I have not followed the drama Stormy Lovers, but I admit my interest is piqued by the latest news that the MBC drama is being cancelled, cut short by more than half its run due to low ratings.

Stormy Lovers is a daily drama, which means it airs Monday Through Friday (in the 8 pm hour). In my wholly unscientific recollection of past daily dramas, because of the steady dinnertime audience, it’s not unusual for dailies to pull in 30%+ ratings, and sometimes even 40%+. (Examples: You’re My Destiny, Everybody Cha Cha Cha, Smile Donghae.) So it’s disappointing that Stormy Lovers has been resting in the 5% to 8% range. Even if I recall reading quite a bit of criticism about the bad acting of lead actress Choi Eun-seo (of Personal Taste, in her first leading role).

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Read the rest of MBC cuts another drama short, angers people (318 words)

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Post tags: Cha Soo-yeon, Choi Eun-seo, Choi Myung-gil, drama ratings, Hwanhee, Jung Bo-seok, Jung Chan, Lee Jae-yoon

Choi Eun-seo played bratty Hye-mi in Personal Taste earlier this year, which was the highest-profile role of her young career to date. Now she’s getting her first leading role, and will head an MBC daily drama called Stormy Lovers [폭풍의 연인], which also stars Fly To the Sky singer Hwanhee.

This drama tells the story of the love and hardships encountered by a woman who is disabled but possesses a beautiful spirit. Choi Eun-seo plays that character, named Shim Eun-hye, whose physical healing and recovery will be expressed symbolically within the story. You may recall Choi in her first big break, the youth series Sharp #2, or from teeny parts in Dal Ja’s Spring and Coffee Prince.

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Read the rest of Choi Eun-seo in first leading role opposite Hwanhee (436 words)

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Post tags: Cha Soo-yeon, Choi Eun-seo, Choi Won-young, Hwanhee, Jung Chan

The director of movies Singles and I Like It Hot, Kwon Chil-in, is back for another movie titled Loveholic [러브홀릭]. (Speaking of which, can we have a moratorium on things called “Loveholic” now?)

The movie focuses on a “normal married couple” and features four main leads (two men and two women) with their intertwining love- and storylines. Cast as the lead is one of Kwon’s actors from I Like It Hot, Kim Heung-soo, also of dramas like Life: Special Investigation and Radish Kimchi. He’s half of the married couple and his character is described as “quiet but masculine.”

Meanwhile, throwing a wrench into the mix is his friend, played by Jung Chan (Lovers), a plastic surgeon who can’t help himself from falling in love with his friend’s wife, played by Chu Ja-hyun (Portrait of a Beauty). Han Soo-yeon (Doremifasolatido) rounds out the quartet. Jung has taken some time off to recover from an ankle injury, and is now getting back to work.

I can’t say the plot interests me much, but I do like the actors. Jung Chan’s was the only character I liked in Lovers — I hated Lee Seo-jin’s wishy-washy cheating gangster, and hated Kim Jung-eun’s mopiness, but loved! Jung Chan’s confidence and charisma. I even watched Auction House for him (although I couldn’t finish it, too boring). I should really watch more of his work.

Loveholic began shooting on July 20 and will wrap up production by September; it plans to release in December.

Via Star News, Star News

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Post tags: Jung Chan, Kim Heung-soo

Cute child actors playing orphans. Poise knife above heart.

Cute orphans displaying precocious awareness of their abandonment. Insert knife.

Cute precocious orphans who are practically still babies sobbing and clinging to youthful hopes while being forced to exhibit premature adult wisdom. Twist.

 
Auction House isn’t doing very well in the ratings. With the numbers hovering around the 5%-6% range, it’ll be interesting to see if this experiment in the multi-season format, modeled after the American drama template, will air its second season, which is already in its planning stages. I don’t know that they can justify it when interest is lukewarm. My own interest isn’t terribly high, but Episode 3 was noticeably better than the previous two installments, both in story and in directing, so it kept me onboard for another week.

Actually, even if you’re not watching Auction House, Episode 3 might be worth watching, since it stands on its own rather nicely. It’s really more like a “one-act drama,” like the kinds that make up Drama City or Best Theater episodes.

SONG OF THE DAY

Roller Coaster – “해바라기” (Sunflower) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Auction House: Lot 3 (2,292 words)

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Post tags: Auction House, Jung Chan, Yoon So-yi

Auction House‘s Episode 2 (or, as they call it, Lot 2) was a lot better than its first episode, but still feels like it’s missing something. As with Air City, despite its slick production and competent execution, I feel like the show is just a couple steps away from being something really interesting.

Still, enough things were well-done that Episode 2 kept me tuned in, and it definitely helped that the story was much more compelling than its first installment. The mystery nature of the plot (who stole the valuable painting?) was satisfyingly complex-but-not-TOO-complex.

And, if you’re an art buff, perhaps the brief discussions about the paintings in Auction House will engage you. I’m not too knowledgeable about art, but I find the all-too-short analyses about the various artworks pretty interesting.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Nuevo Discos – “Cry” [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Auction House: Lot 2 (2,285 words)

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Post tags: Auction House, Jung Chan, Yoon So-yi

Anyone else catch the premiere of the new MBC drama Auction House? Ever since I heard about the new format they were attempting, I’ve been keen on seeing if the show was worth watching, despite not having particular interest in auction houses or the goings-on thereof. Auction houses as a backdrop for other, more exciting events (no matter how ridiculous — Charmed, anyone?) are great; as an entity in itself, I’m unconvinced.

I really wanted/still want Auction House to be good, for a couple different reasons. First off, I’m looking for a decent non-historical drama to watch and I’m impatient for the new round to start up. Second, it looks pretty nice (that screencap above, for instance, is an impressionistic rendering of the opening scene on a busy city sidewalk) — not incredible, but very good, although that could just be the excellent Mickeybaby rips (if you haven’t switched over to Mickeybaby, you don’t know what you’re missing). Also, it’s attempting what Air City initially wanted to do but couldn’t pull off, which is a multi-season storyline with actual discrete episodes. I’m all for giving people props for trying something new…

[Watch the series at DramaFever]

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Clazziquai – “Salesman” [ zShare download ]

 
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Read the rest of MBC’s Auction House (2,048 words)

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Post tags: Auction House, first episodes, Jung Chan, Yoon So-yi