Oh, MBC. I can always count on you for some awards-time whatthefuckery. Three years ago it was split Daesangs (daesang = Grand Prize), giving the same award to Kim Myung-min and Song Seung-heon and doubling awards in every category. Two years ago, there were more split awards, and last year we had the bizarre “Character Daesangs” (“Crude Language Award,” “Hot Temper Award,” and so forth).

This year, no actors were forced to share the Daesang…because it basically went to a drama instead. What the what? (Last year, Drama of the Year was a viewers’ pick award. This year it took the place of the Daesang, even if it wasn’t officially called one.)

Part of what makes MBC such a weird award in my opinion is that they never seem to know what they’re doing. If you’re going to make weird categories a thing, then stick with it — but if you’ll compare past years with each other, you’ll see that they keep changing things around. It makes them seem desperate, scrambling to appease everyone. Add to that the fact that in recent years, MBC has typically had the weakest drama performances of the three broadcast stations (remember when MBC was the Drama Kingdom?). So with weak competition, you get awards being doled out to some middling dramas, while others are overlooked entirely.

It must be noted that these awards are hardly ever based strictly on merit. They’re given out by the broadcaster, so they’re more a measure of which dramas and stars they want to thank/bribe/flatter. It’s partially a popularity contest, and partially politicking; it’s a given that the big ratings hits will rake in a lion’s share of awards. I still reserve the right to gripe about their choices.

You’ll see that this year, the broadcaster has once again introduced new categories and done away with others. They’ve gotten a lot of flak in past years for splitting awards, so this year they haven’t split many… because instead, they split award categories, which essentially achieves the same thing. Oh, MBC, always trying to please everyone and therefore pleasing no one. Maybe you’ll get a decent hit in 2012.

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Read the rest of 2011 MBC Drama Awards (1,593 words)

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Post tags: awards, Cha Seung-won, Gong Hyo-jin, Honey Lee, Hwang Jung-eum, Ji Hyun-woo, Jo Yoon-hee, Jung Bo-seok, Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-tae, Lee Bo-young, Micky Yoochun, Nam Goong-min, Park Yoo-hwan, Shin Aera, Yoon Tae-young

It’s the era of the idol singer (seriously, Korea’s practically drowning in idols these days), so it’s only appropriate that we start making them the focus of dramas (see: Dream High and the upcoming and hopefully hilarious Vampire Idol) and movies like this one, Mr. Idol.

The plot of Mr. Idol centers around a star-making “dream variety show”; Kim Su-ro (God of Study) and Park Ye-jin (My Princess) put together a boy band called Mystery Children, made up of four young men from different backgrounds. The members are all troublemakers of sorts, and the movie tracks their progress from motley crew to popular success.

The movie, which releases in October, stars Ji Hyun-woo (A Thousand Kisses, Birth of the Rich) and Park Jae-bum, which seems appropriate; Ji started out as the guitarist in pop-rock band The Nuts, while Park is formerly of idol band 2PM. In the supporting cast, you’ve got another musician in Kim Randy, a member of Electroboyz, a rap/hip-hop group that debuted last year. The fourth member of the fictional movie band is Jang Seo-won, whom you may recall as one of Ha Ji-won’s stuntman buddies in Secret Garden.

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Read the rest of Mr. Idol’s posters, stills, and teaser (317 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Kim Su-ro, Park Jae-bum, Park Ye-jin

In these posters for new weekend drama A Thousand Kisses, we’ve got the two main couple in various states of embrace, and although we don’t get much info on them otherwise, I’m drawn to how loving and earnest they seem. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I like the actors, although I admit to being WAY more interested in the supporting pair — Kim So-eun and Ryu Jin! — than the main couple of Seo Young-hee with Ji Hyun-woo.

