October 2011

Kim Jong Il's Son and Grandson Tell All on Facebook

Couldn't they have made more money if they told the Enquirer?

 

Today in AWESOME brings us the latest news from South Korea where Kim Jong Il’s son has made the all-too-common mistake of sharing one too many personal stories on his Facebook page. Since Kim Jong Nam’s dad just happens to one of the world’s most infamous dictators in the world, his Facebook talk of the inner workings of the Kim family makes for some very interesting reading. 

So, what exactly is Kim Jong Nam whining about on his Facebook page? Oh, just the usual bitching and moaning. For one, he wasn’t chosen as the next Supreme Leader of North Korea. His half-brother was. Although this is probably because he was exiled from North Korea, the eldest sons in Korea usually get all the positive attention from their parents. He was originally exiled from the country for supposed claims that he made suggesting that he would implement reforms if he became the leader of North Korea. His other mistake was visiting Disneyland in Japan with a fake passport, apparently a big no-no among communist dictators. 

Kim Jong Nam’s Facebook page is believed to be written under the pseudonym Kim Chol; his son Kim Han Sol also has a Facebook page. The movie “Team America” by the South Park creators is known for a scene in which Kim Jong Il sings “I’m so Lonely," a mocking ballad alluding to the loneliness that dictators everywhere face. Kim Jong Nam is also mocking his dictator dad on his Facebook page and has “digitally altered photos on his Facebook page ridiculing his father and the North Korean elite.” 

I, myself have a picture of Kim Jong Il as Batman as my screensaver. I’m wondering if this is something that Kim Jong Il’s son and I have in common. 

Han Sol, the grandson of Kim Jong Il, is still in high school and attends a boarding school in Bosnia. If his Facebook pictures are any indication, he himself seems like a fairly awesome sort of guy. He conducted a poll through Facebook asking whether his Facebook friends supported Communism or Democracy and has more than a few pictures of himself with bleached hair and earrings, as well as a picture of himself with an attractive date. 

Go, Han Sol, go. I guess that Facebook is the new medium for relatives of dictators to express themselves. I can’t wait to read his memoir if one ever comes out.

Britney Spears Releases Untouched Magazine Shots

 

I sort of assumed Britney Spears had fallen from the public eye in the last five years or so. She had her share of babies and breakdowns and I just thought she'd probably want to lie low for the rest of her life after that. Apparently I was wrong; the starlet has returned with a new record and a new image. The public still seems to want Britney news despite the new generation of post-modern pop princesses on the scene. She's a vestige of an earlier time, perhaps, but still famous enough and still relevant enough to fit nicely on the timeline between Madonna and Gaga.

She's also gearing up for a little bit of politics. Britney has approved the distribution of 'before' and 'after' magazine shots of herself--that is, photographs before the Photoshopping process and then the final product. These side-by-side images will be included in teaching packs sent to primary schools in an attempt to teach young girls about body image in the media.