LA Times: Korea Seeks Next Asian Stars in US

The leading Western U.S. newspaper published an article on Jan. 1 about SM Entertainment president Lee Soo-man and his efforts to find new potential stars to lead the Korean pop culture in the U.S.

The LA Times reported on the audition that SM Entertainment held in the city in the article entitled "Called to Star in Asia," where a picture of Lee was also posted, courtesy of the JoongAng Ilbo U.S.

"The language doesn't matter. We can teach them that," the paper quoted Lee. "What we need is people who understand American culture. That is what will make them stars in Asia."

The newspaper said that SM has held auditions in 11 U.S. cities for the past several years to search for aspiring singers, actors and models who can make their way to stardom in Asia. Some of them have found real success to become celebrities in Korea, meeting Korea's demand for stars familiar with American culture.

The paper cited Francis Hur, the president of SkyLight Entertainment, a Los Angeles company promoting Korean music, as saying, "[Korean youths] can't rap. There are just things that only Americans can do."

Timothy Tangherlini, a UCLA Korean culture professor, told the paper, "There’s been a strange inversion, an almost fetishization of the foreign, whereas before it was almost shunned. The 'street cred' in Korea, the new types of voices and styles, are all coming from L.A. now."
Source: KBS Global

doozy: Okay, people. I'm going to LA to fulfill my dream of becoming a Korean celebrity. Heehee. Just kidding. I'm done being delusional because I know and you know that I don't have what it takes. Secondly, Korean anti-fans are CRAZY (and not in a good way).

Awards Season

As with every end-of-the-year, KBS, SBS, and MBC, the three major TV stations in Korea, held their annual Drama Awards shows.

At the KBS Show

Ha Ji Won won the Highest Award for her role in Hwang Jin Yi. Congratulations to her. It is well-deserved. HJW also won the Netizen Award.



Shim Eun Kyung, the actress who played the child Hwang Jin Yi, won the Young Actress Award.

Yoon Eun Hye won the New Actress Award for her role in The Vineyard Man.

Hyun Bin won the Popularity Award, Netizen Award, and Best Couple Award with Sung Yoo Ri for their partnership in Snow Queen.

There are more categories and winners but I haven't been following dramas by KBS so I either don't know those shows/names or simply don't care. If you're interested, you can check out the complete list here.

Over at the SBS show...

The show was co-hosted by none other than our dear Mukgu, Lee Da Hae! Some viewers have commented that she was quiet and stiff because she didn't interact well with the other two MCs. Eh, it was her first big hosting gig so give her a break. Also, I read that the other two hosts weren't really giving Mukgu a chance to participate in their small talks.

Major upsets of the night was the fact the My Girl didn't win any major awards, except for LDH taking home the Top Ten Star Award and Park Shi Yeon the New Star Award. It might be because My Girl was honored at the 2005 show, where LDH received an acting award for her role as Joo Yoo Rin. Secondly, where were Lee Dong Wook and Lee Jun Ki?!

With all that aside, I would like to congratulate to the cast of Alone in Love for being recognized at the show (with the exception of Gam Woo Sung ).

Top Excellence Award: Song Yeh Jin

Top 10 Stars Award: Son Yeh Jin, Lee Da Hae

Supporting Award: Gong Hyung Jin, Oh Yoon Ah

New Star Award: Lee Jin Wook, Lee Ha Na, Park Shi Yun

Gong Hyung Jin and Lee Ha Na

At the MBC show

Ju Mong and Fantasy Couple were the big winners of the night. Yay!

Those that took home awards for their work in the two dramas includes:

Song Il Kook won the Daesang (Grand Award) and the Top Excellence Actor Award.

Jun Kwang Ryul, who plays King Geum Wa in Ju Mong also won the Top Excellence Actor Award and Han Hye Jin won the Actress Award.

