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@45 coco
Wow, Thank you! I missed that -- but can 1Tablespoon of chili paste be right? In the dramas it looks like there is a half cup at least. But maybe this is safer, since I can't drink like Sam Soon.
@ 32 lovenyc52 - Yep, it seems the Viikii problem got solved, I'm surprised and pleased it got resolved so quickly. The drama it seems was pretty low-key. Alas, the same can not be said for poor Iris. It stinks that the media companies are on to Viikii, it really, really does. Hm, maybe they should move over to Overstream, it performs the same function, right? Except it existed before Viikii and for some reason only Taiwanese dramas really got posted there.
@ Aries - You shook Kang Ji Hwan's hand!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! !! ! ! !!! ! ! *dying* What a prince. Alas, the woes of a stalker.
@ samsooki - Maybe dress baby as a cloud? *cackles* And play 'go Rain, go Rain, it's raining, it's raining'. It must be related to Bi in some way! Or like one of those baby muscleman outfits. Or just in some of Rain's particularly memorable outfits from Full House.
happy OT everyone!
thank you to all u OT-ers who were raving about black and white a while back. it sparked my curiosity and i finally started watching it. i finished it last night, and OMGADSKLFJOIWE is it a kick-ass drama!! the intensity just kept on building up, and i loved the way everything was presented to the audience, from the revealing of the secrets to the ending/epilogue. i am reallyyyy excited for the movie version to come out. but when mark zhao went on a variety show couple months ago, he commented that they will start filming this fall and the movie will not be finalized until three years later!? i cannot wait this long!!
this drama, the director, and the actors have all earned my utmost respect. definitely deserved the GBAs, and i'm really looking forward to watching more of mark zhao. since this morning i've been watching the variety shows the b&w cast went on to promote the drama way back when, and u can so tell they formed really close friendships with each other. vic is actually pretty funny, and mark is so incredibly adorable! i really hope the movie happens b/c it will be so awesome just to see the both of them onscreen together again!
You *touched* Kang Ji-hwan AND Kim Ha-neul's hands? Brava, congrats on succeeding in stalking your idol. Did you watch the movie? It wasn't my favorite - but they make a cute pair and 2 hours spent with KJH is never wasted for me. I need to check out Rough Cut.
@ 52 annieee
It's been awhile since I finished B&W, and after some time to digest and think about the drama, I'm a little nervous about B&W The Movie. I fear it will be a total Infernal Affairs 2001 Andy Lau/Tony Leung edition gritty and badass, and then my heart and guts will be pulled out and gnawed on in anxiety for 120 minutes.
JB I'm curious about something. Since they're similarish, what has attracted more attention to your site? BBC mania or You're Beautiful mania? :) (Im surprised your site hasn't crashed from either!)
Happy Friday:) Today is starting off wonderfully with my mama making the family some yummy breakfast foods. Haha..usually my grandma cooks so this is a treat indeed.
I need to catch up on You're Beautiful it is like my hour of happiness twice a week.
Thanks! Yup, I've actually seen the movie already *feeling just slightly guilty* I'm wondering if I should still watch it in the cinema to support JH and HN... for a weekday ticket on promotion, it costs only the equivalent of US$4.50, so it's quite affordable. I enjoyed the movie and won't mind watching it again.
It's now 1.40am here and I'm having trouble trying to keep awake while reading all the posts in the open thread, so I'm going to bed after posting this. I'll resume reading the posts tomorrow although the open thread will probably be inactive by then, which is the reason I'm usually a lurker. Goodnite everyone, enjoy your weekends!
there are varying levels of spiciness for gochoojang (the chilli paste).
the hot kind can be... hot. Using more than a tablespoon of the hot kind for a whole saute pan worth of food would probably too much. the milder kind is probably better to start with. sometimes, the label won't specify whether it is super hot or not, but if it is the roasted kind of gochoojang, then you might be looking at the really hot kind.
As with all things though, put a little bit in, and then taste your creation, then add a bit more, etc. never add more than a tablespoon of the gochoojang to a pot / pan unless you know what you are doing.
When I make stuff with gochoojang, what I do is I mix it in a separate bowl first. I take a dollop the size of a tablespoon-ish (my wife likes more, I like a little less), and then I mix with some hot water (like 1/4 cup) with a tiny tiny tiny spritz of white wine vinegar (like, a drop or two) and a tiny bit of sesame oil, to create a liquid base, before mixing into the pot... if you don't want the sesame oil and/or the white wine vinegar, then just add the hot water and then mix together. That way, you get more even coverage in your pot of the chili paste / liquid. The reason for the hot water is because hot water "melts" the chili paste quicker so you don't have to stir so much.
I really don't get the deal with Viikii having to suspend Iris? Most people that watch it there are foriegn and we hav no other way of watching the show other than its being subbed? Do they want us really to buy full priced DVD's for every drama that we might want to check out? Most of us don't have the luxury to do that even if we want to. Its not like our watching is hurting its ratings but I guess copyright is important even though I don't think they have a leg to stand on. Viikii isn't selling the show. Anyway if you look around Iris will be subbed by groups, you'll just have to wait. Im glad I didn't start it yet because that would be quite the pain.
Anyway Yay weekend, I can finally watch YB, I heard this weeks is angsty, I love teenage angst.
Congrats Samsooki, you're officially a father now, man they grow up to be terrors tho as my parents say to me:D
I'm a little miffed that IRIS has pulled copyright on viikii, preventing them from subbing more episodes. UM...please. Your material is NOT awesome. The best part about that drama is LBH. He's hot, of course, but his character is also so cool I loved watching him figure everything out.
So, yeah, I'm dissing it but...I wanna watch more!
At least YAB is so great, and on so many more levels, that I actually shouldn't complain. Heh.
@ 35 - I keep repeating a clip of the night club scene with TOP not because of the mediocre song(I am not a fan of Big Bang - I just listen to Big Bang music for TOP) but because he's so freezingly hot!!!!
Hi JB i just read your post on "Heading to the Ground" been cut.....wow that sucks for the whole crew and cast....I mean i haven't watch not even one episode but they should just have the production end their original run....that is bad habit that this TV stations are developing....I mean don't they know all the hardwork that people put in to it......Now Hero which I don't find that appealing is going to be rush and scrambeling to have the first few episodes done......that sucks!!!!!!!!
I JUST HOPE THAT YAB DOESN"T GET CUT CAUSE THAT WILL BE A CATASTROPHE!!!!!!!!! OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@b020 - you have no idea how many times i replayed that clip. no idea. and i love how when TOP does his hot hot thing, it's his part in the song that's playing in the background... and it ends with "I'm the man T-O-P, yea!" ...and then i think.. yes..yes you are. i actually really like what i've heard of the song so far. BB music has grown on me and this song is kind of a throwback to their old style and i'm diggin' it.
Re: Viikii and IRIS - what?!? what?!?! it's pulled???????? I had no idea. none. I didn't check IRIS on viikii yet, only YB.. noOOoOooOoO!!!!!!! sadness all around. if YB gets pulled...i dono what i would do. Actually i'd probably just watch it raw still, read JB's recaps, and then keep on watching it raw and force my brain to absorb and comprehend the korean until the subs came out.
Dear JB: thank you a billion times for posting that vid of baby Jung Woo-sung from BEAT in yesterday's YB recap. I can now safely say, while he gots that charm from way back when, but he's gotten more sizzling with time. He and Cha Seung-won, to me, look better now than in their twenties. I can't wait to watch the current crop of youngsters grow up and age gracefully before our eyes.
"I really don’t get the deal with Viikii having to suspend Iris? Most people that watch it there are foriegn and we hav no other way of watching the show other than its being subbed?"
It's because the Taewoong production company has been trying to promote and sell Iris to various countries. For example, that is why we got an English language trailer during the summer. It's the truest Hallyu product we've seen yet.
It's actually been difficult even to get video footage of Iris. The company has been cracking down on various Korean sites providing raw footage. Not Viikii's fault, and I can't say I'm not really pissed off. But it's the reality.
Which means . . .
