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News bites: February 21, 2015

  • While Lee Byung-heon continues to land Hollywood projects, it’s a bummer he continues to get typecast in villainous roles. He’s in final negotiations to play a supporting role in Beyond Deceit, which will star Anthony Hopkins as an executive of a corrupt pharmaceutical firm and Dan Stevens as the young lawyer fighting to take the big pharma company down. Al Pacino will play Stevens’ mentor, while Lee’s role would be that of a hit man. The movie will mark the directorial debut of writer Shintaro Shimosawa, and filming starts in New Orleans next month. [OBS]
  • Kim Sung-kyun (Answer Me 1994) is finalizing the details of a contract to reunite with director Kim Hwi on a new film titled Shaman Woman’s Cave. The two had previously worked together on The Neighbors, and this new movie is also of the horror genre. Loosely based on the eponymous novel by Shin Jin-oh, Shaman Woman’s Cave will use as its backdrop the tales regarding Gimnyeongsagul Cave on Jeju Island, but will focus on the present day. Kim will play the exorcist, and Yoo Sun (The Horse Healer) is also close to wrapping up a deal to play the female lead. Once casting is finished, filming will begin next month. [My Daily]

  • Kim Sung-kyun, Seo Ye-ji, Ryu Deok-hwan

  • More casting news for the movie Joy: Seo Ye-ji (Superdaddy Yeol) will play the fiancee of Sohn Ho-joon (Trot Lovers). As a refresher, it’s the movie in which Sohn’s suspicious character will rattle a father (Sung Dong-il) and his daughter (Kim Yoo-jung) as he reveals the truth behind an old secret. The movie’s already begun filming, and will be released in the second half of the year. [Joongang]
  • Ryu Deok-hwan (of the God’s Quiz series) has been keeping busy; he’s said to be close to signing on for Last Leaf, a film about a man suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. The story will cover the man’s battles with the illness over time, and is intended to be a heartwarming one, told in a fresh way. Ryu will begin filming as soon as he wraps Talking About Things Like Passion. Last Leaf has a target release sometime before year-end. [Star News]
  • Waah, it looks like Yoo Ah-in (Secret Love Affair) isn’t coming back to dramaland anytime soon. He’s turned down Dr. Frankenstein, and the production team is 0 for 2 now, having courted Kim Soo-hyun first (they do have great taste though, I have to give them that!). Perhaps they’re realizing that a split-personality drama to air on the heels of two other personality disorder dramas might not be the best idea, as a source was quoted as saying, “The show doesn’t have a director yet, and the direction for the drama could change. We’re contacting other actors and as soon as a director is selected, we’ll finish casting as well.” [Joongang]
  • We’ve finally gotten an update on the upcoming Hong sisters drama, and its current working title is Jeju Island Gatsby. While originally intended to be a time-slip drama spanning 100 years, the creative writing duo have scrapped their initial plans and are developing a new rom-com in which the backdrop, Jeju Island, will be prominent. For this project, the sisters are reuniting with PD Park Hong-kyun (Best Love), and Jeju Island Gatsby will be a Wednesday-Thursday drama airing in May on MBC. [Star News]

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Not because I like him as a person, but as a rep of Asian actors in US films, LBH really needs to be careful.
Villains are great meaty roles, but even Alan Rickman switched it up now and again to avoid type casting.
It would be a shame if that stereotype cannot be broken.

Or, on the bright side, maybe his pioneering will result in a future star being able to get a leading rom com role.
I can dream, can't I? Seeing a Song Jun-ki star opposite some famous British girl actor whom I cannot think of right now....OK Emma Watson, how about?

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Now you make me think of myriad of possibilities *pondering

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I hope they don't make him speak English! Her with the impeccable British accent and and him with the mumbled english.. cringe.
i don't know how the domestic audience takes it, but every time I hear English in a korean drama, it makes me want to switch to mute. Its not just the accent, even the dialogue delivery sounds strange, as if they were so focussed on the words that they forgot to emote.

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What if, instead, EW spoke broken Korean?

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That would be equally bad, wouldn't it be? I am sure English mumbled Korean sounds as bad as Korean mumbled english. Unless they make a movie like snowpiercer which was a korean production, but Chris Evans spoke english and the korean actor spoke korean.

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You are so right. English turn good actors into 2nd rate extras in korean dramas. I wish they would stop speaking English. The korean language and English are polar opposites. I can see the wheels turning in those actors head as they speak English.

I just forward past English. The only time and only time English has been used successfully is when the twins speak it in KMHM. Stop brother! Why why sister? That was funny.

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Don't forget when Krystal spoke fluent english in The Heirs, since she was born in the US

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LBH speaks fluent English, almost no trace of an accent.

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Seeing a Song Jun-ki star opposite some famous British girl actor whom I cannot think of right now….OK Emma Watson, how about?

OMG, kissing scenes between Song Joon Ki & Emma Watson? Yes, please!

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Not that I like LBH (seems to be an arse), but it's not like he has a choice in repeatedly being the "baddie" in Hollywood films.

Even Asian-American actors (where language isn't an issue) like Rick Yune have mostly played "baddies."

And that even goes for hapas like Russell Wong (who when not playing a bad guy, was a martial artist - another Asian stereotype).

Daniel Henney stated that he turned down all the Hollywood offers earlier in his career as they were all stereotypical Asian male roles.

Pretty sad when there are more varied, less stereotypical roles for gay characters in Hollywood these days (but good for them).

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Too bad cause Daniel Henney is a terrible actor and it might have done him some good to get a bit of experience regardless of the role.

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While that may be true, it's not like there haven't been plenty of bad white male actors who have gotten parts primarily based for their looks.

