All about Bi <3

xLilVietDevilx · Post by **xLilVietDevilx** » Dec 25th, '05, 00:35

hMm, i loved that drama

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Dec 25th, '05, 00:36

xKiMix wrote:
xLilVietDevilx wrote:zZz i live on the other side of the united states.... come to LA and i'll go for shure ;]
Same here, if he were to come to San Franisco I will definitly go

i'll go too if he came here in San Fransico

i would love to see him do a LIVE performance

xKiMix · Post by **xKiMix** » Dec 25th, '05, 01:16

Since everyone here is celebrating the number of post they have, i would like to celebrate my 500th post for the hottness of Bi

! also i've read somewhere in this page about a picture contest, i would like to join! I love this guy!!! Here are some of the pictures i have collect, if some of them has been posted pls. forgive me.

Credits go to their respected owners, -most is from Sexy Bi Forum

xLilVietDevilx · Post by **xLilVietDevilx** » Dec 25th, '05, 05:49

nice pics, can't wait for sad tango to come out ^^

cees · Post by **cees** » Dec 25th, '05, 11:28

WOoW!!! nice pix... xKiMix.... and congragulations 4 ur 500th post hope 2 reach u soon and post it here

*Lifo* · Post by ***Lifo*** » Dec 25th, '05, 17:12

They suit eachother so PERFECTLY!

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Dec 25th, '05, 22:54

wow! SEXY pics eh, xKiMix

Congrats on your 500 th post!!!!!

Love those Bi pics you just posted!

cees · Post by **cees** » Dec 27th, '05, 14:45

wooooooooow............... this is my 400th post
i looooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Dec 27th, '05, 21:36

here's two pics of Bi

meme104 · Post by **meme104** » Dec 28th, '05, 03:27

Well in my opinion, i think they look great together

i really wish that Bi would date SHG
and if he's going to marry her, it is fine with me
I give them my permission to marry and my blessing

Sniffles_xp · Post by **Sniffles_xp** » Dec 29th, '05, 00:20

I think Rain and Song Hye Kye make a cute couple and should get together for another movie...and arent they actually going out now? I heard that she broke up with her bf during the shooting of full house and started to go out with Rain

dmaechan · Post by **dmaechan** » Dec 29th, '05, 00:36

this is such a coincidence!!! I just started RE-watching Full House...and yup! they are great together!!!! I really do hope they make another series together or even a movie...

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 29th, '05, 05:37

Ok, personally, I think its not beneficial for his career. I am really bothered that he accepted to become one of Pepsi's "smorgasbord" of celebrity endorsers. It makes him look only a part of a group instead of one of Asia's brightest stars

Alright, am I the only one who thinks the pepsi presentation smelled artificial and fake? I didnt see Bi's personality in the entire thing except for the background music which played his songs.

Sword thrusting? Since when did a Korean hiphop artist started brandeshing swords? Whats with the delicate, oh-so-proper straw sipping? When did Bi become so delicate? He's not....he's shy, but not delicate.

The entire time I was watching him making cutesy faces with the audience, I was thinking that he was seriously wasting time doing these stuff instead of using the time to rest or to work on his music. It's not Bi. The Bi that we know works his butt of everyday for what he loves--music and dance and now, acting.

But having regular meet-and-greet pepsi events takes away rest time or serious work time from his already tight schedule. Smiling consistently for an hour onstage without singing or dancing looks silly and frankly, a waste of time. I mean, what is the end goal of all these activities?

TO please the fans? TO feel close to the fans?

He could do that with concerts and movies, and series.

So, what?

TO sell a product. TO become commercial.

And that, I think, is the problem in this Pepsi gig. The obligation to conform to a pepsi image might affect the authentic image of Bi the performer. Stars do commercials ofcourse. Even American actors do commercials in Japan.

But do they have regular meet-and-greet events where they play games with pepsi cans along with fans for an hour? Bi doesnt need to do that.

When I saw Bi wearing that soldier jacket, I thought that it was so inconsistent of his style that I've watched on and off-stage. I began feeling uncomfortable seeing him in a way that feels somehow artificial.

Ok, so that's my take for now. Happy to get it off my chest.

Feel free to put in your 2 cents.
[/b]

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 29th, '05, 05:43

nah, you're just overreacting. any kind of publicity is good publicity.

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 29th, '05, 07:24

bugsie wrote:nah, you're just overreacting. any kind of publicity is good publicity.

of course not.

50 cent collaborating with Britney Spears isnt exactly going to make his male fan base impressed. They'd be happy with the visuals (I mean, Britney does love to show skin), but the music isn't going to make them buy his single.

Its the same thing with Bi collaborating with F4 (a boybandbest known for their looks and a series they shot 5 years ago) and doing cheesy Pepsi stunts.

There is a big difference between smart publicity and simply bad publicity. Smart publicity, whether good or bad news will still have a lasting positive effecto on an artist, while bad publicity will more likely turn off fans in the long run. If Eminem curse and disses in his rap, it looks bad, but still in the long run it works for his career. But if he starts collaborating with 3rd rate artists, then say bye bye to his male fans.

I dont want to see all Bi's hard work pulled down by all these cheese factor he doing--and Pepsi and F4 are damn cheesy. He doesnt even have a large male fan base, and that's the market he has to win if he really wants to be serious with his hiphop music.

scott12199 · Post by **scott12199** » Dec 30th, '05, 01:25

lol....

bi vs brittney in a dance off... woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!
who will win?

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 30th, '05, 01:40

there's no such thing as smart and bad publicity. as long as the artist is within your radar, it'll be good for them. and another thing, don't expect Bi to stay stagnant like that forever, he is gonna try things that he thinks is good for his career.

EDIT: i'm not a Bi fan, but it think he can pull that stunt off.

TNF · Post by **TNF** » Dec 30th, '05, 01:51

no such thing as bad publicity. Just look at paris hilton. Her debut was a home-made sex video. Her following moves were a 2 season hit-tv reality show and burger king commercials

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 30th, '05, 01:55

tikleabubble just mentioned the perfect example.

Funkie_dayZ · Post by **Funkie_dayZ** » Dec 30th, '05, 02:12

it doesnt reallymatter. its juz publicity. like wad most of u had said. no such thing as good or bad publicity

Wwaldo37 · Post by **Wwaldo37** » Dec 30th, '05, 02:22

Maybe (bad) publicity is only bad for those few with an innocent image?

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 30th, '05, 10:54

Funkie_dayZ wrote:it doesnt reallymatter. its juz publicity. like wad most of u had said. no such thing as good or bad publicity

Im glad this topic is moving regardless if people agree or not....

anyway, i still believe there should be a strategy when you want to navigate a person's career.
Paris Hilton is not aiming to becoming a serious actress, nor will she be considered one in the near future. So, regardless of whatever publicity she gets, it will be a good one for her because her image has always been this sort of bad girl.

Now, if 50 cent started doing cheesy commercials and events where he has to smile between 45-60 minutes to a cheering, mostly female audience and where he has to brandish a sword and wear a soldierjacket, i wonder if his core audience will be pleased with him or if he will still be as credible as he was before.

In business, image and branding is important. This cannot be disputed, and therefore smart publicity is important whether it may be bad or good news. If the publicity complements or stimulates an image, then it is smart publicity. So i have to disagree and say that there is a distinction between smart and bad publicity.

For example, if Bi collaborates with F4, a group known for compensating their lack of vocals and dance moves with their looks, what kind of image does bi send to his fans who love his music? On the one hand, you have a guy who worked and trained his @ss off to develop his vocals, dance and acting skills, and he sings with 4 guys who are usually lip synching and could barely move to a song's rthym. That is a ridiculous career strategy.

Bi will not be stagnant or static, but he should be dynamic towards a strategy that will help his goal of gaining world wide recognition. He says he wants to be recognized as Asia's pride in America, so how will doing regular Pepsi meet-and-greet events(my gawd, that oath taking was really freaky) and collaborating with a 3rd rate boyband help his goal?

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 30th, '05, 13:16

In business, image and branding is important. This cannot be disputed, and therefore smart publicity is important whether it may be bad or good news. If the publicity complements or stimulates an image, then it is smart publicity. So i have to disagree and say that there is a distinction between smart and bad publicity.

we are talking about show business here not a service oriented or a product oriented business. if you are in a service oriented or a product oriented business, i totally agree with you, the company needs good publicity. but in show business, they always need to stay in the radar of everyone, so there is no such thing as a good and bad publicity, as long as the celebrity can be recognized by the people, it's a good thing for them.

and do you think everybody watches his concerts? watch his TV series? nah, i don't think so. so how do he plans to dominate the asian market if many people doesn't even know him? just go to your nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet and you can see a Pepsi poster there.

