The pared down and star-dimmed 52nd Annual Grand Bell Awards (Daejong Awards) took place Friday night and the biggest K-star in attendance ended up being Lee Min Ho. The fact that he won Best New Actor in Film for Gangnam Blues says something, not about whether he was deserving or not, but that an awards show solely devoted to film had the biggest star present being a newbie in film because the Chungmuro veterans and A-listers nominated all eschewed to show their faces. The Grand Bell committee ended up backtracking on their rule that only those present would receive an award, so Best Actress went to the pregnant Jeon Ji Hyun in Assassination, while Hwang Jung Min took home Best Actor for Ode to My Father. Ode ended up basically sweeping in all categories, winning Best Picture as well while Oh Dae Su got Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie. Kim Hae Sook took home Best Supporting Actress for The Throne (Sado), but that film as well as the popular The Veteran ended up the big losers. Popularity Award winners Kim Soo Hyun and Gong Hyo Jin didn’t attend so no fan service there either. At the fashion was more or less decent, or maybe the lack of super star power made everything seem merely serviceable.
Why make such a big fuss if they are going to backtrack.
I wonder if the big stars will ever dare to ban together do something more about the underpaid or sometimes not even paid cast and crew.
Congrats Lee Minho! Truly deserving for Gangnam 1970. Although Lee Hyunwoo and Park Seojoon were also great in their debut lead roles.
Meh Award
Ms. Koala, this is a bit off topic. But I have nowhere on your webpage to share my opinions. I just finished all 54 episodes of Nirvana in Fire and already missed the drama very much. This C drama is epic in many ways – seamless storytelling with great pace, great acting (no overacting or exaggerating overdoing as often seen in K dramas), great chemistry among the cast, amazing shooting, and spectacular cinematography in many scenes such as battlefields. This is the first Asian historical drama I’ve ever watched without much romance but the bromance deeply touched my heart. There had never been one minute of feeling bored of watching how the plot was unraveled. One of the best historical drama I’ve ever watched or I even consider the best. I love this drama so much that I feel compelled to ask you to share more information about Chinese historical dramas in the future since you’re so resourceful and such a drama buff. Thanks to you, I got to know and watch this amazing drama. I believe there should be other equally great C dramas out there that we just don’t know bcos they are’t popular among international viewers. In my opinion, Nirvana in Fire is definitely way better than popular Empress Ki (I quit midway through bcos the plot sucks). Besides, I don’t see in this C drama any noble idiocy, stupid and air-headed weakling (very typical character of K heroines), or any gibberish nonsense that makes K drama viewers so pissed. The story of Nirvana in Fire is so deep and rich in capturing the essence of brutality of the ancient Chinese court politics. The ending is so sad but melancholy beautiful that I don’t feel unsatisfied nor anguish.
I hope you won’t just gravitate towards news about K dramas but will make us informed of good or promising Chinese dramas (specifically historical dramas) too. Of course this is your blog and you don’t have obligation to do so. I just feel a bit fed up with K drama cliches nowadays and it happened this C drama was a fix for me at the right time.
Ms. Koala, this is also a bit off topic. It’ll be great if you also watch and blog about LOVE ME IF YOU DARE so there’s space for your community to spaz about it. I rarely watch cdramas but this show is so good with the right mix of mystery, romance, humour and well paced production requiring no fast forwarding. It’s cheesy title doesn’t do any justice to the show. Hope you give it a try.
@Joy I’ve been following it to. Cute drama and have been following it.
+1
I watch it to and enjoying every moment!
+ I also recommend Legend of Ban Shu and Wuxin The Monster Killer.
Thanks for giving me idea what to check out for next drama to watch. Now I start to take interest in C drama thanks to Nirvana in Fire. I watched one or two Taiwanese dramas. But they both are romcoms and I watched them by accidentally click on the clips on viki.com. Now I hope to have more information and recommendation of good C dramas, specifically historical ones.
Yes. Nirvana in Fire is just awesome! (Seriously, what magic camera did they use to film this? Cinematography feels like I’m watching a gorgeous period movie sometimes.. pretty unsual for a Chinese drama.)
I’m currently at episode 26, and boy, does my heart break for Jingrui and the broken trust in his Brother Su, who is now refered as “Mr. Su” by him *sniff*. The bromance in this drama is crazy.. Jingyan and Xiaoshu, Xiaoshu and General Meng, Jingrui and Yujin, Jingrui, Yujin and their Su-xiong. I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.
I’m usually not interested in long Chinese period dramas. I even managed to stay away from Legend of Zhenhuan, even though it was well-received and all my cousins raved about it. But there were lots of positive comments concerning Nirvana in Fire written in the comments section of an earlier post of Koala’s, so I gave it a try and now I am hooked.
And can I please have one second to spazz about Kai Kai Wang? Damn.. boy has such a sexy, heavenly voice. I keep giggling at his adorable “morning call” even after its 10th repeat.
Keep watching and you’ll be deeply touched by all the bromance showing the latter episodes…Spoiler alert!
BTW, I continue to watch Love Me If You Dare bcos of Wang Kai. But he’s obviously the 2nd lead in this modern thriller. I want to see him as a male lead in another historical drama.
Koala please review Marie Claire of my cutie jong suk.