And point is, based on his looks, Henney should have gotten non-Asian male stereotypical parts (like the hunky lifeguard).

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One thing that is interesting is the no. of Korean-Am actors among Asian-Am male actors.

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Honestly after Lee Byung Hun's scandal I never want to see him in another film again. Instead of acting, he should be reflecting on why he did to his wife and the lives of the two girls that unjustly had to go to jail because of him. Lee Santa forever and always. I can't believe he's landing films in Hollywood. I don't are if he's a good actor, there are other good actors with cleaner pasts that can replace him. He should get off my screen and get lost.

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+1

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Agree Completely!!!

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+1

The biggest scumbag, don't understand how people can support people like him or Kim Hyun Joong. How can you cheat on your pregnant wife too...christ.

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+1000000

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Totally. I can't understand why actors with this kind of scandal are allowed to keep acting. I practically did a double-take at the article that was about Park Shi-Hoo's film comeback. Do people even go to watch that kind of stuff?

Public sentiment is against these guys, not for them. The filmmakers should realize this.

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Maybe I'm a hypocrite or something, but I almost never care about the private life of people in the entertainment industry. I know it is very ugly out there, and for every scandal that makes to the public, there are 100 others that don't (and those are very often the worst).

I still watch Roman Polanski or Woody Allen movies, despite the fact that they are despicable human beings from a moral point of view (and much, much worse than Lee Byung -hun, based on what I know).

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+1

I understand why some would be repulsed by him because of what he did in his personal life. But I'm not one of those. For me, I separate professional from private. When I watch him, it's isnt Lee Byun-heon on my screen but rather the role he's playing. So just like I can hate a Cha Seung-won character I can also love an Lee Byun-heon character.

It's acting. It doesn't make me love the person behind the mask. But I can love the mask all the same and not feel guilty about it for even a moment.

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Whether it's acting or not isn't the problem. You realize by watching his film you're supporting him, right? When you watch that film your money is going into his pocket and that gives him the power and the funds to do the things he does. You are contributing to his lifestyle, in other words you are perpetuating his behavior as a public figure by not caring and willingly giving him permission to go on. Public and private life are separate but there is a fine line, and Lee Byung Hun and far crossed that line. I won't pay for a movie knowing my money equals him being able to continue to use and have sex with young girls behind his pregnant wife's back.

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I realize that by watching his movies, I am giving myself the chance to enjoy something I really enjoy. When I watch his movie, it is not only him in it but other people too who's put in the effort to create something that could make me cry, laugh and enjoy myself.

So if we are going by your logic that I am contributing in the type of lifestyle he lives, then I will very clearly state that I am also contributing to the lifestyle of the many hundreds who are innocent and work hard behind the scenes to make a movie or drama successful. There's always another side some will refuse to see because they can't get past what is flashed in the media.

I'm not here supporting Lee Byun-heon as a person because who possible can? I will however watch his movies if its worth my time and not feel a moment of regret for doing so. Maybe you aren't ready to pay for his movie and that's very fair - as I stated above in the initial comment - but there's no way I'll feel any remorse for choosing to watch even if some choose to stick out the moral compass on me.

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You're entitled to your opinion, of course, however, that doesn't give you the right to try and force your views on us, or to make us feel complicit. What an actor does in their private lives has NOTHING to do with us: we're supporting film and the people making it, not some jerk who couldn't keep it in his pants.

Besides, we watch movies for entertainment, not to make some social statement on how people should behave in their personal lives; that's for the police, or the people involved to deal with, not us. And if you think a handful of vigilantes refusing to see his movie is going to make even a tiny dent, you're deluding yourselves. If millions of people refuse to give up beef due to cow-cruelty, there's no way they're going to avoid seeing a movie because the actor is a cheater; if you took this stance for every unfaithful actor or actress, there wouldn't be many films left to watch in the first place.

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So the rest of the folks working hard for that movie don't deserve a salary just because of one guy's personal life? And just because he is probably a cheater, he should not be allowed to make a living in the thing he is good at and has built a career out of? What he did is something which is between him and his wife only and carried no victims other than in a moral sense.

And you know what? You are free to not watch his works and paint blackmailers as saints because he's a cheater (I can't pretend to understand why one excuses the other). But demanding nobody pays him and trying to shame them for it if they do? Really now. Check your phone and consider the poor Chinese kid who probably made it. We enable and fund way worse people and things with every breath we take.

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His extramarital affairs are a private matter between him and his wife. We don't even know enough to say that this is in fact emblematic of his lifestyle--we're in no position to judge whether this is an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern, and frankly, it's none of our business. Not to mention money has absolutely nothing to do with his ability to have an affair, even if he were paying for it--poor nobodies are just as capable of cheating on each other as rich movie stars.

If you don't like him and don't feel comfortable watching him, that's perfectly fine. But please don't act like paying to see a movie starring a man who cheated on his wife is somehow morally bankrupt, tantamount to funding adultery (putting aside how you could even quantify that) or endorsing the way he lives his private life. Besides, I'm pretty sure that describes a good 60-75% of all movies ever made. At the end of the day, whatcha gonna do?

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Agree with you 1996! Movie image, public life or personal life contribute a huge influence...

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+1. I only feel dirty about it when the work is intended to be representative/laudatory of the artist/author themselves (as in something like Mein Kampf), but I tend to think critical discernment weeds a lot of that stuff out anyway for most people--and besides, there are a lot of reasons to pick up such works that have nothing to do with endorsing the person who made it.

