Dramabeans » Lee Bo-young

2011 MBC Drama Awards

javabeans — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:12:21 +0000

Oh, MBC. I can always count on you for some awards-time whatthefuckery. Three years ago it was split Daesangs (daesang = Grand Prize), giving the same award to Kim Myung-min and Song Seung-heon and doubling awards in every category. Two years ago, there were more split awards, and last year we had the bizarre “Character Daesangs” (“Crude Language Award,” “Hot Temper Award,” and so forth).

This year, no actors were forced to share the Daesang…because it basically went to a drama instead. What the what? (Last year, Drama of the Year was a viewers’ pick award. This year it took the place of the Daesang, even if it wasn’t officially called one.)

Part of what makes MBC such a weird award in my opinion is that they never seem to know what they’re doing. If you’re going to make weird categories a thing, then stick with it — but if you’ll compare past years with each other, you’ll see that they keep changing things around. It makes them seem desperate, scrambling to appease everyone. Add to that the fact that in recent years, MBC has typically had the weakest drama performances of the three broadcast stations (remember when MBC was the Drama Kingdom?). So with weak competition, you get awards being doled out to some middling dramas, while others are overlooked entirely.

It must be noted that these awards are hardly ever based strictly on merit. They’re given out by the broadcaster, so they’re more a measure of which dramas and stars they want to thank/bribe/flatter. It’s partially a popularity contest, and partially politicking; it’s a given that the big ratings hits will rake in a lion’s share of awards. I still reserve the right to gripe about their choices.

You’ll see that this year, the broadcaster has once again introduced new categories and done away with others. They’ve gotten a lot of flak in past years for splitting awards, so this year they haven’t split many… because instead, they split award categories, which essentially achieves the same thing. Oh, MBC, always trying to please everyone and therefore pleasing no one. Maybe you’ll get a decent hit in 2012.

(...)
Read the rest of 2011 MBC Drama Awards (1,593 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 119 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: awards, Cha Seung-won, Gong Hyo-jin, Honey Lee, Hwang Jung-eum, Ji Hyun-woo, Jo Yoon-hee, Jung Bo-seok, Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-tae, Lee Bo-young, Micky Yoochun, Nam Goong-min, Park Yoo-hwan, Shin Aera, Yoon Tae-young

Weekend drama Hooray For Love’s promo stills

javabeans — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:07:28 +0000

MBC’s about to premiere a new weekend drama, Hooray For Love, which looks pretty cute if we’re going solely on the stills and promo shots that have been released.

This is the drama Jae Hee (Three Dads, One Mom) and Jung Seok-won (Dr. Champ) had both dropped out of, and stepping in to replace them are Lee Tae-sung (Playful Kiss) and Jin Yi-han (Fine Windy Day). I can’t say that I’m as interested in the replacements as I was with the original casting, but I pretty much like all four of them, so no complaints.

The drama’s presented as the success story of a woman named Jae-mi (Lee Bo-young) who divorces her loser husband (Jin Yi-han) and finds new love with the lawyer hired to invalidate their divorce (Lee Tae-sung). The main cast also splits into two love triangles, as you can see in the stills below; the above-mentioned trio comprise the main triangle, while Jae-mi’s parents’ generation finds themselves in another one, featuring Byun Jung-soo (Manny), Chun Ho-jin (City Hunter), and Bae Jong-ok (The World They Live In).

(...)
Read the rest of Weekend drama Hooray For Love’s promo stills (316 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 54 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bae Jong-ok, Byun Jung-soo, Jin Yi-han, Lee Bo-young, Lee Tae-sung

Jae Hee (finally!) back with new drama

javabeans — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:24:23 +0000

Jae Hee is back! YESSSSSSSS!!

The drama is an MBC weekend dealio called Hooray For Love, which appears to be the same drama previously referred to as She Never Loses, starring Lee Bo-young (Birth of the Rich). She plays Kang Jae-mi, divorcée who overcomes obstacles in the basic Candy-esque narrative trajectory.

