Check Out the Poster and Trailer for SBS’s New Drama "Take Care of Us, Captain"

f(x)'s Luna Finds Transition to TV Soaps a Big Step

Luna, a member of the K-pop girl group f(x), made her acting debut on TV Chosun's new weekend drama. But despite it being her first shot at acting on TV, Luna has managed to acquit herself well and win over critics.

"I watched the first two episodes alone, and it was really awkward. I was very relieved that I watched them by myself," she said, while giggling shyly. "I heard that actors can't handle watching themselves at first. I think I went a little over the top, so now I'm trying to tone my acting down a little and not get overly excited."

Luna has already starred in two musicals, the Korean adaptations of the Hollywood films "Legally Blond" and "Coyote Ugly." But despite the misconception that acting in a TV drama is easier than singing and acting on stage, which requires a fuller range of skills, she said this was not the case.



"No way," said the young starlet. "A stage is a single space. But in a TV drama, each scene takes place in a different setting or location. And every little detail matters, such as the way you speak, and the way you move about for each scene."

"Singing and acting are both difficult, but I will do my best to be recognized in both fields," said Luna, who recently got admitted to Chungang University, where she will study musical theater. "I chose this major because I wanted to build a solid framework for acting, singing and dancing," she added.

Born the youngest daughter to a conductor father and a soprano mother, Luna has taken a slightly different path from the rest of her family. At university, her sister is studying vocal music and her brother musical composition.

"Since I was little, my dream has always been to become a singer," said Luna. "My family respected and supported my choice, so I will have to do my best not to let them down."

source: Chosun Ilbo

Jang Geun Suk and YoonA attend “Love Rain” press conference

On December 13th, actor Jang Geun Suk and SNSD's YoonA appeared at the press conference for the upcoming drama "Love Rain".

This drama is a love stories between the modern times and the days of the 70s.

Love Rain was directed by Yoon Suk Ho, who is well known from his four seasons' dramas such as Autumn Tale, Winter Sonata, Summer Scent and Spring Waltz.

Photo credit: Sport Donga, TV Daily, ETO

SM Entertainment & JYP Entertainment Team Up For "Dream High 2"

After a successful run of the idol-based TV drama, "Dream High", SM Entertainment is showing interest in a possible "Dream High 2".

The first series had featured a collaboration between Bae Yong-joon's KEYEAST Entertainment and Park Jin-young's JYP Entertainment.

KBS, the broadcaster that aired "Dream High 1", said that the presidents from both agencies are good friends (Kim Young-min of SM and Jung Wook of JYP). Thus they're interested in working together, combining resources, and hoping for the best outcome through a second series.

The producer of the first series, Lee Eung-bok, is said to be working on a second season for 2012.

On a side note, the DVD for "Dream High 1" will be available on September 4th.

source: KBS Global

'City Hunter' Couple Fall in Love Off-Camera

Life has imitated art for star couple Lee Min-ho (24) and Park Min-young (25), whose on-screen characters fell madly in love on the recently ended SBS drama "City Hunter" before the actors followed suit.

Their agencies confirmed on Tuesday that the pair started dating one month ago, after shooting wrapped up. They first met while filming the KBS drama, "I Am Sam," in 2007.

While Lee rose to stardom through his lead role in the KBS show "Boys Over Flowers" in 2009, Park caught the public eye the following year when she acted in "Sungkyunkwan Scandal," broadcast by KBS. She is now busy filming the drama "Glorious Jane," also by KBS. It will air in October.

source: Chosun Ilbo

[ Korean Drama 2010 ] The Thorn Birds

Genre: Romance, Drama
Episodes: 20
Broadcast network: KBS2
Broadcast period: 2011-Mar-2 to 2011-May-05
Air time: Wed.& Thu 21.55
Cast:
Han Hye-Jin as Seo Jeong-eun
Joo Sang-Wook as Lee Young-Jo
Kim Min-Jung as Han Yoo-kyeong
Seo Do-Yeong as Choi Kang-Woo

Synopsis:
Jeong-Eun has been searching for her biological mother who had abandoned her since birth. Jeong-Eun and Young-Jo become close friends because they share the pain of growing up without a mother. Jeong-Eun's friend Yoo-Gyeong, however, is jealous of their relationship. At the age of 25, Jeong-Eun works as a part-time actress while waiting for her mother to find her. On the other hand, Yoo-Gyeong struggles for her debut as a film director and meets producer Young-Jo. Yoo-Gyeong seduces Young-Jo after discovering that he is an heir of a conglomerate and then gets pregnant. But when Young-Jo gives up on the family inheritance, she coldly cuts him off from her life. When Yoo-Gyeong goes into labor and is carried to the hospital due to premature birth, she registers herself as "Jeong-Eun". And when Yoo-Gyeong finally finds her biological mother, who is old, sick, and poor, she abandoned the mother and the baby. Jeong-Eun, who is desperate to have a family, takes Yoo-Gyeong's baby in and visits Yoo-Gyeong's mother Myung-Ja. And by doing so, Yoo-Gyeong changes her fate by pretending to be Myung-Ja's daughter.

