• Goong S’s Heo Yi-jae (”little Kim Tae Hee”) has been cast as Oh Ji Ho’s love interest in the upcoming drama Single Papa in Love. Yikes, that makes me nervous for both of them.
• While doing press for her upcoming film The Chaser, actress Park Hyo Joo of the cable “Chosun CSI” show Chosun Police (and spunky agent Im Yewon from Air City) admitted in an interview that she suffers from a rare spinal condition, congenital spondylolysis (a defect in the lower lumbar vertebra). She was diagnosed in high school and had to give up her lifelong dreams of being a ballerina. Thankfully her condition doesn’t get in the way of her current career; her film opens on Valentine’s Day.
• Speaking of ballerinas, pop vocal group CSJH The Grace’s arguably most popular member, Stephanie, is dressing up as a ballerina (her previous artistic endeavor, prior to becoming a singer) in Project “S,” a mobile-content photo collection she shot in Singapore this past December. Already a two-minute video clip of Stephanie showing her ballet moves is available at the video portal tvpot.daum.net (or watch the video below):
• And Lee Bo Young opens a new film and fights old rumors. She’s promoting her first starring film role in Once Upon a Time, which sounds like some kind of period crime caper hybrid (she’s in search of a stolen 3,000 carat diamond and teams with a master thief, played by Park Yong Woo), which opens at the end of January. Meanwhile, she’s still denying rumors that sprung up last year that she was seeing soccer star Park Ji Sung — gossip even placed her in England, supposedly visiting him there — but she insists they’ve never even met.

SONG OF THE DAY

CSJH The Grace - “Dancing Queen.” Because who couldn’t use a little ABBA on a Monday?
[ zShare download ]

RELATED POSTS:

• News bites: January 14
• Oh Ji Ho as a single father
• News bites: January 7
• News bites: December 20

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 13 Comments →

And here it is. The last episode!

I have to say, for a series I was only half-interested in for the first half of its run, this was a really good finale. I was simultaneously impressed at how much I liked it, and sad that the rest of the series couldn’t be this good. If I had to put it to a phrase, I’d say it was “quietly moving.” Which isn’t to suggest it’s boring or uneventful, but you see people dealing with their choices and consequences in a deep, thoughtful way. And the end, in case you were worried, is happy enough for me!

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SONG OF THE DAY

Infinity of Sound - “Spring.” (This song was played in Episode 5. New pop group composed of triplet sisters making eclectic music with traditional musical instruments.) [ zShare download ]

Also, if you thought Episode 19’s recap was long, this one’s a real mother! Seriously, it’s monstrous. (I just couldn’t bring myself to leave things out.) You have been forewarned.

GOONG S Final Episode >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 46 Comments →

And here, we are, the penultimate episode! Only one more left after this… so you know what that means. Lots of anguish and heartbreak, to make the happy ending appropriately satisfying. Or at least the ending had damn well better be happy and satisfying, because all this grief can’t be for nothing.

SONG OF THE DAY

J -”전하지 못한 말” (Jeon haji mot-han mal, or “Words I Can’t Express”) [ zShare download ]

Second Moon - “얼음연못”(Ice Pond) Apparently this song was used in both Goong and Goong S? Anyway, a very nice song, although I think there’s still another Second Moon song I’m missing… [ zShare download ]

I tried doing a “proper” recap this time, so be prepared for a super-long post after the jump cut!

GOONG S Episode 19 >>

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 27 Comments →

It’s interesting how writing about Goong S has actually made me more interested in the series… It helps that the show is nearly ending, so there is less reason to be critical; if I’ve stuck around this long, I’m just here to enjoy how it ends.

SONG(s) OF THE DAY

Theme song “Miracle” by Howl [ zShare download ]

Second Moon - “밖으로 닫힌 창.” The title (”bakkeuro dadjhin chang”) translates roughly to “Closed window”; it’s one of my favorite instrumental tracks, calm and slightly sad to balance out the upbeatness of “Miracle.” [ zShare download ]

GOONG S Episode 18 >>

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So I’ve been pretty lukewarm about Goong S overall, but I did say it was occasionally charming, and it looks like they crammed most of it into Episode 17. There was a lot to enjoy about it, and not just because Hoo and Soon-yi went on their first date. Yes, my cheesy romantic inner girly-girl couldn’t help but enjoy all the Hoo and Soon-yi scenes (lots of screencaps to follow!), but there was more to it.

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SONG:

Norah Jones - “Shoot the Moon,” song played in last scene between Hoo and Soon-yi [ zShare download ]

GOONG S Episode 17 >>

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Although GOONG S hasn’t yet wrapped (they’ve aired 16 of 20 episodes), I figured I could weigh in now, since it’s nearly completed.

(Find downloads and subtitles at d-addicts.com.)

GOONG S, discussed through Episode 16 >>

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 7 Comments →