I have a Wed/Thursday slot for another show now. But I may go back and finish City Hall.
"BBC mania or You’re Beautiful mania?"
BBC Mania? Dramabeans does recaps of Dr. Who? O_O ;)
@ockoala,
"I’ve given up on YB’s ratings hitting the mid-tweens, I don’t care if it cracks double digits, I think it’s impact will be manifested in completely different ways by its loyal younger viewers"
Yeah, it's worth noting that BBF's uber-success was a freak anomaly, and that most on the business side didn't see that coming at all. If YB was aired in late spring/early summer, when the competition wasn't as brutal, it would probably be doing mid-teens. The main K-drama viewing demographic is different from J-drama demographic. In J-drama, there's a perception that TV (especially since most adults work very late nowadays) is for the teens. In K-drama, TV is still controlled by the moms. BBF worked because the freakish displays of bling-bling played well to moms who wanted to forget about the recession. If BBF was showed last year, it may not have clicked in the same way. YB, which is really, really "for the kids", doesn't have as much easy crossover appeal.
YB is going to be a smash Hallyu export. It's about as close to a TW idol-drama (I've come to realize that the Hong Sisters essentially do a hybrid of TW and K-drama -- in episode 7, the piano scene a homages to a Hong Kong film ) as we're going to see this year. You got . . .
A) Reverse Harem situation (cool guy, nice guy, weird guy, all androgynous)
B) Sweetheart, non-assertive female lead (tends to be more typical with TW than K, and it changes the nature of the romantic narrative)
C) Rawk soundtrack. We need more power ballads in our Korean trendies. ;)
D) Somewhat episodic structure, tied in a coming-with-age narrative.
Argument D is what most of the viewers are actually reacting to from an emotional standpoint. This BTW is rarely done in Korean romances. Even though the show is still serial, each episode of YB is also somewhat self-contained. (This is like J-drama or American drama structure.) For example, episode 7 is about GMN's finding a way to properly sing HTK's song. You might as well title that episode "The Music of My Heart." By the end of the episode, GMN learns a lesson about herself. That she is in love with him. That being really in love can be painful and lasting, but it can also be a force for your art. Each episode has a theme.
GMN's innocence is beguiling, but it's also a device so that we can experience her coming-of-age very much in her shoes. You may step back a bit and go "hmm, Shin Woo really does treat her so much better." But the main point is that she's in love with a person and she's sharing the stages of her emotional awakening, through the music, through her monologues and wacky visions, and above all through her actions. Each episode is a lesson for her.
"I thought if Fashion 70’s ended with the same scene, I would have died happy."
Indeed!! It would be so awesome if Han Tye Kyung descended from the Anjellcopter to take sweet Go Min Ryu away from the Rome nunnery . She, wearing her nun, is speechless as Mr. Zoolander, wearing aviator glasses and 5-foot hair (Zoolander was born to show his forehead and have hair that's taller than him), smirks as only he can, says "you. let's get married by 7pm. be prompt." Sigh. He's so romantic! ;)
"Say what? Kim Min-jung is injured and *may* need surgery, how the heck does a production deal with this type of delay? "
This is just terrible news and I can't understand why MBC is basically setting up Hero to be "Wolf, Part 2" (hey another Han Ji Min-associated show, who'd thunk it? ;) ) I hate to say this -- but this production could be a bomb. Even if KMJ doesn't need surgery, the production has already been out of wack. They might as well drop the romance.
The show needs divine intervention. Mother Absess, what should Lee Jung Ki do? *cue magic light coming from unseen source* Oooh, an angel with a smirky expression is coming to save LJK . . . :D
I feel lame now! If you want to retire "squee" because its past due for retirement, then that means that I'm more than one generation behind in terms of usage, because I just looked up.
How can a word be retired before I even get to use it?
Therefore, before you retire it, I'd like to use it once.
Ahem. I hope the Yankees lose the World Series because I'm a Red Sox fan. *squee*
@15 Nom_Kitteh - where and how are you getting YAB live on line?
Short of using a VPN tunnel, I couldn't figure out how to. Techie details please, and we'll join ya there! I've been waiting for the raw to come up on 1QDisk to watch. I'd love to watch it with an online group.
Ahem....sorry to go all usage-police on you, but I think you may not be using *squee* in the correct context. For the above sentence, I would use "hot d*mn" instead. Squee connotes delight and giddiness, not hope and a prayer.
*Puts on my fangirly 16 year old hat* here goes:
In the next episode, the moon better walk up to her star and just cradle his sobbing shinyness until he's all comforted and can see a flicker of the truth that he's totally falling for a novice in training cross-dressing as a boy pig-rabbit girl, squee!
or
*Puts on my langdon-unni hat* to simulate her presence on this OT:
Lee Min-ki is so smoking cool, I dreamt of him all morning, squee!
Ah heck, let's just use is sparingly, m'okay, lest we annoy JB. ;-)
@ belleza
It's seems like every piece of news on Hero (heck, every piece of news from MBC drama dept) is negative or not very reassuring these days. This is the only dark spot in an otherwise shiny, happy fall drama season for me. I can't for the life of me know why MBC is making decisions like a kid learning to write and scribbling nonsense all over the place.
I'm worried, too.
I also find YB to be self-contained single episode vignettes almost, I tells ma sis that I can watch each episode alone and be vastly satisfied, like a meal in itself. Very appropos of a great drama.
i havent watched infernal affairs, but i've seen the hollywood remake (with leo dicaprio AND matt damon <3 <3) hahah. that was enough to put me on the edge of my seat. and if the black and white movie turns out to be like that, i'll be happily gnawing my guts out lol. i always thought i'd be too chickened to watch thriller/action dramas or movies, but after watching b&w, i think i like it!
im just hoping the movie will tell us more about what the director/scriptwriter had in mind to round out the story, y'know, about (MINOR SPOILER) heaven and the big worldwide corruption scheme (it'll also be nice if they told us who he xiao mei really is). the whole thing sounds really crazy and bizarre, but i think it's one of those things that draws the audience in no matter what.
seriously, three years? i cant wait that long!!
Okay, apparently squee is a sound, rather than an actual statement of intent or wish.
I thought I could be cool if I used it, but now that I used it wrong, I am less cool than I was before the Open Thread. I might lose so much coolness that my KJH will end up wanting to be with hjkomo rather than me...
SOOOO true, I agree with Belleza. I think I like YB a lot because it is an overglorified TW idol drama. It's definitely the closest thing I've seen from Kdrama to TW drama. BOF is close but BOF was a little too disjointed in some places. I think YB will be quite popular in chinese speaking world. Not sure about Japan? Anyhow, it has its niche… and a cute storyline thus far. Totally my style. I have enjoyed other kdramas b/c they were very different from tw idol dramas but nothing totally sticks except STH… somehow I loved that one - KSW persistant chasing of CJW's character. PSH has grown up a lot since then. I am a major sucker for "kinda strong but not too strong and a little absentminded" female characters and "a very sharp, smart, with an edge, but deep down has a soft heart" male characters. That pretty much spells out 90% of all TW idol dramas and YB. =) Basically at some point, the female lead needs the male lead to help her out - protection, school work, whatever. The guy almost always puts up a front on the outside, by being mean or whatever, but then slowly changes. Just to remind myself of the scenes that I liked in BOF - I actually watched the one where JP straightens his hair and wears his school uniform scene again. LOVE IT! Funny how both male characters changed their hair based on what the female lead said. =)
@ Samsooki
She didn't like the bumble bee idea? Infants are super cute in those outfits, esp if they cannot crawl yet. If they can crawl - an animal would be very cute. =) Like a monkey, bear etc. I think 1 yr and less is the only age where those animal costumes are adorable.
Happy Friday and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it! Oh and I really like the song of the day!
@Samsooki
I didn't know Baby Ji-hoon had arrived. Congratulations to both you and Mrs. Samsooki! I hope that she and the baby are doing well!
@ockoala
If only the moon would go up to her star to comfort him! But I don't know...it's would be almost too good to be true or something. I'm sure there's either a twist or somehow MN misses her chance. But it would be a great symmetry and it would be interesting b/c their emotions when he comforted her are much different now.
