members hope that each other's solo endeavors succeed. I like RM saying these ventures will make them stronger when they get back in 2025

What's funny to me about his taking hip hop lessons, and this bit of dance, is that he has been doing all of these moves for a decade. Just not all in a row. I think that so much of the BTS choreography, particularly the more difficult ones, have all the elements of hip hop but embedded in the poppin' high-kicking jumping. In a way, this should be relatively easy for him to pick up, especially because it doesn't have a lot of tricky moves - and dancing solo is altogether simpler than being in absolute sync with 6 other guys. Still, I'm happy he's carrying through because he clearly felt he needed this. And is hip hop the genesis of crotch grabbling? Or is that move really to help the pants get pulled back up? And my Hobi arrived today. He is such a hard working, brilliant and ridiculously cute fellow. My package (from Target) was a little squished but no harm done and I still have no idea which photo card is the "special" Hope edition pre-order one. Mine came with three photocards. And I just keep the cards with the rest of the package so it doesn't really matter to me. [and the stickers, as with all the sticker pages, have no purpose for me....]

Jack in the Box spotify playlist - and my physical copy hasn't arrived yet but this is a translation of, what I surmise is a letter to ARMY -(it's a long thread -)

Tae's appearance will be coordinated with his album release, too -

I guess that JitB is already getting a push (though I don't quite understand why listening to the actual album on Spotify and then have my other Take Two/BTS/Jimin playlist playing. Just go back and forth - but this is not bad - I know the physical album is released on the 18th but that's tomorrow. So the 18th KST?

They are good friends and run in the same circles, so it wouldn't be a surprise, though this pretty much benefits Peakboy only.....

If Hobi is only now headed back to his base, he had a lot longer leave than I thought they got after their first 100 days. He may have taken the selfies a week ago, for all we know - and, actually, his hair looks shorter than it did at the concert. And - a Hobi video from 2015! that just showed up on Twitter. He is clearly made out of rubber. Gumby boy.

Agree - the lizard is a lizard. The stylist FAILED.

I think the lizard shoot is unfortunate.

JK may be hanging back a few days to let Tae take the spotlight. He'll be back soon. And I asked the question on the other thread about - when was the CK campaign shot? I can say it's before Seven. Before they shot the choreo or the MV - it's all pre-second lip ring.

I only have the one modem. I returned a defective one yesterday and traded it for this one. I can use my phone's "hotspot" on my computer to connect with the internet and that's not a problem (and will have that option going when I watch the final Agust D concert later). Different "provider" - so, oddly, I can access internet through the air but not through a cable, so it's the internet company. I don;'t know if their signal is weak or if there's an issue with the cable that brings the signal into the house. I need to, again, investigate, what other options I might have for internet (I guess the phone company and I know they have an internet option for the house - it just never looked like it had the same Mbs speeds for streaming but I'm going to check it again. I really watch very little actual "TV" - PBS and I can get that online. And, basically, one news station. I can wean myself off of watching the news station that I tend to record and watch later. And it's Take Two that had little or no change on streaming numbers for days...

Rainy Days is at 12M views right now - but I feel certain they have not been accurate with view counts for a lot of BTS stuff. Like Crazy didn't move for days. And, I foger which one it was, but recently - one song didn't move from 12M for a week and that was impossible - as if there aren't one million ARMY streaming that (it was new) MV multiple times a day. My internet/cable company is AWFUL. This is the third modem I've had in as many years. It's brand new - and worked fine yesterday after I brought it home. The one actual real person I spoke to (after hours of beating my head against the wall) says the signal showed as weak but my computer is literally 8 feet away from the modem. It should not be weak. I don't know what it is. Even though I'm in and out of connectivity today (and -weirdly - five of my Amazon devices accepted the actual network name and password, but two devices say the password is invalid - what?), I'll take the tech visit, and demand money off my monthly bill for the loss of service. 8-10 am on a Sunday. Not the A team and not when I want to be having stranger workers in the house before I've even had my second cup of coffee. Part of me feels I'm in a cursed house and the other part of me remembers just how lucky I really am. Need to practice gratitude.

