With her scandal behind her and her management conflict resolved, singer-actress Ivy is setting the stage for her comeback, and has posted to her mini-homepage for the first time in a year and three months.
In an industry and society where big news is often announced via mini-homepage (romances, wedding plans, pregnancies), going dark for that long is tantamount to going into hiding. Now that she’s preparing for her new album and return to the public sphere, Ivy has posted the above photo, labeled as being at the UCLA library, with the title “Jumping up!” The post reads, “My body feels heavy so I can’t jump high, but on this cool day, I let go of my stress!”
Ivy traveled to the States in July while gathering materials for work on her new album, which is scheduled for an October release. Currently, she is in Korea recording and preparing for her comeback this fall.
Singer Ivy is finally readying to make her comeback, and it looks as though she’ll be pulling double-duty with her first new album in three years, accompanied by a new acting project.
She has been out of the public eye for the past two years, having been forced out of the spotlight at the height of her popularity when scandal broke wherein an angry (and violent) ex-boyfriend blackmailed her and threatened to release an alleged sex tape (which never came to light, by the way). I say she was “forced” to take a hiatus but that’s not strictly the case; the embarrassment and smear job on her reputation caused the singer to withdraw from all public activities. Feeling attacked (netizens were particularly harsh, painting her as a slut and a cheater), she has been virtually silent since 2007.
I’ve always thought that if Ivy had brazened it out, the scandal would have eventually faded and she could have made her comeback sooner and with less fanfare. However, you can’t really blame her for disappearing, even if it’s sexist and unfair that she felt the need to. It’s also somewhat ironic that she was painted as slutty when she had theretofore been known for promoting a sexy image without showing skin (her performance outfits were often long-sleeved and high-necked).
In June 2008, she was featured in the four-part miniseries Tokyo Showers (which I believe was filmed before her scandal broke), but she didn’t participate in the promotion of the drama, which was a somewhat sweet but overall forgettable affair.
Now, it’s being reported that Ivy is entertaining multiple offers from drama productions, and she is seriously considering taking a role in one of them. According to her rep, she had received offers throughout her long hiatus.
Ivy has recently returned to Korea from the States, and is getting straight to work on recording her new album. I can’t say I enjoy her music (her ballads are much better than the pop-techno stuff), but I have respect for her vocal skills and strong live performances. Much luck to her.
I think SBS’s upcoming joint Korean-Japanese production Tokyo Showers — buzzed-about as downtrodden singer Ivy’s comeback and acting debut — has the potential to go either way. I’m not expecting much of it based on the description, but it’s only four episodes, so it’s not much of a commitment either.
The story is described as centering around Koreans living in Japan, which on its own is an interesting perspective to take — perceptions are always shifted when viewing one culture through the lens of another, as opposed to normal kdramas (or jdramas). Then again, the 2004 Korea-Japan production starring Won Bin and Fukada Kyoko, Friends (also four episodes), had the same intention at mutual cultural understanding — but was rather bland in its unchallenging, simple approach. It made for a nice, pleasant — but forgettable — watch.
In the miniseries, a top actress, played by former Miss Korea Kim Sarang, meets and falls for sushi chef Kim Tae Woo, who’s focused on his business and little else. And then there’s Ivy, playing a Korean student dreaming of becoming a singer while working part-time in a restaurant. Rounding out the cast are Japanese actors Otani Ryohei — whom you may remember as the easygoing nice guy in Soulmate — Okuda Erika, Yamamoto Gaku, and Inohana Mai.
As Tokyo Showers was filmed in Japan, stars Kim Sarang and Kim Tae Woo had a first-hand taste of the differences between Korean and Japanese styles of drama production. There were three main points:
(1) “Korean Time” versus “Japanese Time”
Kim Sarang: “If shooting is at 9 o’clock, everyone is ready for the actors to begin shooting exactly at 9. Therefore filming doesn’t go late, and there’s no need to stay up all night shooting. Thanks to the careful preparations, the filming stays right on schedule.”
(2) Actors As Family, or Special Guests
On Korean film sets, actors are like family; if troubles arise, everyone comes together to work through it. In Japan, actors are like special guests who receive special treatment. Kim Tae Woo: “The Japanese crew were serious about making sure the actors’ makeup was fixed and had a place to rest. I was very touched at the amount of care we received.”
