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You also made me so happy knowing that I found an old theme song for you! The 1980 verson of Demi-Gods was amazing at that time, and it really only fails to hold up because of the supremely lame special effects. But Kent Tong was the perfect Duan Yu, Prince of Dali. I figured lots of folks watched it but may not remember the name of the drama.
And your comment about "Young Andy Lau, Reowr" is the most profound contribution, no joke, because when I first saw him in RoCH I thought he was the handsomest human being I had ever seen and I was 10 yrs old. @ A. I can totally relate to how you feel about the Louis Koo version, watching something as kid, certain things make such an impact it's got lasting effect.
:-)
Did you watch 'Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon?' I was pretty baffled by its barely-there plot. Until I realised that the movie was all about The Glory of War and The Glory of Andy Lau. And then it all made sense. :-)
At this point, he isn't (hasn't really done a noona drama yet.)
However, Lee Jung Ki is the closest actor of his generation (much like Jang Dong Gun in his generation) to being like an golden-era HK matinee idol. His colonial bearing (which doesn't come through so much on TV, but very very strongly during public appearances), true rock star charisma, and that mischief glint in his eye . . .
I have misgivings about his actual acting, but I also acknowledge that it's kinda besides the point of Jung Ki, because his movie star cred (for a 20-something Korean actor) is overpowering. I know Mookie will KILL me for saying this, but there's a liiiiiiiittle bit of Leslie or young Leonardo in there, and well . . . Leslie's appeal transcended age, gender identity or sexuality, and cultural bounds.
[B]Noona Killer Ranking[/B]
1) Jo In Sung. JIS wins this by default because virtually every drama's he done has been opposite much older women. Go Hyung Jung, Jeon Do Yeon, and Ha Ji Won. But where he sticks out from other would-be NPW specialists is that he himself has said that his style of acting has been formed from the actresses he's played against. That's right ladies -- Jo In Sung The Actor was created from noona love. :D
2) Rain. Master at NPW. Hell, he even uses NPW with younger actresses. :D
3) Lee Seung Gi. "Noona/You Are My Woman" helped set off the Noona Love craze, and it's still his signature song. Of course he hasn't actually done a proper drama to demonstrate his NPW power, but it goes without saying that this 6-foot ex-student body president is beloved by women 15-45 LOL
4) Lee Min Ki. Perhaps the most accurate representation of the May-December dynamic, since in his two famous NPW roles (Dal Ja's Spring and I Really Really Like You) he doesn't hide his youthful exhuberance.
5) Jang Geon Suk. Until You're Beautiful, he hadn't played opposite a younger actress in a proper drama. Perhaps it hasn't been a good thing for his acting.
6) Hyun Bin. This one is subtle. He's played opposite older women in 5 of his 6 dramas, but outside of My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, he hasn't been in a true "noona is pretty" love story. Moreover, he doesn't acknowledge any subconscious deference in his performances opposite any of these women, including Sam Soon. This is extremely unusual; you can pick up deference in Jang Geon Suk and Rain's performances, even when the age difference is not stated in script.
Binnie on the other hand always plays an equal opposite his women. Matching them with his melancholy, dry wit, voltaility, and sometimes compelling, sometimes overtly precious self-absorption.
[B]Noona Killers of Tomorrow[/B]
1) Yoo Seung Ho (heh heh, that 120-watt smile is wasted on the teens ;) )
2) Kim Bum (worships JIS too much to not be)
3) Jung Il Woo
4) Lee Min Ho
5) Baek Sung Hyun
6) Wang Suk Hyun (aka Jung Pyo Jr)
o think of a 6 yo me, mesmerized by the young Andy Lau performing at my school's anni and he's at the epitome of his RoCH fame... he's so super nice, even for a school performance he was there hours ahead rehearsing, u just can't beat his work ethics ie he's like 1000x more godlike in person for me that particular day...he even sang one of my friend a 'happy birthday' when we told him it's her day, we didnt request, he just serenaded her. My gf is still talking about it to this day... ;) So I mean even though I do jab at his stagnancy in acting, he's deserving every bit of idolization.
