Okay, this is messed up. Upcoming KBS medical drama Brain ditched its original cast (Lee Sang-yoon and Yoon Seung-ah) for a chance to score big fish Song Seung-heon as the leading man… and in the end Song turned the project down and walked away, leaving the production with NO cast. Pfft. I hate to say I told you so (Okay, I LOVE to say I told you so), but karma’s a bitch.

(...)
Read the rest of No Brain for Song Seung-heon (242 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 97 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Sang-yoon, Song Seung-heon, Yoon Seung-ah

Whoaaa. The entire announced cast of medical drama Brain is being replaced…and potentially filling the new hero’s shoes is Song Seung-heon.

The official story from Brain’s chief producer is that the drama feels too much like a “youth drama” with formerly cast Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo) and Yoon Seung-ah (Playful Kiss). You know, the stripling young lad a month shy of 30, and the barely-pubescent 28-year-old woman. Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical. (By which I mean: Lee and Yoon are in no way old, but youth drama? Pfffft. Like you could see them playing the kids of You’re Beautiful and You’ve Fallen For Me rather than, say, the teachers.)

(...)
Read the rest of Song Seung-heon in for a Brain replacement? (240 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 120 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Lee Sang-yoon, Song Seung-heon, Yoon Seung-ah

Rumors are swirling about Song Seung-heon (My Princess) being cast as the lead in the upcoming drama Forget Me Not, as well as actress Nam Sang-mi (Life Is Beautiful), although neither is a lock yet. However, it’s been teased that the drama will feature a main couple at the “top star level,” and both would fit that designation, though perhaps Song more than Nam.

It’s interesting news (at least, to me) because (1) it’s Song Seung-heon, Mr. Big-Time Leading Man (also Hand Towel extraordinaire), and (2) the drama is by Kim Soo-hyun — the respected writer, not the Dream High/Giant budding star, and (3) the two abovementioned things seem at odds with each other.

(...)
Read the rest of Song Seung-heon, Nam Sang-mi up for SBS drama? (362 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 95 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Nam Sang-mi, Song Seung-heon

You know the general feeling ’round here about Song Seung-heon (My Princess, East of Eden), who is known mostly for his inverse looks-to-talent ratio. So imagine my surprise when I read this interview where he’s endearingly frank, and jaw-droppingly self-aware…which is just NOT how I imagined the guy who has but one serious facial expression…which is neither serious nor expressive. I mean, he literally admits to spending a good part of his career just trying to look cool. HA.

The 35-year old model-turned-actor debuted sixteen years ago, and I first saw him on the sitcom Three Men, Three Women which ran from 1996-1999. Seeing him in a sitcom first explains why I generally like him, despite his lack of dramatic chops, because he’s always been good at funny. Not in a crafted, obvious comedic way, but in a poke-fun-at-himself way. He makes reference to his character on the show, whose entire concept was that he was the only one who thought he was funny. It was 2000′s Autumn Fairy Tale that launched him into Hallyu stardom (and the subsequent slew of serious, melodramatic roles). Thankfully he’s come back around to comedy with My Princess, which has garnered him praise as an actor…maybe for the first time ever.

Here’s a translation of the interview he did with Yonhap News, the day after My Princess wrapped.

(...)
Read the rest of “I’m discovering that acting is fun”: Song Seung-heon interview (1,353 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 233 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: My Princess, Song Seung-heon

So I never would’ve put my money on this, but this finale rocks. It’s not only adorable and as cute as always, but there’s actual conflict, and it’s good. (I KNOW!) So weird. What the hell were you doing for all those episodes, Show? Saving your wad for the big finale?

What’s nice is that it’s actually a solid episode with a singular arc, which SO many finales aren’t—most are cobbled-together, resolution bow-tying heaps of dung—but this one actually nailed the tone of the show in a great hour-long plot that made me wish we had gotten to this conflict sooner. Also, never thought I’d say this, but how much do I love Kim Tae-hee right now?

