I wasn’t aware of this, but apparently Han Ji-min (Yi San, Capital Scandal) suffers from a condition called Meniere’s disease:
“A disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance. It is characterized by episodes of dizziness and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear. It is caused by an increase in volume and pressure of the endolymph of the inner ear.” –Wikipedia
Her management revealed her condition not long ago, stating that her ailment isn’t severe, but leads to vertigo and dizziness when she’s tired. This is apparently news again now that she’s working on her new drama, SBS’s Cain & Abel with So Ji-sub, as well as the fact that [SPOILER!] a character in Beethoven Virus was recently disclosed to suffer from this disease. So does (another surprise) actor-director Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy).
Although the media is careful to say the details aren’t finalized, they are reporting that Han Ji-min (Capital Scandal, Yi San) is on the shortlist to fill out the main cast of SBS’s Cain & Abel.
Either she is really close to being cast, or the media is jumping the gun again. She does seem to be seriously considering the role, and even went out earlier this month to eat with and spend some bonding time with the other three confirmed lead actors, So Ji-sub, Shin Hyun-joon, and Chae Jung-ahn. In any case, her management has acknowledged that Han will be making her decision soon, so we won’t have to wait long to find out.
A source at production house Plan B Pictures said, perhaps indicating their eagerness to bring in Han, “Because we’re still in the process of writing the script, the character can be adjusted.” Although Cain is a medical drama, her character is not a doctor, unlike leads So Ji-sub and Shin Hyun-joon, who also play brothers.
Han Ji-min finished up the long-running sageuk Yi San earlier this summer. Cain & Abel plans to start shooting in November and will air next February.
Anyone else confused about the weird, constantly changing drama-programming schedule these days? Well, blame it all on Monday-Tuesday’s sageuk juggernaut drama Yi San.
MBC’s extremely popular long-running historical hit (which began airing last September) was originally set to air, I believe, something around 50 episodes. But because of its popularity, the series was extended, and extended again — and then retracted its extension, only to then extend it again. Finally, they’d set today (June 10th, that is) as its finale airdate — until President Lee Myung Bak announced his intention to have a “Talk with the Nation” to air the 9th, which would push Yi San’s finale to the following Monday (June 16). However, then the talk was canceled, bringing the finale back to the 10th, but then MBC decided to reschedule it to the 16th anyway.
As a result, KBS and SBS have likewise scrambled to avoid butting heads with the competition with their new dramas. That explains why Strongest Chil Woo, which was originally planning to premiere yesterday (June 9), moved to next Tuesday (June 17), with SBS’s Gourmet following suit. Tuesday is a strange day to premiere a new Monday-Tuesday show (I wonder if both series will then extend their runs by one episode to even out their broadcast schedule), but with Yi San ending Monday, they aren’t taking chances.
You might wonder why the other two stations would so obviously show their fear of MBC’s drama, but we’re talking brand-new series here. If a minor schedule reshuffling can start the new drama on a clean slate, it’s a small price to pay rather than jinxing its schedule by handicapping its premiere episode knowingly. And MBC’s constant extensions may have frustrated some fans — story always suffers with last-minute tinkering — but MBC’s had a rather lackluster ratings year. Nothing else has matched, or even come near, Yi San’s 30% ratings numbers, which is why they’ve been so reluctant to relinquish it. (MBC follows Yi San with the Kim Sun Ah series When Night Comes.)
In any case, with their finale still to air, the cast and crew of Yi San gathered at Seoul’s 63 Building on the 10th to pre-emptively raise a toast to the end of their drama (maybe they had no time to shift their location reservation with all this last-minute schedule reshuffling?). Stars Lee Seo Jin and Han Ji Min were naturally present, as was MBC president Eom Ki Young.
Who wants to lay bets on how long it takes Lee Seo Jin to announce his wedding plans now that he’s free from filming?
As a promotional measure, looks like Yoon Eun Hye’s collaboration with brand-new pop/hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth was a smashing success. They’ve shot up the music charts with “frightening speed” for a new artist, chasing #1 song “One More Time” (Jewelry) to land the #2 spot on Nate’s Top 100. (Song here.) Such is the power of Yoon Eun Hye.
Han Ji Min (above), currently acting in historical drama Yi San opposite Lee Seo Jin, is launching her own clothing line, Sweet SOUP by Han Ji Min. Clothing company Dongkwang International is producing the brand, described as cute “French chic” and marketed to teenagers and younger twentysomethings. Han Ji Min will participate in the designing and as brand model.
Song Seung Heon and Kwon Sang Woo’s new film Destiny (Sook-myeong) isn’t out yet — it releases on the 20th — but its OST single is already a hit.
Actress-singer (and lingerie entrepreneur) Uhm Jung Hwa admits that the strongly criticized over-revealing, sexy costuming that she wore during performances in her ninth album days were actually underwear. Honey, we knew.
Jang Geun Seok has been picked as a car-racing event host for MBC ESPN’s Go To eXtreme show. He professes to be a fan of the show, whose season 1 was emceed by Ryu Shi Won and Yoon Jung Su. He sure is busy; after Hong Gil Dong ends, his movie Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do opens in April. Does he sleep?
The Korean psychological thriller Addicted, starring Lee Byung Heon and Lee Mi Yeon, has been remade by Hollywood (sigh) — the American version, Possession, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (hmm) and Lee Pace (yay!) and is set to open on the 28th. With the rash of Korean films being given the glossy Hollywood treatment (in addition to Addicted and Il Mare [made into The Lake House], My Sassy Girl and Tale of Two Sisters are in the works), let’s hope ONE of them can get it right.
