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 reputation as one of the top film festivals in Asia and this year’s star studded opening ceremony brought lots of … 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 based on logic and experience – this sucker is airing on MBC which has had an abysmal track record of … 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 →
Ho ho, what have we here? I dig this casting, I dig it very much. Ha Ji Won has been cast to headline the epic 50-episode (!) sageuk Hwatu (same name as the playing card game) for two months now. The drama premieres in October on MBC following Goddess of Fire, which means it has very very small shoes to … Continue reading →
It’s going to be a long 5 months before Ha Ji Won returns to the small screen with her headlining role in the MBC anniversary sageuk Hwatu, all whopping 60-episodes of it chronicling the life (with fictional flourish) of real historical figure Empress Qi of the Yuan dynasty, a Goryeo-born noble lady married off to the Yuan Emperor. The production … Continue reading →
I seriously cannot recall a year in K-dramas where there are so many sageuks in every shape and form, from primetime 24-episoders to daily dramas to cable thrillers. MBC especially is really stacking its line up with an unending line up of sageuks in the Mon-Tues timeslot – starting with the anniversary 50 episode sageuk Horse Doctor which premiered in late … Continue reading →
In the musical chairs game of K-drama casting, the pool is so deep that rarely do onscreen couplings get to work together again. It’s also not common to have two sets of onscreen couples switching OTPs for subsequent dramas. The A-listers age out of leading men roles or grow too big for dramas and head for the movies exclusively, and … Continue reading →
Has anyone ever pondered pairing up Ha Ji Won with Song Joong Ki? I confess it never once crossed my mind. Until now. But I’ll get to that later – let’s first talk about how utterly wonderful they were today using their celebrity to heartfelt use for their work with the initiative Medical Korea. They were feted today at an … Continue reading →
I love Ha Ji Won but she’s getting type cast into a certain action-oriented character role that is starting to limit her range. All her projects in the last few years have had her playing a fighting or sporting role, ranging from Secret Garden to Sector 7 to Korea to The King 2 Hearts. Not to mention she got her … Continue reading →
Guh, every time I see Lee Seung Gi with Ha Ji Won my heart gets stuck in my throat and I have this urge to start babbling like an idiot. I still love The King 2 Hearts so so much, far and away my favoritest drama of 2012. I thought I’d seen and found all there was involving this drama … Continue reading →
Lee Seung Gi has been immersed in the singing side of his career since wrapping The King 2 Hearts back in May, which is good for fans of his music since it means new singles to put on repeat and new performances to savor. Last week he held his Hope Concert in Seoul that was a sold out performance and … Continue reading →
I find it such a cosmic coincidence that my previous post on Ha Ji Won was about her doing a CF for a bank that had her wearing a stunning one-shoulder evening gown at some awards show where she was caught practicing her swing during the downtime. I mentioned that her swing was legit, as all golfers can spot those … Continue reading →
I knew it was only a matter of time before my exceptional OTP of Ha Ji Won and Lee Seung Gi from The King 2 Hearts reunited to promote the drama, and lo and behold, they did a photoshoot for a Japanese magazine where I immediately flash back to Hang Ah and Jae Ha. I haven’t got around to rewatching … Continue reading →