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Tu Es Sexy! SNSD in Paris

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Written by On February 17, 2012

SNSD, along with many of Korea’s most glittery pop sensations, recently made their way out to Paris to participate in the K-pop Festival Music Bank in Paris.  And somehow, they managed to finagle their way onto a French talk show called “Le Grand Journal” for what has got to be the strangest 31 seconds I’ve thus far encountered in my time as a SONE:

Granted, this is not the only interview they’ve done in Paris, for that would be kind of embarrassing.  But let me just take a moment here to go through some of the inanities of this…can I even call it an interview?

1) So you have 30 seconds during which to ask SNSD questions, and your first question is…to hear 5 seconds of the song they just finished performing?  Efficient use of your time, French television show.  5 points.

2) How on earth did both Tiffany and Sooyoung immediately respond to the second question with the same answer?  Were they briefed on this prior to the interview?  Are French actors a big thing in Korea?  Are SNSD secretly a bunch of Francophone cinephiles?  I’m asking because I am one part impressed, but two parts baffled about this.  I can only name one French actress, and even after all these years, I’m still more likely to just call her “that girl who played Amelie.”

3) Tu es sexy.  Hmm.

4) Jude Law?  Really?  I had no idea he was so relevant in France…or that he was currently super relevant in America…or that Tiffany was such a fan of the man’s work in Closer.  Also, that’s probably not how I would start off a dialogue with Jude Law; I’d probably shake him by the shoulders and scream, “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SIENNA MILLER?” but then again, nobody asked me, and maybe Tiffany thinks that he is sexy, also.

5) Okay, really, who wrote these interview questions?  And the girls had to have been briefed on this, right?  Right?

Aside from the totally bizarre nature of the questions asked (and I really am confused, because if I had 30 seconds with SNSD, those are not things I’d want to know at all, and really, my life as a Sone is none-the-richer because I am now aware of the fact that Tiffany and Sooyoung think that some French actor is sexy), the girls look cute and personable, and even if some of them completely hate their international promotions, at least they’re acting like they are having a good time.

Of course, this interview (really, am I supposed to be calling it that?) has been subject to pretty much the same criticism as have all of the other interviews that SNSD has done since they began promotions in English-speaking countries (though I’m aware that France isn’t exactly English-speaking): Tiffany just talktalktalktalktalks and the other girls just sit there without being able to get a word in edgewise.  And god, how rude is it of Tiffany to steal the limelight away from the others, especially Jessica, who speaks English just as well as Tiffany does without sounding like a total ditz?

At this point, it would behoove me to come clean: Tiffany is my ultimate bias and secret best friend, and I am usually all about this girl.  But even I can’t stand her on American/non-Korean talk shows; maybe it’s because I was born and bred on the East Coast and begin to break out in hives when I hear anyone speak with a Californian accent, or maybe it’s because I secretly also feel like her behavior on American programming makes her look like a total attention-seeker.  Whatever the reason, I am just not really having it.  Even at SM Town Live in NY, during her introduction, I wanted to seize the microphone violently from her hands and slap some duct tape over that trap of hers.

However, try with me to imagine a counterfactual in which Tiffany says either nothing or next to nothing.  What on earth does an interview with SNSD look like then?  Unless Jessica suddenly develops a motormouth, or the rest of the girls swallow the Rosetta Stone in one fell swoop and begin speaking better-than-rudimentary English, then interviews are gonna be either: (a) supremely awkward, (b) supremely quiet, (c) some combination of the two, unless Sooyoung shows up with this or (d) completely nonexistent unless the shows on which SNSD appears manage to get an appropriate Korean translator.