I am so emotionally wrapped up in YB. I *heart* Tae-kyung! And I love watching TK interact w/MN. The only other series I'm (casually) watching is Smile, You which only is interesting to me b/c Jung Kyung-ho and Lee Min-jung have good chemistry and I'm curious to see how it unfolds. But the parental storyline really is irksome and the Seo parents are almost seem like caricatures in a way. Was the Lobbyist any good? Has anybody started watching the jdorama Tokyo Dogs? I'm planning on watching the first episode this weekend.
Awww...how cute was that little squee. Nice try! But imagine you just left the salon and got EXACTLY the Binnie haircut you wanted... every time you looked in the mirror you'd SQUEE with delight. Maybe out loud, maybe not. :-D
@ 69, ockoala
Thanks honey! No one could represent me better than you. And no one makes me squee like Lee Min-ki does.
Sorry for all the squeeing, JB. Maybe if we use it enough it will be fresh again?
@ jm126, using 'sparking/glittering' @$#%× per page to describe a vampire in daylight. But frankly, your pal is a lost cause
Happy Friday! I'm kinda bumped Halloween is not on a workday...the freak in me is not going to get a release under my labcoat this yr....rawr
So true YB is in essence more along the veins of TW idol drama....esp on Minam's characterization. But then TWdrama usu r not armed with this spunky writing and terrific acting. These are trained, talented professional 19, 20 yos. When I'm not busying myself in awwwwwing and mushing over the dramatics, they r a real delight to watch with what they do with their acting chops.
I'm a grump and it's frustrating usu to watch fluff... tolerating some annoying characters (I also agree I find Hong sis' past dramas too full of characters I want to break their necks) or atrocious acting (normal TW stuff). Bad acted out fluff is so not funny. and I need good laughs.
YB's mom is still the usual evilmom fr kdramaland that I choose to turn a blind eye, but her convo with
MN's star was too much.
@taohua
I am so glad someone mentioned Smile, You at last. I was intimidated by 50+ eps but now that I am enjoying the drama I am happy it's that long. The lead couple is the sweetest and LMJ is utterly delightful. Yes, the scenes with the older characters are kind of boring tho' I do like the mother and the brother.
@belleza You are right. YB is very much like TW idol drama except posher.
LOL, the heart of narcissism.... if I squee'd myself.
Btw, if you ever have the chance, I would watch Friend, Our Legend. It is kind of dark and brooding, so if you don't feel like that, then just watch Episodes 19 and 20.
If you want the backstory (say, if you only want to watch the last two episodes), it is basically this:
Imagine 4 friends growing up, they are like brothers. One of them, Kim Min Joon, is sort of a natural born leader. The other one, Binnie, is sort of his second-in-command. Both of them are sort of messed up by their upbringing, and struggle to make their way in life. But they love each other dearly, and Binnie, though he plays second fiddle to no one, does so for Kim Min Joon because Binnie loves him. Both Binnie and Kim Min Joon end up in the gangster life. And Kim Min Joon constantly tries to look after Binnie, even though sometimes it looks like he's trying to keep Binnie from getting ahead - but it's because Binnie might even have a shot as a boxer, and not as a gangster.
Through loves lost and found, and through life, through circumstances that put Binnie behind bars and hardening him, and through machinations of others, they end up going their separate paths and then come back as rivals, with responsibilities to others and with separate agendas.
And through-out the years that this drama takes place, Korea is changing, coming to grips as a rising economic power and a viable country - and so one of the things it must do, as a country, is tackle the twin problems of crime and political corruption. Amidst this kind of backdrop, Binnie and Kim Min Joon, as rising and rival gangsters, face off despite knowing that their world is changing.
And Ep 19 will blow your socks off.
I suggest taking off your socks before watching Ep 19. That way, you won't have to go looking for them after the episode is over.
@Baby Bi* c/o 67
I'm so glad you're here! Thank you for coming safe, happy and healthy. Oh and don't get glitter on your dad tonight with all those stars on your butt ;)
@66 Belleza
I was actually thinking just that after Thurs. ep. Every ep has a theme and is generally about one of the main characters, in such a way that they and the audience learn something new and/or concrete about the character. I love it. So thankful for two superb dramas this year... (Story of a Man and You're Beautiful).
@69 ockoaloa
Loved your usage of "sqee" And you are absolutely right...the Moon and the Star need to get it together!
"Heading to the Ground" being shortened yet again is kind of grimy, but I'm not surprised. Like was mentioned by JB, I've heard that the show was rather weird...with the whole mental asylum and other jazz that was oddly placed. I actually feel pretty bad for U-Know because, though he wasn't that great, his role and the show has turned out to be a rather poor choice. I haven't watched it myself, I'm actually scared at how bad it will be but hopefully if acting is what he wants to do, his next project will fair better and his "chops" stronger.
I also finished Cain and Abel in 32 hours this week! I got addicted somewhere around ep 2 (ep 1 isn't that great) and shocked the crap out of me by marathon'n it from Tues to Wed. So I am proud to announce that once again So Ji Sub is the love of my dramalife! And I am thankful, for, save the Oppas of IRIS, my loves of late have been borderline statutory :D
This week I started and finished Brilliant Legacy, great drama and highly addictive. It's full of the usual cliches but somehow fresh without doing anything differently.
Redeeming Hwan was believable and definitely one of those bits of drama that will stick in my head even after the other details fade.
ITA about YB being a TW drama with a good production budget. It's a small thing but how Minam scurries after TK reminds me uncomfortably of Miss No Good.
@ Samsooki - finally, another person who liked Friend, Our Legend!!!! I love the intensity, darkness, and deep friendship in this show! Love love love this show and I really wish more people would give it a try. Its a different kind of drama and I love it!
About Halloween, how do the rest of countries celebrate it? I was born in Philippines, but immigrated in the US when I as 9 years old. I remember in Philippines, we set up a table full of food for the people who have passed away and pray. I was surprised though when I came to the US and everyone were instead wearing costumes and Trick or Treat for Halloween. It was a BIG change and weird at first, but I came to like it (especially free candies). Then after a few years, I heard that Philippines also started Trick or Treat and dressing up for Halloween. I was kind of pissed about this because while I already knew Philippines has to COPY everything the US does, why must it also copy something that just doesn't fit with the culture. What do you all think?
While I'm a big fan of DBSK, I just didn't feel like watching Heading to the Ground. The first episode was too much to handle ... Yunho is an amazing, talented person ... but that talent should stay to singing. It's really hard to crossover from a singer to actor or even vice versa.
You're Beautiful gets 5 stars from me. If the rest of the episodes keeps its addictive and quality factor up, then it may likely become my #1 favorite Korean Romantic comedy. Full House hasn't been beaten all these years. Hope ending is the best!!
RE: Tokyo Dogs - I haven't started it yet but its on my list. Anything with Oguri Shun ends up on my ever-growing list. I'm waiting until a few more episodes come out though, because I'm already in the middle of 2 currently airing dramas (Ohitorisama and YB, natch) and I can't handle the strain of watching another drama that will make me wait.
I also started Smile, You but did get scared off when I saw 50 eps. I was enjoying it (I love Jung Kyung-ho's character) but I really don't have that kind of stamina. So in my desperacy to distract myself while I was waiting for new episodes, I started the jdorama Sapuri, got about halfway, and realized I'd seen it before. Sigh.
@ 67 Samsookie : YOU feel old and lame b/c JB wants to retire a word you haven't used yet? I read JB's note and thought "oh, how unusual, JB made a spelling mistake... two 'e's and she left off the 'l'". Then moved on.
Imagine how ancient I feel now.
But I enjoyed the explanations, esp watching one DB poster imitating another (thanks langdon813).
I'm already there with Friend...I rewatched the first 3 episodes this week, just to get it all fresh in my mind again. So far I've resisted jumping ahead to watch Ep 19, though you keep making it harder and harder not to! I'm enjoying it but I have to mix it up with something lighter, otherwise the melancholy could be a little too much for me right now. I just have this overwhelming sense of dread about it but I'm hanging in there this time, I promise.
