Heechul shows his comedic side with a series of jokes

Super Junior’s Heechul recently busted out his comedic side with a Super Junior joke on Twitter!

On July 31st, Heechul tweeted, “On our way to go play! What do you get when Siwon and Donghae sleep? Jamwon-dong!” along with a couple selcas of himself with Siwon sleeping and waking up in the background. [Jamwon-dong is a neighborhood in Seoul which combines the word sleep (jam) with Siwon and Donghae's name].

Heechul later posted another joke that read, “What do you call a breakup when someone says, ‘Let’s breakup,’ and walks away?” without leaving an answer.

In response, fans commented, “Oppa, where are you going?”, “What’s the answer? I’m curious”, and “Siwon oppa woke up!”

Meanwhile, Super Junior will drop a music video teaser for their newest track “Mr. Simple” later today. Stay tuned as we bring you updates!

Source: Money Today Star News via Nate News

Secret Garden

Details

Title: 시크릿 가든 / Secret Garden
Genre: Romance, comedy, fantasy, melodrama
Episodes: 20
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Nov-13 to 2011-Jan-16
Air time: Saturday & Sunday 21:45


Synopsis

The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), an arrogant and eccentric CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. Their accidental meeting, when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for actress Park Chae Rin, marks the beginning of a tense, bickering relationship, through which Joo Won tries to hide a growing attraction to Ra Im that both confuses and disturbs him. To complicate matters further, a strange sequence of events results in them swapping bodies.



Cast

Hyun Bin as Kim Joo Won
Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im
Yoon Sang Hyun as Choi Woo Young / Oska (Joo Won's cousin)
Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul
Lee Philip as Im Jong Soo
Lee Jong Suk as Han Tae Ssun
Yoo In Na as Im Ah Young
Kim Ji Sook as Moon Yeon Hong
Park Joon Geum as Moon Boon Hong
Kim Sung Oh as Kim Sung Woo (Joo Won's secretary)
Choi Yoon So as Kim Hee Won (Joo Won's sister)
Kim Sung Kyum as Moon Chang Soo
Lee Byung Joon as Park Bong Ho
Sung Byung Sook as Park Bong Hee
Yoon Gi Won as Choi Dong Kyu
Yoo Seo Jin as Lee Ji Hyun
Kim Gun as Yoo Jong Heon
Baek Seung Hee as Park Chae Rin
Jang Seo Won as Hwang Jung Hwan
Kim Dong Gyoon as director
Kim Mi Kyung as guest house ahjumma
Song Yoon Ah as herself (cameo)
Lee Joon Hyuk as himself (cameo, epi. 8)
Beige (베이지) (cameo)
Baek Ji Young as herself (cameo, ep 13)
Han Ye Won as Cherry (cameo, ep 15)
Son Ye Jin as herself (cameo, ep 20)
Kang Chan Yang (강찬양)
Kim Sung Hoon



Production Credits

Producer: Oh Se Kang
Director: Shin Woo Chul, Kwon Hyuk Chan
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook

Celebrities attend Chae Dong Ha’s funeral procession

On the morning of May 29th, family and friends of the late Chae Dong Ha watched on in tears as his coffin was borne out of the Seoul University Hospital for the funeral procession.

Chae Dong Ha’s portrait was carried by former SG Wannabe bandmate and close friend, Kim Yong Joon. Members Lee Suk Hoon, Kim Jin Ho, M to M’s Son Jun Hyuk, and others stood by Chae Dong Ha’s side until the very end, and about 20 fans were allowed on to the scene.

The procession was carried through Hannam-dong, his hometown, before he was cremated and laid to rest at the Sky Castle Memorial Park.

Former SG Wannabe member Chae Dong Ha commits suicide

Korean media outlets are reporting that on May 27th, SG Wannabe’s former member Chae Dong Ha (30) committed suicide by hanging himself in his home in Bulkwang-dong.

The Eunpyung-gu rescue team received a report from Chae’s manager on the morning of the 27th. They stated, “He was pronounced dead on the scene, and police have confirmed the identity of his body.”

His agency stated, “Chae Dong Ha has always suffered from depression. He recently returned after completing his Japanese promotions. This morning, we weren’t able to get into contact with him so we called 911 and later discovered him.”