I know that it’s easy to get butthurt and pissed about the Tiffany onslaught that we see in these interviews, and sure, it’d be nice if Tiffany would yield the floor to Jessica (or anyone else) every once in a while, but it’s not as if there’s a terribly strong precedent of Jessica overtaking or even just simply managing to keep up with Tiffany as she talktalktalks.  And keep in mind that the fact that Tiffany speaks English and is willing to talk a lot takes a huge burden off of the shows on which SNSD appears in that it is possible to have interviews with them without expending resources on translation.  This in and of itself can translate into more invitations for interviews and performances, which will ensure the longevity of their US/Western promotions and thus provide the others with more time to beef up their English skills.  Everybody wins!

But really, I will not watch another SNSD interview if the questions are like this.  Get it together, western media.  That is all.

(Le Grand Journal)

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  • eboy07

    Tiffany has  more charisma.

    • Jackie

      I agree. Tiffany’s much more energetic when she talks and her English is much better than Jessica’s.

  • guest

    The first half of your article can be dismissed because you didn’t even bother to search and get info about that ”interview” they went on. Because if you did, you would have known that this isn’t an interview. This is a small segment of the show ”Le Grand Journal” were SNSD were invited to perform.
    The whole point of this segment is to put the guests that were invited in that small room and make them answer random questions for FUN.
    Please research a little before writing an article about how awkward a clip is when you don’t even grasp the context of it.

    • scarletdevil

      it’s her opinion stating that it’s awkward, no need for much research

  • Anonymous

    Even though I am definitely not a fan of SNSD musically, I do actually like the girls with the exception of Tiffany.  I just can’t seem to warm up to the girl even though I try and try.  Even though fans have tried to convince me otherwise, she just always comes off either arrogant or rude but mostly rude making it really hard to be a fan of hers.  It doesn’t help that she makes Californians look like valley girls every time she speaks when the only time I have ever heard anyone talk like her is when I am in Los Angeles and I am a native Southern Californian.   Contrary to what east-coasters think, not all californians sound so vapid.  Also Dana, I know you are a SONE but what do you expect of Western Media that isn’t that familiar with kpop to ask other than they typical simple questions, also what if that type of interview is typically of how they interview music guests on that particular french show. Frankly rather than put the blame on western media, SNSD needs to step up their game and actually learn to speak other languages. To be honest a major problem I have had with SNSD’s foreign promotions is that they have gone into them quite unprepared.

    • Dana Damelio

      You ask a good question – obviously, this isn’t a real interview, and yes, that’s exactly how they do interviews on this type of show.  30 second random questions, perhaps viewer submitted?  I just found the questions silly, mostly because I am pretty sure they are things that absolutely nobody wanted to know about SNSD.  If that had been a Korean talk show, I think it would have made more sense; Korean audiences are far more familiar with SNSD than are French audience.

      I totally get why they asked about the French actor/actress, because that contextualizes it nicely for a French audience; my bafflement was entirely due to the fact that Tiffany and Sooyoung answered so promptly and enthusiastically!  I have seen Marion Cottilard in a ton of movies and didn’t even know her name…but maybe I’m just exceptionally slow haha

      And I absolutely agree with you about SNSD walking into their foreign promotions unprepared.  They need a better grasp on English, although maybe they are operating under the assumption that having a few good English speakers is better than having none; I don’t know TOO much about the Wonder Girls promotions in the US, but it seems to me that only Yeeun, Lim, and Yubin ever speak and that Sohee and Sunye’s grasp on English is still a bit limited. Maybe the idea is that as soon as a few of them are ready, they throw them all into the pool?

      • Claire

        Are you the writer of the article? If yes, I’d just like to tell you that in no way was this segment supposed to make us “know” SNSD better. 
        I also think they went from the principle that some people already knew who SNSD were (they already have french fans who would have watched the show for SNSD and the girls performed just one week before: if uninitiated people who discovered SNSD were interested, they would have done their research). If the people didn’t know or didn’t care well… the point of “La Boîte à questions” isn’t to convert people into liking a celebrity. And it does give interesting reactions from stars we wouldn’t usually see.