In the drama, Seo Young-hee (Bedevilled) and Kim So-eun (A Fine Windy Day) play sisters who grew up in straitened circumstances. As mentioned in the previous post about this show, age play is one of the points of interest with these characters, as unni then falls for someone younger than her (Birth of the Rich’s Ji Hyun-woo), while her cheery younger sister falls for someone 17 years older (Baby-Faced Beauty’s Ryu Jin).

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Read the rest of Weekend drama A Thousand Kisses releases posters (98 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Kim So-eun, Ryu Jin, Seo Young-hee

Y’know, I wasn’t sold on the noona-dongsaeng pairing of Ji Hyun-woo (Birth of the Rich) and Seo Young-hee (Bedevilled), but they’re looking cute and comfy with each other in these first stills from MBC’s upcoming weekend drama A Thousand Kisses.

It looks like the drama’s playing with the question of age differences in romance, and promo descriptions state that it’ll explore a variety of love relationships. The main pairing, above, explores the younger-man-older-woman dynamic, with Ji romancing a divorced single mom. Seo Young-hee’s character is the hard-working type who’s faced a lot of bitterness in her life, while Ji Hyun-woo plays a former national soccer player who’s now a sports agent. And if anyone can do the doting dongsaeng role, it’s Ji, who combines leading-man status with boyish charm.

But main couple aside, I’m more interested in some of the side characters — namely, Ryu Jin (Baby-Faced Beauty) and Kim So-eun (Fine Windy Day). Furthermore, cranky grandpa Lee Soon-jae (My Princess, High Kick Through the Roof) even gets his own loveline with a May-December romance, featuring “80s flower heroine” Cha Hwa-yeon (Love and Ambition, Thorn Birds).

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Read the rest of A Thousand Kisses releases its first stills (296 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Kim So-eun, Lee Soon-jae, Ryu Jin, Seo Young-hee

A Thousand Kisses for Ryu Jin? Yes, please. Hopefully with me involved somehow.

Too bad we’re just talking about a drama title, which will take up a weekend slot on MBC come August. And I fear that we’re looking at another second-lead role for Ryu Jin, which is great from a drama’s point of view since he’s so good at it, but sucky for those of us who want him to end up happy and not alone. (He’s currently being alternately adorable and swoony in Baby-Faced Beauty, where he’s the quiet, gentle, but stern boss who’s a single divorced dad to a kid who adores the woman he won’t win, Jang Nara. You’d feel worse about that if Daniel Choi weren’t so devotedly sweet.)

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Read the rest of Ryu Jin’s Thousand Kisses (155 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Ryu Jin, Seo Young-hee

Park Ye-jin (My Princess) has begun filming the role that Park Shi-yeon left behind, in the idol music industry film that was formerly titled Happy Together, now called Mr. Idol. Can’t say I love the title change, as it sounds more like a male model calendar contest than a film about idol stars, but at least the premise sounds interesting. It’s described as a comedy about the music biz, and specifically about the making of an idol group, focusing on the behind-the-scenes movers and shakers of the entertainment industry. I feel a little better about the film now that it’s clearly marked for humor.

She’ll be reuniting with Family Outing member, funnyman Kim Suro (God of Study) in what should be a great match-up of wits between the man with the midas touch when it comes to making idol stars, and the woman who has to actually manage them. I’m picturing lots of Park Jin-young-esque stuff from Kim Suro, who reportedly researched real producers to come up with his character. What, did he follow Yang Hyun-suk around for a day and come up with his own impression?

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Read the rest of Park Ye-jin and Kim Suro reunite for Mr. Idol (265 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Kim Su-ro, Park Ye-jin

Park Shi-yeon (Coffee House) and Ji Hyun-woo (Birth of the Rich), lead guitarist of kpop band The Nuts, have been cast as leads in the upcoming film Happy Together. The movie will take place in the world of the music industry, and in particular the idol factory. Right on. Would love to see this world dramatized, especially if there’s a chance it’s not just a fluff piece.

