Although Tamra the Island has finished airing, gallivanter and myself have volunteered to continue Javabeans’ efforts to offer recaps to Dramabeans readers. So, in the next weeks, we’re hoping to share detailed recaps, thoughts and opinions on this little treasure of a drama.

Now a side note for Tamra: Unfortunately the powers of MBC decided to cut the original 20 episodes to 16 episodes and by Episode 10 we start seeing the weird effects of crazy editing to keep the storylines flowing. What we’re also hoping to do is recap the original episodes once the DVD release comes out. It’ll be interesting to do a comparison between the editions and look at how much more of the characters/plot/themes we see in an extra 4 hours of viewing time- watch this space!

Otherwise, it’s easy to write about Tamra retrospectively but this could spoil it for first time readers/watchers so we’ll try to recap as we watched it the first time round, keeping the surprises and discoveries fresh.

We really hope you enjoy the recaps; happy reading!

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Everyone’s favorite voice Lee Seon-kyun (Triple) has again teamed up with famous songwriter Yoon Sang for the latter’s latest music video, which takes scenes from the former’s new movie, Paju. The film, which co-stars Seo Woo, happens to be earning good early buzz at the currently running Pusan International Film Festival.

The song is Yoon Sang’s “Inside Eternity” and comes from his sixth album, which was released in August. The song’s moody, mellow vibe is said to match well with the dark drama Paju, wherein Seo Woo plays as a young woman who falls for the man who she believes may have killed her sister. Watch the MV below.

SONG OF THE DAY

Yoon Sang – “영원속에” (Inside Eternity) [ Download ]

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On October 8, the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, or PIFF, opened in Busan. (Yes, the city takes a different official spelling than the film festival. Blame inconsistent Romanization.)

As the largest film festival in Korea, it drew a large list of attendees, as you can see from the long list of red-carpet walkers. It was definitely a star-studded opening night, and even included one familiar Hollywood face (Josh Hartnett).

This year’s PIFF features its largest lineup to date, screening 355 films from 70 countries, and closes on the 16th.

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Spunky Seo Woo (Crush and Blush) is the latest actor to be caught in a lie about her age (others: Sunwoo Sun, Lee Shi-young, Hyun Young), as it has been revealed that she is three years older than previously believed. She was thought to be 21 (or 22 by Korean count) and born in 1988; in actuality, she is 24, born in 1985. Her real name has also been revealed as Kim Mun-joo, although that’s not such a surprise, since she has acknowledged that Seo Woo is a stage name.

Her management has stated that discrepancy is their fault, and not a result of Seo Woo’s intention to lie about her age: “We hope that criticism will not be directed at her. We’re sorry and ask for your forgiveness.”

I don’t think this is much of a big deal, and I doubt it’ll have much of an effect on her career; it’s more of a matter of interest than a controversy. In this age of the internet, it’s interesting that people continue to try to fudge ages, although Seo Woo’s very youthful face probably helped with the perception.

In the meantime, she is currently acting in Tamra the Island, and has spoken out several times to express her sorrow at the early ending. She’s also apologized to viewers, feeling that the show’s lack of success is largely her fault. Next up, she has the October release of her movie Paju to look forward to, which co-stars Lee Seon-kyun.

Via Segye

RELATED POSTS

• Tamra will air complete version overseas, not at home
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Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 29 Comments →

Despite fan furor, the decision to cut Tamra the Island down to 16 episodes still stands, but the MBC drama will be exported abroad with its 20 episodes intact. This mirrors the scenario for MBC’s similarly chopped Strike Love, which was cut to 16 in Korea but exported to Japan with all its original episodes.

Because MBC’s decision came relatively late, Tamra’s production team will be working to cut the remaining material down to size for the remainder of its MBC run. The drama’s first ten episodes were aired intact; beginning with the upcoming weekend, however, Episodes 11 through 16 will show re-worked material of the story that had originally been planned for Episodes 11 to 20. Tamra the Island had filmed much of its show prior to broadcast, but not all of it; the production now has some extra time to complete the filming for the last several episodes according to their original plan, even though those portions will not air in Korea.

What a weird, illogical mess. I’m thinking that if you’re a fan, you may want to wait for the complete version from the overseas broadcasts. Or a DVD release. (The drama has been licensed to air in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand.)

The fans, meanwhile, are still furious and the campaign to save the show’s original vision is still raging; there are now more than 10,000 posts opposing the decision on the drama’s homepage and street protests have been organized. However, I doubt it will have an effect: If there was the least shot of getting MBC to change its mind, it was dashed over the weekend, when even in the midst of all this attention the drama failed to improve its 5% ratings. Sons of Sol Pharmacy, in the meantime, crushed its competitor as its story heads into its last phases, breaking the 40% ratings mark.

Via Hankyung

RELATED POSTS

• Fans are spitting mad at Tamra’s curtailment
• Tamra gets shortened to 16 episodes
• My Name Is: Seo Woo
• Western actors becoming more visible on Korean TV
• Tamra the Island: Episode 1

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