In the infamous Rolling Stones article that cost McChrystal his job, it was mentioned that some of his team referred to themselves as Team America…  Team America being the exhaustingly hilarious movie by South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, that mocks everything from American imperialism to authoritarian dictators to Matt Damon.

The Team America in the movie Team America is a group of self-important white people who who bulldoze over everyone and everything (Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids) to “save” the world.

Today, Marc Ambinder posted a picture of the patches that McChrystal’s team had made up!

I’m jealous.

Here’s my favorite scene from Team America when UN Weapons Inspector, Hans Blix, visits Kim Jong Il.  Hans Blix is HILARIOUS.

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We also ate hamburgers, chicken, potato salad, and beer!  And to make it even more American, I was able to squeeze in a fantasy baseball trade!

But the Americanization was short lived as our attention quickly turned to the World Cup > then to our newly discovered dance club where they always seat us 2 feet from the incredibly loud speaker.

Here’s the video…

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When I first saw this video by DBSK (동방신기) I was mortified.  I didn’t understand the mittens, the headbands, the ties, or the penguin back-up dancers.

I still don’t understand it, but after several hundred viewings, I have completely succumbed to their saccharin smiles and cheesy dance moves.

Similar to a Picasso or Liza Minelli dance routine, at first you wonder what the hell you’re looking at, but after a while the brilliance seeps in and you are one.

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It made me miss my good friend Tom, who never lets a Liza moment pass without telling me about it.

Here’s the awesome video.

As an added bonus, here’s the video of when I actually got to see Liza doing Cabaret.

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I haven’t been keeping up with the blog because I started re-watching The Wire, and I just finished Season 3… for the fourth time.

If you’ve never seen The Wire, the best way to summarize is to just say that it’s a crime drama set in Baltimore that focuses equally on the detectives, drug dealers, drug users, corrupted officials, etc.  It’s amazing.  Also, many TV critics seem to think it is the best show ever… as in ever ever… as in better than The Sopranos, The Simpsons, or Seinfeld.

It’s rare that I break down into tears when murderous drug dealers get killed, so I have to respect a show that makes me cry every time I see the episode in Season 2 where D’Angelo Barksdale “gets got.”

So, here’s 3 scenes from Season 3 that I thought were wonderful… along with one thing I hate about the show.

Scene 1: To go back a bit, D’Angelo was killed by his own people, and his death was made to look like a suicide.  It’s not until much later that his mother, Brianna (played by the incredible Michael Hyatt),  finds out he was murdered.  I love this scene, and you must watch to the end when McNulty puts the blame on Brianna.  It’s heartbreaking.

Scene 2: Afterward Brianna confronts her brother about D’Angelo’s death.  In this scene you see Avon (the leader of the Barksdale crew), his sister Brianna, and Stringer Bell (the #2 guy who put the hit out on D’Angelo).  Whenever I see this scene I inevitably have the urge to reach through my TV and strangle Stringer Bell myself.

Scene 3: And, a post about The Wire wouldn’t be complete mentioning Omar.  Omar, played brilliantly by Michael K. Williams, robs drug dealers, acts a bit like robin hood, is out and proud waving his rainbow flag, and is probably one of the best characters I’ve ever seen on television.

In this scene Brother Mouzone has returned to Baltimore to take out Stringer Bell, and he wants Omar’s help.  This is the first time Omar and Brother Mouzone are seeing each other since Omar triled to kill Brother Mouzone in Season 2.  Stringer Bell had tortured and killed Omar’s boyfriend in Season 1 and then convinced Omar that it was Brother Mouzone who did it.  I don’t really like the Brother Mouzone character at all, but Omar completely makes up for it.  I just love this:

There is one flaw with The Wire.  It’s their theme song.  It is quite possibly THE WORST theme song in the history of television.  And it’s so loooooong.  I’ve always felt that shows should never use vocals on theme songs.  Also, I much prefer seeing the credits as subtitles to the start of the show and not a separate section.  Lost does this perfectly by having a 2 second “opening” and then going directly into the show while the credits appear outside of the main view.  With The Wire, you have to sit through what feels like an eternity of what has to be the worst cover ever of Tom Waits (who I like).

As soon as the first note sounds I move faster than Usain Bolt to hit skip, mute, or power.

