New TW-drama Office Girls Premieres this Weekend on TTV

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I won’t be around to check out episode 1 of the upcoming Office Girls with Roy Qiu, Alice Ke, James Wen, and Tia Li, which is the drama that will be taking over Drunken to Love You’s spot on Sundays on TTV. But I wouldn’t be posting about it if I didn’t really enjoy all the previews that I’ve seen. This drama reminds me of a TW-version of Protect the Boss with a twist.

The boss’s son played by Roy Qiu will be sent to work in the lowest rungs of the company and prove to daddy that he can cut it before being given the reins to the company department store. I like the set up a lot. Roy’s chemistry with Alice, who plays his superior in the department store marketing department and his upstairs neighbor, looks perfect for this rom-com – fast, snappy, and seething with annoyance. I like even more. Check out the five minute preview below. OG premieres this Sunday. Continue reading →

Cha Seung Won and Gong Hyo Jin Reunited for Bazaar Korea

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Gong Hyo Jin and Cha Seung Won are probably the two most high-fashion couture actor/models in Korean entertainment. Long, leggy, lithe, with non-conventionally pretty but rather striking features, if fashion week in Paris needed two Korean actors, they would be the ones I’d send. September’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar Korea reunites them for the first time after their hit rom-com Best Love. I still think their chemistry in that drama was not up to what they’ve had with some of their other co-stars. But for this photospread, they are smoking hot and connecting with each other. I love it! Continue reading →

Recess: That is the Best Title You Can Come Up With?

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When Koala’s on holiday, the Playground might seem awfully quiet. But it needn’t be that way, as so many drama mates from around the world have congregated here and ought to be more than capable of stirring up some fun to pass the time. As the Captain, I am here to inaugurate a new category of posts henceforth called “Recess”. Like the name implies, these posts are not necessarily informative or explanatory, but rather just intended to be fun. I get the ball rolling and you guys run with it.

Today’s game for recess is this: how important is a drama title in getting you interested in checking out a drama? I think naming anything is absolutely vital. Imagine if I named my site A Koala’s Dumpster or An Armadillo’s Playground. Yeah, not very enticing, is it? Not that a Koala is any better, but at least it’s innocuous and rather cuddly. So below are some drama naming considerations I’ve pondered over the years.

Oh, and FYI, I’ve officially taken off now, but I’ve prepared these posts beforehand, so am not blogging on the beach. You guys needn’t worry. The playground will have lots of new posts, but currently no expected recaps. Because unless I can see into the future, those new drama episodes unfortunately couldn’t be released early just so I can recap it before I left. Now back to drama titles!

Continue reading →

Kim Hyun Joong Visits Taiwan to Promote his Album Breakdown

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Grrrrr, Hyun Joong, you are just trying to torment your noona (ME), aren’t you? I bitch about not being fond of your new nose, and then BAM, you toddle off to Taiwan for a whirlwind trip looking about as hot as I have ever seen you look. You are simply going to force me to accept your new visage by taunting me not to drool over you. Well, you win. I concede defeat. New nose what? Koala could care less. Neither could the crazy girls in Taiwan, who swarmed your visit and pretty much dogged your every step. Kim Hyun Joong was in Taiwan this week to promote his new mini-album Breakdown. Like I said, nothing too exciting happened, except he was simply too cute for me not to post about his visit. Continue reading →

Sung Yuri and Park Min Young in Hawaii for Sure Magazine

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Going to Hawaii to do a photoshoot after wrapping a drama appears to be the recent trend. Yoon Eun Hye did a Harper’s Bazaar photoshoot in Hawaii right after finishing Lie to Me, and now two other May K-drama actresses have followed suit. Sung Yuri completed Romance Town and Park Min Young wrapped City Hunter, then both girls went to Hawaii to shoot a spread for Sure Magazine.

I love every single picture in this shoot because it’s that great presentation balance of model and backdrop. Even more than Eun Hye’s photoshoot (which was really all about her), the ones for Yuri and Min Young really capture the beauty of Hawaii as well. Min Young is sure a busy little bee, as she’s back in Korea preparing for her upcoming drama Man of Honor with PIE. Continue reading →

Two Little Playground Announcements

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The first item of business is that I’m sure everyone has already noticed the playground has a brand new look. I experimented between two formats, and this one has the best of the two most vital functions: broad reading width and wide comments section. Hate it or love it, it’s here to stay. My previous layout was always meant to be temporary (it was too cute and squishy) until I could find the ideal format.

That’s the good news. The next announcement is great news for me, but maybe not so good news for you. The second item of business is that the dog days of August are here, and this Koala has finally earned her vacation. Which means that *cue drumroll* I can’t promise any recaps for any drama for all of next week. Continue reading →