Ji Hyun-woo will be playing a twenty-something vocalist in a band, and Park Shi-yeon will play the thirty-something producer who wants to turn him into an idol star. Interesting dynamic. I like it already. I just hope the story has some edge; if played safe this loses all interest from me.

Truthfully, I’ll probably watch it anyway for Park Shi-yeon. My main take-aways from Coffee House were: 1) book cafes are cool in theory, but weird in practice; 2) you can stuff a body in a suitcase as long as they’re compliant; and 3) Park Shi-yeon is a gem. Love her.

Happy Together also stars Kim Suro (God of Study, Quiz King) and Im Won-hee (also of Quiz King). Directing will be Ra Hee-chan (All We Need Is Courage, The Big Scene).

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Read the rest of Ji Hyun-woo and Park Shi-yeon break into the idol biz (56 words)

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Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Park Shi-yeon

The Seoul International Drama Awards were held on September 10 and hosted by KBS, awarding the winners from a pool of 172 entries from 43 countries.

Sort of an odd list of winners, I thought. (I mean, Chuno alongside The Last Days of Lehman Brothers alongside NCIS?) Not that there’s anything wrong with any of those projects, but who’d've thought they’d ever make it to the same awards show. Random.

But no matter: On to the winners!

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Read the rest of 2010 Seoul International Drama Awards (672 words)

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Post tags: awards, Cha Ye-ryun, Choi Su-jong, Chuno, Gu Eun-ae, Han Ji-min, Jang Hyuk, Ji Hyun-woo, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Chae-young, Lee Seung-gi, Nam Gyuri, Oh Ji-eun

This week saw the finales of two Monday-Tuesday dramas, KBS’s comedic Birth of the Rich and SBS’s medical-themed period drama Jejoongwon. The former enjoyed enough of a response to extend its series by four episodes, for a total of 20. The latter began in January and wrapped up its four-month-long broadcast with Episode 36.

Both dramas have fallen in viewership behind MBC’s Dong Yi in recent weeks, which has broken the 20% mark, but viewers have expressed overall satisfaction with their endings.

Warnings to spoiler-phobes: Details about the endings will be mentioned!

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Read the rest of It’s finale week for Birth of the Rich, Jejoongwon (541 words)

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Post tags: Han Hye-jin, Jejoongwon, Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Shi-young, Nam Goong-min, Park Yong-woo, The Birth of the Rich, Yeon Jung-hoon

KBS premiered a new drama today, the light comic drama The Birth of the Rich, to replace God of Study. Although the first episode numbers were modest at 12.1% (TNS Media), the drama received generally positive reception for its imaginative and “manhwa-like” story and its refreshing cheeriness.

Also earning some praise is lead actor Ji Hyun-woo, who plays a man who grew up poor but clings to the belief that his father is a chaebol who will claim him later. He has a comic meeting with Lee Bo-young, an heiress who lives frugally (and whose reception was a bit more tepid than Ji’s). Nam Goong-min reportedly acquits himself well as a bad guy, as does Lee Shi-young playing a spoiled heiress. (I hadn’t been too eager to catch this series, but with mostly warm comments, I’ll have to check it out to see if it’s worth a whirl.)

In the absence of God of Study and its mid-20% numbers, MBC’s Pasta rose to first place with a series high of 19.7%. It’ll likely remain strong for the remainder of its run; it wraps next week with Episode 20. Not much changed for SBS’s historical drama Jejoongwon, which held with a 13.3%. Meanwhile, SBS’s bright and comedic Wish Upon a Star solidified its stronghold with a 19.0% rating.

Via TV Report, E Daily

RELATED POSTS

• God of Study ends on a ratings high
• Seo Woo makes a surprise visit to Pasta set
• Poster released for Birth of the Rich
• Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Bo-young in Birth of a Rich Man
• Pasta: Episode 1

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 30 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: drama ratings, Jejoongwon, Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Pasta, The Birth of the Rich