Here’s a look at Kim Jae-wook‘s fantastic transformation in drag for the Korean adaptation of Hedwig And the Angry Inch, the rock musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask. He’s been starring in this stage adaptation since May 14, and has announced that June 19 will be his last performance, due to his impending enlistment in the army.

Wah, not another one!

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Read the rest of Kim Jae-wook in Hedwig, prepares for army duty (193 words)

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Post tags: Kim Jae-wook

Actor Kim Jae-wook, who’s recently come off his stint on the disappointing drama Mary Stayed Out All Night, has turned his attention back to music, with his band WALRUS (formerly I Am Walrus). They’re releasing their first single album with music videos (below). From faux indie rock to real indie rock? I say the real Kim Jae-wook is pretty much cooler than any character he could ever play.

WALRUS is: Kim Jae-wook on vocals and guitar, Kim Tae-hyun on drums, Yoo Seung-bum on lead guitar (blonde hair and teacup, below), and Yang Shi-on on bass (with pomegranate, below). They’re college friends and classmates from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, and have been performing on and off together for upwards of nine years, and performed at 2009′s Grand Mint Festival.

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Read the rest of Kim Jae-wook’s band releases single (131 words)

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Hurricane Mary, coming through! This drama goes out the same way it began…totally insane. But you know, by now it’d be even MORE schizophrenic if the drama did a total 180 and started to make sense. So it’s best we go out with as much crazy as we started with. It’s time to embrace the mental instability. Or at least start drinking heavily…

SONG OF THE DAY

Mary Stayed Out All Night OST – Jang Geun-seok – “I Will Promise You” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 16 (Final) (3,267 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

This episode is all Mu-gyul. Unfortunately, it’s all Mu-gyul being petulant and mopey, which tends to put a damper on things.

I’ve already lost my mind trying to follow the wacky logic of this drama, and the last episode pushed girlfriday over the edge. Which means… now it’s time for Mu-gyul to lose his hold on sanity. I love ya, Jang Geun-seok, but I spent all episode dying to wrangle some sense into you. Alas, it seems you can wrangle sense out of lots of things (like this drama), but not into. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation for that.

SONG OF THE DAY

Paloalto – “어쩔거야 ” (Whatcha gonna do?) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 15 (3,260 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 239 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

Well, it finally happened. You knew it was coming. The episode in which girlfriday’s sanity gets kidnapped and sold on the black market. What’s the going rate for what’s left of my marbles?

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

So…Mu-gyul gets KIDNAPPED. No, really. I was hoping that maybe I just had too much to drink and imagined that part last night, but then I realized I would just be angry at myself for imagining such a ridiculous scenario…and lo and behold, it’s actually happening. Sigh, Drama. Sigh.

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 14 (3,044 words)

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Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

It’s like this drama went from zero to eighty in the span of seconds — one moment, it’s spinning its wheels while remaining in the same place for ten episodes, and then suddenly wheels find purchase on the gravel and speed off into the distance, careening wildly because all that speed makes it hard to steer. It’s enough to give you whiplash. We’re getting makjang-er and makjang-er, with extreme parental opposition of the Montague/Capulet variety and gangsters and kidnappings, which is actually kind of amusing since the tone has remained staunchly romantic-fluff.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jang Geun-seok – “Hello Hello” from the drama’s soundtrack. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 13 (3,357 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 211 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

Pro: The episode had some fluffy, light, funny beats, which I’ve been missing lately.

Con: This show has LOST ITS MIND. The plot makes no sense at all.

Pro: At least the nonsensical plot is moving?

Con: But there’s no consistency to the characters!

Pro: How ’bout that awesome taunting look on Jang Geun-seok’s face above?

Con: Yeah, you got me there. But the plot! The story! The laws that govern human actions and emotions!

Pro: …Yeah, you got me there.

Con: I win! Oh god, I’m talking to myself. This show has driven me insane.

SONG OF THE DAY

Byul – “기억이 안나” (I Don’t Remember) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 12 (2,918 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 265 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

Listen, it doesn’t make any more SENSE, but the pace is up and the cute is up, so we’re in happy territory. I wish the live-in hijinks had begun eons ago, not only because it made more sense back when the contracts were in effect, but because they add a nice layer of conflict and interaction that was sorely needed. Seo-jun continues to be an energy suck, but Jung-in steps up his game, and now the triangle seems to be back in action. Finally. Now if we could just get all three of them to move in together…

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 11 (2,620 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 199 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

Episode 10 is vintage Mary: Some incredibly adorable scenes between Mary and Mu-gyul, who do puppy love like nobody’s business, and some repetitive plot conflicts that go around in circles. But no matter, since this may be our last time seeing this kind of storytelling style, since the writer change kicks in with the 11th episode.

I’m not holding my breath for a major shift, but it will be interesting to spot the differences, if any.

SONG OF THE DAY

Winterplay – “눈 내리던 어느 날” (On a certain snowy day) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 10 (3,274 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 107 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young

Oh, Cute. You sure do go a long way with these two. I wish your sister Conflict could visit with as much regularity. And we won’t even talk about your third cousin Logic. There’s just no sense in crying over him. Then in the meantime, could we… maybe… get those handcuffs back?

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Read the rest of Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 9 (2,995 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 200 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Jae-wook, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Moon Geun-young