Sneak Peak Released For 'K-Town' Reality Show Author: Crystal Kim Posted: June 26th, 2012 Filed Under: BLOG
The hype builds for the much-anticipated “K-town” reality show as a short teaser clip was “leaked” ahead of the show’s July 11 debut on YouTube.
If making viewers’ eyebrows raise, jaws drop, groan inwardly and culminate in an outburst of laughter was its intention, than this minute-and-a-half long clip has succeeded. Like a car accident, one simply cannot look away from this spectacle.
The clip highlights an all-out clash between leather-clad Joe “K-town” Cha and black eye shadow enthusiast, Jasmine Chang. Things get pretty serious — we’re talking purse throwing, attempted tripping and spontaneous eruptions into Korean. On the positive side, they do share an affinity for expletives. At least all hope for their friendship is not lost.
It’s almost as if this baby clip simply couldn’t resist poking its bleached little head into the welcome arms of the mother cyberspace – and more importantly, its loyal followers. Never fear, netizens everywhere can soon get ready to see what life in K-town is really like, at least for angry and conflicted Asian Americans surrounded by cameras. K-town will officially be released next month on the LOUD channel, which is hosted by media company Electus.
The K-Town Reality Show kicks into full gear in July 2012 online. A clip just leaked out. One look at this sneak peek video and you expect lots of drama to go down for the series. Joe Cha and Jasmine Chang have a war of words during a night on the town. You also get glimpses of Violet Kim trying to calm things down with Young Lee not knowing what’s going on. Are you ready for the cast of K-Town this summer?
Electus
will stock its upcoming YouTube channel Loud with an unscripted programming
lineup featuring projects from Kevin Smith and Quddus.
Launching
July 2, Loud will focus on pop culture. It's one of three channels IAC-owned
Electus has for YouTube, with Hispanic-targeted Nuevon already active and
food-centric Hungry launching today.
Smith is
bringing Loud a compilation of highlights drawn from his popular weekly podcast
"Hollywood Babble-On," which the "Red State" helmer
co-hosts with Ralph Garman. For Loud, "Hollywood Babble-On This Week"
offers irreverent takes on Hollywood news. Quddus, host of ABC series
"Duets," will host "The Q-Side," a consumer guide to pop
culture.
The
YouTube channels are part of a growing digital portfolio at Electus, which also
oversees comedy site CollegeHumor, production company DumbDumb and a
partnership with Yahoo that has yielded several original productions.
"We
think YouTube is a great platform and they're great partners," said Ben
Silverman, founder and chairman of Electus. "It's all about finding
distinctive shows and building a compelling content experience around
them."
Also on
the Loud slate:
•
"Hipster Orchestra Presents: Four Strings and an 808," a performance
showcase for Jingle Punks Hipster Orchestra.
•
"Couples Fight," in which UFC fighters Rashad Evans and Kenny Florian
help couples do battle in the ring.
•
"K-LOL: The Internet's Local News," a tongue-in-cheek newscast based
on website The DailyWhat about Internet oddities; produced with Cheezburger
Network and Serious Business.
•
"Watsky's Making an Album," a mockumentary featuring the YouTube
hip-hop sensation as he attempts to complete his first album.
•
"ROFL," a sketch showcase featuring comedians including JB Smoove.
Loud will
also include previously announced series "K-Town" from Tyrese
Gibson's HQ Prods. and Tony DiSanto and Liz Gateley of DiGa.
While the
channel launches July 2, some of the programming won't debut until weeks later.
Electus'
digital efforts are overseen by COO Drew Buckley.
hmmmmm, wonder why a major network wouldn't pick this up? Asian Americans are highly successful on the internet so this is quite possibly one smart decision!
Ben Silverman’s multimedia entertainment studio Electus, an operating business of IAC, today announced K-Town – the first of many high-impact series from Electus’ new pop-culture channel, LOUD, slated to launch on YouTube™ on July 2nd.
Created and executive produced by Tyrese Gibson’s HQ Productions, K-Town is a new, dynamic unscripted reality show that explores the lives of incredibly colorful Asian Americans who reside in the heart of Koreatown, Los Angeles - the vibrant Korean culture center that is sandwiched between the bohemian spirit of downtown Los Angeles and the business district of the Miracle Mile. From karaoke bars to night clubs, the series follows the cast as they discover themselves and what it means to be Asian American growing up in the 21st century.
