Upcoming car racing drama Speed (I know, I know. I’m not in charge of the titles.) has lined up quite the interesting double-male-lead lineup, having secured Lee Jung-jae who’s been attached to the project for some time, and is now awaiting final decision from singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong (Playful Kiss), who is reportedly considering the role for his big comeback drama. That is one odd pair of male leads. I’m looking for a commonality… I’m looking… Maybe they both like cars? Yeah, I got nuthin’.

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Read the rest of Lee Jung-jae and Kim Hyun-joong to headline Speed? (213 words)

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Post tags: Kim Hyun-joong, Lee Jung-jae

Kim Hyun-joong has been plenty busy wearing his singer hat in recent months — he’s currently promoting “Lucky Guy” from his mini-album — but he’s got his eye on swapping that for his acting hat again, as he explained in an interview on October 10.

Kim described his plans for the coming year, stating, “I’ll release a new album in January, and after promoting it for two or three weeks, I’m thinking of going on an Asia Tour, perhaps a world tour. After that, I’m looking to act in a drama around June.”

That’s weirdly vague and specific at the same time. Is he just talking out loud, or does he have plans that he’s keeping close to the vest? While the plans sound inchoate, it seems he’s pretty decided on his attack plan, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what ends up happening after all.

I’m no great fan of Kim Hyun-joong the Actor, since his debut role in Boys Before Flowers was about the worst piece of acting I’ve seen onscreen. He was much better in Playful Kiss — still squarely in mediocre territory, but I’ll forgive a lot for a rumply, oddly hot perm, apparently. Frankly I wouldn’t mind if he took his time with his music career — his charisma seems better suited for his pop idol persona — but who knows, I might be persuaded if he decided to rock that perm again… (What? Pretty robots may have nice features, but they’re cold and unsexy. Rumply college boys are much more interesting.)

Via Herald M

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• Boys Before Flowers: Episode 1

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Post tags: Kim Hyun-joong

You know, this show may be kind of predictable, but I’m liking it so far, with the cute characters and underdog setup that you know is manufactured for you to pull for certain characters but can’t help falling for every time. At least that’s how it is for me.

And despite my gloating to girlfriday about winning our epic battle of inflated hopes, that doesn’t mean I don’t like Dream High, since I think it’s easy to watch and, from a cinematography standpoint, super pretty to look at.

SONG OF THE DAY

Dream High OST – “Maybe” by Sunye [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dream High: Episode 3 (3,536 words)

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Post tags: Bae Yong-joon, Dream High, featured, Ham Eun-jung, Jang Woo-young, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Soo-hyun, Suzy, Taecyeon

So far, I like. It’s not So You Think You Can Dance, the drama version, (and someone please get on that, stat) but it shows promise to become something like it, so I like what I’ve seen thus far. It’s actually got a healthy dose of drama-comedy-song-and-dance, though I’d like a little more of the song and dance, and well, I could stand for more comedy in everything.

I think the drama is still finding its footing, and the performances are uneven (with some of the worst by veterans, whereas the newbies are holding up okay in contrast), but there’s two crucial things I like about it at the outset: the premise, and the tone. I do trust that this drama will do one thing, and one thing well—deliver on its setup of dreamers-to-stars in a satisfying way. Whether or not the performances will hold up is another story, but what the hell, let’s dream high, shall we?

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Read the rest of Dream High: Episode 2 (2,751 words)

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Post tags: Bae Yong-joon, Dream High, featured, Ham Eun-jung, Jang Woo-young, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Soo-hyun, Suzy, Taecyeon

An uneven beginning, but one that got progressively better as the hour advanced. (To be honest, I was feeling that dull sense of bored disappointment halfway through, but at the 45-minute mark things picked up, and the last five minutes had my curiosity stirred and hopes rising. Things take an interesting turn.)

I’m not ready to make a decision yet, because the plot pieces are just getting put into place, and the stuff that draws me to this drama — the school, young aspirants working toward their dream, the rivalries — has barely even gotten any screen time. And yes, I suspect that if you were to decide based on the first half-hour, a lot of people might check out, but that’s mostly necessary background maneuvering; it’s really when they move to the school that things pick up.

[Watch the series at DramaFever]

SONG OF THE DAY

Dream High OST – “Dream High” by cast members Ok Taecyeon, Jang Woo-young, Suzy [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Dream High: Episode 1 (3,987 words)

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Post tags: Bae Yong-joon, Dream High, Eom Ki-joon, featured, first episodes, Ham Eun-jung, Jang Woo-young, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Yoon-ji, Suzy, Taecyeon

It’s time for each broadcast station to put on their end-of-year awards. The MBC Drama Awards are first of the bunch, and man, Kim Nam-joo must be peeved. She finally gets her Daesang — and it goes shared, with Han Hyo-joo. Yeesh. This is almost as bad as when MBC split the Daesang between Kim Myung-min and Mr. Hand Towel.

