Dramabeans » Alex

Alex publishes an essay collection

javabeans — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:20:36 +0000

Last year, Clazziquai singer Horan put out an essay collection; now her bandmate Alex is coming out with an essay collection of his own, a food-related book called Alex’s Spoon. (The tagline under the title reads, “A food diary of a sweet guy living a delicious life.”)

This shouldn’t come as too much of a stretch for the vocalist, or be a surprise for his fans; Alex was reportedly a chef in his pre-singer days, and not long ago hosted a food program on Japanese television called Delicious Korea.

Although food is the main theme, Alex’s Spoon also contains essays describing childhood family memories, his thoughts about making music, and a look back at his love relationships. The book includes photographs, recipes, recommended restaurants, and so forth.

Alex is currently promoting the song “Tell Yourself,” and recently gave a solo concert at Akasaka Blitz in Japan on September 19. The book Alex’s Spoon will be published on September 23 — which, incidentally, is the same day that Yonsama’s own food and culture book, Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty, will be released.

Via OSEN

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alex, books, star extracurricular activities

Alex takes on a musical

javabeans — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:34:15 +0000

Clazziquai’s Alex is taking on a musical — the “third season” of the theatrical adaptation of the SBS drama On Air.

Is that confusing? Basically, he’ll be headlining On Air: Season 3, wherein each “season” employs different actors but continues the story of the same characters.

His character’s name is also Alex, but this is purely coincidence, even though the character also happens to be a popular singer and DJ. Past Alexes in previous seasons include Song Yong-jin (of the musical Hedwig), Kim Dong-wook (Coffee Prince), and Oh Jong-hyuk (who got his start as a member of pop group Click B). He shares a romantic storyline with a radio PD; in previous seasons, the character turned to radio after a public breakup with a famous actress, and makes a comeback.

Even disregarding coincidental character similarities, this should be right up Alex’s alley. Too bad most of us won’t get a chance to see it.

On Air: Season 3 opens on April 14.

Via Segye

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News bites: January 21, 2009

javabeans — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:20:48 +0000

Jung Il-woo, Jeon Ji-hyun

Today marks the debut of MBC’s Return of Iljimae, starring Jung Il-woo. The series premiered to mixed reactions, with some viewers calling it “refreshing” while others complained about excessive narration. I’m looking forward to it anyway. [My Daily]

Jeon Ji-hyun (My Sassy Girl) is caught up as the victim of an attempt to illegally forge a cell phone to tap into her calls. Representatives from her own management, Sidus HQ, have been identified as the culprits. Authorities are investigating and arrest warrants are being issued. Gives the fiction of A Star’s Lover a ripped-from-the-headlines feel, doesn’t it? [Asia Economy]

Kim Hee-sun (Smile Again) is a proud new mama: On the 21st, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter. [Star News]

Actress Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine), also pregnant, was seen on the 21st at the same hospital as Kim, but only for a checkup. She’s due in early February. [Now News]

Boys Before Flowers actor Kim Hyun-joong was in a minor car accident on his way to filming on the 21st. A car tried to cut in and the vehicles collided, but it was only a small bump and nobody was injured. [Seoul News]

The Lee Min-ho fervor continues: The 21-year-old has been selected to promote LG Telecom, and will appear in an ad with Boys Before Flowers co-stars Gu Hye-sun and Kim Bum. He’s also deliberating over modeling contracts for clothing brands, cars, beer, etc. [Sports Khan]

Lee Min-ho is still a little surprised at his own fame, though; he’s been busy working and first felt the impact of his sudden popularity when he was filming an outdoor scene last week and the arrival of a mob of 3,000 fans forced shooting to shut down and move elsewhere. [Sports Khan, Asia Economy]

He’s not the only one, though: Kim Bum and Kim So-eun were shooting a scene at the girls’ restaurant job last week, and because so many neighborhood bystanders stopped to watch, police had to step in and manage traffic. [Sports Khan]

Gu Hye-sun is also benefiting from Boys Before Flowers‘ popularity; like her co-star, she’s also fielding multiple CF offers, both domestically and from Japan. The offers range from mobile phones to cosmetics and food products. [Joy News]

And look who else is jumping on the BBF bandwagon: Singer-actor Lee Ji-hoon (You’re My Destiny) recently launched an online shopping mall called “Paris Homme.” Thanks to the drama, the line’s prep-school look has experienced a sharp increase in sales: up 50% from the previous month. [Mk.co.kr]

Singer and “romantic guy” Alex released a solo album last summer, and on January 20, he held his first solo concert in Tokyo. Aside from his work with groovetronic Clazziquai, Alex gained Japanese fans in 2005 when participating with hip-hop group M-Flo on their 2005 remix album “Dope Space Nine.” He was also featured on M-Flo’s 2007 “Cosmicolor” and with artists like Amuro Namie, Koda Kumi, and Bonnie Pink. [Yonhap News]

SONG OF THE DAY

Alex – “Daydreaming” [ Download ]

Alex hosts “Delicious Korea”

javabeans — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:17:49 +0000

Is it me, or is this kind of… random?

