An asymmetrical shawl-cardigan to match his asymmetrical (braided) hairstyle, tight jeans, a dangly earring, a sad piece of neck bling… Erm, so maybe not So Ji-sub’s best look.

So Ji-sub and co-star Kang Ji-hwan were on hand on August 27’s press conference and showing of the movie A Movie Is a Movie (aka Rough Cut). So Ji-sub came out sporting two different looks, one for the media confab portion, and another for the “VIP preview.” (The other look shows a normal-looking hairstyle, so he must’ve had time to nip out for a costume change.)

The film already held a press day earlier this month, but there can never be too many, right? (The prior event, I believe, was the “production briefing” conference, while this one is a “press preview” — either way, they’re both promo blitzes for the upcoming movie, which opens to non-VIPers on September 11.)

One notable VIP in attendance was the venerable Yonsama, aka Bae Yong-joon, who came with his arm in a sling from recent surgery. As a fellow client of the same management company handling So Ji-sub, Bae expressed his well-wishes for the younger star’s movie.

Other VIPs at the preview included Kwon Sang-woo, Han Ji-min, Jung Joon-ha, and Im Soo-jung, among others.

More pics of A MOVIE IS A MOVIE’s preview >>

Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Kang Ji-hwan, press conferences, So Ji-sub

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 27 Comments →

Oh, brother.

The current dispute between Japan and Korea over the naming of Dokdo (Korean name), aka Takeshima (Japanese), aka the Liancourt Rocks (American) has spilled over into Bae Yong-joon, aka Yonsama, issues.

There are a bunch of bloggers who’ve already covered the Dokdo-Takeshima dispute, but those tend to get pretty heated and/or biased, so here are a couple of more neutral articles from BBC News instead. The articles are a few years old, but as you can see the issues haven’t changed much (or at all) in the interim.

Anyway. Suffice to say that Dokdo-Takeshima is a touchy subject, with the Korean perspective characterized by overreaction and oversensitivity and the Japanese often characterized by a dismissive, “Oh the occupation was ages ago, why can’t Korea just forget about it?”

Apparently, after the magazine Lady Kyung-hang published an interview with Bae in their July issue, letters started trickling in from Japanese fans, “written very courteously,” expressing an apologetic sentiment over the “difficult situation” with Dokdo and offering their wishes for a positive resolution of the issue. According to the magazine, “Above all, they were very careful in explaining their hope that Bae Yong-joon would not be hurt over this incident.” There were even some who added, “Dokdo is Korea’s land! Long live Bae Yong-joon.”

For instance, “Iwate in Tokyo” wrote a letter saying, “In the past, I wouldn’t have been very interested in this [Dokdo] matter, but after being introduced to Yong-joon sshi, any news that mentions the word ‘Korea’ has me stop what I’m doing and perk up my ears. Whenever news like this arises, I feel my heart sink. Not all of Japan believes Dokdo to be their land. I wish to apologize in place of our politicians.” After more apologies, the letter closed, “It makes me sad that our countries would be further distanced by one small island. I wanted to make sure to express these feelings to other Korean people.”

Another letter titled “I don’t know anything” by someone named Kitajima Tokio went, “I hope that Japan would reflect upon its past actions with humility and wisdom and advance together with Korea.”

Well, it’s said that Winter Sonata did more to ease relations between Japan and Korea than any recent political act, so maybe Yonsama does deserve credit.

Via Chosun.com

SONG OF THE DAY

The The - “독도… 대한민국의 땅” (Dokdo is Korea’s Land). For having such a potentially inflammatory title, it’s a pretty nice song. [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

• A king’s welcome for Legend’s king Yonsama
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Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Korean culture

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 21 Comments →

Bae Yong Joon arrives in Japan to an adoring crowd of approximately six thousand fans, many of whom spent the previous night at the airport to await their cult leader idol star. Other cast members (including Moon Sori, Philip Lee, Park Sung Woong and Lee Jia) were also on hand, albeit mostly ignored in favor of Yonsama. The 2008 Taewangsashingi [Legend] Premium Event takes place in Osaka on June 1.

May 30, Osaka Airport.

Tags: Bae Yong-joon

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 55 Comments →

Or rather, perhaps the headline should more accurately read: Rhetorically speaking, say you were theoretically a woman in China, and you had to take a poll — which Hallyu star would you most hypothetically want to marry?

But first, a ranty sidebar. Sweeping, generalized conclusion o’ the day: Koreans love polls.

Or rather, Korean media loves polls. I suppose media in general, Korean and otherwise, likes reporting on them because they supposedly “represent” the “people” and their “opinions” or blah blah blah whatever, but my inner cynic (remarkably similar to my outer cynic) believes it’s just ’cause polls are easy topics on a slow news day. I’m not talking Gallup or BBC or CNN, because those might actually carry some weight, but do we really need to see every small-scale poll conducted by women’s magazines, cable entertainment programs, variety shows, and the like?

Judging from the amount of poll-reporting I come across every day (and some are truly stupid — which female entertainer has the most appealing bosomly charms? Are you effing kidding me?), the answer is YES. And I’m totally guilty of featuring them too. At first, the headlines catch my eye (they ARE good for that), but then you start to see the same questions and same names over and over, and you’re like, “Guh, these are lame.”

But here’s a poll anyway. Hey, it’s a slow news day.

SONG OF THE DAY

Sol Flower - “내게 소중한 작은 일도” (even the precious little things)
[ zShare download ]

Which men do the Chinese ladies dig? >>

Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Joo Ji-hoon, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Junki, Rain, Song Seung-heon

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 29 Comments →

Im Soo Jung, Kang Dong Won

 
Did that get your attention? Heh.

According to a poll conducted on the homepage for the cable show Love Action Season 3, as reported by Osen, netizens were asked which star they’d most want to go on a “handcuffed date” with. Despite all manner of inappropriate comments that spring to mind, it’s less kinky than it sounds — it’s a program where two strangers go on a blind date shackled together. Actors Im Soo Jung and Kang Dong Won were among the top five for either gender. …

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Sonick - “니가 떠난 지금” (you’re leaving now) [ zShare download ]

So who came out on top? >>

Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Im Soo-jung, Jang Dong-gun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kang Dong-won, Kim Hye-soo

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 16 Comments →

Moon Sori

 
I haven’t seen many of the dramas mentioned (they’re mostly historical dramas, which I’ve noted is not something I regularly watch). Some of the reasons are downright silly, but it also seems there’s a grain of truth in some of the grumblings. What do you think?

Criticism for Drama Miscasting; How Far Will It Go?

It’s time for a star news briefing. Watching the current dramas, it occasionally seems like this role and that actor don’t quite match. It’s surely discouraging to hear this kind of casting for the actors who are working so hard. However, it’s uneasy as well for the viewers watching along. Today, I’ll examine the criticism of this kind of drama miscasting. No Cut News’ reporter Oh Min Jung is on the case.

Who are these actors most recently criticized for being miscast?

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Jaurim - “Truth.” It’s been a while since I’ve listened to some Jaurim, but I really should listen to them more. They’re very rockin’. [ zShare download ]

Miscast? Find out who >>

Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Gu Hye-sun, Jumong, Kim Mi-ryeo, Kim Myung-min, King and I, Lee Seo-jin, Legend, Moon Sori, sageuk dramas, Yi San

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 11 Comments →