(3) The Extent of Flexibility
If a Korean production encounters a clear day when a scene calls for rain, the crew films the scenes in nice weather first, then the scenes requiring rain (sometimes making the rain artificially). But in Japan, they wait for rain. Kim Sarang: “Korean crews are pretty flexible on set to handle various occurrences like accidents. On the other hand, it seems that even if something occurs that wasn’t anticipated, Japanese crews stick to their original plans.”
The drama held its press conference on May 19 — Ivy was conspicuously absent, although her nonattendance was announced in advance — and airs its first episode on June 2 after I Love You wraps.
After her nightmarish past year (public scorn, sex scandals, lawsuits), singer Ivy will be making her comeback to the public eye not with another album, but onscreen in her acting debut.
She’ll take a role in SBS’s Tokyo Shower [도쿄 여우비], a four-episode miniseries to follow the airing of I Love You, which just started last week.
Her management affirms that Ivy’s participation in the drama is all but a done deal (pending the usual finalization of contract issues), but it’s unknown whether she will be in attendance at the drama’s press conference in May, as she’s also going back to the recording studio. (I wonder if that’s really true, or if she’s avoiding a venue where she might be asked irrelevant questions about her personal life?)
The story of the drama is described as a Korean “top star” (played by Kim Sarang) meeting and falling in love with the character played by Kim Tae Woo. Ivy plays a Korean student studying abroad in Japan, working part-time in a sushi restaurant and dreaming of becoming a singer. She’ll also sing the drama’s theme song. On the Japanese side, the drama also stars Okuda Erika (who became known to Korean viewers through a CF she did with Kwon Sang Woo) and veteran actor Yamamoto Gaku, who starred in the original 1978 White Tower (then remade in Japan in 2003, again in Korea last year).
I always thought the “scandal” denouncing Ivy was absurd and hypocritical, so I wish her well. I don’t like her hit singles, but she DOES have strong vocals that are much better showcased in her ballads, and sets herself apart from the pack of gyrating lip-synchers by singing live while dancing (for which she prepared in her trainee days by singing while running on a treadmill — trivia!).
Okay, I’ve gotta say this ticks me off on so many levels.
Singer Ivy is being sued by the cosmetics company she was hired as brand model for, under the accusation that her scandal last year did the company considerable damage. Her “inappropriate personal life events” degraded the company’s public image and value, allegedly, and they have filed a lawsuit against her management company, Fantom Entertainment, demanding recompense of $500,000 (500 million won).
A rep from company Able C&C (which owns Missha and Beautynet) said, “In cosmetics advertising, a brand model has a very strong influence on the image, as well as a tremendous effect on sales.” And now they lay the blame for a decline in business on the fact that Ivy was blackmailed and threatened and accused of being anything from a liar to a slut and had her name publicly dragged through the mud by salacious gossipmongers, netizens, and the general public. Way to blame the victim, huh, society?
The rep also censured Ivy, saying that because she acted in a way “damaging their honor” and “damaging the value of the product through acting in a way that stirred public criticism,” she had violated her contract with them, and no longer has any “advertising power.” Really? Since when does being the victim of blackmail count as breach of contract?
You know, frankly I don’t care if Ivy has a sex tape — which, by the way, has never been produced. Her ex-boyfriend, who’d blackmailed her last November with what he claimed was private video footage, giving rise to sex-tape rumors, was tried on criminal charges and convicted. What pisses me off is the gleeful rush to cast stones and label her some kind of whore because her violent ex-boyfriend may or may not have a private video of her, which he used against her illegally and for which he was punished.
Uh, WHO’S in the wrong here, again? Who’s the victim? Why is Ivy all of a sudden the defendant in a situation where she was so clearly the target? Where SHE was the one most hurt?
I don’t even count myself as an Ivy fan — her music is very hit or miss with me — but all this Ivy backlash is beyond irritating. It’s ignorant and narrow-minded. Well, fuck you Able C&C and Missha cosmetics. I wish I used your products so I could now STOP.
