ps. The dance-off Zoolander style with Justin Timberlake... Brillinat

Oh, also I forgot to mention:

One example of the challenge ahead is that Usher, who I believe Rain largely styles himself after, is also looking to make a comeback this year. Recently someone on his staff team leaked songs from the album because he knew usher needed grass roots support in order to succeed. Literally because he was married and the public did not like his wife every insane success Usher has had is considered jeopardized. Think about that. If it's a long-shot for Usher, what is it for Rain?

i dont know where these all stuff would go, and i still think it's very funny
it's funny coz you guys are asians said so

while other like me, being a pure american, we have interest on Rain. some of my friends start watching his latest movie out of our curiousity that he's going to play the lead in wachowsky bros new movie, and he's good.

i have tried to extract all the comments here, and everybody thinks Rain would fail and se7en would not (i obviously donot know him, i thought you guys were talking about brad pitt's movie) merely based on english profiency, and it's even funnier coz Rain happened to play in two english-speaking hollywood movies. supposed that he cannot speak english very well?????? hmmm.... what makes Joel Silver, Andy and Larry think of using him again as their lead after his only minor forgetable part in speed racer then???? leave alone that he's not a very well known actor who has this amazing martial arts skill, compare to umm... jet lee/jacky chan/... you guys name them. i believe he must have something that make the three directors so into him, although perhaps they're the only people who could see that. i think reality speaks its own story without us having to do long argumentations or early prediction though.

American has the biggest entertainment industry on the globe, that's why so many people from different regions aim one spot for their name here, and no one said it's going to be easy. there're even billions of americans try to enter the circle and has to crawl back home in dissapointment. if rain has given the chance why dont give it a shoot regardless of failure or succes. no body would know untill one tries.

i think rain is very persistence or some people might call it stubborn, after series of failures, he keeps on trying, didnt let what had happened behind wreck him. just how many asian artists you guys know being that stubborn??? i dont know many asians beside those regularly shown on films.

people said if you kept hitting the key, one day you're going to find the right one. not many have the courage to challenge after serious failure, and he has proved he's not afraid of it. that kind of sprit is truly inspiring and worth respected.

well, when it comes to jealous, there's nothing left to be said after all.
i see the sentiment to him is aroused among asians people themselves coz he's a bit too popular than what people would expect it.
when people thought he's done and truly spent, he somehow manage to pull another things up to the surface and create a talk in the city. those talk like this or the other way around. isnt that everythin works in two ways?
i see him with a half full glass kind of perspective while most you guys see it a half empty

i'm a new admire of Rain, after accidentaly watchd speed's trailer and thought that the asian dude was somethin, and he is somethin. it's like reading another plot of confusius', and not being an asian, i still believe he would turn big someday in the future, in any way possible, whether it's in asia or another part of the globe. young people with his kind of spirits and work ethic are very rare these days.

As I read this article, in the midst of laughing hysterically, I found myself apologizing profusely to all of my posters of Rain. I’m a huge, but not psychotic, fan of Rain and when I heard about some of his ambitions I too had roll my eyes a little bit. It’s not that I don’t believe in Rain. If anyone can cross over, it would be him. As stated, however, he needs to spend a lot more time working on his English pronunciations before he can expect to make it big in Hollywood. Knowing English, and knowing how to speak English effectively clear are two different things. I have already taken a huge gasp when thinking about how brutal Hollywood can be, and I certainly wish Rain all the best in his aspirations. We all have dreams and I admire Rain for having the courage to chase after his. Go ‘head Bi wit cho bad self.

ana mohammed balati tconnecta m3ay bybybybybybybybyby

You have just become my favorite website. Not only have I enjoyed every page I've looked at (especially regarding the subbing), but you've make me laugh, nod in agreement, and look for another page to enjoy. I got here because of "noona" and have bookmarked you for future (only my second bookmark for Korean Dramas). Your comments regarding speaking English reminded me of my irritation with dramas where the "hero" supposedly has spent 12+ years in America but I need subs to understand what he says in English. "Hotelier" comes to mind as Frank can't pronounce his own name. Rain's singing English sounds better. Like Celine Dion, maybe singing the words helps the learning process. Keep up the great work!