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 30th, '05, 19:45

bugsie wrote:
In business, image and branding is important. This cannot be disputed, and therefore smart publicity is important whether it may be bad or good news. If the publicity complements or stimulates an image, then it is smart publicity. So i have to disagree and say that there is a distinction between smart and bad publicity.
we are talking about show business here not a service oriented or a product oriented business. if you are in a service oriented or a product oriented business, i totally agree with you, the company needs good publicity. but in show business, they always need to stay in the radar of everyone, so there is no such thing as a good and bad publicity, as long as the celebrity can be recognized by the people, it's a good thing for them.

and do you think everybody watches his concerts? watch his TV series? nah, i don't think so. so how do he plans to dominate the asian market if many people doesn't even know him? just go to your nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet and you can see a Pepsi poster there.

Branding is important in any business, no exception --be it in IT, real-estate, show business, fashion, etc. It has reached to the most personal level that there are even books about Personal Branding, or about establishing your own brand, regardless of industry you are in. I should know, I was a researcher for the book "Personal Branding," you can google it in the Internet if you are interested.

Martha Stewart has her brand of domestic diva, Donald Trump as the real-estate maverick, Oprah as Media's Queen. When Martha went to prison, her stocks plunged, and they are still in the process of re-establishing the strenght of the Martha Stewart brand. If Oprah was involved in an incident which would tarnish her "enlightened, do good to all" image, it will certainly affect her negatively. In showbiz, like in any industry, branding is essential, if not vital.

As for the exposure Pepsi will supposedly give him, just how long have those HKG Pepsi endorsers been around, and have any of them made a big dent in other asian markets except mandarin speaking China, HKG, and Taiwan? Ask a random Malaysian if she thinks Edison Chen is a good actor and she'd probably give you a blank look.

The english language is more important for him to concentrate on. Since most of asia already know who he is thanks to Full House, an album released in an a language most asians(not to mention the rest of the world) can understand will solidify his dream of going international. English will make his songs more mainstream and reachable AND understandable to most of Asia--not his face in soda cans and posters in Kentucky friend chicken.

Childhoodless · Post by **Childhoodless** » Dec 30th, '05, 20:32

himura_kaoru1 wrote:Martha Stewart has her brand of domestic diva, Donald Trump as the real-estate maverick, Oprah as Media's Queen. When Martha went to prison, her stocks plunged, and they are still in the process of re-establishing the strenght of the Martha Stewart brand. If Oprah was involved in an incident which would tarnish her "enlightened, do good to all" image, it will certainly affect her negatively. In showbiz, like in any industry, branding is essential, if not vital.

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. Bi's association with the Pepsi brand and collaboration with F4 is hardly like Martha Stewart's ordeal. If Bi were arrested for embezzlement or child slavery, then yes, that would be bad for his career.

And show business, although it is business, is very fickle and extremely unstable. If you're not in the spotlight for too long, you're already old news. People's careers are very ethereal. One mistake, one not-so-good movie, one off-color remark can tarnish a person's career, unless they've already reached superstar status, like your Tom Cruises and Brad Pitts. Any exposure is good exposure.

The english language is more important for him to concentrate on. Since most of asia already know who he is thanks to Full House, an album released in an a language most asians(not to mention the rest of the world) can understand will solidify his dream of going international. English will make his songs more mainstream and reachable AND understandable to most of Asia--not his face in soda cans and posters in Kentucky friend chicken.

Bi is the supposedly hot thing now. Language is not as big of a deal here as you're making it out to be. It's not like you open up a can of Pepsi and Bi starts singing through the can. It's his image they're after, is it not?

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 30th, '05, 21:10

Childhoodless wrote:
himura_kaoru1 wrote:Martha Stewart has her brand of domestic diva, Donald Trump as the real-estate maverick, Oprah as Media's Queen. When Martha went to prison, her stocks plunged, and they are still in the process of re-establishing the strenght of the Martha Stewart brand. If Oprah was involved in an incident which would tarnish her "enlightened, do good to all" image, it will certainly affect her negatively. In showbiz, like in any industry, branding is essential, if not vital.
I think you're comparing apples to oranges. Bi's association with the Pepsi brand and collaboration with F4 is hardly like Martha Stewart's ordeal. If Bi were arrested for embezzlement or child slavery, then yes, that would be bad for his career.

regardless of how close the comparison is, Bi has an image like the personalities that were mentioned above. Now, have you been in a meet-and-greet Pepsi event? Have you seen the recent Pepsi commercials by F4, Jay Chou and company. Bi's image as a hiphop singer and dancer and the corresponding image of an asian pepsi endorser is not exactly complimentary.

I've been to a Pepsi meet-and-greet in HKG and I saw Sammi Cheng being lifted on stage holding a toy gun. Sammi Cheng is like HKG's Julia Roberts. There was also a segment where each endorser had to sip from a Pepsi can and guess what type of Pepsi he/she was drinking. During the event, around 9 Pepsi endorsers were standing like people in front of the firing squad as they waited their turn to be interviewed. This inane activity went on for an hour with only Sammi Cheng, another older hkg star and F4 having the chance to speak a few sentences while the rest stood stifly beside them. These are supposedly big stars, and yet they were standing on stage, practically mute, and basically just to serve as eye candy to screaming fans. It was not an impressive moment for any of them.

Have you seen the Pepsi commericial where they were in the desert, running after a giant robot who stole their pepsi can? It looked ridiculous and I was just glad I didn't like any of the artist in the line-up so I wasnt deflated after seeing the event and the commercials.

For most of 2004, F4's top man Jerry Yan spent most of the year flying all over Asia to do different meet-and-greet Pepsi events and commercials instead of shooting a drama series or a film. His fans (and I was one during this time) waited for him to actually do real work so we can watch him perform again. Instead, all we got were video clips of him smiling, hugging, and basically playing with fans for most of the year. If Bi is serious in establishing an international career, meet-and-greet events like these that he is obligated to do as a major Pepsi endorser are time away from work on his album, film and language lessons.

But most of all, what is F4's reputation to music critques and to journalists? It is a difficult fact to dispute that collectively and individually, the men cannot sing well (if at all), only one F4 member can dance, and each of them only has average acting skills. It doesn't make sense for an established singer to make a musical collaboration with a group well known for their inability to sing.

Bi is the supposedly hot thing now. Language is not as big of a deal here as you're making it out to be. It's not like you open up a can of Pepsi and Bi starts singing through the can. It's his image they're after, is it not?

LAnguage is supposedly not a big deal where? I am in Asia, and although Bi is relatively popular in my country, people recognize him more as an actor because his series was dubbed in the local language and people understood his character. Although there have been promotions for his album, it doesnt sell as well as english albums and english speaking singers because people could not understand what he was singing. So, what does Pepsi have anything to contribute to his being a singer who can cross over asia and to the western market? It's not like his Pepsi deal means he can suddenly sing in english. It's not like showing his image in cans and billboards all over China, Taiwan and HKG would mean that the Chinese fans can suddenly understand what he is singing.

So if Bi wants to go international, the surest and sustainable way is to master english.

groink · Post by **groink** » Dec 30th, '05, 21:35

Personally, I could care less of this "Bi" guy, or anyone else for that matter. I don't know what this guy even does. I'd just like to get one idea across here...

There are dozens of people involved in an artist's career. That's why show business created the talent agency concept. Rather than an artist managing himself and make stupid business decisions, the artist hires a talent agency to manage his career. And we ALL know that artists are really dumb people when it comes to business. So they need all the professional help they can get.

Talent agencies are not groups of dumb people. They have years of training and experience dealing with you idol fans. Whether you like it or not, the talent agencies and show business in general controls YOU. So when a lot of money is thrown into a promotional gig like this Bi dude with Pepsi, there was a LOT of thought put into it.

Regardless of how Pepsi will benefit from this... How will this "stunt" work for the artist? Long-term potential? Short-term potential? I always believe that when you deal with Asian idols, EVERYTHING is short-term. That's because the attention span of a typical Asian idol fan is very short. I read several references to the "radar" in this topic, and unfortunately that is a correct way of putting it. If you're a TRUE idol fan of a certain artist, you don't need to be hounded by the media on a daily basis just to remind you that you idolize a certain artist. Regardless of what your idol does, you will continue to idolize him.

Look at the Japanese side... You have women like the biggest slut in Matsuda Seiko sleeping around with guy-after-guy. You have dozens of women modeling in swimwear, selling photobooks like crazy. You see divorce-after-divorce amongst the artists. One Momusu girl plagiarize her own message to her fans. But even with all of that, every one of these people are still very famous and are doing VERY well in the business.

And you're complaining about a guy strutting his stuff for Pepsi??????? That is NOTHING in comparison to what bad things he could do for his career. Again, idol fans have a short attention span. So whatever this guy does - in the long-term it will NOT matter. Maybe for the creator of this topic it does. But I have a good feeling that the VERY LARGE majority of his fans don't feel the same way.

Idol fans are a whack job. I tell ya...

