The song "IMMORTAL"

                      

Possessed by Poe's spirit

He sings. He acts. He is fantastic. He is exceptionally talented, and charismatic

  
I am mesmerized, again. I am very grateful to him for singing. I want the world to know him, I want him to become an international star; but then no, I don't want it. He is best kept secret of a few thousands of his fans. To share him with the world would be to lose him. I'm so torn apart on this issue.

TBT #20 March 2015 on stage with a fan

                      

Well, there is not much to add to this. Dong Ha invited a fan on stage to sing with him, and that young fellow  turned out to be quite talented.  They sing "Like Rain Like Music". This is a very difficult song, but the young guy totally was able to keep up well with Dong Ha. Here in this video it's very obvious how sweet, and gracious Jung Dong Ha is - he continuously encouraged him and kept eye contact, to assure him of his support. What an unforgettable moment.

TBT#19 - Immortal Song2 March2015 - Rainwater

                     
Somebody once said that Jung Dong Ha must be a "rainman". He has several songs on his list that talk about rain. There is "Rain", and "Early Rain", and now it's "Rainwater".

I really like this performance. But I actually have a critical comment about it. This performance shows how NOT to win Immortal Song.  Dong Ha comes on stage to sing a gut wrenching, intensely desperate song of sadness and longing. But before he begins, he makes a silly joke about his raincoat, and asks if he looks good. If you joke lightly like this, and then make tragic faces while singing, it doesn't come across as genuine. The emotions look fake to the audience, hence the people don't vote for you. That is my comment of the video.
                                                                                              * * *
I really love how Dong Ha sings the song though, with over the top screaming, and everything else.
I love it all.
I love the guitarist, too.
Only, I hate this raincoat.

More Poe

                                                                                                   

TBT#18 - November 2014 BEGIN concert

It's Thanksgiving today. So, here is Dong Ha giving thanks to his fans. What a cornball 😇 

                    

Musical "Edgar Allan Poe" started November 17, 2017

                                                        The show will run through February 4th, 2018.

                        

 Schedule of Jung Dong Ha appearances in the show for the rest of the year is below.  

Next one is November 22nd. I hope he will have time to be on stage a few times in 2018, before the baby comes.

Dong Ha was cast in the opening day of the show. Rumor has it, he was very nervous because he
wanted to be best he could, and had been a little sick during the rehearsals. The first show is now behind him. A few videos and audios appeared on the Internet. In the videos he looks happy (maybe relieved?😅 ). The audio of some songs indicates that he had some difficulty with a song or two, while some other songs he sang really well.













Below, images cut from the curtain call video on youtube.

Here is the write-up from a Korean online news, translated (awkwardly) by Goodle Translate. The specific actors are not mentioned, just the general impression of the first show:
"2017.11.20

Edgar Allan Poe (producer: Park Yeong-seok), a musical dealing with the life of a genius writer, has begun with great applause from the audience on November 17th.
The musical "Edgar Allan Poe" presented a fresh shock to the audience in the flood of the concert at the end of the year performance. The drama is a fiction musical with the imagination of historical facts, based on the unfortunate life of a genius writer Edgar Allan Poe who had a great impact on the history of English literature in the nineteenth century.
The performance created a gloomy ambience through the symbolic stage and dreamy lighting, and the addictive music of Eric Wolfson, the representative of British progressive rock, impressed.
In addition, the perfect breathing of the actors who showed their presence in the dramas has added to the immersion of the audience. Audiences watched the drama in curiosity and curiosity about the unfolding of drama like Edgar Allan Poe's mystery novel. After the show, the audience cheered and cheered."

I Am Calling You - Nov. 11, 2017

                         
                              

BABY NEWS

                                                                                Yes, baby, finally!