For both Spotify an YouTube - there are lots of songs with the the same names. Just be sure that it's V on Spotify an that it's Hybe on YouTube, Weir though - I have been having a personal meltdown as my internet is wonky, an has been. I went an picked up a new modem yesterday at the store location of my provider. F\Different network name, of course, and password. Set up - and then had to reconnect all my Amazon devices (and phone) to it by changing the network, etc. Tedious. Chris suggested I just change the network name back to what it was - did so. And - poof - no internet. I kept getting an error message that my password was invalid. Lots of time "chatting" and that person said he'd have a tech person come out Sunday (so two days later -) Unacceptable. I called to speak to an actual person (as the Agust D concert time fast approaching). Went through a series of tries - and eventually (after HOURS) getting a connection again - but it's still wonky and I was beyond frustrated. Unable to record any of the concert except Jimin (hand held). Fingers crossed for tonight - My third modem in as many years. I wish I had options but we dont;t here. Monopolies. In the overall scheme of things, the internet debacle, still an issue; having to replace two tires - also yesterday - is so minor compared to what is happening elsewhere right now - Maui, for one. One of Chris' friends in on Maui and was supposed to get married there today., Worse, a guy he has worked with for ten years (Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) had his boat explode in Long Beach harbor Sunday, Two dead. Three burned - though it seems not as seriously as we first worried. Still - very very bad stuff. My little concerns seem, well, little. I am grateful. Missed the RM live - RIP Monie. I didn't know that the expression "rainbow bridge" was used in other cultures.

I'd have gone to Busan in a heartbeat. Also, any of the shows in Seoul - but they are all by lottery and Amy is the only one of us blessed with the kind of luck necessary to snag those tickets. Weverse never calls me a loser - they say I "missed". Ha! Loser, me. And I was already going to be in Korea when Yoongi performed at the end of June. Alas - "missed". And I totally support going out of your comfort zone at some point and do go to Korea. I am older than you and went for the first time in June 2022. Most of my time there, and the subsequent three trips, was spent on Jeju Island where I dog sit for an American couple (he teaches at an International school on Jeju -). Each visit included Seoul (I was there for the insanity of Festa, too )- and I just decided '"hey, life is short. Why not?" I don't speak or read Korean , knew not one Korean person, and knew very little about the history of the country. The bulk of my cultural knowledge had been courtesy of BTS. But (aside from, yes, it's a LONG flight) I have had zero regrets. And now I know SO much more about the history and culture (and one more word of Korean).. Seoul is very easy to get around in with a super subway system. I found the people friendly and helpful and have never felt so safe in a city - ever. Being older may have helped there because they do defer to older people (even if you're a month older...). Jeju is magical. Anyway, lots of great things to say about visiting there though way out of my comfort zone.

The hair is either long because he was out of sight for such a long time or it could be extensions. Whoever does their hair is a wizard with extensions. I have my alarm set for the two songs being released tonight - and then have to set my alarm for the middle of the night for the first Agust D concert (still miffed that they didn't have the replay at an hour when I am awake -) I can still have one other person watch the replays. No one has expressed interest thus far but @Rileydeuce, if you weren't able to catch the live streaming of the Yoongi's last three concerts last weekend, the replays are at 3am PDT tomorrow and then at 7pm PDT, also tomorrow. And 7pm Saturday. I don;t know if you;ve ever watched any of the livestreamed concerts, but as ARMY, when one (such as myself) purchases the 3-day pass, I get replays (thank god) and the ability to have the shows watched on another device, such as someone else's computer. We are known to be sharers. Sometimes split the costs. Unless @amylance1215 wants to watch one or more, my spares would be available. She was at the concerts (JEALOUS) but may have recovered sufficiently to want to watch them again. An English translation of Hobi's interview for Esquire - this has actually been posted before so I'm not sure why BTS Merch twitter reposted it...

