Wow, yet another celebrity comes down with swine flu. The latest is singer-actor Lee Seung-gi (Brilliant Legacy), who has canceled his activities for the immediate future as a result of his diagnosis.

According to a broadcast station source on November 11, Lee Seung-gi completed filming for variety show 1 Night 2 Days on November 7, after which he came down with a high fever, headache, and coughing. He was taken to the emergency room of a Seoul hospital where he tested positive for swine flu on the 10th.

Producers have been notified on the programs on which he is a current participant. A rep from the 1 Night 2 Days production team explained that filming occurs once every two weeks for their program, so they are not sure if he will be able to make the next shoot, but they have plenty of footage to be fine for the moment. Lee is also currently co-hosting the SBS variety program Strong Heart with Kang Ho-dong; PD Park Sang-hyuk explained that there is no shooting this week, and they don’t expect too much of a problem for the present.

However, Lee Seung-gi has had to cancel an upcoming concert in LA; he was scheduled to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on November 14 with Sohn Dam-bi and was planning to fly to the States on the 12th. However, his management feels it is prudent to keep him away from conditions where he’d be working with a lot of staff in a public place, and therefore will not be making the trip.

Via Star News, IS Plus

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A drama that performs well right out of the gate is a drama the broadcast station wants to hold on to, so it’s no surprise that SBS’s Brilliant Legacy has confirmed a two-episode extension. Currently halfway through its run, the series is closing in on 30% ratings.

Furthermore, a source from the production team said on the 4th that talks are still ongoing to add another two episodes on top of that. The drama was originally planned for a 24-episode broadcast, which means that it will now end with Episode 26, and possibly Episode 28 pending the additional extension.

The drama stars young actors (in order of photo) Bae Soo-bin, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-gi, and Moon Chae-won and airs on SBS on weekends.

Via Star News

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Yoon-ah, Park Su-jin

The following article looks at pop singers who make the jump to acting and kind of falls into the “No duh” category with its statement of the obvious. But I think the topic is interesting, even if the article is overly simplistic. (It could have been a more persuasive piece if it had looked at more examples, for instance.) As a jumping-off point, it does the job, given how many idol stars are trying to make the leap into acting careers these days, some with more success than others.

[Read more →]

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Moon Chae-won, Bae Soo-bin, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-gi

SBS’s Saturday-Sunday drama Brilliant Legacy [찬란한 유산, aka Shining Inheritance] is pulling in the highest ratings among the weekend dramas, with yesterday’s episode recording a 26.8%. It airs against KBS’s historical series Iron Empress (13.3%) and MBC’s Strike Love (4.1%, ouch).

Meanwhile, at an earlier hour (weekends air two hours of dramas), the lively and enjoyable Sons of Sol Pharmacy House (aka My Too Perfect Sons) on KBS is holding strong with a 21%, over SBS’s Does Anybody Love (11.3%) and MBC’s Job Well Done (aka Good Job, Good Job; this Saturday canceled its broadcast due to an hour on ex-President Roh Moo-hyun’s death, but last Sunday’s episode brought in a 10.2%).

I’m not following Brilliant Legacy/Shining Inheritance, but I know a bunch of you are, and are enjoying it. (I’m sure the good-looking young cast doesn’t hurt! Moon Chae-won and Han Hyo-joo are both improving as actors and lovely ladies — even with Han’s hair resembling a mushroom cap, although she’s cute enough that she can pull it off. Meanwhile, Lee Seung-gi is playing against type as the bad boy, while Bae Soo-bin is always handsome, isn’t he?)

I caught the first episode and thought it was okay, but it just didn’t speak to me, I suppose. I am following two other weekend shows, however, and enjoying both Strike Love for the sweet romance and Sons of Sol Pharmacy House for its hilarious comedy.

What say you about the weekend dramas?

Via My Daily, Asia Economy

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Don’t know this face? You’ll probably be seeing a lot more of it in the future. Moon Chae-won is following up her breakthrough role as Moon Geun-young’s same-sex love interest in last year’s Painter of the Wind with a new leading role in an SBS drama, Life is Beautiful [인생은 아름다워].

Although this is a weekend series, which are typically aimed more for an older or family crowd (as opposed to the trendier fare on Monday through Thursday), Life Is Beautiful depicts the love lives of young twentysomethings and focuses its main love triangle around Moon (who plays a resilient young woman who grew up in difficult circumstances with a stepmother), singer-actor Lee Seung-gi (Happy Sunday), and Han Hyo-joo (Iljimae).

Moon Chae-won is the newest face of the main cast but, as with fellow newcomers Lee Min-ho and Park Bo-young (both of whom she’s co-starred with, in Run! Mackerel and Our School E.T.), she has experienced a sharp rise in visibility in the last half-year. I don’t think she’s as solid an actor as the other two yet, but expect Moon, Lee, and Park to form the vanguard of the new wave of rising stars.

Life Is Beautiful premieres at the end of April following Family Honor.

Via No Cut News

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