Excellence Award: Kim Seung Soo (Ju Mong), Han Yeh Seul (Fantasy Couple)

Popularity Award: Oh Ji Ho, Han Yeh Seul

Best Couple Award: Oh Ji Ho, Han Yeh Seul

New Actor/Actress Award: Won Gi Joon (Ju Mong)

Also congratulations to Nam Sang Mi for winning the New Actress Award, which I think was for her work in The Sweet Spy. NSM should have received this for Bad Family as well because 1) she certainly deserved it and 2) if Yoon Eun Hye got one from KBS for The Vineyard Man and one from MBC for Goong, then why shouldn't NSM when she's the better actress. Aish, SBS!


The gorgeous Nam Sang Mi

Lists of winners courtesy of CindyW88 @ soompi.com
Images courtesy of mydaily

The Korea Times also wrote an article on these ceremonies. To read it, click here.

Side note: I'm currently downloading the MBC show and shall watch it once it's ready. Let's see how much Korean I've picked up from watching all those dramas.

Welcome 2007!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Be safe and don't party too hard.

Please click here for something special from yours truly. See ya next year!

My New Year's Resolutions

10. Find that gosh darn musical snowglobe/ball thing.

9. Get a promotion at work.

8. Exercise more.

7. Try out other leisure activities instead of watching Korean dramas at every available minute, like reading or something.

6. Sleep on a regular schedule and not stay up too late.

5. Eat on a regular schedule. Skipping meals is not a good thing.

4. Be more frugal. Save!

3. Stop being so darn lazy.

2. To borrow a line from "The Remedy" (a song by Jason Mraz): *sing* I won't worry my life away.

1. Be happy.

I Love Fantasy Couple

I just finished watching Fantasy Couple yesterday. I completed 15 episodes in two days. (The dramedy has a total of 16 episodes but I saw ep.01 a while back.) I stayed up late to watch it knowing full well that I needed to wake up early the next morning for work. And when I got off work, I rushed home to watch it. So, let me just say this: I LOVE THIS SHOW!

The Hong sisters (the writers behind Delightful Girl, Choon Hyang and My Girl) have, once again, made me laugh, cry, and care for the characters that they've created. Credit to Han Ye Seul for portraying a bitchy, picky woman who's suprisingly very likeable. Jo Anna reminds me alot of myself. No, rest assured. I'm not as bitchy or picky. What is similar between our personalities is how defensive we both are when it comes to emotional attachement. We shun it (being emotionally attached to other people) because we fear that we'll get hurt.

My most favorite couple is Sang Shil and Kang Ja, although that's not to say that I don't like the main couple (Sang Shil and Chul Soo) and all the other odd couplings. I love them all.

Sang Shil and Kang Ja

The only two characters that annoyed me were Yoo Kyung and her materialistic friend.

The soundtrack, like almost all other Korean dramas, is awesome. The themesong is very catchy!

If you haven't seen this yet, what are you waiting for? I highly recommend it.
Do visit the soompi thread for more in depth discussion and goodies. The link there can be found in the Drama Info: Fantasy Couple blog entry.

Sweet or Sour?

Delicious Godiva. Fantasy Couple is delightful fun throughout with tons of substance. Na Sang Shil is my type of girl. She is my new hero!

Korean Wave Waning in Asian Nations

By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter (The Korea Times)

Asians are not as satisfied with Korean pop culture as they used to be, according to a report released Tuesday.

Citizens of four Asian countries are becoming more discontented with South Korean films, pop music and dramas, the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) said, citing results of a survey it commissioned. A total of 2,109 citizens in Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei, aged 15 to 59, responded to the survey conducted from early September to October.

Chinese respondents who said they were satisfied with the content of Korean dramas decreased from 72 percent in 2004 to 63.3 percent, while in Taiwan the figure dwindled from 62 percent to 57.9 percent. The dissatisfied increased from 5 percent to 5.4 percent in China, and from 1 percent to 3 percent in Taiwan.

Korean films also seem to be losing ground, according to the report. Those who were satisfied with Korean films dwindled from 60 percent to 54.6 percent in Japan, from 75 percent to 59.7 percent in China, and from 49 percent to 42.1 percent in Taiwan.

"The Korean wave seems to have passed its peak and has started to slow down in growth," the report said. "We need to develop an advanced strategy for cultural products and to seek ways to spread universal cultural values instead of relying on a few celebrities."

