Best Actress winners Yoon Eun Hye (drama), Kim Min Hee (film)

The 44th Baeksang Arts Awards were held in Seoul on April 24, handing out top honors to the films and television programs of the previous year.

Big winners included films The Chaser and Forever the Moment (aka The Best Moment In Our Lives); Yoon Eun Hye won for her trend-setting turn as Go Eun Chan in last year’s smash drama Coffee Prince, while War of Money took home Best Drama.

SONG OF THE DAY

MC Mong - “옛날 옛적에” (Once upon a time) from his recently released fourth album. [ Download ]

 
Full awards list for the 44th BAEKSANG AWARDS >>

Tags: awards, Coffee Prince, Go Ara, Han Hyo-joo, Hong Gil Dong, Hyun Young, Jang Geun-seok, Jung Il-woo, Jung Ryeo-won, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Min-hee, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Byung-heon, Lee Dong-wook, Lee Jia, Lee Seon-kyun, Lee Yeon-hee, Lee Yoon-jung, Legend, Park Shi-yeon, Park Shin-yang, Park Yong-ha, Sohn Ye-jin, Song Kang-ho, Sung Yuri, War of Money, Yoo Gun, Yoon Eun-hye

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 72 Comments →

I’d like to sit down for coffee and girlchat with actress Moon Sori. Or knock back a pint of beer, since she seems cool like that.

Perhaps there’s a belief that you haven’t really made it as a celebrity till you have anti-fans. Hey, in Hollywoodland, you know you’ve made it when you’ve been satirized by either The Simpsons or Saturday Night Live. Which may explain why an actress so widely recognized for her talents looks at her newfound troops of anti-fans as a positive sign.

Moon Sori: “I’m glad to have gained anti-fans”

Moon Sori has gained anti-fans for the first time since her role in the drama Legend, and she explained her peculiar opinion by saying, “Rather, I’m happy that I was able to draw strong interest.”

Moon, who’s doing promotion for the new film The Best Moment in Our Lives (costarring Kim Jung Eun), said in an interview:

“All this time, I’ve had too few anti’s. I think that means the level of interest in me as an actor has been low. If anti’s are seen as being representative of interest in you, I think of them with thanks. After all, Kim Tae Hee, who’s far prettier than I am, also has anti’s, so what does that say?”

Moon, who’s appeared in numerous films to much critical acclaim, has been criticized for her role as Kiha in Legend — her first drama series — by people who feel she wasn’t suited to the role. (I tend to agree, although she was fantastic and intense as the ancient fire priestess Kajin.)

Her role may have gained her newfound anti’s, but it also increased her fanbase overall:

“Through my role in this drama, I gained middle-aged female [ajumoni] fans as well. In the past, people who didn’t watch many films had no idea who I was. Now I’ve gained more fans, and new anti’s have stirred things up. I think of criticism as something to be thankful for.”

Via My Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Heritage - “Starlight” [ zShare download ]

 
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Tags: anti-fans, Legend, Moon Sori

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 18 Comments →

Yes, my last post was “The Best of 2007,” but rather than put up a Worst list, I’m lumping them all together with The Rest. Not all the dramas I’m mentioning here are bad; they’re just dramas I watched that didn’t belong in the Best list.

SONG OF THE DAY

War of Money OST - “알 수 없는 일” (unknowable thing) by Sweet Sorrow [ zShare download ]

The Rest of 2007 >>

Tags: Air City, Auction House, Bad Couple, Capital Scandal, Goong S, Hello! Miss, Legend, Oh Su Jung, stuff I dig, War of Money, Witch Amusement, year in review

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 49 Comments →

[And now for Dahee Fanel's comprehensive take on the past year! --javabeans]

First of all, I’d like to bow my head in deep gratitude to Javabeans, the highly esteemed writer of this blog, for inviting me to post a few thoughts here. I hope she won’t regret her decision after reading what I have to say, hehe.

2007 was an interesting year, at least for me, particularly when it comes to Korean dramas. I’ve watched dramas on a regular basis since I was old enough to walk and talk (I am, after all, Korean), but I’ve never undergone such a transformation in terms of how I approach dramas as I have in the past couple of years…although I suppose you could argue that it’s turned me into nothing but a picky bitch. (But weren’t you always a picky bitch, Dahee?)

Still, despite my pickiness, I managed to watch quite a handful of dramas this year, although I certainly didn’t manage to finish them all (blame school and the crappy work that some PDs and writers dish out, putting off viewers like me). In fact, I watched so many, I can’t possibly talk about them all here. So I’ll just pick a few notables and dish out some kudos, as well as one or two boos. Because boos are just as fun as kudos, if not as well-received.

DAHEE’S SONG OF THE DAY

Jo Kwan Woo - “천년애” (chun nyun ae), from the soundtrack of the drama The King & I. [ zShare download ]

In which I am embarrassingly long-winded

Tags: Coffee Prince, Dae Jang Geum, Dal Ja's Spring, Devil, guest bloggers, Insoon Is Pretty, King and I, Legend, Madam Ah Hyun Dong, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, My Man's Woman, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Taereung National Village, Thank You, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, year in review, Yi San

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by Dahee_Fanel - 43 Comments →

[And now, please give your warm welcome to guest blogger Thunderbolt, who shares with us her year-end review! --javabeans]

Has this happened to you? You’re reading a book on the bus or train and all of a sudden you burst out laughing. Everyone’s staring but you can’t stop grinning. And all because that line you just read was so unexpectedly funny.

Here’s another scenario. You’re watching one of the hit kdramas of 2006 and after being entertained for the first eighteen episodes or so, you’re down to the last few episodes. And though you had been warned that it was going to be draggy from here, you had no idea how draggy. So now you’re climbing the walls. Your mood’s so foul from the plot shenanigans you want to hurl two cartons of rotten tomatoes at your TV screen.

That was my 2007. A year where I laughed and cried my way through dramas so good they made me even more of an addict. A year where I watched stuff that people were raving about and I shook my head and said, “Something’s seriously amiss with me because I. JUST. DON’T. GET. THE. HYPE.” I raved, I ranted, and just like that, a year has gone by. Here’s my “hits and misses” (how original a title, right?^^) roundup for 2007.

THUNDERBOLT’S SONG OF THE DAY

Uhm Tae Woong - “사랑하지 말아줘” (Don’t love me) from the OST of Devil. Singing must run in the family. (Older sis is the “Korean Madonna” Uhm Jung Hwa.) [ zShare download ]

And it comes with a video! Live performance by actor/singer Uhm Tae Woong:

Thunderbolts gems and head-scratchers >>

Tags: Dal Ja's Spring, Devil, guest bloggers, Legend, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Thank You, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, year in review

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by thunderbolt - 55 Comments →