Thursday, May 3, 2018

Master In the House butlers cracked up with Ongals.

The four butlers in Master In the House celebrated Lee Sang Yun's 100th day in variety show.
They clapped happily while Se Hyung requested Sang Yun to act his cutesy (aegyo) to an extent Sang Yun blew up saying that's all he can do. The four head hike a van to a building whereby they will be meeting their new master (Sabu). Their Master's daily routine is quite hectic. He has meetings, schedules lined up for working, exercising, Right Now (??)
Hints were given to them where the Master was a big celebrity in the 90's. Sang Yun immediately knew who the Master's identity while the rest continued to crack their brains hard.

         ì‚¬ì§„=SBS '집사부일체' 방송 캡처

Four white A4 papers were laid on the table requesting the butlers to write their resume. Immediately Seung Gi figured out there must be job requirement for them. As the four continued to doodle on the paper, Se Hyung saw Seung Gi's language skills include Japanese!
Se Hyung tested him out while the rest don't have any clue what Seung Gi has spoken. Not long they saw a shadow of a figure dressed in black shirt walking down the spiral stairs and heading to the office. The four got up and were overwhelmed that their master is actor Cha In Pyo

Cha In Pyo was a mega-star in the late 90's when he starred in various hit dramas. He was the icon and idol for all women out there. The roles he have played so far are quite rough, filled with anger and emotions. Remember the brushing teeth in front of mirror angry scene? Everyone laughed when Cha has a striking attitude resemblance as Seung Gi- being rather frivolous and proud of themselves. So Cha went through their resumes closely to choose an Assistant Director. He explained he's currently directing a documentary film on Ongals. Why did he choose to direct instead of acting? Cha looks up to his role model actor/director Clint Eastwood who is doing his work with passion at age 80+. 

Ongals is stand up babbling comedy by South Korean comedians dressed in clown babies suits. The 4 members were so poor but struggled well internationally with their shows. Cha met them when he was in overseas and decided to help them in by directing a docu. film about Ongals. Finally he decided Seung Gi to be his assistant. Feeling proud, they were told to change their clothes and headed to work. Immediately they were introduced to the chief designer of clothes Nicole from USA. Their faces cringe up because of communication problem. Cha assigned Sung Jae and Sang Yun to help out in the wardrobe. Nicole pointed out the worst job was Se Hyung as he hurriedly sew a pattern on the clothes! Sung Jae was then chosen to assist Nicole to the end.
                    

It was quite a culture shock for them as Cha requires 50 push ups every hour when the alarm rings on the phone! They laughed and continued doing the push ups since it's part of the Master's routine. Finally they met the Ongals members and started dressing them up. Seung Gi stayed behind urging Sang Yun and Se Hyung in buying lunch boxes on a tight budget. As usual Sang Yun's expertise in Maths managed to buy some meals with meat for the staffs. They gobbled the food and moved to the next location- rooftop to rehearse the comedy.
The butlers were impressed with the Ongals' performances despite the clothes they were wearing and Seung Gi along with Sang Yun made everyone laugh with their body gags and slapstick comedy. Cha sat there smiling away proud of his butlers who worked hard for the day.
Now resting time, Cha suddenly started brushing his teeth at his office room made everyone giggled. He didn't get it as they remembered the angry tooth brushing scene from the drama!
Sung Jae probably hasn't seen any of Cha's earlier dramas since he was a late boomer but he reenacted those angry emotional scenes from the drama 'Dae-mul'. All cracked up upon seeing Se Hyung doing the shampoo washing CF done by Cha. Sang Yun was creative in terms of drawing the manga character on his eyelids which impressed Cha. Winner of the day was Sang Yun again! He has been winning most of the master's given missions.

Seung Gi asked what is RIGHT NOW in Cha's schedule. He brief them on the story of his bed-ridden younger brother who passed on after 6 months. It was a sad journey whereby he didn't manage to express his love for his brother. So Cha is determined to carry out any projects or say whatever he wants without wasting anymore time. Then he brought up the topic where he has a loyal fan from Taiwan for ages. The lady is a faithful follower until today but recently she started posting other celebrity photos on SNS. Cha discovers that the fan is interested in someone else. So he decided to coolly hand over his faithful fan to this 'other celebrity' while he wanted to remain as friends. The four butlers glanced at each other wondering who is the 'unlucky' one who snatched away the fan's love for Cha In Pyo. LOL!

