Actor Lee Chun-hee (aka “Chunderella”) was a fan favorite on the SBS sitcom program Family Outing, and it was to much disappointment that he chose to leave the show in June against the producers’ requests. Now he has come out and admitted, “I regret leaving.”

Lee Chun-hee candidly expressed his regrets on the September 21st broadcast of talk show Ya Shim Man Man 2 when asked about his departure. He explained that he’d watched the show recently: “Seeing everyone get along so well with the new members without me bothered me.” He even disclosed that CF requests and his income had dropped since leaving the show, eliciting big laughs with his forthrightness.

Next up for Chunderella is the upcoming comic SBS drama series Smile, starring Lee Min-jung and Jung Kyung-ho; he plays the brother to Lee Min-jung and the immature son of a rich family who loses everything and moves in with their former chauffeur’s family.

Via BNT News, Segye

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Here’s an article that takes a look at the growing trend of non-Korean actors being featured on television, which caught my eye because it talks about one of the leads in the new weekend comic drama Tamra the Island, which I’m enjoying.

“Foreigners on television are no longer unfamiliar”

On the 8th, viewers watching MBC’s new weekend drama Tamra the Island [탐나는도다] may have cocked their heads. That was because of the appearance of the lead French actor with the golden hair and blue eyes in the role of William. Hwang Chan-bin, birth name Pierre Deporte, is a Frenchman who attended high school in Korea. He couldn’t forget his home country and after graduating from university he returned to Korea and first met the public on the program Global Talk Show [aka Misuda, 미녀들의 수다], and now has even appeared in a television drama.

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Television actress Han Ji-hye’s latest two projects are a digital single and shoe designing, both of which she demonstrated at the May 16 recording of talk show Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate (which will broadcast on the 23rd).

On the program, Han drew some designs, showed off her shoes, and sang the peppy single “Luv Luv” (listen below), which is also being featured on her cable special Shoes! My Dream!

Personally, I think Han Ji-hye is a much better actress than she is a singer or designer. You be the judge.

SONG OF THE DAY

Han Ji-hye – “Luv Luv.” Her vocals are a little weak, but the song is cute. [ Download ]

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Lee Jung-jae, then and now

It’s nostalgia day!

Old ’90s vocal duo The Blue is back with comeback activities, which means its two actor-singer members (Kim Min-jong and Sohn Ji-chang) are back in action and promoting their reunion.

Thus the two old friends recently appeared on Sang Sang Plus 2 and shared old stories about their earlier days, namely the hit 1994 youth trendy drama Feelings [느낌], which I LOVED.

Kim and Sohn played twin brothers in the drama (Sohn was the “elder” of the two), which was also the launching pad for a then-unknown young actor who would become a top movie star, (my!) Lee Jung-jae (of Typhoon, Air City, and soon to be seen in Triple). But according to Sohn Ji-chang, Lee Jung-jae was only cast at the last minute through a fateful chance encounter.

Drama brothers Sohn Ji-chang, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Min-jong

SONG OF THE DAY

Feelings OST – “너의뒤에서” (Behind You) by JYP. This was one of the main love themes of the series, sung by Park Jin-young — yes, that Park Jin-young — and featured on his first solo album.
[ Download ]

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Lee Hana’s Peppermint, the music-themed program that replaced the popular Yoon Do Hyun’s Love Letter, has dropped in the ratings since its premiere. The last episode of Love Letter drew a 4.7% rating, while Peppermint’s premiere dropped to 4.3%. The second outing recorded a further drop down to 3.6%.

Note: The numbers themselves aren’t the problem, considering that these programs air past midnight. (For a point of comparison, Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate, another late-night music talk show — which airs on a different day — generally gets ratings in the 3% and 4% range.) However, the article points out, the downward trend is a cause of worry, particularly when the show is so new, and “a drop of 0.7% within its time slot is a grave matter and a severe blow to the program.” It has also been unable to retain the established viewership of the long-running Love Letter.

I wouldn’t worry about cancellation just yet, and it’s inevitable that Lee Hana, who may still be a bit awkward as an MC, needs some time to find her feet. Still, I do think expectations were high given her relative lack of experience.

Via E Daily

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