I was aware that the popular Hallyu K-pop awards show MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards) took place in cosmopolitan glittering Hong Kong last week. It came to my attention when the ratings took a big noticeable dip for Pinocchio, meaning the viewers for that drama skew young and that night the group tuned into the 2014 MAMA’s instead. Nothing wrong … Continue reading →
This is supremely good news and a boon for drama lovers everywhere if the casting is indeed confirmed. Ji Hyun Woo is coming out of the army in mere days and KBS clearly knows a good thing (man) when they see one because they’ve extended an offer for him to star in its upcoming Mon-Tues drama Trot Lovers. This isn’t … Continue reading →
The first casting stirrings are emerging in the K-drama adaptation of the Japanese manga Nodame Cantabile. Fans of the almost perfect Japanese version dorama starring Tamaki Hiroshi and Ueno Juri might still be cringing in fear of the eccentric story getting massaged into some sort of K-drama love triangle hero-in-training arc, but the production company Group 8 that owns the … Continue reading →
It’s starting to sound like a broken record that I keep saying Pretty Boy (Bel Ami) is really not bad at all. Since the drama is ending tomorrow in a swish of happy rainbows judging from the just released kissing stills of leads Jang Geun Seok and IU, humor me one last time as I bid farewell to an inoffensive … Continue reading →
It feels like Pretty Boy is the drama that drama-watchers have forgotten about. I rarely hear anyone still watching it and its abysmal ratings isn’t balanced out by a rabid online fanbase that other lowly rated dramas in the past such as Playful Kiss or even Jang Geun Seok‘s own Love Rain had. On the flip side is that no … Continue reading →
There are plenty of K-dramas that garner low ratings, nowadays more than ever since the audience seems to be dwindling and there are so many other options beyond the Big Three networks including the rise of cable programming. Despite all that, I’m still stunned to see the current KBS Wed-Thurs drama Pretty Boy (Bel Ami) with Jang Geun Seok and … Continue reading →
We’ve arrived at yet another premiere week in K-drama land, and this one comes courtesy of Pretty Boy (Bel Ami) taking over the time slot vacated by Secret on KBS Wed-Thurs. Starring Jang Geun Seok, IU, Lee Jang Woo, and Han Chae Young, I’m approaching this one with a dash of hesitation but an open mind since I’ve a fondness … Continue reading →
Judging drama posters before the drama airs is much like judging a book by the cover. It’s simply the superficial glossing but still eligible to be critiqued on its own since it’s one element of the entire drama package. Bad drama posters won’t mean anything if the drama turns out to be good (see Scandal: That Very Shocking and Immoral … Continue reading →
I don’t know whether to lead with the latest stills and previews for Pretty Boy, or with the confirmed news that leading man Jang Geun Seok has finally cut his hair. A hair change for a drama role is normally not newsworthy (though Yoon Eun Hye‘s fried perm for Marry Him If You Dare did cause waves a few month … Continue reading →
People can debate what Jang Geun Seok has or doesn’t have, from looks to social graces to career wisdom, but it’s neigh impossible to debate whether he can or cannot act. The man can act, and he’s been able to act since he first graced the screen as a child actor. When he turns on the acting mode, he’s in … Continue reading →
It’s understandable that the upcoming KBS Wed-Thurs drama Pretty Boy is getting the most attention for being a Jang Geun Seok drama, but I think the two leading ladies have to hold their own otherwise this thing will collapse on the weight of some mighty narcissism. A bunch of new stills have been released along with confirmation that the drama … Continue reading →
It’s a testament as to how far Jang Geun Seok has veered to the fringes of K-ent that news of his impending drama returns garners mostly reservations and disappointment from the general drama watching audience, with only his more devoted fans leading the cheering. I still vividly remember the You’re Beautiful craziness, and the year or so afterwards when everything … Continue reading →
In all my years and years of drama watching, I’ve yet to encounter a more preposterous and perplexing official posed shot of the leads of a drama attending the obligatory prayer ceremony. Korea still heavily practices rituals that may have shamanistic or Buddhist origins, and a prayer ceremony complete with offerings, incense, and prayer is something that occurs mostly as … Continue reading →