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Vampire Idol: Episodes 1-3

Another new show! We’ve been keeping an eye on Vampire Idol, eager to see if the reality would prove to be as wacky and fun as it sounded. And based on the first few installments that premiered this week on cable channel MBN, I think I can safely say: It doesn’t suck. In fact, it’s pretty much just as hilariously random as I was hoping it would be.

 
EPISODES 1-3

javabeans: This show is amazing. And by amazing I mean completely and utterly ridiculous, but 100% entertaining.

girlfriday: It might have cost about 2 cents to make, but that adds to the camp factor by about 1000%.

javabeans: Really? I thought the outer-space and vampire planet effects were pretty good — but maybe it’s because I just watched MBN’s other daily sitcom, You’re Here (cubed), and that show has the production budget of a kindergarten play. It’s funny, because here I’m thinking, “Wow, so Vampire Idol took all of You’re Here’s money.”

girlfriday: I think you have to be at either end of the spectrum — Vampire Prosecutor, or Vampire Idol — in terms of production budget. Because anywhere in the middle is just half-assed. Vampidol is so shoestring that it’s endearing.

javabeans: So the premise: Vampires live on a planet called (what else?) Vampirutus. They’ve managed to tamp down their instinct to drink blood from living people, and now subsist on bottled blood. Now, this is a case where the writing totally worked with the recasting of the vampire prince. So you swap out pretty-boy hottie Noh Min-woo for older, shorter, tanner Lee Jung, right? And what do you do? Hang a lantern, of course.

girlfriday: Omg, that cracked me up. So he’s the average-looking vampire prince, and his three friends/lackeys/underlings serving him are the gorgeous movie-vampire types. And in this world they’re considered to be the subpar ones in terms of looks.

javabeans: I died laughing when they described the three bodyguards as ugly, with their pale faces and grossly tall bodies. Here, the standard of beauty is the dark-skinned prince — with his “short and stocky limbs” and “perfect five-to-one” body proportions! Pfffffffffft. (Note that the Korean media loves to praise certain celebs for their perfect body-to-head proportions, like Jung Kyeo-woon and Kim Sa-rang… who are eight-to-one. Meaning, the body is as tall as their head stacked eight times.)

girlfriday: That was hilarious. The queen was like, I dunno HOW you stand being around such ugly boys. HA. And her husband the king is super short and dorky too.

javabeans: OH. My. Lord. So in Korean, the word for “your highness” is “mama,” which you’ll know if you’ve seen any sageuks. Usually pronounced, “Ma-maaaaaaa.” Do you love how in this planet, the word for royalty is…drumroll… “Papa”?

girlfriday: HEE. So the prince is Papa, and then, get this, the king is… Papapa! Hahahaha. So they have to keep saying that over and over every time they address one of them.

javabeans: What makes it hysterical is how seriously they say it. Like how the trio is serious and the prince is this flighty guy with a love of all things Hallyu — which is banned on planet Vampirutus, by the way — so when princey is dancing around to a Girls Girls song, they have to intone like a Greek chorus, with the grimmest faces ever, “Girls-girls. Girls-girls. Girls-girls.”

girlfriday: Okay, that bit had me rolling on the floor.

javabeans: I loved that they included the NGs in the back, showing how hard it was for the boys to keep a straight face. But the straight face is what makes it so utterly hysterical.

girlfriday: How could you possibly not laugh while chanting in monotone, “Girls-girls”? They’re hysterical. I already love the super-serious one, played by Lee Soo-hyuk. He’s also the more traditional kind of vampire we know, with the blood urges and stuff, considered barbarian on his planet.

javabeans: I love everyone already. The boys are adorable, in their own ways. They all have complicated names like “Gabrilalis,” but I suspect when they get to earth they’ll be adopting Korean names. So Soo-hyuk is Soo-hyuk. (He still reacts to the smell of blood, so his friend stuffs his fingers in his nose to stop him from turning vampy. It’s also why he wears his mask on Earth.) Then you have Kim Hyun-joong as the guy with super-sharp hearing who holds up his hand to his ear like an antenna. And Hong Jong-hyun is the genius vampire with the IQ of 790, who’s an utter nerd. His bit is that he’s always spouting off in high-tech speak, and everyone else is impatiently waiting, “Just spit it out!”

girlfriday: I adore the geeky one. They go to the bath once they get to Earth, and he wonders how on a planet with such a puny percentage of drinkable water, they waste it in such vast quantiies, staring at the room full of bathtubs.