--- groink

flynvballer · Post by **flynvballer** » Dec 30th, '05, 21:38

Im sorry to say himura_kaoru1 but no one is agreeing with what your saying, well you've provided a lot of good points but in general Bi doing this PEPSI thing isnt going to change anything for him. Maybe he added a few more fans who never saw his movies or heard his songs before, im pretty sure no one hated him after doing pepsi correct?

Personally I think Bi's singing is really bad, saw a bunch of his performances and they were blehhish to me, but his dancing is good. But I like Bi for the actor he is in full house and sang doo, but I hated him in A LOVE TO KILL. Maybe cuz i hated how they used a not so attractive girl for his love partner (sang doo was one of those girls as well but...).

By reading what everyone else said you can see that no one cares if he does this commercial and waste his time smiling infront of ppl. and like someone says, bad publicity is better than no publicity. He i didnt read this post i wouldnt even kno that Bi was still doing anything right now. If i saw his commercial and as bad as u make it sound like, the worse reaction it can get from me is.... haha ok gay commercial, but that will be the end of it.

Maybe u're the only one feeling all angry about this and maybe there are a rare few who feel the same but if the majority doesnt care, then obviously it doesnt matter....

my 8 cents...

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 30th, '05, 21:38

So if Bi wants to go international, the surest and sustainable way is to master english.

by the time he masters speaking english, there will be another asian superstar better than him in all aspect. have you asked yourself why he wants to become an international artist? okay, let's not talk about money, even if it's actually one of the main reasons. let's make it for recognition, he wants to be recognized all around the world, do you think singing in english in which almost every international artists do, every international artists does better, can give him his most wanted attention? i don't think so. so he needs to market himself in every way possible.

Personally I think Bi's singing is really bad, saw a bunch of his performances and they were blehhish to me, but his dancing is good. But I like Bi for the actor he is in full house and sang doo, but I hated him in A LOVE TO KILL.

my thoughts exactly, he can't sing that well. but he's a good actor though, haven't seen "A Love to Kill", but many people are disappointed with it.

btw, you're pretty courageous in making the point that Bi can't sing well, i'm thinking twice to say it because i don't wanna get flamed.

bioshiva07 · Post by **bioshiva07** » Dec 30th, '05, 21:52

according to most of the posts, it seems like you guys hate F4.

oh well, everyone is titled to his/her own opinion. I would personally love to see Bi collaborate with F4. The Pepsi move would totally bring him more publicity. And it's his decision, well his publicists's. they must think it's a good career move for him. i don't think it's going to have that much of a negative effect on his image, if any. go bi!

yakusoku92 · Post by **yakusoku92** » Dec 31st, '05, 00:16

i think they should do another one together

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 31st, '05, 08:37

i absolutely dont mind that no one agrees with me, believe me, so no need to say sorry. i am please though that this topic is being discussed, it doesnt matter if i am the only one arguing a different stand point.

i feel it was also my fault in not making my points clear as to why i am worried with this Pepsi gig, so I should be more clear:

1.) when you are one of their top endorsers, you are required to a certain number of meet-and-greet events as per contract. I know this because I used to like Jerry Yan and being a top endorser, he was required to go to 6 or more meet and greet events per year. Meet and greet events last for an hour. The endorser does not perform a song or dance number from his album (if he is a singer). He can only sing Pepsi jingles.

2.) The one hour is actually just a Pepsi version of fans day. You play games with the fans. You make pyraminds out of Pepsi cans, push a barrel full of Pepsi to the finish line, make cutesy gestures to the camera(shudders), all for the screaming pleasure of fans.

3.) When you make movies or series, you will drink and show Pepsi. Yes, even in Initial D, Edision Chen and Jay CHou had to show they were drinking Pepsi after an intense race instead of beer, which you would expect guys to do after a drag racing event. F4 drank only Pepsi during the Meteor Garden 2 series.

4.) During F4 concerts, they are required to sing the Pepsi song and for that number, dress in a Pepsi uniform. All the videos I've seen are the same, and the live performances are the same as well.

Now, if you really like music, would any of these events promote Bi's career as a singer? In marketing, market sementation is important and you cannot just sell to anyone. Will loyal music fans, Bi's market, be persuaded to buy his album and watch his concerts because they've seen Bi do all the above mentioned Pepsi gimmicks?

I say no, and this is why:

1.) Pepsi will transfer his name to a larger market, true. But what is the image that Pepsi will transfer? What will the fans or potential fans see? His pained face with a permanent fake smile during meet and greet events? Seeing him push a wheel barrel full of pepsi cans? Seeing him lift a Pepsi sword and basically not know what to do with it?

2.) If there is something I am trying to be optimistic about regarding this Pepsi thing is that HOPEFULLY, they will make commercials that will transmit the long-established image of Bi as a singer and not a cf that has nothing to do with his job.

e.g.., F4 made a Pepsi cf where they were running around the beach looking for a girl. That's cute for the young girl audience, but what does it say about F4? It says we are cute guys, that's all. When F4 and company were running at the desert to look for the giant robot who stole their pepsi, I dont really understand what the concept was about.
Anyway, HOPEFULLY, when Bi does make a cf, it will showcase him as a singer, so that all your arguments that Pepsi will be a vehicle for him to be known as an artist in asia will be true. Believe me, since I am fan, I want that for him inspite of my objections to the Pepsi gig.

bugsie
when you said that by the time he learns the english language, there would be a superstar better than him in that aspect, you have actually proven my point. Instead of spending so much time travelling around Asia in meet and greet events(and this is the point of my argument. because meet-and-greets are stringent requirments for top endorsers), he has less time to concentrate on learning english-- the language that is understood by most of asia and the world. Sure, he makes hearts go wild when he smiles at fans in meet and greet events; but in the meantime, music fans like me are waiting for his next album and songs which we can understand.

He wants recognition as soon as possible, and most people think that Pepsi is the most logical way to go, this is what I surmise from all your replies. My point is, it is not the best way. I say learning english asap and concentrating on his music is still the best way instead of doing so many meet-and-greet and Pepsi commercials. You say Bi isnt really that good a singer? Then you have strengthened my argument? How will he win music fans if he goes to these meet-and greet events instead on improving his vocals and technique?

Being a well-known Pepsi endorser will not persuade music fans to buy his album if they cannot understand what he is singing. Even Taiwanese megastar Jay Chou, with his Pepsi endorsement and fame in mandarin speaking countries, cannot transcend beyond China, Taiwan and HKG-- his core audience. Why? Becasue people in Bangkok or Manila, or Tokyo do not understand what he is singing.

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 31st, '05, 09:07

groink wrote:
Regardless of how Pepsi will benefit from this... How will this "stunt" work for the artist? Long-term potential? Short-term potential? I always believe that when you deal with Asian idols, EVERYTHING is short-term. That's because the attention span of a typical Asian idol fan is very short. I read several references to the "radar" in this topic, and unfortunately that is a correct way of putting it. If you're a TRUE idol fan of a certain artist, you don't need to be hounded by the media on a daily basis just to remind you that you idolize a certain artist. Regardless of what your idol does, you will continue to idolize him.

Look at the Japanese side... You have women like the biggest slut in Matsuda Seiko sleeping around with guy-after-guy. You have dozens of women modeling in swimwear, selling photobooks like crazy. You see divorce-after-divorce amongst the artists. One Momusu girl plagiarize her own message to her fans. But even with all of that, every one of these people are still very famous and are doing VERY well in the business.

Idol fans are a whack job. I tell ya...

--- groink

SInce you do not know Bi, I have to tell you something about him. He wants to go INTERNATIONAL. He doesn't want to be just another idol Asian artist. He stated this categorically in a CNN interview. And since as you said, the attention span of a typical asian idol fan is short term(which I do agree), he should do something that will improve his long term chances to the international fame he wants. Pepsi is not the best choice.

I have liked this Bi dude for a year and have 40GB file of his performances, and I like his music, his dance, and I liked his choices of roles except for IJUKSA. The 40GB of performances I have of him is not the Bi I saw in that horrendously cheesy and fluffy Pepsi event wearing that tacky Pepsi uniform. I guess I am not a typical asian fan because I do not like girlish style on men, it gives me the shudders.

DOing cheesy commercials and meet-and-greet events will not win him the ever-so-important male audience that will help his longevity. Usher, the man he is compared with has that essential male audience that differentiates him from just a hearthrob singer or boybands that last for 5 seconds. So far, Bi's core audience are women, and women are a fickle lot. They still like him more because he is supposedly hot and sexy, but what if another hot and sexy guy comes along? Then bye bye Bi? Bi needs to win a loyal male audience.

flynvballer wrote: Personally I think Bi's singing is really bad, saw a bunch of his performances and they were blehhish to me, but his dancing is good. But I like Bi for the actor he is in full house and sang doo, but I hated him in A LOVE TO KILL. Maybe cuz i hated how they used a not so attractive girl for his love partner (sang doo was one of those girls as well but...).

