Month: May 2017

Go Away With … Rap Monster (of BTS)

Jae-Ha Kim

BTS’ Rap Monster remembers being blown away by the opulence of Las Vegas during his first trip there: “I was last here in 2009 when I was 15. What I remember the most was the inside of the Bellagio. It was amazing. I had never seen a hotel like that before, where there was a whole world inside the hotel. It was beautiful. I got to see Cirque du Soleil’s “O” show. It was so nice. I remember the night view of Vegas, which was tremendous. I remember all the lights and people having fun. I saw a lot of people drinking, which was shocking to me then (since I was so young).”

Go Away With … Shay Mitchell

Jae-Ha Kim

The “Pretty Little Liars” series finale is airing later this summer, but Shay Mitchell (who plays |Emily Fields) doesn’t have time to mourn. She has finished work on the horror film “Cadaver,” has plans to write a follow-up to her book, “Bliss,” and is working on Fullscreen’s reality series, “Shades of Shay.” Mitchell was born in Mississauga (near Toronto) to a Filipina mother (who is the cousin of Broadway star Lea Salonga) and an Irish-Scottish father.

Sleepless in Seattle

Jae-Ha Kim

I know that it’s cool to say that you don’t like to visit tourist traps. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I enjoy tourist traps, which is why when we took my mother on her first trip to Hawaii, we went to Honolulu. And when you’re traveling with a little kid to Seattle, it’s fun to re-visit attractions like the Space Needle through their eyes.

Go Away With … DJ White Shadow

Jae-Ha Kim

“If I’m to be completely honest, I picked the northern suburbs (to live in) because of John Hughes’ movies,” says DJ White Shadow. “I tried to buy the ‘Ferris Bueller’ house. It was listed at $1.5 million, which doesn’t seem like a lot for the Ferris Bueller house. But it was a teeny, tiny house in a state of disrepair. It would’ve cost a lot to fix it up.”

Go Away With … Ian Harding

Jae-Ha Kim

Television viewers know Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz on Freeform’s “Pretty Little Liars” — the role that won him seven Teen Choice Awards. With the release of his first book, “Odd Birds” (St. Martin’s Press, $25.99), he can also add author to his resume. In his collection of essays, Harding shares vignettes of his life in Hollywood, interspersed with tales about his hobby, bird-watching. Harding will next be seen in the indie film “Office Uprising.”

“Boys Over Flowers” (꽃보다 남자)

Jae-Ha Kim

I had a difficult time reconciling myself with the fact that I enjoyed “Boys Over Flowers,” while being disgusted that the showrunners never addressed how cruel the main characters were to kids outside of their circle.

Go Away With … Jimin Han

Jae-Ha Kim

“A Small Revolution” author Jimin Han says, “When I was about 10 years old, we drove to Boca Raton, Florida. My great aunt joined us, flying in from South Korea. We went to the beach a lot, but one afternoon we went with her to a cemetery. She knelt at a grave and cried. I heard later that it was the grave of her estranged son, who had been a marine biologist and died in a scuba-diving accident. I’ve developed a novel around that visit and that mysterious great aunt.”