More songs! And this time, they’re sung by some of your favorite (or not) actors. This list is hardly comprehensive, and I picked mostly those actors who weren’t singers first. (And if they were, they are generally stars who are not known for their singing, despite their origins. See: Kim Kang-woo’s awesome beginnings as a soft-ballad rapper. That video takes forever to load, but trust me, it’s worth it.)

Some of these songs come from OSTs, some from digital singles, and some as featured tracks on other singers’ albums.

Enjoy!

Moon Geun-young – “그 바람소리” (The sound of the wind) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Javabeans Playlist #3: Actor edition (306 words)

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Post tags: Bae Doo-na, Chae Jung-ahn, Choi Jin-hyuk, Daniel Choi, featured, Gu Hye-sun, Han Hyo-joo, Han Ji-hye, Hyun Bin, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Haneul, Kim Kang-woo, Kim So-yeon, Lee Da-hae, Lee Jia, Lee Jun-hyuk, Lee Jun-ki, Lee Min-ki, Lee Shi-young, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-yeon, Park Yong-ha, Song Chang-eui, Sung Yuri, Uhm Tae-woong

Strangely enough, the most crack-addled I’ve been over a drama of late isn’t a snazzy one, or even a zippy fresh one at that. It’s the very classic and simple, almost throwback workplace drama Queen of Reversals, which just completed its 31-episode run on MBC this week. So if it wasn’t new and exciting, just why on earth was I so addicted to this drama about an ajumma who gets her groove back?

[Watch the series at DramaFever]

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Read the rest of Queen of Reversals: Series review (2,144 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, featured, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Chang-wan, Kim Nam-joo, Park Shi-hoo, Queen of Reversals

It’s time for each broadcast station to put on their end-of-year awards. The MBC Drama Awards are first of the bunch, and man, Kim Nam-joo must be peeved. She finally gets her Daesang — and it goes shared, with Han Hyo-joo. Yeesh. This is almost as bad as when MBC split the Daesang between Kim Myung-min and Mr. Hand Towel.

First off, let me say that I did watch several episodes of Dong Yi and found Han Hyo-joo better than expected — not bad at all. Thing is, she wasn’t what I’d call great, either. Powerful enough to win the Grand Prize of the year? Not so much — certainly not over Shin Eun-kyung, who had to settle for a Top Excellence award.

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Read the rest of 2010 MBC Drama Awards (1,553 words)

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Post tags: awards, Chae Jung-ahn, Gong Hyo-jin, Han Hyo-joo, Ji Jin-hee, Jung So-min, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Nam-joo, Lee Chun-hee, Lee Min-ho, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Tae-sung, Park Ha-sun, Park Shi-hoo, Shin Eun-kyung, Yoo Seung-ho

MBC’s new drama Queen of Reversals premieres tomorrow, bringing more romantic-comedy energy to Mondays and Tuesdays. As with its predecessor drama Queen of Housewives, the initial premise didn’t really engage me, but once I’ve seen a few clips I find myself enjoying the tone and humor of the show. At least as much as I can see from the previews (watch below).

In fact, I wonder if I might even prefer this series to the original; I suspect it will hinge upon my response to the main character, played by Kim Nam-joo. I found Housewives surprisingly fun, but could never get over my distaste for the main character. Here, however, Kim plays a totally different type; her Hwang Tae-hee is a dedicated careerwoman and “gold miss,” aka a professional woman who has remained single into her thirties.

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Read the rest of Queen of Reversals kicks off tomorrow (186 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Nam-joo, Park Shi-hoo, Queen of Reversals

The main poster is out for MBC’s Queen of Reversals, and for the first time since stills began trickling out of the production, we see the comic side to the characters. The five pictured above are Kim Nam-joo and Jung Jun-ho, the main couple at center, flanked by co-stars Chae Jung-ahn, Ha Yumi, and Park Shi-hoo.

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Read the rest of The comic cast of Queen of Reversals (186 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Jung Jun-ho, Kim Nam-joo, Queen of Reversals

We’ve seen the previously released stills of the main leads of Queen of Reversals (that would be Kim Nam-joo and Jung Jun-ho). Now it’s Park Shi-hoo and Chae Jung-ahn‘s turn for some attention.

Park’s stills come from the first episode, which airs on October 18, and he reportedly worked out especially hard for a week to get his abs into tip-top shape. Though really, they were pretty much tip-top anyway. If you’ve seen his previous dramas the sight of his abs is probably familiar to you (Prosecutor Princess, Iljimae) — though I’m betting not unwelcome! In the drama, he plays Gu Yong-shik, the youngest son in a chaebol family.

