TVXQ, the Gods of the East 5 Japanese albums, over 20 Korean singles, Rachel Kim, XII and over 30 Japanese singles. Over 11 million Have you ever heard of TVXQ? Or DBSK? If copies of TVXQ albums, singles and DVDs not, well, you have missed a lot. But do not have been sold in Korea and Japan alone, and worry! It is never too late to get interested, over 20 million copies worldwide. From these and by the time you finish reading this arti- numbers, it is safe to say that TVXQ is one cle, you will be an honourable TVXQ expert of the most successful Asian acts not only yourself. in Asia, but also worldwide. There are two TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang official TVXQ fan clubs: BigEast in Japan, and Xien Qi, is a South Korean pop group formed Cassiopeia in Korea and around the world. in 2003 under the most famous Korean Boasting 800 000 fans in Korea alone, Cassio- entertainment agency, SM Entertainment. peia even earned the honour of the largest fan The group is known as Dong Bang Shin Ki club in the world in the 2008 Guinness World (DBSK) in Korea, and Tohoshinki in Japan. Records. The name may seem complicated, but the TVXQ seems pretty amazing, eh? meaning is simple: Rising Gods of the East. Feel free to find out more about TVXQ and These Gods of the East debuted in its former members, JYJ, by simply Google- 2003 as a group of five boys: leader U-Know ing and YouTube-ing! Yunho, Max Changmin, Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu. Not only do the members have gorgeous looks, but they are also extremely talented singers and danc- ers. TVXQ, however, now consists of only U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin, as the three other members left the group to create a group of their own, JYJ, after filing an injunc- tion against SM Entertainment in 2009. The lawsuit is still not closed to this day. Despite the conflict, however, the five original mem- bers are all successful in pursuing their own paths as artists, actors, and musical actors. Furthermore, the five original mem- “Babyshinki.” Tumblr. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
“TVXQ.” Nemopan. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.
The Voice of China The Year of Sequels Eileen Huang, XII Susan Ding, XI T Many of you have already heard of this Original ideas seem to be rare in Hollywood these name from your fellow classmates and days, especially when considering the list of film FB-mates: The Voice of China. Whatreleases of 2013, dominated by sequels, prequels H is this show? And why is it so popular? and remakes. Upcoming titles include Ironman The show originated from The Voice of 3, Thor 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Holland and was first aired on July 13th, 2012 Star Trek 2, Wolverine 2, 300: Rise of an Em- by China’s own ZheJiang Station. It consists pire, Die Hard 5, and The Fast and the Furious E of a panel of judges and hundreds of contes- 6. It is not only summer action blockbusters that tants. The four judges, who are successful sing- have a certain predilection for follow-up movies, ers themselves, select contestants they would but also family, comedy and romance movies as like to have on their teams. If two or more well, such as The Smurfs 2, Percy Jackson: Sea of judges select a contestant, the person would Monsters, The Hangover Part II, and remakes of have the choice to choose among the judges. old hits like Carrie, Dirty Dancing, and Robocop. B After a blind audition, the judges mentor and Of course, there are films slated for release prepare each contestant for the next round, in the immediate future, such as Hansel and Gretel: called the battle stage, in which two sing- Witch Hunters?, that really do entertain creative ers from the same team battle against each or unusual ideas. Yet, it is difficult to find these I other. Ultimately, one singer from each team unique gems among the mountain of sequels, pre- survives and advances to the final round. quels and reboots that Hollywood happily presents The show earned its title, The Voice of China, movie-goers instead. It is easy to understand why G mainly from its audition process, in which movie studios choose to produce suffixed-films – judges are not allowed to see the contestants, and they are low-risk, require minimal marketing, and are asked to judge based only on the quality of often have either an existing fan base or a feeling the voice. This process is what makes this reality of nostalgia attached to them (or both, in the case show so special; this show judges singers solely of Star Trek). However, today’s studios should on their voices, whereas many talent shows today take a moment to remember that every successful S are often accused of being appearance-based. franchise started from a successful original idea. Furthermore, the unique organization of this Movie-goers, the mass public, are not robots or show attracted many talented singers. Some of cavemen; we do appreciate ingenuity, we do have the netizens’ favorites were: Zhang Wei, who standards, and we will eventually tire of Die Hard C surprised the audience with his incredible high 11: Maybe He’ll Die This Time (Not Really). Mak- vocal range and charm; Jin Chi, a school teacher ing sequels for the sake of making sequels is lazy who almost lost her voice in a car accident years and insulting to the intellect of consumers; in fact, R ago but managed to come back stronger than we should expect more from the entertainment, ever; Wu Mo Chou, a“new generation” represen- especially for the small fortune that is the price tative, whose bold style of music impressed the of movie tickets nowadays. If Hollywood expects E audiences, and many more. to hold its monopoly on the North American The Voice of China gave these talented entertainment industry, especially in the age of singers a new platform and allowed them to shine. YouTube web series and free Internet streaming, E If you have time, check out the show Hollywood needs to find something original, fast. on YouTube. You will be amazed! N he Voice of China official China official of Voice he logo.” Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. Web. n.d. N.p., Wikipedia. logo.” 2012 22. Nov. “T efurl=http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Gravity_Falls_%28TV_series%29&docid=q2HrHzRd82aGRM&imgurl=http://images4. =N&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&biw=1440&bih=700&tbm=isch&tbnid=R1H_2U7tnDZrUM:&imgr Tv..com http://www.google.ca/imgres?start=128&num=106 http://www.google.ca/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa - TV Reviews Ariel Lam, IX Elementary Channel: Global, Thursday eve- C nings Summary: There have been many recreations of Arthur Conan O Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” series, and Elementary stands out above all others. Elementary is based in M New York City, rather than Lon- don, and features for the first time a female Dr. Watson (Lucy Liu) F with a surprising past. Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is a re- covering drug addict with Watson O as his “personal valet”. They work together to solve murder myster- ies and keep order in New York. R
Each episode is filled with sus- - pense and mystery that leaves the viewers on the edge of their seats. T gives us a good idea of how the upcoming episodes will look. Rating: 8.5/10 With dazzling musical acts and even better singing than that of last season, Glee seems to have a fantastic year ahead. Glee Channel: Global, Thursday eve- Rating: 8/10 nings O Summary: In its fourth season this Gravity Falls year, Glee is still running as strong Channel: Family Channel, Friday evenings as ever, back with a new cast along Summary: I know what you are thinking now. “Why F with past favourite characters, such is this girl reviewing a kids’ show?” But in fact, Gravity as Rachel and Kurt. In the season’s Falls is not your average kids’ cartoon show. The show is first episode, we are introduced to about a brother and a sister being sent off to live with their a diverse new cast: Marley, a nice great-uncle in a small remote town named Gravity Falls. girl with big dreams from a humble What the twins believe to be a normal town is actually background; Brody, Rachel’s new a place filled with paranormal happenings and frighten- H charming love interest; Jake, a de- ing monsters. As the twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, try linquent troublemaker with a secret to solve the strange occurrences and mysteries of Grav- passion for singing; and Kitty, the ity Falls, they encounter friends and foes who help them O new nasty head cheerleader. Glee along the way. With awesome animation and intriguing may have been guilty of using some characters, Gravity Falls is guaranteed not to disappoint. repetitive themes and storylines M over the past three years, but what Rating: 9/10 we have seen so far of season four E