I just wish Lee Byung-hun would star in good Chungmuro films instead of crappy American flicks playing two-bit roles. I just don't understand a world where a part in the GI Joe movie gives you more prestige than starring in classics like I Saw the Devil.

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I don't think it's the acting that people are complaining about but the fame and fortune that comes with that profession. People just find it unfair for despicable people to be able to have that kind of luxurious lifestyle.

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Well, life IS unfair.
Unfortunately there is no Karma or any other instance that rewards high moral standards, quite the opposite. Being despicable improves your chances to be a person of success and a luxurious lifestyle.

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Too bad, he worked for that lifestyle they didn't. First of all people are envious of actors because they make good money and in public appearances they're wearing expensive clothes and are perfectly groomed. In real life they get hurt, sick, hungry, they fight with spouses. Do all the things normal people do. Actors work long hard hours. Sometimes in less than comfortable conditions. They get hurt on the job, sometimes even killed. Lee Byung hun broke his arm while filming The Good, The Bad, The Weird. Jung Woo sung broke his leg filming the same movie. The stunts were obviously dangerous. I've watched Korean drama and am always appalled to see interior scenes with puffs of breath coming out of the actors mouths. If it's that cold inside a film studio or a location how cold is it shooting outside in place where the winter's see temperatures in the negatives every year. Screen actors may seem to have glamorous jobs but acting can be tiring, debilitating and grueling work.

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That's true. I remember watching PRISON BREAK, one of the best shows on television to me anyway...lol... The shows had to kill off the female lead in one season cuz she was pregnant and probably needed time off. So they kill her off and i remember watching entertainment tonight and the Lincoln even says ' RELAX it's TV, made believe ' haha to the audience obviously cuz they can get crazy addicted to the characters. And after the show ended long after, I found out that WENTWORTH MILLER revealed to be GAY and my friends says your hottie is GAY, didn't you wish you didn't support or watch him on that show? haha I remember i said definitely NOT, yes i love his face there lol...n one of the reasons i got so into it but i will not stop watching just b/c personally he's gay. What does it matter to me? They are humans too and they are NOT real as your friends/family that you should care about and be affected? At least that's how i see it, if i like a certain musical artists, i will not stop listening just cuz she/he has a scandal out. It just doesn't make sense to get that kind of attachment?

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Um, I can see why people are angry with Lee Byung Hun, but how is that comparable to Wentworth Miller being gay?

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Yeah, wtf was that comparison?

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Don't rush to judgement. That person was simply using an example in personal life where someone expected them to be upset because their 'favorite' had done something that, to them, should be considered objectionable.

She didn't say anything bad about him, or that she agreed it was bad. She just mentioned an example from her life, and actually DEFENDED it as something that didn't matter to her.

It may be a surprise to you but there are some people who object to homosexuality even in this day and age (gasp!)

And just to fuck with your overly PC head, I won't tell you which side I come down on.

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@JoAnne,

Thanks Joanne. I think you are the only one who seems to read all of my post and see my comparison.
I feel sad of those two who can't even see my F comparison as they said? haha....

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I don't think it's overly PC or even PC to object to a comparison between a man cheating on his wife and a man who is gay. And just as some people apparently have the right to object to homosexuality, others also have the right to object to people who regard homosexuality as objectionable. Btw, neither AP91 nor I have said that windy was one of those people.

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@Knewbie +1

@JoAnne

Seriously? You think you're "fucking with someone's head" by not saying which 'side' you're in? Who the f cares? Comparing a cheating man with someone being gay is like comparing apples to oranges = it makes absolutely no sense.

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LBH broke the law and got off scott-free while also ruining the lives of two young girls. They aren't free of guilt but the fact is that this guy is seriously a dirtbag. I definitely understand what you're saying though, for example, Tom Cruise is bats#it insane and a scientologist but I can't deny he's a great actor.

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I'm not saying the rest of the people who created the film don't deserve a paycheck or money just because Lee Byung Hun is in it. But he broke the law too. Those other people will have other films and other opportunities to do this job. By not watching this movie it won't mean they will starve. However, by not watching this movie you can show some support to the two females wrongly imprisoned by someone who shouldn't be allowed to represent Asian actors. This is a bigger issue than Lee Byung Hun's lifestyle. Women in Korea generally get the short hand of the stick in trials like this. If you watch the movie, it's like saying there is no point in him reflecting or apologizing for the things he has done. So are you saying if an incredibly talented actor raped somebody but got away with it you'll keep watching his movies? Does that make any sense to you? There's a reason why I'm stating you're moral compass doesn't make any sense. I won't tell you what to do, but I will strongly state my opinion in that how you're treating the issue is insensitive, and perhaps you should think more about how you watching this movie affects his wife, the two women involved in this recent scandal, and how this particular incident will continue to affect similar incidents in the future.

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This is the second comment that you stated he broke the law. What law did he break? If he indeed cheated on his wife, the only thing he broke was his marriage vows to HIS WIFE and she is the ONLY one that determines if she stays with HER HUSBAND.

I can't even believe that someone would stoop so low to try to make their opinion valid by equating Cheating and Rape in the same statement. Someone needs to get a grip and quick dose of reality.

A woman of legal age involved with a married man is not an innocent victim. She knew he was married and she knew his age but that didn't deter her from being involved with him and has the nerve to act like a scorned woman because he broke it off. How can you justify her actions against the wife? She made a grown woman decision to be involved with a married man half her age so she should have handled the break up like a grown woman and not like a mean high school girl.

Then this woman and her friend decides to blackmail and try to extort money from him because she is angry. I am trying to find the innocence in that. They broke the law. Blackmail and Extortion are crimes punishable by law.