Stars who first launched the Korean wave, however, seem to enjoy continuing popularity. Actor Bae Yong-joon, who is affectionately called Yonsama in Japan, topped the lists of "best-known Korean stars" and "Korean stars whom I liked for the first time" in Japan. Actress Kim Hee-sun, meanwhile, was widely popular in China, topping the two lists.

Singer Rain, who is also known by the name Jung Ji-hoon when acting, came in first in the list of newly favorite Korean stars, with 3.8 percent in China and 6.3 percent in Taiwan.

Consumers of the Korean wave in other Asian countries are mainly made up of educated people in their 20s or conservative people in their 50s, the report said. "We need to establish strategies that can appeal to the refined city sentiment of the trend-spotting people in their 20s as well as those in their 50s who are interested in humanism based on traditional Confucian values," it said.
saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr
Source: times.hankooki.com

doozy: The Korean wave phenomenon obviously isn't gonna last forever so it's only natural that people are losing interest. I wonder though, whether or not people are getting bored with the trite and cliche formula and storylines that made the wave in the first place.

Happy Holidays!

Animation courtesy of www.millan.net

Happy Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year, etc. everyone!
Enjoy your presents and remember that it's the thought that counts.

A friend of mine sent me this psychology-related holiday humor. It's quite funny.

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed

1. Schizophrenia - Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder - We Three Kings Disoriented Are

3. Dementia - I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

4. Narcissistic - Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic - Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets
and Stores and Office and Town
and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....

6. Paranoid - Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder - Thoughts of Roasting on an
Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder - You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm
Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder - Silent night, Holy oooh look at
the froggy can I have a chocolate, why is Italy so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle, Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle
Bells, Jingle .......

The Restless Satisfies Eyes, Not Heart

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter (The Korea Times)

The new action fantasy epic The Restless (Chungchon) is visually enjoyable. State-of-the-art computer technology allows good-looking actors to live in a fantasy world, and there are spectacular action scenes.

But these elements fall flat because of the inadequate development of the story. Viewers will soon realize that the film satisfies their eyes but not their heart.

Directed by Cho Dong-oh, the film tells the story of a couple who are separated by death but meet again in "chungchon," a place between earth and heaven where the souls of the dead stay for 49 days to erase their memories and prepare for reincarnation.

In the film, So-hwa (played by Kim Tae-hee) and her lover I-gwak (Jung Woo-sung) face a tragic fate. So-hwa is killed by villagers after being falsely accused of being a witch.

I-gwak believes her death is the result of his power to see ghosts, and his talent eventually leads him to join the royal guard of ghost hunters in the late Silla Kingdom.

The guards' rebellion against a corrupt monarch fails, and all the members are killed except for I-gwak. While on the run, I-gwak is wounded, and he hides in a shabby temple, where he accidentally enters chungchon.

In the semi-heaven, he encounters So-hwa, who has become a goddess, but she doesn't remember him. He finds out that the dead members of the royal guard are plotting to return to earth to change the rule of the world.

Now his former colleagues appear to be the biggest threat to So-hwa, and I-gwak decides to fight for her.

The storyline alone is enough to attract fantasy fans, and the visually superb rendition of the semi-heaven and action scenes have few technical flaws.

Rivers, mountains and temples are beautifully rendered. The scene in which I-gwak fights against some 30,000 ghost soldiers to save his lover is especially impressive.

But the story is not properly developed.

The long story, which probably needs more than three hours of running time, is cut down to one hour and 40 minutes. The result is that many important parts are missing or summarized in dry dialogue.

It's hard to sympathize with the couple's tragic love. It's not easy to know how desperate the couple are to be with each other or why I-gwak wants to save So-hwa so badly. Or why the men in the guard can't easily kill I-gwak.

All the explanation the film provides are the characters brief recollections and statements such as "I love her so badly" and "He was like my brother."

The Restless was promoted as a film for the Christmas season, but watching it is like receiving brilliantly decorated gift box that is disappointingly empty.

Two and a half stars.
e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr
Source: times.hankooki.com

doozy: Ouch! This review is harsh. Regardless, I will still watch this movie when it's available even though it's probably more Korean Wave material than a solid, good movie. Eh, who cares? I like fluff stuff.