But you've got the A-team theme stuck in my head now. We may be the only ones around here old enough to remember that show, though.
I think one reason that YB strikes so many chords it manages to combine high comedy in the parodies and gags with more angsty yet still funny stuff. Not easy to write or act that while not going overboard. It doesn't take itself seriously, but also doesn't go over the top.
Part of the fun at this point is, knowing how your typical kdrama works, trying to guess just which way the Hong sisters will send it. Personally I want the real Mi Nam to show up at some point....
man oh man.. i totally forgot about OT again.. this blows. i hate month end. and i was all caught up and just working a lame report too..
how am i going to get all the awesomeness that is IRIS if it's not on viikii?? that's where i was watching it.. i guess i'm off to try and figure all the dl stuff.. i'm kinda too dumb to do it.. but if i set my mind to it, i'll figure it out.. later rather than sooner, i fear.
happy halloween!! my son is going as Freddy Krueger this year. he totally scared me the other nite.. it's a good thing i had just finished in the bathroom, otherwise he woulda scared the piss outta me.. literally. for his first halloween, he was the bumblebee.. and he was commented on A LOT.. every mother that saw HIM complimented me on my beautiful daughter. :(
(in case you didn't see it in OT 106)
Congrats on the arrival of Baby Rain, Mr and Mrs. Samsooki. hope you find a costume that won't make Baby Rain look like a girl, unless that is the intention.
Tokyo Dogs -- Kinda intrigued with a police drama getting the Getsu-9 slot. MAY start this one if the buzz is good. Sometimes I think Oguri Shun kinda chooses which roles to sleepwalk through. He's great in Tenchijin.
JIN -- on strength of this one starring Osawa Takao in a really juicy role (brain surgeon goes back in time to Edo period.) Also it's from the drama writer of Sekachu and Byakuyako (interesting casting with Haruka Ayase and Osawa Takao, who were respectively in the TV and film versions of Sekachu), so you know you'll cry buckets. Buckets. ;)
I was itched to start Tokyo Dogs as well...in the mood for cop bromance sparked by B&W. my serious concern, I cringed all my life's worth@ Hiro already...is he any better here than say Mr.Brain? I can watch Oguri Shun sleepwalking, he's just weirdly fascinating. I loved him in that cameo he did in Sakuran
JIN: I'm liking it so far, but I'll forever bear a grudge on Osawa Takao. how my Yukata was in major ANGST in Hoshi no Kinka.
It's pretty tragic on Sakai Noriko in real life. Say no to drugs is no longer just pertaining to kids... *sigh*
Friend: It's not just melancholy, it was an intense yet dull lump of leaded pain in my viscera. There's no dramatics to release it like say MiSa, where the buckets are so useful, it just boils on and on as the drama progresses (Thanks for YB to come along or else I'll be in a Chingu induced seasonal depression) There was a period that I had to put it down, got me off my binniewagon coz seeing him reminded of how helpless to the tides of life his DongSoo and pals were in Chingu. But it's that undeniably good a drama, and therefore not that recommendable to watch leisurely....it intensely affects.
Someone is mentally tingling my mind about City Hall again, about maybe watching another episode (*cough* goes by the moniker b to the elleza). Such a tease, you are.
I'm saving a City Hall re-watch marathon (hopefully I've have my shiny director's cut DVD set by then) for a wonderful day in late December where I can curl up with my TV, my shih-tzu, and my Jo Guk. Then, I can sit down and pen my first ever best list. I'm not qualified to do a worst list - too many I've never even attempted to watch this year.
And tonight, LA18 will air episode 2 of On Air - and I wonder, do the lead actresses and their characters get less peevish, shrieky, b*tchy by this episode, or do I have to wait another week, or more? So far, I have a hard time believing On Air and City Hall are written by the same scriptwriter.
Oh, and Happy Halloween tomorrow to everyone - I have to take the ever popular Spiderman and his little sidekick Hello Kitty Ballerina out for candy scrounging. Not in my hood though, my hood has no street lights, so no peeps come around.
Congratulation to Mr & Mrs Samsooki.....Best Wishes to you all. When did little Rain arrive? Our baby turns 26 on Oct 27th...time flies.
Disappointed about IRIS but oh well...Will watch it in VietNam the next 4 weeks...Have a Howling Halloween Everyone.
OH i totally forgot to mention I AM TOTALLY DOING NANOWRIMO. Er, I had better do it, I mean! I sat out at around Day 5 or so last year, but this year, by golly gosh darnit I'm going to stick with it, even if all I produce is crap. I found last year that it was a lot of fun adding Nano buddies to see how we each were doing, and we all kept personal blogs to keep track of each other, so if you're doing it, find me on the Nano site! Gotta fire up the ol' wordpress blog....
And I'm actually thinking of doing some kind of fanfic. You know, like "You're Beautiful, This Belleza" starting This Belleza who dressed up as a boy band member to conquer the kingdom of Shilla from the evil grasps of, uhm, This Belleza's secret Mother-in-Law and Belleza's King/ deadbeat father-of-chidlren Lee Byung Hun. And, like, Mr. Samsooki will make a guest appearance as Merlin . . . .
Erm, yeah. Nanowrimo is hard to do without pirates and ninjas. :(
Nanowrimo...... that's..... approx 120 pages of 12 point times new roman 1 1/2 line spaced writing...
In 30 days... that's 4 pages of crappy writing per day.... every single day.
...cannot be done. At least, it cannot be done by me. I can do 1 good page of writing in a week, and 3 pages of crappy writing if pressed. That's my limit. :)
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51 Isabelh
October 30, 2009 at 10:10 AM
@45 coco
Wow, Thank you! I missed that -- but can 1Tablespoon of chili paste be right? In the dramas it looks like there is a half cup at least. But maybe this is safer, since I can't drink like Sam Soon.
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52 xiahkixiri
October 30, 2009 at 10:15 AM
@ 32 lovenyc52 - Yep, it seems the Viikii problem got solved, I'm surprised and pleased it got resolved so quickly. The drama it seems was pretty low-key. Alas, the same can not be said for poor Iris. It stinks that the media companies are on to Viikii, it really, really does. Hm, maybe they should move over to Overstream, it performs the same function, right? Except it existed before Viikii and for some reason only Taiwanese dramas really got posted there.
@ Aries - You shook Kang Ji Hwan's hand!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! !! ! ! !!! ! ! *dying* What a prince. Alas, the woes of a stalker.
@ samsooki - Maybe dress baby as a cloud? *cackles* And play 'go Rain, go Rain, it's raining, it's raining'. It must be related to Bi in some way! Or like one of those baby muscleman outfits. Or just in some of Rain's particularly memorable outfits from Full House.
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53 annieee
October 30, 2009 at 10:18 AM
happy OT everyone!
thank you to all u OT-ers who were raving about black and white a while back. it sparked my curiosity and i finally started watching it. i finished it last night, and OMGADSKLFJOIWE is it a kick-ass drama!! the intensity just kept on building up, and i loved the way everything was presented to the audience, from the revealing of the secrets to the ending/epilogue. i am reallyyyy excited for the movie version to come out. but when mark zhao went on a variety show couple months ago, he commented that they will start filming this fall and the movie will not be finalized until three years later!? i cannot wait this long!!
this drama, the director, and the actors have all earned my utmost respect. definitely deserved the GBAs, and i'm really looking forward to watching more of mark zhao. since this morning i've been watching the variety shows the b&w cast went on to promote the drama way back when, and u can so tell they formed really close friendships with each other. vic is actually pretty funny, and mark is so incredibly adorable! i really hope the movie happens b/c it will be so awesome just to see the both of them onscreen together again!
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54 ockoala
October 30, 2009 at 10:28 AM
@ Aries
You *touched* Kang Ji-hwan AND Kim Ha-neul's hands? Brava, congrats on succeeding in stalking your idol. Did you watch the movie? It wasn't my favorite - but they make a cute pair and 2 hours spent with KJH is never wasted for me. I need to check out Rough Cut.