javabeans: (He’s my favorite.) I like his confusion when they’re stuck in traffic, “Why do Earthlings stick their cars in the road at the busiest hour?” And Princey’s name totally cracks me up: Vampirutus Panyera Twilight Walakia Kunyaris Romania Blarantua Transylvania New Moon Tenios Bellanluci Breaking Dawn Draculu Oolala Eclipse Apalidia.

girlfriday: He runs out of breath every time he has to say his own name. Hee.

javabeans: The Twilight references make me laugh. Also, the fact that Hallyu is totally contraband, but Princey loves it anyway. In fact, his trio (we need a name) have prepared a special gift: Tickets to a Girls Girls concert on Earth. With Jong-hyun’s genius, they’ve got a way to warp to Earth real quick, watch the show, and return in a day, totally unnoticed by Hallyu-hating Papapa. Supposedly. Of course that goes awry, and Princey falls out of the warp early so they get separated when they hit the ground in Seoul.

girlfriday: That’s when Prince meets delivery girl Kang Min-kyung, who hits him with her scooter.

javabeans: She’s so cute. She’s basically the hard-working, multiple-job-having, plucky type without a home or a family. She thinks the Prince has been addled from the impact when he starts talking about vampire stuff.

girlfriday: She rushes him to the hospital where he wakes up on the operating table, fully healed, and crying in fear. Luckily the boys catch up to him, and he wails, “I was all alone! And so scared!” Aw, princey’s a big baby. And then Min-kyung chases him down, calling him a vampire.

javabeans: Since that’s all she knows about him, she calls him Vampire-sshi. Hee. That also makes Min-kyung the odd duck out, so I’ll be curious to see how she gets integrated into the group(s).

girlfriday: Shin Dong-yup plays the Earth-living vampire, who serves as their guide on this foreign planet. (He’s adapted so well that he can’t even produce his fangs at will anymore, having lived as human for so long.) But he’s got an ulterior motive for serving the prince — he wants to get his hands on the giant red diamond necklace he sports around his neck, to pay off his mountain of debt. I love that he gets buried by gangsters in the first episode, and then just crawls back out, cause he’s a vampire! Hahaha.

javabeans: I love his relationship with Kim Sumi. He whines to her, “Mooooooom,” like this overgrown prodigal son. And then in private…

girlfriday: It’s all “Oppaaa~” and “Baby”? LOL.

javabeans: She whines, saying, “Baby finds it so hard to act like a mom!” But apparently Dong-yup isn’t attracted to the ageing Baby (aw), so he invents excuses to avoid kissing her. I guess it should be sad, but Sumi is aware and she’s so brassy and funny that it’s not played sad.

girlfriday: Aw. But that’s what happens when you marry the undead.

javabeans: And then pretend to be his mother. I’m sure that won’t cause problems down the line. So here’s where the girl group comes in. Sumi basically plays house mother to the four members of Girls Girls, one of whom has the quirk of not speaking. And…she’s a singer how? Is this some big meta statement, or just coincidence?

girlfriday: Ha. That can’t be coincidence. I love that the vampires are gonna go all fanboy-crazy when they get to meet the Girls Girls girls after all.

javabeans: The group’s agency president doesn’t know Sumi’s “son” is a vamp, while Dong-yup’s the group manager who’s always at odds with him because of money. You can kind of see the setup coming a mile away, can’t you? The boys need a cover, their guide manages idols… But it’s established so well that it makes perfect sense. Well, as much “sense” as you can have in a crazy world like this.

girlfriday: I can’t wait till they ask the boys to sing, and get nothing but the monotone “Girls-girls” chorus. Singing and dancing is going to be so delightfully awkward for them.

javabeans: I’d love it if the boys produced nothing but those chants, and the end product comes out all slick and polished. Considering that Girls Girls is basically all autotuned, it would be feasible, and that would crack me up. Or they can use Ae-jung’s line in Best Love: “I’m a visual singer…”

girlfriday: I was thinking that Princey would get automatically labeled as the “real singer” of his group, because of his face.

javabeans: Which is utterly hysterical because Lee Jung IS the singer. He’s a pretty good one, too. It’ll be like FinKL, back in the day.

girlfriday: Hee, I love that they use bats like the High Kick smiley face, but the vampy version, to cover up their nekkid bits.

javabeans: Rawr!

girlfriday: Don’t you love how they bathe Princey, well, like a princess?

javabeans: I love that he’s basically a baby, and they’re his bodyguards-cum-mothers.

girlfriday: The prince sees a dad bathing a baby nearby, and says, “He must be the prince of this land.” Hahaha.

