Absolutely Fobulous

Ever since our 2010 interview with K-Town cast member, Joe Cha, many have wondered when and if the show would ever launch. Here’s some good news: multimedia entertainment studio, Electus, recently announced that K-Town will be the first of many series from its new pop-culture YouTube  channel, LOUD. The series is expected to launch on the video-sharing site on July 2nd.

The unscripted reality show, created and produced by Tyrese Gibson’s HQ Productions, explores the lives of a group of Asian Americans who reside in the heart of Koreatown, Los Angeles. According to Tyrese, “LOUD is the perfect platform for chronicling the social rituals of this unique Asian American subculture. While nothing about this series is commonplace, the show is highly-relatable as the cast’s personal stories, struggles and triumphs are universal.”

I’m a bit sad that it won’t be aired on a TV network, which makes me wonder if that’s any indication of the barrier Asian Americans continue to face when it comes to breaking into mainstream media. Either way, I’m excited to hear people’s reaction when they see that Asians can also party, have fun, and go a little crazy!

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She’s more guidette than fob, but she and I share the same love for the most hated/loved Sanrio character of all time — Hello Kitty! I spotted a ton of Hello Kitty paraphernalia among Snooki’s Twitter pics and that just makes me love her even more. I want her Hello Kitty bag!

I’m sure after Part I of Joe’s interview, you’re dying to learn more about the K-town show and get tips from the expert himself on what’s hot in L.A.’s Korean district.  Read on to find out!

Describe the rest of the cast members.  How are the dynamics between everyone?

Take a second and think of the most outgoing, crazy person in your circle of friends.  Now think of seven other people just like that.  That is my best explanation of the cast of K-Town in a few sentences.  The dynamics between everyone in the cast so far is a fun, hot crazy mess.

How has the “K-town” culture evolved to what it is today?  What makes it so unique?

K-Town has gone through a lot through the years.  From the L.A. riots in ’92 and the social struggles repairing itself since then, K-Town is thriving now more then ever.  Its a social melting pot filled with restaurants, boba & frozen yogurt cafes, bars, shops and karaoke rooms open till the early hours of the morning.  K-Town is unique in many ways and its really hard to know where to start.  Tell me a place where you can eat all you can eat meat, pound a bottle of soju & beer, go dancing and singing your brains out all in a quarter mile radius?  Los Angeles K-Town is that place.

What is the best place to eat in K-town?

The best place to eat in K-Town would have to be the all you can eat Korean BBQ spot Moodaepo 2.  The restaurant has club lights and TV screens playing K-Pop music videos all while you pack your bellies with endless amount of meat and wash it all down with the clear demise we call soju.  Totally a different eating experience that you can only experience in K-Town.

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For a show that hasn’t even aired yet, K-Town, aka the Asian Jersey Shore, has gotten a ton of hype. Everyone from gossip hawks like TMZ to Asian bloggers like Angry Asian Man were buzzing about the show this summer. Well, I had the pleasure of interviewing K-Town cast member, Joe Cha, himself!

Mike Le, one of the producers of the show, has been a wonderful supporter of our blog. In fact, he wrote in his blog that his inspiration for the show evolved from his own internal struggle, from feeling ashamed of being called a “fob” to having a greater appreciation for his Asian heritage. Read on for Absolutely Fobulous’ exclusive interview with notorious party animal, Joe “Knuckles” Cha.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a Korean-American born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Bellevue, Washington, and now reside in Los Angeles, California. I have two younger sisters, Jennifer and Julia Cha, both characters themselves. My father passed away back in ’02 leaving my mother behind for me to bodyguard. I attended the University of Washington where I got a degree in partying and started my nightclub promoting career through my involvement with KSA as the activities coordinator for all five years. Fitness is a big part of my life and yes, I have a six-pack on my lower back.

Why did you choose to audition for the K-town show?

I was always a fan of Jersey Shore.  When I was watching the first season, I thought in my head that it would be tight to have an Asian version of the show.  Back in March when the campaign of the K-Town auditions was happening on Facebook, pretty much every person that I knew either texted, called, emailed, Facebook’ed me to try auditioning for the show.  At first I was not taking the auditions seriously, thinking I wouldn’t even have a chance to place a part on the show.  As the days got closer to the audition, I was just overwhelmed with all the response for me to give it a try.

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I just can’t get enough of these comical fobby depictions of American celebrities.  It looks like the Jersey Shore hype is spreading to Asia and so is Snooki’s bad reputation. Taiwanese animated news site, NMA, just released a video describing my favorite troublemaker and cast member, Snooki, from the American hit reality show Jersey Shore. This is by far, my favorite depiction, especially the scene with President Obama getting a bottle smashed across his head by Snooki after he interrupts her precious tanning routine to inform her about the tax increase on tanning beds.   However, I’m not sure whether the animated drinking and puking (minute 00:14) leaves a very positive impression of Americans for our fob friends in Asia.

Yes, you heard right my fellow fobs. People here do not use umbrellas, elbow-length gloves, or huge sun hats that block vision in order to stay fair. Instead, they buy fake tanners, roll around in the sun, and stare curiously at people who carry umbrellas on a sunny day.

My mom has always lectured me to put on sunscreen or cover up before I become *gasp* tanned. As a dutiful Asian daughter, I listened and I’m kind of glad I did. Protecting myself from the sun has saved my skin from its aging effects. But that’s just my own preference. I know my fellow fobbers Suzie and Amy do enjoy being tanned and actively seek the sun to maintain their luminous tan.

I could go into a detailed analysis of Asia’s traditional ideal of “white is beautiful” versus the Asian American “tanned is hot” preference…but I think I’ll leave that as food for thought for you guys.

This post was inspired by our favorite ramen skirt girl, Mai Truong. Here is a picture she took while in Hawaii.

Mai says:

“Every summer, hundreds of thousand of Japanese make their way down to the most isolated archipelago in the world to enjoy the beautiful beaches  and to soak up some sun…well minus the last part. Everywhere I turned I see ladies in floppy hats and arm warmers! I know how Asian adorn pale skin, but come on, you’re in Hawai’i! I had to take a picture and send it to you guys.”

Interested in reading more about the differing beauty ideals? Read about how 100 lbs is the ideal weight in Asia.