Dramabeans » Kim Myung-min

Kim Myung-min sets up campaign for sufferers of ALS

javabeans — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:36:25 +0000

As you may know, Kim Myung-min plays a man suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in his latest film, My Love By My Side [내 사랑 내 곁에].

Kim Myung-min is now acting to raise awareness of the illness, and the Naver portal site has set up a corner promoting the “Kim Myung-min’s Happy Energy” campaign. (Happy Energy has a few campaigns in progress featuring celebrities who promote a certain cause.) The campaign allows people to make donations to an organization helping Lou Gehrig’s patients, and in less than a week of its opening, it has raised over 10 million won. (The 10 million figure was as of September 3; the donation number currently stands at 17 million won.)

One campaign administrator said, “We haven’t exposed the campaign through advertising yet, but to have raised 10 million won already in this short time is a shock we’re grateful for. I think Kim Myung-min’s heartfelt performance and his image have made a deep impression on netizens.”

Lou Gehrig’s disease is an illness that attacks the body’s motor cells, leaving intellect and consciousness intact while rendering the muscles paralyzed. As the disease progresses, even the vital organs become paralyzed, which makes eating impossible and requires feeding tubes. After immersing himself in his latest role, Kim Myung-min said, “There is still no cure, and it’s a disease in urgent need of society’s awareness. I hope that with the film, many people will take a warm interest in the patients suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

The movie My Love By My Side opens September 24.

Via OSEN, Happy Energy

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Kim Myung-min: “In the end I was so exhausted it was difficult to act”

javabeans — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:38:41 +0000

“With Lou Gehrig’s disease, your conscious mind remains active while your muscles deteriorate, but for me, I found that as I kept losing weight, my consciousness became equally paralyzed.”

Actor Kim Myung-min recently took on the challenge of portraying a patient gradually worsening from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in the upcoming melodrama film My Love By My Side [내 사랑 내 곁에]. On August 24, the cast of the movie gathered at the CGV cinema in Apgujung for a press conference.

Much has been made of Kim’s dramatic 20kg weight loss (mostly accomplished while he filmed the movie, losing the weight to correspond to his character’s deteriorating health). Kim admitted what he found the most difficult aspect of filming: “In the latter half, I had to become increasingly immersed in the emotions of the character, but because I was constantly exhausted, it was difficult to become absorbed in the acting.”

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Post tags: Ha Ji-won, Kim Myung-min, press conferences

Posters unveiled for My Love By My Side

javabeans — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:49:31 +0000

Wow. We’ve already heard that Kim Myung-min (Beethoven Virus) would be losing a significant amount of weight as he filmed his latest movie, My Love By My Side [내 사랑 내 곁에], but the end result is even more startling than previously noted.

You can see how gaunt he is in these new posters for the movie; in order to play a convincing Lou Gehrig’s disease patient, he lost more than 20 kilograms over the course of filming, which translates to approximately 44 pounds. And considering that his normal starting weight was around 160 pounds, that makes his final number under a worrying 120 pounds.

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Read the rest of Posters unveiled for My Love By My Side (149 words)

Beethoven Virus: Episode 18, Finale

Sevenses — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:51:42 +0000

This is how I want to remember Kang mae, I think – working diligently behind the scenes, with his happy dog for company.

I was looking at the dramawiki for Beethoven Virus, and it’s got all these awards. Kind of boggling, but I guess quality is in the eye of the beholder.

In case you don’t remember what’s going on with this series (I don’t blame you, it’s been a long time), here are the previous recaps.

Alright then. Let’s get this finished.

SONG OF THE DAY

Beethoven Virus OST – “사랑은 선율을 타고” (Day by Day) by Girls Generation. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Beethoven Virus: Episode 18, Finale (2,394 words)

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Post tags: Beethoven Virus, episode recaps, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Myung-min, Lee Jia

MBC documentary special features Kim Myung-min

javabeans — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:12:32 +0000

Kim Myung-min is probably the top actor in Korea right now, and is certain to go down as one of the greats of all time. He’s also an interesting case because he has come into stardom late into his career, but unlike so many other actors, the fervent appreciation for him comes almost solely from respect for his tremendous talent and work, not as a sex symbol or celebrity. (He’s certainly handsome, but I almost think of him in an asexual way.) You see the man for his acting skills much more than for his looks or general fame. Which is, I’m fairly certain, just the way he wants it.

The MBC special documentary called “Kim Myung-min Was Not There” was announced last month and aired over the weekend. (It was also a ratings hit, since 10% is impressive for a documentary feature.) It also gave quite an insight into the actor and his process, and is really a must-watch for anyone harboring acting aspirations.

SONG OF THE DAY

White Tower OST – “B Rossette” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of MBC documentary special features Kim Myung-min (3,167 words)

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Post tags: Beethoven Virus, Immortal Lee Soon-shin, interviews, Kim Myung-min, reality shows, White Tower

Kim Myung-min Was Not There

javabeans — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:08:43 +0000

Ooh, I want to see this. MBC is producing a special documentary program highlighting actor Kim Myung-min (Beethoven Virus, White Tower), which promises to reveal hitherto unseen facets of Kim’s work process and personality.

This follows two previous installments whose spotlights focused on two other big stars: there was last year’s special on Jewel in the Palace actress Lee Young-ae (called “I Am Lee Young-ae”) and another on pop star Rain (”Rain’s Coming”).

The Kim Myung-min special takes the title “Kim Myung-min Was Not There” [김명민은 거기 없었다]; a source from the production explains that the documentary follows Kim as he prepares, then films his role as a Lou Gehrig’s disease sufferer in the movie My Love By My Side. The behind-the-scenes portions provide a glimpse into his method acting approach in depicting the gradually worsening illness, and a producer says, “We show him throwing himself into the process of character-building in his intense ‘Kim Myung-min style’ of acting, which is so severe the actor himself calls it a mental disease.”

The acting isn’t all the program promises to show: “Along with that, he also reveals a simple, personal side to himself that we haven’t been able to see thus far, which has been obscured by his fictional characters.”

The MBC documentary airs on April 12; the following week will feature a special on Manchester United soccer star Park Ji-sung.

Via Asia Economy

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45th Baeksang Arts Awards

javabeans — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:25:22 +0000

New Actress winner Park Bo-young

Awards!

The 45th Baeksang Arts Awards were held on the evening of February 27, which means: lots of awards for film and television stars, and lots of clothes to gawk at.

There were no real surprises in the winners list; they’re mostly a variation of the same lists we’ve been seeing from the other ceremonies in the winter awards season. Some film winners include A Movie is a Movie and My Dear Enemy, while acting honors went to many of the Daesang winners from earlier awards, like Kim Myung-min, Moon Geun-young, and Sohn Ye-jin. Oh, and a little actor going by the name of Lee Min-ho took home one of the newcomer awards — but a stumble on the red carpet keeps him humble.

Check out all the winners (and the clothes!) beyond the jump:

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Read the rest of 45th Baeksang Arts Awards (1,953 words)

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Post tags: Andre Kim, awards, fashion, Gong Hyo-jin, Han Ji-hye, Han Ye-seul, Jang Geun-seok, Joo Ji-hoon, Joo Jin-mo, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Ji-soo, Kim Joon, Kim Kang-woo, Kim Myung-min, Lee Min-ho, Lee Tae-ran, Moon Chae-won, Moon Geun-young, Park Bo-young, Park Hae-jin, Park Shi-yeon, So Ji-sub, Sohn Ye-jin, Song Chang-eui, Yoon Eun-hye