[source: http://world.kbs.co.kr/english]

Gallery:

Jang Geun Seok Plays Double Role in 'Love Rain'

Hallyu star Jang Geun Seok and director Yoon Seok Ho, who produced the drama "Winter Sonata," have decided to work together. PR agency Y Tree Media said on August 9 that Jang Geun Seok has been cast as the protagonist of director Yoon Seok Ho's new work entitled "Love Rain" (working title), which will begin airing from the first half of next year.

Writer Oh Soo Yeon and director Yoon Seok Ho, who worked together in the popular dramas "Autumn in My Heart" and "Winter Sonata" ten years ago, will work together again for the drama production. The agency revealed that the drama will be about love transcending the ages both in the 1970s and in the present time. Jang Geun Seok will play the double role of the character Seo In Ha, a sentimental artist who loves only one woman in the 1970s, and Seo In Ha’s son named Seo Joon, a photographer who is freewheeling in his work and love. “Love Rain” will begin filming from next month with a target air date of the first half of next year.

source: KBS Global

Nominees For The 2011 Seoul Drama Awards

The preliminaries for the 2011 Seoul Drama Awards (SDA)have been conducted and the results are out!

The organizing committee for the SDAs announced on July 20th at 11 AM, the results of the preliminaries through a press conference. Under the theme of "Drama Road", this year's SDA ceremony has been confirmed to cover 204 works from 37 different countries.

Non-Korean dramas up for awards include the US mini-series "The Walking Dead", British mini-series "Luther", Chinese full-length piece "Three Kingdoms", and German short film "Shades of Happiness".

From the domestic works side, there are the mini-series "Dream High" and "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" and the full length projects "Twinkle Twinkle Shining".

In the Male Actors category, the nominees include Iris Elba from "Luther" and Chun Jenbin from "Three Kingdoms". In the Female Actress category, Maria Furtwängler from "Shaes Of Happiness", Laura Linney from "The Big C", and Na Moon-hee from the one-act play "Grandma, it's Me".

In the Hallyu Drama section, there will be seven awards given out. Nominated projects must have been aired from April 1st of 2010 to April 30th of 2011, with exports of $3 million or more. The contenders are "Sungkyungwan Scandal", "Baker King Kim Tak-gu", "Mary Stayed Out All Night", "Dream High", "Dongyi", "Queen of Reversals", "My Princess", "Kim Su-ro", "Giant", "Athena: Goddess of War", "Secret Garden", "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho", and "Bad Guy".

Of course the category that always attracts special interest is the Grand Award for best actor and best actress.

The male nominees are Jang Geun-seok for "Mary Stayed Out All Night", Park Yoo-chun for "Sungkyungwan Scandal", Song Seung-heon for "My Princess", Hyunbin for "Secret Garden", and Kang Ji-hwan for "Coffee House".

The female nominees are Park Min-young for "Sungkyungwan Scandal", "Moon Geun-young for "Mary Stayed Out All Night", Kim Tae-hee for "My Princess", Lee Yo-won for "49 Days", and Ha Ji-won for "Secret Garden".

The soundtrack songs up for recognition are "Found It" by JYJ from "Sungkyungwan Scandal", "Please My Bus" by Jang Geun-seok from "Mary Stayed Out All Night", Jungyup's "Nothing Happened" from "49 Days", Baek Ji-young's "That Woman" from "Secret Garden", and "The One" by Lee Seung-cheol for "Baker King Kim Tak-goo".

The final results will depend 70% on the votes of the 1 million international Hallyu fans signed up for en.korea.com and 30% on the international broadcasting contents buyers' votes.

This is with the exception of the Hallyu Drama category's Director Award and Writer Award, which will be determined by the votes of domestic reporters.

source: KBS Global

Eric Makes Comeback to ‘Beautiful Spy’

Actor Eric will make a comeback after a three-year break with his appearance in KBS 2TV’s new Monday and Tuesday drama “Beautiful Spy (written by Kim Eun Young and Kim Jeong Ah, directed by Hwang In Hyuk).” Actress Han Ye Seul will play the female protagonist in the drama by playing a beautiful North Korean spy named Myung Wol. “Beautiful Spy” will tell the story of a comic romance that happens when a beautiful North Korean spy meets Hallyu star actor Kang Woo in South Korea.