@ 52 annieee
It's been awhile since I finished B&W, and after some time to digest and think about the drama, I'm a little nervous about B&W The Movie. I fear it will be a total Infernal Affairs 2001 Andy Lau/Tony Leung edition gritty and badass, and then my heart and guts will be pulled out and gnawed on in anxiety for 120 minutes.
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55 pabo ceo reom
October 30, 2009 at 10:29 AM
JB I'm curious about something. Since they're similarish, what has attracted more attention to your site? BBC mania or You're Beautiful mania? :) (Im surprised your site hasn't crashed from either!)
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56 Dele
October 30, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Happy Friday:) Today is starting off wonderfully with my mama making the family some yummy breakfast foods. Haha..usually my grandma cooks so this is a treat indeed.
I need to catch up on You're Beautiful it is like my hour of happiness twice a week.
Best,
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57 Aries
October 30, 2009 at 10:46 AM
@ ockoala,
Thanks! Yup, I've actually seen the movie already *feeling just slightly guilty* I'm wondering if I should still watch it in the cinema to support JH and HN... for a weekday ticket on promotion, it costs only the equivalent of US$4.50, so it's quite affordable. I enjoyed the movie and won't mind watching it again.
It's now 1.40am here and I'm having trouble trying to keep awake while reading all the posts in the open thread, so I'm going to bed after posting this. I'll resume reading the posts tomorrow although the open thread will probably be inactive by then, which is the reason I'm usually a lurker. Goodnite everyone, enjoy your weekends!
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58 samsooki
October 30, 2009 at 10:50 AM
@51 Isabelh -
be careful!
there are varying levels of spiciness for gochoojang (the chilli paste).
the hot kind can be... hot. Using more than a tablespoon of the hot kind for a whole saute pan worth of food would probably too much. the milder kind is probably better to start with. sometimes, the label won't specify whether it is super hot or not, but if it is the roasted kind of gochoojang, then you might be looking at the really hot kind.
As with all things though, put a little bit in, and then taste your creation, then add a bit more, etc. never add more than a tablespoon of the gochoojang to a pot / pan unless you know what you are doing.
When I make stuff with gochoojang, what I do is I mix it in a separate bowl first. I take a dollop the size of a tablespoon-ish (my wife likes more, I like a little less), and then I mix with some hot water (like 1/4 cup) with a tiny tiny tiny spritz of white wine vinegar (like, a drop or two) and a tiny bit of sesame oil, to create a liquid base, before mixing into the pot... if you don't want the sesame oil and/or the white wine vinegar, then just add the hot water and then mix together. That way, you get more even coverage in your pot of the chili paste / liquid. The reason for the hot water is because hot water "melts" the chili paste quicker so you don't have to stir so much.
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59 Jingu
October 30, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I really don't get the deal with Viikii having to suspend Iris? Most people that watch it there are foriegn and we hav no other way of watching the show other than its being subbed? Do they want us really to buy full priced DVD's for every drama that we might want to check out? Most of us don't have the luxury to do that even if we want to. Its not like our watching is hurting its ratings but I guess copyright is important even though I don't think they have a leg to stand on. Viikii isn't selling the show. Anyway if you look around Iris will be subbed by groups, you'll just have to wait. Im glad I didn't start it yet because that would be quite the pain.
Anyway Yay weekend, I can finally watch YB, I heard this weeks is angsty, I love teenage angst.
Congrats Samsooki, you're officially a father now, man they grow up to be terrors tho as my parents say to me:D
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60 tinyviolin
October 30, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I'm a little miffed that IRIS has pulled copyright on viikii, preventing them from subbing more episodes. UM...please. Your material is NOT awesome. The best part about that drama is LBH. He's hot, of course, but his character is also so cool I loved watching him figure everything out.
So, yeah, I'm dissing it but...I wanna watch more!
At least YAB is so great, and on so many more levels, that I actually shouldn't complain. Heh.
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61 b020
October 30, 2009 at 11:00 AM
@ 35 - I keep repeating a clip of the night club scene with TOP not because of the mediocre song(I am not a fan of Big Bang - I just listen to Big Bang music for TOP) but because he's so freezingly hot!!!!
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62 Arivle
October 30, 2009 at 11:07 AM
Hi JB i just read your post on "Heading to the Ground" been cut.....wow that sucks for the whole crew and cast....I mean i haven't watch not even one episode but they should just have the production end their original run....that is bad habit that this TV stations are developing....I mean don't they know all the hardwork that people put in to it......Now Hero which I don't find that appealing is going to be rush and scrambeling to have the first few episodes done......that sucks!!!!!!!!
I JUST HOPE THAT YAB DOESN"T GET CUT CAUSE THAT WILL BE A CATASTROPHE!!!!!!!!! OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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63 amhrancas
October 30, 2009 at 11:19 AM
popping in for a quick "Happy Halloween!" to everyone.
And Javabeans: much love for the mppa song!!! I cannot wait for their next album to come out ^^
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64 lovenyc52
October 30, 2009 at 11:19 AM
@b020 - you have no idea how many times i replayed that clip. no idea. and i love how when TOP does his hot hot thing, it's his part in the song that's playing in the background... and it ends with "I'm the man T-O-P, yea!" ...and then i think.. yes..yes you are. i actually really like what i've heard of the song so far. BB music has grown on me and this song is kind of a throwback to their old style and i'm diggin' it.
Re: Viikii and IRIS - what?!? what?!?! it's pulled???????? I had no idea. none. I didn't check IRIS on viikii yet, only YB.. noOOoOooOoO!!!!!!! sadness all around. if YB gets pulled...i dono what i would do. Actually i'd probably just watch it raw still, read JB's recaps, and then keep on watching it raw and force my brain to absorb and comprehend the korean until the subs came out.
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65 ockoala
October 30, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Dear JB: thank you a billion times for posting that vid of baby Jung Woo-sung from BEAT in yesterday's YB recap. I can now safely say, while he gots that charm from way back when, but he's gotten more sizzling with time. He and Cha Seung-won, to me, look better now than in their twenties. I can't wait to watch the current crop of youngsters grow up and age gracefully before our eyes.
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66 belleza
October 30, 2009 at 11:28 AM
"I really don’t get the deal with Viikii having to suspend Iris? Most people that watch it there are foriegn and we hav no other way of watching the show other than its being subbed?"
It's because the Taewoong production company has been trying to promote and sell Iris to various countries. For example, that is why we got an English language trailer during the summer. It's the truest Hallyu product we've seen yet.
It's actually been difficult even to get video footage of Iris. The company has been cracking down on various Korean sites providing raw footage. Not Viikii's fault, and I can't say I'm not really pissed off. But it's the reality.
Which means . . .
I have a Wed/Thursday slot for another show now. But I may go back and finish City Hall.
"BBC mania or You’re Beautiful mania?"
BBC Mania? Dramabeans does recaps of Dr. Who? O_O ;)
@ockoala,
"I’ve given up on YB’s ratings hitting the mid-tweens, I don’t care if it cracks double digits, I think it’s impact will be manifested in completely different ways by its loyal younger viewers"
Yeah, it's worth noting that BBF's uber-success was a freak anomaly, and that most on the business side didn't see that coming at all. If YB was aired in late spring/early summer, when the competition wasn't as brutal, it would probably be doing mid-teens. The main K-drama viewing demographic is different from J-drama demographic. In J-drama, there's a perception that TV (especially since most adults work very late nowadays) is for the teens. In K-drama, TV is still controlled by the moms. BBF worked because the freakish displays of bling-bling played well to moms who wanted to forget about the recession. If BBF was showed last year, it may not have clicked in the same way. YB, which is really, really "for the kids", doesn't have as much easy crossover appeal.
YB is going to be a smash Hallyu export. It's about as close to a TW idol-drama (I've come to realize that the Hong Sisters essentially do a hybrid of TW and K-drama -- in episode 7, the piano scene a homages to a Hong Kong film ) as we're going to see this year. You got . . .