Neither LBH or this girl gets any sympathy from me but because they are cheaters won't stop me from watching his movies or listening to her music. Hell, I think Brad Pitt cheated on Jennifer Aniston with Angelina Jolie but that won't stop me from watching their movies.

Since you are being the moral police, let me ask this question. My man repeatedly cheats on his wife but they have a child together. Should she not allow her husband to be a part of their child's life because he is indeed a serial cheater. What if the woman involved was her best friend? She should not fault her ex friend for her part on the affair? Because according to your logic, the friend is innocent and shouldn't take any of the blame for the hurt that woman has gone through.

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(1) He broke the law.

So did I. I once rode home on my bike under the influence of alcohol, a crime in this country (but, like >90% of those cases, I wasn't caught and charged for it). I still don't think that means I should be banned from the public.

The Korean adultery law is similar, the MAJORITY of married people in Korea commit adultery, but almost nobody is ever charged for it.

(2) The two women who were in an affair with him and later blackmailed him.

Well, I guess they didn't break the law by having an affair with a married man (or is "passive" adultery a crime too?), but the blackmailing part is definitely a crime they are fully responsible for.

(3) He shouldn't be allowed to represent Asian actors.

Who's supposed to decide that? And what does "represent" mean here? A huge number of popular Asian actors have been involved in scandals, many worse than this one (although most actors seem to have better management to keep the minor scandals out of the public).

(4) Can a rapist get a carte blanche when he is deemed outstanding enough in his/her profession?

Well, there is a long way from adultery to rape, of course, by any possible standard.

But let's try to go that way:

Do you really boycott anything concerning Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Sean Connery, Sean Penn, Michael Fassbender etc.pp.?
Did you really never read a Charles Dickens novel, or enjoyed a Pablo Picasso painting?
Did you really skipped physics class when Einstein's relativity theory was covered?

A huge number of groundbreaking or iconic cultural achievements where accomplished by morally despicable people.

(5) If you don't boycott him, that sends the wrong signal into the industry.

I understand the way of thinking here, but I deem it too naive to the point of being counterproductive.

The main problem in the entertainment industry is NOT the low moral standards, it is the huge gap between the moral standards that need to be presented to the public, and the actual rather nasty things that go on.

The outrage about those scandals that make it to the public doesn't improve anything in reality, it just makes the gap even bigger, puts more pressure onto the PR management, more shame onto the artists and the result is more blackmail and these kind of things.

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2 wrongly imprisoned girls?????? They are BLACKMAILERS foe Heavens sake

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I'm not quite sure which law he actually broke (I'm not an expert on the case or Korean judicial system). He's a dirtbag, for all I know, but that in itself is not punishable by law (in my country, not sure about Korea).

As for the blackmailing, that seems to be a fact. And I don't see how the one who is blackmailed is responsible for it.

I'm no fan of LBH (in terms of him as an actor), it could very easily live comfortably without ever watching any movie he has been in (while I couldn't live without being able to watch "Magnolia" every now and then, despite the fact that Tom Cruise is much more despicable than LBH, and at the same time much more of a symbol of a certain despicable ideology that I kind of support this way).

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Which law did he break? I'm genuinely curious.
Law of reporting a blackmailer?

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In Korea adultery is illegal.

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Absolutely. People read the news and think that is the complete truth when usually it's not like that at all. I'm not saying they were innocent but there is always more to the story and we will never know. It's

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I used to be really into Hollywood gossip and you figure out quickly it's a messed up industry but I guess I draw the line at child abuse. Polanski was given a pass in Hollywood not just because he was talented but I will not get into that here.

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I often wonder if westerners consider Lee Byung Hun is handsome. I do not think he is a handsome Asian man but the media portrays him a handsome Asian,,,, it really puzzles me.

Some believe that Hollywood like to have Ken Watanabe but he is not loved by Japanese TV/movies because he was once involved with a scandal( messy divorce with his ex wife and right after the divorce, he got married to Minami Kaho: The Japanese media was not so kind to him).
Maybe once an actor in Asia get involved with a bad scandal, Hollywood is a place to go for him??
Watanabe is a versatile actor thus he can play different roles in Hollywood. LBY needs to show his skills if he does not want to be typecast.

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'Maybe once an actor in Asia get involved with a bad scandal, Hollywood is a place to go for him??'

Don't you think we'd have much more Asian actors in Hollywood then? ;)

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Well if Ken Watanabe came to western film because the Japanese are a bunch of self righteous hypocrites then I say thanks! We'll take him. Send us a couple of others we'll take all your good actors and you can keep the mediocre ones. Especially since divorcing your wife and remarrying doesn't rise to the level of anything let alone high crimes or gross acts of moral turpitude. Geez what century is this?

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Actually, during the time when Ken Watanabe was battling with leukemia in hospital, his household was running in red. His former wife devoted herself to nurse him but during the course, she got loads of debts. Their debt are comprised of his hospital cost and her involvement with a cult like new religion( according to his side). his former wife got involved with this religion during the time of her husband's sickness and she somehow started her devotion to the new religion.
She became debt loaded through this religion in the end. ( his former wife's excuse for her debt was that she needed the money in order to smooth out her husband's affairs) Once he is recovered fully and relaunched his career , he filed the divorce.The divorce was finalized in March 2005 and he got remarried to Minami Kaho in Dec the same year.
Ann( their daughter) started her modelling career in order to support her family and pay off the debt( she quit her high school in order to focus on modelling. )That is a no no for Japanese -- because it seems that he abondoned his family. When a man abandons his family because of debt( in particular debt is a lot to do with his illness) and his daughter was the one who helped financially when she was only a teenager,,, this situation does not bode well with most people, I am afraid.

