Bad news for Jang Nara: Her film company has decided to pull their recent film Sky and Ocean from theaters a mere twelve days into its run. The company says this is in response to the controversy the film has sparked, but no doubt the abysmal ticket receipts are also to blame.

For being a small, relationship-based music film, the film has been at the center of a lot of noise. Jang’s production company, which is headed by her father Ju Ho-sung, has battled accusations that there was unfair lobbying going on behind the scenes when the film was nominated for a best film Daejong Award.

(...)
Read the rest of Jang Nara on her new movie and its controversy (973 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: box office, controversies, interviews, Jang Nara

With only a day before its airdate, the premiere of Iris was thrown into question as the drama’s production company, Taewon Entertainment, announced a dispute with its broadcaster, KBS. After a day of negotiations, the two sides did reconcile and come to an agreement, meaning that the Wednesday premiere of the high-profile action series will continue as planned. But not without some major issues built in, as we learned from the grievances aired by Taewon.

(...)
Read the rest of Iris and Chuno run into production disputes (607 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chuno, controversies, drama production, IRIS

Spunky Seo Woo (Crush and Blush) is the latest actor to be caught in a lie about her age (others: Sunwoo Sun, Lee Shi-young, Hyun Young), as it has been revealed that she is three years older than previously believed. She was thought to be 21 (or 22 by Korean count) and born in 1988; in actuality, she is 24, born in 1985. Her real name has also been revealed as Kim Mun-joo, although that’s not such a surprise, since she has acknowledged that Seo Woo is a stage name.

Her management has stated that discrepancy is their fault, and not a result of Seo Woo’s intention to lie about her age: “We hope that criticism will not be directed at her. We’re sorry and ask for your forgiveness.”

I don’t think this is much of a big deal, and I doubt it’ll have much of an effect on her career; it’s more of a matter of interest than a controversy. In this age of the internet, it’s interesting that people continue to try to fudge ages, although Seo Woo’s very youthful face probably helped with the perception.

In the meantime, she is currently acting in Tamra the Island, and has spoken out several times to express her sorrow at the early ending. She’s also apologized to viewers, feeling that the show’s lack of success is largely her fault. Next up, she has the October release of her movie Paju to look forward to, which co-stars Lee Seon-kyun.

Via Segye

RELATED POSTS

• Tamra will air complete version overseas, not at home
• Fans are spitting mad at Tamra’s curtailment
• My Name Is: Seo Woo
• Tamra the Island: Episode 1
• Stars caught lying about their ages

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: controversies, Seo Woo

Despite fan furor, the decision to cut Tamra the Island down to 16 episodes still stands, but the MBC drama will be exported abroad with its 20 episodes intact. This mirrors the scenario for MBC’s similarly chopped Strike Love, which was cut to 16 in Korea but exported to Japan with all its original episodes.

Because MBC’s decision came relatively late, Tamra’s production team will be working to cut the remaining material down to size for the remainder of its MBC run. The drama’s first ten episodes were aired intact; beginning with the upcoming weekend, however, Episodes 11 through 16 will show re-worked material of the story that had originally been planned for Episodes 11 to 20. Tamra the Island had filmed much of its show prior to broadcast, but not all of it; the production now has some extra time to complete the filming for the last several episodes according to their original plan, even though those portions will not air in Korea.

What a weird, illogical mess. I’m thinking that if you’re a fan, you may want to wait for the complete version from the overseas broadcasts. Or a DVD release. (The drama has been licensed to air in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand.)

The fans, meanwhile, are still furious and the campaign to save the show’s original vision is still raging; there are now more than 10,000 posts opposing the decision on the drama’s homepage and street protests have been organized. However, I doubt it will have an effect: If there was the least shot of getting MBC to change its mind, it was dashed over the weekend, when even in the midst of all this attention the drama failed to improve its 5% ratings. Sons of Sol Pharmacy, in the meantime, crushed its competitor as its story heads into its last phases, breaking the 40% ratings mark.

Via Hankyung

RELATED POSTS

• Fans are spitting mad at Tamra’s curtailment
• Tamra gets shortened to 16 episodes
• My Name Is: Seo Woo
• Western actors becoming more visible on Korean TV
• Tamra the Island: Episode 1

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 43 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: controversies, Hwang Chan-bin, Im Joo-hwan, Seo Woo, Tamra the Island

When MBC announced that Tamra the Island was getting cut and ending early, they pissed off fans and even spurred them to publish a large ad in a daily newspaper protesting the decision. (As I said before, the ratings are low but this is a mania drama, meaning that the fans it has amassed are passionate — and vocal.)