I'll Be MIA...

I'm going down to LA for an interview so I'll be away for 2-3 days. I'm gonna drive down there with a friend for the first time... I'm excited but also nervous. Hopefully, we won't get lost too much coz the two of us together equals little to no sense of direction. Anyone interested in reading about my "adventures" once I get back? I don't have a digital camera, so if I do yap about the trip, you're just gonna have to use your imagination.

Anyway, I was making a mix CD for my trip and these songs brought back good memories. Enjoy these clips!

A Millionaire's First Love OST
Uploaded by: winterlove6

This movie is cliche to the max. However, I enjoyed it thanks to the beautiful countryside scenery and the charms of its leading actor and actress.

What's Up, Fox? OST
"Like Me" by Lee Sang Kyu
Uploaded by: crysalide

One of my favorite Korean dramas.

Also, special thanks to seirin for the "snow."

Congratulations!

The 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards

Congratulations to Gam Woo Sung and Lee Jun Ki (The King and the Clown) for winning the Best Couple Award. That's right. Best couple, y'all!


They both look very handsome, don't they?! (Jun Ki also got the Popularity Award. WOot woOt.)

Congratulation, Mr. Bun Hee Bong ("Yoo Rin's grandpa") for winning Best Supporting Actor (The Host)



Also, props to Park Shi Yeon for her Best New Actress nomination (The Fox Family)


The fur wrap thing has got to go. Nonetheless, PSY looks beautiful.
(Was she that good in The Fox Family? Now I want to watch this movie because I'm curious.)

Images courtesy of mydaily

The Opening Ceremony

Special thanks to seirin for uploading the clip.

Pop open the champagne bottles. Cheers all around!

Innocent Star Goes Sexy for KTF Commercial

No longer a girl but a full-grown woman: in a commercial for KTF music portal site Dosirak, Moon Geun-young breaks with the innocent image that has won her the adoration of fans to transform herself into a sexy musical star. In the ad, which will be hitting the airwaves on Dec. 14, she sings a new song and moves her body to some racy choreography. A music video is to be separately released. KTF will be making the commercial public on the Dosirak site on Dec. 26.

Appearing opposite Kim Joo-hyuk in the romantic film Love Me Not Moon has already shown a mature side of herself with her role as a closed-off blind woman. The film, released on Nov. 9, however, failed to perform well at the box office.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Source: english.chosun.com

doozy: I'm not really sure how I feel about this change of image. I need to see the music video first before I can make comments on whether I like this new "sexy image."
I wonder if the Korean public will welcome this change because it's kinda hard, IMO, to view someone who's been like your "little sister" or "daughter" in this new light. Nonetheless, I guess we'll have to accept the fact that MYG is all grown up.

Supermodels-Turned-Actresses Taking Over Airwaves

Supermodel-turned-actresses are becoming a hot topic again. There are around 10 former models working as actresses: Kim Seon-ah, Song Seon-Mi, Han Go-eun, Han Ye-sul, Han Ji-hye , Hyun Young, Choi Yoe-jin, lee Hwa-seun, Jo Hyang-ki, Yun Ji-min. By any standards, they lead the entertainment industry.

(Kim Seon-ah and Song Seon-Mi)

Kim Seon-ah and Song Seon-mi have jumped to stardom by way of various projects, while Choi Yoe-jin and and Han Ji-hye have won fans for the way that they completely transform themselves into whatever roles they play. Hyung Young and Jo Hyang-ki have been busy in various entertainment programs and TV dramas, while Lee Hwa-seun has turned heads with not just her acting skills but her car racing as well. Kim Sae-rom also announced her intentions to make forays into the acting world. The result can be seen in living rooms sometime next year.

But the most visible stars among the batch are Han Ye-sul and Han Go-eun. The two are often put on the chopping block for performances that fail to live up to their looks. But this year was a turning point in criticism of their work, bringing fine appraisals for both. After taking the lead role in the weekend TV drama Couple of Fantasy (MBC), Han Ye-sul has been enjoying plenty of popularity. Han Go-eun showed off her finely matured craft as the heroine of SBS drama Love and Ambition, which recently wrapped.