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Takeshi Kaneshiro and John Cho get a somewhat steady stream of non stereotypical roles in H-wood right now.

But, they are one of very few Asian male actors that do which as is par for course with non-white actors there. I don't even want to get started on Hollywood and race/ethnicity, it's such a mess.

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I meant to also say that neither of them have scandals anywhere (that I know of).

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OMG and I meant HIROYUKI SANADA instead of Takeshi Kaneshiro bah!

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Cho is one of the few, but Sanada still basically plays Asian (foreigner) characters/archetypes (granted, he isn;t Asian-American).

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I never thought he was handsome and still don't. He has a nice body but I don't like his looks. I don't think Ji Sung is handsome either, or Lee Jong suk or even Korea's favorite actor Song Kang ho but they all have something in common. They can either act or they have the right amount of charisma and screen presence to make them enjoyable to watch.

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This might be an unpopular opinion but honest to God, I find Taiwanese and some Japanese (usually older) male actors more handsome than the popular SK actors these days and one of the reasons is that they just look more manly and masculine on average.

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While LBH has some handsome features, he has too much of a "fish-face" to be considered really handsome.

K-actors like Kim Sung-soo, Oh Ji-ho, Go Soo, Song Seung-heon, Jo Han-sun, Won Bin, etc. would be considered more handsome, but then again, there really aren't too many leading man/romantic roles or Asian actors in Hollywood (even if they could speak fluent English).

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Also - Ji Jin-hee, Han Jung-soo, Jung Sook-won, Joo Sang-wook, etc.

Don't get more handsome or manlier than them.

And there are also the manly but not matinee idol-looking actors.

If anything the Korean film industry has more of the "manly" types.

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I don't find Lee Byung Heon good-looking at all either.
Kim Sung-Soo, Song Seung-Hun, and Joo Sang-Wook are what handsome looks like.

I think Lee Byung Heon gets the American movie offers because he was once offered an American role and it's easier to roll off of that. Plus, Hollywood thinks more Asians will go and see their movie because they think LBH is the most popular male actor in Asia.
He is one of the highest paid, I guess, but I think he's losing his popularity in Korea b/c of his lack of work / presence there. Not to mention he is getting older.

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Unjustly?

Didn't they blackmail him?

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No, his scandal spans past the blackmailing. If you don't know the whole story, I suggest you look up netizen buzz or google it. It's not his first time involved in sexual harassment and he ruined one athlete's whole life as well.

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Yes, I know. When you have one bad negative news it's bad luck but when you have it again? Hummm...you have to wonder about his character. Some people say FULL HOUSE GIRL is lucky to have gotten away. Perhaps they are right. haha LOL...

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He's got plenty of scandals.

But they are in jail for their crime of blackmailing him.

I won't watch his films (or PSH's or KHJ's) because their behaviour in their personal life just crossed certain lines that I can't ignore, but that doesn't mean that people left and right get to commit crimes against these individuals and be let off somehow.

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yes but the court didn't consider he was dating any of them, he just said he wasn't cheating his wife... lol but his texts say otherwise.

Plus now he is asking to both girls to not be jailed. Just for PR reasons.

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It's for the Korean courts to decide whether to put him on a trial for adultery and to find him guilty or innocent of that. It's also for the courts to decide what kind of penalty to hand out. The girls' punishment may be/seem too harsh, especially in comparison what has happened with other celebrities.

But they still committed a crime and to say, as Katasu1996 did, "two girls ... unjustly had to go to jail because of him" is just blatantly false unless you want to argue that blackmailing is an admirable thing.

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*irony mode on* Don't be so unforgiving with KHJ. His now ex ex-girlfriend forgave him too. And even carries his child... *irony mode off*

After all the media play last year, those two really got back together and are starting a family. I'm speechless. Well, almost. This woman. I REALLY hope she know's what she's doing. But as abusive relationships tend to go, I fear she's not.

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He also lead them on and wanted sex with them even though he was 1) married 2) an expecting father (wife is pregnant) 3) breaking the law. He is a well-known womanizer in the industry and there were so many articles of shock when he married Lee Min Jung but I guess now we know why. Not the first time he led a girl on, he ruined the life of a Korean-American gymnast from Canada too.

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Looks to me more like she tried to ruin his life. She went back to Canada and to her relatively anonymous life while he had to live with the aftermath of that scandal. I read up on that scandal and she was convicted of blackmailing him but never served her sentence because she had already fled back to Canada. That entire situation was sketchy anyway. She's got a "friend' that tries to blackmail him in the middle of her breach of promise lawsuit. Reads like some bad makjang drama plot. All because LBH is a womanizer. Gee let's string him up and hang him in the square a man that likes women!

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So we can definitely call him guilty of being stupid, then. To be involved with a woman who then blackmails you once, and then to have it happen to you again?

You must be a special kind of asswhipe to inspire so much rage in people, at the very least.

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seems to me that there were no "innocent" people involved ... just innocent people affected.

Those girls shouldn't have tried to blackmail him .. and for Christ sakes ...a married man should be in a compromising video with any number of women in the first place.

Unless his wife is one of them ... then he's just a lucky man.

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Yup, it always takes 2 to tango. She knows he's a married and he's crappy for still hanging and drinking w/such young girls half his age. They dare to blackmail him so i don't feel it's him you should blame for ruining their life. These greedy girls also ruined your own life by blackmailing????
And can't believe the wife gets pregnant in the middle of all this??? Wow, talk about forgiving easily. SIGH.....

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His wife was pregnant at the time of the cheating/blackmailing, I believe. Which makes him even nastier.