Clazziquai singer Alex is making his entry into the Japanese market, not in music but on television. And not just any television, but a food program.

Beginning in February, Alex will be the host for a program called Delicious Korea [맛있는 대한민국], which will be shown on eight stations, beginning with TV Tokyo. The show will break from the format of previous Korean cooking shows on Japanese television, and will hire an all-Korean staff to take care of everything from planning, research, and cooking.

The program will consult with a Japanese chef well-versed in Korean cuisine, and include a portion that features collaboration with Japanese production staff. Therefore, while Korea is the main focus of the show, it should remain accessible to most Japanese viewers.

Alex is also preparing for his first solo concert in Japan, to take place in Shibuya on January 20.

Via Star News

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Overworked singer needs a break

javabeans — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:54:49 +0000

“I’ll return after taking a break for a while.”

Clazziquai vocalist Alex is putting a halt to most of his broadcast appearances, he explained.

He’s been worn out from overwork — promoting his solo album, appearing on MBC’s We Got Married, radio DJ-ing, and doing Mnet’s M Countdown program, among others. Now all that stress is being exacerbated by recent pains to a disc in his back, and the bodily injury comes as a sign that he’s reached a limit. With the exception of his “fixed program” schedule, the busy MC host/radio DJ/singer/sometime actor won’t be doing any other television work for a while.

According to Alex’s rep, he’ll only be working on a performance planned for the end of September in Pusan, and return to television after he’s received some medical treatment and plenty of rest. (Thank goodness someone has the sense to stop before serious injury rather than waiting till they collapse like so many others.)

Via Today Korea, Sports Khan

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Team Alex beats Team Horan to the finish line

javabeans — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:23:39 +0000

These photos come from yesterday’s (July 21) Nike Human Race Training Run, where approximately a hundred participants ran under the banner of either (Clazziquai’s) Team Alex (red) or Team Horan (yellow).

The two teams raced a 10K along the Han River in Yoido; on August 31, 25 cities worldwide will host the Human Race event, including Seoul.

Via Mk.co.kr

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News bites: May 11, 2008

javabeans — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:39 +0000

Jang Dong Gun recently revealed in an entertainment program segment that he’d taken a minimum fee for acting in art-house director Kim Ki-duk’s The Coast Guard in 2002. At the time (and now too) Jang commanded top dollar — several million dollars per film — but gave it up because he felt it was part of an actor’s job to appear in such films (as in, lower-budget, artistic focus). And it sure paid off.
Kim Rae Won is scheduled to appear in upcoming drama Gourmet, but is cramming in a ton of CF jobs first: aside from advertising for Chung Jung Won (food), Hang Ten (clothing) and Rinnai (appliances), he’s also in talks for apartments and telecom contracts. Capitalizing on Gourmet’s buzz, I see. The series premieres June 16.
With Lee Seung Gi cast in MBC’s Iljimae (not to be confused with Lee Junki’s drama on SBS), rumors are swirling that he’ll quit his current role on KBS’s variety show 1 Night 2 Days. Producers are saying talk of his departure is premature; facts are as yet unknown with Iljimae’s production schedule still unreleased.
Clazziquai’s Alex is taking on a radio DJ spot for MBC FM4U program Blue Night, hosted for the past two and a half years by singer Sung Shi Kyung. Alex has been busy working on his solo album, and takes over the show at the end of the month. Sung Shi Kyung leaves his spot on the show to begin activities for his upcoming sixth album, to go on sale late May or June.
Looks like The Sweet Life (La Dolce Vita) starring Lee Dong Wook and Oh Yeon Soo is headed into mania drama territory. The new drama dropped significantly from its predecessor Last Scandal of My Life’s healthy ratings and is fighting to stay afloat despite its promoted “racy” bed scene between the two leads (episode 3 posted 6.9% ratings against First Wives’ Club’s hefty 27.8%). With the drama’s dark tone, that doesn’t surprise me.
Apparently recording while rapping causes extraneous rustling noises, leading Tablo to develop a habit of recording “almost totally unclothed.” I’ll let you think about that some more on your own.

SONG OF THE DAY

MC Mong – “내 맘속 사랑을 죽이다” (Killing love in my heart) [ Download ]

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alex, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Rae-won, La Dolce Vita, Lee Seung-gi, mania dramas, Tablo