Se Hyung guessed it must be Seung Gi who has taken over the fan's support and love from Cha. Cha decided to do a video call with the lady fan by the name of Ann Woo. His big plan was having the four butlers hiding under the table while he talks to Ann. The English conversation went well at start and suddenly Cha dropped his pen- an indicator where he will bring out the celebrity who has become Ann's favourite. It turns out to be true- Ann is now Seung Gi's new fan! Seung Gi felt quite awkward while Cha did his hand-over fan ceremony in front of Ann. Ann denies her love and support for Cha and asked if he is coming over to Taiwan again.
Immediately Cha shot down by saying 'I'm not Lee Seung Gi'...aww...he's being sulky. Ha ha!



Secret Forest and 1987 wins Dae-Sang at Baeksang Awards

The well made drama Secret Forest and uprising movie 1987: When the Day Comes were the biggest stars in the recent 54th Baeksang Awards

The drama and movie won the Dae-Sang (Grand Prize) awards. It was held on 3rd May 2018 at COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul whereby hosted by emcees Shin Dong Yub, Bae Suzy and Park Bo Gum

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Courtesy from NEWSIS website
Secret Forest and 1987: When the Day Comes were the unique drama and movie which took home the grand prize specifically for each division. PD Lee Chan Ho of Secret Forest drama specially thanked actress Bae Doo Na for discovering this work and actor Cho Seung Woo who helped the casts.

The film producer Lee Woo Jung thanked the audience and public for their love and support towards 1987 movie including the current president Moon Jae In. He further added thanks to the enthusiasm that fought for the democracy of this land.

Here are the list of winners 2018:


Dae-Sang Movie: 1987: When the Day comes

Best Movie- The Fortress
Best Director: PD Kim Yong Hwa (Along with the Gods)
Best Movie Actor: Kim Yun Suk (1987)
Best Movie Actress: Na Moon Hee (I Can Speak)
-------------------------------xxx----------------------------------------------

Best Drama: Mother (tVN)
Dae-Sang Drama: Secret Forest (tVN)
Best Ent. Program: Hyori's Bed and Breakfast
Best Drama Actor: Cho Seung Woo (Secret Forest)
Best Drama Actress: Kim Nam Joo (Misty)

Popular Actor Award: Jung Hae In (Prison Playbook)
Popular Actress Award: Bae Suzy (While You were Sleeping)

Congratulations on all the winners.





Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Jo Jung Suk and Im YoonA in a summer movie Exit.

Actor Jo Jung Suk (37) and Girls' Generation Im YoonA (28) are confirmed the main casts for the upcoming summer movie 'Exit'. 

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Photo courtesy from NEWSIS website.
        According to CJ Entertainment on the 2nd May 2018, distributor CJ Entertainment said that the disaster action packed movie "Exit" is a movie about a young man- Yong Nam (Played by Jo Jung Suk)  in an emergency situation who requires to escape.

Yong Nam is a white collared worker who is unemployed for years. One day there was a party held for Yong Nam's mother's 70th birthday. He stumbles across his junior in college Eui Joo (played by Im YoonA) at the event. Both struggled to escape the place when a poisonous gas gets into the entire city. 


Director Lee Sang Geun, a graduate from Korea National University of Arts is in charge of this film. It will be shot this summer and will be released next summer.


Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Lee Jun Hyuk surprises Lee Yu Bi in A Poem A Day.

The ship has finally sailed for "Ye-Line"! YES! 
I should be very happy for this couple. They went through laughter, sadness and misunderstandings to get to a point she finally agreed to date him. 

A Poem A Day drama brings us more poetry whereby there was one that captured my attention which is "You are such a Fool 넌 바보다" by Shin Hyeong Gun. The poet talks about the girl who is rather silly and admired everything which is so simple as beautiful. But it does show the other side where the guy can be foolish in rejecting a relationship. 


       

Woo Bo Young gets agitated when Ye Jae Wook harshly tells a teen national soccer player who was injured in an accident to quit the treatments if he doesn't want it. She doesn't understand why Jae Wook was cold towards the patient. The rest of the staff were rather surprised that Jae Wook can be very mean. Meanwhile Min Ho continues to follow Bo Young to shops selling poetry books which is out of his interest. Cameo appearance by Ha Suk Jin who injured his back and was admitted to the hospital. He falls in love at the first sight with Yoon Ju. Kim Dae Bang is annoyed that Yoon Ju agrees to have dinner with Suk Jin even he's a patient. In fact Yoon Ju was doing so to stop Suk Jin from discharging himself from the ward.