        Sorry if I sound kind of harsh, I just really like “Le Grand Journal” and considering their recurring sarcasm and narky humour, I actually think they presented girl’s generation pretty well (although the reaction from my friend’s parents was apparently : “they look like robots”).

  • hmmmmm

    From what I’ve seen doesn’t Tiffany and Sooyoung answer questions/interviews and talk during variety shows the most? They tend to the more talkative members in any country they’re in right? It always seemed that Jessica was more comfortable in Korea speaking Korean. I think that why she seems cold and unwelcoming when she first came out, she’s not a huge extrovert.

  • Kandykane

    the thing is jessica went to korea when she was eleven, thus her english speaking (and writing) skills are that of an elementary student’s.  even when i see her speaking english in interviews, she’s not eloquent and her vocabulary is very very limited.  she can’t organize her thoughts and string together the english words as eloquently as tiffany does–jess simply sounds really awkward and speaks english as if it were her 2nd language. yes, she went to an international high school and learned english, but to be honest, a trainee would not focus on her schooling as much.  (international schools also aren’t equivalent to that of american high schools.)  furthermore, her pronounciation, in my opinion, is mediocre considering she LIVED in the states for 11 years.  heck, seohyun’s pronunciation is on par with her’s. 

    tiffany, on the other hand, moved to korea when she was in high school.  thus, her english speaking skills are of a high schooler’s.  she’s fairly eloquent (compared to jessica) and i don’t find her english cringeworthy as i do with jessica’s.  also, you may hate tiffany’s socal accent but i personally find it perfectly fine. 

    there’s a reason why tiffany takes the lead with these english interviews.  she is more natural, eloquent, and charismatic.  jessica has problems being clear in her interviews, and i think it’s really obvious if you watch her speaking english.

    • Anima

      I COMPLETELY agree. I don’t hate Jessica at all, but she does have a rather apparent accent and awkwardly stilted speech when she speaks english. I think she’s also a bit insecure/shy about it which is why when she is abroad in front of a lot of people she tends to not speak as much. Krystal went to an international school as well and her english is…

      I wish Tiffany could adopt KARA Nicole’s way of speaking english tbh because she is very sincere and diplomatic in her speech. Tiffany comes across as a bit “lacking” when she talks because she doesn’t really try to refine her speech at all… and although she is native, her vocabulary is also very standard. I only used Nicole because she also has that cali girl thing going on when she speaks english.

      • Nana

        Krystal’s English is limited too? I’ve never really heard her speak English.

        Um so why are these girls considered fluent in English when their grammar and vocab are so basic? :

        • Anonymous

          At least is make sense now how SNSD have such horrible english in their songs. 

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ORSXPERTNAEPCKZBGEZMP7A3NU Bianca

            That presumes that they even have a hand in any part of what they do. Just saying…?

          • Anonymous

            Tiffany was mentioned as one of the writers.

          • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ORSXPERTNAEPCKZBGEZMP7A3NU Bianca

            “We bring the boys out”?

            I kid. Never mind.

  • Anonymous

    Taking out of context, of course the “interview” would seem weird but it’s Le Grand Journal we’re talking about, it’s a fun show mixing politics and entertainment, and some weird and random comic segments. 

    But I agree with you about Tiffany, I just wish Jessica would talk more, I think she will sound more endearing and honest than Tiffany. but that’s just my opinion

  • Anonymous

    Tiffany seems like the typical high school cheerleader girl stereotype. 

    • Poodle2993

      I agree. Sadly, she probably even tries to sound like one. Hehe :) Actually, it’s okay to sound like one as long as the content of your conversations make sense. I just noticed that she does talk or hog the mic a lot. But her presence and her talkativeness is a good thing since she could reach out to those who could understand/speak english.thus more promotions for SNSD. BUT, I’ve been to France often and only a few people actually speak speak english..So, maybe they appreciate the girls visually but song-wise or understanding them-wise…I highly doubt it.  

      • Anonymous

        you just seriously said that they are promoting their looks in france. what does that make snsd?