You are SO ARMY! And welcome here. Two of us were at SoFi and three in Vegas.... I think that once the pandemic hit and Worlds was cancelled - and our last chance to see Yuzu, we really needed these guys. They were exactly what we needed then, and now. And they are no longer a boy band. They really are their own genre. (And we are all beyond devastated that the military is taking them away, one at a time...) Less than two hours to more Tae? (and I agree with all on the smooth music but "off" outfits -he should wear red jackets all the time.) It seems that the featured song on his CD is the last one we'll hear. Two are downloadable tonight... And on another front - And the weather is getting very serious. I hope people stay out of underpasses with this one:

Yes - I saw your likes on Insta (it shows me people I follow liking posts that have a million likes). Tae has been a very busy fellow. First MV the 10th, but I think that's actually tomorrow here. I wonder why he's leaving his feature song for last? Jimin's first released MV from Face (Set me Free Pt 2) has over 100M views while Like Crazy has 82M. I guess the streaming on Spotify flips that around. Interesting that within a week, Tae will definitely challenging JK for #1. Cannot wait to hear what he's been working on. I expect he will release additional promotional info - like shows - later.

I do remember when it was announced by the Military Manpower Administration that, for certain, BTS would all have to serve in the regular military, they had a caveat on that - they did say that the members would still be able to perform, even overseas. We all knew that would be impossible because they don't just drop their rifles and go on stage the next day. The whole idea that they could still perform presumed they would all be in at the same time and in the same place, or at least near each other, and would be given the kind of time they require to prepare for any performance. Also - isn't written somewhere that if the members or any one of the members produced anything new while enlisted, that all monies would go to the government. They would have balked at that, of course. So damn presumptuous of the government and the military. (And, again, all could have been avoided if they had just listened to me!) Some countries have already had their scouts go home ahead of the typhoon. The US has their boys at the big American military base south of Seoul. If there really is a concert, I would imagine the boys (the scouts) would want to be able to go. The typhoon is currently tracking to just SW of Seoul on the 10th-11th (reminder: the "dirty" part of a cyclone/typhoon/hurricane in the norther hemisphere is the NE quadrant of the storm, so that would have Seoul being blasted, though it will be significantly downgraded by then.) Korea does so many things so amazingly well, but their government has been less than stellar for some time. And zero foresight. Infuriating. This is fun-

What? It suddenly occurs to them that BTS, alone, can recover the "national prestige"? Don't the members have a say in this? [also - i really thought that everything was cancelled...]

And I totally agree. It was beyond stupid for the government and and the ministry of defense to NOT have made some cultural ambassadors for 18 months. And no one will be at the K-pop jamboree. The scouts are being sent home ahead of the typhoon. New thing:

OK - I'm not often right on these things but I'm patting myself on the back for predicting a September release for Tae. Sometimes I get it right. There are suggestions on how to buy and pre-order in order for our purchases to count on BB (those nasties). Pre-order the single CD and the digital full album from the BTS US shop (done!) But not I-tunes - and this is why: So I'll hold off on ITunes. And trying to figure out where to get the best deal considering shipping on the physical CD. Target seems to be random and I want the purple one so will likely be forced to get it from the BTS USA/Weverse shop. There are instructions on how to get buys to count via the global shop -I'll look into it tomorrow. Tae;s lead single sounds like it's going to be a slow song but who knows. And I wish I knew that any messages to #to_suga #to_yoongi actually get delivered to them, I send Jin and Hobi a message every week on their special #to_ addresses. Yoongi at least said "see you in 2025'. I still remember dearly Jin''s last Live when he just basically walked out the camera view and was gone. No good bye,]. THey all have their own ways. Having Yeonton so prominent in Tae's promotion makes me all warm and fuzzy,,,,