Wild Romance faced some stiff competition during its premiere on KBS this past week, bringing up the rear as far as ratings were concerned. What it has going in its favor is a small and intimate world, funny characters, and a light storyline (like if zero-calorie-cola were a drama and not sadness in a can). Without really a hint of melodrama to be found in the first episode, we can at least be cautiously optimistic that the show will keep its tone and serve as a less-serious alternative than its fellow dramas – especially with our heroine’s family being as single-mindedly dedicated to their favorite baseball team as much as they are to our entertainment.

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Read the rest of Wild Romance: Episode 1 (3,694 words)

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Post tags: featured, first episodes, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Shi-young, Wild Romance

Lee Dong-wook is the baseball player in Wild Romance, but that doesn’t mean Lee Shi-young doesn’t get her chance to bat. The latest photos released by the soon-to-premiere drama feature heroine Eun-jae (Lee Shi-young) in batter mode, ready to take on the opening pitch of a game.

Eun-jae will eventually have to take up bodyguard duties for the pro baseball player hero, Mu-yeol (Lee Dong-wook), although perhaps we’re using the term “hero” loosely, since he’s kind of a punk. I suppose the job causes Eun-jae a little bit of inner turmoil, since she’d dearly love to give him a beating herself. Well, the more they fight, the more they’ll love?

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Read the rest of Lee Shi-young goes to bat for Wild Romance (75 words)

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Post tags: Lee Dong-wook, Lee Shi-young, Wild Romance

And now to conclude the Big 3 Broadcaster awards with SBS, featuring some of the most popular dramas of the year. Tree With Deep Roots was the big winner of the night, winning six trophies in total, including the Daesang for Han Seok-kyu, and the Top Excellence Award for Best Drama. There were no big upsets in any category, because they kind of have a category for everyone, but that’s the name of the game. I’m just happy for Han Seok-kyu’s big win, and the fact that he didn’t have to share the glory with any split-award hullabaloo.

Protect the Boss cleaned up as well, winning Best Couple and acting awards for the stars, as well as an additional netizen popularity award for Choi Kang-hee. As expected, Thousand Day Promise had a strong showing in the acting categories, as did fellow melodrama Scent of a Woman. It certainly was the year for tearjerkers. The winners…

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Read the rest of 2011 SBS Drama Awards (1,653 words)

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Post tags: awards, Choi Kang-hee, Eom Ki-joon, Gu Hara, Han Seok-kyu, Im Soo-hyang, Jaejoong, Jang Hyuk, Jeon Gwang-ryul, Ji Chang-wook, Ji Sung, Jung Kyeo-woon, Jung Yumi (2), Kim Rae-won, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Mi-sook, Lee Min-ho, Lee So-yeon, Lee Yo-won, Seo Hyo-rim, Shin Hyun-bin, Shin Se-kyung, Song Joong-ki, Su Ae, Wang Ji-hye, Yoon So-yi

So these are cute: Wild Romance has released its first posters featuring its two leads, Lee Dong-wook and Lee Shi-young. He’s a dumb jock baseball player, she’s the even dumber bodyguard assigned to protect him… from a rabid anti-fan. Hee.

A few more details: He’s the cocky problem child of his pro baseball team, despite Oh Man-seok’s attempts to be the guiding hyung/sunbae on the team. She’s a former judo athlete and goes into the job already itching to unleash her hot temper on the arrogant bastard, and Dumb and Dumber fall in love.

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Read the rest of Wild Romance releases posters (151 words)

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Post tags: Lee Dong-wook, Lee Shi-young, Wild Romance

Time for a closer look at upcoming KBS rom-com series Wild Romance, whose production has been leaking stills in a steady trickle over the past couple of weeks. The teaser’s out (watch below), as well as more information about the plot and the supporting cast, so here we go:

Lee Shi-young takes the lead role of aggressive heroine Yoo Eun-jae, who is assigned bodyguard duty to Park Mu-yeol (Lee Dong-wook), a cocky baseball player who’s the target of “the most dangerous type of anti-fan.” Hahaha. Okay, that cracks me up. (Not that scary anti-fans can’t be dangerous. Shudder.)

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Read the rest of Teaser and stills from KBS’s Wild Romance (430 words)

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Post tags: Hwang Sun-hee, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Shi-young, Oh Man-seok, Wild Romance

She’s played a baddie (Sign) and a sympathetic vet (City Hunter), and now Hwang Sun-hee joins Lee Dong-wook and Lee Shi-young in the romantic comedy minseries Wild Romance.