Koala you can write in your blog whatever you want in the colors you want to write them. We all have out personal preferences and dislikes after all. It would be much fair though if you get your facts right, clear and correct . Lee Min Ho won the Best NEW actor award and ALL the other nominees in the same category WERE PRESENT. His win was fair and square.
The other nominees in The Same Category were
Best New Actor Best New Actress
Lee Min-ho – Gangnam Blues
Kang Ha-neul – Twenty
Lee Hyun-woo – Northern Limit Line
Park Seo-joon – The Chronicles of Evil
Yeo Jin-goo – Shoot Me in the heart
Correct if I am wrong but I remember seeing Kang Ha neul , Lee Hyun Woo, Park Seo joon.I am not sure for Yeo Jin goo.
Congrats to all nominees and especially to Lee Min Ho.
Yeo Jin Goo was not coming because he did not get the invitation.
Didn’t Koala write just that?
From what I read here, I get the impression that an award show which biggest star for the night is the winner for new actor category, not best of it, said a lot.
This is what she wrote, “The fact that he won Best Actor in Film for Gangnam Blues says says something”. He won rookie award, not best actor. Hwang Jungmin won that.
Was taken aback initially since he wasn’t nominated for Best Actor in the first place, but realised that it was a typo because she did mention that Hwang Jung Min won Best Actor later in the post.
Anyway, the organisers did make a mess out of these awards, what with the Kim Hye Ja incident, missing out Yeo Jin Goo’s invitation, 100% boycott by the Best Actors and Actresses nominees etc., thus making themselves a laughing stock and tarnishing the awards given to past, present and future winners.
Even the Popularity Award winners did turn up, and why is KSH even included for this when he did not have a movie last year? Totally puzzling.
Even the Popularity Award winners did *not* turn up. Sorry for the typo.
Yeah LMH didn’t win Best Actor, he won Best New Actor. All other nominees for it were present except YJG. So you can’t say he won because other A-listers were absent. He was not nominated in their category. We know you don’t like LMH that much, but atleast write facts.
LMH fans in this website can be too much to handle sometimes. Omfg give it a rest already!
Whatever. I’m happy the A-listers didn’t bother (and that includes popularity award winners too). Though tbh, I’m a little surprised they didn’t give LMH the most popular award considering KSH wasn’t present. He’s surely the only other true contender? Plus he also had a movie this year so it would’ve been legit.
Anyways glad Soo Hyun didn’t waste his time. He hasn’t even done a movie in two years! It would’ve been awkward to recieve an award in person no matter how huge Secretly Greatly was. In fact, he won best new actor for it in the same award function two years ago if my memory serves me right.
This post reeks of insecurity and for your informations as someone who wasen’t following this awards nobody voted or paid for that Popularity award except KSH fans.. Minoz nor Exo-l bothered to vote for that award. all voted for the New Best actor award and other fans voted for the nominees.
How’s this to do with Exo-l here? Are you in one of the most notorious kpop fandoms?
Was this how Lee Min Ho won the Best New Actor? His fans voted for him? Why on earth would an award show allow fans to vote for this category?
@D
The fans vote only counted for 20% of the decision while the remaining 80% decision on the winner was announced by Daejong awards staff and experts. so the fans paid for the 20% chance
Yoanna, oooh, okay then boo. I’m insecure. Hope my admittance to it makes you sleep at night and keeps your ship stay ashore 😉
@Seungri
Thank you for the answer.
So they try to milk as much money as they can. IMO, they should not even allow fans to vote. Now, I see why LMH had to attend. To thank his millions of fans. Maybe Yeo Jin Goo’s fans didn’t pay for the postage?
Why not write about the Golden Horse Awards instead? That’s arguably the biggest awards in Asia.
What’s that award about? I mean what country sponsors that?
They are like the Chinese equivalent of the Academy Awards and are organised by Taiwan. However nominees and winners are not restricted to Taiwan, and also include China and HK productions.
well tell me if it ain’t koala again lmao.. another anti-lmh article on another day in Koalas blog. keep it going koala keep it going. We need a new Tv-show for this history like Tom and jerry named Koala and Lee Min Ho
It’s just me lightly joking with you. cheers mate
Congrats Lee Min Ho. You deserve it. Youre great on Gangnam 1970. Waiting ur next project. Hope itll be dramas
🙂
I thank God for the actors and actresses thatwent home with awards,congratulations to you all.in every event surely there must be lapses for we are now perfect!the organisers have there own rules which onlookers misinterpret.it is not easy to organise,let’s celebrate them . The mistake of this year will be correct next year and new ideas will comr up.and for those that expected and did not received,do not give up! Press-on,msy be your turn next year Amen. LMH!let this my boy rest now!he’s born to reign,rule,popular ,bn loved!!it is not his fault!just DESTINY!!!!Yes!there are better actors,his aura is very strong!so no haters please
@Yoana: lmao. Yeah, u r rite. “Nobody bothered to vote or “paid” for that popularity award except KSH fans” because they (esp bitter minoz) learnt from the past they wouldnt win when it came to competing with KSH’s nomination. Remember last year?
And yeah, minoz didnt vote or pay for lmh’s popularity nomination. So tell me how he won that award at baeksang this year? It fell down into his hands from sky above? Lol. Such a f*cking short memory you minoz have.
And stop bullshiting that ksh fans paid this that. While you dont have any evidences of that, we are here still laughing our asses off at your using voting machine for lmh last time.