I'm really grateful for GuoJing fr Mr. LC... in a way it's a wuxia Cinderella/Samsoon for the guys. No brains, no looks, no talent, no silver spoon, I doubt he's even having normal IQ...but LC developed out of nth, convince us that he and only he can master the all powerful 18 Dragon-Subduing Palms. Given his influence on boys bound to fall for wuxia, maybe the only books they'll touch in their teens in our age of PC... he developed a character that is any normal faceless guy, and gave us a chronicle of his growth fr boy to man doing every single thing right, and the lesson to boys: yes it's hard and forever bumpy path but it will be honorable and rewarding in every way imagine to be THE good guy and not take shortcuts, and went on to have the grandest accomplishments in all his heroes. I don't know how many boys LC influenced but at least he gave them one ideal out there that will catch their fancy, yet benefit the greater good (haha). I can only speak for myselt if I met a follow LC fanatic and his fav hero is GJ, instant brownie pt. In our world where we girls ar all swooning over pretty bad boys, LC is quite preachy with the coupling of a superheroine HR with GJ in the carrot dangling package of wuxia, and done so convincingly in a 'they complete each other' way. That's why I'm grateful.
It's interesting you said, 'I have a really hard time watching it – because of the life trajectory that is Qiao Fung/Hsiao Fung. To me, Yang Kang had two paths to go down in LoCH – the path he took, or the path Hsiao Fung took in Demi-Gods – and both lead only to one place, so inherently, YK is a tragic anti-hero, except YK was not afforded the dignity and slavish adoration HF was given.'
But is it really the same growing up a privileged spoiled prince on the invader/baddie side of the coin vs all the elements of a pure dirt poor hero upbringing then flipped? I fully understand the purpose of writing YK the way LC did in LoCH, it's a debate of nature vs nurture. GJ and YK r born equals, YK was fr a genetic pool of pure great patriotic heros and nurturing sweet gentle souls, both were thrown their fair shares of rocks growing up.
We cant delve into Qiao Fung the character without touching Karma and Samsara. I love the book because it crystallized Mr LC's transition of ideologies, before DemiGods he gave us a simplier wuxia world, where the heroes are in individual existence working towards a human goal of various greatness or honor with minimal spirituality. In DemiGods, all his heroes are brought down to literally a 'demi God' existence, no one can escape karma, samsara, all the characters, good or bad are true equals.
My fascination of Qiao Fung the character is how his development was in a revelatory progression, when met him, he's already a fully established hero, matured, accomplished, revered, then we got a meltdown fr hero godliness to every bit an ordinary man, flesh and blood and in all the entrapment of fate, personal revenge, love for a woman, a self-servicing anger over injustices to his name. his ascension back to honor did not occur till he can accept suffering as part of any existence, an intermission of a worldly life is the beginning of a rebirth with AhZhu and his own death. In a way if he's born a Linghu Chung, who has the highest EQ of all wuxia heroes, he can just shrug it off with plenty of drinks and stargazing...but I enjoy the memorable, spiritual ride with Qiao Fung.
nono Belleza, I do see a bit of Leslie in JungKi... but I just have to add this in before the editing ticker expire... when u mention JunPyojr and binnie in same post... argh bin is spotting a PAMA, so that's his look for a 60s azn gigilo. I'm disturbed.
Just finished "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" and all I can say is WOW! I haven't had this much fun watching a movie in a while and I watched the movie knowing nothing about the film and not even realizing the director directed two of my other favorite korean films, "The Quiet Family" and "Tale of Two Sisters".
The movie is not perfect, I actually zoned out a few times during the long extensive chase scene in the desert and in my zombie state I actually thought I was watching Mad Max. The movie is also not thought provoking in any way but the directing was pretty masterful, the stunts amazing (though the horses falling scenes made me cringe) and most importantly it was fun.
Song Kang Ho never ceases to entertain me with his great acting but I did think maybe his character should have been weirder considering he is "the Weird". Plus LBH's perfectly chiseled naked chest and JWS's clint eastwood cool had my head spinning with testosterone overload. The women are like the parsley on 24 oz steak -not noticeable, NOT that I'm complaining.
(BTW I loved the scene between JWS and SKH lying awake and thinking what they would do with their fortune. Totally was a Lenny and George moment)
on Leslie in JunKi:
the trajectory of their career is uncanny.. though Leslie is god in HK cinema, he's nth more than a matinee idol in dramas (esp those pre TVB ones) ie a LJK. I honestly can't predict how huge LJK will become after his enlistment... coz when he can tap more into his sexuality (and for sure he can effectively project it on celluloid) instead of feeding us cutesy, he's formidable.