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Feel bad for Lee Min Jung, and for going back to him and trying to make the marriage work, but she's probably doing it for the baby.

LBH is a an arse.

Plenty of leading man type actors who aren't such arse-wipes.

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I know but hollywood itself is full of shady individuals so figures they don't really care about their personal life. AKA Jackie Chan - mistress situation never scratch him a bit in showbiz. I never really like this guy while my korean colleagues used to say he is older now but HOT but i never really see him that hot or cute. I know he's pretty famous and all that was it. It is really weird to hear about him scandal after scandal thou. And the wife is also very young too and she gets pregnant in the middle of his scandal too right? sigh...

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Since when did blackmail become justified? Blackmail is a crime punishable by law, cheating is a moral dilemma and a testament to someone's character. The young lady is no better in my book because she knowingly became involved with a married man and when he decided to break it off, she got mad and decided to extort money from him so she didn't make it public. Those two ladies made a conscious decision so yes they were justly punished.

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Hollywood doesn't care - unless maybe an actor make anti-semitic or homophobic comments.

Mark Wahlberg in his past had viciously attacked to Asian-Americans (Vietnamese descent), one with a wooden plank and made racist remarks about Asians to the police.

And yeah, some people change for the better but Wahlberg really hasn't shown any true remorse for what he had done.

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*makes*

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Looking at past treatment of people who said offensive things, I find that your first statement is correct.

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How did I discover the world of kdramas? My very 1st kdrama was IRIS with Lee Byung Hun.

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in my personal opinion, it's sad reading some of the comments on this thread in that a public figure who is celebrated for talent can (as long as evidence can prove, something of the nature of what he was accused of did at least take place in whatever capacity) do something damaging/ morally questionable, and get defended nonetheless.

regardless of talent, personality, looks or whatever else that is cause for a public figure to be celebrated, are they not to be held accountable for their actions?

many argue that art and morality are separate, but i beg to differ. i think art is an expression of personal individuality of which morality is a part of. every artist across different mediums have something different and unique to say and express because they are all unique individuals in their own right with thoughts and emotions and life experiences of their own they can draw from to fill their canvases. this is why i personally find it difficult to watch anything by artists such as lee byung hoon, woody allen, roman polanski, kim hyun joon and park shi hoo just to name a few. in the creation of their art or performances, it would be foolish to think absolutely nothing personal is drawn upon - where is the colour in the artistry then?

most other individuals facing the sort of accusations levelled at these people would have faced some form of severe reproach professionally. but because of their standing in society it seems individuals such as lee byung hoon for instance seem to not face any whatsoever. indeed life is unfair, but i am not life, i am merely me and i will try as hard as i can be to be fair in my opinions. it can even be argued that in certain regards, life is unfair because we as people make it so for others and others unto us and so on and so forth.

i feel that if i watch lee byung hoon's movies, the message it sends out to those such as him is that whatever morally ambiguous activities the indulge in can be excused as long as they as artists produce good art. i hold artists up in high regard, but i hold people as people up in higher regard. do i expect people to be jesus? do i myself behave like buddha? no. but is not trying one's best to hold up a certain unbiased moral standard no matter the participants involved in a situation deserving of such vitriol? i'm gonna say no as well.

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I try to separate my judgment of an actor's personal life from their acting ability. However, it's important to recognize that their celebrity privileges them with money, power, and special resources which others don't have--resources which they may then use to cover up any morally questionable/despicable activities.

Supporting their professional work is a way of enabling actors to continue to succeed and enjoy their special privileges. If an actor who has been involved in morally despicable activities can continue to easily receive these benefits (with no repercussions, reflection, or accountability on their part) then they may do so at the cost of others. Both they and society would see that they are above the law--that talent, money, and power are enough to erase they do--and that gives them the freedom to do as they please in the future. They can still do wrong, still be well employed, AND have the money to cover up their wrong and silence their victims.

Those 2 girls are wrong for trying to blackmail someone, and Lee Byung Hun shouldn't have put himself in that compromising position, but that's not the only reason people are upset. LBH has long held a lot of power and influence due to his market worth as an actor. He's valuable to the entertainment industry and so can pull strings when he needs to. (Articles have stated that he was once involved in a massive cover-up which involved beating a man up, defaming his character, and manipulating CCTV footage to frame him in court. Public favor began to turn against him ever since.)

THOSE TWO GIRLS GOT A SENTENCE CONSIDERED TOO HARSH FOR THEIR CRIME UNDER KOREAN LAW. For instance, they were given more jail time than a documented rapist in a previous Korean case. Many feel that the law unjustly sided with LBH due to his influence and that of powerful entertainment industry hands backing him, as it often does.

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Watching his work is a personal choice, but a choice that IS connected to the tide of public opinion affecting LBH's opportunities to gain greater power and privilege (which he has shown to not use responsibly). Realistically, it is an unfair world, but it's that very world we contribute to through our choices and actions.

Watch his work if you will, but please don't look past his actions and think that the societal power and favors he enjoys [and gets way with] is in no way related to the work he gets...simply because you like his talent.

(A+ to comment 2.13)

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... what the ... faq!

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Sometimes Hollywood is just not worth it.

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who is next for dr.frankenstion?I hop it coul Lee joon gi or Lee minhoo

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When I read Jeju Island Gatsby I had to laugh out loud. Don't know why I find the title so hilarious but it is

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Hollywood is really annoying me with its inability to see past its own stereotypes. Asians can get the girl too! Asians can be Good guys or own a big pharmaceutical co. I mean seriously! What's with hollywood and Asian hitmen!

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I mean, there is Harold and Kumar........it's just sad that those are the only movies I can think of where the Asian guy gets his girl (and gets married to her, and has to deal with a bossy father-in-law too).