At his "The Artist" concert on November 11th, Dong Ha revealed to his audience that he will have a baby soon! He said the baby will come in February 2018, and they know now it is a little boy! It's not official announcement, but he was so nice to let his fans know. Some fans apparently said that  the fact Dong Ha with Voisper sang "Baby On An Island" back in July, was foretelling, since he must have already known then. So maybe even it was his subtle way of revealing his good news.                                                                        

                                                                "Baby On An Island" performance:
                     
                                                                      
                                                                                          * * *
My reaction to these news, was a surprise (because I have already given up), and also happy excitement. The thing is, that Jung Dong Ha got married almost 4 years ago, in January 2014. From the very beginning, even before his marriage, he mentioned  wanting to have a child. At that time, in January 2014 he was on a TV variety program "Hello Counselor". The host said to Dong Ha: "So you are getting married next week. Will you say some message to your wife-to-be?" Dong Ha looked straight into the camera with his sweet smile and said something like: "When this show is broadcast, we will be on our honey-moon. So let's be a nice couple, and let's make a baby".
Whaaaat? I was so shocked, and at the same amused,  by Dong Ha being so straightforward.
Well maybe he said "let's HAVE a baby", but still, I never expect him to be so blunt about it.
Probably the message was much more docile in Korean, than translated into English.                     😊
And then he again talked about his desire to become a father,  2 yrs later on IS2, and a few times at radio interviews. 
But I was skeptical. I waited for baby news, but from time to time I had a thought that his talk was a smoke screen. To be honest I had thoughts occasionally that he might "swing the other way" as  Americans say. After all,  nobody ever saw his wife, he is so secretive about her. No wedding pictures ever popped up, how's that possible? Even if it was a private wedding, someone would sneak out ONE pic. So, was there really a wedding? And what's that talk about wanting to have a baby, but there is none, year after year? He 's well over 35 yrs old, and his  supposed wife is the same age - what are they waiting for?

But, here is the baby at last. Who knows what lengths the couple had to go through, to conceive?  
I can breathe with relief, since I really didn't want him to be gay. I am looking forward to the February 2018 announcement of the birth of Dong Ha's son.There will be probably some celebrations! 
I expect next year, 2018, he will not be as active professionally, because he will focus  on spending time with his kid. Awww, he will be such a good daddy, with his gentle personality, and loving heart.
He will probably work hard till the end of this year, and in January 2018. Then he will take a well deserved break.
                                                                        
                                                                                        * * *

I was thinking  that I will take a break  from  this blog. I have been doing it, somewhat irregularly,for over 3 yrs now.  Why am I doing it for so long? What is a woman my age doing, following the career, and writing about a Korean singer? True, it's a nice way of relaxing for me, just like any other hobby for other people. 
But perhaps I should take this baby announcement as a milestone, or rather as a final chapter of Dong Ha + myself saga. He is continuously growing - that I know. I already am certain he has made a great carer as an entertainer. I know he has a proper family. I had seen him live at a concert in the US, I had traveled to Korea to see him in a musical, I saw him in person, said a few words to him, got his autograph, and was able to hold his hand. I won't be able to travel to Korea again. He will most likely not come to USA for a while. 
I have listened to hundreds of his performances, and was moved by most of them. I know what to expect. My interest might have faded a little (just a tiny bit!) - there is nothing new to say about Jung Dong Ha from my point of view. He is a great artist. The end.

I wouldn't abandon this blog. No, I still want to play with it, it's fun. I think I would just stop it at the end of 2017, and afterwards I will maybe go back and do maintenance. Correct English mistakes, because I know I make them, check all pictures and videos - make sure they are there - they sometimes disappear for no reason. Maybe I would add some stuff.

Guess who?

Who is this cutie-pie!?  💜😊 

Just when I was deciding to take a break from following  Jung Dong Ha day to day activities, these pictures showed up on the Internet a couple of days ago. It's a nice surprise.  I couldn't just leave them without saving. I seriously love this gypsy/bohemian style .

I don't know what was the occasion he was styled like this  - this is a big change from his usual casual/sportsy style. But I am so pleased he is bold enough to try different way of being dressed.  Just like he has a lot of courage to try new things in his performances - various music genres, various voice range - he is also quite bold to show up in public, or being photographed  dressed differently.
(that photoshoot where he was wearing a flowery suit for"bnt" magazine comes to mind).

