Whatever magic pill the production team of Empress Ki swallowed recently, it ought to share with other drama teams out there. The drama is narratively firing on all cylinders with equal measures delicious makjang and genuine heavy stakes. The best part for me is actually the reinvention of the relationship between Yuan Emperor Ta Hwan played by Ji Chang Wook … Continue reading →
I enjoy how cultural norms vary, sometimes leading to a new way to look at things while other times making me scratch my head endlessly still unable to wrap my mind around certain seemingly odd practices. This particular one is harmless but very strange indeed. Maybe it happens in other countries as well so chime up if you’ve heard of … Continue reading →
MBC started off the year end awards show circuit first among the three big networks but being fast doesn’t necessarily mean it got its act together. This network had the shakiest offerings all year in both ratings and quality and in hindsight it had only two dramas worth remembering in Two Weeks and Scandal: That Very Shocking and Immoral Incident. … Continue reading →
It’s a rare treat to take a peek behind the curtains into a Korean entertainers family life, and even rarer that its coming from a huge A-lister like Ha Ji Won. In the December issue of The Celebrity magazine, Ha Ji Won coordinated a photoshoot with her entire family which took place at their home. The concept was “a warm … Continue reading →
MBC has done a good job promoting Empress Ki prior to its airing and continues to keep up the pace as the drama heads towards wrapping up the first third of its long run. I thought it deflected the “complete historical inaccuracy” complaint (which was valid) by splashing across all its materials that this was a fictional take on the … Continue reading →
It’s taken me a few weeks to get back to wanting to write about Empress Ki mostly due to the last few episodes being dull as beans for me. The drama continues to do well in ratings, dominating the Mon-Tues timeslot by a wide margin and recently broke 20% in ratings and will likely stay there if not continue to increase. The … Continue reading →
Ha Ji Won may have phenomenal chemistry with every one of her male leads, but some pairings are better than others and I have my favorites. My personal top two are Jo In Sung in What Happened in Bali and Lee Seung Gi in The King 2 Hearts. But her coupling with Joo Jin Mo is fast rocketing up the … Continue reading →
I have to confess I almost dropped Empress Ki about 10 minutes into episode 1. It happened at the scene where second male lead Ji Chang Wook as the Yuan Emperor Huizhong (nee Ta Hwan) whined like an insecure kid towards Joo Jin Mo as the Goryeo King Wang Yoo about whether Wang Yoo still loves Seung Nyang played by … Continue reading →
Just the mere thought that I get to see Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won at the same place, attending the year end MBC Drama Awards, makes me giddy with excitement. It’s been a year and a half since they worked together in The King 2 Hearts, also a MBC drama, and to date in 2013 I still haven’t … Continue reading →
Empress Ki can be viewed as a glass half-empty or half-full depending on which side you want to throw your leap of faith. On one hand, there is established A-list actors Ha Ji Won and Joo Jin Mo playing the OTP in a mega sageuk written by the screenwriters of Giant and History of the Salaryman. On the other hand, … Continue reading →
It’s the 5th year the Korean entertainment industry has run its annual Good Downloader Campaign aimed at curbing piracy and illegal downloads. Good luck with that, but the campaign always gets the most famous and gorgeous stars to participate and dial up the interest. This year the participants are Jung Woo Sung, Ahn Sung Ki, Ryu Seung Ryung, Lee Jung … Continue reading →
I have good and not so good news about the upcoming MBC sageuk Empress Ki. The good news is that the first posters are out featuring leading lady Ha Ji Won as the titular Empress and she looks glorious. There is glamour and splendor in these posters, something that has been missing from MBC promotion material for its last sageuks … Continue reading →
The MBC special sageuk Goddess of Fire is ending next week. I can hardly believe it, having genuinely experienced a drama that has managed to suck from beginning to end that I bitterly stuck with. There is nothing that can happen next week to redeem this steaming pile of dung, even a group orgy will only leave me wondering how … Continue reading →