javabeans: This fish-out-of-water stuff is gonna be great. I love stuff like this. SO much comedy fodder. Hmm, who is this Kwanghee guy and why is he so terrible?

girlfriday: Some idol?

javabeans: He is to comedy what Yunho is to drama.

girlfriday: Pretty much.

javabeans: I LOVE that the vampidols are doing this whole F4 strut, thinking they be all that, and looking ridiculous with the cape, the ruff, and the mask.

girlfriday: There’s something so perfect about the jjimjilbang uniform, with the cape draped over, like he can’t ever be without it. What’s great about the setup is that it’s more about being aliens than about being vampires. Vampire happens to be what they are, but it’s the newness of coming to Earth that’s the kicker.

javabeans: Dude, they could’ve just made it Alien Idols and it would’ve been just as funny. Okay, maybe we lose some prime jokes, so 90% as funny.

girlfriday: Yeah it’s more Men In Black than Twilight. Which is awesome.

javabeans: It’s definitely my preference, too. It just works. HA, and how hilarious is it that the 300 carat red diamond ends up being… cubic zirconia?

girlfriday: Heh. Maybe Vampirutus isn’t so prosperous a land as he thought.

javabeans: “She won’t know the difference!” Okay, so Papa calls his father Papapa as his official title… but does he call his mother Mama Mia, like that’s hers? (Although, wouldn’t it be hysterical if he called her Pama?)

girlfriday: Hee. So the boys get caught on their intergalactic jaunt to Earth, and Dad pretty much banishes the prince from returning. Guess they’re stuck for the time being, which is great for us.

javabeans: Especially since now they’ll need a place to stay and a way to make ends meet… Wanjun daebak!

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Thanks for the recap. I watched ep.1 and haven't gotten around to the 2nd and 3rd. Waiting for subs.

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LOL @ "He is to comedy what Yunho is to drama."
I'm gonna call Princey 'Oolala' from now on. =)

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actually Yunho and drama shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence (altho i just did right there....) ever again!

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True dat! LOL!!

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LMAO! The Yunho stan in me can't help but agree to this. My bb tries so hard to be an actor. Thankfully, DBSK will forever come first in his eyes, so we won't get to see much of his acting for quite a while. :)

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agreed lol! that kwanghee guy has
"BAD ACTING" written on his face!

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Where did you watch the first subbed ep? Or did you watch that raw?

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I watched it raw. It was funny, but I wish for subs so I could get the the stuff that JB & GF covered in this recap. Bet it would be more amusing. However, I doubt that the subs will be out anytime soon with all the new dramas. The subbers are already late with the current ones, and then add the new cable shows...tsk, tsk, tsk...I really need to continue learning Korean.

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it's pretty watchable raw, because the language is casual and the sitcom runs mostly on acting and facial expressions. You loose the witty stuff, but it's still fun to watch :D

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Please tell me the laugh track is not part of the show. If there's one thing I can't handle is a laugh track. It grates on my nerves to no end. I've found that as good as a drama/sitcom/show is, if they have a laugh track that is used excessively, I can never bring myself to watch it. I love Lee Jung, and if this show has a laugh track, I sure hope my love is strong enough to put me through this. XD

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Nevermind, I saw it raw. I don't think they used the laugh track excessively. I love how the Prince (LEE JUNG! LEE JUNG!) was so into singing the Girls Girls song. The drone from the other boys totally did me in. XD

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Thanks JB & GF...I'm gonna try this one because, ya know, I like weird...

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So weird and so funny

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Cannot wait until lee jung finds out he's not the hot one on earth. The shock! Haha. And awww. I miss noh minwoo. Although lee jung's perfect in the current role - how could I not be upset at missing the chance to drool over perfect noh minwoo as a vampire prince!

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where can I download this show??? T___T

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very different to what i was expecting1 *sigh* wish No min wo was in it. stupid full house 2! >_<"

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second that. stupid full house 2.
well, yeah. at least this one looks fun though it would seem better if I could see vampire No Min Woo. lol. fangirl. still.

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Man, reading your recaps simply put this in my "Must Watch" list. You gals make it sound so funny. Can't wait for your next recaps! Thanks alot!

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I LAUGHED MY GUTS OUT AT THE TWILIGHT REFERENCE HAHAHAHA

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OMG Noh Min-woo is not is this ^cries^

But shallow reasons aside this looks brilliant :D

And I'd been trying to cut down my K drama consumption...

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it looks hilarious and otherwordly....literally.

