Lee Min Ho Releases Surprisingly Easy Listening Mini-Album My Everything

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I’m so sheepish about enjoying this all on my own and in secret for the past few days I finally caved and decided to post it. I suppose coming clean is the first step in taking the stigma off liking something so thoroughly mediocre yet addicting. Apparently Lee Min Ho is trying to branch out beyond picking different acting projects – teenage rich jerk in Boys Before Flowers, adult fake-gay architect in Personal Taste, a baby City Hunter, a Goryeo time-traveling General in Faith - and is now deciding to try out different professional genres as well. Folks, Min Ho-sshi has just released a Korean mini-album! I have a like-hate relationship with Lee Min Ho, I like him but hate most of his acting projects (so far). I like that he seems well in control of his acting career and I genuinely believes he has the potential to really break out of his acting limitations and tics (which really came out in Faith since a sageuk truly challenges any actor). So while I was waiting for him to pick a great project next, and right now I’m undecided on making any assumptions about Heirs with Park Shin Hye and written by Kim Eun Sook, he’s apparently taking a page from Jang Geun Seok and So Ji Sub and letting his inner song geek come out. I can say that his first foray in crooning really isn’t that bad. Unlike Jang Geun Seok who appears to have the fantastic voice to sing with (sadly the man has horrible pitch) but sings the worst music ever, I’ve never been all that taken with Lee Min Ho’s voice but his music selection is quite a breezy find. There are actors I think have seriously sexy voices that I would love to hear them sing, and a few have managed to balance a dual acting-sing career with success, such as Lee Jun Ki and Lee Seung Gi. I’m not sure this attempt by Lee Min Ho has the legs to launch a full blown singer career. His voice is rather unremarkable and his pitch is serviceable. But at a brisk 6-tracks his new mini-album is strangely listenable and decent. I like it and I think his fans will LOVE it. You can listen to the three songs I like the most from his album below as well as download the entire thing to sneak into your iPod rotation. Don’t worry, there is no shame here. Continue reading →

Kim Tae Hee and Yoo Ah In Meet the Press for Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love

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A drama can’t succeed on account of just being good, it needs to be nurtured properly and that is where a good marketing strategy comes in. Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love was rather haphazardly marketed from the get go and since it premiered its been playing catch up by hook or crook. The story has dramatically changed since the pre-filmed first few episodes, with Jae Hee‘s second male lead entrance delayed from episode 6 to episode 12 and the general narrative devolving into open plotting and slapfest weeping. It’s such a shame because all the pieces were there from great acting, wonderful cast chemistry, love directing, and a perfect paired soundtrack. I hate to give writing too much credit, but here it really is the lynchpin and when it goes downhill it takes the rest of the great stuff down it it. Gu Family Book trotted out its leads this week for a mid-point press conference which is a savvy strategy so I wondered why JOJ didn’t also plan something similar. Better late then never as SBS held an on-set press conference with Kim Tae Hee and Yoo Ah In dressed in character and meeting the media. Is it me or is the electric pink color of Ok Jung’s hanbok really out-of-place and jarring, which really sucks because the fashion of this drama has been outstanding this far. When I get bored or annoyed by the recent shenanigans I focus on the pretty and it brings me a modicum of happiness. I can’t imagine Joseon finding a way to dye that pink color in any possible way so boo on the color selection. I actually think Yoo Ah In and Kim Tae Hee continue to have great chemistry but that electric vibe seems to have gone away. Yoo Ah In recently tweeted his frustration in acting out a character he no longer understands (I feel you, dude) and I see him struggling in his portrayal of King Sukjung in recent episodes, all dramatic pauses and tics without the earlier comfort and connection. Kim Tae Hee is still wowing my socks off with her consistent acting even as her character is asked to behave in ways I’m sure she’s equally as perplexed by. Scheming to protect her love and survive is fine, being gleefully revengey about it is so not Ok Jung unless the near-death-experience cause a personality transplant somewhere. I wish I could quit this drama but honestly its quality decline actually doesn’t annoy me but for a sense of pity for the cast, so I’m sticking with it to spend more time with my new girl crush Tae Hee-shhi. Continue reading →

Song Seung Heon Posts Picture of Him with Taiwanese Supermodel Lin Chi Ling

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It’s not every day that two generally acknowledged terrible actors meet and post a cute picture together and lead me to think they might actually work well onscreen in some frothy rom-com capacity. Song Seung Heon, who has been fanservicing the heck out of his social media networks all during the filming of When a Man Loves (which is how I’m actually aware of what is happening in that drama despite not continuing to watch it) recently posted a picture of him with Taiwanese supermodel and aspiring actress Lin Chi Ling. I still can’t believe she’s 37 and still on top of her game. As a woman I am proud of her accomplishments in an industry that is all about youth and looks. She might be aging but she’s still rocking the “it” factor. Lin Chi Ling was in Korea last week and was at MBC studios where she snapped that picture with Song Seung Heon. It led to rumors she might be making a cameo appearance (not true), and further led to calls for these two to work together. That might happen, Song Seung Heon has been itching to expand his fanbase outside of Korea beyond his loyal Japanese obasan fans and China is a prime target for his brand of chiseled woodenness. Lin Chi Ling also has a track record of working with non-Chinese actors, most infamously starring in the J-dorama Tsuki no Koibito (Moon Lovers) with Japan’s top idol actor Kimura Takuya. Age-wise and looks-wise she and Song Seung Heon look fantastic together. And truth be told, Shin Se Kyung is proving herself to be such a bad actress that I might even give Lin Chi Ling the edge against her. At least Lin Chi Ling tries and looks alive, though she doesn’t have a clue which emotion to pull up when nuance is called for and her baby-voice is like nails-on-chalkboard for me. It’s always cool when famous people meet each other and I’m sure there is always some degree of awe involved much like when we peons meet stars in person. Lin Chi Ling has really earned her A-list model status by a quick run-down of all the super stars she’s worked with around Asia. Continue reading →