Jae Hee will play Byun Dong-woo, a man with a well-to-do background, good looks, a stable job as a lawyer and good manners to boot, making him the perfect man…on the outside. That’s till you get a little closer and realize that he’s got some flaws, like the fact that he’s a total playboy. He’s also described as Jae-mi’s old enemy, who gets hired to invalidate Jae-mi’s divorce (presumably by her ex-husband). As her success story unfolds, Dong-woo becomes one of her solid supporters — and, of course, love interests. (...)
Read the rest of Jae Hee (finally!) back with new drama (443 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 115 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jae Hee, Jung Seok-won, Lee Bo-young

Lee Bo-young takes on new weekend drama

javabeans — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:34:18 +0000

Lee Bo-young (Birth of the Rich) has signed on to her next drama, an MBC weekend production titled The Woman Who Doesn’t Lose. But maybe a better way to refer to it would be She Never Loses, since we’re full up on drama titles about men and women who can’t, want, or still want to do things. (Mostly marrying.)

She Never Loses is a success story of a late-20s divorced woman overcoming obstacles, in another example of the Candy narrative (sigh, another one). (I’ve had some confused questions about Candy, so the basic explanation is this: Candy is the heroine of a famous manhwa from the ’70s, whose M.O. was to be knocked down by life but bounce back cheerily. An orphan from a poor background, she was romanced by a couple dreamy heroes, making her a very popular example of a modern Cinderella. The story’s become such a pop-culture fixture that the “Candy type” has become a shorthand in dramas for poor, plucky heroines. You know. Her. In every drama ever.)

Lee Bo-young’s version of Candy is, of course, a bright and upbeat personality who is named, appropriately, Kang Jae-mi. (Jae-mi also happens to be the word for fun or interesting. Coincidence? I think not.)

The creative team behind the production are PD Joo Sung-woo (Goldfish, Chun-ja’s Happy Events) and writer Park Hyun-joo (My Precious You, Golden Bride). Given the tone of those series, I presume this drama will fall into the category of familiar weekend fare — lighthearted, family-friendly, with smaller stories as Jae-mi goes about her daily struggles.

She Never Loses will complete its casting by May, and plans to begin shooting in June. It’ll air following Do You Hear My Heart?

Via Osen

RELATED POSTS

Athena casts Lee Bo-young as presidential daughter

javabeans — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:33:46 +0000

Lee Bo-young has been added to the cast of the already star-studded Athena: Goddess of War, wherein she plays the daughter of the president. This means she joins Jung Woo-sung, Cha Seung-won, Su Ae, Kim Min-jong, Lee Jia, and Choi Siwon, who are all either spies or work within the intelligence agency in some capacity (e.g., profiler or data analyst).

Lee’s character is a student attending graduate school in Italy and has a free-spirited personality, not caring about her social status or what other people think of her. For the most part, the people around her don’t realize she’s the South Korean president’s daughter, even though she has a few bodyguards who protect her quietly. She is kidnapped by a terrorist group and taken to a secluded mountain locale, kicking off the action as our agent-heroes are put on the case.

Hm, interesting? I have found Lee Bo-young to be hit or miss in the past (Queen of the Game), but she’s had a good year. Her comedy series Birth of the Rich was a bit silly, but it got good ratings and a four-episode extension, and her cable drama Harvest Villa was well-received.

On the bright side, I find her much more likable than Lee Jia, and having another actress around to share that screentime might be a good thing. (On the potential downside: Eek, damsel in distress setup! Please, please tell me Lee Bo-young has more value to the story than being a princess needing rescuing. I’d love to see her “free-spirited” and unconventional character show a little badass attitude, if just to shake things up a little.)

Athena began shooting on June 19 and will air near the end of the year.

Via OSEN

RELATED POSTS

It’s finale week for Birth of the Rich, Jejoongwon

javabeans — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:13:17 +0000

This week saw the finales of two Monday-Tuesday dramas, KBS’s comedic Birth of the Rich and SBS’s medical-themed period drama Jejoongwon. The former enjoyed enough of a response to extend its series by four episodes, for a total of 20. The latter began in January and wrapped up its four-month-long broadcast with Episode 36.

Both dramas have fallen in viewership behind MBC’s Dong Yi in recent weeks, which has broken the 20% mark, but viewers have expressed overall satisfaction with their endings.

Warnings to spoiler-phobes: Details about the endings will be mentioned!

(...)
Read the rest of It’s finale week for Birth of the Rich, Jejoongwon (541 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Han Hye-jin, Jejoongwon, Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Shi-young, Nam Goong-min, Park Yong-woo, The Birth of the Rich, Yeon Jung-hoon

Birth of the Rich premieres, Pasta rises to top spot

javabeans — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:45:26 +0000

KBS premiered a new drama today, the light comic drama The Birth of the Rich, to replace God of Study. Although the first episode numbers were modest at 12.1% (TNS Media), the drama received generally positive reception for its imaginative and “manhwa-like” story and its refreshing cheeriness.

