Actress/singer/lingerie entrepreneur Uhm Jung-hwa joins Kim Rae-won in the upcoming movie Insadong Scandal, which is set in the art world and takes a behind-the-scenes look at art restoration and reproduction.

Although she’s taken on numerous acting projects in her 15-year career (previous screen roles include the drama Wife and the films For Horowitz and Singles), this is her first villain role as an ambitious collector.

Meanwhile, Kim Rae-won’s “cool-headed” character specializes in the restoration of valuable paintings, and the story unfolds around a hidden masterpiece of a painter who lived in the Joseon era.

For the past month, Kim has been studying art restoration and reproduction for the role to familiarize himself with the topic and lend an air of authenticity to his character. The film is set to start filming this month.

I’m… not sure about the pairing, but I won’t write it off immediately. Kim Rae-won tends to have good chemistry with his co-stars, and even if she wasn’t great in the awful movie, I keep remembering how she tried, dammit, to have chemistry with Daniel Henney in Seducing Mr. Perfect. She failed, but it wasn’t her fault; the juxtaposition of the two made her seem like Oscar material in comparison.

Via OSEN

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Tags: Kim Rae-won, Uhm Jung-hwa

Filed under: Chungmuro/Film by javabeans - 12 Comments →

MC Jang Geun-seok

Although I didn’t watch August 23’s broadcast of Mnet’s 20’s Choice awards (a wannabe VMA’s, really), looking over the full winners list, my first reaction is: “What were they smoking?”

Some choices made sense. I get why Jang Geuk-seok, shakin’ his thang above as the event’s MC, was awarded Hot Movie Star (Male) because he’s had a great year coming off the drama Hong Gil Dong and recent movie Baby and I. And Hot Sports Star is a topical choice, going to the recent gold-medalist female weight lifter Jang Mi-ran, while the annoyingly catchy, ubiquitous earworms “One More Time” and “So Hot” (by Jewelry and Wonder Girls, respectively) are no-brainers.

But even the fact that they’ve got a “Hot Schoolgirl” category (winner So-hee), or “Hot Comment” (I think they meant catchprase) are kind of, pardon my French, retarded. And don’t even ask me what “Hot Sweet Music” means.

Furthermore, I get that “American beef” was a hot topic this year, but to highlight it at an awards show as the “winner” of Hot Issuemaker seems a little crass. Or just stupid.

Check out the full list beyond the jump, along with pics of the show in all its tacky glory.

MNET 20′S CHOICE WINNERS AND ATTENDEES >>

Tags: awards, Big Bang, Girls Generation, Jang Geun-seok, Jun Jin, Kim Ji-suk, Kim Min-hee, kpop, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Hyori, Park Min-young, Park Shi-hoo, Park Yong-ha, Ryu Seung-beom, singers, Uhm Jung-hwa, Wonder Girls, Yoo Seung-ho

Filed under: Kpop News by javabeans - 32 Comments →

Vogue celebrates its 12 anniversary with a special spread featuring seven leading ladies styled as film (and TV) figures using the concept “Vogue Fashion Movie.”

Go Ara, above, takes on the Gossip Girl character of Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively.

Below, Kim Min-hee adopts the Edie Sedgwick look as portrayed by Sienna Miller in the movie Factory Girl; Su Ae dresses as Queen Elizabeth a la Cate Blanchett; Gong Hyo-jin follows Gong Li’s footsteps in Memoirs of a Geisha; Uhm Jung-hwa takes her moniker as Korea’s Madonna literally by taking on Madonna’s Truth or Dare image circa 1990; Seo In-young mimics Renee Zellweger’s Chicago look as Roxie Hart; and Jang Mi-hee styles herself after The Devil Wears Prada.

My vote for best styling goes to Kim Min-hee (here’s Sienna Miller as Edie Sedgwick, and the real-life Edie), though Uhm Jung-hwa’s pulled off her look pretty well, too (the hair! the scary cone bra!).

Tags: fashion, Go Ara, Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Min-hee, photo shoots, Seo In-young, Uhm Jung-hwa

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 16 Comments →

• As a promotional measure, looks like Yoon Eun Hye’s collaboration with brand-new pop/hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth was a smashing success. They’ve shot up the music charts with “frightening speed” for a new artist, chasing #1 song “One More Time” (Jewelry) to land the #2 spot on Nate’s Top 100. (Song here.) Such is the power of Yoon Eun Hye.
• Han Ji Min (above), currently acting in historical drama Yi San opposite Lee Seo Jin, is launching her own clothing line, Sweet SOUP by Han Ji Min. Clothing company Dongkwang International is producing the brand, described as cute “French chic” and marketed to teenagers and younger twentysomethings. Han Ji Min will participate in the designing and as brand model.
• Song Seung Heon and Kwon Sang Woo’s new film Destiny (Sook-myeong) isn’t out yet — it releases on the 20th — but its OST single is already a hit.
• Actress-singer (and lingerie entrepreneur) Uhm Jung Hwa admits that the strongly criticized over-revealing, sexy costuming that she wore during performances in her ninth album days were actually underwear. Honey, we knew.
• Jang Geun Seok has been picked as a car-racing event host for MBC ESPN’s Go To eXtreme show. He professes to be a fan of the show, whose season 1 was emceed by Ryu Shi Won and Yoon Jung Su. He sure is busy; after Hong Gil Dong ends, his movie Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do opens in April. Does he sleep?
• The Korean psychological thriller Addicted, starring Lee Byung Heon and Lee Mi Yeon, has been remade by Hollywood (sigh) — the American version, Possession, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (hmm) and Lee Pace (yay!) and is set to open on the 28th. With the rash of Korean films being given the glossy Hollywood treatment (in addition to Addicted and Il Mare [made into The Lake House], My Sassy Girl and Tale of Two Sisters are in the works), let’s hope ONE of them can get it right.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Sook-myeong OST - “Remember” by Gavy NJ. [ zShare download ]

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• One planned comeback, one failed one

Tags: Han Ji-min, Hollywood, Jang Geun-seok, Kwon Sang-woo, Mighty Mouth, news bites, Song Seung-heon, Uhm Jung-hwa, Yoon Eun-hye

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 23 Comments →

Lee Yeon Hee (right) and sis

 
Fans are always curious to note family resemblances between celebrities and their lesser-known siblings; every now and then you’ll catch wind of another star’s sibling being identified. Their pictures circulate on the internet, engendering audience response that generally falls into the “What great genetics!” category.

Young actress Lee Yeon Hee and her older sister are the latest such example. Go News and Newsen have put up the pictures and provided comparison shots, noting that her older sister, who operates an online clothing store for which she also models, is just as attractive as her younger sister.

Take a look at some other sibling pairings after the jump.

 

Lee Yeon Hee’s older sister

SONG OF THE DAY

Sweater - “바람” (wind) [ zShare download ]

More stars with their less famous siblings >>

Tags: Jo In-sung, Jung Ryeo-won, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Tae-hee, Lee Wan, Park Shi-yeon, Uhm Jung-hwa, Uhm Tae-woong

Filed under: Celebrity News by javabeans - 22 Comments →