Here's the music video to Vince Vance and the Valiants' holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas is You." (Please DO NOT confuse this song with the Mariah Carey song of the same title.) Originally recorded by the band in 1989, the song was re-released in 1993 and has since become the most played Christmas song among country radio stations in the US. The brilliant vocalist behind this number is Lisa Layne (aka Vickie Valiantette), who is NOT the lady who appears in the above video. The lady you see here is former Miss Ft. Worth Lori Nunn, who does a very fine job of lip-syncing. Merry Christmas!
Song Yoon-ah's Techno Dance
Earlier this month, 35 year-old Korean actress Song Yoon-ah surprised many in the crowd at the 7th Korean Film Awards (including Lost star Yunjin Kim, whom you see seated in the audience in this video) with this techno dance number she did during the show, which she also hosted.
Madison Linh
Madison Linh tells me she's currently a pre-med student in her senior year at UC Davis and a part-time model. I didn't exactly have a lengthy, in-depth interview with her, and when I asked about her modeling experience, she just said that she's worked with "many wondrously talented photographers and artists," but didn't name any names.When asked about her hobbies and interests, she simply told me that she enjoys "working her mind and body with chess and tennis." Madison's also the second girl I've seen turn her Xanga blog into an advice column, where she posts replies to various questions her readers have sent her.
Coincidentally, this feature is being published on the now 22 year-old Madison's birthday.
I-Ling
Taiwanese amateur model I-Ling got into being photographed just this year. The 24 year-old former cheerleader holds a degree in electrical engineering and frequently emcees at banquets, fashion shows, and charity events in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
I-Ling (whose English name is Alice) tells me she's "awesome with public speaking and shy when it comes to singing, dancing, and performing on stage." However, she was convinced to enter the 2006 Miss DC Taiwanese American Pageant where she was among the finalists.
She's currently a designer for a friend's San Francisco-based t-shirt line and is looking to settle down in the near future ...."if a guy can actually keep me interested enough for me to marry him," she jokingly said.
Frost Ng
23 year-old freelance model and student Frost Ng was born and raised in Hong Kong and moved to the US when she was 16. Now based in New York City, she does mostly artistic and fashion shoots, but she's also worked as a fitting model and has done some erotically interesting body paint shoots with light bondage themes. She also does some glamour but not nude. (Sorry guys.)
Frost is currently going to college, majoring in vocal performance. She's tells me she's a coloratura and studies Western classical music and opera. She actually gave me a lot of information on herself before she let me know she had a Model Mayhem profile where I could have gone to and gotten it from, but she was one of the most courteous and nicest girls I've ever contacted about a featured here, so corresponding with her was a pleasure.
Korean Celebs' Tragic Endings
As many US readers may not already know, early this month, top Korean actress Choi Jin-sil (above) committed suicide by hanging herself at her home in Seoul. She was 39. It was reported that she had suffered from depression since her 2002 separation, and messy divorce two years later, from her pro baseball player husband and was upset by recent rumors (she claimed were false) that she had loaned a large sum of money to an actor friend and was pressuring him to pay it back, which was a reason he committed suicide in early September. I suppose the alcohol she had to drink that evening also helped with her decision to take her own life.
Although Jin-sil's death shocked many, it wasn't the first time a high-profile female Korean entertainer has committed suicide in recent years.
Seo Woo for Lotte Ice Cream
Cute newcomer Seo Woo could easily be taken for being Japanese here in this commercial for Lotte ice cream. The 162cm, 20-year-old actress is fun to watch, but when it comes to dancing, she's no Jeon Ji-hyun.
Sylvia Wang
Law student Sylvia Wang (26) first caught my eye after one of her blog entries was featured at Xanga's main page (no small accomplishment, knowing Xanga). After checking out her site, I was absorbed by her writings and was merely considering her for an Asian Sirens feature, but what decisively won me over were her awesome Microsoft Paint stick-figure illustrations.
The 165cm tall, 33-24-35, part-time model and part-time law student was signed to one of the top modeling agencies in Hawaii for two years, but since her attending school in California made it impossible for her to attend auditions in Hawaii, she hasn't been featured in anything noteworthy .... until now.
Sylvia's also a published writer, having had articles appear in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, a self-confessed junk food junkie, and (like Michelle Phan and Leena Nguyen) she's another one of those beautiful Asian girls who's an avid video gamer. "I've played them since I was four, and it's one form of recreation I will never live without," she told me. Oh, and she also has three awesome cats (Pepper, Turnip, and Walnut) that often add color commentary to her blog posts.
Leena Nguyen
Despite feeling she doesn't have the "model look," 24-year-old Viet-Chinese part-time model Leena Nguyen was among the top ten finalists at the 2007 and 2008 Miss Vietnam USA pageants and at the 2007 Miss Norcal Vietnam pageant. She was also crowned Miss California Asia and "Miss Talent" at the 2007 Miss National Asia Pageant. Achievements she is very humble about.
Leena, whose first passion is singing, was a Viet Idol finalist in 2006 and also made the March 2007 cover of the popular Viet lifestyle magazine, BN. She says she currently works with disabled children and plans on going back to school later to pursue a career in dentistry rather than compete in any more pageants, which she had previously considered doing.
An admitted pool addict, she jokingly told me that she "spent most of her high school and college years shooting at a billiards hall" and is an avid video gamer, making time specifically for them every day. And for those of you wondering if she can cook; she can and desserts are her specialty. "Name 'em, I can probably bake 'em," she says.