The cast, which has been referred to as the “Asian Jersey Shore,” consists of a sexually-liberated former exotic dancer and quintessential troublemaker, a nightlife impresario, a gossip-blogging bartender, a club promoter and more:
Jasmine(@JASMINECHANG089): A hairstylist who was born and raised in Koreatown. Whether it’s her platinum blond locks or her loud infectious laugh, Jasmine is the undeniable center of attention.
Scarlet(@Scarlet_Chan): A former exotic dancer who is sexually liberated and not afraid to express it. Scarlet is a self-admitted troublemaker who is introduced to the Koreatown scene by her close friend, Jasmine.
Violet(@violetcriMEs): A single mother and the drama queen of K-Town. Whether she’s at work as a bartender at Vibe, a popular nightclub in Koreatown, or posting gossip on her much read and dreaded blog, drama and boys follow her wherever she goes.
Steve(@MohawkSteve): Known as “Mr. K-Town,” Steve is the quintessential “drink all night, sleep all day” type of guy who possesses the uncanny ability to strike a lasting impression on any girl.
Joe(@JoeKtownCha): As the owner of Reflective Productions, Joe runs the biggest Asian nightclub in all of Los Angeles, which positions him at the epicenter of the K-town nightlife. Joe is weighed down by the pressures of the competitive Koreatown party scene while simultaneously juggling family responsibilities and his intense gym routines.
Young(@Younglee11): A promoter for the TAO Group, the hottest nightclub group in Las Vegas, Young comes to K-Town to fulfill his life-long dream of being an international star.
Cammy(@cammychung): Known as K-Town’s sweetheart, Cammy is a waitress at the most iconic bar in Koreatown.
Jowe(@ITZJOW3): The self-proclaimed “Prince of K-Town” who drives a fast car and lives a fast life.
“Asians have always been viewed through the media as either exaggerated stereotypes or the one-dimensional model minority,” said Executive Producer Mike Le. “K-Town is a celebration of what it’s like to be a young Asian in America today. It’s not just about playing the piano and being great at math. We’re also sexy, stylish, have swagger, and can party with the best of them.”
Conceptualized by Electus Founder and Emmy and Golden Globe winning producer Ben Silverman (The Biggest Loser, The Office, Mob Wives, Fashion Star) with consultation from DiGa, co-founded by Tony DiSanto and Liz Gateley – the former MTV executives responsible for the creation and development of the biggest hits in the network’s history (Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, Laguna Beach, The Hills, 16 and Pregnant), LOUD will be the newest home for fresh, edgy, entertaining series featuring celebrities as well as popular YouTube™ talent, creating the perfect blend of unique characters and buzz-worthy content that will launch into the collective cultural consciousness.
"When Tony and I first met with Tyrese and his producing partners, we quickly realized that the concept behind K-Town was a very unique, untapped subculture in American media. We instantly saw it as a fertile ground for a highly entertaining, unscripted show that would play incredibly well to the LOUD audience," said Liz Gateley, Co-Founder, DiGa. "In the same way the culture of Jersey Shore has their own lingo and philosophies, the K-Town cast has theirs and audiences will become enthralled with the individual personalities and fascinating lifestyles depicted in the show."
“We are proud to make true on the promise of programming a YouTube™ channel where we can find a home for a show like K-Town that challenges what is traditionally shown on television in so many ways,” said Drew Buckley, COO and Head of Digital at Electus. “We’re looking forward to creating even more TV-quality programming by and for the YouTube™ audience.”
K-Town is created and executive produced by HQ Productions (Tyrese Gibson, Mike Le, Eugene Choi, and Eddie Kim) and executive produced by Electus (Ben Silverman, Drew Buckley, Evan Bregman) and DiGa (Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley).
