Author: Denise Coley
Hit Point, the creators behind the hit game Neko Atsume, teamed up with Sega Toys for a new app game that could potentially gain the following its predecessor has. Spoon Pets, released March 16, 2016, features cute, hamster-esque critters instead of adorable, smiley kitties. Besides hamsters, players can collect puppies, kittens, birds, and sheep. The pets are really cute and have that recognizable chibi-charm that many Japanese characters have. While playing, thoughts of Hamtaro come to mind because the characters have similar cuteness. The game functions the same way as Neko Atsume: Players place toys and food in the yard…
Asian and Asian American Festival Events: A State-by-State Guide Here is a state-by-state guide featuring upcoming confirmed and tentatively scheduled Asian-interest festivals and events for the remainder of 2016. Press CTRL+F to search for your state. Upcoming events that are known to be happening like K-Con have not been listed yet as dates or months haven’t been cemented yet. Kcrush America would like to thank the organizations and sponsors who put together these events for their time during phone calls, email, and social media correspondence to determine if these events are confirmed or potentially upcoming. Alabama Date Time Event Location…
TEEN TOP 틴탑 are headed on their Red Point tour very soon! KPOPLive.TV have released special deals on tickets! These promotions are exclusively available at www.kpoptickets.com starting 8PM EST March 17 and you MUST use the corresponding promo code. ****BUY 3 AND GET 1 FREE Use the promo code ‘4TEENTOP’ when checking out to get 25% discount on the purchase of 4 tickets or more Available only for the specific ticket grades (Not Available for P1 Valid for the tickets for the same venue Not applicable for the tickets previously purchased Seats will be assigned randomly for the group to…
One of the reasons fans stan B.A.P is due to their charitable spirits and aim to make Earth a better place. B.A.P’s leader, Bang Yongguk, has even been nominated for the Shorty Awards two years in a row thanks to his activism. On several occasions, Yongguk points out how he and B.A.P support different charitable organizations including UNICEF, One Love Disabled Infant Care, World Vision, and Save the Children. With the Live on Earth 2016: Awake tour about to get underway, the excited BABY fandom is doing what they can to prepare for B.A.P in the United States. Besides buying,…
Spring and summer will be bringing many K-Pop concerts to the United States. There will be plenty to look forward to with AOMG, B.A.P, TEENTOP, K-Con, and GOT7 upcoming. It’s exciting to go to concerts and prepare for them, but it’s also stressful! For those who find concert prep stressful or you’re new to whole thing, here are some tips to help you prepare for the wave of K-concerts or any other concert you wish to attend now and in the future. Preparations Your favorite group just announced their tour and they’re coming to your city: Everyone rejoice! What do…
It can be extremely hard for a trainee of any company to reach debut and stay popular enough that disbandment isn’t always a possibility. It seems like many companies have fallen into a pattern of letting the fans decide who makes it into a group. Many have called these sorts of competitions cruel; YG’s ‘Mix & Match’ made iKON, then known as Team B, consider a complete line up change despite losing to WINNER (Team A) in ‘Win: Who is Next?’ previously. Fans get attached to people they may never see a stage again after an elimination from one of…
Seoul Station is one of those locations that can’t be missed when you’re visiting Korea. It serves as a gateway, located at the center of Seoul. Many tourist sites, hotels, shopping areas can be found nearby and the station’s location is not far from City hall, Myeong-dong, Namdaemun and other tourist-attracting regions in Seoul. On site, you would easily notice that there are two stations very close to each other; the older Seoul station which is no longer in service and the new one which is currently actively on operation with a daily average of 100,000 passengers. The former Seoul…
Choi Han-Bit has joined a girl group. Gaon Entertainment’s three-membered group, Mercury, debuted March 6, 2016 with their single “Don’t Stop,” an electro-dance track produced by OTHANKQ. In addition to Choi, the group consists of Sehee and Hyena. The group’s concept is that all three girls have “model-like bodies.” Between 2006 and the group’s debut, Choi has found success and has even released solo work. She’s also appeared on MNET’s Dancing 9 in 2013. Choi also happens to be a model; in 2012, she appeared on Korea’s Next Top Model, Cycle 3. Choi’s also known as a groundbreaker in the…
For Kit-Kat lovers, Japan is a place to order from since they have so many different varieties ranging maccha green tea, strawberry cheesecake, baked sweet potato, and hazelnut. In February 2016, Nestlé Japan added a new limited time flavor to the Japanese Kit-Kat roster: Sake. According to Nestlé Japan spokesperson Takuya Hiramatsu, sake Kit-Kat bars have an “elegant taste of sake, wrapped in the gentle sweetness of white chocolate” with “mellow, full-bodied flavor, and a refreshing aftertaste of sake.” With the taste description, Hiramatsu points out that the Kit-Kat bars have a .08 alcohol content, so he advises against eating…
The wintery cold is starting to melt as February’s K-Pop scene started to thaw the musical doldrums. There were plenty of great songs to choose from this month, but only ten could stand out as some of the best. Here are some of our choices for February’s top songs. Winner | “Sentimental” | YG Entertainment | February 1 YG Entertainment finally let Winner out of the closet to release an album. “Sentimental” has a nice, summery, tropical feel that’s light and airy. The song is fun and highlights Winner’s vocals nicely. The beat and composition help make “Sentimental” different and…
