Dramabeans » Song Il-kook

Baeksang Award nominees announced

javabeans — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:34:24 +0000

Lee Min-ho and Kim Bum of “Boys Before Flowers”

Wow, that’s kind of fast — only three weeks into the drama and already a Baeksang nomination.

Both Kim Bum and Lee Min-ho of KBS’s Boys Before Flowers are up for the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards in the same category (new actor). (Kim Bum’s nomination, however, comes for his four-episode turn playing young Dong-chul in MBC’s East of Eden.) They’re also nominated in the popularity award category.

As much as I like Lee Min-ho’s portrayal of Jun-pyo, I think Kim Bum’s performance in East of Eden was more award-worthy — but they’ve got pretty good competition: Eom Ki-joon (The World They Live In), Lee Sang-woo (First Wives Club), and Jung Kyeo-woon (Women in the Sun).

(...)
Read the rest of Baeksang Award nominees announced (201 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2009. | Permalink | 68 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: awards, Eom Ki-joon, Han Ji-hye, Han Ye-seul, Kim Bum, Kim Haneul, Kim Hye-ja, Kim Myung-min, Lee Junki, Lee Min-ho, Moon Geun-young, Park Yong-ha, Song Il-kook, Song Seung-heon

2008 KBS Drama Awards

javabeans — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:32:02 +0000

All right, we’ve seen MBC’s Acting Awards (met with much criticism) and SBS’s awards, so now we close out the broadcast station awards with the 2008 KBS Acting Awards.

No real surprise (or controversy) for KBS’s Daesang, awarded to veteran actress Kim Hye-ja for her role in the popular series Mom’s Dead Upset. Personally, I don’t know that Kim was outstanding in that drama specifically, but there’s no doubt she’s built up an impressive, long-running career and therefore this was probably more of an opportunity to give her a lifetime-achievement-ish Daesang.

(...)
Read the rest of 2008 KBS Drama Awards (781 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 59 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: awards, Bae Jong-ok, Choi Jung-won, Eom Ki-joon, fashion, Han Ji-hye, Jang Geun-seok, Kang Ji-hwan, Kim Hye-ja, Kim Ji-soo, Lee Hana, Lee Yoon-ji, Park Hae-jin, Park Min-young, Shim Eun-kyung, Song Il-kook, Sung Yuri, Yoon-ah

News bites: September 29, 2008

javabeans — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:51:54 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, huh?

Newlywed Park Eun-hye is returning to work following a recent miscarriage of what would have been her “honeymoon baby” (she wed in April). She plans to attend the upcoming Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), which screens her film Night and Day.
Speaking of which, Kim Rae-won (Gourmet) and Han Eun-jung (Lawyers of Korea) will take a particular place on Wednesday’s opening-night red carpet at PIFF, as brand models for the festival’s sponsor, L’Oreal Paris.
Song Il-kook had his day in court and won; the reporter who accused him of assault (whom he countersued for false accusations) has been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment. Ouch. We may never know the truth of whether he struck her as claimed, but a year in the slammer seems harsh. Well, that’s what happens when you go up against a rich actor with powerful connections.
Sigh. Things are hard enough for Ahn Jae-hwan’s widow Jung Sun-hee, whose husband killed himself over large amounts of debt, and has endured accusations of kidnapping Ahn by his sister. She underwent an additional round of police questioning, spending four hours at the police station on the 29th. Jung roundly denies Ms. Ahn’s claims, and also denies rumors that she’s heading overseas for rest (which doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually — the press was all over her collapses at Ahn’s funeral, and she again collapsed after emerging from the police station).
I don’t think many people outside of Korea are watching cable drama Chosun Police [조선과학수사대 별순검], but the MBC Dramanet fusion sageuk gained a following as a “Chosun-era CSI” and is now set to launch its season 2. The production press conference was on the 29th, featuring lead actor Lee Jong-hyuk, who admitted he’d purposely avoided watching Season 1; he wanted to differentiate his character from its original actor, Ryu Seung-ryong.
Kim Min-jung (26, of New Heart) has been cast in the lead of MBC’s drama 2009 Foreign Baseball Team, which was originally a hit manhwa in the ’80s. Actors Yoon Tae-young (Legend’s Hogae), Park Sung-min (Legend’s Saryang), Park Jung-hak (Kingdom of the Wind), Song Ah-young (Moon Hee), and Kim Sun-kyung (Legend’s Lady Yeon) are also cast. There’s a whole lotta Legend there. It should air sometime next year.
After spending most of his recent energies trying to make a dent in the international film scene, Rain is back to kpop after two years away with his fifth album. He’s announced that his title track will be a dance song, followed by a ballad, to go on sale in October. Rain, here’s a fundamental rule of showbiz: Show, not tell. We’re happy to welcome ya back if your work is good, but g/d I’m sick of hearing so much about it.

Final trial starts in Song Il-kook’s reporter assault case

javabeans — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:22:52 +0000

Just goes to show: don’t mess with a celebrity. Particularly one as rich and famous as Song Il-kook who doesn’t take kindly to be painted as a woman-beater.

To refresh memories: A freelance reporter, Kim Soon-hee, accused Song of assault back when she was trying to approach him for an interview regarding his upcoming wedding in January. He refused and went into his home. She sued that Song struck her in the face and knocked her teeth loose. He countersued saying she was a big fat liar. The court then ruled that the security camera footage supported Song’s stance that they had barely touched, to which she countered that the footage (taken from Song’s home security cameras) was doctored in his favor. A cameraman testified to back up her story. Song then accused the woman of false accusations and perjury.

The final trial regarding the false accusation claim opened on September 11. Now the actor’s reps are calling for punishment for her actions, requesting 2 years and 6 months’ hard jail time. Ouch.