By reading what everyone else said you can see that no one cares if he does this commercial and waste his time smiling infront of ppl. and like someone says, bad publicity is better than no publicity. He i didnt read this post i wouldnt even kno that Bi was still doing anything right now. If i saw his commercial and as bad as u make it sound like, the worse reaction it can get from me is.... haha ok gay commercial, but that will be the end of it.

my 8 cents...

My point exactly. A potential male fan, who has no idea who he is, would see his cheesy commercials, costumes, and cutesy Pepsi events and dismiss him as fluff. I know the American male audience see Asian male entertainers as somewhat girly, and doing these activities for Pepsi will not help change that image--and Bi wants to have a career in America.

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 31st, '05, 10:26

himura_kaoru1 wrote: bugsie
when you said that by the time he learns the english language, there would be a superstar better than him in that aspect, you have actually proven my point. Instead of spending so much time travelling around Asia in meet and greet events(and this is the point of my argument. because meet-and-greets are stringent requirments for top endorsers), he has less time to concentrate on learning english-- the language that is understood by most of asia and the world. Sure, he makes hearts go wild when he smiles at fans in meet and greet events; but in the meantime, music fans like me are waiting for his next album and songs which we can understand.

He wants recognition as soon as possible, and most people think that Pepsi is the most logical way to go, this is what I surmise from all your replies. My point is, it is not the best way. I say learning english asap and concentrating on his music is still the best way instead of doing so many meet-and-greet and Pepsi commercials. You say Bi isnt really that good a singer? Then you have strengthened my argument? How will he win music fans if he goes to these meet-and greet events instead on improving his vocals and technique?

so he can't learn english while doing that Pepsi stuff? he can't practice singing while doing publicity stunts for Pepsi? i pity Bi beacause his fans think he's dumb as a wild monkey who can't even do two things at the same time. and by the way, you said you hated his Pepsi stunts because he can't produce any work? but now you are saying he must not work, so that he can practice?

My point exactly. A potential male fan, who has no idea who he is, would see his cheesy commercials, costumes, and cutesy Pepsi events and dismiss him as fluff. I know the American male audience see Asian male entertainers as somewhat girly, and doing these activities for Pepsi will not help change that image--and Bi wants to have a career in America.

let us say he is already good in english and in singing after practicing for a whole year without distractions from media or work, do you think that americans will pick up Bi because he sings well and speaks english well? hell no! there are tons of singer wannabes in america that they won't even look at Bi unless he is so famous in asia that his presence can heal cancer patients. and he can't achieve dominating the asian market with only his music, he has to be everywhere so that people will recognize him.

Templar · Post by **Templar** » Dec 31st, '05, 10:57

First off I think we need to realize that these "artists" are not the noble people that the die-hard fans are fooled into thinking. Time is the enemy for them and they, their producers, record labels, etc all know this. The bulk of all profits he will make in his career is now, while he young and famous. Tommorow never comes for the majority of these stars and the agents know this and need to cash in fast. I know everyone out there, or most everyone, wants to believe in the hearts and minds of their singing/acting idol, but its economics that makes all industries operate. It would be foolish to think this industry is any different. The fact is Bi has to do what his management want him to or else there will be less opportunities offered later. There are a million other idols who will take the promotion money if he doesn't, so why not take it. Image is just that, something fake to keep the fans believing and the money rolling in.

scott12199 · Post by **scott12199** » Dec 31st, '05, 13:54

I agree with Templiar... It's not like Bi will get a pepis contract at the age of 35... He should rake in as much as he can right now before it's too late for him.

Funkie_dayZ · Post by **Funkie_dayZ** » Dec 31st, '05, 14:11

i still dun find the point in having a big fuss about this.
he should do as much as he can while he is still young and healthy compared to when 30-40 years down the road. if he wants go international, i believe PEPSI is one of the good choices out there. it's just pepsi. PEPSI loves to have popular artists as their ambassadors.

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Dec 31st, '05, 15:55

bugsie wrote:
so he can't learn english while doing that Pepsi stuff? he can't practice singing while doing publicity stunts for Pepsi? i pity Bi beacause his fans think he's dumb as a wild monkey who can't even do two things at the same time. and by the way, you said you hated his Pepsi stunts because he can't produce any work? but now you are saying he must not work, so that he can practice?

let us say he is already good in english and in singing after practicing for a whole year without distractions from media or work, do you think that americans will pick up Bi because he sings well and speaks english well? hell no! there are tons of singer wannabes in america that they won't even look at Bi unless he is so famous in asia that his presence can heal cancer patients. and he can't achieve dominating the asian market with only his music, he has to be everywhere so that people will recognize him.

such vehemence...calm down when you post. dont argue with words using "dumb monkey" coz its uncalled for. You say you're not a fan, so i suppose i have to understand why you think he can do all that you say he can. His management posts his schedule months in advance and his fans know just how tight his schedule is, as early as mid 2005. We already know how his schedule will look until early 2006, and that was prior to Pepsi. So before you start calling Bi some dumb monkey just because we are concerned of the projects he takes, you should know what you're talking about. We know an artist has to accept endorsement contracts to elevate his status, but what I'm pointing out is the product they push are important in keeping with their image. I believe that Pepsi is not going to do that for him based on what I've seen Pepsi has "helped" in making the rest of its Asian endorsers known to Asia. The biggest celebrity from Pepsi, Jay Chou, has not gained a significant fanbase aside from manadarin speaking Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, inspite of being with Pepsi for years.

There was petition his fan from Brasil started in early 2005 for him to rest. Yes, you read it right, a petition to rest. Sounds stupid? It was such a big deal that KBS, a major Korean network and the producer of his recent series, posted the news in their website and run the news on TV in Korea. The Brasilian fan started the controversial, if somewhat unorthodox proposal becaue we already knew just what his schedule was and it was going to be a bleeder. He could hardly breathe with his commitments. SO for your question if we think Bi can't learn english and work on his album if he has all these Pepsi commitments, we say he could, but a very slow pace and the quality of his work might be affected. We already came to expect excellent work from Bi,and if he slides, believe me, his fans who loved his music since 2002 will be very dissapointed. And since his goal is America ASAP, he doesnt have the luxury of taking his time in learning english. So if he has to choose his endorsements, he has to choose the product that will be consistent with his image. Pepsi is fluff, he is not.

SInce you say you are not a fan and don't really know BI, how can you assume that he is not capable to make it in America even if he does become fluent in english? He believes it, most of his fans believe, and if he concentrates on his goal, it might come true and doubters will realize his capabilities.

A quick info on Bi, he is a hiphop guy:

favorite singer: 50 Cent
favorite music: hiphop
clothes style: hiphop
favorite vehicle: hummer
collaborated with: Li'l Kim and Tyrese

and this is one of my favorite performances of his:

Since you're so sure that Pepsi will help his career, I suggest you check the videos of how they conduct their meet-and-greet events and see how cheesy it is, how full of fluff, and how ridiculous. And then you can find out for yourself why the hiphop Bi that his fans who've seen his career progressed are concerned with this new Pepsi image.

By the way, this is the F4, and co-Pepsi endorsers that hopefully, he will never have to collaborate with inspite of the rumors:

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Dec 31st, '05, 18:20

i'm not saying he is like a monkey. and by the way, if you think it's an insult to Bi, i apologize for that, to cut this short, since some people here mentioned money, i'm pretty sure it's one of the reasons. but i respect him, i'm not gonna say that's the ONLY reason, maybe he really dreams to be an international artist. to finish this argument,

DON'T BUY PEPSI!!

Rain_Prodigy · Post by **Rain_Prodigy** » Jan 1st, '06, 06:28

groink wrote:Personally, I could care less of this "Bi" guy, or anyone else for that matter. I don't know what this guy even does. I'd just like to get one idea across here...

Which i am freaking thinking why u even bother to respond to this thread, imean the thread is created for the subject on Bi and if YOU are NOT a fan and YOU know NUTS about him why you even bother to reply because THIS thread was created in particular subject on BI IN PEPSI COMMERCIAL AD!!! Not that i dun see where you are coming from but the problem here is that i realise if not ALL but 90% of the people responding to this thread are NOT Bi fans AT ALL So really if ALL of YOU dun know anything about him and cant be bothered what he is doing why bother being in THIS THREAD cause this thread is created in the interest of Bi and not for people spoiling to let go of their 2 cents worth on a person they know next to nothing about!!! AND yes i am addressing to every single soul here who is responding without even knowing who this Bi person is...

