Well, I've been saying that the Golden Era of K-pop for me is over for awhile now, with so many of my favorite acts disbanding or re-organizing as smaller units, and now we have the news that WEEKLY IDOL hosts Hyungdon and Deffcon (Donnie and Connie) are leaving after 7 years of idol gushing.
I always used to say that if you really wanted to see the "real" side of a J-Pop act, you HAD to see then on the Takaki Ishibashi/Masahiro Nakai music/interview show UTABAN, and for the world of K-Pop , that show was WEEKLY IDOL.
I an't stress how important this show was in the development of my love of so many K-pop groups, and as my many, many posts will attest, Weekly Idol as the one show I always tuned into when an act I liked came on. T-ara, Rainbow, APink, AOA, Dal Shabet, Sistar, even more recent groups like Red Velvet, TWICE and GFriend, I wouldn't know half as much as I do about them if it wasn't for those two guys.
Girl's Day
f(x)
APink
Dal Shabet
4 Minute
Rainbow
Nine Muses
After School
Secret
TWICE
Brown Eyed Girls
AOA
Connie and Donnie’s initial shtick was always that of two Dorky Fanboys who were absolutely THRILLED TO DEATH when they were able to “meet” some of their favorite acts for the first time, but as time went by they really became mentors of sorts to rookie groups who needed a friendly hand when promoting for the first time, and this forged great relationships between them.
Early Days geeking out to SISTAR
It was this respectful relationship that caused the fun and playful banter between them and really made the show. They got real reactions out of what could be mundane promotional interviews, and everyone always seemed like they were having a grand old time!
When Red Velvet drops by...
...things tend to get a little silly!!
The wacky challenges they created for the acts to win snacks and food were priceless- As you might know, K-pop idols are on strict diets, and it's only when they're on the show that they can eat as they please, so everyone plays with all their hearts for the prizes!
T-ara meet the Boys
Hyomin winning a Food Challenge!
TWICE: First to Pop a Corn Kernel with a Curling Iron wins!
The girls trying to place their popcorn kernels just right...
...but in the end, it's Dahyun who wins the food!
Mmmm, K-pop acts could always count on eatin' well on Weekly Idol!
APink Chows Down
I'm sure the show will continue on with new hosts, but, like Utaban, it was a show that really relied on the real affection the hosts had for the musical acts that "made" the show, and I only hope they can continue in the same tradition with others at the helm...
Ah, Dal Shabet were one of my big favorite K-pop acts for awhile there, but when my biases Jiyul and Kaeun left the group in late 2015 I have to admit my interest in them waned. I still liked their music, but not enough to run out and buy them like I did with all their previous releases.
Still, it was refreshing to see new clips of the four remaining girls still out there promoting and singing their hearts out, so it was sad news to hear that Serri, Subin and Ahyoung would not be re-signing with Happy Face Entertainment, marking yet another end of a great K-pop group! Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
Just found out via Soompi that both Jiyul AND Kaeun have announced they are leaving Dal Shabet because their contracts have ended and have chosen to pursue other activities. DAMN IT, is there even ONE K-pop group that I like that HASN'T had a member or members QUIT or get FIRED? Screw this nonsense!!! ARGHHHHH
My interest in the K-pop World has taken a huge hit since my beloved Jessica was removed from Girls Generation. Having the SNSD fandom get split into Jessica defenders and Jessica bashers was hard enough, but I began noticing negativity in other group forums as well, with hateful comments about f(x)'s Sulli (with her self-imposed sabbatical) and attacks on 2NE1’s Park Bom (with her legal issues) too. Suddenly, K-pop wasn’t the fun place I knew it to be anymore, and I slowly began withdrawing from the Hallyu pages and forums. Before I knew it, K-pop wasn't holding my interest as much as it once did, and I found myself passing on new releases from groups like AOA, 4Minute, and even Apink…
But somehow I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Happyface Entertainment idols Dal Shabet, and once I heard their new song "Joker" and saw the super-cool cover for their mini album JOKER IS ALIVE, I felt that old familiar tugging in my heart and I realized I was EXCITED about getting their new CD, and when I ordered it from Kpoptown, I realized that it had been months and MONTHS since I last purchased anything K-pop related!
Just got the package today, and it is as beautiful as can be, though it DID take me for a loop when I realized the cool group collage I'd seen before (in the top picture) wasn't the cover, but I needn’t have worried, as all six individual shot were contained within, and in SUCH an INNOVATIVE way!
Dal Shabet Joker is Alive Album
Jumbo Cards Inserts
Back Side of Jumbo Cards with Cut-Out circle
Using the Playing cards theme, the case held seven jumbo sized cards, one of EACH of the girls as well as a Group Shot. Looking closer, I realized EACH card unfolded out four times with stunning pics of each girl!!! WOW!!! SO COOL!
Jiyul Jumbo card unfolded (front)
Jiyul Jumbo card unfolded (back)
And if that wasn’t enough, the album came with two trading cards, one in color and one in black and white…and whaddaya know? the member I got was none other than my Dal Shabet bias JIYUL!!! YESS!!!