Many are speculating that Chae Dong Ha’s depression sourced from the suicide of his former manager, who passed away two years ago inhaling gas in a motel room.

In his official comeback album, “Essay“, Chae Dong Ha had written a special message to the manager, which read, “It was a moment more exciting than my first kiss. My first manager. My consolation, my friend, and my hyung. The moment I met that person, I had received the whole world. As of June 9th, 2009, he is no longer by my side. Half of my heart is still missing. Still. ’Hyung, you have to be happy, okay? Promise me that you’ll be happy…’”

Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and loved ones at this time.

Source + Photos: World Journal via Naver, IS Sports via Naver

Boyfriend debuts on Inkigayo

Having released their first single album earlier today, Starship Entertainment’s rookie boy group ‘Boyfriend‘ have begun their debut promotions though tonight’s episode of SBS’s ‘Inkigayo‘.

The boys classify themselves as a ‘New Wave’ band, and are comprised of six members who are literally aiming to be the boyfriends of their fans through their title track, “Boyfriend.” Brave Brothers aimed to bring out the unqiue vocal colors of each member through a memorable rhythm line and sweet lyrics.

Check out their debut stage below!



source: allkpop.com

F.T. Island returns with ‘Hello Hello’ on Inkigayo

After a long hiatus, the F.T. Island boys kicked off their comeback promotions through today’s episode of ‘Inkigayo‘.

Since it’s their first Korean work in almost a year, the boys aptly named their third mini album, “RETURN”. F.T. Island has been actively promoting in Japan, and still are, to some extent.

Their title track, “Hello Hello” is a fast-paced rock track that records at 200 BPM. With an added acoustic effect, the song is definitely a refreshing rock track that’s perfect for the summer season.

The title and lyrics are about a man who’s unwilling to bid farewell to his lost lover by greeting her with a “hello hello” instead of a “goodbye.”

Check out their comeback below!







source: http://www.allkpop.com/2011/05/f-t-island-returns-with-hello-hello-on-inkigayo

MCA Music Brings To Manila The Hottest K-Pop Band, 2AM

MCA Music further heats up the summer season as it brings up-close to all the K-Pop fans here, the four-member ballad boy band 2AM consisting of members Jinwoon, Jo Kwon, Seulong, and Changmin who will all come to Manila on April 27! This is going to be a 4-day exhilarating promo tour (from April 27 to 30) with the release of their first full-length album, Saint O’ Clock, exclusively under MCA Music.



Known for their soulful ballads, 2AM is also well-identified for having rich vocals and this was showcased splendidly in this album, offering a mix of genres ranging from R&B, dance, hip-hop, ballad, and some instrumental—exuding much variety into their playlist. Teaming up again with Hitman Bang Si Hyuk who produced 2AM's last mini-album, the popular vocal group presents 11 brand new songs to their fans, including the soulful hit ballads "You Wouldn't Answer My Calls" and "Like Crazy".

2010 has been 2AM’s year as they have won numerous awards in Korea, among which includes the Digital Music Bonsang award at the 25th Golden Disk Awards, T-World Best Song at the 2nd Melon Music Awards and Best Vocal Performance by a Group at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. This year, 2AM won the Bonsang and R&B Ballad Award at the 20th Seoul Music Awards. With the group’s overwhelming accolades and rising popularity worldwide, this Manila promo tour promises to be one exciting event to look out for!

To get the latest updates on 2AM, just visit MCA Music’s facebook at www.facebook.com/mcamusic.

Korean Music: Korean Indie Band – 10cm!!!!!

Korean indie band [10cm]is a rookie among Korean indie groups at HongDae, The band received the ‘Rookie of the Year Award’ from Mint Paper, a modern music site that holds the ‘Mint Festa’ every year. The group was also the recipient of ‘This Year’s Discovery Award’ at the 2010 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Considering how many idol groups were started this year, their victories are a great achievement that shows how hard the band has worked. And what makes [10cm] even more amazing is that they don’t have a manager.