Eric fulfilled his military obligation as a public service worker right after he finished filming the drama “Chilwu, the Mighty” in 2008 and originally planned to make a comeback by appearing in the drama “Poseidon,” but the production of “Poseidon” was canceled. “Beautiful Spy” will be his first drama after making a comeback, and he will present melodrama and action acting in the drama. “Beautiful Spy” will air its first episode on July 4 as a follow-up drama to “Babyfaced Beauty.”

source: KBS Global

Kim Tae-hee Wins Over Viewers with 'My Princess'

Her stunning beauty is beyond dispute, but actress Kim Tae-hee has always been criticized for her wooden acting. She struggled even more in films than on TV, and none of her movies, including "The Restless," "Venus and Mars" and "Grand Prix," were a success at the box office.

But the soap "My Princess," currently on MBC, seems to have changed all that, and viewers have taken to Kim's adorable but comic character in a big way. They seem to enjoy seeing the inelegant side of someone who seems to have it all. And criticism of her acting skills seems on the wane.

"Viewers cheer when an actor shows a side that has never been seen before," one critic says. "But when the actor still gets criticized for their acting afterwards they tend to go back to their old image, and that can be fatal." In other words, the real test for Kim starts after "My Princess."

Of course, there are still some people criticizing Kim's acting on the web board of the "My Princess" homepage. In fact, Kim is perhaps the epitome of a star who appears in more commercials than films or TV series.

Others include Kim Hee-sun, Jeon Ji-hyun, Ko So-young and Lee Young-ae. More recently, Shin Min-a and Lee Min-jung also raised their profile through commercials before being cast in leading roles in films or TV series.

But while the financial rewards are great, viewers tend to disapprove. Woon Goon-il, a former SBS executive, said, "Actors should communicate with their audience through proper work with a story. If they shun it and bury themselves in commercials, their career is inevitably cut short."

source: Chosun Ilbo

[ Korean Drama 2010 ] My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Aug-11 to 2010-Sep-30
Air time: 2010-Aug-11 to 2010-Sep-30

Cast:
Lee Seung Ki as Cha Dae Woong
Shin Min Ah as Gumiho
No Min Woo as Park Dong Joo
Park Soo Jin as Eun Hye In

Synopsis:
Cha Dae Woong accidentally releases a gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails who was trapped inside of a painting by Grandma Samshin, by drawing 9 tails to the fox painting. The gumiho wanted to be human before but was not able to fulfill the request of finding a husband because a rumor was spread claiming that she eats livers of humans. Dae Woong meets a pretty girl after he wakes up from a life threatening fall not knowing that she is the fox he released. When Dae Woong finds out about what he did, he must try to keep her happy and hide the fact that she is a gumiho from everyone. However, because Dae Woong has gumiho's Orb that saved his life, he has no choice but to let her stay with him. As the story goes on, the legendary gumiho (later called Miho) wants to be human. Miho is informed by a veterinarian named Park Dong Joo (who is half human) that she must drink his blood to become a human in 100 days while Dae Woong will have to keep her magical fox orb meanwhile. Moreover, Dae Woong will not be able to date anyone else but gumiho within the 100 days. However, Dong Joo doesn't tell Miho that in 100 days, in order to become human, Dae Woong must die. Trouble brews when Miho and Dae Woong eventually fall in love.

[source: Wikipedia]

Gallery:

Success of 'Secret Garden' Continues to Grow

The massive popularity of the SBS hit drama "Secret Garden" is still reverberating even after the weekend series came to an end. Deals have been worked out to export the drama to several countries, and it is expanding its reach to other fields including music, film and theater.

SBS Contents Hub said on Thursday that it has sold broadcasting rights for 13 countries so far, including Japan, China and Thailand, at record-high prices for a combined US$3.5 million. It also recently signed a contract with a U.S. website which will offer the series as video-on-demand.

"We expect more profits once exports of merchandise such as dolls, comics and diaries begin sooner or later," an SBS Contents Hub spokesperson said. "The Japanese terrestrial channel that will broadcast the series expects the same blockbuster success as 'Winter Sonata' there."

Meanwhile, the soundtrack of "Secret Garden" is sweeping the pop charts here. The album has sold more than 30,000 copies, and a song from the album by main actor Hyun Bin has topped various online music charts.

The film industry also hopes to see ripple effects, as the movies "Late Autumn" and "Come Rain Come Shine" starring Hyun and "Sector 7" with the series' lead actress Ha Ji-won are soon to hit cinemas.

"Secret Garden" may be heading to the stage as well. "We had thought about making it into a musical, and thanks to its great popularity we've been inundated with proposals," said an insider at Hwa & Dam Pictures, the series' production company.

source: Chosun Ilbo