A) Reverse Harem situation (cool guy, nice guy, weird guy, all androgynous)
B) Sweetheart, non-assertive female lead (tends to be more typical with TW than K, and it changes the nature of the romantic narrative)
C) Rawk soundtrack. We need more power ballads in our Korean trendies. ;)
D) Somewhat episodic structure, tied in a coming-with-age narrative.
Argument D is what most of the viewers are actually reacting to from an emotional standpoint. This BTW is rarely done in Korean romances. Even though the show is still serial, each episode of YB is also somewhat self-contained. (This is like J-drama or American drama structure.) For example, episode 7 is about GMN's finding a way to properly sing HTK's song. You might as well title that episode "The Music of My Heart." By the end of the episode, GMN learns a lesson about herself. That she is in love with him. That being really in love can be painful and lasting, but it can also be a force for your art. Each episode has a theme.
GMN's innocence is beguiling, but it's also a device so that we can experience her coming-of-age very much in her shoes. You may step back a bit and go "hmm, Shin Woo really does treat her so much better." But the main point is that she's in love with a person and she's sharing the stages of her emotional awakening, through the music, through her monologues and wacky visions, and above all through her actions. Each episode is a lesson for her.
"I thought if Fashion 70’s ended with the same scene, I would have died happy."
Indeed!! It would be so awesome if Han Tye Kyung descended from the Anjellcopter to take sweet Go Min Ryu away from the Rome nunnery . She, wearing her nun, is speechless as Mr. Zoolander, wearing aviator glasses and 5-foot hair (Zoolander was born to show his forehead and have hair that's taller than him), smirks as only he can, says "you. let's get married by 7pm. be prompt." Sigh. He's so romantic! ;)
"Say what? Kim Min-jung is injured and *may* need surgery, how the heck does a production deal with this type of delay? "
Article here:
http://www.allkpop.com/index.php/full_story/kim_min_jungs_injury_slows_down_hero_production/
This is just terrible news and I can't understand why MBC is basically setting up Hero to be "Wolf, Part 2" (hey another Han Ji Min-associated show, who'd thunk it? ;) ) I hate to say this -- but this production could be a bomb. Even if KMJ doesn't need surgery, the production has already been out of wack. They might as well drop the romance.
The show needs divine intervention. Mother Absess, what should Lee Jung Ki do? *cue magic light coming from unseen source* Oooh, an angel with a smirky expression is coming to save LJK . . . :D
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67 samsooki
October 30, 2009 at 11:53 AM
JB,
I feel lame now! If you want to retire "squee" because its past due for retirement, then that means that I'm more than one generation behind in terms of usage, because I just looked up.
How can a word be retired before I even get to use it?
Therefore, before you retire it, I'd like to use it once.
Ahem. I hope the Yankees lose the World Series because I'm a Red Sox fan. *squee*
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68 momosan
October 30, 2009 at 11:54 AM
@15 Nom_Kitteh - where and how are you getting YAB live on line?
Short of using a VPN tunnel, I couldn't figure out how to. Techie details please, and we'll join ya there! I've been waiting for the raw to come up on 1QDisk to watch. I'd love to watch it with an online group.
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69 ockoala
October 30, 2009 at 12:01 PM
@ Samsooki
Ahem....sorry to go all usage-police on you, but I think you may not be using *squee* in the correct context. For the above sentence, I would use "hot d*mn" instead. Squee connotes delight and giddiness, not hope and a prayer.
*Puts on my fangirly 16 year old hat* here goes:
In the next episode, the moon better walk up to her star and just cradle his sobbing shinyness until he's all comforted and can see a flicker of the truth that he's totally falling for a novice in training cross-dressing as a boy pig-rabbit girl, squee!
or
*Puts on my langdon-unni hat* to simulate her presence on this OT:
Lee Min-ki is so smoking cool, I dreamt of him all morning, squee!
Ah heck, let's just use is sparingly, m'okay, lest we annoy JB. ;-)
@ belleza
It's seems like every piece of news on Hero (heck, every piece of news from MBC drama dept) is negative or not very reassuring these days. This is the only dark spot in an otherwise shiny, happy fall drama season for me. I can't for the life of me know why MBC is making decisions like a kid learning to write and scribbling nonsense all over the place.
I'm worried, too.
I also find YB to be self-contained single episode vignettes almost, I tells ma sis that I can watch each episode alone and be vastly satisfied, like a meal in itself. Very appropos of a great drama.
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70 jm126
October 30, 2009 at 12:12 PM
YB is my gateway foe teen fandom. Ah, thank you weekend! I'll be able to watch thiz week's episode while drinking a cup of Starbucks :]
My friend & I are arguin on AIM on Twilight & Harry Potter. I'm rooting for Twilight (naturally) & need a diss to shut her up for sure now :p Help..?
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71 anniee
October 30, 2009 at 12:22 PM
@ ockoala, 54
i havent watched infernal affairs, but i've seen the hollywood remake (with leo dicaprio AND matt damon <3 <3) hahah. that was enough to put me on the edge of my seat. and if the black and white movie turns out to be like that, i'll be happily gnawing my guts out lol. i always thought i'd be too chickened to watch thriller/action dramas or movies, but after watching b&w, i think i like it!
im just hoping the movie will tell us more about what the director/scriptwriter had in mind to round out the story, y'know, about (MINOR SPOILER) heaven and the big worldwide corruption scheme (it'll also be nice if they told us who he xiao mei really is). the whole thing sounds really crazy and bizarre, but i think it's one of those things that draws the audience in no matter what.
seriously, three years? i cant wait that long!!
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72 MEIKO**** ^-^
October 30, 2009 at 12:34 PM
HOPE YOU GUYS WILL HAVE A ONE PEE-0N-YOU-PANTS-SCARY HALLOWEEN!
MMMmmm......now should i scare the crap out of my patients tonight??? hehe!
@ SAMSOOKI
Hehehehe! Go! RED SOX!
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73 samsooki
October 30, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Okay, apparently squee is a sound, rather than an actual statement of intent or wish.
I thought I could be cool if I used it, but now that I used it wrong, I am less cool than I was before the Open Thread. I might lose so much coolness that my KJH will end up wanting to be with hjkomo rather than me...
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74 lovesdramas
October 30, 2009 at 12:40 PM
1st time posting in the open thread.
SOOOO true, I agree with Belleza. I think I like YB a lot because it is an overglorified TW idol drama. It's definitely the closest thing I've seen from Kdrama to TW drama. BOF is close but BOF was a little too disjointed in some places. I think YB will be quite popular in chinese speaking world. Not sure about Japan? Anyhow, it has its niche… and a cute storyline thus far. Totally my style. I have enjoyed other kdramas b/c they were very different from tw idol dramas but nothing totally sticks except STH… somehow I loved that one - KSW persistant chasing of CJW's character. PSH has grown up a lot since then. I am a major sucker for "kinda strong but not too strong and a little absentminded" female characters and "a very sharp, smart, with an edge, but deep down has a soft heart" male characters. That pretty much spells out 90% of all TW idol dramas and YB. =) Basically at some point, the female lead needs the male lead to help her out - protection, school work, whatever. The guy almost always puts up a front on the outside, by being mean or whatever, but then slowly changes. Just to remind myself of the scenes that I liked in BOF - I actually watched the one where JP straightens his hair and wears his school uniform scene again. LOVE IT! Funny how both male characters changed their hair based on what the female lead said. =)
@ Samsooki
She didn't like the bumble bee idea? Infants are super cute in those outfits, esp if they cannot crawl yet. If they can crawl - an animal would be very cute. =) Like a monkey, bear etc. I think 1 yr and less is the only age where those animal costumes are adorable.
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75 Taohua
October 30, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Happy Friday and Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it! Oh and I really like the song of the day!
@Samsooki
I didn't know Baby Ji-hoon had arrived. Congratulations to both you and Mrs. Samsooki! I hope that she and the baby are doing well!
@ockoala
If only the moon would go up to her star to comfort him! But I don't know...it's would be almost too good to be true or something. I'm sure there's either a twist or somehow MN misses her chance. But it would be a great symmetry and it would be interesting b/c their emotions when he comforted her are much different now.
