Another round of Variety Roulette is here!

This time we tackle We Got Married, the show where stars pretend to be newlyweds in front of the camera. It’s a show that girlfriday watches regularly but which I’ve only caught in snippets, never watching a full episode from start to finish. It takes some getting used to the premise when you’re entering it cold, but hey, that’s the name of the Variety Roulette game, right?

SONG OF THE DAY

Super Junior – “Walkin’” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Variety Roulette: We Got Married (4,905 words)

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Post tags: Donghae, Eunhyuk, featured, Ham Eun-jung, Kang So-ra, Kyuhyun, Lee Jang-woo, Leeteuk, Sohn Eun-seo, Super Junior

So 1 Night 2 Days is ending soon, which happens just as I was getting into this whole variety world, which is so close and yet so far from the world of scripted television. (Even allowing that yes, variety can be scripted too.)

With the overwhelming number of variety programs out there — seriously, a ton — it can be pretty daunting trying to find out what show does what and when, and what its themes and formats are. So Girlfriday and I thought we might take a crack at all the variety shows out there and pick up random episodes in a series we’re calling Variety Roulette: No preplanning, no following special guests, just pick an episode and dive in.

We plan to take a look at as many different shows as we have time for, and are starting off with one particular hit talk-show offering, SBS’s Strong Heart. Keep your eyes peeled for more installments to come in the future! What shows or what episodes we’ll pick, we have no idea. We’ll go where the wind takes us.

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Read the rest of Variety Roulette: Strong Heart (3,482 words)

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Post tags: Choi Min-soo, Choi Siwon, Donghae, featured, Im Soo-hyang, Kang Ho-dong, Kim Heechul, Lee Seung-gi, Shindong, Super Junior

Kim Heechul, resident oddball of boy band Super Junior, is probably more known for his singer status, but he’s done a bit of acting in multiple television series. They include the heartwarming comic family drama Bad Family, last year’s Golden Bride, and his latest project, SBS’s new I Love You Ten Million Times, which stars Ryu Jin, Lee Soo-kyung, and Jung Kyeo-woon.

“I act, but Suju is my eternal home”

“Because of the popularity, at one time I wanted to drop out of Super Junior, but now it’s an important name, one I couldn’t shake off if I tried.”

This is Kim Heechul, whose name became known through the popular idol group Super Junior. But if you take a look, his debut project was actually KBS 2TV’s 2005 Sharp 2 [반올림2], which means that the label “singer-turned-actor” is not accurate to describe him.

Therefore, Kim Heechul’s return to television in the new SBS weekend drama Love You Ten Million Times [천만번 사랑해] isn’t a deviation from his course but actually a return to his original profession. He makes his return a year and seven months after his last television role, the SBS drama Golden Bride [황금신부], which wrapped its broadcast run on February 3, 2008.

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Read the rest of Kim Heechul: “I act, but Suju is my eternal home” (538 words)

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Post tags: interviews, Kim Heechul, Loving You a Thousand Times, Super Junior

Well, I suppose it isn’t totally out of line, considering that Lee Yeon-hee, who is managed by SM Entertainment, was almost in Girls Generation back in her training days. But I admit I tire of singers crossing over as actors with mediocre acting skills, as well as the reverse, actors crossing over into kpop with middling singing talent.

In any case, the East of Eden actress will feature her vocals on Super Junior‘s upcoming third album, having lent her voice to the song “Club No. 1.” The album is also drawing notice for featuring DBSK’s U-know Yunho and Micky Yoochun, who will rap on the song “이별… 넌 쉽니 (Heartquake).” (What, with 13 members — or is it 14 now? — is Suju finding it difficult to fill out their songs with their own talent?)

Super Junior will kick off their comeback with an appearance on KBS’s Music Bank on March 13.

Via Herald Biz

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• Lee Yeon-hee addresses acting criticism
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• Presenting the cast of East of Eden

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Post tags: Lee Yeon-hee, singers, Super Junior

Um, kinda.

Cable channel Mnet premiered its new show on October 25, Band of Brothers, in which Super Junior members Kang-in and Hee-chul, and Trax boys Jay and Jung-mo, decided to come together Beatles-style.

First, they adopted the early-Beatles look with the straight-cut hair and the black suits, with Hee-chul channeling Ringo Starr behind the drums, Kang-in as Paul McCartney, Jay as John Lennon, and Jung-mo as George Harrison. (Anyone else wincing at the travesty?) As part of the project, they sang some Beatles tunes and even shot a music video.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but I don’t think they actually “got” what it means to become the Beatles other than dressing in a costume and singing along like a cover band. (See in the clip below. I think it’s part cute, and part cringingly embarrassing.)

Aside from the Beatles aspect, though, it’s usually a lot more fun watching these idol boys in reality projects rather than, say, performing onstage. I suppose that’s why the kpop machine is built around the cult of personality much more than musicality.

Via Sports Khan

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Post tags: cable programs, Kim Heechul, reality shows, Super Junior

A lot of famous faces showed up to the 3rd “Love Your W” Breast Cancer Fund-raising Party on October 23rd, held at the Villa de Bailey in Seoul’s Kangnam district.

By the way, the “love your W,” as nonsensical as it sounds, refers to loving thy bosom. One guess as to what the W indicates. (Honestly, don’t Koreans find that kind of thing the least bit vulgar?)

But onward to the stars (and the colorful clothes!).

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Read the rest of “Love Your W” raises funds for breast cancer (338 words)

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Post tags: Han Ji-hye, Heo Yi-jae, Jung Ryeo-won, Kim Ah-joong, Kim Hyun-joo, Lee Jung-jae, Oh Ji-ho, Oh Yeon-soo, Super Junior, Yoon Jin-seo

Super Junior members Heechul and Kangin are taking the lead roles in the camp musical classic Xanadu (“We are in Xanaduuu~!”) in their musical-theater debuts. They put on a performance at the press rehearsal (i.e., dress rehearsal open to press) on September 8 with the rest of their castmates.

However, audiences won’t be seeing both Suju-ers onstage at the same time, because they’ve been cast in the same lead role playing artist “Sonny” who falls for the beautiful roller-skating “Kira” (they’ll alternate performances). They’ve been rehearsing their singing, dancing, and roller-skating (natch!) skills for the past two months.

Xanadu marks the first musical production put on by SM Art Company (expanding its brand?), and was first produced as a musical film starring Olivia Newton-John in the ’80s. (Now known as a prime exercise in faux-futuristic camp, the film was initially a bomb before it became a cult classic.)

For the curious, check out a number from the original 1980 film starring Olivia Newton-John:

The musical opens on September 9 at the Doosan Art Center.

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Post tags: musicals, Super Junior

And it’s no wonder. Six of Super Junior‘s members (Lee Teuk, Kang In, Shin Dong, Sung Min, Eun Hyuk and Ye Sang — just don’t ask me who’s who) participated in the 2008 Hope Marathon, walking the streets of Seoul for twenty-four hours. The marathon was part of SBS’s “Hope TV 24 We Are One Family” live broadcast and ended on Day 2 with a closing show where other pop groups and celebrities took the stage, including Brown Eyed Girls, SG Wannabe, SS501, and Moon Hee Jun.

Geez, it’s hard enough staying conscious for 24 hours straight. Adding constant physical activity would just about kill MY hope.

Seoul, May 9 through May 10.

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Post tags: Super Junior