I only had to read the headline to get excited: Lee Jung-jae Becomes Sexy. (Although, I will argue that he’s been sexy for years, article.)

The sexification refers to Lee’s latest role in the highly anticipated remake of The Housemaid. In prior roles he’s shown his masculine, charismatic side (Typhoon, Air City), his bad-boy side (Oh! Brothers) and what is described as a “dandy” side (Triple), but this film has him being outright sexy. Sign me up.

The provocative thriller stars Lee as the husband caught in an adulterous triangle: he has a perfect younger wife (Seo Woo), but is seduced by the maid (Jeon Do-yeon playing the femme fatale), and starts to walk a “dangerous tightrope.” He’s from a rich, upper-class background and seems like the perfect, stylish prince. Lee will also show his piano-playing skills in a pivotal scene where Jeon’s character spies him playing passionately. According to a source from the film’s production, Lee Jung-jae began learning piano in his spare time following his debut and his playing ability is at a highly skilled level. Seo Woo’s character is described as bold and haughty.

The Housemaid will begin filming mid-January.

Via OSEN

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Done! Finally!

I’m pretty conflicted about Triple’s end — part of that has to do with the plot, but it’s more to do with the drama as a whole. More on that below.

SONG OF THE DAY

Triple OST – “짙은 바람” by Sub [ Download ]

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TRIPLE Episode 16 >>

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Oh, this makes me SO happy. Lee Jung-jae (Typhoon, Oh Brothers) has been cast as the husband in the highly anticipated remake of classic Korean film The Housemaid, putting him in the middle of a confrontation between veteran actress Jeon Do-yeon and rising star Seo Woo.

The remake of the 1960 dark psychological thriller had initially attracted notice when casting Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine) as the housemaid who upends the lives of a married couple, then again stirred buzz when adding Seo Woo (Tamra the Island). In the original, the spouses are middle-aged and the maid is younger than the husband she seduces. However, this remake is taking a modern spin in casting Jeon as an older femme fatale who is brought in to work for a younger couple. (I say “older” but it hardly means she’s old; it’s just in relation to the original film. Jeon is 36, the same age as Lee, while Seo Woo is 24.) Still, even if the plot remains intact, this reversal does significantly alter the politics of the three-way relationship, and ought to make for some interesting shifts in dynamic.

I had heard rumors that Lee might be cast, but was not getting my hopes up in case those were just rumors. But with three really strong actors, a strong director, and source material that’s widely considered the best from the golden age of Korean cinema, well, expectations are climbing.

The Housemaid will begin filming next month and release in 2010.

Via Now News

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I admit I approached Triple recaps with a bit of a “Let’s get this over with, sigh” attitude, but rewatching this episode reminded me of all the little touches that I enjoyed about it. I’ve been meaning to finish off this drama for ages, and never entertained the idea of dropping it. (Whereas, in contrast, I had to actively throw up my hands in frustration with My Sweet Seoul and A Star’s Lover because I just couldn’t keep going.) I feel bad about the delay because Triple is such an inoffensive show, and there are things I quite like about it, but I do think there are some fundamental issues that hindered it from being more — more memorable, more substantial, just more.

SONG OF THE DAY

Triple OST – “사랑은 지고 달빛은 빛나고” by Low-End Project [ Download ]

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TRIPLE Episode 15 >>

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Add Jung Woo-sung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird) to the list of actors who are seeking to branch out into directing (Yoo Ji-tae and Gu Hye-sun are two who have already put out directorial work). He explained in a recent interview that he had been intending to make his directorial debut for years, but kept pushing it back. To date, Jung has finished three screenplays in the action genre, and plans to take either a lead or a prominent supporting role as well as directing the feature. He is even considering casting close friends to keep the budget down, as he could rely on them to act without pay.

Who would agree to do that? “[Lee] Jung-jae in particular will have to act for free,” he said with a laugh. The two are good friends, and acted together in the 1999 film City of Rising Sun.

Jung is currently promoting his latest film, Rainy Season aka Season of Good Rain. He hopes to film his directorial debut project next year.

Via My Daily

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