I think if Rain wanted to break it into Hollywood, he should have done it the NINO way.

I like Rain and admire him for his ambition.... if you are dreaming, dream big... its free... the only free thing in the world... I wish him all the luck and hope all the Bi fans will support him 'till the end.

What an article. ..... how constructively you critize Rain.

then again , i'm hoping you'll eat all your words ( in w/c you don't mind)

yes it's true, it takes a while for him to get his english into proficiency level.
Yet, Rain is man of determination. I always give credit to this kind of personality that he posses.
Jackie Chan and Jet lee, have been there, struggling with the language, but it's the action and body language that brought them to where they are - of course , i always consider them "lucky" to penetrate hollywood, despite of ' not talking much' when they started.
i'm crossing my fingers that Rain will make it to the Hollywood, with Rain's ambition, I bet he'll never stop trying until he gets there. Unless something big hinders him, that could compromise his health and in what he believes in . Other than that, there no way of stopping Rain in pursuing his ambitions.

hopefully this article would get to Rain.
He really needs to hear this.
=] thanks for your rants.

Ya, my friends and i have had many a rant about this xD

rain......... i will make novel,and make ur be my friend in my novel............
if u not allowed...... nevermind !!!!!!!!!!!! say it in my email........

I think Rain can be successful if he works even harder than before, combined that he speaks decent english. I believe he can have some american success in his music career, because he is a gifted dancer and oozes with sex appeal for the ladies. Even his voice is quite sexy, the way he hisses and yells. I hope if he becomes big, so that white washed asian women will begin to realise he is a sexy asian guy and may bring some cohesion within the asian race.

Now if he can tap into the asian american market thats a good first step, then the next challenge would be the black market, then the latino market. b/c i believe these markets have the potential to be tapped by a asian pop star, since they may be open, more accepting, less ignorant and hopefully less racist.

The biggest challenge is to penetrate the white market, which is predominately the largest and most racist market. The acceptance may not be there.
Lets hope he can break the glass ceiling. I wish Rain all the best and good luck!!

Bruce Lee had done in the 70's, try to be the best and conquer the Asian market films like(Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the dragon) and then proceed into the American market(Enter the Dragon). With his super star charisma, confidence, exceptional speed, flexibility, timing, strength, endurance and perseverance. As well as, a philosopher trying to attain self actualisation. He was very clever, took a huge risk and changed the world. No one(except for himself unfortunately) could stop the unstoppable juggernaut during his prime. THE LEGEND BRUCE LEE.

With similar mentality, Rain has to conquer : China, HK, Korea, Japan, etc. Become the biggest pop star sensation asia has ever witnessed. Sell like fucking 25 million or more albums and have hundreds of concerts sold out. He should dance to level beyond phenomena, work out like never before and make sure when performing he shows those sexy abs to the white chicks, asian chicks, latino chicks, and black chicks. Perfect the english language and win american fans from every market segment. With superb marketing, management, and promotion tactics, he should be very successful.

hi rain i like u very much...........more power and godbless love u.

Well, he did get a lead roll in ninja assassin, and his english is mucho better nowadays, and... I can tell that you have never seen Rain talking about his dreams or his goals in his interviews...understandable, you don't speak korean so you wouldn't understand him anyway. Although there are a couple of interviews with english subtitles.

Rain doesn't dream of conquering the U.S. He only dreams about leaving his mark as any other artist would. Second, he is very aware of the possibility of failure (he always says it), however, for him the important thing is trying. It's giving his 100% or more before admitting defeat.