There are dozens of people involved in an artist's career. That's why show business created the talent agency concept. Rather than an artist managing himself and make stupid business decisions, the artist hires a talent agency to manage his career. And we ALL know that artists are really dumb people when it comes to business. So they need all the professional help they can get.
Back to the point above, please DO NOT ANYHOW label an artist dumb because you dont even know him to make this statement. How would you like if i said you were dumb in making business decisions when i hardly know you at all...I mean i am not beng personal here but it is really unfair to make such a whipping judgement. One thing for DEFINITE, Bi aka(if you dun know aka is, it's 'also known as') Jeong JiHoon aka Rain is not dumb! He has ambitious which he worked damn hard to achieve he has believes beyond your wildest dream even you can't fulfill it even if you had 50% of his determination. His determination is SO impactful that you will be so ashame of yourself asking what have i been doing all this while when i can probably achieve half the world at my age if i started sleeping barely 2 hrs a day from the age of 22. By the way if you happen to not realise maybe you should read back what Himura have to say about Bi, and how we fans know of his schedule 3 to 4 months in advance, did it come across to you that he is NOT dumb he just too busy to take everything upon his shoulders. For GOD sake we even have a petition for him to rest which was broadcast on KBS news in Korea, now maybe you tell how many Idols have that happening to them!

And for your information he is taking his Masters this year 2006, after completing his degree WHILE sustaining a whole of year schedule tight performances, commercial films and movie filming.

Look at the Japanese side... You have women like the biggest slut in Matsuda Seiko sleeping around with guy-after-guy. You have dozens of women modeling in swimwear, selling photobooks like crazy. You see divorce-after-divorce amongst the artists. One Momusu girl plagiarize her own message to her fans. But even with all of that, every one of these people are still very famous and are doing VERY well in the business.
Now this is what i call comparing apples to cabbages, this call for drastic measures...Excuse me Bi is in the decent line of business here, definitely not porno ok please pick a relevant example even if you want to compare. Totally irrelevant!!

And you're complaining about a guy strutting his stuff for Pepsi??????? That is NOTHING in comparison to what bad things he could do for his career. Again, idol fans have a short attention span. So whatever this guy does - in the long-term it will NOT matter. Maybe for the creator of this topic it does. But I have a good feeling that the VERY LARGE majority of his fans don't feel the same way.

Totally agree with you here, yes for an idol fan it will be a short span of attention. Even Bi understands that he cant keep his fans forever so what does he do about it??? He works hard, continuously improve himself, have the never say die attitude, take all challenges and obstacle point blank. He even plans to go into fasion design at the age of 30. There i have also said my piece, i think this is more than 50 cents worth please don't be offended cause i am sure if someone is clueless about your idol and start making pointless remarks you will also burst. This is totally not personnal ok, peace out

By the way i am a DIE HARD FAN of Bi!!!

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Jan 1st, '06, 06:47

@Rain_Prodigy: hey, you're totally way off the topic.

Rain_Prodigy · Post by **Rain_Prodigy** » Jan 1st, '06, 07:15

flynvballer wrote:Im sorry to say himura_kaoru1 but no one is agreeing with what your saying, well you've provided a lot of good points but in general Bi doing this PEPSI thing isnt going to change anything for him. Maybe he added a few more fans who never saw his movies or heard his songs before, im pretty sure no one hated him after doing pepsi correct?
Personally I think Bi's singing is really bad, saw a bunch of his performances and they were blehhish to me, but his dancing is good.
Ahem....I am sorry to say you are wrong, i for one agrees with himura_kaoru1, and i believe if you do not stop pushing your point on Bi, i will get the rest of the die hard bier fans down here to support himura_kaoru1 argument. But i dun think i want to create a rakus here so i better don't

We do not agree he should do the Pepsi thing cause we feel it is NOT necessary, he does not need a few more fans by his side cause i think he has more than he can handle. He has so much lined up on his schedule for 2006 he hardly have enough time to sleep, and now he is rushing a 4th album CD, a Japanese album CD, a movie film and a tour around 30 countries in Asia, plus comercial films. At this point of time, these are jus tentative because if you know Bi like we do...he is FULL of surprises!! Not forgetting he wants to master the languages English, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Cantonese and to top this all off he is doing his Masters!!

If you think his singing is really bad than i wonder why when he staged concerts in Japan tickets which were snapped up in within 30 seconds, mind you for both nights and he held 4 concerts in Japan if not more and all tickets were sold out, than concert in Hong Kong which he held a 2 days concert there tickets were also all snapped out in half an hour. You need proof, ok provided you can read Japanese( a short translation for your viewing pleasure)

Source: http://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/2005/07/31/181900.shtml

" Korean Musician Bi Performs 17 Songs at Japan Concerts
Korean R&B singer, Bi, performed in Japan...
A total of 14,800 tickets for his Osaka performances in August were sold out in 30 seconds. On July 30th, he performed 17 songs in front of 5000 people. He confidently told his fans, "Two nights passed so I could prepare for this concert, please enjoy my performance on stage..."

Also i am starting to think how he manage to grasp the MTV grand slam for 2005. Bi has got the Grand Slam coz he won MTV in Bangkok, Japan and China. Now how bad is his singing?? And here proof that his voice is beautiful!!

Rain's Voice is the Best!

Rain was selected as the singer who has the most beautiful voice. He obtained 664,341 in an internet survey from April 23 to May 3 2005. It was organized by Star-v (www.star-v.7.co.kr). 778,377 net surfers took part in this survey. TVXQ!, Tei, Wheesung, Fly to the sky, Naul, Jo Sung-Mo and Sung Su-kyung were alsoincluded in the list of candidates. Jo Sung-Mo occupied the second rank with 103,562 votes. Member of Brown-eyed Soul Naul occupied third place. "Prince of R&B" Wheesung ranked fourth while "Idol of Pre-Teens" TVXQ! placed fifth. Fly to the Sky, Sung Si-kyung and Tei follow them.

credits: Radio Korea International // Sexy Bi

But I like Bi for the actor he is in full house and sang doo, but I hated him in A LOVE TO KILL. Maybe cuz i hated how they used a not so attractive girl for his love partner (sang doo was one of those girls as well but...).
Please enjoy the drama because of the actor and actress makes effort to make the drama good and not cuz the actress does not live up to your expectations in terms of good looks. There are more beauty inside than outside.

By reading what everyone else said you can see that no one cares if he does this commercial and waste his time smiling infront of ppl. and like someone says, bad publicity is better than no publicity. He i didnt read this post i wouldnt even kno that Bi was still doing anything right now. If i saw his commercial and as bad as u make it sound like, the worse reaction it can get from me is.... haha ok gay commercial, but that will be the end of it.
Thats because if you noticed majority of the people responding to this thread are NOT FANS OF BI!!! I AM so i am also sharing my concern. I can get others too to share their concern but why bother.

Maybe u're the only one feeling all angry about this and maybe there are a rare few who feel the same but if the majority doesnt care, then obviously it doesnt matter....

Lastly dun make assumptions which you are not sure of. Ok i have said my piece here, nothing personnal, please forgive me if you feel i am attacking you personally cuz i am not, jus wanted to let you know that obviously himura_kaoru1is not alone on this.

krafty · Post by **krafty** » Jan 1st, '06, 07:46

ok... personally the whole Pepsi thing was another means for Rain to expose himself to others who have not yet watched his series, heard his music, etc. As stated before it is all about longevity, maybe Rain feels that Pepsi will help him achieve that.. who knows?... in the end i guess it all comes down to making the most money during the time he is famous...

the whole appeal (swordfighting...lol) its just pepsi's way of advertising their product it has nothing to do with the artist's image. You may recall that Britney Spears, Beyonce, JLo and other American artists also endorsed Pepsi in pretty laughable ways... ie the whole Gladiator thing... seriously... its just for entertainment... Pepsi knows consumers will watch the commercials because the artists are on them.
While watching them in the commercials I personally don't think diminishes their image, instead they are being smart since it helps promote it while they are earning $$$.

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Jan 1st, '06, 08:21

krafty wrote:ok... personally the whole Pepsi thing was another means for Rain to expose himself to others who have not yet watched his series, heard his music, etc. As stated before it is all about longevity, maybe Rain feels that Pepsi will help him achieve that.. who knows?... in the end i guess it all comes down to making the most money during the time he is famous...

the whole appeal (swordfighting...lol) its just pepsi's way of advertising their product it has nothing to do with the artist's image. You may recall that Britney Spears, Beyonce, JLo and other American artists also endorsed Pepsi in pretty laughable ways... ie the whole Gladiator thing... seriously... its just for entertainment... Pepsi knows consumers will watch the commercials because the artists are on them.
While watching them in the commercials I personally don't think diminishes their image, instead they are being smart since it helps promote it while they are earning $$$.

you're right, the pepsi gladiator commercial of JLo, Beyonce and Britney was funny and over the top. A real slice of fantasy. But let me ask you, what is exactly Britney, JLo or Beyonce's image? Aren't they suppose to be over the top as well? The more outrageous, the better coz they are considered "divas." The commercials work for their image.

Look at Bi here:
This is a standard Bi performance that we like about him.