        • Poodle2993

          well, they look different even with their dyed blonde hair..to the western world, they can be considered exotic. So if cute is what sells in korea maybe exotic is what sells in france or europe. Either way, there’s still a language barrier. So maybe it’s their looks or over all physical package that could at least gain the interest of the viewers. 

  • Anonymous

    I don’t think that many french people can hear the difference between east and west coast Americans. I think they can recognize the Texas accent. 

  • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

    Everytime I read one of your articles that involve SNSD in some way, I really laugh so much whenever the part about you and Tiffany being best friends comes up >_< Please can you write all the future articles on SNSD on this site please??

  • Noona971

    Truly lame !
    Maybe you should have either watch the show or did your research because in the grand journal, things go as this  : shania introduces the guest, applauses from the audience, the music guest perfom on stage, have a 10min interview (and in this case the main journalist ask them questions about the training days and stuff, Sooyoung responded) and then they go to the “boite à questions” a chat box where FAN can ask everything that they wanna know from the smartest to the dumbest (make me a lap dance, sing my favorite song, mimick a fish in bowl), the whole point is to push the guest (politicains, journalist, singers, actors) out from their confort zone and if you find the question awkard you bump the buzzer.
    That is simple and funny but by no way an interview !
    And I guess they talked about Jude Law because everytime(and I say everytime) he had a promotion (like for shelock holmes) or even for Cannes he comes to the grand journal. Hell everyone come to the grand journal from Gossip, Meryl Streep, Scorpions to High School Music Hall or Twilight cast and specially our politicians (hear them sing or say something out of the charcater is really funny). The grand journal is the must have promotional step when you come in Paris
    The girls should be grateful that “le petit journal” didn’t a piEce on them by mocking them, because Yann Barthès is a damn witty and mean journalist.

    • Claire

      I loooove le grand journal!! 
      I was actually apprehending that SNSD would be made fun of on it, they can be quite… narky sometimes (but I usually find it hilarious so I don’t mind)

  • spekna

    You could’ve at least done some research about that segment. As it was already said it is supposed to be random questions in a small period of time. 
    And about the “are French actors a big thing in Korea?  Are SNSD secretly a bunch of Francophone cinephiles?” Really? Really? French cinema is one of the most known film industries. Anyone who watches something other than American movies knows that. And even if you don’t watch French movies, Marion Cotillard has been in a lot of American productions. That’s just plain ignorance.

    • Dana Damelio

      Please see my comment response below.

    • Dana Damelio

      Please see my comment response below.

  • http://twitter.com/tuhina_22 Tuhina

    not to sound mean, but Marion Cotillard is not just “some French actor”. she’s a reeeally well-known actress, both in France AND in Hollywood, she has an Oscar lol :3 I thought this clip was cute (and I’m not even really a fan of SNSD) – seems just like a fun, short part of whatever show they were on. not every appearance has to be informative/about snsd/completely relevant, right? :)

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/WWZG7BQSH2OQPQMJXMBYTQRPQU Ghdksd

    LOL AT THIS ‘EMBARASSSING’ ARTICLE.  HOW RED IS THE WRITER’S FACE?

    Another poorly written article, incorrect facts, incorrect assumptions based on those incorrect facts … what else is new on Seoulbeats?  It is amazing to me how UNINFORMED the writers here are about the basic happenings in kpop. 

    I am not going to rehash what commentators below correctly have said other to say this was SNSD’s 2nd appearance on ‘Le Grand Journal’ (the #1 ‘entertainment’-type talk show in France) with their 1st appearance with them performing “The Boys”/getting interviewed.  This 2nd appearance with their 30 second clip was a fun-segment that all ‘celebrities’ do (see Russell Crowe’s 30 sec segment below )

    How this writer can not know that SNSD already performed and were ‘interviewed’ about 2-3 days before this 30-second segment aired is AMAZING to me.  Just another example of the pathetic ‘state of writing’ here on SB.

