[Rerun] What I Love About Bi, IX: His Dance Skill

I think one of Bi’s more obvious talents is his dancing skill. Have you ever seen someone that was doing all the choreographed moves, but it just seemed that their body just didn’t flow with those moves? Not so the case with Bi! He’s got an innate gift in dancing and sometimes he just amazes me. Please understand though, I grew up in America and have seen many great dancers, but I believe Bi is in a class of his own when it comes to entertainers in Asia (please don’t shoot me for my opinion!). He’s naturally athletic, and his body was made for dancing. Don’t know what I mean? Check out Bi gettin’ it crunk in the videos below:

What I Love About Bi, IV: His Competitiveness

One Webster’s dictionary definition of “competitiveness” is “having a strong desire to compete or to succeed”. Wouldn’t you agree that Bi has this very quality, that is to say, a “can’t lose” and “need to succeed” attitude? Normally, I don’t like competitive people. They are driven to a fault, and will not let anything or anyone distract them or stand in their way. If you deal with these types of people in the workplace or even in your family, it can be very frustrating and can even cause you to distance yourself from them. However, recognizing this quality from afar in Bi, I find it quite admirable.I think the reason for Bi’s competitiveness is 1) his inborn personality/tendency, and 2) struggles he endured and what he perceived to be the world’s abandonment of him–especially, at a time when he needed its support the most.   He’s been through alot and come a long way, but it wasn’t always so easy for him.  Dealing with the death of his mother and poverty, he knew that he would have to be the best of the best to get where he wanted to go.  For this reason, its no wonder that he is at the top of his game and probably the most popular entertainer in Asia.  At 29, in showbusiness, he’s considered to be “older”, and there are hordes of new male K-pop and Asian acts up and coming, just ready to claim the crown from him as the “King of Pop” (in Asia, at least). He knows this and reinvents his style to appeal to not only loyal fans that have loved and followed him for nearly a decade, but also to new, younger fans.   He has said numerous times that he feels that he has to constantly come up with ways to make himself irreplaceable, and that in order to be unforgettable, he must have the one thing that everyone else doesn’t have.

Have you ever seen him compete physically? If he competes next to other men, his competitiveness really shows. There’s this hungry beast that comes out and puts the other men to shame…nuff said. I do, however, hope that his competitiveness hasn’t taken the joy out of his social and dating life. Speaking of which, I will be blogging sometime later on about what it may be like to date him. Inquiring minds want to know!

Oh, and he probably doesn’t like to be compared either. Case in point: When told by an interviewer that he was considered the “Korean Justin Timberlake” in America, he responded, “I like his music, but…I’m Rain.” Tell ’em Bi 😉

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[Rerun] What I Love About Bi, III: His Eyes

Can anyone disagree with me that Bi’s eyes are probably the one trait on his face that gives it the most character?  Can you believe that it was also the one trait that caused him to fail audition after audition in the early days before his debut??  According to him, he was turned down numerous times by talent recruiters who told him that he wasn’t good-looking (probably meaning Western-looking enough) and even encouraged him to have surgery to change his single eyelids to double.  He must have felt pretty low at this time, but that didn’t stop him from trying (gotta love his determination).  So why didn’t he have the surgery done?  < Well, apparently, he went to a famed surgeon for a consultation, and the surgeon advised him that he had too much fortune in his natural looks and that he shouldn't change them in any way.  Well, I'm not going to say that I wouldn't like Bi today if he'd have gotten double-eyelid surgery, but I much prefer his single eyelids.  My friends think I'm crazy, but I love Asian men for their natural looks.  The smaller, more single-eyelided (if that’s a word!) their eyes are: the better!  I loves 'em as exotic as I can gets 'em! 🙂

[Rerun] What I Love About Bi, II: His Hard Work Ethic

As pointed out in “What I Love About Bi, I”, the trait that appeals to me most is his openess and honesty.   But, his hard work ethic cannot be denied or ignored.  He’s been called the “Hardest Working Entertainer in Korea”.  He’s been observed by more than a few of the top people in his industry and they know what they’re talking about.  Their business is to churn out idols and pop acts, and they’ve seen more than a few.

