All right, so Kim Ji-hoon isn’t exactly a strong actor, but he IS very, very pleasant to look at. (I mean, really really great eye-candy. The first thing I said when I saw the news and the accompanying photos was, “Oooh.”) He’s also taking on his sageuk debut as he joins the cast of Iron Empress.

The KBS weekend drama features a host of skilled actors, headed by Chae Shi-ra in the title role of the empress. This ought to be a change of pace for Kim as he takes on the role of Hyun-jong, the eighth king of Goryeo (although the drama portrays him prior to his ascension to the throne).

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Yoo Sun and Lee Pil-mo of Sons of Sol Pharmacy

With Brilliant Legacy out of the picture, KBS’s cheery family drama Sons of Sol Pharmacy has reclaimed the top spot as the number 1 weekend drama after ten weeks of being pushed aside by the now-wrapped Brilliant Legacy.

Sol Pharmacy’s Saturday episode recorded a 26.3% just as its storyline gets more interesting in the Dae-pung and Bok-shil area. On the other hand, a new contender, SBS’s Style, premiered well with a 17.6%. That number made it number 1 in its time slot, and number 2 among the weekend dramas overall.

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Ratings battles are always part of the trials and tribulations of television dramas, but is the experience better or worse when one is going up against one’s own sibling? It’s not a common scenario, because while there are several sets of famous siblings in the biz, like Kim Tae-hee and Lee Wan, it’s rare that they’re both in dramas simultaneously, much less in the same timeslot.

But now, we have not one but two sets of siblings in this situation. Older sister Chae Shi-ra is currently heading the KBS weekend sageuk series Iron Empress [천추태후], but will soon face competition from her own little sister, Chae Kook-hee, who has been cast in SBS’s Style [스타일], which premieres August 1.

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Moon Chae-won, Bae Soo-bin, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-gi

SBS’s Saturday-Sunday drama Brilliant Legacy [찬란한 유산, aka Shining Inheritance] is pulling in the highest ratings among the weekend dramas, with yesterday’s episode recording a 26.8%. It airs against KBS’s historical series Iron Empress (13.3%) and MBC’s Strike Love (4.1%, ouch).

Meanwhile, at an earlier hour (weekends air two hours of dramas), the lively and enjoyable Sons of Sol Pharmacy House (aka My Too Perfect Sons) on KBS is holding strong with a 21%, over SBS’s Does Anybody Love (11.3%) and MBC’s Job Well Done (aka Good Job, Good Job; this Saturday canceled its broadcast due to an hour on ex-President Roh Moo-hyun’s death, but last Sunday’s episode brought in a 10.2%).

I’m not following Brilliant Legacy/Shining Inheritance, but I know a bunch of you are, and are enjoying it. (I’m sure the good-looking young cast doesn’t hurt! Moon Chae-won and Han Hyo-joo are both improving as actors and lovely ladies — even with Han’s hair resembling a mushroom cap, although she’s cute enough that she can pull it off. Meanwhile, Lee Seung-gi is playing against type as the bad boy, while Bae Soo-bin is always handsome, isn’t he?)

I caught the first episode and thought it was okay, but it just didn’t speak to me, I suppose. I am following two other weekend shows, however, and enjoying both Strike Love for the sweet romance and Sons of Sol Pharmacy House for its hilarious comedy.

What say you about the weekend dramas?

Via My Daily, Asia Economy

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Actor Kim Seok-hoon of the currently airing drama Iron Empress (Empress Cheon-chu), who was in a pretty serious car accident two weeks ago, is back to work.

The weekend historical series had found itself in a tight spot with their lead actor out of commission, and Kim had felt guilty for missing filming due to his hospitalization. What’s a little unsettling is that apparently the hospital was against Kim checking out, which he did against their recommendation. Released on April 24, he will return to the hospital two to three times weekly for follow-up care.

To accommodate the actor’s condition, in the drama series, Kim Seok-hoon’s character is laid up in bed after being stabbed. Even so, Kim is still suffering from the injury to his lower back and neck, and finds it difficult to walk. The production team is doing what they can to keep the character lying down out of concern for the actor. (Although I say, if you were really worried about Kim’s health, how about you insist he listen to medical opinion instead of succumbing to guilt about delaying the shooting schedule, and just write him out of the plot for a couple of weeks, huh? I mean, this drama is scheduled for 50 episodes, and surely their writing team can somehow whip up some narrative magic to account for an actor’s serious injury.)

Kim’s accident occurred on April 11 after leaving the film set for the day; his vehicle collided with a 5-ton truck while changing lanes.

Via No Cut News

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