Joker is Alive is another mini album from the girls (their 8th by the cover count) and this time Subin took control of the concept- co-writing the tunes and planning the direction. Everything seems to work here (though haven’t we seen enough of the Batman Joker appearing everywhere?), and I am pleased to say that my girl Jiyul is still looking as fan-freaking-tastic as EVER:
My Dal Shabet Bias: Sexy Jiyul. She Got Legs!
The Mini album begins with a sweet tribute to the Dal Shabet fanbase DARLING (following in the tradition of other fan appreciation songs like “For Darling” off the Have/Have Not album) and goes right into the cool “Dal Shabet Addict”, a peppy song! Then we’re on to the “main attraction” as it were, the sexy “Joker” title track and as noted above, the live performances of this song REALLY sell how hawt these gals are! With the “playing cards’ theme, the girls are all duked out in various red and black outfits reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland…but decidedly SEXIER!
Track "I’m Not" showcases the girls rapping skills, and album closer "Ok Boy" is JUST the kind of song that me of why I fell in love with K-pop in the first place- super catchy pop hooks sung with cute and sassy vocals! One of my favorite tracks on this release!
As I read over the articles about Dal Shabet’s promotions, I’m still seeing so much negativity in the forums, so maybe the bad vibes are still out there, but at least I can enjoy the music on my own…and I’m still crossing my fingers for a new f(x) album this year, with any luck, Sulli will be a part of it, haterz be damned!!! Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
Just caught the latest episode of Korean sports variety show “Let’s Go Dream Team II” where I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were four pretty idols as guests- Serri from Dal Shabet, SeungAh from Rainbow, and in a lucky bit of timing, my newly discovered Girl’s Day bias Hyeri!!!
What Luck!!! Three girls from some of my FAVORITE K-pop Idol Groups!!! The fourth girl was Dahye of BESTie whom I actually didn’t know, but I was sure to remember her after this show, because damn was she pretty!
Hyeri of Girl's Day
SeungAh of Rainbow
Serri of Dal Shabet
Dahye of BESTie
Aww, this was such a fun episode, the girls were really into it, ESPECIALLY Hyeri who was laughing and cheering like she was a regular part of the cast, additionally. that episode’s Water-Park Themed Challenge ensured I’d get to see all four girls in wet t-shirts throughout the entire show...I gotta admit, it was very enticing to see their flower-printed bikinis peeking through the wet shirts like Hyeri's in the screencap below:
It was fun watching the girls in each of the many challenges, but the absolute highlight was when they got to the last segment where teammates had to force opponents off the platforms into the water via foam “battering ram blocks”, and they had all four girls up against each other, Serri and Hyeri on one team, and Seungah and Dahye on the other!
I’d seen Serri kicking butt in several of these Challenge shows before (most recently the mud-wrestling episode), so I knew she had the strength and skills to be a major player, but it was a surprise to see how tuff Dahye was! SeungAh was a spirited great asset to her team, but poor slight Hyeri was hilariously just as much a powderpuff that you’d expect from the diminutive girl, LOL! This was quite a show, and a GREAT experience for a new Hyeri/Girl's Day fan to enjoy!
There are these Barostar (choreographer) dance practice videos of Dal Shabet practicing “Be Ambitious”, “DalShabet Girls”, and, curiously enough, “Summer Break”, a dance I don’t think I’ve EVER seen the girls perform in ANY venue.
What REALLY made it interesting for me though, was the fact that the girls have almost NO makeup on, Jiyul in particular looks SO different without her eyeliner as to be almost unrecognizable to me! (adorably enough, it’s only her diminutive size that gives her away. LOL)
Today's the birthday of Dal Shabet's outspoken maknae, one of the most un-maknae-ish maknaes out there! As the one who's also the tallest in the group, she is fond of saying "I'm Subin- raising the average height of Dal Shabet and lowering the average age!"LOLOL
As a fan of Dal Shabet, I had a happy surprise watching Episode Three of the awesome “You Who Came From The Stars” when who should show up as a couple of junior actresses under Cheon Song-Yi (Jun Jihyun) but Serri AND Subin!!! Ahahaha, You know, I think I remember reading about them having a cameo in a drama some time before, but I’d completely forgotten about it! When they came on, I just HAD to laugh!!! Sadly, All their time was spent being scolded!
At first, the Junior Actresses are in such awe to meet their famous sunbaenim, but she quickly chides them for not properly greeting another fellow (but less popular) sunbaenim Yoo Se Mi (Yoo In Na) that had also been in the room!
Drawing them in closer, she quietly tells them that all the rumors about her having a bad attitude are true, leaving the two properly scolded juniors speechless...
After she leaves, the two hurt girls mumble something along the lines of
"Meh, maybe this unnie isn't all that after all" LOL
Nonetheless, the two young actresses were seen aboard a private yacht with the company later that evening, so we must assume things worked out OK! Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
It was this respectful relationship that caused the fun and playful banter between them and really made the show. They got real reactions out of what could be mundane promotional interviews, and everyone always seemed like they were having a grand old time!