I didn't know that Lee Seung-gi sang! And after having watched your MV link with Nam Sang Mi, I watched another one "Because you're my woman'" and what's the deal with him being beaten up all the time in his MV? :)
Lee Seung Gi is first and foremost a singer, second an entertainer (host, MC, 1 Night 2 Days), and lastly an actor. The "Because You (Noona) Are My Woman" video, his debut single, came out when he was only 17 years old. His first album is unique in that it isn't typical K-pop at all; most of the songs are soft-rock ballads, and his voice was raspy, which gave his singing real edge. As he gotten older, his vocal tone got smoother, and he says he wished he could still sing with that rasp. So in that sense, his first album really does represent him as a love-sick, passionate, beyond-his-years teenager who could be . . . in love with noona. :D
LSG's clean cut, gentlemanly, very humble, and smart (he had top grades in school) reputation was exactly what Brilliant Legacy was trying to play against. SBS took a gamble that LSG's noona killer reputation would get him over with both teens and their mums, and well it worked.
When Queen Noona Kim Sun Ah bestows you the honor, you know you've made it. ;)
Oh and, yes, he really is serenading her with "Noona/You Are My Woman." Of course. :D
"what’s the deal with him being beaten up all the time in his MV?"
Actually that's part of NPW appeal. The School of K-Pop Love goes something like this:
1) How To Be Good Oppa: Be tough and beat up the bullies, even if they're half your height.
2) How To Win Noona: Be stupid and get beaten up by bullies, even if there's 20 of them with lead pipes.
So let's go back to Rain (aka NPW Ninja) and his melodrama A Love to Kill. There's this key scene where he got beat up by all the bodyguards, while holding Shin Min Ah. This is one of my 3 or 4 favorite scenes in the show, but it's interpreted differently depending on whether you're younger or older than Rain.
Rain fangirl: "Rain oppa so strong!! Protect Shin Min Ah from the bullies!! I love Rain!!"
Me: "Rain so stupid!! He looks so helpless and vulnerable when he holds her!! I love Rain!!"
See? When a guy such as Rain has mastered NPW, he's doing NPW even when he doesn't know he's doing NPW. The female counterpoint would be Ha Ji Won. She's SO internalized OPW that she doesn't even know when she's doing it.
So, yes, Lee Seung Gi always get PWNED in his own videos.
"there are some of us even older than your said age range somewhere above or am I the oldest?"
Noona love stories are primarily between 20-something men and 30-something women. There's also overlap into adultery or racier love stories. For example, the classic 1998 movie An Affair, where you had a 38-year old Lee Mi Sook opposite a 25-year old Lee Jung Jae.
What I do appreciate, though, is that older women/younger men love stories are allowed to be romantic and they don't necessarily have to overplay the age card or default to sex or sexual politics. Creating Destiny has a smaller noona love arc, where there is a 14-year gap betwee a bachelor and a single mom. The age is a complication, but their interaction is thoughtful and often sweet. You know, typical K-drama stuff. And that's the point. The fact that a May-December romance can be given a normal K-drama treatment, where it doesn't have "cougar" or even "May-December" labels put on it, where age gap doesn't have to be part of every other conversation, is one thing that K-drama does much, much better than the States.
@mookie,
"coz when he can tap more into his sexuality (and for sure he can effectively project it on celluloid) instead of feeding us cutesy, he’s formidable."
If Lee Jung Ki ever tapped into his inner bitch like Jo In Sung, he could become Asia's biggest idol. He's very popular in China, which is especially notable because he's never done a C-drama or a crossover movie.
I daresay his potential upside in China is even higher than Rain's. Rain is cavalier, playful, and gracefully athletic. You know, Asian Usher. But Lee Jung Ki . . . when he does the whole Ziggie-Liberace-Princess Leia regalia (which is the true excess heart of Golden Era Canto-era), he can actually pull it off. And I don't mean in an androgynous-fan-service Johnny Entertainment sort of way -- I mean in the Chinese Empire Strikes Back Episode 5: Yoda of the Golden Lotus Brigade Sort of Way!!
