On October 8, the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, opened in Busan. (Yes, the city takes a different official spelling than the film festival. Blame inconsistent Romanization.)

As the largest film festival in Korea, it drew a large list of attendees, as you can see from the long list of red-carpet walkers. It was definitely a star-studded opening night, and even included one familiar Hollywood face (Josh Hartnett).

This year’s PIFF features its largest lineup to date, screening 355 films from 70 countries, and closes on the 16th.

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As previously mentioned, singer-dancer-actor-designer-CEO-”world star” Rain is coming out with his own fashion line, “Six to Five,” which he kicked off in style on the 23rd with a fashion show–launch party–mini concert. Trust Mr. Multihyphenate to give the same treatment to his big events.

The launching party took place in Ilsan and was attended by some of Rain’s industry buddies, though not a whole slew of them; some key attendees included Hyori, Yoon Kye-sang, Chae Rim and Kim Sun-ah.

Apparently, the rocket was chosen as the brand symbol to express “the spirit of challenge that overcomes time and space.” Er….. Furthermore, the brand name is based on the concept of moving from the five senses into the realm of the sixth… in which case, shouldn’t the brand name be Five to Six? O_o

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After all the hullaballo, Kwon Sang-woo finally married Sohn Tae-young today (September 28), and I for one am glad, since we won’t be having to hear about it anymore.

The couple gave a press conference prior to the wedding, as the wedding itself was closed to the press. Sohn Tae-young wore a Kenneth Pool gown, which she bought on the couple’s recent trip to England.

Kwon: “I’m finally getting married. I’m so nervous — my nerves don’t begin to compare with any film festival or event I’ve been to. … We’ll live happily together. I vow to love her forever.” Sohn: “It doesn’t feel real yet. Actually, I wasn’t nervous at all while getting ready. But now I’m starting to feel it.”

When asked about kids, Kwon answered that he’d like three, but joked that Sohn “has agreed to two, for her figure’s sake.”

And, since it’s not every day such a huge Hallyu star gets married, we have a pretty impressive guest-star roster that rivals the red carpet at some of the largest industry events.

The parade of high-profile attendees >>

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Actress Byun Jung-soo (The Last Scandal of My Life, Bad Couple) currently hosts her own “style variety” program, the Olive Show on cable channel Olive TV. This time, she’s posing semi-nude for her “O’Love Your Body Naked Project” (I’m mildly surprised that they pulled off an English-language pun without being Konglish-y for once. Still a bad pun though).

A worthy cause, I’m sure, which brings to mind similar things like the (American) Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. This O’Love campaign operates under the message of “loving yourself and your body proudly, as it is.” Although, I’m sure it’s a lot easier to tell people not to hate their bodies when you’re rockin’ Byun’s sleek “S-line” and model-perfect figure.

(I jest, I jest, kinda. I may not have her body, but I don’t hate it by mere dint of the fact that it functions, mostly painlessly, mostly as it should and with reasonable ability to recover from the abuses to which I subject it daily. Most of them caffeine-related. But still, it sure is easy to be a spokesmodel for loving yourself when you’re widely regarded to be one of the national standards of feminine beauty, isn’t it?)

But even tall, slender former models like Byun aren’t free from body worries, as the mother of two expressed having had initial hesitation to pose for the skin-baring photo op. However, she thought the message worthwhile, explaining, “These days, countless twenty- and thirtysomething women shrink back, thinking they’re overweight, or ugly, which saddens me. I think women are most beautiful when they’re confident in themselves.”

Via Hankyung.com

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There’s something to be said for a drama that ends just the way you expected but manages to be satisfying just the same. Which doesn’t mean it was flawless (and I’ll discuss that later) but for the most part, I ended this series with a satisfied sigh. Despite having a second season planned for later this year, we get a nice wrap-up for the characters and a general sense of well-being for their future.

SONG OF THE DAY

Sweet Sorrow – “예뻐요” (You’re beautiful) [ Download ]

 
THE LAST SCANDAL OF MY LIFE Episode 16 (Final) >>

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