[10cm] is a duo with one member who plays the guitar and another who plays the jembe. Their group name came from an unexpected background; they named it so because the difference in the two members’ heights is 10 cm. The friendship between Kwon Jeong-yeol (vocal, jembe) and Yoon Cheol-jong (guitar) started in high school year, playing in the same band. Then they entered the military and college (Hongik University) together.

Their music style (vocal, jembe, and guitar) is reminiscent of Jason Mraz. However, still they have their uniqueness. Listening to their songs make one easily assume what the singers’ were feeling when they were composing the song; and it makes one fully associate with the music. Yet, the music and feelings don’t sound very heavy so that one can lightly enjoy the music.

Two famous songs from their albums are “I’m Scared of the Dark Tonight” and “Americano”.

“I’m Scared of the Dark Tonight” is their first main title song that made them very popular. They appeared on the TV program “Yoo Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook.”

During the show, this song was introduced as ‘a song with artful male’s wishes.’ This is because of the lyrics – “if you ever doubt that I have any dark wishes to have you, then you can tie me down to that chair. Look outside, it’s raining. Now you may not go home. The bus doesn’t run at this time and the cab doesn’t come here.” Somewhat it sounds very dubious, but still their melody makes it sound cute.

“Americano” generated many avid fans. Their repetitive lyrics, especially the chorus part “Ame” is very catchy.

They are staging a concert on Febuary 12, 2011. Many avid fans are waiting for their first concert.

Super Junior’s Siwon introduces his new family member

Singer/actor Choi Siwon introduced his new family member to his fans.

On January 25th, the Super Junior star revealed a picture of an adorable puppy, and wrote:

“New family Beckham! Although this was my first time meeting you because uncle was busy, grow healthily! Love you so much!”

Fans can see this ‘uncle’ beaming happily as he throws up a thumbs-up sign for his new family member. This tiny dog, named Beckham, actually belongs to former Fly to the Sky member, Brian Joo. Siwon and Brian are known to be pretty close, and even refer to each other as brothers (therefore making Siwon Beckham’s uncle).

Fans spazzed over the adorable photo, as they wrote, “Totally cute! I want to raise a dog like this ㅜㅜ Is it a Maltese?” “So pretty~ it looks like a doll!” and “Doesn’t match with your appearance, this dog is so small and cute.. keke”

Choi Siwon has been busy playing the role of ‘Kim Junho’ in the SBS drama, “Athena.”



Source: Newsen via Nate & Brian Joo’s Twitter (@Brianjoomuzik)

JYJ’s reality TV show, ‘JYJ’s Real 24′, to air in February

The boys of JYJ are known to be quite private about their personal life, so it comes as a shock to hear that they’ve agreed to star in a new reality show called, “JYJ’s Real 24“.

Cable channel QTV revealed, “The reality program ‘JYJ’s Real 24′ is scheduled to air sometime in mid-February. Members Park Yoochun, Kim Jaejoong, and Kim Junsu will show their every move.”

‘JYJ’s Real 24′ will follow the boys as they participate in CF filmings, musicals, and all sorts of other activities. In addition, their secret house will also be shown.

Producer Lee Moon Hyuk from QTV expressed, ‘Lately, JYJ’s mysterious private life has gotten the interest of fans, which has amplified the attention for this program. Even though it was a little awkward for JYJ at first, they quickly adapted to the cameras and had fun during filming.‘

JYJ unleashes music essay, “Their Rooms, Our Story”!

JYJ has got fans at the edges of their seats in anticipation for their music essay, “Their Rooms, Our Story” (우리 이야기 “Our Story”), and with its release, the public has brand new tracks to feast on!

As a self-composed album, the credits recognize Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu for the production, directing, lyrics, composition and chorus. Furthermore, the piece reveals handwritten messages and a collection of casual photos, giving fans an intimate look at their everyday lives.

Without further ado…!

