Here’s a glimpse at what actress Lee Da-hae has been doing since her last drama Miss Ripley, a role that has successfully put her back in good standing, as far as her public image goes. The drama itself wasn’t nearly as dark as I wanted, but she did a good job playing the wounded heroine, even though I desperately wished she’d stop being wounded and just be BAD.

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Read the rest of Lee Da-hae’s Los Angeles photo shoot (205 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 83 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Da-hae, photo shoots

After the recent success of Miss Ripley and her successful fan meeting and CG shoots in China, Lee Da-hae is continuing her streak with a new jewelry line, which launched on October 10.

Lee’s jewelry line was launched by Mzuu, which is headed by the designer Park Min-joo.  If that name sounds familiar at all, it’s because she’s the younger sister of Park Shi-yeon, who co-starred in My Girl  with Lee.  On the jewelry brand Mzuu’s homepage, Lee is seen sporting the items from her new line, which were designed to fit her rather casual personality.  

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Read the rest of Lee Da-hae launches new jewelry line (227 words)

© sassychef for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 37 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Da-hae, star extracurricular activities

More songs! And this time, they’re sung by some of your favorite (or not) actors. This list is hardly comprehensive, and I picked mostly those actors who weren’t singers first. (And if they were, they are generally stars who are not known for their singing, despite their origins. See: Kim Kang-woo’s awesome beginnings as a soft-ballad rapper. That video takes forever to load, but trust me, it’s worth it.)

Some of these songs come from OSTs, some from digital singles, and some as featured tracks on other singers’ albums.

Enjoy!

Moon Geun-young – “그 바람소리” (The sound of the wind) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Javabeans Playlist #3: Actor edition (306 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 120 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bae Doo-na, Chae Jung-ahn, Choi Jin-hyuk, Daniel Choi, featured, Gu Hye-sun, Han Hyo-joo, Han Ji-hye, Hyun Bin, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Haneul, Kim Kang-woo, Kim So-yeon, Lee Da-hae, Lee Jia, Lee Jun-hyuk, Lee Jun-ki, Lee Min-ki, Lee Shi-young, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-yeon, Park Yong-ha, Song Chang-eui, Sung Yuri, Uhm Tae-woong

Last episode! I wasn’t sure whether Miss Ripley would wrap up in a surge of melodrama or in unearned happy endings, but it delivers a dose of peace and resolution, with a smattering of bittersweetness. It’s somewhat satisfying, though a little pat for my tastes, but most importantly it gives each of our characters an ending that I think is fitting. (Ish.)

This started out a drama about one desperate woman’s lie to save herself from a miserable fate, and became an interesting study on the power of love (and the devastation wrought by a lack thereof). The mother-daughter conflict was a late entry, but emerges as the core of Miri’s conflict, both internal and external.

SONG OF THE DAY

The One – “그만해” (Enough) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 16 (Final) (3,816 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 108 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

Miri reaches the end of her rope, as everyone comes to collect what’s owed. The men in her life continue to think that they can save her, and don’t stop hurling themselves under buses to prove their love. Apparently a simple candygram just won’t do.

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 15 (3,039 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 129 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

The shit, it meets the fan, and for more than one person. I do appreciate the speed with which this drama blows the lid off of all its secrets, letting us speed past the inevitable angsting about whether they’ll be revealed (’cause we know they will) and head straight for the fallout. It’s an episode of revelations — for those Miri has swindled, as well as Miri herself, and that ever-present spoiler, The Media.

SONG OF THE DAY

Shin Hye-sung – “조금 더 가까이” (A little closer) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 14 (3,230 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 164 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

It’s the villains’ episode to shine, and Hirayama and Lee Hwa rock it. I really wish Hirayama had been in more of the drama from the start, instead of cooling his heels for so long. But hey, it’s worth the wait, since Miri has built up her tower, and now he’s here to both speed her inevitable fall, but also… to catch her when she does. How come even the villains have savior complexes in this drama?

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 13 (2,812 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 108 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

He knows! It’s the death of the puppy and the rise of Dark Yoo-hyun, who is no less polite than before, but eerily icy beneath the surface. And let’s not count out Myung-hoon, who is quickly becoming Miri’s biggest opponent yet. Basically everyone serves Miri up a slice of humble pie, and it’s kind of awesome. Let the real fun begin.

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 12 (2,943 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 152 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

More secrets are revealed! Some are new revelations, while others are just passed on to new people — like, say, our resident energizer puppy, who’s maybe not as big a pushover as he seemed at the outset. Oh, we’ve seen glimpses of his sharper side in brief moments, but now he stops playing the dupe and gets wise to a few things.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jisun – “바람아 불어라” (Blow, wind) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 11 (3,474 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 130 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley

I think the most significant development to come of recent events isn’t even actual fallout from Miri’s lie, but the fact that she starts caring. About people only to a (teeny, tiny) degree, but mostly about how far she’s come, which makes her desperate to protect her achievement.

In previous episodes, she’s been like a feral creature, rabidly protecting herself from immediate harm and uncaring of the cost to her conscience or morals. Now that she’s found some degree of comfort, she starts to feel pangs of getting here the wrong way. To paraphrase one famous realityshowgoer: You’re gonna need your soul one day, and you won’t have it.

SONG OF THE DAY

8eight – “그대는 정말 대단해요” (You’re really amazing) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Miss Ripley: Episode 10 (3,424 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 86 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kang Hye-jung, Kim Seung-woo, Lee Da-hae, Micky Yoochun, Miss Ripley