But now, newcomers who only entered last year’s supermodel contests are already appearing on TV. They are Kim Su-hyun who took the top honor at the pageants and Yeon Mi-ju who didn’t receive an award but gained the spotlight nonetheless. The two appeared in the SBS weekend drama, Queen of the Game and drama special Lovers respectively. For both it is their acting debut, but they have been appraised as relatively solid.

One of the reasons for the supermodel crowd’s gaining popularity as actors is that they meet the qualifications: they are 170 cm tall or more, and their curvaceous bodies are easy on the eyes. Since they were already filtered through various contests, they are not lacking in the talent category. But voices of concern over model’s successive transfer to acting abound. "It seems that supermodel contests are becoming a means of just supplying future actors instead of living up to its original purpose of cultivating professional models," once critic grumbles.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Source: english.chosun.com

doozy: This sounds a bit like how TVB promotes "actresses" that originated from the Miss HK pageant. However, the difference here is that Kim Seon Ah and Co. can act. I have yet to watch Queen of the Game and am not following Lovers so I can't say whether the new batch of supermodels-turned-actresses are any good. Hopefully, the production companies made wise choices and they're not horrible.

Life After My Girl

I was doing a take-home quiz for my Sociology class and I thought, "gee, it'd be nice if I have a snack to munch on. Hm.. I'm kinda craving some sweet potatoes." (Yes, that's mostly all that I think about: food.)

Anyway, so how has my life changed after My Girl?

1. Ever since I watched My Girl, every now and then I'd get these random cravings for sweet potatoes and tangerines.

2. I've always had a liking for musical snow globes/water globes/waterballs/water domes/snow domes (or whatever it is that people are calling them these days...) but it wasn't until My Girl that I actually started to collect them. And man, lemme tell you... that is one expensive hobby to pick up. And since I'm living life on a budget, expensive for me means anything costing more than 15 bucks. Thus far, I have purchased four of those things and sadly, none of them is THE ONE that inspired this hobby.
(I kinda curse Ebay for supporting my "madness" because the sheer excitement of winning a bid, like in a game, is quite addicting. Darn you, Ebay! *shake fist*)

3. I now like cute hair accessories and mismatched earrings.
(I wore one of my hair ties to work and my co-worker asked, "Did you take them from your little sister?" And I, in a dignified tone, said, "I don't have a little sister. So no. They are my own." And then proceeded to roll my eyes, flip my hair in her face, turn my back, and walk away. Haha. No, I didn't do that. One, because she's a good work friend of mine and two, can't really flip my hair coz I wear a hat as part of the work uniform. Darn you, hat! *shake fist, again*)

4. There are new names that I can add to my "favorite actress" and "eye candy" lists.

5. New word of the _____ (until whenever the My Girl effects wear off) is bbashya!
New phrase of the ______ is "You'll be blessed!"

5. I now own a DVD burner. I bought it to burn My Girl on DVDs.

6. I started to use my Photoshop Elements more frequently and even stayed up until the wee hours of morning to make banners for...

7. ...this blog that you're looking at right now.

I have been mukgu-fied.

Btw, dear blog readers... How did you find your way here? I'm curious..

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall: Part 3

Looks: Lee Yeon Hee
Although LYH may not be what one would described as "traditionally beautiful," her face is very unique and memorable. I especially love her eyes. They are very expressive and have alot of character.

Favorites: Moon Geun Young and Lee Yeon Hee
MGY is super adorable, not to mention talented as well. LYH is still green in the acting department so we'll have to wait and see and I do see potential there.

Looks: Well, this batch is a bit different than the previous ones since comparing Go Ah Ra to Jung Da Bin is like comparing... oh, I can't come up with an accurate analogy and I'm not gonna hurt myself by trying so just agree with me that it's different.
I must say, though, Go Ah Ra is indeed beautiful.