Comical scenes with the indecisive Dae bang Dae Bang...and Mr. Decisive Ha Suk Jin who decides everything from A-B until his death! LOL! Yoon Ju finally couldn't stand the two arguing at the car park angrily hissed off that she will neither date Suk Jin nor have dinner with Dae Bang. Nam Woo and Joo Yong advises that timing is the most important for Min Ho to confess his feelings to Bo Young. He is waiting for the right time since she has just been rejected by Dr. Ye. Min Ho rubs more salt on the wound when he announces that he goes to party at the beach with Bo Young. 

Bo Young finds the soccer player coming again for treatments only to realise that it was Jae Wook who motivated him. Jae Wook used to be national player for the baseball team but changed his career path mid-way after he injured himself. His dreams were dashed when told he can't play baseball anymore but he didn't give up after a physiotherapist advised him. Bo Young teared up apologising to Jae Wook for being rude towards him without knowing the real story. He felt bad and couldn't console her further. Min Ho saw from far in the cafe thinking Bo Young is still crying over the past rejection. Jae Wook pondered again while driving knowing he cannot give up. He quickly turned back to ask for second chance from Bo Young. She was so shocked to hear that Jae Wook is agreeing to date her! She laughed happily and nodded.

Indeed love can turn someone different. Jae Wook tells Bo Young to keep their relationship a secret from the staffs at work. Min Ho still doesn't know that Bo Young is seeing Jae Wook. Nam Woo gives him false news thinking Bo Young pines for his attention. Aww... Jae Wook's 360 degrees personality change does surprise everyone at work. His cold demeanour is only towards Dr. Park who bullies Bo Young around. Jae Wook is seen smiling more often, drawing hearts on a notepad and stealing glances at his girl. Dr. Park and Chief Yang wonder who is his mysterious girlfriend...etc. 

Of course we should expect heartaches from Min Ho when he discovers that Bo Young and Jae Wook's ship has finally sailed off before he makes any move. 
And best cameo appearance from A-PINK's Chorong as Nam Woo's girlfriend. Awww...
Everyone has their girl except for Min Ho,Joo Young and Dae Bang... ha-ha-ha! 


Monday, April 30, 2018

Henry Lau bids goodbye to SM Entertainment.

Singer Henry (29) has founded a one man agency and goes solo. SM Entertainment label SJ confirmed that the artist's contract with the agency has ended and decided not to renew.



Henry is a Chinese-Canadian born from a Hong Kong father and a Taiwanese mother. He studied in Berkeley and passed the SM Entertainment Global Audition in Canada in 2006.


He made his debut as a member of Super Junior M, a group formed in 2008 for the purpose of Chinese language activities held in China. He released his solo album 'Trap' in 2013 and made his reputation through MBC TV program - 'Real Man' the following year.


Thursday, April 26, 2018

Jang Dong Gun, Park Hyung Shik styled up for Suits.

After a successful season 7 of original American law drama 'Suits', South Korea has geared up to have its remake hit of the Korean version. On the afternoon of the 23rd April, KBS station has announced the launch of KBS2TV new drama 'suits production presentation at Time Square in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

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Suits is an American law drama that has been adapted from NBC's 'Suits' which became popular in South Korea. The Korean version depicts the background of a legendary lawyer in Korea's top law firm along with a bogus lawyer with genius memory. No matter how popular it is, there is no guarantee that it will be a success in turning them into Korean version. tvN was ambitiously released its Korean version of "Criminal Minds". Criminal Minds is drama that has continued until 'Season 13' under the CBS station in the United States but somehow it seems lacking. 

Suits drama is expected to gain more audience and high expectations from it.
A-list actor Jang Dong Gun is the main lead for Suits. He was last seen in the SBS drama Gentlemen's Dignity 6 years ago. Now he returns to drama land with the role as Choi Kang Suk in Kang and Ham Law firm. As for Park Hyung Shik, he plays Go Yeon Woo a genius rookie lawyer with great memory ability. Originally from idol group ZE:A, Park has improved steadily by transforming himself from an idol singer to an actor.

Other supporting casts members include Chae Jung Ahn, Go Sung Hee, Choi Gwi Hwa and Jin Hwi Kyung.

The work and bromance between Jang and Park will be interesting to watch. That is the key point of this drama. It is a highly anticipated drama of half year of 2018. Director Kim Jin Woo has mentioned that Jang and Park seemed to get along very well despite the wide age gap.

