Posters and teasers are out for MBC’s special 50th-anniversary drama production, Light and Shadow, which follows the lives of entertainers through the ’60s, ’70s, all the way up to present day. As if you couldn’t tell from the clothes. Groovy.

(Although, does anything else think the costumes and hairdos are straight out of a stage production about the 1960s, rather than an actual, realistic period look? I’m half-expecting them to burst out into a chorus from Hairspray, or some such.)

The first video clip below isn’t so much a trailer as it is an introduction to the concept of the show, explaining that all the beloved hits of the bygone eras will be revived for the drama. I can see that being a huge blast of welcome for the older Korean set, but I wonder how that’ll translate to the younger viewers, both at home and abroad.

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Read the rest of Light and Shadow’s groovy ’60s-themed promos (155 words)

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Post tags: Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Pil-mo, Nam Sang-mi, Sohn Dam-bi

Okay, how adorable are they? Above, Nam Sang-mi strikes a singer pose in a shoot for the upcoming drama Light and Shadow alongside a co-star. The series is a special production from MBC as part of the broadcaster’s 50th-year anniversary, and follows the lives and careers of performers in an entertainers’ troupe, covering several decades from the 1960s onward.

That explains the looks, which can only be described as retro fabulous, for series stars Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Pil-mo, and Sohn Dam-bi, as well as Nam. It seems as though Ahn will be the big star, while Nam plays a newer performer who’s on the rise. (I presume from the glitzy looks that Sohn and Lee are on the same path.)

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Read the rest of Character stills from MBC’s Light and Shadow (96 words)

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Post tags: Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Pil-mo, Nam Sang-mi, Sohn Dam-bi

Why, hello there, ’70s. You are making quite a comeback this season, aren’t you?

First we had Jang Geun-seok and Yoon-ah’s Love Rain, which is set partly in the ’70s and partly in the present. Now Light and Shadow, an upcoming MBC drama, joins them in the retro department; here are stills featuring the drama’s four main characters, all dolled up and stylin’ in their old-school fashions (although I think technically these may be closer to the ’60s).

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Read the rest of Retro looks from Light and Shadow’s first test shoot (249 words)

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Post tags: Ahn Jae-wook, Lee Pil-mo, Nam Sang-mi, Sohn Dam-bi

MBC’s 50th anniversary special presentation drama Light and Shadow has squared off its main cast with leading lady Nam Sang-mi and second lead Lee Pil-mo. They’ll be joining Ahn Jae-wook and Son Dambi in the epic story of one stage entertainer’s life, spanning 50 years of Korea’s history as a backdrop.

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Read the rest of Nam Sang-mi and Lee Pil-mo join Light and Shadow (375 words)

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Post tags: Lee Pil-mo, Nam Sang-mi

And Lee Pil-mo this week, Exhibits A through D: (...)
Read the rest of Why Lee Pil-mo should never cut his hair (162 words)

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Post tags: Hwang Woo-seul-hye, Lee Pil-mo

Lee Pil-mo has been cast in a new KBS drama, but first let’s get this out of the way: Where has that haircut been your whole life and why are you only trying it now? Yowsa. (I thought Lee was a pretty good-looking guy from his previous roles, but now I see that the assessment was in spite of the asymmetrical bowl cut, not thanks to it.)

His new drama is the weekend series Believe In Love, which comes from the writer-director pair who steered Sons of Sol Pharmacy to such ratings heights in 2009, drawing 40%+ ratings.

Lee plays a graduate of the Berklee College of Music who grew up in a rich family — his father is a broadcast writer and his mother a famous actress — but lacked for love. Currently, he operates his own agency and falls in love with Hwang Woo-seul-hye’s character after meeting her for the first time in ten years.

Despite being a family drama with 50 episodes, this show is on my radar because I so enjoyed Sons of Sol Pharmacy, which is the only family drama (with 50+ episodes) for which I’ve seen every episode. Lee played a rascally brother in it, and earned quite a bit of viewer love for his outrageous but lovable character and his bumbling courtship of his eventual love (played by Yoo Sun, whose character we nicknamed Bokifer.) The writer infused that show — which is, on the surface, a fairly typical family comedy — with such freshness and humor that I found myself attached to the characters and invested in how they’d work out.