However, with Reporter Kim maintaining that she is innocent of the charge, people are wondering how the judge will rule. Her lawyer said, “Another reporter present at the time testified that there was a physical fight with Song Il-kook, and in the act of shutting his apartment’s glass doors (in her face, I presume), five of Kim’s teeth were injured. … Ms. Kim has no intention of slandering Song Il-kook.” Kim said in her defense, “The investigators didn’t believe me and charged me with making false accusations.”

The ruling on this case will be delivered on September 25.

Via EDaily.com

RELATED POSTS

“Wind” and “Virus” off to a neck-and-neck start

javabeans — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:10:44 +0000

…and we’re off!

KBS and MBC both premiered their new dramas today, one a sageuk starring Jumong star Song Il-kook (Kingdom of Wind), and the other a classical-music-based drama featuring White Tower’s intense Kim Myung-min (Beethoven Virus). Both come highly anticipated, not least because we’ve got two big names going head-to-head.

While KBS has had several decently performing sageuks this year (Hong Gil Dong, Great King Sejong), MBC is the one who needed the hit more, having had a rather dismal year. Both stations had their share of flops, but KBS isn’t in as much of a slump, with several strong hits; MBC really has only had one bona fide success in The Last Scandal of My Life and several high-profile misses.

With today’s showings, MBC emerged just a hair ahead with Beethoven Virus, its first episode earning a 15.7% against Kingdom of Wind’s 14.7% (TNS Media ratings). That puts them virtually even, and are pretty good numbers for both dramas. (SBS’s modestly popular Working Mom concludes in two weeks and is replaced by a third potential heavy-hitter, The Painter of Wind.)

Already buzz seems tentatively positive for both series, with Kingdom of Wind earning praise for its grand-scale battle scenes and acting (although some voiced their concerns that the historical-based stories may rehash familiar territory from other dramas of its ilk, particularly Jumong, which also starred Song Il-kook). On the other hand, Beethoven features an “upbeat,” light tone and a lot of interest in seeing its three stars performing in their musical milieu. Netizens generally expressed satisfaction at a first episode that met their expectations.

I haven’t seen either premiere, so I can’t weigh in yet (though I’m leaning more toward Beethoven) — thoughts?

Via Asia Economy

RELATED POSTS

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 38 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beethoven Virus, drama ratings, Kim Myung-min, Kingdom of Wind, Lee Jia, Song Il-kook

Kingdom of Wind aims young with some idol faces

javabeans — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:15:24 +0000

I’ll admit I haven’t paid much mind to KBS’s upcoming sageuk (and manhwa adaptation) Kingdom of Wind because, well, I never cottoned on to Jumong and felt no particular thrill to see Song Il-kook back in his old-fashioned threads playing Jumong’s grandson.

But I will say I’m a little surprised at the casting of two up-and-coming new pretty boys who have hitherto been known mostly for their good looks, in their first sageuk roles: Coffee Prince’s Kim Jae-wook, pictured above, and Kim Hye-sung, who’s just started expanding his repertoire (Jenny, Juno; Unstoppable High Kick) to more daring roles, like the queer short Boy Meets Boy. (Well, everyone knows that when you want to prove your acting mettle, you either go theater or sageuk.)

Furthermore, three of Kingdom of Wind’s main cast are also making their first sageuk attempts: lead actress Choi Jung-won (Infamous Chil Princesses), supporting actress Oh Yoon-ah (Old Miss Diary, Someday), and actor Park Gun-hyung (Dancing Princess). Generally I find that an actor’s first time in a sageuk is often marked by stiff, awkward acting (because the cadence of a historical drama is so different from a modern one), but the mark of a versatile actor is one who adapts to the new milieu quickly.

Must be their strategy to try to rope in the younger viewers, I suppose? The drama’s competition will be MBC’s Beethoven Virus, with whom it shares a premiere date — this Wednesday, the 10th — and SBS’s Painter of the Wind, which premieres two weeks later on the 24th.

Via My Daily

RELATED POSTS

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Hye-sung, Kim Jae-wook, Kingdom of Wind, manhwa adaptations, sageuk dramas, Song Il-kook

(Probably) not a woman-beater after all

javabeans — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:04:20 +0000

Way back in January, actor Song Il-kook had a run-in with a female reporter, Kim Soon-hee, leading to some pretty ugly allegations. Their confrontation reportedly arose when she asked the actor for an interview and he refused. While he stuck to his statement that he hadn’t touched her, that their shirt sleeves hadn’t even skimmed as they passed each other, she sued him for striking her in the face and breaking a tooth.

Since the two stories were so contrary, it seemed that one side must have been a little, shall we say, creative with the facts since both of those statements couldn’t be true. It was just a matter of which side was telling the truth (or at least, more of it).

Although investigations and legal proceedings have been ongoing, the case has been somewhat quiet in the media, with brief mentions of its progress popping up every other month or so. But CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage from Song’s private home-surveillance cameras has been analyzed and an official interpretation of its contents has been drawn.

Song’s lawyers gave a statement to press on August 5 explaining, “The results came out as we had first suspected they would. The reporter’s accusation that Song Il-kook had shoved her roughly as he rejected her request [for an interview], who then raised suspicions that the CCTV footage had been manipulated, was judged to be untrue.”

This doesn’t mean the case is closed, however.

Song has leveled a charge against Ms. Kim’s witness, a photographer identified as Mr. Jo, for giving false testimony. Jo had testified at Reporter Kim’s libel hearing that there had indeed been contact between the two. Given the recent CCTV judgment, It’s likely Jo will also be investigated for libel and defamation of character.

But maybe Song can rest easy with legal matters and get back to being a happy marathon-ing newlywed now.

Via My Daily

RELATED POSTS