Jang pointed out most of his previous roles were rather mysterious and dark. He wanted a change- a different livelier, brighter character. When Park received the proposal for this drama, immediately he was worried for the terms and character. Since it's based on the original US version, he felt it's going to be fresh and new while acting alongside a veteran actor. 

KBS felt this drama will be appealing to audience and will be favourable. All casts are trying their own way to create the important characters in the drama. 

Jang watched the original story after seeing the dram. Story line was funny and the character was attractive, but he did not watch it until the middle of the season.

Park mentioned he didn't play exactly as the original Mike Ross's character, but it is strangely similar to him. In fact it's not easy to create a genius ability as Geon Woo's character. 

Choi Gwi-hwa plays the lawyer with a sense of inferiority to Choi Kang Suk who is highly educated, but doesn't carry any burden. The weakness of this drama is also the strong presence of the original. This, of course, can also be an advantage. Director Kim knows this well. 
Let's hope this Korean version Suits pulls off well. 




Monday, April 23, 2018

Confession and heartaches in A Poem a Day.

'I love you, Dr. Ye"! 
Oops...the sudden confession from Woo Bo Young to Dr. Ye Jae Wook has come to a rather surprising event. 

On the 9th episode of A Poem A Day, Bo Young (Lee Yoo Bi) managed to confess her true feelings to Ye Jae Wook (Lee Jun Hyuk) which took him by surprise. At the start Bo Young was happy to know Chief Yang has been transferred to another hospital which means she stands a chance to be a permanent full time employee. Bo Young is joined by her friends Min Ho (Jang Dong Yoon) and Nam Woo (Shin Jae Ha) while she was at the verge of falling down the stairs for feeling so excited. When asked what's the main reason being so happy, her response was simple. She doesn't need to be away from her mentor Dr. Ye. Nam Woo asked if she really likes Dr. Ye so much that instantly she admitted while singing her unconditional love for her mentor. Coincidentally Ye Jae Wook came to the emergency stairs hearing Bo Young singing away. What an embarrassing moment for Bo Young for Jae Wook saw everything as he walked away closing the door. 
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With an unexpected song for him, Jae Wook received another surprise when Bo Young couldn't get another excuse while blurting out that she likes him. Uh-oh! She wanted to tell him her true feelings else she will never have the guts to tell him that. Trying to hide his mind, Jae Wook tells her they will talk about it later. Min Ho and Nam Woo were in the state of panic after hearing Bo Young confessing to her mentor. After all wild imaginations from the boys, she was further disappointed upon hearing the news that Yang's impeachment was cancelled as some else has replaced his position in the other hospital. 

Jae Wook then contacted Bo Young for meet up. Feeling nervous, she ran to meet him. Unlike her expectations, Jae Wook mentioned that he has no intention of seeing someone at work. His past relationship failed at the work place and he dislikes people talking behind his back. He treasures Bo Young as a colleague and hoped to work well together. In fact earlier he attended a senior's funeral where his ex-girlfriend was seen clinging to him and rumours continued floating around. After receiving the phone call from his ex, Jae Wook decided he doesn't want to go through the same incident. 

Brimming with tears, Bo Young is accompanied by Min Ho where she drowned her sorrows with alcohol. Min Ho mumbled that he was right that Dr. Ye would reject Bo Young's feelings. 
Bo Young started imagining Jae Wook wherever she goes. Jae Wook loses his marbles and explained his heart hurts. This left Chief Yang wondering if it's because of him that Bo Young cries daily without securing a permanent position while Jae Wook starts drinking crazily too. 
Haha! And we do know that both of them like each other but they can't explain well... 

At the end of the episode, viewers were left wandering is it too sad for imagination?
Various expressions were given by viewers:

One might not be able to understand the pain of love in the past, but why Dr. Ye is unable to accept a new relationship?
Dr. Ye's ex-girlfriend is the problem factor... today, imagination will soon be a reality.
Enough of the mess, let's get rid of the misunderstandings. Let's make the couple happy once again. ....etc and it goes on and on.

We can see that Jae Wook is struggling from his past relationship to move on. Mr. Advice Machine is spot on at work and the only one who acknowledges Bo Young's hard work. No wonder she falls hard for him. Min Ho being a brat pricking on Bo Young's old wounds finds himself falling back for her. Let's hope something 'sails' on the next coming episodes.
And boy...don't you love Nam Woo...he sings very well and is pissed off when his Lacoste alligator was ripped off from his polo shirt that he wears daily! 




