Actor Lee Dong-gun may have debuted as a singer, but for the past decade he’s primarily focused on his acting career. So his new album “My Biography” marks his first full-length album in ten years.

Furthermore, Lee expressed the ambition to make an Asia tour before his impending military duty. He’s been busy for the past several months filming his drama When Night Comes, and now looks to launch himself into promotional activities for his singing career.

A representative from Sony BMG said on August 14 that there’s particular interest from his Japanese fans (he released a mini-album in March, replete with his own MV for the title song “Tsukiakari”). The upcoming album will incorporate some J-pop musical stylings to appeal to both his Japanese and Korean fans. To this end, six of the songs will be sung in Korean, six others will be sung in Japanese, with the remaining two as instrumental tracks.

Lee Dong-gun left Korea on the 14th for an August 22 concert in Japan.

Via Star News

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Dong Gun -”지금 사랑” (Love now) from the OST of the movie Are You Living With the One You Love? [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

• When Night Comes: Episode 1
• Posing pretty for When Night Comes
• Army-bound

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 10 Comments →

It’s been two years since he last acted in the drama Hwang Jini (and before that Great Inheritance and Wonderful Life), but the man with the killer smile, Kim Jae-won, has finally picked his next project (woot woot) — as the leading man of a Chinese drama.

Set to start filming in late September, the drama First Love (working title) will be produced by a subsidiary that JS Pictures, the production entity behind the currently running Gourmet, has set up in China.

First Love is being planned as a 20-episode trendy drama that is being aimed for a Chinese, rather than Korean, broadcast. It will cast Chinese leads opposite Kim Jae-won and employ a mostly Chinese film crew, although the director is PD Lee Chang-han of the kdramas Wonderful Life, My Sister-in-Law- is Nineteen and SBS’s recent I Love You.

Any Chi-Eng subbers up for this one? *wink wink nudge nudge*

Via E Daily

RELATED POSTS

• Stars raise awareness (about selves)

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 24 Comments →

First he had that (as predicted) rather forgettable turn in Speed Racer. Then there was that Kung Fu Panda theme song he recorded that was overshadowed by Cee-Lo’s better (and “official”) version, after which he spent some time in Germany bulking up to shoot Ninja Assassin.

After such an extended stretch of time away from singerly (and actorly) activities at home — his last album, “Rain’s World,” and last domestic acting project, I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK, were both back in 2006 — “world star” Rain is coming back to Korea to resume activities there, beginning with a fanmeeting on the 27th.

Rain held a fanmeeting in Tokyo on June 30, while this event is expected to draw a capacity crowd (approx 3,000) at Seoul’s Olympic Hall, and attract his fans from all over Asia. Hopefully he still has some left after his less-than-stellar “world tour” last year ended in mass cancellations, slipshod planning, and tons of angry fans, many of whom weren’t able to recoup ticket prices or travel expenses after flying across the country (some across the world) to attend his U.S. (non-)appearances.

The fanmeeting will be emceed by Kim Jae-dong and is being called “Summer Vacation with Rain.” According to his company, JTune Entertainment, Rain is currently busy at work on his next album, aiming for an October release.

I think Rain is at his best when he’s not overextending himself and trying to do a dozen different things simultaneously in his attempt to conquer the world; hopefully this marks a return to more successful endeavors.

Via Herald Biz, Asia Today

RELATED POSTS

• Break me off a piece of that chocolate
• Rain and Colbert: The dance(Dance Revolution)-off
• Rain as a Hollywoodified ninja
• Rain, watch out for that –*thunk!* — glass ceiling
• Korea, calm down. Stephen Colbert doesn’t hate Rain

Filed under: Kpop News by javabeans - 17 Comments →

Hyun Bin adds a film, I’m Happy, to his year-end plans, bringing his upcoming project count to two.

He’d first gotten his fans excited for his long-awaited comeback with the recent announcement that he would be returning to television by the end of the year. Cast opposite Song Hye Gyo in November’s KBS miniseries The World They Live In, it would be his return after a rather quiet three years (yeah, he did act in Snow Queen following Samsoon, but that drama met with lukewarm — if that — reception).