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She currently holds the world record in the short program, long program, and combined score.

I don’t quite know how to describe her, except to say that she is amazing — an athlete of the caliber we rarely see.

Here’s her world record short program from November 2009:

And here’s her free skate from the world championships in 2009 (with the added bonus of commentary by someone OTHER THAN Scott Hamilton):

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What confused me the most was that they didn’t use their hands to eat the dduk.  I have no idea why… but then again, I don’t have an idea about most things that happen around me these days.

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There are more small businesses everywhere given that they don’t purchase everything at Wal-Mart and Target… but there are A LOT of lingerie shops ranging from the simple to the bedazzling.

As a Fruit of the Loom kind of guy, I’ve never understood spending disposable income on underwear… but well, here you go.

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At first I took the academic track to popularity.  Unfortunately, around the age of 18 I realized that making good grades does not make one popular.

But today, I made it!

Cousin Emily mailed me a care package with marshmallows and Rice Krispies…  Evidently all you need is a 16 oz bag of marshmallows and crowds will automatically form while you hold court.

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I feel remarkably ignorant about the culture of Korea to talk about it with any authority.  So, I’ll just say to check out the video and photos.  It’s pretty amazing.

Here’s the video tour:

Unlike Hahoe Village, no one lives there, which means you can walk through the homes and buildings.

Also, at the top of the hill are buildings from the television drama King Taejo (Taejo founded the Goryeo Dynasty).  When I first read this, I was mortified.  All I could picture in my head was a Hardrock Cafe sitting behind the Folk Village with tea pots and hats enclosed in glass.  But… I was very wrong.

Even though it was a set for a TV show, they did an amazing job.  The buildings are beautifully built, permanent, and whole (i.e., they are not facades).  It was interesting to see the older structures and then the recently built one’s to get an idea of what they might have originally looked like.

On a side note, the music I used on the video is from one of my favorite Korean bands Rhyme Bus (with Clazziquai — another favorite band).  Here’s their video for the song Monolog.

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I hate those awkward moments when you have to stop, hold the door, pretend you like doing it, and then make eye contact!  Is there anything worse???

Of course, the ultimate is when you go to the Cracker Barrel and hold it for one nice lady and then realize that she brought her parents, all 7 of her children, their children, and all of their current and ex spouses… by the time you make it in the door, a two-star server will have already laid down the cornbread.

Here’s the fun video (all scenarios are dramatizations)…

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Here are some photos from today.  Definitely check out the full set here. I’ll have more later.

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Of course, I think I only love them because I know I could never wear them (they don’t go with plaid).

Here’s the video:

And, a post on bedazzling wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to my cousin Emily.  I still remember showing up to her house to go to a party and her saying, “We can’t leave until I put some color on my hair and bedazzle my jacket!”  And for Christmas this year, what did she get?  Her new husband (as in like 2-days-old new) got her bedazzled jeans from the master of all bedazzlers: Manuel…

I think maybe Nashville and Korea aren’t that different after all…

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Hahoe Village was founded in the 16th Century during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and it is famous for maintaining the art and architecture from that period.

I half expected it to be like Colonial Williamsburg, but that was far from the case.  Apart from being a lot older, the village has never been invaded, so the houses are in their original structures.  And, unlike Williamsburg there aren’t any historical actors with fake accents pretending to churn butter… in fact, you really can’t go in to any of the houses because people still live there.  According to their website, 176 families live in Hahoe Village.

In addition to the village itself, there was also a performance of its famous mask dance. From what I know, masks are a big part of Korean culture, but the Hahoe mask dances are some of the most reknowned.

And it must be mentioned that this village was set in the most beautiful location.  The Hwachon Stream wraps around 3 sides of the village and mountains provide a backdrop nearly everywhere.

Of course, here’s a video and some photos.

UPDATE: WordPress is experiencing “issues” so the videos are not working right now

UPDATE: Videos working!

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Some of you may know that as a singular statistic, I fall down stairs way more than any normal person should.  So whenever I walk down stairs I’m gripping that rail Britney on a Cheetos bag.

So, you can imagine my horror upon seeing rusty old barbed wire wrapped around my life support system.  And to make matters worse, once you scale the hill with barbed wire stairs… there’s exercise equipment!

Here’s the 2 minute video (be sure you have sound):

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