I am so emotionally wrapped up in YB. I *heart* Tae-kyung! And I love watching TK interact w/MN. The only other series I'm (casually) watching is Smile, You which only is interesting to me b/c Jung Kyung-ho and Lee Min-jung have good chemistry and I'm curious to see how it unfolds. But the parental storyline really is irksome and the Seo parents are almost seem like caricatures in a way. Was the Lobbyist any good? Has anybody started watching the jdorama Tokyo Dogs? I'm planning on watching the first episode this weekend.
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76 MEIKO**** ^-^
October 30, 2009 at 12:47 PM
@ SAMSOOKI
CONGRATULATIONS!!! ^-^ WISH YOU MORE BLESSINGS!
love bumble bee...^-^
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77 langdon813
October 30, 2009 at 12:47 PM
@ 67, samsooki-daddy
Awww...how cute was that little squee. Nice try! But imagine you just left the salon and got EXACTLY the Binnie haircut you wanted... every time you looked in the mirror you'd SQUEE with delight. Maybe out loud, maybe not. :-D
@ 69, ockoala
Thanks honey! No one could represent me better than you. And no one makes me squee like Lee Min-ki does.
Sorry for all the squeeing, JB. Maybe if we use it enough it will be fresh again?
Probably not. ;-)
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78 mookie
October 30, 2009 at 12:53 PM
@ jm126, using 'sparking/glittering' @$#%× per page to describe a vampire in daylight. But frankly, your pal is a lost cause
Happy Friday! I'm kinda bumped Halloween is not on a workday...the freak in me is not going to get a release under my labcoat this yr....rawr
So true YB is in essence more along the veins of TW idol drama....esp on Minam's characterization. But then TWdrama usu r not armed with this spunky writing and terrific acting. These are trained, talented professional 19, 20 yos. When I'm not busying myself in awwwwwing and mushing over the dramatics, they r a real delight to watch with what they do with their acting chops.
I'm a grump and it's frustrating usu to watch fluff... tolerating some annoying characters (I also agree I find Hong sis' past dramas too full of characters I want to break their necks) or atrocious acting (normal TW stuff). Bad acted out fluff is so not funny. and I need good laughs.
YB's mom is still the usual evilmom fr kdramaland that I choose to turn a blind eye, but her convo with
MN's star was too much.
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79 Sonam
October 30, 2009 at 12:57 PM
@taohua
I am so glad someone mentioned Smile, You at last. I was intimidated by 50+ eps but now that I am enjoying the drama I am happy it's that long. The lead couple is the sweetest and LMJ is utterly delightful. Yes, the scenes with the older characters are kind of boring tho' I do like the mother and the brother.
@belleza You are right. YB is very much like TW idol drama except posher.
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80 samsooki
October 30, 2009 at 1:08 PM
@77 langdon813 -
LOL, the heart of narcissism.... if I squee'd myself.
Btw, if you ever have the chance, I would watch Friend, Our Legend. It is kind of dark and brooding, so if you don't feel like that, then just watch Episodes 19 and 20.
If you want the backstory (say, if you only want to watch the last two episodes), it is basically this:
Imagine 4 friends growing up, they are like brothers. One of them, Kim Min Joon, is sort of a natural born leader. The other one, Binnie, is sort of his second-in-command. Both of them are sort of messed up by their upbringing, and struggle to make their way in life. But they love each other dearly, and Binnie, though he plays second fiddle to no one, does so for Kim Min Joon because Binnie loves him. Both Binnie and Kim Min Joon end up in the gangster life. And Kim Min Joon constantly tries to look after Binnie, even though sometimes it looks like he's trying to keep Binnie from getting ahead - but it's because Binnie might even have a shot as a boxer, and not as a gangster.
Through loves lost and found, and through life, through circumstances that put Binnie behind bars and hardening him, and through machinations of others, they end up going their separate paths and then come back as rivals, with responsibilities to others and with separate agendas.
And through-out the years that this drama takes place, Korea is changing, coming to grips as a rising economic power and a viable country - and so one of the things it must do, as a country, is tackle the twin problems of crime and political corruption. Amidst this kind of backdrop, Binnie and Kim Min Joon, as rising and rival gangsters, face off despite knowing that their world is changing.
And Ep 19 will blow your socks off.
I suggest taking off your socks before watching Ep 19. That way, you won't have to go looking for them after the episode is over.
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81 Nea
October 30, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Happy OT Everyone!
@Baby Bi* c/o 67
I'm so glad you're here! Thank you for coming safe, happy and healthy. Oh and don't get glitter on your dad tonight with all those stars on your butt ;)
@66 Belleza
I was actually thinking just that after Thurs. ep. Every ep has a theme and is generally about one of the main characters, in such a way that they and the audience learn something new and/or concrete about the character. I love it. So thankful for two superb dramas this year... (Story of a Man and You're Beautiful).
@69 ockoaloa
Loved your usage of "sqee" And you are absolutely right...the Moon and the Star need to get it together!
"Heading to the Ground" being shortened yet again is kind of grimy, but I'm not surprised. Like was mentioned by JB, I've heard that the show was rather weird...with the whole mental asylum and other jazz that was oddly placed. I actually feel pretty bad for U-Know because, though he wasn't that great, his role and the show has turned out to be a rather poor choice. I haven't watched it myself, I'm actually scared at how bad it will be but hopefully if acting is what he wants to do, his next project will fair better and his "chops" stronger.
I also finished Cain and Abel in 32 hours this week! I got addicted somewhere around ep 2 (ep 1 isn't that great) and shocked the crap out of me by marathon'n it from Tues to Wed. So I am proud to announce that once again So Ji Sub is the love of my dramalife! And I am thankful, for, save the Oppas of IRIS, my loves of late have been borderline statutory :D
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82 mookie
October 30, 2009 at 1:12 PM
@samsooki, congrats new daddy! :) have to be brutal but mama Ji Hoon is cooler than you. Not liking FH is my kind of gal.
it's just usual Outback fanfare, but almost every one of these CFs, they allow a fanservice 'squee' slowmo. lolz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZJSscg6rUU
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83 Syren
October 30, 2009 at 1:20 PM
This week I started and finished Brilliant Legacy, great drama and highly addictive. It's full of the usual cliches but somehow fresh without doing anything differently.
Redeeming Hwan was believable and definitely one of those bits of drama that will stick in my head even after the other details fade.
ITA about YB being a TW drama with a good production budget. It's a small thing but how Minam scurries after TK reminds me uncomfortably of Miss No Good.
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84 b020
October 30, 2009 at 1:22 PM
@ Samsooki - finally, another person who liked Friend, Our Legend!!!! I love the intensity, darkness, and deep friendship in this show! Love love love this show and I really wish more people would give it a try. Its a different kind of drama and I love it!
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85 goldlilys
October 30, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Huh? Tomorrow is Halloween not today.
About Halloween, how do the rest of countries celebrate it? I was born in Philippines, but immigrated in the US when I as 9 years old. I remember in Philippines, we set up a table full of food for the people who have passed away and pray. I was surprised though when I came to the US and everyone were instead wearing costumes and Trick or Treat for Halloween. It was a BIG change and weird at first, but I came to like it (especially free candies). Then after a few years, I heard that Philippines also started Trick or Treat and dressing up for Halloween. I was kind of pissed about this because while I already knew Philippines has to COPY everything the US does, why must it also copy something that just doesn't fit with the culture. What do you all think?
While I'm a big fan of DBSK, I just didn't feel like watching Heading to the Ground. The first episode was too much to handle ... Yunho is an amazing, talented person ... but that talent should stay to singing. It's really hard to crossover from a singer to actor or even vice versa.
You're Beautiful gets 5 stars from me. If the rest of the episodes keeps its addictive and quality factor up, then it may likely become my #1 favorite Korean Romantic comedy. Full House hasn't been beaten all these years. Hope ending is the best!!