"K-Town," a new reality show on Youtube's Loud network, first caught the public's attention in early 2010. At the time, the show was nothing more than a casting call, yet the idea of a reality show, set in L.A.'s Koreatown, documenting the antics of young Asian Americans, made instant waves. Popular blogger and news aggregator Phil Yu, aka Angry Asian Man, wrote in March 2010, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the premise of this show. I'm already imagining the can't-stop-watching train wreck this show has the potential to be." That attitude, one part anticipation mixed with one part dread, wasn't unique to Yu. As news of the show spread, the response to "K-Town" always combined amusement, outrage, and curiosity.
"Culturally, Koreans, and Asians in general, are very concerned with image and how they are perceived as a group," says Eugene Choi, one of "K-Town's" founding producers.1What surprised Choi was that, "the negative response came when there were no episodes produced, and not even cast members selected." Kai Ma, former editor-in-chief of the L.A.-based KoreAm Magazine, recalled, "some readers were thrilled that the first Asian American reality TV show was rumored to air; others were horrified by the show's seemingly deliberate plan to expose Koreans as vapid, obnoxious and fucked up." As one commenter wrote after a July 2010 KoreAm story online, "who ever started this [show] hates koreans...boo! for shallow arrogant vain crazies who are going to shame our race and embarrass themselves in the making."
However, it wasn't just those within the Korean American community who took notice. "K-Town's" main source of inspiration and comparison has always been MTV's enormously popular -- and controversial -- "Jersey Shore." Just as that show followed around young Italian Americans in their social/sexual adventures, media pundits were quick to describe "K-Town" as "an Asian American 'Jersey Shore.'" That included "Saturday Night Live:"
SNL took a cheap shot but the punchline -- a bespeckled violinist as the uber-Asian -- precisely addressed how "K-Town" can't help but play off of racial stereotype. By showcasing Asian American 20-somethings engaged in hard drinking, partying and fighting, "K-Town" pushes against the so-called "model minority" ideal of Asians as studious and unassuming. The show's trailer reel all but revels in anything-but-model behavior:
Undermining one set of caricatures by potentially substituting another set is always a risk. As Yu observes, "there's the 'dirty laundry' factor. Korean Americans are certainly aware that the "K-Town" nightlife scene exists -- some critics might even be participants. But with so few 'real' depictions of Korean Americans in the media, part of the criticism is, 'this is what they're going to show?'" Choi is similarly aware of that dynamic. Referring back to the early critics of the show, he says, "I think because there is such a lack of representation in TV/film/media of Asians, coupled with the reasons above, many were just afraid of the unknown."
Notably, these same tensions run underneath another recent reality show, also set in Los Angeles, also focusing on an ethnic-specific group of young people: Bravo TV's "Shahs of Sunset." Focused on wealthy (read: spoiled) Iranian Americans living in mid-city, "Shahs" was critically reviled, least of all within the Iranian/Persian American community who, as entertainment critic Kia Makarechi argued, "have spent the better part of the last decade explaining that they're neither Arabs nor terrorists." Makarechi went on to note that although, "I'd rather be stereotyped as a giver of gaudy birthday parties than as a threat to national security, that's not a choice I -- or my grandparents -- should have to make."2
'K-Town'
In both "Shahs of Sunset" and "K-Town" -- even Jersey Shore -- sensitivities to depictions of these particular ethnic groups are fueled by the legacies of race, class and immigration, whether we're talking about a history of anti-Italian American discrimination dating back to the late 19th century, post-9/11 Islamophobia, or the enduring model minority mythology of Asian America. Communities used to seeing themselves diminished or demonized in mass media are understandably uncomfortable with the idea of reality shows that highlight bad or deviant behavior even as this is precisely what television audiences hunger for.
While none of these shows compete with the massive ratings of broadcast network reality programming like "American Idol" or "Survivor," for cable channels, they've become a notable boon, especially when they delve into subcultures that many Americans may have little, direct interaction with. For example, the highest rated show on The History Channel is "Swamp People," which follows the travails of multigenerational Cajuns living in/around Louisiana's massive Atchafalaya Swamp. While the show does focus on more than just a bunch of alligator hunters, at heart, it's still a show that spends quality time with...a bunch of alligator hunters. There may not seem to be much in common between Korean American clubbers, scions of the Iranian American 1%, and Cajun, uh, swamp people, what binds them is how each respective show is either subtly or explicitly premised on a voyeuristic window into communities that seem starkly different from "the rest of us."
