Favorite Tweets: 2019
The very nature of Twitter is that tweets roll by and then disappear — or, rather, get hidden by a mountain of more recent tweets. These are some of the tweets that I would like to remember.
Year: 2019
Go Away With … Kurt Reifler
Musician Kurt Reifler divides his time between the United States, Germany and Malta. His motto for getting from one home to the other is the same as when he tours or travels for pleasure: less is more. “I travel with a Timbuk2 daypack and have lived out of that for months at a time, no problem. The clothes on my back, plus about three days more in the bag,” he says. “I either wear the coat I’m bringing, purchase one when I arrive or, better yet, I try not to be in places that would require a coat.”
Go Away With … Victoria Arlen
Diagnosed with a pair of rare disorders that kept her in a vegetative state for four years, Victoria Arlen began her recovery nine years ago, relearning how to walk, eat and speak. In 2012, she won four medals (including a gold) at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. A former competitor on “Dancing with the Stars,” Arlen is the author of “Locked In: The Will to Survive and the Resolve to Live,” which was made into an ESPN Films documentary, and she models for Jockey. In early 2020, she will make her debut as one of the co-hosts of “American Ninja Warrior Junior.”
Watch BTS & Other Korean Celebs LIVE at Awards Shows
There are just a few days left in 2019. And you know what that means, right? South Korea is getting ready to air some of its most popular awards shows. For the first time ever, international K-pop and K-drama fans (in North and South America) can watch these ceremonies LIVE at the same time as viewers are watching in Korea.
Miss You, Jonghyun
Kim Jong-hyun was born on April 8, 1990. He would grow up to be one of South Korea’s most famous and beloved singers. And when he died by suicide two years ago on December 18, 2017, his face would be on the news worldwide. No one knew the extent of his pain, but the SHINee singer was a shining star who worked hard to do his best every day for as long as he could.
Do You Wish You Were Them?
K-Dramas are a great escape from reality, but even though we know they’re fictional characters, some of them are so likable that we want to be them. At least for a while. Here are some of our faves from “Coffee Prince,” “Healer,” “My Love from the Star” and “While You Were Sleeping.”
Go Away With … Alex Castillo
Raised in Chicago and currently a resident of Los Angeles, Alex Castillo portrays a row inmate awaiting his execution in Chinonye Chukwu’s film “Clemency.” There’s a big buzz surrounding the film, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize earlier this year. Castillo is also the founder of Castle2000 Films, which aims to produce thought-provoking and diverse projects.
Ryan Reynolds Joins “Running Man”!
It’s official! Ryan Reynolds will be appearing on an upcoming episode of “Running Man.” The long-running variety show hosted by Yoo Jae-Suk boasted about the casting coup on Instagram. A series of three photos showed name tags for Reynolds and his “6 Underground” co-stars Melanie Laurent and Adria Arjona.
Misogyny, rigorous demands and the stigma against seeking psychiatric help
Individual responsibility isn’t enough. There needs to be social change: “The audience, media and culture need to shift into acceptance rather than demanding Korean artists conform
to meet our expectation. Otherwise, these stars are caught in a loop of abuse that will never end.”
Go Away With … Kayla Waters
Jazz pianist Kayla Waters kick-started her career with back-to-back No. 1 singles on Billboard. Her latest release, “Full Bloom” (from her CD “Coevolve”) is zooming up the Smooth Jazz Songs chart as well. Residing in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C., Waters says touring is a perk of her job. But even when she doesn’t have to travel, she enjoys squeezing in a quick visit somewhere.
Go Away With … Dr. Jen Gunter
Dr. Jen Gunter has two New York Times columns dedicated to women’s health, a Canadian docuseries called “Jensplaining” and a very active social media presence where she disseminates medical fallacies in a way that the general public can understand. Her latest project is the book “The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine” (Citadel, $18.95) — a Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestseller.
Group of the Year: BTS
From the giant stages of a sold-out stadium tour — including two nights at London’s 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium — to the intimacy of a “Saturday Night Live” performance, BTS was everywhere in 2019. Consistently reaching the top of the U.S. charts singing in their native Korean, BTS made pop culture history on their own terms. For all this, the septet has earned the honor of being named Variety’s Group of the Year.
“Goblin” Bromance Comes to Real Life on “Because I Want To Talk”
“Goblin” actor Lee Dong-Wook has a new talk show and his first guest is Gong Yoo! Will you be watching?
BTS Makes History at the AMAs!
The American Music Awards sweep was a vindication for BTS’ fans, who were shocked the group was shutout at the People’s Choice Awards earlier this month, where the band was nominated for Music Video, Favorite Group and Concert Tour.
Go Away With … NCT 127
Born and raised in Chicago, NCT 127’s John Suh got his first taste of concerts thanks to his mother, who worked for a local radio station. “I was too young to remember who I saw, but I remember myself having a lot of fun,” says Suh, who goes by the stage name of simply Johnny. “(One day), I would love to see Coldplay at Soldier Field. That would be very awesome.” Johnny and some of his band mates took a breather from promoting their EP “We Are Superhuman” to participate in this interview.
Squad Goals: K-Drama Friendships
One of the reasons that K-Dramas have such universal appeal is that most have a strong emphasis on friendships. The character may fight and even break their friendships at a certain point, but they almost always resolve it and return to each other.
BTS Clean Up at American Music Awards
BTS topped the Jonas Brothers, Panic! At the Disco, Pink and Ariana Grande at Sunday’s American Music Awards to win all three of the categories in which they were nominated: Favorite Duo or Group (the first time an Asian group has received the honor), Tour of the Year and Favorite Social Artist (for the second consecutive year).
Hooked on K-Dramas
Of course, there are some K-Dramas that are better than others. But K-Dramas to me are like pizza. Even a bad one is still better than most other shows.
“Chicago Typewriter” (시카고 타자기)
“Chicago Typewriter” takes place in modern-day Seoul, but some of the best storytelling occurs during flashbacks to the 1930s, when Korea was under Japanese occupation. There, we learn about three resistance fighters whose lives and friendship will set the tone for the 21st Century arc.
Are You a K-Drama Bingewatcher?
There are some K-Drama fans who will watch each new episode as they are released and patiently go about their lives. Then there’s me, who promises to watch just two episodes and then gets overly worked up that I have to wait a few days for the next episode. So here’s the question: Do you watch new dramas as they air? Or do you wait until the series is almost over so you can watch the entire series within a few days?