Kim Ok-bin, of vampire thriller “Thirst”

It’s that time of year again: awards season!

On December 2, the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards were held at KBS Hall in Yoido, Seoul, hosted by actors Kim Hye-soo and Lee Beom-soo.

Considering the recent slump in the Korean movie industry, it was a pretty good year for films, with several big hits breaking box office records, like Haeundae and Take Off, both of which amassed a number of nominations. It was also a good year for the smaller, indie movie, with awards being given to actors of Breathless, and both Kim Myung-min and Ha Ji-won pulling in top acting honors for their performances in My Love By My Side (aka Closer to Haeven).

Actress Jang Jin-young, who passed away this year from stomach cancer at the age of 35, was given a special award that honored her career in film, with roles in movies like 2001’s Sorum and 2003’s Singles.

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Actress Choi Kang-hee (My Sweet Seoul) published her essay collection at the end of September, and within only ten days it’s already become a bestseller.

The collection is titled Choi Kang-hee, A Little Child’s Little Happiness and has shot to the top ten of various bestseller lists. Currently, the volume has sold more than 32,000 copies and is heading into a fifth printing. The publisher’s initial printing produced 10,000 copies, but because of demand, they have upped the latest print order to 20,000 volumes.

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One thing makes me wary of this announcement that Choi Kang-hee, cute and quirky actress of dramas like My Sweet Seoul, is putting out a book. Not because she’s writing a book in the first place, but because of the fact that it is described as “mini-homepage-like.” (As in, like an unfocused personal blog.)

Her essay collection will be published at the end of September and is described by the actress as “without an fixed format.” The collection includes stories about herself as well as poems, and will be accompanied by photographs she has taken. Some photos feature the scenery of Iceland, shot when she traveled there on a working trip. Videos will be included on a CD to be sold along with the book.

Choi Kang-hee says, “I’ve frequently posted a lot of different thoughts on my mini-homepage, and I thought a lot of people enjoyed it. …As I visited the mini-homepages of other people, I wondered what it would be like to make a book that was like a personal homepage.”

(The reason I’m wary is because what makes a blog interesting doesn’t always make a book interesting. Plus, a blog with a specific purpose is a different thing altogether from a personal blog. I can see the potential when a book mimics that style while retaining a clear point, a la Bridget Jones’s Diary. But a book brought together with no defining purpose sounds like a scattered read.)

Choi has a new movie coming out later this year, Aeja [애자], in which her character is also an aspiring writer. The film co-stars Kim Young-ae and Bae Soo-bin.

Via DongA

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Bae Soo-bin just wrapped his previous role as the much-loved Jun-sae character in Brilliant Legacy, but he takes a completely different turn with his latest role as Choi Kang-hee’s man in the movie Aeja [애자], where Choi plays the title character.

While his Brilliant Legacy image was gentle and supportive, the “Chul-min” character he plays in Aeja is rather pathetic. His good job as a home-shopping channel producer and his good looks make him well-liked among other ladies, but once he’s in front of his overbearing girlfriend Aeja, he’s reduced to a hapless, klutzy guy who is devoted to her. In a word, he’s whipped. Bae Soo-bin is reportedly drawing notice for his laugh-inducing performance as the sad-sack boyfriend.

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Clothing brand Benetton is launching its “Green Ride Campaign,” with five fashionistas providing the face to their promotional ads: Jung Ryeo-won, above (Ja Myung Go); Gong Hyo-jin (Crush and Blush); Kang Hye-jung (Why Did You Come To My Home?); Choi Kang-hee (My Sweet Seoul); and model-singer Jang Yoon-ju.

As part of the campaign, Benetton will be producing limited edition bikes and “eco” bike bags and T-shirts, which will be sold in stores nationwide and on their website. A portions of proceeds from the campaign will be donated to the Climate Change Center.

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