Its no doubt that his hard work has gotten him to the toppermost of the poppermost.  He’s so multi-talented and he capitalizes on said talent by recording albums, touring, filming tv series, commercials, talk show and movies, designing clothing and is said to be finishing up a graduate degree (in what field I’m not sure) before entering into the military.  Meanwhile, he’s always looking for ways and opportunities to make himself irreplaceable and unforgotten.

Check out what the Ninja Assassin stunt team had to say about working with Bi (note: showing this video is only to relay to you all how hard-working Bi is, NOT how freakin’ hot his body is hehe):

He’s been working hard from day 1 and before his debut.  Is it just me, or is hard work ethic in a man really attractive??

[Rerun] What I Love About Bi, I: His Openness and Honesty

Bi on a radio talk show

There may be some of you that are wondering what I find appealing about Bi.  There are many things I love about him, but I’ll start with one: his openness and honesty.

This trait of his is actually why I became a fan.  For his hardcore fans out there: please don’t take what I am about to say the wrong way.  And that is, I am a bigger fan of his personality (or at least, what I perceive it to be) than I am of his music and image as an entertainer.   Although he is extremely talented, I think its safe to say from my perspective that he hasn’t really done anything that hasn’t been done before.  Unfortunately, its why he keeps getting slammed with labels such as “The Korean Justin Timberlake”, or “The Asian Michael Jackson”.  Personally, I think he’s better than JT, but the point is he’s heavily influenced by Western-style r&b hip hop/pop, and that’s ok.  He’s got an amazing voice and mad dance skills and is definitely one of the best out there.  However, if it weren’t for his fascinating personality and charisma, I don’t think he’d be as successful as he is.

A few years ago, my cousin introduced me to Bi by sending me an email with a link to the video for “I’m Coming”.  I watched it for a few minutes, but three minutes in I was done; emailed my cousin back with a simple “wow he’s a hottie with a body”, and never gave him another thought until 5 months later when I was at a theatre watching a movie with my brother when I saw the trailer for “Ninja Assassin”.  I knew the lead actor looked very familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I saw him.  When I got home, I googled him and learned that he was the same guy in the video that my cousin had sent me months earlier.  I decided to search for an interview of his on the movie and was shocked at how many videos I was able to find on him.  There were tons of music videos but there was also a hefty amount of interview footage in English.   I immediately loved how open he is in his interviews.  I was floored by many of the things he’s admitted and stated on publicly broadcast tv.  Celebrities in the U.S. wouldn’t even hint to some of the things that Bi’s openly discussed (i.e., his regret over the strained relationship between he and his mother, leading up to and at the time of her death, and expressing battling feelings of depression, loneliness and thoughts about dying).  I love this about him.  I think it shows his strength as a person and I think its safe to say that he probably wears his heart on his sleeve in his personal life, and when he’s got something to say, he’ll say it.

What I Love About Bi, XII: His Cuteness

So Effin' Cute

Sorry for the small image, but I couldn’t find it anywhere any larger. But come on, how cute can one get?? Now, let’s talk about Bi’s cuteness. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never come across someone who’s smoldering hot and sexy on one hand, and just as cute as a button on the other. Like, I didn’t even know it existed before I discovered Bi! Is it his small face and pouty lips and baby smile that gives us all a warmfuzzy?

My 59-year-old mom voiced her confusion to me on this very subject when she stated that she didn’t quite know where to place him: in the hot younger guy category or in the son category (she’d just finished watching one of his many “Nan” performances).