Park Bo Young Cast in K-drama Remake of 1 Litre of Tears to Air on MBC

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There are dramas that you watch that linger briefly and then pass into oblivion. Very few make such an impact that it transcends the entertainment value and becomes something symbolic in ways that validate its purpose. 2005’s J-dorama 1 Litre of Tears (Ichi Rittoru no Namida) is one of those dramas that seeps into your bones and never really goes away, the feelings of hope and sadness it evokes so profoundly moving. Starring Sawajiri Erika in her star-making performance as Aya, a high school girl suffering from spinocerebellar degeneration, this dorama launched her into her generation’s A-list and she would have stayed there had her real life bitchy attitude and rude behavior not shot herself in the foot a few years later. Erika was absolutely luminous and raw in her performance as Aya, and she actually cornered the dorama market on “girl dying from incurable disease” roles when she followed this up with Midnight Sun (Taiyou no Uta). 1 Litre is one of those seminal J-doramas (along with Beautiful Life with KimuTaku and Tokiwa Takako) that tells a tale without a happy ending but in ways that celebrate the joy in life. Co-starring Nishikido Ryo, Fujiki Naohito, Matsuyama Kenichi, and Yakushimaru Hiroko, 1 Litre is based on a true story in the form of a journal written by a high school girl named Aya who was indeed suffering from this disease and died young at age 25. Korea has now decided better late than never and MBC is readying a K-drama version to star Park Bo Young. My reluctance for Korea to remake it has been outweighed by my excitement on Park Bo Young’s long awaited television return and the complete confidence that she is the perfect actress to play this role. This is Erika’s iconic role but Park Bo Young has the looks and acting chops to portray this character from carefree teen to bed-ridden invalid. MBC is interested in airing I Litre in October after Lee Jun Ki’s Two Weeks. I can’t believe I’m such a glutton for punishment, I really haven’t ever gotten back the 1 litre (and more) of tears watching this dorama seeped from me. Check out the awesome MVs of the original below and be prepared to sob like a baby. Continue reading →

The All-star Cast of Goddess of Fire Jeongi Holds Script Reading

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The power house cast of the upcoming sageuk Goddess of Fire Jeongi sat down for their first script reading a few weeks ago but MBC just released the official stills this week. Starring Moon Geun Young as the titular Goddess of Fire, the story chronicles the life and love of a Joseon-era female potter who lived during the reign of Gwanghae Gun and was later captured to Japan where she ended up spreading Joseon ceramic art there. From the stills it looks like everyone attended the script reading except for Kim Bum, who was overseas at that time and still hasn’t confirmed. While Moon Geun Young may be headlining this drama, the rest of the cast is pretty stellar and will most definitely pull their weight – Lee Sang Yoon as Gwanghae Gun, Kwang Soo as his villainous older brother prince, Kim Bum as the protector/love interest to Moon Geun Young, Park Gun Hyung as the competitor, seasoned veterans Jung Kwang Ryeol, Jung Bo Seok and Song Ok Soon bringing their A-game, and Han Go Eun as a Lady in the Palace. The great child cast will carry the first 6-episodes of the show (the drama is slated for 32-episodes total) with Jin Ji Hee, Park Geun Tae, and Noh Young Hak. This drama looks to have brought back a lot of the same cast members from sageuks The Duo and Warrior Baek Dong Soo (the writer is also writing Goddess of Fire). I just hope this drama writing makes sense, because acting and directing aside, the most glaring problem with all the recent sageuks have been inconsistent or nonsensical (within the context of the narrative world constructed) plot development. This drama is slated to premiere in early July following Gu Family Book, and will be followed in October by Hwatu with Ha Ji Won. By then MBC will have gone an entire year with sageuks in the same time slot.  Continue reading →

Shark Holds Sartorially Mis-matched Press Conference and Releases 5-minute Trailer

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The KBS Mon-Tues drama Queen of the Office with Kim Hye Soo and Oh Ji Ho appears to have come and gone without even a ripple in the online viewing audience. It’s ratings were middling but the drama appears to have suffered from lack of interest in office hijinks and getting lost in the battle between high-profile sageuks Gu Family Book and Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love. Both of those two dramas have entered the latter half of its run so now might be a good time for revenge melodrama Shark to sneak in for a potential upset win. Starring Kim Nam Gil in his first drama since finishing military service along with Son Ye Jin, Ha Suk Jin and Honey Lee, I’m more interested because this drama is being produced by the crack team behind Resurrection (also called Revenge or Rebirth) and Mawang (The Devil). Those two dramas are narratively unrelated except for sharing a revenge theme, and Shark will follow suit and is being called the final chapter of the “revenge trilogy.” Will it the third times the charm, or will it be hard to keep achieving the high standards set by its predecessors? The cast attended a press conference yesterday that was all sorts of underwhelming. No one looked good, and poor Son Ye Jin looked like she wandered off the set of Personal Taste still in character as unkempt Kae In while Ha Suk Jin should have attended shirtless because that would have been the lesser visually insulting option. KBS also released a long 5-minute trailer that continues to leave me unmoved. There is so much visual whatever going on but I’m not feeling any emotional heart or sincerity beating anywhere. Of course the actual drama could be amazing and change my mind in a heartbeat, so never say never. Kim Nam Gil does look exactly like he did in Bad Guy, but this time rich and wearing a suit, while I can’t get over how tired and bloated Son Ye Jin looks in the trailer. What happened, sweetie? I’ve still got a residual high from how effectively Nice Guy delivered the revenge melodrama theme so Shark has some big shoes to fill when it premieres this coming Monday. Continue reading →