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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … Continue reading
The 18th annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) kicked off yesterday in the seaside town of Busan, South Korea with lots of glam and anticipation. Featuring 301 movie selections from 70 countries shown over 10 days, BIFF has cemented its … Continue reading
My interest in the upcoming 50-episode MBC tentpole sageuk Empress Ki (formerly known as Hwatu) has waned considerably since it was announced that Ha Ji Won and Joo Jin Mo would be starring as the leads. The first reason is … Continue reading