T-Max rapper and Boys Before Flowers actor Kim Joon is making his theater debut: He’s taking on a role in the musical Youthful March [젊음의 행진]

He doesn’t have the lead role, but I’m curious about this nonetheless. Kim Joon’s got experience in the pop-music world but he’s a rapper, not a singer, so perhaps the transition is more of a leap than when other pop vocalists make the jump to musical theater. (Such as: Ok Joo-hyun, Lee Ji-hoon.)

The lead role will alternate between actor-singers Lee Ji-hoon (You’re My Destiny) and Lee Sung-jin (from the musical version of Singles), while the female lead role is double-cast between musical actresses Kim Ji-woo and Lee Jung-mi. Kim Joon plays a student teacher.

The musical Youthful March debuted in 2007 and is described as a “jukebox musical” that mixes the popular 1990s manhwa “Yongshimi” with the ’80s music variety program “Youthful March.” (I’m not familiar with either program so I can only speculate, but it seems like the musical is meant to evoke a pleasant sense of nostalgia while updating itself for the modern watcher.)

The plot features the now-33-year-old Yongshimi preparing for a concert, when she runs into her old schoolmate and flashes back to 1991 — and the musical therefore features such old pop hits as Lee Seung-chul’s “Last Concert” (Love this song! Listen below), Kim Gun-mo’s “Excuse” (핑계) , and others.

The musical runs from July 18 through October 25 at Seoul’s Coex Artium.

Via Break News

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Seung-chul – “마지막 콘서트” (Last Concert). If the musical is supposed to evoke the sort of fond nostalgia I get when listening to songs like this from those good ol’ days of yore, I TOTALLY GET IT. Ahh, I remember first hearing this song and falling for it way back when. [ Download ]

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Singer-actor Lee Ji-hoon is currently acting as promotional rep for the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), which kicked off on Thursday. In these photos, he poses at a café in the city of Jeonju on May 1.

Lee Ji-hoon (You’re My Destiny) is one of those mid-level actors who works steadily but probably doesn’t get enough love. He’s also one of those people whose appeal you might not quite get until you see him in motion, and then his warmth comes through, which I suppose makes him the quintessential “hunnam” (warm guy), the kkotminam’s (metrosexual pretty boy) lesser-appreciated counterpart.

SONG OF THE DAY

S (에스) – “사랑니 (Love Is).” Great harmonies on this track. This is the former project group formed by Lee Ji-hoon with Kang Ta (of H.O.T.) and Shin Hye-sung (of Shinhwa). This particular song was written (music and lyrics) by Kang Ta; Lee Ji-hoon sings first, then Kang Ta, then Shin Hye-sung. If you’re curious about whose face goes with whose voice, watch the MV here. [ Download ]

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Singer and actor Lee Ji-hoon (You’re My Destiny, Hello Miss) is wrapping up his role of the Prince of Denmark in the musical production of Hamlet and had a few thoughts on the experience playing one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters.

And while I’d like to make some thoughtful commentary on his taking the role and the existential soliloquy it’s most known for, I’m too distracted by how awful Lee Ji-hoon looks in these photos. I like the guy, really I do — he has an approachable warmth to his acting — but he looks like some cheesy cosplaying Luke Skywalker/The Bachelor hybrid. It was almost enough to make me file it as an “Oh Snap” and make some inappropriate commentary about the handling of his sword and maybe some references to thrusting technique.

(At the risk of alienating y’all further, I cannot be the only person who hears the words “Hamlet” and “musical” spoken together and immediately flashes to the old Gilligan’s Island episode where they set the soliloquy to Carmen, right? I KNOW you know what I’m talking about. Update! Here we go. The Offenbach has to be my personal favorite.)

Back to Lee Ji-hoon. The role of Hamlet is actually being shared among four actors; Lee Ji-hoon alternates with Park Gun-hyung, Im Tae-hyung, and Yoon Hyun-ryul. Currently, he’s spending his free time practicing his sword skills, particularly for his fight with Laertes, since timing is the most important aspect in the fight choreography.

Lee explains that he’d always wanted to do a musical, having begun his singing career more than ten years ago and now enjoying a television acting career: “I want to show people yet another side to me that hasn’t been shown before. I want to try new things and be recognized for them.” With the curtain about to come down on the production, Lee hopes he’ll be able to correct all his previous flaws in his last performance.

Hamlet is currently running and closes on September 21.

Via Newsis

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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 >>

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I feel like I’m turning into the Star Accident Watch. Who wants to start a pool for the next celebrity fender-bender?

The most recent incident involves Lee Ji Hoon, the busy actor and singer whose schedule is so jam-packed that he had no time to get a physical checkup after his car accident on June 1 (disclosed belatedly to the public), and instead rushed from the accident site (coming from a filming location) to his next shoot. The collision was described as minor and occurred in Seoul; the vehicle Lee Ji Hoon was riding in was hit by a car swerving to avoid another accident up ahead.

With no time to stop by the hospital (money doesn’t make itself, you know), Lee Ji Hoon jumped back to work. He’s currently currently acting in the daily drama You Are My Destiny on KBS, as well as promoting his sixth solo album, which marks his return to music after four years. His current single is the ballad “가슴아 미안하다” (I’m sorry, my heart), which apparently takes precedence; he plans to get a physical checkup “just in case” after first performing on live music program Music Bank on June 6.

When are they going to change the motto “Land of the Morning Calm” to “Land of the Perpetually Overworked”? Or “Land of the Too-Busy-To-Enjoy-One’s-Fame”?

SONG OF THE DAY
Lee Ji Hoon – “가슴아 미안하다” (I’m sorry, my heart) [ Download ]

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