Awards, awards, awards! Friday, November 25, was the night of the 2011 Blue Dragon Film Awards, and — no surprise — the winners list was dominated by one of the biggest films of the year, sageuk-action-thriller Bow: The Ultimate Weapon. The film is a David and Goliath story of one man (Park Hae-il) taking down the enemy with his exceptional prowess with the bow and won awards for most of its leading stars.

A few other films also nabbed multiple awards, with best picture going to the thriller Bad Deal. (which also won for director and screenplay).

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Post tags: awards, Byun Jung-soo, Go Soo, Gong Yoo, Han Chae-young, Jo Sung-ha, Jung Ryeo-won, Kim Haneul, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Jung-jin, Lee Min-ho, Lee Min-jung, Lee Shi-young, Moon Chae-won, Nam Gyuri, Park Bo-young, Park Hae-il, Ryu Hyun-kyung, Ryu Seung-ryong, Su Ae, Yoo Sun, Yoon Kye-sang

The 16th Busan International Film Festival opened on October 6, and the red carpet to the opening screening — So Ji-sub and Han Hyo-joo’s tragic romance Only You — was awash with stars.

(For those of you used to seeing the festival called PIFF, it recently changed its spelling. The festival is in its 16th year and began back when the city was spelled Pusan. The spelling of the southern city officially changed to Busan in 2000, but the festival kept its former spelling, which naturally led to some confusion. Yeah, the Korean romanization system changes hasn’t been the most easy to follow.)

It’s been a while since we’ve had a big, star-packed red carpet, but this reminds me that we’re heading into awards season, and will soon be seeing lots of events like this. Which means, lots and lots of red carpets to ooh over, or, as the case may be, snark.

There were some questionable outfits (always fun), but overall I really like what I saw, even if there was an overwhelming trend toward leg slits Up To There and a good amount of side-boob. But the colors! Yay for colors!

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Cha Seung-won, Daniel Choi, Eom Ji-won, film festivals, Go Soo, Gu Hye-sun, Han Hyo-joo, Hong Su-ah, Hwang Woo-seul-hye, Jang Dong-gun, Ji Sung, Jung Seok-won, Kang Hye-jung, Kang So-ra, Kang Ye-won, Kim Dong-wan, Kim Haneul, Kim Min-joon, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Je-hoon, Min Hyo-rim, Nam Sang-mi, Park Jin-hee, Park Ye-jin, So Ji-sub, Sung Yuri, Wang Ji-hye, Yeh Ji-won, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Inna, Yoon Jin-seo

MBC’s about to premiere a new weekend drama, Hooray For Love, which looks pretty cute if we’re going solely on the stills and promo shots that have been released.

This is the drama Jae Hee (Three Dads, One Mom) and Jung Seok-won (Dr. Champ) had both dropped out of, and stepping in to replace them are Lee Tae-sung (Playful Kiss) and Jin Yi-han (Fine Windy Day). I can’t say that I’m as interested in the replacements as I was with the original casting, but I pretty much like all four of them, so no complaints.

The drama’s presented as the success story of a woman named Jae-mi (Lee Bo-young) who divorces her loser husband (Jin Yi-han) and finds new love with the lawyer hired to invalidate their divorce (Lee Tae-sung). The main cast also splits into two love triangles, as you can see in the stills below; the above-mentioned trio comprise the main triangle, while Jae-mi’s parents’ generation finds themselves in another one, featuring Byun Jung-soo (Manny), Chun Ho-jin (City Hunter), and Bae Jong-ok (The World They Live In).

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Post tags: Bae Jong-ok, Byun Jung-soo, Jin Yi-han, Lee Bo-young, Lee Tae-sung

Cable station tvN has entered the midweek prime-time fray with Manny, its new 16-episode romantic-comedy about a male live-in nanny who comes to care for the two kids of a single mom. He’s the consummate pro, she’s the frazzled careerwoman, and together they’ll clash and bicker and romance their way to true love.

I was hoping it would be funny and engaging, and so far my expectations are met (and exceeded) — the drama is pretty simple, but hits that sweet spot of feel-good fun and touching moments. It’s a light, easy watch that makes you smile, bolstered by an engaging cast and amusing scenarios.

[Watch the series at DramaFever]

SONG OF THE DAY

Monni – “망설이지 마요” (Don’t Hesitate) [ Download ]

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, cable programs, Choi Jung-yoon, featured, first episodes, Manny, Seo Ji-seok

Today marks the launch day of cable channel tvN’s prime-time drama Manny, which stars Seo Ji-seok (Gloria) as a top-rated Seoul nanny. And how cute is he with his charge? The boy almost looks like a little mini-me, with their matching curly hair and prosh outfits.

Seo plays Yi-han, a live-in manny from New York who cares for the two children of a careerwoman single mom, and he and the mother end up falling in love. The premise is simple, but the dynamic is not so common in K-dramas — a male caregiver partnered with a female breadwinner, plus the fact that she’s his employer, and several years older to boot — and it’s the reversal that makes this interesting.

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, cable programs, Choi Jung-yoon, Manny, Seo Ji-seok

Another cast member has been added to the upcoming tvN drama Manny: model-actress Byun Jung-soo (Pasta), who reunites with her Bad Couple buddy, Choi Jung-yoon (Smile, You) — albeit as rivals, this time.

The drama stars Seo Ji-seok (Gloria, OB-GYN) as a proud New Yorker who’s employed as Seoul’s top manny –a man nanny — who works for and lives with a single mom with two kids (Choi). Romance and comedy ensue.

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Choi Jung-yoon, Manny, Seo Ji-seok

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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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Choi Jung-won, Eom Ji-won, film festivals, Go Eun-ah, Go Jun-hee, Ha Ji-won, Han Chae-young, Han Eun-jung, Han Hye-jin, Han Ji-hye, Han Ye-seul, Im Joo-hwan, Im Soo-jung, Jang Dong-gun, Jang Hyuk, Jeon Do-yeon, Jeon Hye-bin, Jo Jae-hyun, Jung Ryeo-won, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Haneul, Kim Kang-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-yeon, Kim Yun-jin, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Seon-kyun, Min Hyo-rin, Park Hee-soon, Seo Woo, So Ji-sub, Su Ae, Sung Yuri, Sunwoo Sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wang Seok-hyun, Yeh Ji-won, Yoo Hana, Yoo Sun, Yoon Kye-sang

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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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Chae Rim, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Hyori, Park Ji-yoon, Rain, Seo In-young, Yoon Kye-sang

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.

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Read the rest of Kwon Sang-woo weds Sohn Tae-young (finally) (286 words)

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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, Cha Seung-won, Choi Ji-woo, Ha Ji-won, Han Ga-in, Hwang Bo, Jang Dong-gun, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Sung-soo, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Jung-jin, Oh Ji-ho, So Ji-sub, Sohn Tae-young, Song Seung-heon, star romances, weddings, Yoo Ji-tae

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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Post tags: Byun Jung-soo, photo shoots