Favorites: Lee Young Yoo and Jung Da Bin
Who doesn't love Da Rim (Bad Family) and Shin Bi (Wonderful Life)?! Not only are they adorable, they can also act.
Btw, I do recommend Wonderful Life to those who haven't seen it yet. It's good. I like it.
Regarding Bad Family, you all should know how I feel about this show since I yap about its actress so much on this blog.

Special thanks to ~*kYo*~ @ soompi for compiling the pictures and posting them.
Note: These are my own opinions. If they don't match with yours, then geez... I really don't know what to say.

Lee Jun Ki and Nam Sang Mi lead the KBS2 drama Time between Dog and Wolf

Lee Jun Ki (24) and Nam Sang Mi are selected to lead the drama Time between Dog and Wolf scheduled to be aired on MBC in July of 2007.

The production company of the drama "Phantom Entertainment" announces on 11/29 that LJK is selected to lead this action drama portraying two men having close relationship become rivals under seemingly impossible circumstances. The main characters belong to the special investigation unit against an international narcotic drug crime organization, and they infiltrate into the criminal organization by disguised identities. Currently, the production company is negotiating with the broadcasting TV station. The filming is scheduled to start early next year at Hong Kong and Macau.

LJK plays a courageous and energetic man who revenges on a criminal group. NSM plsys the role Suh Ji Woo. Ji Woo met LJG’s role during childhood and then fell in love with him. Due to a sudden accident, they had to separate. They meet each other again when they are working as secret agents disguised as museum curators. However, they separate once again because LJK’s role wants to revenge on his parents’ enemies. LJK’s previous drama was My Girl (SBS, 2005) and NSM’s latest drama was Sweet Spy (MBC, 2005).
Note: NSM's lastest drama was actually SBS's Bad Family, not Sweet Spy.
Source: mydaily.co.kr

Additional Casting News

Jung Kyung Ho will costar with Lee Joon Gi in the drama Time between Dog and Wolf scheduled to be aired by KBS2 in March of 2007. The main characters belong to the special investigation unit against an international narcotic drug crime organization. JKH plays the policeman Kang Min Gi who forms triangle relationship with Lee Joon Gi and Nam Sang Mi’s roles. The two main male characters also have a fatal confrontation.

The representative of JKH’s agency "Sidus HQ" states, "The production team considers that JKH could present both bright and dark side of the tough character Kang Min Gi very well." JKH’s movie Gangster High was debuted recently. His new movies include Herb and Inside Starlight costarring with Kang Hye Jung and Cha Soo Yun respectively.
Source: mydaily.co.kr

Rounding out the four is Lee So Won.


(I don't know who she is.)

English news translations courtesy of CindyW88 and yeohweping @ soompi.com

doozy: Lee Jun Ki and Nam Sang Mi together in one drama?! Woot woot! Plus, the plot outline sounds interesting. I'm very excited here.

Yoon Eun-hye Offered Role in Taiwanese Drama

Singer-turned-actress Yoon Eun-hye has been offered to play a leading role in the sports film Dunk to be produced in Taiwan.

Based on the Japanese manga Slam Dunk, the film will be produced with a budget of some 10 million US dollars, and Taiwan’s leading star Jay Chou has already been cast as the male lead.

The offer seems to have been extended to Yoon because of the popularity she enjoyed in Chinese-speaking nations as a member of the five-woman group Baby V.O.X and through Princess Hours, the MBC hit drama where she played a leading role.

In July, an AP report had said that pan-Asian star BoA would act in Dunk, but her agency denied the report, saying, "No offers have been made to us, so we do not know anything about it. If we receive an official offer, we will consider it."
Source: KBS Global

doozy: YEH isn't the best actress but she's cute and likeable. I wonder if she'll accept this offer.

Lee Jun-ki to Promote The King and the Clown in Japan

Lee Jun-ki, the co-star of Korea’s blockbuster The King and the Clown, will leave for Japan on Friday for the release of his film there.

During his four-day visit to Japan, Lee will hold a number of interviews with the Japanese media.

His management agency said that Japanese fans are already excited about the film as well as the visit by Lee, who portrayed the role of the beautiful clown Gonggil.