Happy Birthday Yoon Kye Sang ^^

Yoon Kye Sang



Name: 윤계상 / Yoon Kye Sang (Yun Kyae Sang)
Profession: Actor and singer
Birthdate: 1978-Dec-20
Height: 182cm
Weight: 62kg
Star sign: Sagittarius
Blood type: O
Talent agency: Mynameiskorea



TV Series

Road Number One (MBC, 2010)
Triple (MBC, 2009)
Who Are You? (MBC, 2008)
Crazy For You (SBS, 2007)
Banjun Drama (SBS, 2004)
She Is Nineteen (SBS, 2004)



Movies

A Little Closer (2010)
The Executioner (2009)
Beastie Boys/The Moonlight of Seoul (2007)
Six Years in Love (2007)
Flying Boys (2004)

My Princess releases teaser poster photos

Aw, now that’s adorable, no? Not only does Kim Tae-hee play a rags-to-riches Cinderella type of character in MBC’s My Princess, she’s pretty much dressed AS Cinderella, with that ballroom gown and sparkly tiara. Well, seeing as the drama is basically a modern-day fairy tale, why not go full-out for the princess motif, right? Although I’m confused as to why the princess is holding balloons and posing against a fake castle backdrop, like she’s a cast member in Disneyland’s Main Street parade.



In these stills, Kim Tae-hee’s character Lee Seol, an ordinary university student, poses with Park Hae-young (Song Seung-heon), the sole heir to a chaebol corporation who is also a foreign diplomat.






Kim Tae-hee’s no stranger to the trendy rom-com, though it’s been years since she’s done one (2004′s Love Story In Harvard), while this is Song’s first rom-com drama ever. I’m hoping that the woodenness I’ve come to expect from him in his dramatic and action roles is less of an issue in a light-hearted comedic drama. If anything, the two make a pretty gorgeous pair. Yay for eye candy!



The drama premieres on January 5.

Lee Seung-gi nominated for SBS MC Daesang

Looks like puppy’s having a good year. Triple threat singer/actor/MC Lee Seung-gi (My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Brilliant Legacy) is playing with the big boys now?he’s been nominated for SBS’ MC Daesang, up against veteran heavyweights Kang Ho-dong, Yoo Jae-suk, and Lee Gyung-gyu. There’s not so much a chance in hell that he’ll win, but that’s not the point, as being nominated with these guys is pretty much the highlight for such a relative newbie like him.






I say relative, of course, because compared to these comedians (all three come from the gagman-to-MC camp), 23-year old Lee Seung-gi is just a kid. Lee Gyung-gyu debuted before Seung-gi was even born; Kang Ho-dong debuted in 1988, Yoo Jae-suk shortly after in 1991. But despite his greenness, there’s something about Seung-gi that almost everyone universally acknowledges: what Koreans would call MC-chaejil, meaning he was born to do this.



He has this disarming way of making everybody love him, which isn’t so hard to believe since he’s everything from the Nation’s Little Brother to Korean moms’ number one pick for a son-in-law. He and Kang Ho-dong have fantastic chemistry as an odd couple, on both Strong Heart and KBS’ 1 Night 2 Days, and frankly, theirs is my favorite tv bromance, because it’s real, and completely adorkable.



I think what makes him good is that he’s natural in front of the camera and doesn’t shy away from being himself, which is dorky and funny and naive. But his success as an MC has everything to do with Kang Ho-dong, who isn’t afraid to look bad while making Seung-gi look good. Together they have this great comic timing that makes them click.



I have no doubt that the real battle for the award will be between Kang Ho-dong and Yoo Jae-suk, as they are both at the top of their game and always neck-and-neck for the year-end MC awards. But it’s nice to see Seung-gi coming up in the world.



Lee Seung-gi and Kang Ho-dong (bottom right) are both nominated for Strong Heart (and Kang Ho-dong also for Star King); Yoo Jae-suk (top right) for Running Man; and Lee Gyung-gyu (top left) for Star Junior. The SBS Awards will air December 30.



Via Newsis



News Source - http://dramabeans.com

Shin Mina holds her first ever fanmeeting

It’s hard to believe that someone as high-profile and well-known as Shin Mina has never held a fanmeeting before — even if it usually is the men who get all the big fan events — but it’s true. Ten years after her debut, Shin is just now holding her first fanmeeting, which is no doubt spurred largely by her renewed popularity after starring in this year’s hit fantasy romantic-comedy My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho.