So, no. If he doesn't make it in the u.s. market that is not going to kill him. After all, Speed racer was a big failure (and not because of him, the movie sucked all by itself), however, he continued to produced his 5th album which has been a great success, and his career has continued ascending.

i am confident that rain will make a big splash in the U.S. market....he has a big built in fan base. He is extremely charismatic on screen. He knows he can fail in the U.S. market, but at least he tried and you have to give him kudos for that. I have seen practically all his interview shows and he is an amazing person. His determination, drive, sense of urgency, passion for his art, his talent, his off-stage sense of humor, his sweet humor, his sexiness on screen, etc....it's amazing. he has so much potential as an actor. He's quite a good dramatic actor and he exudes a lot of sexiness, coolness, humor on screen. I feel he is going to be successful...I will be there to support him when NA comes out.

rain is such a great dancer i believe and think that he can make it to the west

The limitations will be there for Rain until his English is perfect, and until he gets acceptance from the main minority group in the US, the African American community. It really does set the standard for acceptance of other ethnic groups nowadays in the entertainment world. Its like getting a cool pass or something.

Rain is very talented and gifted, but he is just an imitation of Justin Timberlake, who is an imitation of Usher. The reason Asians do best at martial arts in the entertainment industry proves the point. It is something Asians do better than anyone else, and they set the standard. Everyone else is an imitation. If I want to see a kick ass martial arts movie, I want to see Jackie Chan or Michelle Yeoh, not Russell Crowe or Halle Berry with a lot of training!

Not hating on the guy, really. I hope he succeeds. BUT until he gets that acceptance, it aint gonna happen.

I wish he would be satisfied with Asia. In addition, being Mr Friendly in the USA (when he's almost the opposite in Asian countries) doesn't sit well with me.

Phew, my thoughts exactly. The US entertainment industry will eat him alive. He will be lucky if he makes it past being the visible minority in any films. Celebrity status here in the North American market is not as much fun as it seems. Just read the supermarket tabloids. I wish him luck though in trying to make it here. Maybe he actually is more than a hot sexy guy with a 6pack who can sing.

So.... I think JB was right.....Rain's heading back to Korea (with a new album) so ... is he still working the US? cause, he made two movies and that was about it......
.......

I have to agree. Even though I crave to watch my idols on the Hollywood silver screen, part of me can't deny that Asian actors and actresses don't get very far in Hollywood, with the exception of Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. No one can top Jackie's martial art and Michelle is very international. I still resent what they did to Jet Li and I don't know why on earth would Jet Li accept a role in a movie called Danny the Dog. Suddenly my kungfu hero turned into Danny the Dog?

I just got back from Jang Keun Suk fan meet in Singapore 2 days ago and it surprised me how well he can converse in English. I expected broken English and translation from the translator, but he really surprised us. Most of the time he doesn't really need the translator and he can be very funny too! Sure.. grammatical error here and there.

As for Rain, he might have the potential to make it in Hollywood with his dance moves... but.. I don't think America will be too fond of an chinese/korean/japanese looking actors, unless you have a hot body like Lucy Liu LOL

i just re-read this now, and passing through it, i see a point i didn't see before: you say, you mean him no malice. awesome. you say you wish him the best-- and then you qualify is. "best" is a superlative, and we have to be careful with superlatives-- we put it only when we mean it because superlatives are not supposed to be qualified. SO. while i am not a rain fan, nor do i necessarily disagree with your points, i take issue with your choice of words, because they are at times, if not insulting and disparaging, then certainly limiting----- and that glass ceiling? it may exist, but if anyone should assume to know best for us and begs to tell us WHERE it is in the spectrum of our capabilities and our our lives, then they essentially attempt to rob us of the gift of having faith that any one step is still another step further and that we can always push farther than even we believe. by telling people to not dream THIS high or THAT high, you are limiting the dreams, themselves, and their possibilities. not to mention it detracts from our faith in the human capacity.

you make good points. cautionary well wishes from a retrospect is helpful, of course. cautioning him about the EXISTENCE of a glass ceiling is fine--- i just don't think there's any reason for you or anyone else from the outside to tell him WHERE it lies. i think it's discovery and the motions that come from that, is a gift that everyone deserves to have for themselves, untainted.

^ agreed maria! you took the words out of my mouth.