And this is Bi with Pepsi:
http://www.youtube.com/w/RAIN-PEPSI?v=R ... in%20pepsi
this is standard Pepsi cheesy meet-and-greet. Soon, i wouldnt be suprise to see him making a pyramind made of pepsi cans with giggly fans surrounding him. DO you know they even made him dance with a Pepsi umbrella?
Im sure the male fans that he would need to establish his longevity will love seeing him sipping daintily from a pepsi straw. So cool indeed!

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Jan 1st, '06, 09:39

lots of info, video and audio clips on Bi

http://s6.invisionfree.com/sexybi/index.php?act=idx[/b]

flynvballer · Post by **flynvballer** » Jan 1st, '06, 11:49

great, time to post a reply against what ur saying haha.. this is fun.

anyways First and foremost, the POINT of this thread was.... BI doing PEPSI was a bad career move and obviously you have given many points about why its a bad move. Me, I believe its not a bad move... I dunno if it was a good move but i believe it is not in the bad move catagory, it will not ruin his image in any way.

And you said something about if wanting to go to international and for the many MALE ppl who dunno him and they see his pepsi commercial they'd think he's gay cuz u know, asian stars are girly as u've said. First of all, they wouldnt see his gay commercials since its not televised here, and if he wasnt in a commercial for them to see it in the first place they would have never heard of him in the first place. But i believe that most asian stars who are big here are usually the MARTIAL ARTIST, ie jacky chan, jet li, bruce lee, and eventuallY TONY JAA, maybe..... Asian hiphop singers will rarely if not never make it big internationally, especially with his singing haha ok take it easy....

and with Bi wasting his time doing PEPSI and while he's uber busy, maybe it was unnecessary like you said earlier, it probably wont do anything to bring up or down his current, its more like... as someone said earlier, him making money while he can and it might be, it might not be true, but if pepsi was to ask most famous people they would agree, because u know, ITS Pepsi, and a lot of ppl dont analyze the commercials the way you do saying how cheesy it and and u hate pepsi for that plus their gay meet and greet, yeah whatever. I already like Bi as an actor, he plays a really good arshole if u ask me. But pepsi was not a BAD move the way u said it was.

and to the other guy or girl whatever ur name was. Ur basically saying that if ur not a Bi fan you have no right to give your 2 cents about whatever the this topic was about?? Who died and made you admin?? sorry if u really are an admin.. lol but i'll take it ur not. So i have to admit im not a fan of Bi in the sense that I dont follow up on everythin that is going on with him. But in general if any one as famous as him and is in a similar situation and joined pepsi i would say the same thing. And yeah i know its mean to watch a drama for the looks and not for the acting but u know wat, PPL DO watch movies for the good looking people, its the way it is, no matter how politically correct u wanna sound, good lookin actors make a difference. Even if the main actress was pretty in a LOVE To KILL, it wasnt that good. But if it was song hye kyo, *drools* I can stare at her face all day .....

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Jan 1st, '06, 13:33

flynvballer wrote:great, time to post a reply against what ur saying haha.. this is fun.

anyways First and foremost, the POINT of this thread was.... BI doing PEPSI was a bad career move and obviously you have given many points about why its a bad move. Me, I believe its not a bad move... I dunno if it was a good move but i believe it is not in the bad move catagory, it will not ruin his image in any way.

And you said something about if wanting to go to international and for the many MALE ppl who dunno him and they see his pepsi commercial they'd think he's gay cuz u know, asian stars are girly as u've said. First of all, they wouldnt see his gay commercials since its not televised here, and if he wasnt in a commercial for them to see it in the first place they would have never heard of him in the first place. But i believe that most asian stars who are big here are usually the MARTIAL ARTIST, ie jacky chan, jet li, bruce lee, and eventuallY TONY JAA, maybe..... Asian hiphop singers will rarely if not never make it big internationally, especially with his singing haha ok take it easy....

and with Bi wasting his time doing PEPSI and while he's uber busy, maybe it was unnecessary like you said earlier, it probably wont do anything to bring up or down his current, its more like... as someone said earlier, him making money while he can and it might be, it might not be true, but if pepsi was to ask most famous people they would agree, because u know, ITS Pepsi, and a lot of ppl dont analyze the commercials the way you do saying how cheesy it and and u hate pepsi for that plus their gay meet and greet, yeah whatever. I already like Bi as an actor, he plays a really good arshole if u ask me. But pepsi was not a BAD move the way u said it was.

Then what is the point of doing Pepsi? The american audience will not see his commercials as you wrote. It's not gonna take him to America, and if they see the cheesy Pepsi stunts he has to do, the american male will certainly think he's not cool enough or whatever slang you call it now, to be a hiphop artist. So obviously, Pepsi will not be a benefit for an international career. Money wise, its a no brainer that Pepsi is always a benefit--but that's not what the topic is about.

Those in Asia who will see the Pepsi gigs will be in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong because the rest of Asia have their own local Pepsi endorsers, so unless Bi has a special arrangement in his contract, his face wont be seen in the local Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok Kentucky Friend Chicken anytime soon.

Now, even if his face is plastered all over mandarin speaking Taiwan, HKG, and China, would the people buy his Korean-language album? Just because his Pepsi billboard is posted everywhere? I don't think so. He either has to sing in Mandarin or English to grab the Chinese market. And since his goal is to go international, he might as well just concentrate on singing english. But if you are a Pepsi endorser in Hong Kong, you will have to do the stunts or gimmicks the Chinese endorsers do, which might alienate or even put distance between him and the non-Chinese or non-mandarin speaking population of Asia. A good example, my male cousin from the States came and visited me, and I showed him clips of the Pepsi meet-and-greet as a form of experiment. He said Bi looked gay. I said he's a popular hiphop singer in Korea and he said "no way." I had to show him Bi's performances afterwards to prove that Bi is not fluff or cheese. Now my cousin thinks he's like an Asian Usher, but that's off-topic already.

Like I said, Jay Chou, the uber megastar singer of Hong Kong, China and Taiwan is barely known in non-Chinese countries of Asia--and he has been with Pepsi for years. I found out about these Chinese stars because I go to Hong KOng every year, not because I see them in commercials or in a pepsi can.

About Bi making it as a hiphop artist or a singer in America, who knows? I like him, but I dont know either, America is a different market. But he has a bigger chance if he masters english and avoid creating an image that could turn off the american hiphop audience. Look at F4, the other supposedly popular male Pepsi endorsers; I don't think they're gay, but if you check most of their videos, they just look so gay. Thank goodness they have no plans on going international.

Templar · Post by **Templar** » Jan 1st, '06, 15:37

I have to disagree, money is exactly what this topic is about. Money is a big part of any career in any field. No one signs up any actor/musician/"Idol" without expecting a monetary return.

Sometimes the fans are the ones who are the most unrealistic about their "idol". To get the big picture you need to step back and look at the larger picture. Talent and ability aside, the question asked by all sponsors and studios are the same for any actor. "By producing, releasing or having this star in my product commercial will I get the needed return on my money." Its that simple. And the big picture shows that ussually(always?) the answer is no in America. It is a much better return on your investment to sign up known American stars. Currently releasing music, video or having an idol from mainland Asia attach their name to your product in North America would not be economical as the market niche is too small. Recording companies, television studios and commercial advertisements cater to the broadest possible range of the consumer market and right now Asian stars are not, by comparison with big name American stars, someone who is going to capture the large market share that they are aiming for in North America.

The last thing I want to do is have this sound like a lecture, and although I know almost nothing about Bi, I do know there are extremely "talented" people in Asia. Only by travelling to Asia did I even realise how different the marketing situation is. I believe that I am not biased when I say the Asian entertainment world looks much more at America then America does at Asia. This could of course change, but at the current time making a bet on a break through of an Asian icon into America is a very grim prospect that currently no North American industry is going to bet on for a monetary return.

Like it or not, fair or not fair, this is the economic business model that is used by American industry. Its great to have idols, and people who's talent you respect, and look up to them. Its nice that Bi has set a dream/goal for himself and no one should tell him what he can and can't do, but in my opinion we must still be realistic and logical no matter how dedicated of a fan we are.

Rain_Prodigy · Post by **Rain_Prodigy** » Jan 1st, '06, 16:15

and to the other guy or girl whatever ur name was. Ur basically saying that if ur not a Bi fan you have no right to give your 2 cents about whatever the this topic was about?? Who died and made you admin?? sorry if u really are an admin.. lol but i'll take it ur not. So i have to admit im not a fan of Bi in the sense that I dont follow up on everythin that is going on with him. But in general if any one as famous as him and is in a similar situation and joined pepsi i would say the same thing. And yeah i know its mean to watch a drama for the looks and not for the acting but u know wat, PPL DO watch movies for the good looking people, its the way it is, no matter how politically correct u wanna sound, good lookin actors make a difference. Even if the main actress was pretty in a LOVE To KILL, it wasnt that good. But if it was song hye kyo, *drools* I can stare at her face all day .....