Shin has ten films and five dramas to her resume — which include projects like Devil, Go Go 70s, The Naked Kitchen, and A Love to Kill — so she’s already established herself over the past decade. Plus she has all those CFs to her name. But Gumiho did introduce her to a new kind of popularity and earned her much love for her adorable portrayal of an otherworldly heroine.



The fanmeeting will feature all the usual activities, which naturally includes a performance by the star; she has sung on several soundtracks before, including Gumiho, as well as with rock band Loveholics. The event takes place this Saturday, the 11th, at Seoul’s Sogang University.



Via OSEN



News Source - http://dramabeans.com

Episode 6 of Mary Stayed Out All Night postponed

Two major events have taken television programming priority in Korea, resulting in the pre-emption of a number of regularly scheduled shows this week. Included in the bunch is Mary Stayed Out All Night — so, no recap today.



First off, the recent North Korean bombardment on a South Korean island has sparked international outrage and concern, and has been the subject of special news reports on all three broadcasters. On top of that, there’s also the 2010 Asia Games in Guangzhou, China, which will continue through the end of this week, closing on Saturday, November 27.



Thus we’ll have to wait another week for Episode 6 of Mary Stayed Out All Night, originally scheduled to air today, November 23. SBS pre-empted variety show Strong Heart, although it did air a new episode of Giant (which was on at a later hour), while MBC pre-empted episodes of daily sitcom All My Love and daily drama Stormy Lovers.



As for the attack: On the 23rd, North Korea fired onto Yeonpyeong Island, located just south of the maritime border with a civilian population of about 1,600 and a military presence of 1,000. Two South Korean marines were killed, while 16 soldiers and 3 civilians were injured. This act of aggression comes eight months after the sinking of the South Korean Cheonan ship that killed 46 sailors. Read more in the following articles (in English) from Joongang Daily, Reuters, and New York Times.



Via Arts News



News Source - http://dramabeans.com

Park Shin-hye to star in Taiwanese drama

Park Shin-hye (You’re Beautiful, Cyrano Dating Agency) has been busy crossing borders for her latest drama project, a Taiwanese drama adaptation of Japanese manga series Hayate the Combat Butler. Just what exactly is a combat butler? I don’t know, but I can imagine that it’d be handy to have one around. And really, what kind of butler would you be if you weren’t combat-ready?



Taiwanese idol star George Hu (pictured below) will be playing said combat butler, a young man saddled with so much family debt that he has to start taking odd jobs just to make ends meet. Park will play a chaebol, one who is particularly in danger all the time from thugs who want to kidnap and ransom her for her family’s fortune. She hires him as a butler, but I guess circumstances make it so that he really ends up being more like a bodyguard than a butler.






Sigh. Now I just want to rewatch Sandglass and swoon over Lee Jung-jae.



I’m interested to know if Park will be speaking Taiwanese, (which doesn’t seem likely) or just speaking Korean (which means half of the drama will be subtitled for its own domestic audience). I’m supposing the latter, unless everybody’s speaking English, in which case I boycott. Either way, the premise sounds cute as far as the characters go, but I see a lot of damsel-in-distress-saving about to happen, which I’m not so much a fan of. Could potentially be an international hit, if it can manage to grab both country’s audiences.



Filming began last month, and Park will remain in Taiwan until the end of the year wrapping up the series. The drama plans to premiere in Taiwan early next year.

Sungkyunkwan ends on a high, Giant approaches 30%

It may have not enjoyed a ratings bonanza, but KBS’s Sungkyunkwan Scandal has surely earned the designation of being a hot mania property (not unlike last year’s youth sensation You’re Beautiful), and the fusion-historical-romantic-comedy series ended with a 12.8% rating on Tuesday.



It’s not a spectacular number, but a solid one that managed to double the drama’s premiere ratings of 6.3%. For a while there it looked as though Sungkyunkwan would find itself stuck in single-digit territory, sandwiched between two heavy hitters (MBC’s Dong Yi, SBS’s Giant), but the finale of the former allowed this little gem to crack into double-digits.