Rain is one my favorite Korean actors. Not because of his hot body but because he moves me whenever he cries or just simply act. I love him and I hope he'll have a great career in Hollywood. Plus, English language can be learned! :)

i totally agree with this. when someone doesnt really speak a language, they come off as dumb and stupid looking. so its hard to pull off a singer/idol "cool" image, when thats the case.

Well, look what we have here. As it turns out, Rain, the "American Superstar Wannabe" as you seem to have labeled him, has just starred in Ninja Asassin, which has become incredibly well known and successful for a pure asian star in America, he even won at the MTV movie awards.

This just goes to show that no matter how much people can analyze and predict and criticize as impossible, if you have high standards and the will to achieve them, you can :]

HA.

Reading this has been hilarious. What a perspective a few years makes, but seriously... this guy is well known? Ninja Assassin must have been one of those strange films that has a swell of popularity with a limited group of people, because I can assure you, as an American, the majority of people here would be clueless if you said the name of the movie, much less the star. I've recently been introduced to Korean dramas and music. Honestly, I'd have no idea about any of it if we didn't happen to have a Korean foreign exchange student in our home this year. The movies/t.v. shows are awesome and the music is interesting, but I don't single person here in Colorado who has heard of any of it or any of the actors/musicians. Even the currently popular song "Gangnam Style" and the singer Psy are only known to a smaller subset of Americans. The majority don't recognize the song or the singer.

I think the solution for Korean actors/singers breaking into the American market can't be dependent on one actor/singer. What Korean entertainment needs to do is the same thing that African Americans have done. Think about it. African Americans are a small portion of the U.S. population, but their music and movies about inner city life dominate our culture. There are so many white boys out there trying to dress and talk like a hip hop star all thanks to music and movies. If Koreans could get a movie studio here to make a movie about an American teen moving to Korea and trying to break into the Korean entertainment industry, I think it would be a hit, just like so many similar movies of some white American trying to fit into an inner city African American hip hop world and incorporate the two styles.

If done correctly, it will introduce Americans to the world of Korean music and dance and probably start a huge fad over here. Speaking English is important, but any Korean actor who wants to break out in American rolls needs to avoid the trap of being the kind of actor who is completely American in everything except facial features. Americans actually love actors/actresses with foreign accents. The trick is to speak English well, but with a cool accent. Look at Russel Crowe, Penelope Cruz, Arnold Schwarzenegger... heck, for that matter, we even like it when an actor has a thick accent from certain parts of the country. A thick New Jersey accent can be just as attractive as Antonio Banderas' Spanish accent. He sounds so sexy when he speaks, we even fell in love with his voice coming from a cat wearing boots.

Honestly, I had to find out who this guy, Rain, was because I saw his name mentioned a lot when I was reading websites to learn more about other Korean actors. But I've tried watching his movies/dramas, and I wasn't that impressed with acting or appearance. There are a lot more interesting Korean actors who I'd love to see in an American movie. Gong Yoo, Yoon Si Yoon and Jang Guen Suk would be good crossover actors, in my opinion.

I know this is waaay late for commenting, but it seemed like nobody had said these things, so why not, right?

In response to Jessica- I would beg to differ on your comments regarding Ninja Assassin and Psy. I myself have been a fan of Rain and kpop culture for a couple of years, but when I've mentioned Ninja Assassin to various others (co-workers, associates) they do know what I'm talking about, so I suspect that there are many more people out there than you realize who are familiar with "that Asian guy" in the movie, even if they don't know his name. And frankly, I got a little sick of EVERYONE everywhere I went dancing and "singing" Gangnam Style. I've heard that phrase mispronounced so many times... And I am from a mid-sized city in middle America. This is the internet age, and as long as one can find Ninja Assassin and so many other great foreign films on Netflix and the like, Rain's chances of becoming a worldwide superstar have only gotten better.

P.S. I just got a Roku, and can now watch all my kpop idol videos on my TV screen. It's a like a little gift from heaven. ^^

Also, did you hear that Rain just got cast in another Hollywood movie with the working title "The Prince?" Check into it... ^^