The ad, which appeared on September 3, took the broadcasting industry to task for its vice of kowtowing to ratings numbers. It was organized and signed by members of the fan cafes for actors Hwang Chan-bin (who plays William) and Lee Sun-ho (who plays Yan).

(...)
Read the rest of Fans are spitting mad at Tamra’s curtailment (461 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 48 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: controversies, Hwang Chan-bin, Im Joo-hwan, Lee Sun-ho, Seo Woo, Tamra the Island

For anyone who reads a famous star’s profile online and then feels bad about yourself — psst! They’re usually fake. Or, let’s say, “altered” from strict reality.

For instance, not every Korean actress weighs less than 50kg. (Gasp, I know!) I’m sure a large majority of them do, but it is not a universal truth that all actresses stop gaining weight (or eating) when they hit 50kg. Hyori may be the only one who admits to weighing more than 50kg, but she’s not the only one who actually does.

Oh yeah, and as we know from looking at profiles of ladies who are famously petite (Song Hye-gyo, Kim Tae-hee), those heights are often exaggerated as well. Think of it like a driver’s license. Or penis size. Everyone (or most people) takes a little off the number here, and adds a little there.

So it’s no surprise that a little fudging goes on about age, as the following article points out. The trend has been highlighted by the public admissions of a couple new actresses that their initial ages were shaved to make them more marketable, like Queen of Housewives’s Sunwoo Sun and We Got Married’s Lee Shi-young.

(...)
Read the rest of Stars caught lying about their ages (643 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 47 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: controversies, Hyun Young, Lee Shi-young, Lexy, Sunwoo Sun, Yeh Ji-won, Yoon Mi-rae

Interesting. Another Misuda panelist in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.

I don’t really follow Misuda (Chatting with Beautiful Women, aka Global Talk Show), for various reasons which I’ve mentioned before. But it’s a pretty popular talk show, and has managed to springboard its foreigners-in-Korea panelists to visibility, some even to acting roles or singing (with varying degrees of success). It’s a non-threatening way for Korea to indulge its fascination with things Western and foreign from within the safe confines of talking about something comfortable — itself.

Some former Misuda participants who’ve moved on to bigger entertainment careers include Haiyen (Vietnam, acting), Eva (Britain, acting), and Jamilya (Uzbekistan, singing — although I use the term “singing” lightly).

All week long, Chinese participant Cai Lina has been in the news and generally lambasted because of the discovery that she actually does have Korean parentage. What’s the big fuss?, you might ask. Given that she’s built up her image through Misuda, and that Misuda is explicitly a show for non-Korean residents of Korea, people are finding her so-called “hidden” Korean background to be disingenuous. Particularly since she’s passed herself off as a Chinese student with an interest in Korean culture.

The netizen response (are we surprised?) has been typically severe. Cai Lina has defended herself saying she’d never concealed her Korean parentage (just not gone out of her way to make it known, perhaps). But people are saying some pretty harsh things, particularly on her own mini-homepage. The backlash almost reminds me of the recent spate of “memoirs” that have been outed as fake (Peggy Seltzer, James Frey), although to a lesser degree; the public feels as though they’ve been cheated, having been sold one thing and receiving another.

The head PD of the program is defending its panelist, saying it will take legal measures to counter some of the more serious and malicious statements being leveled against her, and possibly even request the cyber investigation department’s involvement. A source says, “If you take a look, a few people are continually changing their IDs to post negative comments,” and suggested taking a hard line in dealing with the matter. (And I say: Dude, this is the internet. Like that’s new?)

As of now, there are no plans to remove Cai Lina from the Misuda lineup. She explained that she doesn’t see the big deal, especially since she’s been raised in a Chinese environment and schooled in the Chinese education system, and therefore feels more affinity with her identity as Chinese. She does have a point, but come on, would a (full-blooded) Korean born in America be accepted on Misuda and praised for her interest in Korean culture despite her American identity? (I can tell you, that’s an emphatic no.)

Personally, I think there’s a grey area where Misuda is concerned, because of the nature of the program. If she were an actress or singer, the internet blowup would be an overreaction, because her background shouldn’t affect the quality of her work. But Misuda trades on the novelty of its kitschy-cute-foreigners angle, and when its raison d’etre is undermined, it’s got a very weak leg to stand on, methinks. But then again, I think it’s a silly show to begin with.

Via Hankyung

SONG OF THE DAY

Wax – “그 흔한 김씨” (That common Mr. Kim) [ Download ]

RELATED POSTS

• News bites: March 4, 2008
• Maybe not such a great idea

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: controversies, Misuda, netizens