I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say this, but [NOT-REALLY-A-SPOILER ALERT] the drama ended happily with its 20th episode, and thankfully, none of our Joseon Quartet were sacrificed in the process. (You didn’t really think they kill off show-stealer Moon Jae-shin, right?) [/SPOILER]



Meanwhile, Giant stopped just short of breaking the 30% mark with a 29.8%, while Queen of Reversals stayed solidly at 11%. The latter had been hoping for a much stronger run than it’s had thus far, given Queen of Housewives’ runaway success last year, but despite sharing a similarly cute, fast-paced vibe, Reversals hasn’t managed to tap into that special somethin’ to propel it to the same heights. (Although the most obvious answer might be the simplest: There’s no Tae-bong!)

Stills from Sungkyunkwan’s last shoots

Stills for the last shoot (sob!) are out for Sungkyunkwan Scandal, which airs its final two episodes today and tomorrow. (Beware of photo spoilers, in case you’re keeping yourself away from hints about unaired stuff — they aren’t too spoilery, but they do show upcoming scenes.)



The drama’s PD, Kim Young-sung, expressed his sadness about the drama’s upcoming end, and said that the entire cast is fatigued from all the work, but also sad that the drama will soon be over.






For those of you who’ll also be sad to see an end to this adorable show and its adorable quartet, hopefully its replacement series, Mary Stayed Out All Night, will fill that drama-shaped void in your Mondays and Tuesdays. It premieres next week.

Jang Geun-seok sings on Mary OST

It’s no surprise that Jang Geun-seok will be contributing to the OST of his new drama Mary Stayed Out All Night, since he’s sung for multiple roles in the past. Most notably, he sung several tracks for You’re Beautiful as the leader of its pop-idol band A.N.Jell.



What IS a surprise is the perplexing title of his first song, which was just released today (listen below): “‘부탁해, My Bus!” which translates roughly to… “Please, My Bus” or “I Leave My Bus In Your Care.”



The question then becomes: In what the hell kinda context does that make sense anyway?






Girlfriday: I know! He’s late for band rehearsal and needs the bus to come on time.
Javabeans: Or maybe he’s leaving his precious babies instruments on the bus and is begging it to take care of them.
Girlfriday: What kind of so-called genius musician leaves his instruments on the bus?
Javabeans: The kind who is just popping out for a quickie fake-marriage ceremony while his buddies set up the concert?
Girlfriday: What if it’s like Speed and he’s driving the bus with a bomb on it, and he’s sweet-talking the bus to please take care, my life is in your hands. Hey, it could happen.
Javabeans: Is Keanu on that bus? ‘Cause maybe then he’s saying please, Keanu, take care of my bus.
Girlfriday: Maybe he’s being detained, and he’s begging them to let him go, because his bus is here.
Javabeans: You mean like, “Please, don’t you see! It’s my bus!”
Girlfriday: But with an Oliver Twist accent: “Please, suh, I must catch me bus!”
Javabeans: Okay, you’re losing it. Maybe the lyrics will help!




The lyrics:



부탁해, My Bus!



Like crazy Just Run, Run, Run, Running, Go, Go 부탁해, My Bus! To the Stage.
My Heart is Beat, Beat, Beat, Beating. Boom, Boom.
심장까지 들려오는 Hurricane Sound
높이 Jump, Jump, Jump, 파란 하늘 위로
멀리 Quick, Quick, Quick 달려가는거야, Start! You and I



날이 선 머리끝, 흐린 Telepathy, 날 조이는 꿈, Im crazy now
달콤한 Jasmine 향, 또 반복되는 Stress, I want to be free
꿈의 Paradise! OH~ 그 곳으로 갈테야 My friend
Dont think Just run! OH~ 꿈꾸는 나의 바다로
Like crazy Just Run, Run, Run, Running, Go, Go 부탁해, My Bus! To the Stage.



My Heart is Beat, Beat, Beat, Beating. Boom, Boom.
심장까지 들려오는 Hurricane Sound
높이 Jump, Jump, Jump, 파란 하늘 위로
멀리 Quick, Quick, Quick 달려가는거야, Start! You and I
Never to fall down!
지독한 연기, 늘 멍한 Television, 날 깨우는 Noise, Im tired now.