First off, let me say that I did watch several episodes of Dong Yi and found Han Hyo-joo better than expected — not bad at all. Thing is, she wasn’t what I’d call great, either. Powerful enough to win the Grand Prize of the year? Not so much — certainly not over Shin Eun-kyung, who had to settle for a Top Excellence award.

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Read the rest of 2010 MBC Drama Awards (1,553 words)

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Post tags: awards, Chae Jung-ahn, Gong Hyo-jin, Han Hyo-joo, Ji Jin-hee, Jung So-min, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Nam-joo, Lee Chun-hee, Lee Min-ho, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Tae-sung, Park Ha-sun, Park Shi-hoo, Shin Eun-kyung, Yoo Seung-ho

Here we are, Part 5!

As girlfriday said in her review, I’d also like to thank guest bloggers Dahee Fanel and thunderbolt for participating in this year’s year-in-review roundup. A particular thank-you goes out to GF herself for being so game to jump into this whole world of crazy with me, and I think you’ll all agree when I say that Dramabeans is better for her addition to it. I never fail to get a huge kick out of her wicked humor, or for Dahee’s frank and bold insights, or thundie’s thoughtful eloquence. We don’t always agree, but that’s exactly why I love hearing the differing points of views.

Most of all, thanks to the DB readership — that means you! — who have been so supportive, vibrant, and often laugh-out-loud funny. We don’t take you guys for granted, rest assured, and are honored by the community you’ve built here. It’s like a second home, which sounds like a metaphor but actually isn’t because with all the hours I spend here, it really IS one.

So here’s the last of the reviews! With that, we bid adieu to the past year and look forward to lots more laughs, craziness, and yes, head-pounding-WTF-ery in the new year. Bring it on, 2011.

SONG OF THE DAY

Standing Egg – “First Christmas.” The song’s a day or two late, but no matter: Hope your Christmas (or other seasonal holiday) was merry! [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 2010 Editors’ Picks [Year In Review, Part 5] (5,374 words)

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Post tags: Baker King Kim Tak-gu, Cinderella's Sister, Coffee House, Eom Ji-won, featured, Giant, Jang Hyuk, Jejoongwon, Joseon X-Files, Jung Bo-seok, Kim Gab-soo, Kim Hyun-joong, Lee Mi-sook, Micky Yoochun, Moon Geun-young, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, Personal Taste, Rain, Runaway, Shin Mina, Sohn Ye-jin, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, year in review, Yoo Ah-in

“Hmm, what do I love more? My girlfriend? Or GUMBALLS! But that’s an easy question. I only have one girlfriend, but a meeellion gumballs. Clearly gumballs win. Let me count the ways…”

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Read the rest of Kim Hyun-joong and Yoon Eun-hye for Basic House (124 words)

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Post tags: Kim Hyun-joong, Yoon Eun-hye

Show, I didn’t expect you to take the snail’s pace thing quite so literally. But here we are in the finale, and well, loose ends get tied, double-knotted, and bow-tied for good measure. It’s an entire episode of getting everyone’s ducks in a row, with not even a hint of conflict to drive us home. But then, if we’re comparing it to Episode 15′s idea of conflict, I should just thank my lucky stars that no Lee Da-hae Lite harlot showed up in this one. [I was thinking Song Ji-hyo, myself. -jb]

The end is nigh. Will Robot Boy get his heart? Will Ha-ni become a nurse? Will we end on a kiss to end all kisses? [Will javabeans fall asleep waiting for something to happen, already? -jb]

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Read the rest of Playful Kiss: Episode 16 (Final) (2,920 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jung So-min, Kim Hyun-joong, Playful Kiss

You can start to see the loose ends being tied up, or rather, preparing to be tied up in the finale tomorrow. I suspect we’ll get a lot of ends hastily tied together in the next episode just for the sake of leaving everyone happy, which I am not a great fan of; lead us through conflicts and get us there naturally, rather than inventing last-minute scenarios for happiness that don’t necessarily ring true.

On the other hand, if we must choose between an ending that is either too pat or littered with loose threads, I’ll (grudgingly) take pat.

SONG OF THE DAY

FT Island – “결혼해줘” (Marry Me) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Playful Kiss: Episode 15 (3,036 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jung So-min, Kim Hyun-joong, Playful Kiss