BTS’ Suga Co-Wrote a Music-Based Book About Autism Therapy
Why Suga’s Korean-language book “MIND Problem” excites me more than the pop group’s worldwide tour.
Author: Jae-Ha Kim
Go Away With … Patrick McEnroe
“[Travel] is one of the great perks of working in tennis,” said Patrick McEnroe. “You build relationships all over the world and get to experience different cultures in a really meaningful way. The global tennis community is pretty special in that sense. I’ve made lifelong friends in all different parts of the world, and it’s been fascinating to see how places evolve over time. I like to keep it simple – walking, hiking, exploring and finding great local food. I always try to avoid the American chains when we’re overseas, and really experience wherever we are.”
Go Away With … Stella Pecollo
“I play Francesca, the funniest sister-cousin you wish you had,” said Stella Pecollo, who is one of the stars of the film “You, Me & Tuscany.” “She is a sassy, confident, fun, loving woman who adores Michael, played by Regé-Jean Page, and becomes close to Anna, played by Halle Bailey, whom she confides all the family gossip to.”
Go Away With … Joanne Lee Molinaro
“We went to Venice, we went to the Dolomites and we went to Rome, because [my husband] Anthony’s family is in Rome,” said the Korean Vegan, Joan ne Lee Molinaro. “We did that trip, which was absolutely sensational. The Dolomites are like nothing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“What Kind of Asian” is Stella Choe? The Kind Who Dances at the 2026 Academy Awards.
“‘What Kind of Asian Are You?’ is what I wished I could do when that question has come up,” said actress and dancer Stella Choe. “But most of the time I’m just in shock and so annoyed [that] I don’t know what to say. The video version of myself is a lot more witty and sassy. I wish I was that quick to clap back!”
‘BTS: The Return’: Six Things We Learned From the Revealing New Documentary
The Netflix film “BTS: The Return” offers insight into the pressures faced by the superstar group as they came back from military service to make their new album, “Arirang.” My latest review for Rolling Stone magazine.
Future 25: TWS Have Retro Vibes, a Feel-Good Pop Sound — and a Megahit
The Korean group TWS is making waves with their “Boyhood Pop” music and their inventive choreography. My profile of the group is featured online and in print in Rolling Stone magazine’s Future 25 issue.
Go Away With … Neb Chupin
“During some weekends I drive from Zagreb to my grandfather’s house, ” said filmmaker Neb Chupin.” “The town is called Vodice and I converted his original house into an Airbnb called Dida Boza House, [which] has a cafe and a gift shop. When I worked and studied in Boston, my getaways were always Cape Cod.”
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” Won an Oscar and a Grammy, But is It K-pop?
A college student asked me what made K-pop, well, K-pop. The gist of what I said was that K-pop has to maintain a Korean element. In my latest newsletter, I dig deeper into this with a K-pop expert.
Go Away With … Chloe Qisha
“I’ve always said my ultimate dream would be a headline show at Red Rocks in Colorado,” said singer-songwriter Chloe Qisha. “There’s something about that amphitheatre that’s really legendary. At night, especially with how it’s lit, it looks beautiful. I also like venues where there’s staggered seating or standing because you can see everything clearly. It’s somewhere I’d love to see a show, but also somewhere I’d love to play.”
Go Away With … Marco Grazzini
“Railay Beach in Thailand is a stunning car-free peninsula in the Krabi region in the south of Thailand,” said “Virgin River” actor Marco Grazzini. “Turquoise water, white sand, towering limestone cliffs – it’s the usual breathtaking landscape that Thai beaches have to offer, and that would drop jaws on film. I’ve been in and around Thailand numerous times over the past 20 years and Railay really stuck out to me for the serenity that it has.”
Go Away With … Alan Williams
“In many ways, the internet has poisoned our minds and drained the lifeblood required for making music, but it has also granted listeners access to so many ideas and creative expressions that it’s possible our understanding of one another has been deepened and amplified,” said professor Alan Williams, who’s also a singer-songwriter. “Seeing my students listening to K-pop, Congolese street bands playing heavily distorted metallophones and Cambodian pop from the golden age before the Khmer Rouge gives me hope for the future.”
In The Latest Edition of ‘You’re Not Korean Enough,’ the Internet Attacks a Transnational Adoptee
Accusing a Korean adoptee of ‘not being Korean enough’ isn’t the slam dunk losers think it is.
Go Away With … Claudia Ferri
“So far I’ve shot in Turino, Northern Italy, Israel, Colombia, the United States and across Canada,” said “Palm Royale” actress Claudia Ferri. “I would love to have an opportunity to shoot in Newfoundland in the winter. I’m curious to see how people live in that kind of cold!”
Korean Influencer Describes Spouse as “Just a Housewife”
“When a country experiences such fast economic growth, it doesn’t give generations enough time to adapt to modern realities. You end up thrusting people into modernity without changing the structures around them. In South Korea, gender roles within households remain stuck in the past.” — Nobel Prize-winning economist Claudia Goldin
Go Away With … Arianna Davis
Arianna Davis portrays a college cheerleader on the NBC series “Stumble.” As someone who started dance lessons at the age of two, Davis – who is also a singer-songwriter – is a perfect fit for this mockumentary sitcom, which delves into the intense and cut-throat world of competitive cheerleading.
Interviews (Celebrity Index)
David Bowie, Keanu Reeves, Britney Spears, PSY, Idris Elba, BTS, Matt Damon, Justin Timberlake, Venus Williams… Just a few of the notable folks I’ve interviewed. Click on the photo or the title to read my profiles. Enjoy!
Go Away With … Sarah Kinsley
“I am hoping to escape to a chateau in the south of France this summer,” said “Fleeting” musician Sarah Kinsley. “I’ve been so desperate to go to the Dolomites, the mountainside of northern Italy, at some point in my life. I don’t know if that will happen this year or maybe next. As long as I get to see them with my own eyes eventually I don’t mind when it happens.”
Katseye wants to be the biggest girl group on the planet
The Washington Post interviewed me to share my thoughts about Katseye and their relevance in the global pop market.
How The Korean Folk Song “Arirang” Ties In With BTS’ March Comeback
On March 20, BTS will make their long-awaited comeback with an album called “Arirang.” Since it was announced, fans and media have been speculating about the cultural significance of the title, the album cover possibly being an homage to a group of 19th century Korean students studying in the U.S., and whether the title hints at what kind of music listeners can expect on the upcoming record.