K-ent Looks Forward to the Discharge of Four Male Actor Leads in the Next Few Months: Park Bo Gum, Woo Do Hwan, Yang Se Jong, and Yook Sung Jae

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The year 2021 is winding down and another batch of enlisted male lead level actors are returning from nearly two years away in mandatory military service. That means the casting calls for next years K-dramas and/or movies will have returning names to shake up the scene. The biggest name return is also the last to come back in this batch … Continue reading →

Dazed Korea Drops Fashion Pictorial Featuring Jang Ki Yong and Song Hye Kyo for Now, We are Breaking Up

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The promos are really coming fast for upcoming SBS drama Now, We are Breaking Up, with just one week left before airing. Male lead Jang Ki Yong filmed and photographed all his promo activities in August before enlisting in the military so even the forthcoming press conference was already completed with the cast back then. This week Dazed Korea magazine … Continue reading →

KBS Kicks Off Promotions for Long Delayed School 2021 with Kim Yo Han and Choo Yi Hyun

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

There were four School seasons in the early Hallyu days that launched the career of many a now top K star before KBS paused the franchise for a decade until School 2013 came along. This upcoming School 2021 will be the fourth in the rebooted franchise and we will have to wait and see if this will also mark the … Continue reading →

Netflix in Final Talks to Remake Crash Landing on You as a US Series

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

I knew this was coming just because it was so popular but unless the final result just magically works this will not be the best idea to spend time and money on. Netflix aired hit tvN drama Crashing Landing on You when it aired last year and also got amazing streaming views on the platform. The drama definitely played a … Continue reading →

Joseon Exorcist Leads the Joynews Poll of K-ent Insiders Pick for Worst Drama of 2021 Followed by Penthouse

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The counterpart to the Joynews insider poll on the Best Dramas of 2021 is also here, the same group of over 200 K-ent professionals were asked what their pick for Worst Drama of the year was. I was not expecting to see this drama make the list since it aired only 2-episodes before it was yanked but by a Titanic … Continue reading →

K-actor Lee Ji Hoon Alleged by Production Staff on K-drama Sponsor of Bringing Thug Friend to Set Causing Disturbance and Original Screenwriter Adds that He was Fired and the PD and Staff Changed When He Complained About Too Little Scenes

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

This week there was a drama production behind-the-scenes brouhaha and it surrounds upcoming revenge melodrama Sponsor and male lead Lee Ji Hoon. A production team member on the drama posted online that Lee Ji Hoon brought a friend to the set who seemed like a thug or gangster and that person then acted threatening towards him. He said Lee Ji … Continue reading →

Joynews Poll of Over 200 K-ent Insiders Selects Hospital Playlist 2 as Best Drama of 2021 Followed by Hometown Cha Cha Cha and then Vincenzo

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

Korean newspaper Joynews is celebrating its 17th anniversary this year and during the week of October 12th-19th it commissioned a poll of over 200 Korean industry insiders to vote for what drama they think was the best in 2021. The voters consisted of production honchos, producers, PDs, screenwriters, agency management heads, and entertainment news reporters. Hospital Playlist 2 received the … Continue reading →

Snack Cart Support Pictures Show First Look at Son Ye Jin Filming Upcoming Female-centric jTBC Drama Thirty Nine

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The mega hit that was Crash Landing on You is now almost two years ago, and since then neither leads Hyun Bin or Son Ye Jin tried to capitalize on that surge of popularity with another drama or movie in quick succession. Not surprising since both are A-list established stars but now its Son Ye Jin who will be the … Continue reading →

Woo Do Hwan Readies for January 2022 Discharge From Military Service and in Talks for Netflix Drama Hounds

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The news is starting to shift to the K-actors coming back from military service soon, and there are a bunch who are male leads already or slated to slot into being one. Seeing aside Park Bo Gum and Yang Se Jong who are coming back in early 2022, the first will be Woo Do Hwan in January 2022, he’s currently … Continue reading →

Even Lee Young Ae Can’t Revive jTBC’s 2021 Year Long Flagging Ratings as Weekend Drama Inspector Koo Premieres to 2.640%

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

I haven’t written about recently premiered jTBC weekend drama Inspector Koo (Koo Kyung Yi) because the cast and premise didn’t interest me, it’s one of those dramas that I will watch if I hear it’s good. But it’s still Lee Young Ae in the lead and she’s retained a near mythical image in South Korea even with her ten year … Continue reading →

2021 Year of the Youth Sageuks with Grown Up Child Actresses Kim So Hyun, Park Eun Bin, and Kim Yoo Jung Fails So Much Talent with Lee Se Young on Deck for the Final at Bat

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

It hurts my drama loving heart to have seen so much talented wasted so far and I wish these young actresses came of age a decade ago when there was actually good female lead sageuk roles and amazing scripts. The year of 2021 was supposed to the arrival of the grown up child actress talents and their headlining role in … Continue reading →

New Mom Ariel Lin Posts Glowing Birthday Pic to Thank Fans and Shares First Look at Daughter’s Cute Hand in Hers

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

It was hard enough to imagine perennially baby-faced TW-actress Ariel Lin as a mom already but then seeing her first post-delivery picture it’s even harder to believe she just gave birth. The radiant new mom shared a picture over the weekend thanking fans for their well-wishes on her becoming a mom. She also thanked her new daughter for making her … Continue reading →

K-netizens Have Positive First Impression of the Complementary Visuals of Song Hye Kyo and Jang Ki Yong in New Stills for Now, We Are Breaking Up

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

This drama is hard to predict the Korean domestic viewer reaction to it before it airs. I don’t think it’s a given that upcoming romance drama Now, We are Breaking Up is guaranteed any type of ratings just because the female lead is Song Hye Kyo, so it’s really going to come down to story and directing, and then the … Continue reading →