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Tsk tsk. So disappointed to hear Kwanghee is bad here. I always found him funny on variety shows. Maybe dramas just isn't for him.

Also, LEE JUNG! LEE JUNG! LEE JUNG! Oi I can't wait to watch this.

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Does Vampire Prosecutor really have that big of a budget? I just saw them filming and it looked like they only had like, one camera. They kept filming the same like, minute of acting over and over with the camera and light guys moving around, lol.

Anywho. Thank you for this recap :D I wasn't sure whether I'd be into this but I think I'm gonna have to check this one out :) I might have to wait until after finals, though, haha:)

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OH definitely misread "Vampire Idol took all of You're Here's money" )): oops.

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where did everyone watch episode 1 subbed? plz i cant find it anywhere?? what website?

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it's also online on youtube... or was yesterday

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Man, that Kim Hyun-joong got me confused.
I think I'll have to watch this now
Sounds super funny!
The Princey’s name got me lmao

Thanks for the recap

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Wasn't Kim Hyun Joong, was Kim Woo Bin. O.o

Loved the Girls-Girls background singing. XD If only more episodes have been subbed. -.-'

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His name used to be Kim Hyun-joong. He changed it to the stage name Kim Woo-bin after this drama, for obvious reasons.

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wow! ehehehe I thought vampire idol was going to be a serious drama... i guess not. This look even better! viki doesn't have this... where can i watch this show?

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omg LMFAOOOOOOOOO I have to watch this, this comedy gold !!!...I hope some kind soul who loves vampires very much can Sub it..I love this type of stuff is just pure fun.

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My buttocks vibrated so much because of all the funny!

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The drama sounds really great!

Does anyone know where I can find it with english subs?

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LOL!!! I totally cracked up with the name of Princey!

Vampirutus Panyera Twilight Walakia Kunyaris Romania Blarantua Transylvania New Moon Tenios Bellanluci Breaking Dawn Draculu Oolala Eclipse Apalidia

HAHAHAHA!

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LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL at this ' And Princey’s name totally cracks me up: Vampirutus Panyera Twilight Walakia Kunyaris Romania Blarantua Transylvania New Moon Tenios Bellanluci Breaking Dawn Draculu Oolala Eclipse Apalidia'
I bet I can't sleep tonight cuz 22.12 here and I'm still busy laughing.
DAEBAK!
(still hope No Min Woo in it, but yeah, I don't wanna dream for nothing. the babyprinceysitters are HOT indeed)

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I read the first para and then couldnt stop reading. This show is hilarious!! how did they manage to pull off this cheesy slapstick ridiculous vampire on earth story with a dorky lead.

Somebody must have been so insanely brave to listen to the writer and then get the tv station to buy in!

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LMAO! Vampirutus Panyera Twilight Walakia Kunyaris Romania Blarantua Transylvania New Moon Tenios Bellanluci Breaking Dawn Draculu Oolala Eclipse Apalidia.

Okay! This show is definitely a must-see! LOL. Thanks so much for the recap ladies.

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Sad to hear Noh Min Woo is not in this drama, but the 3 lackeys are really cute so I don't feel too bad.

Looks really CAMP. Love the princes name, but it's too long so I'll call him Prince Oolala.

This drama is totally different hilarious venue, so I can't wait until it is subbed. Loved the reference to Twilight which I thought was the most boring movie ever.

Looks like the writers are having a hoot writing this drama.
I hope this drama won't suck.

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Dailies?! Oh man, I would watch this, but it's too much for me.

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Oh man, this show sounds hilarious! Makes me wanna start watching my first ever daily, but I know waiting for subs will be a bitch.

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While your writing is witty and funny, I don't think dissing Yunho is nice

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Oy. Where'd your sense of humor go? :P

Although, I'm totally in agreement with GF & JB. It's true.

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true that. U_U

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I speed-watched the first raw episode, and even though I can't understand 99.90% of it, I laughed all the way, especially when princey tries to say his name. He looks so funny every time he do! Lol. Also, the fact that his minions are a lot more handsome cracks me up.

I didn't like the lighting in their home planet, though. I know it's due to the budget, but still, I was almost blinded. Fine, that's an exaggeration, but I was really distracted by the light. Fortunately, it didn't last long.

Here's hoping the episodes will be uploaded and subbed soon, so I can laugh more, more, more! :D

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Thanks for the recap...watch 1st ep raw on dramacrazy, but will wait on it to be subbed.

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haha, thanks for the intro to the series and the recap. It's extra awesome when you both recap conversation style! This sounds absolutely hilarious.