Why did I want to take a break from being Jung Dong Ha fan? Hmmm. Perhaps because he's been doing so many various appearances at special concerts, radio stations, some TV interviews - that I wasn't able to follow everything. He's been very active promoting his No. 3 mini album  LIFE. I don't seem to know yet much about the album, except for 2 songs. One is the title song which he performs every time, and that song is not very appealing to me. The second song Happy, is nice, but I didn't get a chance yet to listen to other ones.
Another reason for limiting my activities as fan, is a very strong sense of physical distance . The more time passes, the more far away - far, far away - outside the real world - he seems to be. It's difficult to explain. Maybe I should  leave it all behind? These were my thoughts, until these cute pictures popped up! I guess I can't just leave.

Me, liking these pictures and the way he looks in this style, must be not a typical fan reaction. The other fans must have disliked the images, because the pictures appeared only briefly, and quickly disappeared, without being re-posted like others of his new pics. Nobody even commented on them, ha, ha!

TBT#17, It's Fortunate, 2010!

                      

                                                                                   

Jung Dong Ha talks about his new CD

                      

TBT#16 From a 2013 concert

End of November 2013. At that time I still wasn't aware who Jung Dong Ha was, although I started encountering his videos on You Tube, while trying to research Hong Kwang Ho.
In this video clip, the Boohwal guys are on stage behind Dong Ha, but not for long. A month  or so later, the official split between him and the band was announced.

                      

I wonder if he was aware, while singing here, that he would go different path. Such a cute video. He appears to be very self confident. And cute while being in good mood joking a bit..

More about E.A.Poe

Beautiful poster! Very stylish, remind me of some 19th century paintings.

More good stuff to look forward to - new album soon

This is going to be Jung Dong Ha's album No.3. I suppose albums No.3  are not supposed to be very crucial for singers. It shouldn't make or break  their singing career. I heard that all songs on this album are  written by Dongha himself, and since he is not a very experienced song writer, it appears that this album is a sort of an experiment for him. He probably decided he can afford to take a risk, by trying his writing/composing  ability.  He has gained enough popularity through his TV singing  appearances, like Immortal Song2 and King of Masked Singer, so an album like that should not harm his career at all.  Personally I am not very worried, because regardless whether the album is a commercial success or not, Jung Dong Ha will continue to sing. He will continue testing new waters like he always does. That's why being his fan is so exciting.

    The album is titled "LIFE". My friend Fatma made a very astute observation abut it. She pointed out that his album titles somehow are like continuation. I haven't noticed it, but I think she is right. She wrote: At first I thought the title is too general, then I noticed that all his album titles may be related . The first is BEGIN, it's like when u begin your life, then you have DREAM for the future, then comes LIFE,  like when someone gets hit by the reality, that's why there are songs titled "Alarm" and " Black Hole" in this album.  I think this must be really true, there is a certain concept or idea behind these albums, since the time he started going as a solo artist.              

So then, if this album really reflects a feeling of being hit by the real life, I can understand all the pictures coming with it, that we've seen so far. In all of them Dongha is either pensive or just very serious. Hmmm, but actually all three albums have these kind of pictures. 😊 The professional photographers like to portray Dongha as this mysterious man, deeply lost in his own thought. In reality Dongha is like a gentle sunshine, and not aloof at all. He smiles very readily, and is fun to be around (I think).😊 I have an impression that he is an exceptionally empathic person.

Schedule of the musical "Edgar Allan Poe"

I can't wait for some reports from the rehearsals. I'm sure they will come.

Dong Ha is cast on the first day. This schedule is only for November 2017, but the musical will run until February next year, so Dong Ha will have some other days on stage. I'm sure he will do very well. This role suits him, with all the sad, desperate, gloomy personality of E.A. Poe. He is capable of giving his characters a lot of intensity. I think audiences will be impressed.💙

TBT#15 - When Dong Ha changed his voice...2016

This was the beginning of Dong Ha's run on The King Of Masked Singer show, in August 2016.
Even though he put effort into hiding his identity using a raspy/gritty voice, many fans immediately recognized him. But some people were still confused.
😲
Soon it was obvious it was him behind the "Hurray Radio" mask. 
His face was hidden, his voice was changed, but he couldn't control his body moves, and was recognized by them.
💖
                   
He gave us so much excitement for many weeks, becoming The King, and staying king for many weeks to come!  