(...)
Read the rest of My Princess: Episode 16 (Final) (3,633 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 319 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kim Tae-hee, My Princess, Park Ye-jin, Ryu Soo-young, Song Seung-heon

Listen up, Song Seung-heon fans: If you’re in the LA area, you’ll get a chance to pop in to see his move Ghost: Invisible Love, aka the remake of the Ghost film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore from ye olden ’90s. (Seriously, they’ve even got the famous pottery-wheel scene.) The movie begins screening tomorrow, February 25, so be sure to set aside some time for some Song Seung-heon ogling. Yeah, there’s a plot too, but I’m sure you’ve all seen the original?

It also stars Japanese actress Matsushima Nanako, who’s from the Ringu movies, although I know her better as the older sis from the Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers) franchise.

Courtesy of CJ Entertainment, Dramabeans readers get a discount to watch the film at Koreatown’s CGV Cinemas (the same theater that gave us giveaway tickets for Hello Ghost). Just print out the above coupon and take it with you to the theater to redeem. Easy as that!

(...)
Read the rest of Song Seung-heon’s Ghost screens in LA (167 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 79 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Song Seung-heon

SO MUCH CUTENESS in this episode. It’s like the good ol’ days, which I wasn’t expecting so late in the game with all the monarchy stuff nearing resolution, but which I found refreshingly welcome. True, it’s a little low on story movement, but when you pit story movement against some majorly adorable Kim Tae-hee/Song Seung-heon couple antics, it’s no contest.

SONG OF THE DAY

Humming Urban Stereo – “넌그날” (You on that day) with actress Yoo Inna
[ Download ]

(...)
Read the rest of My Princess: Episode 15 (2,773 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 177 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kim Tae-hee, My Princess, Park Ye-jin, Ryu Soo-young, Song Seung-heon

Somebody was kind enough to round up four of dramaland’s top leading men in a spread for GQ Korea. To be more specific, the shoot features Song Seung-heon (My Princess), Jung Woo-sung (Athena), Lee Byung-heon (IRIS), AND Kwon Sang-woo (Daemul) in a veritable who’s who of eye candy icons. How sweet of GQ to line ‘em up for us. Saves a girl the trouble of making multiple stops. ‘Cause you know, what’s the point in choosing when you can have all four?

Everyone’s looking sharp, although Jung Woo-sung looks a little sad, perhaps because they stuffed a tiny dog down his shirt. I…have no explanation for that. Doggie seems pretty happy about it though. Kwon Sang-woo is sporting a freshly shorn look for his new movie Pain [통증], where he plays a man who can’t feel pain, alongside Jung Ryeo-won, whose character has the opposite medical condition, making her extremely sensitive to pain, and the two fall in love. Directing is Kwak Kyung-taek, PD on the drama version of Friend, Our Legend.

(...)
Read the rest of GQ’s leading men round-up (200 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 234 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Jung Woo-sung, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Byung-heon, photo shoots, Song Seung-heon

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The Cute has returned! All hail the return of The Cute! Someone please, throw us a royal ball in The Cute’s honor. It’s the least you could do for dragging us through such nonsense and boredom. I mean, what’s a princess gotta do for a royal party up in this house?

(...)
Read the rest of My Princess: Episode 14 (3,025 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 230 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kim Tae-hee, My Princess, Park Ye-jin, Ryu Soo-young, Song Seung-heon

We’re playing with some of the same plot points in this one, but at least we get some snuggle-bunny times for our princess and her bodyguard. Not a whole lot, but hey, I’ll take what I can get, since this couple’s cuteness is more than half of the drama’s sustaining life force. The remainder (for me, at least) is probably in the fun of hating the troublemakers, who are operating on a different plane of logic than the rest of us mortals and therefore require us to waste no time finding reasons to explain or justify their behavior. We can just hate ‘em.

SONG OF THE DAY

Park Hyo Shin – “눈물날려 그래” (Tears are falling) [ Download ]

(...)
Read the rest of My Princess: Episode 13 (3,375 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 253 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, Kim Tae-hee, My Princess, Park Ye-jin, Ryu Soo-young, Song Seung-heon