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Koreans and the Small Face Phenomenon

Having grown up in the U.S., I have heard on more than one occasion that celebrities possess larger heads compared to those of the general population, the idea being that the larger head will have larger features, which will show better on screen. There is even an episode of Entourage where Turtle proclaims, "The bigger the head, the bigger the star." However, in Korea, the exact opposite is true. The smaller your head/face, the more attractive you are. A picture of Ivy, a Korean celebrity, posing between two fans. Notice how small her face is compared to that of "normal" people. (image source) It is not uncommon for foreigners to be utterly confounded when first met with this phenomenon. "Gosh, your face is so small!"...

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Lee Byung Hun in G.I. Joe… Unmasked!

While Hallyu (aka the Korean Wave) has been sweeping across the eastern hemisphere like a tazmanian devil on crack, Korean stars have yet to penetrate the fickle and demanding world of Hollywood. Until just recently, Korean celebrities' foray into American pop culture could be summed up in two words: epic fail. Take Rain, for example. Rain, who is possibly the most popular male celebrity in all of Asia - voted the second most influential person in the world by a Time magazine poll in 2008 - managed to gain some recognition when Stephen Colbert challenged him to a dance-off: However, his first venture into Hollywood, playing the part of Taejo Togokahn in the disaster of a movie known as Speed Racer, went seemingly...

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It’s a Small, Not a Tall.

I have never been a fan of the coffee conglomerate known as Starbucks. Sure I love me my coffee. However, the super chain has always seemed so contrived with their run-of-the-mill bland food items, ambience that screams "yuppy hipster here!", and overpriced coffee. I much rather prefer the taste of the sub-$1 Dunkin' Donuts coffee anyway. I like my coffee plain, with a side of donuts. And what's with the size names? "I'd like a medium coffee please." "You mean a grande drip." "Yes, you pretentious ass." This is precisely the reason I was so delighted to see the new packaging designs for the market Brooklyn Fare. No-nonsense packages with simple, whimsical, and effective messages. Did you notice the coffee cups on the lower right? Here's a closer...

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Finally, MTV!

I have been looking forward to this coming Tuesday (July 14) since the beginning of the year. What is so special about the 14th, you ask? One of my all-time favorite TV shows, MTV's The State, will finally be released on DVD! For those who are not familiar with the show, The State was an hour-long comedy sketch show that aired on MTV from 1993-1995. The cast consisted of 11 comedians who wrote, acted, directed, and edited the show. During a time when life consisted of pimples, oily bangs, and braces, The State was one of my favorite escapes - an hour where a shy, nerdy girl could seek solace from the harsh reality of teenage angst and partake in a culture that...

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I Hope to God That’s Batman

I've never been too into the whole LOLCats craze, but when my sister told me that she had been contacted by its publishers to have her dog included in its latest book, I started to pay more attention. FYI, this is the picture of Dante, my sister's adorable cairn terrier and shih-tzu mix that will be included in the new LOLCats book: The other day, I stumbled upon this hilarious LOLCat in its archives and I bust my side laughing. I just had to share...

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