  

OMG! Another Musical! POE!

These news gave me a real jolt of excitement. A diligent fan of Jung Dong Ha posted the information about his casting, found on Naver Entertainment online site yesterday, September 25th. He will be the main character  in this musical, based on life of Edgar Allan Poe. I never even heard that such musical existed, so I went to search for some information on Google.
But anyway, I immediately thought, how great for Dong Ha to be in this. Knowing that Poe's writings are really dark and full of mystery or even horror, so I thought the musical numbers should be really memorable, probably dramatic, maybe sad, melancholic and desperate. Dong Ha is really good at expressing these kind of emotions.
Dong Ha, will be one of the 3 actors/singers playing Edgar Allan Poe, alternating with them on different days. Here is the first casting news poster:

The note, as translated by Google, says:
 "Actors Kim Su-yong, Chung Dong-ha and Yoon Hyung-ryul were cast in the main character 'Edgar Allan Poe"

Then they continue to present brief info about each actor/singer.
"Jung Dong Ha has been featured in musicals like 'Notre Dame de Paris', 'Turandot' and 'Jack the Ripper', and has won the best actor award in the 2017 Daegu Musical Awards."

Finally they inform that tickets sale starts October 11th, 2017.

The musical will start this year on NOVEMBER 17th! at the Kwanglim Arts center BBCH Hall, in Seoul.

                                                              ***

This is not the first time this musical is played in Korea in that theater. From what I could find online, they had shows in 2015, and 2016.

Here is a note from 2016, which I found in one of the English language Korean sites:
Edgar Allan Poe is a role that most musical actors dream of taking on. The role is known to require a great amount of musical skill, as its songs cover a wide note range and carry many high notes as well. As soon as it was decided the musical would be landing in Korea, many actors expressed their hopes of joining the cast to the production agency.
                                                                       ***
"Edgar Allan POE, was given a world premiere concert production at Abbey Road Studios London in 2003.
It is about the writer of the same name, who is said to represent 19th century America and has been dubbed “America’s Shakespeare.”
‘Edgar Allan Poe’ is about the uncanny life of Edgar Allan Poe, writer of ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’. He was a genius who even sowed the seeds of the birth of the legendary detective ‘Sherlock Holmes’, but he himself led a dark life. He endured poverty and depression, his mother’s premature death, a painful breakup with his first love, his young wife’s death, and the jealousy of rival Rufus Griswold.
                                                                                              *** 
The musical features the life of American poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe.
Poe had a gloomy and lonely childhood after his parents died when he was 3, though his literary talent allowed him to make a name for himself. He marries Virginia, but she soon dies. Meanwhile, his rival Griswold tries to ruin his reputation out of jealousy.
The numbers of the musical were some of the last written by the beloved composer, the late Eric Woolfson.
                                                                     ***
 The piece will be directed by Noh Woosung of musicals ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘Cougar’ and be taken over by musical director Kim Sungsu of the musicals ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.
I found some pictures of the venue  when they were playing the show in 2016, with different cast, of course.

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Love sign, ^_^

😀👽😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

He has learned it, but late.

                                          This is 2016. Trying Hard.😉
*************************************************
All the pictures below are 2017, I believe. He is putting it into use. So funny.

TBT #14 All the Musicals

                                                                               

"He is so precious."

Musical Festival in Galaxy, September 10, 2017, a song from musical Notre Dame De Paris
               
                                                                                    ***
"Because I Love You" ( Poohang Music Festival, September 9, 2017)
              
                                                                                     ***

Concerts schedule

This is Jung Dong Ha schedule for the rest of the year. This is only his "The Artist" concert - second leg; continuation from 2016. I'm sure there will be many other performances, and public appearances together with other artists, etc... Announcements about those will be posted probably on his Fan Page on FB.