    Keep proving me right…

    TO THE OTHERS WRITERS ON SB : Keep ignoring making articles about :  

    1) Yoochun’s beating of a fan girl
    2) YG’s releasing of 6 (!!!!) different versions of Bigbang’s new album to milk every cent from their ‘fans’ … and people say SM is money hungry?
    3) YG’s tasteless use of word ‘Alive’ or other imagery such as the oxygen mask in disregard to the life that Daesung took
    4) YG’s Japanese release strategy of postponing 2NE1′s single/albums almost 2 months to the same date as Bigbang’s album release in Japan to piggyback off of Bigbang’s popularity in Japan

    • Lolo

      U back again with ur facts???

      • Guest

        HE ONLY POSTS FACTS! lol

        • Lolo

          I guess he/she is plannin on writing an autobiography on SNSD soon…lol

          • mimo

            And it will be such a bestseller! 

          • Lolo

            Sones will make sure its on NY times bestseller list!!!!!

        • mimo

          I was wondering where this “facts” guy went to.

    • scarletdevil

      u trying to make a catchphrase for yourself?
      “Another poorly written article, incorrect facts, incorrect assumptions
      based on those incorrect facts … what else is new on Seoulbeats?”

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LL4QDJLVFDT2RDIZYBALSE75JE angel29

      5) Ghdksd’s meaningless existence.

    • Kliks

       LOL AT YOUR ‘EMBARASSSING’ COMMENT. 

      Another delusionally written comment, ‘convenient’ facts, incorrect assumptions
      based on those ‘convenient’ facts … what else is new with Ghdksd?…

      OMG!! I started sounding like you…. NOOOO!!!!

    • Guest

      YOU AGAIN! (Gets out bugspray)

      • https://twitter.com/#!/LimaCake LimaCake

        bahaha! bugspray!

    • Anonymous

      I missed you Ghdksd, you and your SM bias always makes my day. Thank you for putting a smile on my face with your funny ;)

    • GracefulCassieShapley

      Hello Troll, I just LOL AT YOU and your superiority complex.  It seems like you only write “Embarrassing” on SNSD articles that don’t praise their “awesomeness” 

      Get a life. 

  • Anonymous

    why doesn’t Tiffany just translate? Like, with the fan meeting for SM Town Live that Soshified put on? How come they needed an outside translator. To further this point, throughout their interview the translator would miss things or paraphrase them, and it WAS Tiffany’s talktalktalk that stopped him in his tracks, politely corrected him, and translated the dialog as needed. So I mean it’s a double-edged sword for her right? She’s like a friend I have to be honest. On most cases it’s just talktalktalk mememe thisthisthis, but when it’s needed it’s there to help for my and other friend’s benefits. 

  • jhg

    Btw Tiffany is quoting the movie Closer. “Hello, stranger” is a line Natalie Portman’s character says to, you guessed it, Jude Law’s character.

  • you don’t know me

    I didn’t read the article. I just wanted to correct you in that it’s “tu eres sexy” with the accent over the ‘u’ in ‘tu’. Because honestly, don’t use Spanish if you don’t know one of the simplest parts of it – conjugating.

    • tiffany

      it’s not spanish, it’s supposed to be french.

    • Anonymous

      A little bit OT….

      Spanish, French, Italian… are related languages but not the same, read here: 
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages .
      Same with English, Swedish, German… related but not the same.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_language 

    • ……….

      It’s French. It translates to “You are sexy.”

  • Anonymous

    LOLed at “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SIENNA MILLER?” Haha. WTH you just made me imagine that scene. =)

  • YaddaYadda

    Like photoshoots, I never take interview questions at face value…especially in Kpop. It’s all facade. Nothing ever seems genuine.

    • mimo

      Honestly, I never take anything at face value in the entertainment industry. It is quite shallow, and they only do things to appeal to the masses. I feel like there is no depth to these people and they will do anything to get attention. 