SOLID returns to show after 21 years in hiatus.

"I think it's been almost 1 or 2 years...and now it's 21 years whereby it feels like the movie- interstellar to us that goes beyond time and space. " by member Jung Jae Yoon.

In the 1990's, the trio group SOLID has launched album and its new album "Into the Light". Now they are resuming their activities after 21 years.

Jung Jae Yoon (46), DJ / rapper Lee Joon (46) and main vocalist Kim Jo Han (45) are three members who met on the afternoon of the 23rd April mentioned, "It is quite interesting. Thank you so much.' he said. They thanked their fans who have long waited for them.

SOLID is a pioneer group in introducing R & B and hip-hop in South Korea. This album's title track 'Into the Light' is also a new style. In the 80's, modern sound that reproduces retro sound such as synth-pop in modern sense.

The proudest moment for SOLID are members are all rounders- singer and song writers.
Jung mentioned currently there are many singer-songwriter projects in the world of pop market including America. It is still not too late to see the trends, do the trends and get ahead however timing must be right. It will be a whole new thing in 2018 for SOLID.

R & B and black music to the border only to be confined to watching. Jung said, "In the case of Kim Johan, it is R & B that he could sing any song. He still feels the soul even if I do not make R & B."  

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"We listen to lot of Beatles music recently, but it's hard to explain their music with specific genres," Kim said. "We also have various songs and solid music." 

As for Lee Joon, he has taken a break in the entertainment industry due to his business in USA.
He is still bewildered by fans cheers. 'I forgotten that I used to be an entertainer. When I was at a fan meeting, fans came to cheer for me calling me Oppa. I felt awkward and asked them why are they doing this to me?' LOL!

SOLID's popularity has been confirmed in 22 years since 1996. It will be held at the Blue Square Market Hall from May 18th to 20th, and two performances scheduled for the very first time were sold out quickly and another performance was added. Members are willing to show what they have never seen before.


Kim said, "Jung Jae-yoon started as a guitarist, and I'm going to show it's worth this time." Jung Jae-yoon said, "Lee was the first DJ I went to, and he'll demonstrate that he's still alive."


Sunday, April 22, 2018

B1A4 has overcome the 7-years idol group jinx?

Idol group B1A4 has sort of overcome the hurdle of the "seven years jinx" as they have extended the contract until June. 

According to the music industry, group B1A4 has ended its exclusive contract with WM Entertainment Inc. on the 23rd following their 7th anniversary debut.

                         Image result for b1a4

WM has mentioned they have not signed anything as yet.

However, they have agreed to extend the contract until the end of June 2018.

B1A4 boys debuted in 2011 while producing hit songs such as 'What's Happening?' and 'A Lie'. The songs were popular with elementary school students which literally turned them into 'Super Presidents'.

Among the 5 member group, Jin Young has proven the most successful and outstanding ability in producing and writing songs. He has also ventured into drama acting as well.

As the contract will be expiring soon, some rumours have been circulated that several members will be moving to different companies.  In July 2009, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) enacted the standard terms and conditions of exclusive contracts for entertainers, including the fact that exclusive contracts between entertainment companies and performers can not exceed more than 7 years.

As a result, it looks like the idol group's crisis is five to seven years in common with the renewal period.


As for the individual activities of the members are gradually increasing and the attention has also changed, it is the music industry that are unable to balance the members in the agency.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Lee Seung Gi to lead Produce 48 Korea-Japan project.

Emcee, singer and actor Lee Seung Gi is the new host for MNet's latest idol project program Produce 48.

'Produce 48', which was unveiled to Korea and Japan through 2017 MAMA in Japan last November is a program whereby 96 of the idol stars of both countries will be competing for selection to the final girl group. 


It will be the first project to be released in June with a project that combines the Japanese girl group 'AKB48' produced by Yasushi Akimoto, a Japanese producer undr the 'Produce 101' system, which is an idol selection program of Mnet.

What are my thoughts? Oh-no! Not another idol reboot project! We have too many similar idol projects from Produce 101 S1 and S2, Mix Nine, Stray Kids, The Unit..etc within 1-2 years. And a group of 48 members? That's just ridiculous. Example a song of 4 minutes will have 240 seconds where it's divided by 48 members to sing it? That literally means a member will have 5 seconds to sing...or probably none at all! 

Put aside the song allocation...how do they divide their earnings for 48 members?
Each one earning a few dollars from ads. 

Though I adore Seung Gi but it's just a no-no program for me...Am skipping the show.