K-pop

Saturday Night Live Korea made its debut in December of 2011 and has since done quite well in the ratings. Closely patterned after the long-running “live from New York” original, SNL Korea is considered to be in its fourth season, as Korean TV seasons are relatively short.

This excerpt from a July 2012 skit features the show’s host, singer/actress Bada (Sea) overseeing auditions to choose two new singers to flank her in “SES II.” In real life, her two former groupmates did get married but the trio disbanded amicably and there are no plans for a new incarnation of the group. Also, the “diva” character Bada portrays here is far from the reality. As someone who’s had the pleasure of meeting her on a couple of occasions, I can say she’s definitely one of the friendliest and most charming Korean celebs there is.

To see the full skit (but without subtitles), go here. Oh yes; the first girl here who auditions is cast member Kim Seul-gie, who responds to her dismissal by stating a singing rival of Bada’s is ”the best.” The second hopeful is singer Hyolyn, from the girl group Sistar and their sub-duo Sistar19, and I don’t need to explain why her entrance draws such enthusiasm from the audience. The reason Bada’s request to see her forehead is followed by “oohs” is because Hyolyn is well-known to be self-conscious about what she feels is a large forehead, hence her always wearing bangs.

June 2015 Edit: The above video has been blocked by CJ E&M on copyright grounds, but this original article with the video, can be viewed here.