      It is just how the industry is. Nothing will ever be truly genuine because they are out there for their 15 minutes of fame. Not much of anything else.

  • Yuchen1290

    I find this whole article really stupid. Not only because the french interview was really dumb but because you spent the majority of the interview talking about Tiffany dominating western interviews. They’ve barely done any interviews in the west to begin with and if she’s confident enough in herself to actually open her mouth then let her be. I dont think anyone ever expects Jessica to have much to say in interviews because she’s the “ice princess.” Jessica basically looks bored half the time anyway which is part of her appeal and persona. The reason the other girls dont ever say anything is because sooooo much emphasis is placed on speaking english that it makes them extremely unwilling to “embarrass” themselves with their accents. In my experience asians get really hung up on accents when i dont think other english speakers really care unless they are just completely unintelligible. Not everyone here really cares about how fluent they are just as long as they release good material and have good performances. She’s putting herself out there which in the long run will probably be to her advantage anyway.

  • Xenia

    Oh, come on. How can you NOT know French actors and actresses? Of course, French movie industry is not as epic as back then, but it still brings many awesome, intelligent, tasteful products. To not know any – that’s mauvais ton =))))))) 

  • Arbitrary Greay

    I  thought this little bit was pretty cute, and Sunny playing Dean Martin to Tiffany’s Jerry Lewis is exactly what they need to help non-fans start getting a hang of their personalities.(Or cluing them into the fact that this group has personalities to get the hang of in the first place) Maybe it’s just my preexisting bias, but I thought this is exactly the kind of thing that might catch a Kpop virgin’s attention to other than the lulzy clothing, lip-syncing, and that turd of a song. In other words, something to help them fall in love like the rest of us despite their performance. 

  • http://twitter.com/freahki camila villegas

    TU ES SEXY??? what language is that…is not spanish

    • Anonymous

      It is supposed to be French. Paris is the capital of France. French and Spanish are related languages, they are siblings. 

      So you now Spanish, do you also know something about the origine of that language? Maybe you should learn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages . 

    • Anonymous

      It’s french.

  • https://twitter.com/#!/LimaCake LimaCake

    As someone who is still trying to figure out how she feels about SNSD, I thought this ‘interview’ (scripted or not) was adowable 

  • http://randomizm.tumblr.com Chiara Popalopa

    I sometimes watch Le Grand Journal & La Boîte a Question. The questions are here for fun and not related to the stars at all. It’s almost like random questions. They probably asked about Jude Law because he was the main guest of Le Grand Journal (La Boîte a Question is a part of the show). 
    Now Jessica has never been know to be openly talkative. I think it would be weird for the other girls to speak up, due to their english level as well.. Also Tifanny is probably really happy to be able to speak more of her mother tongue, as maybe her korean is not super good as well. We don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes….
    Anyway I have been living abroad for a long time and I can relate to that fact… Even if my english is almost perfect, sometimes I long for speaking my mother tongue. Now that I am in Asia, I long for it even more (and even sometimes I long for english).
    Now I guess we’ll never know if Tiffany is really stealing the spotlight or if it was something arranged beforehands with the girls or the management.
    I think we shouldn’t be quick to judge… 

  • http://twitter.com/zweiosterei zweiosterei

    This article = a lot of boring inane nonsense.

    And what is ‘Tu es sexy’ by the way? Shouldn’t be something like ‘Vous est sexy’?

    • Anonymous

      ‘Vous’ is indeed more polite, so that should give ‘vous êtes sexy’ but let’s not over react. Tu es will also do.  