Also earning some praise is lead actor Ji Hyun-woo, who plays a man who grew up poor but clings to the belief that his father is a chaebol who will claim him later. He has a comic meeting with Lee Bo-young, an heiress who lives frugally (and whose reception was a bit more tepid than Ji’s). Nam Goong-min reportedly acquits himself well as a bad guy, as does Lee Shi-young playing a spoiled heiress. (I hadn’t been too eager to catch this series, but with mostly warm comments, I’ll have to check it out to see if it’s worth a whirl.)

In the absence of God of Study and its mid-20% numbers, MBC’s Pasta rose to first place with a series high of 19.7%. It’ll likely remain strong for the remainder of its run; it wraps next week with Episode 20. Not much changed for SBS’s historical drama Jejoongwon, which held with a 13.3%. Meanwhile, SBS’s bright and comedic Wish Upon a Star solidified its stronghold with a 19.0% rating.

Via TV Report, E Daily

RELATED POSTS

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 30 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: drama ratings, Jejoongwon, Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Pasta, The Birth of the Rich

Poster released for Birth of the Rich

javabeans — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:25:17 +0000

The poster is out for KBS’s Birth of the Rich [부자의 탄생] and, as one may have guessed, the main theme of the drama is money. Similar to how its timeslot predecessor God of Study incorporates studying techniques, Birth of the Rich promises to show viewers secrets and methods for earning money.

The poster features, clockwise from top left: Lee Bo-young (More Than Blue), Ji Hyun-woo (Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang), Lee Shi-young (Loving You a Thousand Times), and Nam Goong-min (Beautiful Sunday).

(...)
Read the rest of Poster released for Birth of the Rich (254 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Shi-young, Nam Goong-min, The Birth of the Rich

Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Bo-young in Birth of A Rich Man

javabeans — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:19:29 +0000

Casting news has been announced for a new KBS series, Birth of a Rich Man or Birth of the Rich [부자의 탄생], which will headline Lee Bo-young (More than Blue) and Ji Hyun-woo (Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang). The theme is, as you can guess from the title, about the pursuit of wealth.

Lee Bo-young plays the heir to a chaebol group who has her eye firmly on the goal of taking over the company. However, she’s a bit different from other chaebol heirs, insisting on Dutch paying for meals, enjoying cheap vending machine coffee, and using cosmetic samples rather than buying them. Her father harbors the old-fashioned belief that women ought to stay at home and keep house; she throws herself into work to prove him wrong. She meets Ji Hyun-woo, a man who believes himself to be a chaebol who was hidden away by his rich father in childhood. The drama follows the two as they fall for each other and the fake chaebol becomes a real one. Lee Shi-young (Loving You a Thousand Times) has also been cast.

This’ll be Lee Bo-young’s first drama in three years; her last was 2007′s revenge melodrama Queen of the Game with Joo Jin-mo. Ji Hyun-woo, meanwhile, has just finished playing a chaebol’s son in the romantic comedy Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang. It is a reunion project for the writer and director, Choi Min-ki and PD Lee Jin-seo, who worked together recently on the morning drama The Glory of Youth. The drama held its first script reading on the 25th and will begin filming shortly. It will air as a Monday-Tuesday series following God of Study.

Um…. meh? (I’ve never been that drawn to Lee Bo-young, and Ji Hyun-woo can go either way for me. He was great in My Sweet Seoul as the doting younger boyfriend, but he has a tendency to ham things up in comedies. I’m not sure yet what the tone of Birth of a Rich Man will be, but I’m not sold.) Also, I AM SO SICK OF CHAEBOL STORIES.

Via E Daily

RELATED POSTS

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Shi-young, The Birth of the Rich

Theater audiences make it a blue White Day

javabeans — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:02:09 +0000

Kwon Sang-woo‘s latest flick, tearjerker romance More Than Blue [슬픔보다 더 슬픈 이야기], enjoyed a strong White Day showing in theaters; its opening weekend sold more than 200,000 tickets — 147,000 of them on White Day alone. Pretty good for a single day’s take.

Wild horses couldn’t drag me to such an overindulgence of weepie angst — I can have my own pity parties at home, thankyouverymuch! — but I admit from the stills and previews that the film does look very pretty.

(...)
Read the rest of Theater audiences make it a blue White Day (203 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Bo-young