You often hear of actors giving out presents to crew members, but it’s usually something small — T-shirts, jackets, or cosmetics that they endorse — and there’s no shame in small gifts. Go Hyun-jung, star of the MBC drama series Queen Seon-deok, however, has given 150 portable game players (Nintendo DS Lite) to her staff as a thank-you and Chuseok present. The gift set her back a cool 20 million won (or $16K total — yowsa!); each player retails at $130 here in the States.

I know, Go Hyun-jung is a huge star and it’s likely she’s making tons of money off the super-hit series, which has been extended an additional 12 episodes, but she sure didn’t have to shell out for 150 Nintendo players. Definitely a nice gesture to the hardworking crew for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Via BNT News

RELATED POSTS

• The business of kdrama extensions and cuts
• Movie in the works for Queen Seon-deok
• Queen Seon-deok has SBS running scared
• King Yoo Seung-ho makes his Seon-deok appearance
• Queen Seon-deok gets twelve more episodes
• And the Seon-deok juggernaut rolls on

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 29 Comments →

This was pretty much inevitable, and comes as no surprise: MBC has ordered 12 more episodes for its highly successful historical drama Queen Seon-deok, currently sitting with a comfortable lead on Mondays and Tuesdays, with ratings past 40%. This extension brings the episode total up from the originally planned 50 to 62.

A representative from MBC’s drama department said, “We had discussed extending Queen Seon-deok by 14 to 16 episodes, but in the end we decided upon 12 episodes. Giving consideration to the airing of awards ceremonies and year-end special broadcasts, we estimate that we can air about 62 episodes of this drama.” That means Queen Seon-deok, which premiered on May 25, will wrap up its run neatly by the end of the year, on December 22.

The drama is now just under halfway done, with its title character (Lee Yo-won playing Princess Deok-man) finding her way as a princess and growing into her status, opposite her rival Mi-shil (Go Hyun-jung). The drama also got a jolt of energy with the recent entrance of Kim Nam-gil as the complicated Bi-dam, Mi-shil’s now-grown secret son, whom she abandoned in her quest for power.

Via Hankyung

RELATED POSTS

• And the Seon-deok juggernaut rolls on
• Sibling rivalries take to the small screen
• Idol stars struggle with acting debuts
• Queen Seon-deok premieres in first place

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 25 Comments →

Jung Ryeo-won (”Ja Myung Go”), Go Hyun-jung (”Queen Seon-deok”)

Queen Seon-deok, MBC’s historical extravaganza, got off to a decent start today with a first-place premiere at a 16% rating. Ja Myung Go, already nervous, may as well be put on death watch.

In most cases, a first-episode rating number isn’t too important (ratings can change greatly over the course of a drama’s run), but Ja Myung Go is currently awaiting a final decision on whether or not to curtail its 50-episode run by six weeks, or 12 episodes, down to 38 episodes total; it is reportedly monitoring Seon-deok’s opening numbers closely. Ja Myung Go has been drawing positive response for its acting, but given that its numbers are not rising from its current 10.4% (Story of a Man swung upward just a little bit at 9.8%), I think it was hoping for more than it got. The actors are preparing themselves for an early finish.

The drama to follow Ja Myung Go, Dream, is preparing to begin filming. (It stars Joo Jin-mo, Kim Bum, and Sohn Dam-bi and features Kim Bum as a juvenile delinquent who becomes a mixed martial arts fighter.)

Meanwhile, Seon-deok has drawn positive response for the acting of its leading lady, Go Hyun-jung; the writer has praised Go’s performance as “better than expected.” Her co-star Lee Yo-won will make her appearance a bit later as Queen Seon-deok herself.

Via My Daily, Segye, and Segye again

RELATED POSTS

• Yoo Seung-ho is a king again
• Failing Ja Myung Go may call it quits early
• Queen Seon-deok unveils its leading man
• All hail Queen Seon-deok
• Go Hyun-jung as Lady Mi-shil
• Who’s watching Ja Myung Go?

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 18 Comments →

Finally! We’ve seen the ladies of the historical drama Queen Seon-deok, now we finally have a peek at Uhm Tae-woong in his first sageuk role. (Stills have already been released for his becostumed co-stars Lee Yo-won as queen and Go Hyun-jung as court lady Mi-shil.)

OH! I just realized — with KBS’s The Man Who Can’t Get Married ready to premiere in early June, not only will Uhm Tae-woong be starring in a drama at the same time as big sis Uhm Jung-hwa, they’ll be battling timeslots! (They’ll both be on Mondays and Tuesdays, with little bro on MBC and his noona on KBS.) Wonder what family dinners are gonna be like over the next several months…

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 55 Comments →

Pretty.

The first actor to get into character for the upcoming historical series Queen Seon-deok [선덕여왕] was Go Hyun-jung (HIT) taking on her court lady character of Mi-shil. Now the stills have been revealed for the second leading lady as Lee Yo-won (Surgeon Bong Dal-hee) takes the throne as the titular Queen.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 34 Comments →