Fortunately no one died and made me admin...

and i am not in anyway saying that non Bi fans have no right to throw their 2 cents worth around, but please with all due respect at least know a little about Bi before throwing comments. Jus on wat basis are these comments made upon??

I will not debate on the fact that ppl do watch movies for the good looking ppl cus this is of topic but rather we are more concern as to what more he can do with his time if he was not doing this Pepsi endorsement. And if Bi doing Pepsi would actually benefit him. Monetary gains definitely.... More Fans...maybe...but we are concern with the cheesy acts Pepsi is making him do... Its jus not image fitting to Bi, the Bi we all know has his own style and attitude and thats why we are firm believers of Bi. We love the Bi who does his act his OWN way his OWN style and not tied by strings by some endorsement company.

Cant you see here we are also stressing on the image he took all his entertainment life span to create..The belief of being different than others and to dare challenges. Being dictated by the nose by Pepsi is definitely not one way! Yes there is good publicity and bad publicity so what its still publicity, but of cuz good publicity is the best way to go

But really what is done cannot be undone, he has chosen to be with Pepsi whatever his reasons maybe, he will continue to have our firm support(well at least mine!) i believe in his choice, and i know he will not succumb to circumstances.

CuTiE 100% · Post by **CuTiE 100%** » Jan 1st, '06, 16:21

yo guyz i dont get this is it against or with Bi???

blueMC · Post by **blueMC** » Jan 1st, '06, 17:05

I think the image is based on his role in Full House, which made him popular in China, HK, and Taiwan. He also did gentle and cutesy stuff for DHC and for his I Do MV. The image was not something that Pepsi created for him.

This was a move to mark his place in the Chinese market. It's just unfortunate that he wasn't able to do it first through his own brand of music, like Jay Chou did. Besides, Full House is more likely to be shown internationally than the Pepsi meet-and-greet sessions. Perhaps making that series was the bad move?

If he's smart, there are a lot of ways to use the Pepsi endorsement to solidify his hip-hop image.

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Jan 1st, '06, 21:01

himura_kaoru1 wrote:lots of info, video and audio clips on Bi

http://s6.invisionfree.com/sexybi/index.php?act=idx[/b]

thanks sooo much for this!

LOVE Bi

bioshiva07 · Post by **bioshiva07** » Jan 1st, '06, 21:11

himura_kaoru1 wrote:
flynvballer wrote:great, time to post a reply against what ur saying haha.. this is fun.

anyways First and foremost, the POINT of this thread was.... BI doing PEPSI was a bad career move and obviously you have given many points about why its a bad move. Me, I believe its not a bad move... I dunno if it was a good move but i believe it is not in the bad move catagory, it will not ruin his image in any way.

And you said something about if wanting to go to international and for the many MALE ppl who dunno him and they see his pepsi commercial they'd think he's gay cuz u know, asian stars are girly as u've said. First of all, they wouldnt see his gay commercials since its not televised here, and if he wasnt in a commercial for them to see it in the first place they would have never heard of him in the first place. But i believe that most asian stars who are big here are usually the MARTIAL ARTIST, ie jacky chan, jet li, bruce lee, and eventuallY TONY JAA, maybe..... Asian hiphop singers will rarely if not never make it big internationally, especially with his singing haha ok take it easy....

and with Bi wasting his time doing PEPSI and while he's uber busy, maybe it was unnecessary like you said earlier, it probably wont do anything to bring up or down his current, its more like... as someone said earlier, him making money while he can and it might be, it might not be true, but if pepsi was to ask most famous people they would agree, because u know, ITS Pepsi, and a lot of ppl dont analyze the commercials the way you do saying how cheesy it and and u hate pepsi for that plus their gay meet and greet, yeah whatever. I already like Bi as an actor, he plays a really good arshole if u ask me. But pepsi was not a BAD move the way u said it was.

Then what is the point of doing Pepsi? The american audience will not see his commercials as you wrote. It's not gonna take him to America, and if they see the cheesy Pepsi stunts he has to do, the american male will certainly think he's not cool enough or whatever slang you call it now, to be a hiphop artist. So obviously, Pepsi will not be a benefit for an international career. Money wise, its a no brainer that Pepsi is always a benefit--but that's not what the topic is about.

Those in Asia who will see the Pepsi gigs will be in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong because the rest of Asia have their own local Pepsi endorsers, so unless Bi has a special arrangement in his contract, his face wont be seen in the local Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok Kentucky Friend Chicken anytime soon.

Now, even if his face is plastered all over mandarin speaking Taiwan, HKG, and China, would the people buy his Korean-language album? Just because his Pepsi billboard is posted everywhere? I don't think so. He either has to sing in Mandarin or English to grab the Chinese market. And since his goal is to go international, he might as well just concentrate on singing english. But if you are a Pepsi endorser in Hong Kong, you will have to do the stunts or gimmicks the Chinese endorsers do, which might alienate or even put distance between him and the non-Chinese or non-mandarin speaking population of Asia. A good example, my male cousin from the States came and visited me, and I showed him clips of the Pepsi meet-and-greet as a form of experiment. He said Bi looked gay. I said he's a popular hiphop singer in Korea and he said "no way." I had to show him Bi's performances afterwards to prove that Bi is not fluff or cheese. Now my cousin thinks he's like an Asian Usher, but that's off-topic already.

Like I said, Jay Chou, the uber megastar singer of Hong Kong, China and Taiwan is barely known in non-Chinese countries of Asia--and he has been with Pepsi for years. I found out about these Chinese stars because I go to Hong KOng every year, not because I see them in commercials or in a pepsi can.

About Bi making it as a hiphop artist or a singer in America, who knows? I like him, but I dont know either, America is a different market. But he has a bigger chance if he masters english and avoid creating an image that could turn off the american hiphop audience. Look at F4, the other supposedly popular male Pepsi endorsers; I don't think they're gay, but if you check most of their videos, they just look so gay. Thank goodness they have no plans on going international.

Bi has already captured the Chinese market. his concerts in Hong Kong and TAiwan have been huge and tickets sold out quickly.

Rain_Prodigy · Post by **Rain_Prodigy** » Jan 2nd, '06, 08:10

Wow a thread dedicated to Bi???

I am so dead...those pictures!!!

*fainted* Hi to all!!! thanks for sharing those pictures, i think i will park myself here for a while...who knows i will try to dedicate my 100th post to Bi..

xKiMix · Post by **xKiMix** » Jan 2nd, '06, 08:15

Rain_Prodigy wrote:Wow a thread dedicated to Bi??? I am so dead...those pictures!!! *fainted* Hi to all!!! thanks for sharing those pictures, i think i will park myself here for a while...who knows i will try to dedicate my 100th post to Bi..

Welcome!!!! Hope you like the pictures here! who wouldn't?

Rain is Gorgeous! I wish i were in New York to watch his concert!!! ...I wanna watch

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Jan 2nd, '06, 15:32

blueMC wrote:I think the image is based on his role in Full House, which made him popular in China, HK, and Taiwan. He also did gentle and cutesy stuff for DHC and for his I Do MV. The image was not something that Pepsi created for him.

This was a move to mark his place in the Chinese market. It's just unfortunate that he wasn't able to do it first through his own brand of music, like Jay Chou did. Besides, Full House is more likely to be shown internationally than the Pepsi meet-and-greet sessions. Perhaps making that series was the bad move?

If he's smart, there are a lot of ways to use the Pepsi endorsement to solidify his hip-hop image.

even with FH, the men thought the outfits made him fluff at first, but his being a smart ass in FH made up for the cheesy deep V neck outfits and the men got to enjoy the show eventually.

If pepsi allows him to keep his image and not dictate with the usual hong kong fare that we see in meet-and-greet events, then he could probably use this pepsi thing to solidify his hiphop image. but if pepsi makes him do the routine gimmicks--blech!

here's a question for those in america, what does Pepsi require american, specially the hiphop artists, to do? Do they have meet-and-greet-the-fans gatherings on a regular basis and dress in pepsi outfits, sing pepsi jingles, sip pepsi from plastic containers while trying to guess if its pepsi light or pepsi regular, swear an oath of loyalty to pepsi in a foreign language, and smile mindlessly for an hour while doing the V sign to the screaming pleasure of the fans?

i was looking at the pix of Snoop Dog and Jaime Foxx's new year's party and I was thinking, if Bi plans on entering the market where these guys rule, then he should hope his ala Sir Lancelot brandishing of a Pepsi sword[you should see this, he unsheated a sword from a fake rock in the middle of the stage and just started swinging it while people in white pepsi gowns(?) with chinese characters where doing something (dancing perhaps?)behind him] or dancing with an Pepsi umbrella will not be seen in America.