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86 Liv
October 30, 2009 at 1:28 PM
@75 Taohua
RE: Tokyo Dogs - I haven't started it yet but its on my list. Anything with Oguri Shun ends up on my ever-growing list. I'm waiting until a few more episodes come out though, because I'm already in the middle of 2 currently airing dramas (Ohitorisama and YB, natch) and I can't handle the strain of watching another drama that will make me wait.
I also started Smile, You but did get scared off when I saw 50 eps. I was enjoying it (I love Jung Kyung-ho's character) but I really don't have that kind of stamina. So in my desperacy to distract myself while I was waiting for new episodes, I started the jdorama Sapuri, got about halfway, and realized I'd seen it before. Sigh.
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87 reluctantbutaddicted
October 30, 2009 at 1:31 PM
@ 67 Samsookie : YOU feel old and lame b/c JB wants to retire a word you haven't used yet? I read JB's note and thought "oh, how unusual, JB made a spelling mistake... two 'e's and she left off the 'l'". Then moved on.
Imagine how ancient I feel now.
But I enjoyed the explanations, esp watching one DB poster imitating another (thanks langdon813).
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88 langdon813
October 30, 2009 at 1:33 PM
@ 80, samsooki
I'm already there with Friend...I rewatched the first 3 episodes this week, just to get it all fresh in my mind again. So far I've resisted jumping ahead to watch Ep 19, though you keep making it harder and harder not to! I'm enjoying it but I have to mix it up with something lighter, otherwise the melancholy could be a little too much for me right now. I just have this overwhelming sense of dread about it but I'm hanging in there this time, I promise.
I'll make a mental note about the socks! :-)
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89 momosan
October 30, 2009 at 1:35 PM
@samsooki - congratulations on the baby!
But you've got the A-team theme stuck in my head now. We may be the only ones around here old enough to remember that show, though.
I think one reason that YB strikes so many chords it manages to combine high comedy in the parodies and gags with more angsty yet still funny stuff. Not easy to write or act that while not going overboard. It doesn't take itself seriously, but also doesn't go over the top.
Part of the fun at this point is, knowing how your typical kdrama works, trying to guess just which way the Hong sisters will send it. Personally I want the real Mi Nam to show up at some point....
And Go Phillies! Beat those Yankees!
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90 lb_tmi
October 30, 2009 at 1:38 PM
man oh man.. i totally forgot about OT again.. this blows. i hate month end. and i was all caught up and just working a lame report too..
how am i going to get all the awesomeness that is IRIS if it's not on viikii?? that's where i was watching it.. i guess i'm off to try and figure all the dl stuff.. i'm kinda too dumb to do it.. but if i set my mind to it, i'll figure it out.. later rather than sooner, i fear.
happy halloween!! my son is going as Freddy Krueger this year. he totally scared me the other nite.. it's a good thing i had just finished in the bathroom, otherwise he woulda scared the piss outta me.. literally. for his first halloween, he was the bumblebee.. and he was commented on A LOT.. every mother that saw HIM complimented me on my beautiful daughter. :(
(in case you didn't see it in OT 106)
Congrats on the arrival of Baby Rain, Mr and Mrs. Samsooki. hope you find a costume that won't make Baby Rain look like a girl, unless that is the intention.
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91 belleza
October 30, 2009 at 1:53 PM
@Taohua,
Tokyo Dogs -- Kinda intrigued with a police drama getting the Getsu-9 slot. MAY start this one if the buzz is good. Sometimes I think Oguri Shun kinda chooses which roles to sleepwalk through. He's great in Tenchijin.
JIN -- on strength of this one starring Osawa Takao in a really juicy role (brain surgeon goes back in time to Edo period.) Also it's from the drama writer of Sekachu and Byakuyako (interesting casting with Haruka Ayase and Osawa Takao, who were respectively in the TV and film versions of Sekachu), so you know you'll cry buckets. Buckets. ;)
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92 Syren
October 30, 2009 at 2:08 PM
Anyone doing NaNoWrimo?
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93 belleza
October 30, 2009 at 2:22 PM
"Anyone doing NaNoWrimo?"
I might (sign by tomorrow night?) I don't expect to get past 20-30 pages, but it'll be good practice anyhoo.
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94 mookie
October 30, 2009 at 2:33 PM
I was itched to start Tokyo Dogs as well...in the mood for cop bromance sparked by B&W. my serious concern, I cringed all my life's worth@ Hiro already...is he any better here than say Mr.Brain? I can watch Oguri Shun sleepwalking, he's just weirdly fascinating. I loved him in that cameo he did in Sakuran
JIN: I'm liking it so far, but I'll forever bear a grudge on Osawa Takao. how my Yukata was in major ANGST in Hoshi no Kinka.
It's pretty tragic on Sakai Noriko in real life. Say no to drugs is no longer just pertaining to kids... *sigh*
Friend: It's not just melancholy, it was an intense yet dull lump of leaded pain in my viscera. There's no dramatics to release it like say MiSa, where the buckets are so useful, it just boils on and on as the drama progresses (Thanks for YB to come along or else I'll be in a Chingu induced seasonal depression) There was a period that I had to put it down, got me off my binniewagon coz seeing him reminded of how helpless to the tides of life his DongSoo and pals were in Chingu. But it's that undeniably good a drama, and therefore not that recommendable to watch leisurely....it intensely affects.
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95 ockoala
October 30, 2009 at 2:35 PM
Someone is mentally tingling my mind about City Hall again, about maybe watching another episode (*cough* goes by the moniker b to the elleza). Such a tease, you are.
I'm saving a City Hall re-watch marathon (hopefully I've have my shiny director's cut DVD set by then) for a wonderful day in late December where I can curl up with my TV, my shih-tzu, and my Jo Guk. Then, I can sit down and pen my first ever best list. I'm not qualified to do a worst list - too many I've never even attempted to watch this year.
And tonight, LA18 will air episode 2 of On Air - and I wonder, do the lead actresses and their characters get less peevish, shrieky, b*tchy by this episode, or do I have to wait another week, or more? So far, I have a hard time believing On Air and City Hall are written by the same scriptwriter.
Oh, and Happy Halloween tomorrow to everyone - I have to take the ever popular Spiderman and his little sidekick Hello Kitty Ballerina out for candy scrounging. Not in my hood though, my hood has no street lights, so no peeps come around.
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96 snowanh
October 30, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Congratulation to Mr & Mrs Samsooki.....Best Wishes to you all. When did little Rain arrive? Our baby turns 26 on Oct 27th...time flies.
Disappointed about IRIS but oh well...Will watch it in VietNam the next 4 weeks...Have a Howling Halloween Everyone.
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97 Javabeans
October 30, 2009 at 3:02 PM
OH i totally forgot to mention I AM TOTALLY DOING NANOWRIMO. Er, I had better do it, I mean! I sat out at around Day 5 or so last year, but this year, by golly gosh darnit I'm going to stick with it, even if all I produce is crap. I found last year that it was a lot of fun adding Nano buddies to see how we each were doing, and we all kept personal blogs to keep track of each other, so if you're doing it, find me on the Nano site! Gotta fire up the ol' wordpress blog....
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98 belleza
October 30, 2009 at 3:07 PM
And I'm actually thinking of doing some kind of fanfic. You know, like "You're Beautiful, This Belleza" starting This Belleza who dressed up as a boy band member to conquer the kingdom of Shilla from the evil grasps of, uhm, This Belleza's secret Mother-in-Law and Belleza's King/ deadbeat father-of-chidlren Lee Byung Hun. And, like, Mr. Samsooki will make a guest appearance as Merlin . . . .
Erm, yeah. Nanowrimo is hard to do without pirates and ninjas. :(
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99 pabo ceo reom
October 30, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Good luck JB!
I was following your NANOWRIMO progress last year. I hope you finish it!
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100 samsooki
October 30, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Nanowrimo...... that's..... approx 120 pages of 12 point times new roman 1 1/2 line spaced writing...
In 30 days... that's 4 pages of crappy writing per day.... every single day.
...cannot be done. At least, it cannot be done by me. I can do 1 good page of writing in a week, and 3 pages of crappy writing if pressed. That's my limit. :)
GOOD LUCK TO JAVABEANS!!!!
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