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Read the rest of Now for the second leads of Queen of Reversals (198 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Park Shi-hoo, Queen of Reversals

Chae Jung-ahn (Coffee Prince) is the latest addition to Queen of Reversals (the second season of Queen of Housewives), joining the main leads Kim Nam-joo and Jung Jun-ho.

As the character of “Baek Yeo-jin,” Chae will play Kim Nam-joo’s rival in both love (over Jung, of course) and in work. Yeo-jin appears lovable and cute most of the time, but say one wrong word and she can turn frosty on you. She can knock down a man with a charming smile, but if she decides she doesn’t like him, she can shut him down with a four-letter word.

When Yeo-jin starts working at the office where Tae-hee (Kim) is the team leader, Tae-hee nags at her for using her looks to get what she wants. After she dumps Jun-su (Jung), he goes on to marry Tae-hee, and that kicks off Round 2 in the Yeo-jin Vs. Tae-hee battle.

Chae was previously a pop singer who frankly wasn’t terribly memorable in that guise, and has had better luck as an actress, particularly after her role as Yuju in Coffee Prince. She followed that with Cain and Abel and last year’s Hot-Blooded Salesman, but it sounds like this might be her most interesting character thus far; she’ll get to show off a cute, affectionate side as well as a coolly manipulative one.

Queen of Reversals will air after Dong Yi on MBC, and plans to start filming in September.

Via OSEN

RELATED POSTS

• Jung Jun-ho confirms Queen of Housewives sequel
• Queen of Housewives, Tears, and Reversals
• Hot-blooded Salesman ends quietly
• Chae Jung-ahn in Hot-Blooded Salesman
• Queen of Housewives (MBC)
• Chae Jung-ahn back onstage

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Queen of Reversals

After a relatively quiet run, KBS’s weekend drama Hot-Blooded Salesman (or simply Hot Blood) ended yesterday with a 9.0% rating (AGB). While not a flop, it’s a bit of a disappointment for the drama starring Park Hae-jin, Chae Jung-ahn, and Choi Chul-ho.

The plot of Hot-Blooded Salesmen largely featured the rivalries between the characters as they sought to sell cars and make money, and the drama earned positive response for its depiction of the competitive spirit and drive of its cast. Like War of Money and the stalled project Big Fish (Daemul), this is an adaptation from a manhwa created by Park In-kwon.

The finale’s rating was about on par with its overall numbers, and while the drama had its fans, it seems to have had a low-key run. I’ve caught it on and off on KBS World, and it’s not a bad drama; it has a nice, warm tone that is not overtly comic but has some lighthearted moments. Park Hae-jin’s portrayal of his character’s passion and motivation makes you root for him, and there’s some fun camaraderie. However, the drama ultimately didn’t grab me or make me interested enough to follow regularly. It also ran against some solid competition with SBS’s upbeat Smile and MBC’s Assorted Gems.

Via Star News, Arts News

RELATED POSTS

• Tentative starts for new weekend dramas
• Preview videos for Hot-Blooded Salesman
• Chae Jung-ahn in Hot-Blooded Salesman

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Hot-Blooded Salesman, Park Hae-jin

Two new dramas premiered this weekend, to mixed reactions: MBC’s Creating Destiny starring Eugene, above, and KBS’s Hot-Blooded Salesman, starring Chae Jung-ahn and Park Hae-jin.

Perhaps Tamra fans will feel vindicated (or further insulted?) to know that the drama that replaced it (after Tamra was unceremoniously slashed) pulled in even lower numbers; Creating Destiny only managed a very low 3.5% for its first outing.

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Read the rest of Tentative starts for new weekend dramas (395 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, drama ratings, Eugene, Hot-Blooded Salesman, Ki Tae-young, Park Hae-jin

Hot-Blooded Salesman [열혈장사꾼] is the new KBS drama series starring Chae Jung-ahn (Cain & Abel) and Park Hae-jin (East of Eden) as, well, hot-blooded salesmen. Specifically, car salesmen. In these stills and preview clips (watch below), Chae gets into character showing off a sexier image than her usual elegant one.

These new stills come from scenes recently filmed in Seoul’s Kangnam district at a foreign car dealership. The scene in which Chae wields a sword (shown in previously released stills) depicts the younger, more innocent version of her character acting the part of a hero. Following her entree into the business world, however, she becomes cold and successful as a famous car dealer.

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Read the rest of Preview videos for Hot-Blooded Salesman (77 words)

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Post tags: Chae Jung-ahn, Park Hae-jin