Okay, I’m trying something new here, so please let me know what you think.

SBS’s Tazza ended its run today on episode 21, and to send it off, I’m kicking off an open thread. I can’t possibly cover all the dramas out there, but I know you all are watching a bunch of stuff and may have a few things to say about them, so run wild. If response is good, I’ll keep it up for future dramas.

I’ll start: You know, I had a generally positive reaction to episode 1, so I’m not quite sure why the drama fell off the radar for me. Who knows, maybe I’ll go back and give it another try. While Tazza wasn’t as successful (ratings-wise) a movie-to-drama adaptation as, say, Gourmet was, it performed well, particularly given how strong East of Eden has been. By all accounts, the acting was decent (despite initial criticism for Han Ye-seul, but that’s par for the course these days in dramas starring pretty starlets) and the story kept viewers compelled.

Taking over the Monday-Tuesday timeslot for SBS is Han Hye-jin’s wine-themed Terroir.

SONG OF THE DAY

Tazza OST SBS - “인생은 한방” (Life gives you one shot) [ Download ]

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• The current drama landscape: An overview
• Tazza: Episode 1
• Han Ye-seul goes retro schoolgirl
• A black press day for Tazza
• Kim Min-joon gets a leg up on Jang Hyuk
• Taking a gamble with Tazza

Tags: Han Ye-seul, Jang Hyuk, Kang Sung-yeon, Kim Min-joon, Tazza

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 15 Comments →

It was announced a while ago that 2001’s successful film Friend, starring Jang Dong-gun and Yoo Oh-sung, is getting the television drama treatment by MBC (is this the golden age of the remake miniseries or what?). Now auditions are kicking off to fill out its lead foursome.

The two main roles are already cast — Hyun Bin and Kim Min-joon take on Jang and Yoo’s lead roles — but the other two characters are still plum opportunities for new faces or rising stars. The drama, titled Friend: The Unending Story, will be helmed by the same director behind the film, Kwak Kyung-taek, and written by Han Seung-woon (of last year’s film Love).

As director Kwak is reportedly looking for a combination of strong acting skill and a perfect Saturi accent, the drama production team is holding multiple auditions between Seoul and Busan to choose from the widest pool of possible actors, from rookies to well-known names. Kwak has narrowed down his choice for the lead female role to two well-known actresses, although the candidates’ names have not been divulged.

The drama will start filming in January 2009 and is currently planning to air next May.

Via Hankook Ilbo

RELATED POSTS

• “Friend” gets the drama treatment

Tags: Hyun Bin, Kim Min-joon, remakes

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 10 Comments →

You know, I fully expected to dislike Tazza. I didn’t have many expectations, and I doubted that the drama version would be able to effectively capture what made the film version such a hit — I imagined it would be what you might expect if you had to cut down The Sopranos to air on network TV during the holidays. It would be a watered-down version at best.

And it is, for sure. Only one episode in (they only aired one last week), it’s a little too early to make predictions, particularly when much of the episode was spent in flashback. But although I started out the episode perilously near boredom, somewhere about halfway through, things started clicking for me dramatically, and I’ll admit I enjoyed it overall.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Ssang - “야바위” (Swindle). This song is actually from the OST of the film version of Tazza.
[ Download ]

TAZZA Episode 1 >>

Tags: episode recaps, Han Ye-seul, Jang Hyuk, Kim Min-joon, Tazza

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 11 Comments →

Tazza actors and crew (Jang Hyuk, Han Ye-seul, Kim Min-joon, Kang Sung-yeon) came out on the afternoon of September 8 for the drama’s production press conference, all decked out in black to observe the death of Ahn Jae-hwan, which they’d received word of just earlier that day.

Apparently the actors put on a bright face for photos, but they became solemn at the mention of Ahn Jae-hwan. The drama’s new Madam Jung, Kang Sung-yeon, expressed her feelings upon hearing the sad news: “I couldn’t believe it. This was to be a good day for me [drama press day], but now I don’t know what I should say… Afterward, I’ll go to his funeral service. I’m so heartbroken I don’t know what to say.”

Regarding the drama itself, PD Kang Shin-ho explained: “Because there were previously a famous manhwa and a movie, there was some pressure, and I went through a process of trial and error. I put a lot of effort trying to use the gambling world to portray the ups and downs of the larger world. I hope people will like it.”

The Monday-Tuesday drama takes its place opposite MBC’s East of Eden and KBS’s Love & Marriage on September 16.

[Read more →]

Tags: Ahn Jae-hwan, Han Ye-seul, Jang Hyuk, Kang Sung-yeon, Kim Min-joon, Tazza

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 10 Comments →

Stars came out in full force, from A-listers and all the way down, to the opening night of the 2nd Chungmuro International Film Festival, held on September 3. The celeb list boasted some big-name actors and even a few kpoppers (Girls Generation) who turned out in fine feather on the red carpet. (Well, minus a few sartorial misses.)

Attendees included the likes of Chae Rim (above), Jang Dong-gun (below), and event representative Kim Jung-eun, for starters.

The festival, headed under the theme “Discovery, Restoration, Creation,” runs over the next week and closes on September 9.

Check out the CHIFFS red carpet >>

Tags: Chae Rim, Choi Su-jong, Eom Ji-won, Eugene, fashion, film festivals, Girls Generation, Ha Ji-won, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Min-joon, Lee Hana, Lee Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-hyuk, Lee Mi-yeon, Shin Ae, Shin Hyun-joon, Yoon Soyi

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 31 Comments →