Lee already has a small but quite loyal following in Japan for his previous film Hotel Venus. Japan also plans to air a TV mini-series starring Lee entitled My Girl. He is expected to gain greater popularity in Japan through his film and TV appearances.

Lee is currently working on First Snow, a joint Korean-Japanese film.
Source: KBS Global

Giving Back to the Community

Recently, Lee Da Hae participated in an event in which she helped pass out daily commodities to senior citizens. She's also chosen as an ambassador for a charitable/public service organization of Korea.

For more pictures of this event, click here. LDH looks so gorgeous and elegant! Her style in these lovely pictures remind me of the Green Rose days.

Lee Da Hae visiting senior citizens

They really like her, don't they? The lady even gave LDH a kiss. Heehee. Very cute.

Special thanks to dedicated Mukgu-ers @ soompi, especially ripgal and javabeans for the news and pinklily for uploading the pictures and YouTube clip.

Mukgu is such a sweet and kind person. All the more reason to like her. Skeptics and cynics may say that she's doing this for self-promotion, publicity, and things along those lines. And to that, I say "psshhhhh!" There's a variety of things that she can do with her time but she chose to give back to the community and in freezing cold weather, as you can see from the above clip. Obviously, I don't know her personally but I do believe that she's a genuinely nice person.

"Mr. Vengeance" Back for Romance

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter (The Korea Times)

After the completion of a trilogy on the theme of revenge, director Park Chan-wook has taken an unexpected turn _ toward romantic comedy. But his new film will be different from the ordinary sweet and cute romantic melodramas.

Park, who was once nicknamed "Mr. Vengeance" by New York Times Magazine, said that the film is not only to cool himself down, but also to try to experiment more boldly.

"This was originally something light between big movies," Park said Friday during a news conference after the preview screening of his new film I Am a Cyborg, but That’s OK at CGV Yongsan multiplex theater in Seoul.

"But it doesn’t mean I was going to make it without doing my best or something. I just wanted to make it without feeling much pressure about commercial success, which I believed could allow me to do more experimental and bold things so that it could be a kind of movie in which a lot of people may not understand what’s going on," Park said.

The film, which Park introduced as "a kind of romantic comedy," is set in a mental institute, where a male patient and a female patient fall in love. The couple is played by two big stars _ Rain, who is one of the most popular singers in Asia, and Lim Soo-jung, who gained huge popularity throughout Asia with the television drama series Sorry, I Love You.

Rain plays Il-sun, who believes he can "steal" other people's characteristics, and Lim’s character is Young-gyun, who thinks she is a cyborg.

The two stars' huge popularity seems to be an advantage for the film, but Park said that they were an obstacle to his experimentation.

"When Rain and Lim were cast for the film, the planned experiments were screwed up," Park said, laughing. "The two actors said that they didn’t understand the script, and I had to deceive them with sweet and kind words _ everything will be OK.

"But I started worrying about what would happen if the audience didn’t get it or got confused. So I tried to be kinder, to help the audience understand it better," Park said.

Through the trilogy _ Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Old Boy (2003) and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005) _ he explored human nature and the complicated emotions related to hatred, revenge and atonement for sins.

In his new film, what does he want to tell?

"This is a love story between patients, not between a patient and a doctor. A doctor tries to cure a patient, but the patient just understands diseases that other patients have. Il-sun loves Young-gyun as she is, along with her illusion and fantasy. I think love is something that makes you love problems that your loved one has even though you can’t fix them," Park said.
e3dward@koratimes.co.kr
Source: The Korea Times

doozy: Park Chan Wook had to "dumb down" the script in order for the audience to understand the movie? That's hilarious. I can't say that I'm a fan of his previous works because I leave them feeling very disturbed. Or maybe I just don't have a high enought IQ to understand what the hell it is that he was trying to portray. Nonetheless, like I've said before, I'll definitely watch this movie to support that certain someone.

I Need Your Help!

Does anyone here knows where I can get the Precious Moments snow globe seen in My Girl? If you don't, do you happen to know someone who knows someone (perhaps in Seoul, Korea) who can help me with this matter? I'll pay for the cost and shipping fee.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about since you haven't seen My Girl (why haven't you?! ), here's what it looks like.