Also, John Cho is fiiiiiiiiiine.

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The writers for "Harold & Kumar" had to fight the studio to keep both of the leads of Asian descent (the studio wanted one of them to be white).

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Asians do Asian hit men. i can name a couple of Korean actors that don't seem to be able to play anything but a hit man or an emotionally constipated chaebol. Asian men are beginning to get more normal roles it's obviously a slow process in a predominately white society. However, look at movies, entertainment and advertising and point to another country with MORE diversity. You can't.

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Yes, but the contrast btwn Asian male and Asian female actors is quite striking, as it is in advertising as well.

And think about it, despite a certain segment of the population having issues with gays and lesbians - the media portayal for them has improved much more so for them than for Asian males in Hollywood.

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Have you ever seen Walking Dead?

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Based on a graphic novel so difficult to change the race, esp. since the creator of the graphic novel is the lead writer for the show (and pretty much the head-honcho).

Tho, that hasn't stopped Hollywood from "whitewashing" - Avatar and a bunch of other manga-based films, in addition to film "21" about the MIT blackjack team.

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"it looks like Yoo Ah-in isn't coming back to dramaland anytime soon" boo....too bad :(
I think they haven't meet solid plot for Dr. Frankenstein. I have to admit split-personality plot need a strong plot and great actors. Looking the situation now, KMHM did set a bar for that kind of drama. Well...lets hope for the good news from the production team then.

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*I have to admit split-personality drama need a strong plot and great actors.

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When I saw his pic my heart skipped and I thought we'd get the news about him leaving for the army...
Turning down Dr. Frankenstein is a good thing though.

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Me, too! SO GLAD Yoo Ah-In turned this down. I would've ended up watching it if he starred in it, but it didn't seem like my sort of drama.

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OMG, see me here reading this article for the second time, but only Dan Stevens' name caught my attention -debating who the hell he was again...I KNOW THAT NAME. It's none other than Matthew from Downton Abbey. Phew.

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Haha, almost forgot about this person in the midst of the JCW love Fab?

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I'm a little disappointed that the Hong Sisters' drama changed its time traveling concept. Time traveling (at least done right a la Queen In-hyun's Man and Nine) is my absolute favorite trope!

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Haha, that's weird. I thought that "Nine" was one of the textbook examples how NOT to use time travel ...

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NINE was a masterpiece In how to use time travel.

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+1

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I'm at loss here.

Are we talking about the same show? The one where the writer didn't even remotely understood what time is, where no decisions that any of the characters made (apart from off-screen) did matter in any way, and where the time travel was mostly used to solve problems that could have been solved by just talk to another person?

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Hold on. We are talking Kdrama and you seriously criticize a show, because two people didn't simply communicate with each other at the right time? Ha! You just made my day. Lol. Thank you. :D

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Huh. I mean...I don't know. It's possible you're talking about the same show as them. Only you're take on it definitely has me scratching my head....

I personally thought Nine displayed the consequences of the ripple affect and messing with time better than, well, almost every time-travel show/movie I've watched. I thought it was brilliant. To each their own.

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@Newbie

No, I'm well aware of that being the most basic plot building technique here. But, as Voltaire put it: with great power comes great responsibility. A plot-breaking thing like time travel is ridiculously overpowered for tiny conflicts that get resolved by talking to the people anyway (where the traveling back and forth in time did not, indeed made any difference).

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@Chandler

"I personally thought Nine displayed the consequences of the ripple affect and messing with time better than, well, almost every time-travel show/movie I’ve watched. I thought it was brilliant. To each their own."

Well, I really struggle with time travel as a whole, and I agree insofar as it is almost never done "right".

One example for me is "12 Monkeys" (if you ignore the final scene), but here, time travel in a deterministic universe is actually the whole point of the film, it kind of renders the whole plot and characters irrelevant and this is what the film is about.

Time travel is extremely hazardous, because they compromise the most important element of a plot: characters make decisions and have to live with the consequences.

(a) In a deterministic world, there is no plot because the characters cannot make decisions because there is no free will in the first place.
(b) In a time line world, decisions by characters are irrelevant, because they never solve any problems, they just create a different time line.

"Nine" doesn't even decide what kind of logic the universe is going to follow, they switch from deterministic to diverging time lines to converging time lines to utter nonsense (the scraping text that "appears" on the guitar).
In the end, nothing that happened in the whole drama actually really happened, because it was "overridden" by a reality that was caused by an off-screen decision in a reality that was not even covered on the show.

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Haha... refreshing to hear such a different opinion of "Nine"!

I'm definitely of the love-it camp.. I think that your observation that no decisions made any difference is exactly the point the writers wanted to make, no? Messing with time is, in the end, a futile exercise. Despite anyone's reasons (and humans, being how we are, have oh so many justifications for what we want!), it just can't work.

Naturally, if you disagree with the fatalistic, pre-determined world-view the writers took in "Nine," the outcomes may have frustrated you. But, still, it showed that humans CAN (and do) act according to their free will. People TRY, sometimes repeatedly, to get their way, to bend things to their desire... so it doesn't mean you have no choice but to comply; you can choose to fight all the way. And the message the guy took away in the end was that he would live according to his principles, no matter what was pre-destined or planned by greater forces of nature.

For all of that, I thought "Nine's" take on time-travel was all good...maybe a tad pessimistic, but really driving in the point.

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I'm actually glad the Hong Sisters scrapped the time-slip idea, simply because I miss them doing non-supernatural dramas like Delightful Girl, My Girl etc.

In fact, Jeju Island Gatsby reminds me of My Girl already!