I mean, look at this. As I'm typing this, my brain is squealing in happy glee. I can't explain it, except his hair is in 3 different colors LOL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3V-CF_aD8
Bye....going to LAX now....Samsooki, try not to fight with hjkomo too much...looking forward to see you guys, soon....@ockoala,maybe I will catch some of the old TVB old drama in the middle of night while fighting jet lag, he he
Read somewhere that KSA and LSG were asked to do this Max Beer CF because they were recently voted as "Most Wanted Vacation companions". I really can't see a direct beer and holiday relationship but what the heck.
@ cingdoc
Journey mercies! Have a safe trip and I pray everything will go well with your mum.
-----------------
@ Belleza:
'I mean, look at this. As I’m typing this, my brain is squealing in happy glee. I can’t explain it, except his hair is in 3 different colors LOL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3V-CF_aD8 '
@Taohua
So it's confirmed?Taecyeon on Family Outing! *tears in joy*
I was sad when Dae Sung refused to rejoin the show, but then I'm happy he gets chance in a drama....but Taec? I love Dae Sung and his antics, Taec, not only his antics, I love the whole package....that geek turns to be hot young man.
AHHHHHH, this really makes my dawn! (it's 1 AM now :P )
@ockoala : thanks for the Ariel's video.
OK, I will restart watching LOCH 08! It will be my first wuxia serial after...3 years?
But I love..love...love Ariel. I watched almost all her dramas, she always can make her co-stars shine, I haven't ever felt she and her co-star are not meant to be together! hehe. I used to love Ariel + Marcus Chang, then Ariel + Joe Cheng ( LOVE!!! ), Ariel + Hu Ge ( double cuteness ), Ariel + Zun ( well not this one i think ), Ariel + Mike He (oh gawd, I miss them! Love Contract is just an awful drama, but their chemistry is undeniable! )
Oh, oh ! I know ! I know! (waving hand in air) >.... the PW is Pout Wiggle. Oppa Pout Wiggle, Noona Pout Wiggle.
Yes! Finally, I know the answer to something.
Now, please, someone, please tell me what a PAMA is. You guys have no idea how much time I spend on Google trying to figure out what's going on here. (I figured out LoCH purely by accident while browsing in YesAsia, thus saving my sanity for another few minutes.)
"Now, please, someone, please tell me what a PAMA is"
Ha ha, it's the Korean slang term for perm, i.e. Lee Min-ho's pama in BBF is so styling every guy in k-pop wants one.
As for LoCH and all the lexicon mookie and I have been trading back and forth - my apologies, it's so dense that its like you've never read/watched Harry Potter and folks are talking about the existentional nature of Voldemort's desire for power and whether Hogwarts resembled Eton or a version of co-ed Spence circa Gossip Girl.
LoCH and the majority of Louis Cha (pen name Jin Yong) novels have been made and remade into dramas in the last 30 years, so it makes for great comparison viewing and lots and lots and lots of fangirling!!!
Doesn't help that when I watched my first Louis Cha novel adaptation of a drama - I found my ideal woman idol, the woman I wanted to become (Huang Rong from LoCH - brilliant, cute, sassy, in short, she was da bomb), and then when I watched my second LC adaptation, I wanted to marry the lead hero (Yang Guo from RoCH - loverboy was THE man). And therein sowed the seeds of probably a lifelong love affair with the amazingly dense and encyclopedic world of wuxia LC created via his novels.
@ djes
Did you watch the adorable Melt with You video of Ariel and Joe, or the BTS video of the gang of four making LoCH 2008. Both are such great YT vids, and just speaking of Ariel alone, she's truly a shining star, and she really isn't a *da mei nu* or huge beauty, but her beauty really shines from within, especially when you see her act. I think her and Joe (ArJoe) is still my absolute fave, but I've never seen Love Contract. If Ariel can make Wu Zun emote properly, then no one can.
I'm excited you're doing a wuxia drama for the first time in many years. I think you'll be really excited after a few episodes, LoCH 2008 is a idol-drama crossed with the intense epicness of an LC novel. Truly heady stuff.
@ ockoala : PAMA : PERM ... LOL. Why on earth didn't I think to say it out loud?! Hilarious.