쓰디쓴 혀끝과 또 꿈틀대는 Strain, I want to be free.
꿈의 Blue Sky! OH~ 그곳으로 갈테야 My friend
새처럼 Fly to the sky, 너의 날개를 타고
Like crazy Just Run, Run, Run, Running, Go, Go 부탁해 My Bus! To the Stage.



My Heart is Beat, Beat, Beat, Beating. Boom, Boom.
심장까지 들려오는 Hurricane Sound
높이 Jump, Jump, Jump, 파란 하늘 위로
멀리 Quick, Quick, Quick 달려가는거야, Just Run, Run, Run!
Never to fall down!
부탁해, My Bus!
Never to fall down!
부탁해, My Bus!

Did Rain steal Lee Min-ho’s thunder?

It was big news when Lee Min-ho was cast as a womanizing PI in the kdrama adaptation of the famous manga and anime series City Hunter, which was hugely popular in the 1980s. So what has the production team suddenly worried?



Apparently, it’s the similarity of City Hunter’s distinctive Ryo Saeba character to Rain‘s lead character in currently airing drama Runaway Plan B, as well as the storylines of the two projects. When Runaway premiered, a lot of viewers noted the familiarity of Rain’s Ji-woo to the well-known City Hunter hero, with his detective occupation, incorrigible flirting with pretty women, and chic urban style.



The similarity itself isn’t the only issue, though; what makes things stickier is that Runaway, which got off to such a strong ratings start, has nearly halved its audience at the midway point. If it had continued to be a hit, perhaps there’d be less worry — just as one vampire/zombie hit is sure to spawn dozens of imitators — but with the first one faring poorly, there’s concern that the second would meet a similar fate.



There have even been rumors that the production is reconsidering its direction with City Hunter, and is waiting things out before making a final decision. Currently, the series is being planned for an early 2011 broadcast on SBS.



It’s an interesting dilemma. On one hand, there are tons of dramas out there with similar topics that get produced all the time, and sometimes it’s just a matter of certain trends emerging at once. For a while we had a spate of legal and medical dramas, which have since faded. Then you had 2009 as the year of the (failed) sports drama, focusing on everything from boxing to soccer to golf to figure skating. Heck, there were even two versions of Iljimae.



On the other hand, you can see where there is concern that the first drama will steal the thunder from all those that follow — remember Cinderella Man‘s lawsuit with Fashion King, or Style versus Magazine Allo? And even though MBC’s Return of Iljimae was vastly superior to SBS’s Iljimae in writing, directing, and acting, SBS purposely hurried their production in order to scoop MBC, aired first, and brought in the bigger ratings. (They also had the bigger star — Lee Jun-ki — which certainly helped.)



So, you can see the reason for concern. Lee Min-ho was a great “get” for this role despite his youth (at 23, he really is too young to play Ryo, imo), but now there’s a likelihood that everything he does would be compared to Rain’s performance — either he’d be called a copycat, or fall short of the comparison.



Still, Lee is taking an optimistic line, and on October 26 a rep from his management stated, “The character Kang Jin that Lee Min-ho will be playing is different from the original character in a number of aspects, and the script has not yet come out. I think you’ll find that Kang Jin is a fresher and more three-dimensional character than expected. These days, Lee Min-ho is busy preparing to express that character. Please don’t worry and look forward to Lee’s Kang Jin.”



As for me? I’ll be watching both!



Via Hankook Ilbo, TV Report



News Source - http://dramabeans.com

Kim Hyun-joong and Yoon Eun-hye for Basic House

“Hmm, what do I love more? My girlfriend? Or GUMBALLS! But that’s an easy question. I only have one girlfriend, but a meeellion gumballs. Clearly gumballs win. Let me count the ways…”



“Oh no, I’m running late for my date! OH LOOK, CAMERA!”



“Which one of us is the cardboard cutout?”



Her: “Uh, I’m not stealing anything. Certainly not candy from a baby.”



Him: “Shh! Jsst smile and keep walking.”




Him: “Woohoo! I bet I can fit all these gumballs into my mouth!”



Her: “I wish you loved me half as much as you love your gumballs.”



Him: “You’re just jealous because you don’t have any.”



Her: “I don’t have a fanny pack either. I THINK I WIN.”