That said, I do love a good time-slip drama though and I actually think the Hong Sisters could benefit from that premise because their greatest flaw is the noble idiocy/forced separation in the last 1/3 of their dramas. At least it wouldn't feel forced and there'd be no need for noble idiocy when they inevitably separate the leads by 100 years.

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Hey! It's Lee Santa!

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This news is perfect for news byte. Kim Hyun joon from boys over flower is going to have a baby with the girlfriend that filed abuse charges against him. Baby due in September.

This is not korean drama stuff, this is telenovela stuff. Bring in a maid and we have ourself a show.

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Seriously? If it were to happen in a drama, we'd go, No way!
This is More melo than melodrama.

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That breaking news is so makjang!

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.................

this should be a 'let me get my popcorn' situation, but I feel bad for his poor unborn baby.

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It's not April Fool's Day yet...we're still in the month of February. Seriously?

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LOL!

Where reality is stranger than fiction....

I'm replaying EMINEM's 'Love The Way You Lie' in my head right now...

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Except that it's shitty to treat it as a juicy gossip item and people need to cut it out with the "this is just like a drama!!!" bs. Domestic abuse is not a goddamn joke.

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I'm seriously baffled why KHJ's scandals haven't been reported much here. The guy is a douchebag and drama fans should be informed of the extent of his nastiness. I feel so sorry for the girl and the baby.

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It hasn't been reported because it's not the sort of content this website reports.

Dramabeans isn't Gossip Central about all things related to Korean dramas. News bites are about dramas & films – projects in the planning, casting, etc. There are many alternative websites to go to if you want the "gossip" – I, for one, am glad the DB is as focused as it is.

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But apparently his company representatives have now denied that the kid is his or something? So it's getting even more makjang now lol

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If the Hong Sisters are going the rom-com route with Jeju Island Gatsby...please cast Ji Chang Wook...I'm dying to see him in a rom-com...and I think he will nail it.

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I hope they go with 20s leads this time, though I would also love it if they paired up veteran actors like they did in Master's Sun.

Just as long as both can act. That's the most important thing! (I would love a Ji Chang-wook/Im Joo-eun pairing).

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I won't mind Ji Chang Wook & Kang Sora pairing.

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Read somewhere that Woo bin and Kang So ra got the offer. Would be lovely too. Ji Chang wook would be lovely too..

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sadly I think that was just fan casting.

(though I am nervous about whether KWB can pull off Hong sisters-level comedy at this stage in his career, casting a hero not experienced in comedy worked beautifully with So Ji-sub but KWB is way less experienced in general)

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That'd be really risky. Kang So-ra is not an accomplished comedy actress either.

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she's done Sunny and Ugly Alert, and she's a more experienced actress in general than Kim Woo-bin. I have less to fear from her end than his.

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In Sunny, she played a rather peripheral character with not too much comedy going on.

Ugly Alert is Fools Watch? Yep, she had some comedy elements in there, but not exactly the kind of fast-paced "situational" comedy the Hong Sisters write.

I'm not saying that she's not able to pull it off, but she might be busy enough to get her own part right. (Contrast
"Best Love", where Gong Hyo-jin basically carried So Ji-sub through the show.)

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*Wrong drama, of course. Even though it's true for that one too.

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I want Ji Chang-wook and Han Groo!

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The Hong sisters' dramas usually rest on the actors they choose as leads, and the OTP chemistry (not saying they don't play their part as writers, they're among the best comedy writers in tv even with all their flaws). So I really, really hope they choose talented actors for those roles, not people they'll have to compromise and "write down" a level to.

Also Jejudo Island Gatsby? Gatsby is hardly funny, heh.

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I trust them to make it so!

They may not be perfect (sometimes plot meanders, separation is forced, etc.) but they're always sure to make things funny, right? :DDDD

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yeah they suffer from the dreaded lag in the last third of their dramas but the first halves are usually so sparkling and funny (and with adorable romances) that I keep coming back except for that one time when it failed.

And yeah, they WILL make it funny. That much is a given, ha!

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LBH is a very talented actor (not going to discuss his douchebagness)
but I don't think he's ever going to get roles in Hollywood that wont be asian hitman, Japanese ninja or yakuza or the other bad guy trope.
It's hard even for Asian America actors to get leading roles, John Cho was adorable in Selfie (still mad it got cancelled) George Takei was a exception as Sulu was a important character in Start Trek but even he admits it was and still is hard to get leading roles for Asian actors.

The only exception has so far been Watanabe Ken who benefits from the relationship he has with Christopher Nolan. Tadanobu Asano also had decent start with being in Thor and not being the bad guy also he will be in Martin Scorsese's next film "Silence".

Hopefully the cast to the Hong sisters project will be announces soon as I'm super excited.

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Jeju Island Gatsby?
Does it have any connection to The Great Gatsby?

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Ryu Deok-hwan is such a cutie.

So glad to see him busy!

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no matter what, LBJ is a good actor and l will continue to watch his movies. it's his acting that matters to me. its the acting that makes the actors and not his personal life.

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Hmph, no wonder AssholeLBH gets typecasted in the villain roles is because 1st he's an asshole, 2nd to what he did to his wife. No amount of photos with LMJ will allay my opinion of him ever again.

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I personally think Lee Byung Hun is a victim in all these because, none of those women is under aged, and again he made sexy comments under the influence of alcohol which he received from them as friends. Many of us thinks he cheated, okay and fine, let assume he cheated on his wife, but later repented and had a remorse, and decided to do the right thing by ending the affair, please tell me, WHAT HAS HE DONE WRONG? Personally, I pray to have a man like this.....

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