AweSomeBaby (a.k.a Awe5omeBaby or Awesome Baby) is a five-member Korean girl group signed under TN Nation Entertainment. The group was created by the CEO of the company, Tony An, who is the founding member of the biggest boyband in Kpop’s history, H.O.T. Jaeduc Kim, who was the member of the rival band, Sechs Kies, is also under the label as the main producer who helped to launch AweSomeBaby. Consisting of five talented members ranging in age from 19 to 21, AweSomeBaby were considered individually skilled in their craft, all the members were already winning or performing in national contests even…
I came across ‘Vluesy’ the Korean ‘Dynamic Soul’ indie band for the first time when I was at a mini fan meeting for Michelle Lee, sometime last year. Vluesy members were there to perform their songs on the same day, at the same location, but I was not expecting to be blown away by the female guitarist who sang her own songs along with Michael Jackson’s hit, ‘Bille Jean.’ Personally, I had never really encountered many females who played the guitar so skillfully at such ease, so I was naturally very impressed by the performance, the singer’s voice, the energy…
B.A.P released their new mini album Carnival February 22, 2016. The album consists of six songs that show a different side of B.A.P that has won praise from the Korean public. Their turn toward brighter music is met with mixed reviews internationally, but it’s mainly due to fans who wish B.A.P would only do darker concepts. B.A.P, however, are a jack-of-all-trades group and explore different aspects of themselves even if that exploration is met with mixed reviews. Carnival definitely is a fresh approach. As a whole, the album has more of an anime OST-feel than something typical of B.A.P, but…
The 4th annual KPOP Night Out at SXSW has been officially announced. This year’s lineup was anticipated particularly after last year’s showcase that featured Crayon Pop, Hitchhiker and Epik High. This year’s lineup includes MAMAMOO, Dean and Zion.T with The Session. MAMAMOO was announced late last year as a SXSW artist alongside Illionaire Records. MAMAMOO are a 4-member girl group whose vocal talents have brought them much attention worldwide. Their song “Piano Man” reached 41 on Gaon’s digital chart in 2014 despite their status as rookies. Zion. T with The Session and Dean were both recently announced by SXSW and…
On February 15 and 16, 2016, New York City’s Madison Square Garden hosts one of the grandest dog galas, The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (WKC). This year, the show celebrates its 140th year with thousands of dogs vying for group honors. For each group—herding, sporting, non-sporting, hound, terrier, toy, and working—around 30 dogs compete to be among the seven vying for Best in Show honors. The dogs in the show not only represent their breeds and groups, but also different countries. Westminster is definitely a global affair! With that in mind, there are several breeds representing their Asian roots. Keep your…
5 – Lee Kyung-hee Lee Kyung-hee is a famous South Korean TV screenwriter, known for her critically acclaimed dramas, such as ”I’m Sorry, I Love You”, ”Beating Heart”, ”A Love To Kill” and ”Thank You”. In 1997, she made her national TV debut with ”Model”, which didn’t reach the success she wanted. However, in 2003, Lee had gained some recognition with the comedy-drama ”Sang Doo! Let’s Go to School”, in which korean singer Rain made his acting debut. Her following dramas weren’t as famous as the previous one, but it gave her recognition. Even though, she was recognizable by some…
A good foundation is always a must in a girl’s makeup bag. Bare Skin Nude Foundation (Bare Skin) is a great candidate for fulfilling that need. This foundation provides lightweight, even coverage that lasts barring sweat, extreme heat, and humidity (but what makeup really lasts under those conditions?). Application, Look, and Feel Bare Skin looks no different than other foundations consistency-wise. The pigmentation, however, does appear to be slightly more saturated than some other brands which helps with even coverage on the skin. What’s nice about Bare Skin is that it doesn’t settle into pores or fine lines, giving skin…
Gone are the chilly, snowy days of January. Even though it seemed like the month rushed by, we did get to experience some good music during one of the slowest period of the year. Let’s take a look at ten of January’s gems. Stellar “Sting” Stellar has been on a rocky road with fans since “Marionette” given what many deemed an inappropriately sexy concept. With “Sting,” they once again return with a sexy concept, but it’s toned down to enhance the attention on the song. “Sting” has some light retro theming with a strong chorus, but it’s not as strong…
Recently, Thailand has been in the news for a quirky doll that’s said to include a child’s soul inside. Luk Thep dolls, or “child angels,” have been all the rage in Thailand; so much so that CNN reports some Thai airlines are allowing passengers to purchase seats for the dolls! Luk Thep dolls are said to bring luck and fortune to their “parents” because of their child souls. Because of this belief, doll owners have taken to treating Luk Theps like real children by feeding, bathing, clothing, and talking to them. Many believe the dolls communicate back to their parents…
You may have seen ‘Rooftop rooms’ from Korean TV and some locations have been made into famous scenery and themes in various movies and TV dramas. Because of the way these Rooftop housings are often portrayed, many viewers seem to imagine it would be fun and comfortable to lodge in such environment. The media features scenes of people enjoying barbeque on the rooftop, the excitement of fireworks and partying into the night with only the sky above your head. In reality, the regular rooftop rooms are not very desirable but on the contrary considered as one of the worst places…