Needless to say, his cute, innocent appearance (as seen in the pics below) is very appealing to women. And he utilizes it well! Enjoy! 🙂

What I Love About Bi, XI: His Taste In Music

Oh how I wish I could raid this man’s ipod.  If you want to know where he got his onstage charisma and sensuality (besides just being born and blessed with it), I think much of it comes from the music that JinYeong Park, his musical mentor since his debut, likely exposed him to.  JinYeong Park has experience working in the States, producing hits for mostly African-American artists, including the likes of Mase, Will Smith and Cassie, so it comes as no surprise to me that he would get exposed to the music, particularly r&b music.  No doubt he passed alot of that on to Bi.  Don’t know what I mean?  Bi once said in an interview, “I love rnb, hip hop, and rap music.  My favourite singers are Stevie Wonder, Nat King Cole, and Eminem.”  Also, everyone knows he’s a huge Michael Jackson fan, not to mention Janet.  I wasn’t really surprised that he’s into Eminem, but my ears perked up when he named Stevie and Nat.  Nat King Cole is a legend, and Stevie’s the best period, and I really appreciated him for pointing them out.

Bi’s not all talk.  He has covered songs by such popular r&b artists as R. Kelly, Sisqo, James Ingram (a personal favorite!) and Usher. He even serenaded a reporter (check out the vid clip below) in an interview with the Luther Vandross-style version of “Superstar”.  *Sigh*  He sounded good…

So yeah, Bi’s got soul in more than ways than one.

What I Love About Bi, X: His Acting Skill

A true actor has an amazing ability to lose himself in the character he is playing. He has the uncanny ability to become that character. For Bi to be able to shoot a scene like the one below says alot about his depth, not only as an actor, but as a person. Don’t let his smiles, light-hearted pop music and humor fool you: it is obvious that he is a very multi-dimensional, profound person (it may have something to do with why he appears to be a loner. He has many friends, but it is likely only a select few people, if that many, who really and truly understand who he is on the inside.). Showing sadness or anguish has got to be one of the toughest emotions to portray in front of a camera. But Bi pulls it off, and with little effort, seemingly.

What I Love About Bi, VIII: His Body

Bi: Dat Sexy Body

Is there really anything to say?? Not really! But I’ll say it. Bi’s got one of the best bods in the business. Even before he pumped himself up for Ninja Assassin, his body was lean and sexy, just oozing with potential to be improved and sculpted. He reportedly stands at 6′ tall, and seems to loom over most of the people he’s seen taking pictures with. This adds to his physical appeal. Naturally, women gravitate toward men who, well, look more like men. So on top of Bi’s charm, sincerity and talent, he’s got a killer bod to enhance his appeal. I guess he just refuses to take it easy on us women. Mercy Bi!!!

What I Love About Bi, VII: His Charm and Charisma

Some stars and celebrities have to be trained and coached by their management and entertainment companies to display social skills when interfacing with the media and public. They are coached to be able to say the right things, smile at the right times, and (depending on the agenda of their entertainment/management companies) live up to the image of themselves that has been sold to the public and fans. As a matter of fact, I will go so far as to say that all stars and celebrities receive this type of training at one time or another. Bi, I’m sure, is no different.

An entertainer can be as handsome as he wants to be, but if he has no personality and social/people skills to back up his looks, he can quickly fade into the sea of the rest of the pretty faces and hot bodies whom are dreaming of attaining success, fame and riches. That’s why, as an entertainer, its really important to have charm and charisma. Even if it doesn’t come naturally, it would behoove an aspiring entertainer to invest their time and money in being trained to reflect a personality that is appealing and admirable to others. But, some people are naturally born with these skills, won’t you agree? I believe Bi is one of those people. I also believe this is another key ingredient of his appeal and success.

The vid clip below is a small taste of how charming he can be. There are tons of Korean language interviews he’s done, and normally I would refer to one of those, but I feel since most of my readers are native English speakers, you will appreciate this English language clip a bit more. True, his English is not perfect, but you can see that even when he speaks a second language, he is personable and humorous. If he’s like this speaking a second language, just imagine how he is speaking his native language! Enjoy!