Rain to perform in the US

2006-01-02

Asian star Rain will hold a solo concert in New York Madison Square Garden Theater on February 2nd. After the Rainy Day – Taipei concert that lasted for 2 hours on December 19th at the Taipei Arena in Taiwan, Rain held a press conference in which he said, “To hold a concert in the US is my dream come true. I myself can’t believe that it will really happen.” Rain added, “I am overwhelmed that I will be able to perform on the prestigious stage that the biggest stars of the world had appeared on before the audience of more than 5 thousand.” Rain also said, “My concert in New York will become a bridgehead for me to advance into the US market.” Meanwhile, Rain’s producer Park Jin-young who was also present at the press conference said, “There are many Asians who achieved successful results in various fields in the US market, but the pop music industry is where Asians couldn’t be successful so far. I’ve studied with Rain the reasons why so many Asian pop musicians have failed.” Park Jin-young added, “I’ve already settled down in the US market as a pop music producer ahead of Rain. Rain will be introduced to the American pop music scene in earnest starting around fall this year.”

himura_kaoru1 · Post by **himura_kaoru1** » Jan 2nd, '06, 16:14

Templar wrote:I have to disagree, money is exactly what this topic is about. Money is a big part of any career in any field. No one signs up any actor/musician/"Idol" without expecting a monetary return.

Sometimes the fans are the ones who are the most unrealistic about their "idol". To get the big picture you need to step back and look at the larger picture. Talent and ability aside, the question asked by all sponsors and studios are the same for any actor. "By producing, releasing or having this star in my product commercial will I get the needed return on my money." Its that simple. And the big picture shows that ussually(always?) the answer is no in America. It is a much better return on your investment to sign up known American stars. Currently releasing music, video or having an idol from mainland Asia attach their name to your product in North America would not be economical as the market niche is too small. Recording companies, television studios and commercial advertisements cater to the broadest possible range of the consumer market and right now Asian stars are not, by comparison with big name American stars, someone who is going to capture the large market share that they are aiming for in North America.

The last thing I want to do is have this sound like a lecture, and although I know almost nothing about Bi, I do know there are extremely "talented" people in Asia. Only by travelling to Asia did I even realise how different the marketing situation is. I believe that I am not biased when I say the Asian entertainment world looks much more at America then America does at Asia. This could of course change, but at the current time making a bet on a break through of an Asian icon into America is a very grim prospect that currently no North American industry is going to bet on for a monetary return.

Like it or not, fair or not fair, this is the economic business model that is used by American industry. Its great to have idols, and people who's talent you respect, and look up to them. Its nice that Bi has set a dream/goal for himself and no one should tell him what he can and can't do, but in my opinion we must still be realistic and logical no matter how dedicated of a fan we are.

you've just proven my argument. if bi will subscribe to asian marketing strategy, then it will be even more difficult for him to succeed in america.

money is the reason why hong kong superstars make the most movies per year while releasing albums and holding concerts and making commercials back to back. its also the reason why an excellent actor like andy lau, who can only sing "decently" at best can have sold-out concerts. they want to corner the entire market without thinking much of strategy. their strategy is wholesale, give the product in high volume regardless of the quality. even if he doesn't have credibility as a singer, if a hong kong actor is very succesful, then his albums will still most likely sell like pancakes. although im a fodder for american entertainment since i was young and i grew up in a pseudo-american culture, i don't presently live in america so i can't speak authoritively about american celebrity marketing.

But so far, what i can see is that an american celebrity has to really be good in singing and acting if he wants to succeed at both, and one doesn't necessarily ensure the success of the other. that is the reason careful image building and a marketing strategy is important in creating an american celebrity, and that is the reason why i do not believe that pepsi will be good for bi if america is his end goal. Pepsi Asia's marketing is asian style, and it would not translate to an american model because the culture is different. When a celebrity like aaron kwok wears a psychedelic glittery shirt when performing in a regular pepsi gimmick and swinging his hips like a 5-star dance instructor, hongkongers love it, but american males would mostly find this image slighlty gay. It works here in asia, but i dont think that image can work in america, and if Bi has to follow the tune Pepsi has been playing so far, then Pepsi is not doing Bi any favors except fattening his already bursting bank account.

as for money, i do know for a fact that Bi is getting the biggest paycheck amongst all the the asian Pepsi endorsers, so money can be the most glaring reason why he took the gig. therefore, if the main reason is money, then we shouldn't have this debate at all, since it's a no-brainer. but i brought up the topic of branding, and image building, and how Pepsi will contribute in solidifying Bi's biggest career goal so far--to make it international. maybe my title is incomplete, but i couldn't make a longer title with the character limit. maybe i should have asked, "was pepsi a good career move in building bi's image internationally or was it all about money?"

i like him, and if he did this thing for money, why would i have moral objections with that? but if he accepted pepsi because he thought that by capturing the large chinese market, it could help his long term international goal, then i think it was a wrong strategy.

*Lifo* · Post by ***Lifo*** » Jan 3rd, '06, 10:35

Those Pictures Increase my love more and more

dan12 · Post by **dan12** » Jan 3rd, '06, 12:31

yeahh hes having a concert in the us in new york on feb the 2nd i believe soo cool whos going

dangsta · Post by **dangsta** » Jan 3rd, '06, 13:32

Maybe Rain wants to do the commercial because he loves to drink pepsi. hehe.

dangsta · Post by **dangsta** » Jan 3rd, '06, 14:00

I reckon shes pretty. Shes got a really nice figure....i like the clothes she wore in Sangdoo. If only teachers wore clothes like her! hehe

Isn't she older than Bi But?

Either way, I really like to see Bi and her together HAHA.....just to piss the fans off ;) You are a jealous bunch aren't cha?

devotee · Post by **devotee** » Jan 3rd, '06, 19:06

i think I might be going ....its going to screw up my thurs. afternoon classes, and friday...but I really want to go.

himenajima · Post by **himenajima** » Jan 3rd, '06, 19:38

[quote="dan12"]yeahh hes having a concert in the us in new york on feb the 2nd i believe soo cool whos going[/qu
ote]

where when?? any info on tickets ? or venue? i der wanna gooo

devotee · Post by **devotee** » Jan 3rd, '06, 19:43

http://www.thegarden.com/boxoffice.jsp

you can see him if you scroll down (and choose either feb or concert)

Shorty · Post by **Shorty** » Jan 3rd, '06, 19:45

the concerts on feb 2nd 8;3opm at madison square garden..you can order the tickets online at ticketmaster.com there from $60-$150 ... =]
i cant wait to go; i already ordered tickets..frontrow mostpit baby~!
cheers*

Calgirl00 · Post by **Calgirl00** » Jan 3rd, '06, 19:53

are you guys going with someone??? where do you guys from??? who is going????
I am from california, and I want to go, but I have to buy flight ticket, the hotel room and the concert ticket. It's gonna cost me quitta bit, I don't know if it's worth it to go??? do anyone have any suggestion????
If I go... I have to go by myself, because I don't have any friend that want to go.....\
arrgggggggggggggg I don't know what to do... I am still debating if I want to go or not.... hic hic hic....

azndgn26 · Post by **azndgn26** » Jan 3rd, '06, 20:15

I might go..if one of my friends go wit me, I can't belive he's realli gonna perforn in ny!

dan12 · Post by **dan12** » Jan 3rd, '06, 20:18

i definitly wanna go but geez the tix cost quite a lot, lucky mosh pit haha thats crazy. rain is my model haha hes so cool im going for rain and for all the cute asian girls that are gonna scream his name its rain its raining its kinda crazy that hes performing in ny i wonder if the tix are gonna be sold out anytime soon cause im not sure yet if im going

http://www.myspace.com/717_341_3887

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:03

xKiMix wrote: I wish i were in New York to watch his concert!!! ...I wanna watch

i want to watch too

All i can say is that in Febuary,it's gonna be RAINing in NEw York

CuTiE 100% · Post by **CuTiE 100%** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:12

i adore bi a lot he turns me crazy when i see him he is my favouraite actor i wish to see him for real and tell him how much i love him

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:15

CuTiE 100% wrote: i wish to see him for real and tell him how much i love him

i know everybody does in this thread

chidaib17 · Post by **chidaib17** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:16

omg, he's so cute, i love Bi so much, he's so frickin cute and cool, omg...omg...

thanks for sharing those pix guys

Jecky · Post by **Jecky** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:24

OMG!!!

u guys are sooo lucky!!!!...>///< i wanna see Rain too,but it's all the way in NY

and the tickets are really expensive....

i wish i can go....

can you guys post pics here or in the Bi thread when u guys see him in NY??? gosh,i really want to go....

dmaechan · Post by **dmaechan** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:29

hontouni????!!! I wanna go!!! but I can't..wahhh..i live in TX..why'd i have to move here^^;;

steffy · Post by **steffy** » Jan 3rd, '06, 23:33

MAN i wish i can go!!! I <3 him!! i won't be coming to NY until March. booo!

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