But I'm a bit disturbed the look has caught on. I thought Gu Jun Pyo looked far too much like granny's home-made rag rug, thrown in a fit of anger, had come to rest on his head.
@97 Amg1 In our family the saying is "never trust a skinny chef." 8-)
"But we must acknowledge that working in a
“Commercial Kitchen” and cooking at home are two totally different arts, cooking at home I believe is ” El Arte Grande” the grand art."
Strangely enough, I ran into someone today at an event who I hadn't met IRL before. He had co-ordinated a charity cookbook that I had donated recipes to a few years back. He had seen my name on the running order and hunted me down to tell me stories about a couple of my recipes taking some friends back to the old country.
Oddly, those particular recipes evolved here in the US not to replicate the old ones, but to make the best possible similar version I could with US ingredients. But it's amazing how a flavor or taste really does carry more than a simple food value - very Proustian, I know, but true.
It's 645am here and I'm already up and I was up at 330am as well. I'm not dealing with jet-lag that well this time...
KORN somewhere above and @125 Snikki
Now after having said great tips, I'm not sure if it's that big deal or not lol. Well, it is cool, anyhow.
Anyway, upon arrival on Narita, I was going to take Narita express to Tokyo area and later on, I knew I'd be traveling to my mom. Off I proceeded to Narita Airport Terminal Travel Service Center(one each at T1 and T2). Wondering if I should purchase JR-East travel pass(this is the one you can buy without the preapproved voucher you need for Japan rail pass which is a pain because you need to get it before departing your originating country. it's 20.000 yen for all you can ride for 5 days within eastern part of Japn, so it can save you big bucks if you are doing sub-extensive traveling on Eastern half of Japan, but can't go to area like Nara and Kyoto)or just buy indvisual tickets as I would be doing part of traveling about by flying.
So, I started ask this very friendly lady at the counter about what would be the most economical thing to purchase there according to my travel schedule. I was pretty much ready to just get Narita express ticket(3000 yen to Tokyo station). Then I was asked if I had a US passport because if so, I can get Suica and NEX card for 3500 yen. Which means by paying 500 yen more I can get this card(like Octopus in Hong Kong)with 2000yen is already in it. You can use that 2000yen credit toward moving about in Tokyo(use it instead of purchasing paper tickets which can be really confusing) or can be used at stores with Suica signs. So basicly, I was given 2000 yen worth credit for free for me to use as I like it. For me, it'll cover taking subways and private train lines! Yes, Why not?
So for you KORN, it'll be nice option since you are there only for 3 days, it may be all you need for Tokyo area. For Snikki, I don't know your travel plan, there are several more options. Hope it helped a little. here's a link, you can read about it. and may be you can serch for Japan rail pass as well if you are going to Kyoto and so on.
I have to take shower and get going full day ahead. Sorry in advance, if my writing is not coherent or not. I'm dying to check all your guys links Arrrgh. Later, later, at my sister's... Oh, and once again, where do you watch Chuno, just in case,I have one hour of free time, pleeeease!
I'm at my sister's work, waiting for the rest of the family to come to the San Bruno area for early dinner before checking in with Singapore Air...the office's computers have no speakers ( or at least this one doesn't)so I can't watch kdrama...i better not, since I might miss my flight while I'm marathoning IRIS :)
@Samsooki
"remember, we will leave the light on for you, so that you can find us on your return"....when did dramabeans became Motel 6???....actually I love the sentiments behind that...please forgive the smirky remarks due to lack of sleep ( up since 4am ><zzzzzzz.....) I brought my earbuds from my laptop to drown out any potential crying children near my seat on the plane , and I will dream about a trip to Korea to visit my Gong Yoo ( hey, anything goes in a dream, right??).One thing good about waiting at the airport for 4 hours- I caught up in all my boring medical journals and magzines without any distractions (kids, phone calls, something called kdrama...he he) ....ok, the other guys are here, gotta go...really bye now...virtual hugs to all....
let me bluntly answer your question: yes, some of us, maybe only a handful, are older than 45. ^^ there, is that what you wanted to know?? but that doesn't stop us from Inappropriate Crushes now does it? most of mine are on k-actors and singers in their mid-30s. only lee mingi falls outside that range, and he's almost... 25 (western age) kekeke. bday coming up on jan. 16.
enjoy your time in japan. i had 4 fab days there in osaka, kyoto, and the area around biwa lake. i know, that was too short!