    • Anonymous

      vous êtes sexy

  • Zemasrunner

    I feel an explanation is needed here, because obviously, the article’s writer doesn’t know about this show.
    - First, SNSD weren’t main guests on Le Grand Journal, it’s actually the first time I see a group performing without really gusting on that show. So SNSD didn’t have a real “interview” on the show, they just answered two questions on the live show after their performance.
    - The questions in “La Boîte à Questions” (or the Question Box) aren’t supposed to make sense, they’re just put at the end of the show to make viewers laugh because of their randomness, and that’s exactly the trick.
    The questions given in “La boîte à Questions” on Canal+’s “Le Grand Journal”, are just questions taken randomly form the “netizens” posts on the show’s website, the people asking the questions aren’t necessarily from the group’s fans… Anybody has the right to ask what he/she wants, then 3/4 random questions are shown. It’s not the show’s team who prepares those questions.
    I guess you guys aren’t used to the French way!

  • Anonymous

    LOL….at people on here trying trying to correct the title in Spanish when it is clearly French. I thought they would’ve taught this stuff in all schools but I guess they only do in some. I’ll give a quick run-down though: French and Spanish are very similar languages because they are both ‘Romantic languages’ this is kind of like how German and English are ‘Germanic languages.’ Different but very similar. 

    I hope this helps clear some of the confusion on here. =]

  • JesStal

    Oh finallyyyy! Thank You Dana thank you! Finally someone brought light to this “it’d be nice if Tiffany would yield the floor to Jessica (or anyone else) every once in a while…”I love these girls, I really do, but when it comes to the english interviewing part of it, Tiffany gets to me. We all know she can speak english, but why does she need to hog all of it and not let Jessica, Sooyoung or Seohyun (who I’m sure speaks really well.. if she was ever given the chance) say something. 
    I’ll admit though, being fluent english speakers, Jessica and Tiffany their english speaking skills have sort of.. deteriorated. I mean if u wanna compare to Kevin or Eli’s of Ukiss or even the Wonder Girls, I’d say they sound a lot more fluent than Jess or Tiff. I’m a SONE but I’m just stating what I think from what I’ve seen and this is what I’ve concluded. 

    • Lolo

      Yea…they hv very limited vocab and they sound very unintelligent when they speak! I guess it’s due to the fact that they’ve lived in Korea for so long and Jessica was only like 10 or 11 when she moved so her speaking and writing skills is tht of a middle school student. Tiffany moved when she was like 15 so she isnt aware of the new slangs the current generation uses . Tiff and CL are on par wid each other when it comes to speaking in english (no accent but very limited vocab). The only Korean celeb I’ve heard speakfluently w/o any hesitation is Tablo.

  • Oneonlyblondie

    if i heard right the celebrity they find sexy is marion cotilllard? thats a woman though…and jude law came out of nowhere >_<

  • Oneonlyblondie

    if i heard right the celebrity they find sexy is marion cotilllard? thats a woman though…and jude law came out of nowhere >_<

  • Anonymous

    double post, sorry

  • Anonymous

    france is a multicultural country

    it’s not that we look at asian people like some sort of exotic beasts here in europe, you know?

    gosh

  • Allison Miranda

    I’m from California :(………..

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/2XPTLUSCG5T6XDQCNJKDUWMO2U Jade

    I feel the need to reply here because I can no longer stand those critics about La Boîte à Questions, which is a part of the show Le Grand Journal.
    The second part of this show, when actors and singers are usually invited, isn’t supposed to be something serious, like most of shows on this channel, these shows are usually never censured and take a very critical look at the french society and politics in a funny way. In other words, they love to do things different and they love to be absurd (unlike all the other shows that are very stict).
    “Zemasrunner” gave a good explanation of La Boîte à Questions. And I think the reason why they didn’t get a real interview during Le Grand Journal (not la boîte à questions, which is just a bunch of absurd questions to make viewers laugh) is because that wasn’t planned! It’s the first time I saw two groups of guests. The main guests were well-known french actors here to promote a new movie and then, Girl’s Generation came out of nowhere. It’s like when they announced that they would release The Boys in France, nobody expected it and I guess they suddenly realised that they needed to promote the album first, that can be why they couldn’t be main guests on the show. (I also think they actually moved the second group of guests to the first part of the show in order to let a place for Girl’s Generation, because those guests were 2 well-known tennis players and this kind of guests never appear in the first part of the show which is more serious and exclusevily about politics)