Images courtesy of www.enemall.co.kr

I REALLY want this snow globe! I'm not even sure if people are reading this request but it's worth a try. I'd be extremely grateful if you can help me out. You'll be blessed!

Singers-Turned-Actors: the Best and the Worst

In Korea, singers don't just sing to make a living any more. They try hard to map out a career cycle as entertainers, with the arch usually taking them into acting ventures of varying success. In soap operas particularly, some acquit themselves well. Others, however, provoke derision from Korea’s merciless Netizens for the way they flounce and pout around the sets.

In fact, the majority of soap leads are played by singers today. The Chosun Ilbo asked 14 writers and producers of hit dramas who the best and worst of the bunch are. We asked them to rank the top three in each category by giving three points to the best, two to the second best and one to the third.


From left to right: Bi, Kim Chang-wan, Kim Dong-wan, Lim Chang-jung, Mun Jeong-hyeok (Eric)

Among men, famously ambitious Rain came top with a score of 29 for appearances in Full House and A Love to Kill. Praise was fulsome. "He successfully appeals to the public with his ability to express feelings in a sympathetic way and by making the transition from singer to actor very naturally," one panel member enthused. "He’s a jewel. It would have been such a loss if he hadn’t decided to act." In second was Kim Chang-wan with 13 points, followed by Kim Dong-wan with 10 points and Lim Chang-jung with 9. Mun Jeong-hyeok or Eric, who landed in fifth with 8 points, got mixed reviews. Some said he was "taking full advantage of his pretty face and ability as an entertainer." Others were less kind.


From left to right: Jung Ryoe-won, Uhm Jung-hwa, Eugene, Seong Yu-ri, Lee Hyo-lee

Among women, Jung Ryoe-won came top thanks to her part in My Name is Kim Sam-soon. Jung "is able to reflect her own natural image into the role she plays in the drama," one panelist said. "She works hard at learning her craft. If you look closely at her eye movement, tempo, breathing and reactions to her partners, you can see that she studies the script really hard." Uhm Jung-hwa came second with 17 points and Eugene in third with 12. Uhm is said to be able to play a wide range of parts, have a lively spirit as an actress and act very naturally. Eugene drew favorable responses thanks to her fluent dialect in the drama I Really Really Like You broadcast this year. She was praised for speaking dialect very well, which is not easy at all.

Overall, Rain came top with 27 points, followed by Uhm Jung-hwa with 14, Jung Ryeo-won with 12, and Lim Chang-jung with 11.

Who, then, is the worst singer-turned-actor? Seong Yu-ri held the sorry title with 21 points, followed by Lee Hyo-lee with 14, Park Jung-ah with 13, Kangta with 8, and Eric again with 5. Seong, our panelists said delicately, "has starred in several dramas but still has a long way to go." Lee Hyo-lee, who was featured in the drama Three-Leaf Clover, was denounced as woefully miscast. The glamour girl "did not suit the character of a factory worker," they said. In Park’s case, the difference between the singer’s image and her soap character was also judged too glaring.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Source: english.chosun.com

doozy: For the most part, I agree with the panelists' critiques, especially the comments regarding Bi. It would definitely be a loss if Bi didn't venture into acting. He totally impressed me with his debut performance in Let's Go To School, Sang Doo.
Regarding Eric, he has really good comedic timing so comedy is his forte. However, his dramatic scenes, erm.. need more work.
I haven't seen any work from the three singers/actors in the middle, so no comment there. But, was Lim Chang-jung in the movie All About Love? If yes, then he's good too.

On the female side, Jung Ryoe-won was good in My Name is Kim Sam Soon. However, my view of her performance in Which Stare Are You From? might be biased since, to put it mildly, I did not like that drama.
I watched Uhm Jung-hwa in All About Love and she delivered a good performance, if I remember correctly. It's been awhile since I saw that movie.
Eugene, I like.
Although harsh, I agree with them about the part on Seong Yu-ri. I have yet to watch Snow Queen so let's see how she does in there.
I did not see Three-Leaf Clover, so can't comment on Lee Hyo-lee's skills (or lack thereof).