When it was described as one of them wearing a mask, I thought it would just be a face mask like people wear when they're sick because some idols have worn them during promotions (i.e. 2PM's Junsu during Again and Again). I then saw the screencap and a full on mask is ridiculously funny!

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Wish I wasn't in the office and I could laugh my face off. ROFL! :D

Thanks for making my day, GF, JB & VampIdol!

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I know right? Argh! *grumble grumble* I skimmed episode 1 a bit during lunch on youtube.

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This just seems hilarious! I love how campy it looks (awesome) and haha at He is to comedy what Yunho is to drama, that is just epic.
The writers must have a blast writing this.

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I just finished White Christmas with the background trio...it's mind boggling how different this is (in a good way). Let the hilarity begin!

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I have to add thi show on my list just because of princey's name

'Vampirutus Panyera Twilight Walakia Kunyaris Romania Blarantua Transylvania New Moon Tenios Bellanluci Breaking Dawn Draculu Oolala Eclipse Apalidia.'

Will this be a regular recap?

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SO DO I, i had a minutes rofling in the ground because of this name, cracks me up !!

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this looks really interesting! i will watch this, for sure! lee soo hyuk and kim hyun joong looks so much vampires~ <3

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Thank you GF and JB for your hilarious take on it. It is perfect timing for a silly campy hilarious drama this holiday season.

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ohmigod I can't WAIT to watch this. I need to get to Vampire Prosecutor too, but this sounds like the perfect remedy to the end of the semester...

Thanks for the recap, guys! I love when you summarize things like a copied AIM conversation.

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okay, so the scene at the bathhouse, the guy that's wearing the mask is a body double right? bc he suddenly got shorter, tanner and has some boobage. when the real guy is bean stalk thin. im guessing lee soo hyuk was busy filming for tree with deep roots.

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This show is hilarious... But my favorite thing is that Lee Jung, totally reminds me of a Korean Jack Black...

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Now that you mention it, he does!

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So you got your prettiest pretty boy wearing a mask to cover up his "ugly?" Am I watching a Leonardo DiCaprio movie [The Man in the Iron Mask]?

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Hilarious!!! Thanks for the recap!

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OMG... I thought it would suck too. Like in the first few seconds, but I was cracking up too :D
Thanks for the recap

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I just watched 1 episode raw....and I'm already making a screen-saver in photoshop. I absolutely LOVE that the budget looks equal to what SNL pays for a sketch scene...because it amps-UP the Camp-Factor...if you're going to do it...Go. For. It.

*American Camp Movie reference: Mom & Dad Save the Planet. Jon Lovitz was Emperor Tod Spengo. I'd be too embarassed to actually recommend others watch it...but it's got that "Who in their right mind THINKS up this stuff and then makes a movie about it? quality". Which is exactly what you want with Farce.

I'm really looking forward to this and hope they don't pull-a-Myung-Wol-Spy and back off of the over-the-top-comedy. In any case, Vampire Soo-hyuk has my full-attention (☉‿☉)

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Okay this is great! It was funny and I laughed so much! Anything with vampires, be it books or tv shows or movies, I like. Vampire Prosecutor is bad-ass, but Vampire Idols is hilarious! Are you going to continue to recap this? Because it isn't on Dramafever yet.

Anyway, Thanks for the recap, you guys! Loved it!

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Also, I loved the Prince's name with all the Twilight references. I like that they're kinda making fun of it.

Also, the vampire guy with the super hearing reminds me a bit of T.O.P. in the looks department.

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i was ROFL while reading your recaps, thanks so much :) :) :)

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RE: "In fact, his trio (we need a name) have prepared a special gift: Tickets to a Girls Girls concert on Earth."

...how about the VVVIPs ?

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just reading the recap makes me laugh so much! haha...thanks!

hope there's subbing team for this

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Sigh, i miss vampire noh.

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what???? No Noh Min Woo????? Darn you Full House 2!!! You're probably going to be boring anyway... Awww..... that was my reason for being interested in this.... AT FIRST. This thing is awesome!!!! I literally died of laughter in some of these scenes!!! thanks so much for the recaps jb and gf :D

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Is Kang Min Kyung going to be in the group singing? She belongs to Davichi and has that really nice low voice that's really soothing too me.

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sounds amusing...might start watching once they are subbed hahhaa

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omdude. laughed friggin hard at the yunho comment. that's like the perfect thing to compare the weirdo idol fellow to.

this show had me laaaauughing like crazy.

love it! it's frickin weird, but i'll follow it. =D

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