    The thing I don’t get is why nobody talked about the other guests on the show. I’m pretty sure they had never seen or heard about kpop before but they all loved the performance and show a lot of respect right away. International fans should have asked french people, because to me, that was the most interesting part of the show. They didn’t make fun of them at all, something I was actually expecting to see, because well they’re a girls band + they’re asian (most of french people are still very narrow-minded, even more nowadays thanks to the crisis)…I was very pleased and surprised by their first reaction to the girls but NOBODY talked about it!

    This comment came from a french person, I love seoulbeats and maybe I’m just overreacting because it concerns something french but honestly, I’m so disappointed by everybody who critized the show after this episode without actually knowing what they are talking about. I know it can be surprising at first, but this show is one of the rare not biased french shows where they discuss politics and cinema and music in a non ass-licking way. They love to do absurd things because well, doing a mini-interview with absurd questions isn’t usual, that’s like a satyre of all the hyocritical shows I guess.

    (P.S : I kinda agree about Tiffany and I didn’t know SooYoung has a good accent like that, well I guess it’s not bad for a non-speaker, her accent is a lot better than mine! lol)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_U67SZ37IJIJVTT4Y5GYLDQ6DB4 Bailey

    Sooyoung’s English is actually a lot better than people give her credit for, and I’m actually happy to see someone other than Jessica (who I find incredibly irritating) taking the spotlight.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002780664624 Jolly Roger

    Can’t agree at all. Even in Korea, Japan, and everywhere else, Tiffany is usually the “spokeslady” for SNSD anyway. Most of the other girls (including Jessica) are probably relieved that Tiffany takes the burden off them, especially outside of Korea. 

    It is only natural that Tiffany takes the lead in anything requiring, or benefiting from, English. 

    As a native East Coaster and someone who has lived in the South, the Cali Valley Girl accent sometimes makes me cringe too, but that is where Tiffany and Jessica are from, and it’s still American. 

    The author fails to see how Tiffany and Jessica are the best weapons SNSD has for their American and Western campaign. Despite having been in Korea for so long, they are still Americans and that counts for a lot. They take a lot of the “foreign” edge of SNSD for North American audiences, and even makes them more accessible to Europeans who speak English to a large degree and are extremely familiar with American entertainment and entertainers (infinitely more than Korean).

    Plus, a lot of times it seems Tiffany is just trying to make sure what SM wants to get across gets said. 

    Cut her some slack for heaven’s sake.

  • Alex O.

    East Coast!!!

    Although I’d say it wasn’t her Californian accent. Trust me. I have friends from California and I find their Californinian accents absolutely endearing. I thought Tiffany was a bit over the top on Regis and Kelly. Or I guess it’s just Kelly now that Regis is gone.

    Anyway, I’m a huge fan of Tiffany. I think that she’s really not afraid to be herself and be open. But sometimes I have to wonder whether or not being American has gone to her head.

    In this case I’d say the problem is lack of education. The girls rarely have time for education and I’m not sure about how it works in Korea, but I take the IB program and it stresses global mindedness. Sometimes conservatives like to call it “UN Socialism.”

    At any rate, the IB program taught me a lot about humbling yourself and what you know about the world. We were required to take an epistemology class (TOK) once a week and it was truly a humbling experience because it went in depth about what we know. And the truth is you really don’t. Haha, the only thing we got from those once a week TOK sessions was that you really don’t know anything about the world around you and that there’s never a clear-cut line between “right” and “wrong.” But it really helped me to become more open-minded about things.

    Wow, sorry, that seemed a bit off topic but I really do feel the problem is lack of education. I don’t know where I would be now without the IB program. Not that the girls should get an IB education, but perhaps more global education, since they intend to go global, no?