There has been a sighting of one of those nearly extinct species known as the naturally good looking K-acting god. Hyun Bin, who has chosen as his first post-military project the sageuk movie A King’s Wrath, surfaced this past weekend at a Samsung event in Seoul. Binnie has been a Samsung spokesperson for years now, even before he enlisted in … Continue reading →
Looks like the upcoming epic sageuk Empress Ki (formerly known as Hwatu but got its named changed to avoid confusion with the same-name Korean card game) may be the last time we get to see Ha Ji Won in a K-drama for the near future. She recently left her long time agency Wellmade STARM, which I totally support since it was … Continue reading →
The K-ent love train keeps chugging along in 2013 as if making up for a few slow years of couple news. While the year’s biggest shocker of a couple remains the one who set off this domino effect on New Year’s day (namely Rain and Kim Tae Hee), let it be said that they probably just opened the door so … Continue reading →
The biggest celebrity wedding in South Korea this year (and likely years to come) finally unfurled to great expectation and did not disappoint. Whether you are a fan of actor Lee Byung Hun or actress Lee Min Jung, this classy and star-studded affair can be appreciated on its own merits and boy was it a feast for the eyes. Because … Continue reading →
In what is far and away going to be the most star-studded Korean entertainment industry wedding of the year, on August 10th top star Lee Byung Hun will be marrying actress Lee Min Jung at a purportedly lavish fete in Seoul. The two went public with their relationship last August, but have admitted that they did date even earlier than … Continue reading →
Good news alert! Don’t you guys love hearing more good news? Remember this past Winter when it was just a depressing unending stream of bad behavior coming out of Korea – the alleged raping, the prescription propofol abuse, the military service scandals. Yeah, I remember and it was not a happy time to follow K-ent. This Summer hasn’t been all … Continue reading →
If I had a time machine there would be so many things I would do with it. Heh heh heh, I’ll save that for my journal of evil, but I will share that one of the things I would do is prevent Lee Min Ho from starring in Personal Taste. My problems with that drama are legion, but the one … Continue reading →
I’m both happy for and a little surprised at seeing the ascendance to television ratings queen status of Lee Bo Young. I seriously thought her star was headed towards perpetual weekend drama status, which is not a diss because weekend dramas bring in some crazy high ratings and if the ahjummas love her then she’s CF gold which is where … Continue reading →
It’s hard to do these days but consider me impressed with rising young K-actress Lee Yoo Bi. She first popped up on my radar in Nice Guy (The Innocent Man) with a capable cast led by Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won, but her acting debut was actually in the hilariously terrible sitcom Vampire Idol. Not exactly a title … Continue reading →
I dread writing these posts, absolutely hate having to even devote time to write about something that should never have happened in the first place. Early this morning South Korea time, famed director Kim Jong Hak was found dead of an apparent suicide. Let that sink in because the first reaction is “what?” followed by “not again!” I don’t know … Continue reading →
Everyone has their own favorite flavor of ice-cream, and even the exact same flavor of ice-cream can taste different despite the same basic ingredients of milk and sugar. I look at the various drama adaptations of the Japanese manga Itazura na Kiss (It Started with a Kiss) as basically different ice-cream shops doing their own strawberry ice-cream. It’s sweet, pink, … Continue reading →
I’m rather bemused that there are still new print magazines launching in this day and digital age. It’s like watching the last grasp for attention before an extinction event, much like 35mm cameras a decade ago trying to convince die-hard photographers not to go digital. It was only a matter of time, and similarly the print industry from newspapers to … Continue reading →
Look who’s back! Though with the amount of publicity he’s garnered even while he was away, I honestly never felt like Hallyu super-star Rain was in the army for the last 20 months. Today was the official discharge for Corporal Jung Ji Hoon (aka Rain) and the man was all business even as he finally got to return to civilian … Continue reading →