Um… can Shin Dong Wook please rehire his hair stylist back from his Soulmate days? He hasn’t had a good haircut in years. Here he dons a mask and shows off a magic trick while recording for his new gig, as the new host of Mnet’s Chasing Your X-Boyfriend.
July 1, Seoul, at the X-boyfriend studios.
Have you missed Shin Dong Wook (Soulmate, War of Money)?
He recently shot these promo pictures on a Seoul rooftop for his upcoming job as the new MC of cable reality show [Chasing Your] X-Boyfriend (on Mnet). He’ll be the third host following fellow actors Jae Hee and Jang Geun Seok for the show that tries to reunite men and women with their exes.
I’ve seen a few episodes of the show (it airs, subtitled, on the cable channel Imaginasian) and find it both oddly compelling and vaguely creepy — often the production team employs methods that might be considered illegal here in their attempts to track down the ex based on whatever information the seeker provides. Usually they’ll hide out in their production vehicle, stakeout-style, and film the target as “surveillance” for a bit before then trying to ambush the target for an introduction, and sometimes confrontation. Many times the ex doesn’t want to be on television or reunite with their seeker, which makes for awkwardness (but good TV?), although I suppose it also lends it an air of realism that’s missing in a lot of American “reality” shows. Something that painfully awkward — humiliating onscreen rejection! airing of embarrassing relationship dirt! — has got to be real, right?
In any case, I’d rather see Shin Dong Wook acting again, even if I haven’t liked some of his roles recently. But hopefully the host gig works well for him.
Via Newsen
8eight - “In the Morning” [ Download ]
RELATED POSTS
For some reason I can’t quite fathom, the news is full of reports of renewed denials that Lee Soo Kyung and Shin Dong Wook, who played a couple in MBC’s Soulmate two years ago, are NOT dating. I wasn’t aware that it was much of a question these days, so I smell publicity maneuver, although it just seems so weirdly irrelevant. Anyway, both sides are denying that they’re anything more than friends. O-kay.
Of the two, I suppose Lee Soo Kyung is more in the public eye at the moment: Originally having agreed to appear in Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Gun’s upcoming drama When Night Comes, she has suddenly withdrawn from that project to headline her own, MBC’s Wednesday-Thursday drama Lawyers of Korea, set to follow Spotlight. Although the move has earned her some criticism, you can’t blame an actress for dropping a supporting role in favor of a leading one. Lawyers also stars Ryu Su Young (Bad Couple, 18 vs. 29) and starts in July.
In other casting news, Han Ye Seul will be starring in SBS’s drama Tazza, a television version based on the gambling film of the same name. She plays Madam Jung, the role originated by Kim Hye Soo in the film. (Umm, not so sure the casting fits for that one…)
And SBS’s upcoming “premium drama” My Sweet City has also cast Choi Kang Hee (Thank You, My Scary Girl) as an editor at a publishing firm. The drama co-stars Lee Seon Kyun (White Tower) and premieres on June 6.
I’m not necessarily drawn to any of the dramas in this batch, but since I’m not too drawn to a particular drama at the moment, at least the new spate of incoming series offers a change of pace. I’ll have to see if any of them sticks.
Via Mk.co.kr, My Daily, Hankyung
SONG OF THE DAY
Outsider - “사랑할수있을까?” (Could we love?) [ Download ]
RELATED POSTS
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SBS’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama, War of Money (쩐의 전쟁), kicked off to a healthy ratings start in the 16%-17% range, then jumped up to above 24% for its second episode. That’s enough of a leap to be considered noteworthy. (And anything above 20% in its first week is quite a feat.)
This drama had quite some buzz leading up to its premiere, probably mostly due to the casting of lead actor Park Shin Yang, who is perhaps best known for his role in Lovers in Paris. As for me, the only actor I’m familiar with is Shin Dong Wook, from Cloud Stairway and Soulmate.
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SONG OF THE DAY
War of Money OST - “Simple Life” by Sweet Sorrow
[ zShare download ]
Not a full episode summary, but there are spoilers for Eps. 1-2 >>
Although I’m busy with “work” and life and all those other things, and still have to catch up on recaps of Dal Ja’s Spring, I think the next series I’ll try recapping is the MBC show SOULMATE, broadcast in mid-2006. Partially because (1) it’s an awesome show, and (2) there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information available about it.
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BASIC INFO:
Director(s): No Do-chul, Sun Hye-yoon
Screenwriters: Jo Jin-kook, Park Eun-jung, Nam Ji-yeon
Broadcast period: 2006 March 13 - 2006 June 26
Episode total: 12* (see note at bottom)
Official MBC Website: http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/soulmate/soul/index.html
(Torrents and subs available at d-addicts.com.)
SONG(s) OF THE DAY
A universally praised aspect of the show is its amazing, eclectic, perfectly selected soundtrack. There are too many songs featured to even list properly in one post, but these are a few key tracks:
Nouvelle Vague - “This Is Not A Love Song.” This serves as kind of the anthem of the first episode. [ zShare download ]
Mon Murmure - “Jazz Cocktail.” This gives you an idea of the playful nature the show sometimes adopts. [ zShare download ]
Fantastic Plastic Machine - “L’aventure Fantastique” [ zShare download ]
Lasse Lindh - “The Stuff” [ zShare download ]