In the film, which started shooting at the end of last month, Hyun Bin plays a patient who connects with a nurse while in the psychiatric ward. I’m Happy will be directed by Yoon Jong-chan of 2001’s mystery-horror film Goosebumps [소름] and 2005’s Blue Swallow [청연], and co-stars Lee Bo Young (so, not exactly strong on the acting front then).

The release date for I’m Happy isn’t yet fixed, but it looks to be around the same time as the airdate for The World They Live In.

Via Dailian

SONG OF THE DAY

Bless - “언제나 네곁에 (Always Be With U)” [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

• Song Hye Gyo teams with Hyun Bin
• The most hypothetically marriageable Hallyu stars

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 20 Comments →

There’s a building buzz around the upcoming film Mother, and it’s not just because of its lead actor, Won Bin. Naturally, Won Bin taking the lead role is news in itself, given that he’s spent the last four years away from the big screen (or small screen, for that matter), and fans have long awaited his comeback film, particularly since he’s stayed out of the limelight following his army discharge and knee surgery in 2006.

But this also happens to be the next project for director Bong Joon-ho, one of Korea’s more noted up-and-coming directors. He made his name with 2003’s Memories of Murder, and his last Korean production was 2006’s The Host; he since filmed the recent Korea-France-Japan joint production Tokyo — whose other two segments were filmed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Leos Carax (Paris, Je T’aime).

Cast in the titular mother role opposite Won Bin is veteran actor Kim Hye Ja — she’s had a 46-year screen career, though you may remember her recently as the granny queen from Goong, and returns to film after ten years of mostly television work. So this is really a comeback project for all three, in a sense.

In the film, Won Bin’s twenty-eight-year-old character lives with his mother (no father), and is falsely accused of committing murder. Portraying a character more pure and virtuous than his years, he finds himself caught up in a mess he can’t solve on his own; his mother throws herself wholly into proving her son’s innocence, all on her own.

Although the film is neither large-scale nor blockbuster material, the three principals involved ought to make this something to look out for. The film shoots in fall and projects an early 2009 release.

Via Newsva.co.kr, Joy News

SONG OF THE DAY

Tei - “어머니” (Mother) [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

• Not to get your hopes up, but…

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 23 Comments →

Actor Go Soo won’t be discharged from the military for a couple months yet, but already people are looking to his comeback — and while most other actors choose to drum up press and make their triumphant returns to celebrity in high-profile films or dramas, Go Soo’s return will be, unusually enough, in theater. Or maybe it’s not so unusual — of all the actors and celebrities summoned to fulfill their civic duty, usually with endless fanfare and bids for attention, Go Soo has been one of the more understated servicemen, remaining low under the media radar. He began his service not long after his last drama, To Marry A Millionaire, wrapped in late January 2006.

As his release will come at the end of April and the play begins running in May, he’s not giving himself much time to enjoy the break and is jumping right back in the thick of things. In fact, he’ll spend his last leave rehearsing for his role. The play he’s chosen as his return project is The Return of President Eom, to which he was invited to perform upon the recommendation of his acting senior Jo Jae Hyun, whom he met while working on the 2001 SBS drama Piano. According to a source close to Go Soo, “After acting in Piano, Jo Jae Hyun is the senior whom Go Soo most respects.”

In the play, Go Soo plays the young scapegoat of the titular President Eom; his young, simple-hearted character is reduced to heartbreak and tragedy. Normally I don’t love tragic dramas, but theater is a different beast, and boy would I love to see that.

Via IS Plus

SONG OF THE DAY

Urban Note - “Friday Night” [ zShare download ]

RELATED POSTS:

• One planned comeback, one failed one
• Countdown to Gong Yoo’s military enlistment
• The grass is always greener…
• It’s back to the military for Psy
• Army-bound

Filed under: Theater/Musicals by javabeans - 12 Comments →