Korean Belly Dancer Ahn Yoo-jin
An article I read at another site about Chinese ladies taking up pole dancing, reminded me of another form of dance not rooted in the Far East, that's become popular there.
Belly dancing was introduced in Korea in the mid-90s by Ahn Yoo-jin (now 39) shortly after she had begun studying it in New Zealand. Yoo-jin (also know by her English name of Xena) went on to found Belly Korea Academy in 1995, according to the site. However, I remember first reading about her in this article from the Korea Herald in 2001, in which the dates given don't seem to jive. Anyway, regardless of the dates given, You-jin/Xena has appeared numerous times on Korean network television, is the only Korean belly dancer to hold a license from the Istanbul Total Dance Academy and has taught dance classes at several top universities in Korea.
Kim Tae-hee vs. Soy
Popular Korean actress Kim Tae-hee outdoes singer/not-quite-as-popular actress Soy (Kim So-yeon) in a small face challenge in this TV ad for Corn Silk Tea. (Yes, a small face is considered a standard of beauty to many in Korea.)
Korean Bodybuilder Yu Mi-hee
Former aerobics instructor Yu Mi-hee (34) started bodybuilding 12 years ago when she claimed she weighed 176 pounds and wanted to lose weight, but it wasn't until just last year that she won the Miss Korea Bodybuilding Championship. Although still a small field in Korea, the 5'2½", 112-pound Mi-hee is considered to be one of the top female Korean bodybuilders in her weight class. When in training, she says she works out everyday for 3-4 hours and in case you're wondering; she's stated that she does not take steroids.
Friday the 13th Victim, Vickie
It's Friday the 13th, so to commemorate that, here's another victim from the horror movie franchise that took its name from this unlucky day. Vickie (as it's spelled in the closing credits and played by Lauren-Marie Taylor) finds a pre-hockey mask-wearing Jason Voorhees laying in wait under the covers in Friday the 13th Part 2. As mentioned previously, Jason didn't don the now iconic goalie mask until part 3 (in 3-D).
Whatever Happened to Kristara Barrington?
I recently commented on an article at another website, that I wondered what happened to Kristara Barrington, who became one of the top Asian ladies in the adult film industry during the videotape explosion of the early-to-mid-80s, which also marked the end of porn's "Golden Age" of 35mm productions.
Also billed as Kim Charoensuk, China Lee, Kimberly Wong, Mai Nguyen and a few other aliases, Kristara (the name she finally settled on and became best known by) was cast in roles that both did and did not, have to do with her ethnicity, which was believed to be at least part Korean. Her real first name may very well be Kimberly, as that and "Kim" were what she was referred to by in the 1985 porn documentary Fallen Angels.
Foxy Singer and Model, Da-ham
I first noticed Da-ham (23) two years ago as half of the Korean singing duo "Foxy" when her and partner Gemma sported World Cup cheer gear and performed in the fan festivities in Korea. A reader reminded me of her when he linked to her Cyworld blog in the comments on the entry on Oahm Da-hye, that I shared with Asian Sirens.
Da-ham (whose real name according to her Cyworld is Choi Eun-shil and according to her Daum bio is Choi Yea-ram) and her singing partner Gemma (Lee Hwa-young, whose Cyworld is here) are known more for their sex appeal than their singing talents. In fact, it was hard to find any photos of either one of them actually singing. In addition to modeling and singing in little more than swimwear, Da-ham also adds some spice to a Korean TV comedy show called Real Gag.
Hwang Mi-hee
Hwang Mi-hee (26) is currently one of the most popular and most photographed racing/car show models in Korea. According to her brief bio, the 174cm tall beauty began her modeling career just last year at the Daejeon International Dream Car Festival. Besides races and car shows, she also does fashion and glamour modeling. See more of her at her Cyworld blog, these Daum.net photo search results, and here. Happy scrolling.
Korean Ero Actress Oaem Da-hye
It came as no surprise when I recently read that the model featured on the poster for the 2007 South Korean movie Cadaver (above) isn't actress Han Ji-min, who stars in the film, but in fact, is adult video actress (or "ero" actress, as they're called in Korea) Oaem Da-hye (pronounced "Ohm Da-hae"). Even though Da-hye didn't appear in the mainstream film, she has appeared in many other things.
Sunghi Lee - Never Before Seen Photos
Going through some of my old photos, I came across this one of Sunghi Lee, taken in Suwon, South Korea on June 6th, 1998 while she was there to promote her movie A Night on the Water. Not a great film (despite a decent performance by Sunghi), but one I truly feel deserves cult status. Great soundtrack, though.
Kelly Siew
I first caught medical intern and singer Kelly Siew at her Xanga blog and immediately thought her worthy of a inclusion here, so I contacted her about it and she immediately replied saying she was fine with the idea.
Having studied singing since she was 8 years old, the 5' 8", 24 year-old Malaysian native currently lives in Australia, where she's a first-year intern at a small hospital in Melbourne. Kelly's trying to decide between OB/GYN, psychiatry, or family medicine. However, she tells me singing is still her first love, which she does semi-professionally. Some of her achievements include being named first runner-up at this year's TVB International New Talent Singing Championship and 2nd runner-up at this year's Chinese Melbourne Miss University Contest, which the photo at right is from. She's also quite and amateur chef and even shares some of her many personal recipes at her Xanga blog.
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