I’m not sure how much musical ability his character will be expected to demonstrate with Believe In Love, but given that it’s a part of his background, Lee has been participating in vocal and music lessons two to three hours daily. The drama also stars Moon Jung-hee (Oh My Lady), Lee Jae-ryong (Goodbye Solo), and Park Joo-mi (Ladies of the Palace).

Believe In Love will replace Marry Me and premieres on January 1.

Via Mk.co.kr

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• The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry: Episodes 1-2
• Sol Pharmacy son Lee Pil-mo enjoys sharp rise in popularity
• The Sons of Sol Pharmacy House / My Too Perfect Sons

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Post tags: Lee Pil-mo

The character posters are out for the 7 main characters of MBC’s upcoming historical drama Kim Suro, who are played by the following: Ji Sung as the title character Kim Suro, Bae Jong-ok as his mother, Yoo Oh-sung as Suro’s ambitious rival, Seo Ji-hye as Suro’s queen, Go Joo-won as another rival, Kang Byul as Suro’s first love, and Lee Pil-mo as a former friend and later opponent.

Kim Suro premieres on May 27 and airs on the weekend.

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Read the rest of Main character posters out for Kim Suro (93 words)

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Post tags: Bae Jong-ok, Go Joo-won, Ji Sung, Kim Suro (drama), Lee Pil-mo, Seo Ji-hye, Yoo Oh-sung

Lee Pil-mo (The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry) is joining 3D historical series Kim Suro in his first villain’s role, playing an ambitious man who spends his life determined to cultivate ironworking technology. Lee sheds his warm, jokester image of previous roles, like last year’s Sons of Sol Pharmacy, which is the role that brought him to mainstream popularity.

Lee said about his character, “He’s not seeking ironworking technology just to achieve societal success, but because his character can’t help being obsessed with succeeding.” The character never knew his birth parents, and was raised by a healer. He realized early on in life that the best way for him to succeed in the world would be to cultivate ironworking skills, but was prevented from learning because of his low birth. He grows up alongside Kim Suro (Ji Sung), who later becomes king, and they spend their childhood like brothers. However, he later sides with Suro’s rival (played by Yoo Oh-sung).

I think this could be a good turn for him, because while I do like Lee Pil-mo, I can understand why some people find his constant joking around to be tiresome. He’s actually quite good at dramatic acting, and I think he’d relish playing the bad guy.

Meanwhile, the casting of newcomer Kang Byul (Creating Destiny) had been previously announced. I’m including her in this post because the above still has been released, which shows her in character as Ah-hyo, Suro’s first love. He later goes on to marry Seo Ji-hye‘s character, a princess from a faraway land.

Kim Suro will air after A Man Called God later this month.

Via Newsen, Hankook Ilbo

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© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kang Byul, Kim Suro (drama), Lee Pil-mo

Before we get into the final recap, I want to give a hearty thanks to girlfriday for recapping this drama with me. I’ve never shared recaps for a series before, and I found it even more fun than I thought it would be, and also a learning experience (to see what she picked out that I didn’t, for instance). Fear not, this is not her last recap, though I won’t yet announce for sure what comes next.

Since this is the finale, this recap contains comments from both me and girlfriday; you’ll find hers in blue, for ease of distinguishing between us.

SONG OF THE DAY

The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry OST – “사랑을 열다” (Opening love)
[ Download ]

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Read the rest of The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry: Episode 16 (Final) (5,492 words)

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Post tags: Choi Chul-ho, Eom Ji-won, Kim Bum, Lee Pil-mo, Park Jin-hee, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, Wang Bit-na

Meltdown! Hey, if my 24-year old boyfriend were hanging out with a popstar who calls him oppa, I’d be gnashing my teeth on raw pasta too. Or making a voodoo effigy. To each her own. There’s trouble in paradise this week, as we close in on the finale, and all our couples are put through the proverbial wringer.

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Read the rest of The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry: Episode 15 (5,183 words)

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Post tags: Choi Chul-ho, Eom Ji-won, Kim Bum, Lee Pil-mo, Park Jin-hee, The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, Wang Bit-na