'K-Town'
Compare that with even well-scripted sitcoms such as "Modern Family." The latter is shot in Los Angeles, including both my old and current neighborhoods of Rancho Park and South Pasadena, but its "L.A.-ness" isn't remotely overt for those who don't recognize Kaldi Coffee's storefront on sight. "Modern Family," like many sitcoms, feels set in a generically middle class American suburb, with residents who could be interchangeable with that of any other sitcom neighborhood.
What reality shows like "K-Town" partially sell isn't just people, but also a sense of place. If "K-Town" does eventually produce those predicted train wrecks, inevitably, they'll take place in hole-in-the-wall soju bars and underground karaoke studios off of Western, or smoky BBQ joints and gleaming nightclubs on Olympic.3 For these shows, geography is always tied to its own kind of cultural pathology.
If "K-Town" does take off, you have to wonder how many other L.A. ethnic/subcultural communities might be ripe for the reality show treatment. Imagine..."Down and Out in Downey," focused on 20-something Latinos who spend weekends composing narcocorridos and hanging out at Gardena's Normandie Casino. Or maybe "Reservoir Dads," following young, hipster fathers in Los Feliz and Silver Lake, negotiating the complex social relations of ordering at Intelligensia or the swing queue at the Silver Lake rec center playground. And as my previous column practically set-up, "The 626" is just waiting to happen, dramatizing the lives of the San Gabriel Valley's Chinese American kids who spend their days at boba cafes. (These are meant in jest yet their very plausibility is also part of the joke here; for all we know, these all may very well be in development as we speak.)
In the meanwhile, I'm split on whether I'll end up watching "K-Town" once it debuts in a few weeks. I have no problem with its premise or its casting; I just don't know if either is particularly appealing to my t.v. sensibilities. But to the extent that the show sheds some light -- however staged and plotted -- on the social lives of young Asian Americans, I'd have to concur with Phil Yu when he suggests, "as stupid as [the show] might be, if this genre is what passes for popular entertainment in America, I say, 'why not?' We have a place somewhere in there too, for better or for worse."
Notes:
1 Full disclosure: I learned, after "K-Town" had made its initial splash in 2010, that Choi was a former student of mine from UC Berkeley, about a decade ago.
2 Critiques aside, "Shahs"' spring 2012 run was strong enough to warrant a second season from Bravo. The relative success of "Shah"s on basic cable raises an interesting question as to why ""K-Town"" is airing on an online network. Internet television may very well "be the future" but at this current moment, it's hard not to see this as a demotion of sorts, especially since ""K-Town"" was initially optioned by a basic cable network. Is this because television executives consider Iranian Americans more marketable than Korean Americans? Is it because "Shahs" had "American Idol's" Ryan Seacrest as their celebrity executive producer while "K-Town's" Tyrese Gibson isn't as high profile? Or is it just one of those random happenstances within pop culture? I don't have a good theory here except to opine that, on the Orientalism spectrum, "Persians" historically conjure up images of exotic myths and picturesque locales whereas Koreans are more stereotyped for their inexpensive cars, hyper-pop girl groups, and kimchi. The former lends itself to "general audience interest" in a way the latter does not.
3 I'd have to wager there will be an inevitable trip to the beach. For one, the casting of so many fit bodies almost necessitates it. Second, the "greatest hits" of Los Angeles's landscapes are hard to escape for any show set in our fair city.
Edgy, wild, hilarious, always drama-filled: that’s just a normal night in K-Town, the epicenter of Korean American culture and nightlife in Los Angeles where eight young Asian American friends are about to experience the craziest weekend of their lives. These larger-than-life personalities shock and defy all stereotypes, fight through loads of drama, and challenge their relationships to the brink. In the end, their heritage and love of this incredible, uniquely American subculture will always be the tie that binds them together.
Get ready for a wild summer with these party people. Expect more controvesy to arise before the first episode even drops. As we saw in the K-Town Reality Show Sizzle Reel last year, the show’s got grinding, girl on girl action, half naked buff guys, drinking, fighting, drinking, dancing, and drinking.
