Seo Ji-hye, Lee Yong-woo, UEE

When I read that Seo Ji-hye had been cast in the upcoming golf drama Buddy Buddy, my interest was piqued. Then, a short while later, I read that her co-star would be Lee Yong-woo (so pretty, SO wooden), and I was bummed. He was barely passable in Style where his look fit the image, but as a lead actor? Oy.

On the other hand, Buddy Buddy has a few things going for it. Based on a manhwa called Buddy, this Group Eight production will be directed by Yoon Sang-ho, who directed Tamra the Island and Legend. And 25-year-old Seo Ji-hye has been quietly building up her resume with some solid performances (Shin Don, I Love You) and is due for her breakout.

Seo Ji-hye plays an heir to a world-famous golf resort who is also a talented elite golfer, having acquired her textbook-perfect technique in the best environment. Lee Yong-woo plays “John Lee,” who was orphaned and adopted as a child. He has won a PGA championship, but abruptly quits the pro life and becomes a golf course trainer. He also practices the Brazilian martial art of capoeira. According to a production source, Lee was cast because he fits the image from the original manhwa with his vaguely Western/foreign looks; he also has dance experience, which is an important element of capoeira. (But what about that acting element?) Last but not least, pop star UEE has been cast as a third golfer, who grew up poor but pursued her dream despite the hardships.

This drama has been the works for a while and was initially reported to be part of the 2009 resurgence of the sports kdrama, but is now aiming for an airdate in the first half of this year. However, with all the recent sports drama attempts falling flat (Triple, Dream, Heading to the Ground), I’ll be approaching with caution.

Via Mk.co.kr, Star News

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Heading to the Ground; Dream

2009 was supposed to be the year of the sports drama revival, and it has had its share of sports-themed series, with at least another still to come. Unfortunately, they’ve all tanked.

The two currently struggling on the air are SBS’s fighting drama Dream, which has settled around the 4% mark for the bulk of its run, and MBC’s soccer series Heading to the Ground, which kicked off with a 7.2%, which dropped to an inauspicious 5.6% for its second episode and heads into its second week today.

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With casting complete, production is proceeding for MBC’s soccer drama Heading to the Ground [맨땅에 헤딩], which recently held its first script reading in Ilsan, Kyunggi province.

Among the actors present were the drama’s lead star U-Know Yunho of idol band Dong Bang Shin Ki, who had just arrived from a trip to Japan, as well as Go Ara (Who Are You), Lee Yoon-ji (Pure 19), and Lee Sang-yoon (I Love You, Don’t Cry).

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I had a mixed reaction to today’s premiere episode of the SBS drama Dream. Perhaps viewers agreed, as the first installment drew a low 5.4% rating against MBC’s Queen Seon-deok (32.7%) and KBS’s The Man Who Can’t Get Married (8%).

Note that this number was marginally better than its predecessor Ja Myung Go’s opening number (4.1%), but lower than its finale last week (7.2%). But I’ve said many times that a first episode rating number doesn’t necessarily mean much; it speaks more to the anticipation, not the quality.

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DREAM Episode 1 >>

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Ha! Just days after refuting the rumors, it has been announced that 23-year-old DBSK singer U-Know Yunho is indeed making his acting debut in the soccer drama Heading to the Ground [맨땅에 헤딩].

The singer, born Jung Yun-ho, takes on the character of “Cha Bong-kun,” a role recently vacated by Kim Rae-won because of Kim’s mandatory army obligation. To achieve the impossible goal of making it as a national player, the character pours all his passion into realizing the dream. While he “has nothing to his name, the drama tells the miraculous success story of passionate soccer player Cha Bong-kun.”

U-Know Yunho said of the role, “I really like the character of Cha Bong-kun. Reading the script, my heart overflowed with emotion. I want to act that feeling with sincerity.”

Heading to the Ground follows the Wednesday-Thursday horror drama Hon on MBC and premieres on September 9. No confirmation yet on the casting of his love interest, although Go Ara remains in contention

Via My Daily, Newsis

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