Given that this project rates high on my anticipation meter (writer Park Yeon-seon has the thoughtful Alone In Love and smart, sharp Mixed-up Investigative Agency to her name), I’m paying close attention to what’s going on with it, and so far I’m liking the way this cast is shaping up. The previously cast headliners both have an ability to span the comedy-drama divide, and although she hasn’t had much screentime yet, Hwang Sun-hee has an inherent intensity to her presence. I think she may develop into an interesting actress, given the right stuff to work with.

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Read the rest of Wild Romance adds Hwang Sun-hee (200 words)

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Post tags: Hwang Sun-hee, Kang Dong-ho, Lee Dong-wook, Wild Romance

So the rumors were half-true: Yoon Eun-hye isn’t taking on romantic comedy series Wild Romance, but Lee Dong-wook is.

He’ll be joining Lee Shi-young, who was recently cast as the female lead, a judo athlete turned bodyguard. He plays a baseball player, and their relationship gets off to an inauspicious start with some “unpredictable bad luck.” I foresee lots of comedic clashes in their future, before the antagonism turns to love.

I love Lee Shi-young — she can make even the worst writing somewhat watchable (see: Poseidon) — and I think Lee Dong-wook has solid comic chops, so I’m looking forward to this pairing. But more than the casting, I’m particularly keen on this drama because it comes from writer Park Yeon-seon, who wrote Alone and Love and Mixed-up Investigative Agency, both of which were standouts. Directing is PD Bae Kyung-soo of Infamous Chil Sisters; actor Oh Man-seok has also joined the cast.

The drama is set for 16 episodes and premieres in January. It’ll air on Wednesdays and Thursdays, in the post-Man of Honor timeslot.

Via My Daily

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• Lee Dong-wook eats ice cream in Paris
• Lee Dong-wook: “I want to conquer the universe”
• Scent of a Woman: Episode 1

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 125 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Dong-wook, Lee Shi-young, Wild Romance

This would make my day, if the casting gets confirmed: Currently two top rom-com stars, Yoon Eun-hye and Lee Dong-wook, are reported as likely candidates for Wild Romance — that recently announced romantic comedy series written by Park Yeon-seon, she of Alone in Love, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, and White Christmas fame.

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Read the rest of Yoon Eun-hye and Lee Dong-wook for Wild Romance? (404 words)

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Post tags: Lee Dong-wook, Wild Romance, Yoon Eun-hye

girlfriday: Is he wearing sunglasses in every shot of this photo shoot? What is the point of casting Lee Dong-wook for your overseas feature if you’re going to cover his pretty face?

javabeans: To make you want to eat ice cream? Or buy hair gel? I think it’s funnier that he’s in Paris too. Either November means something to Paris that I’m unaware of, or some art directors be stealing ideas from each other, all 13 Going on 30 style.

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Read the rest of Lee Dong-wook eats ice cream in Paris (171 words)

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Post tags: conversation post, Lee Dong-wook, photo shoots

With Scent of a Woman having wrapped up over the weekend, it’s managed to raise the profiles of its two stars — or, should I say, re-raise, since Kim Sun-ah and Lee Dong-wook were successful leading actors before as well. But as is the case with many a well-received, heart-warming TV series, what we’re left with isn’t just the warm fuzzies over the drama plot, but also newer, fresher impressions of the actors who played the characters we laughed and cried over. (Although in this case, it was probably more crying than laughs.)

The following is taken from multiple interviews with Scent’s leading man Lee Dong-wook given over the past few weeks, as he was shooting and wrapping the show.

Scent of a Woman is Lee’s first project after being released from military service, and he wasted no time getting to work; he headed to the drama’s poster shoot on the day he was discharged.

Lee laughed about seeing an article while he was still in the army (his hair stylist sent a camera-phone picture of the story), which listed Can You Hear My Heart’s Kim Jae-won as number 1 pick for the actor who’d do the best in his post-army project, and Lee Dong-wook as number 2. He joked, “It was my goal to beat Kim Jae-won.”

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Read the rest of Lee Dong-wook: “I want to conquer the universe” (1,071 words)

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Post tags: interviews, Lee Dong-wook, Scent of a Woman