"there are some of us even older than your said age range somewhere above or am I the oldest?"
Judging by the YB thread where a bunch of us 'fessed up to dispel the theory that only teeny-boppers were watching, there are at least a few of us around here in the over 45 category.
I am. 8-) I'm an obasan. Hence the long previous discussion in an earlier OT about the cut off ages for ICOMYM. (or as I said to my highly embarrassed niece when I was mentioning my favorite Hwarang hotties - "I'm old not dead, child.")
"though Leslie is god in HK cinema, he’s nth more than a matinee idol in dramas (esp those pre TVB ones)"
The thing is Leslie did only two or three dramas after switching to TVB and his drama-acting days were soon swept by the singing career. I personally love his pre-TVB dramas a lot, ie the ATV dramas and I loved supporting that underdog station :) There were many quality dramas produced by ATV in the early 1980s that they should be proud of.
My Leslie's favorite is 浮生六劫 aired in 1980, in which his performance as a sensual rich boy is nuanced to say the least, epecially when he was really a newbie then. Just checked on the wiki about this drama and found that its re-run in 2006 had actually stirred hot netizen discussion. And the script writer is the guy who wrote the 2000 TVB hit "War of the Genders"! See: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B5%AE%E7%94%9F%E5%85%AD%E5%8A%AB
o gosh, I dun even know of anyone who've seen those old ATV ones!! My mom was totally a fangirl of those and I've watched my share.. esp the old wuxia 天蠶變, the writing in those old ATV oldies is superb, but then when I look at Leslie's acting in those, he's young and not as commanding on screen presence as his later self. I'm not saying he's anywhere near bad, same with JunKi, is just that u can tell a young Leslie or a current TV JunKi haven't tapped into their full potential (or not given as free a reign in that confine)
hi there yourewaytoonosy, o so now we have 4 in our SmilingWanderer fanclub! :)
See the fun in discussing a LC adaptation is that... the source material is beyond terrific, the plot alone should not be totally crap...so the question in evaluating an adaptation can go both tangent: the writing/production quality and the casting/acting...and many times the writing may not be terrific, but with a perfect casting, it works, that's the case with the CYF version. To me, he is the mind and soul of the whole drama, so if u don't mind an adaptation heavy on LingHu Chung, that's the one for you. I do like the 2000 adaption more to a degree in terms of the entertaining narration and production values, but I still have not warmed up to any of Richie Jen's acting. To be honest, I like some of those movies based on the book done in the 90s.. the tone and mood was just right for the novel and Brigitte Lin is just an amazing Dongfang Bu Bai
I thought that the 2000 one with Richie Ren was cool too. I also didn't really like Richie but thought Anita?? was awesome especially in the first couple of the episodes.
I loved early ATV 80's dramas as well, but they were less available to overseas fans as the TVB ones.
[@ yourewaytoonosy - welcome to Xiao-Aou fan club, or the Wanderers Club, I guess.]
I once dated a guy simply because he told me his fave LC character was Linghu Chong, so I gave him a chance, and it turned out to be a dud, because I should have realized he was enamored of all the drinking and je ne sais quoi, and not truly understanding that what made everyone adore LHC was his insistence of always being true to himself. I should have followed @ mookie's position, which is men who love Guo Jing are really the ones to date/marry. They understand the need to work hard, uphold the righteous, pay no heed to their limitations, and really, hope for the "foolish men get the foolish luck' mindset.
Any guy whose fave character is Yang Guo - ladies, be care, be very very careful, in fact, run away screaming - he's a (wannabe) player.
Thanks for the Qiao Fung analysis, mookie. I may read Demi-Gods finally, and really attack the source material and see if the story grows on me now that I am an adult.
The TW adaptations of LC novels with Richie Jen are a monstrosity of bad production and screenplay - and Richie playing both Yang Guo and Linghu Chong in the same boy-next-door way was totally wrong for both characters, and massacred the production from the ground up. (Though Anita Yuen was a brilliant bit of casting as Ren Yingying, except she was wasted in the pairing with Richie). And to think Richie also played Chor Leu Heung makes me want to headdesk myself until oblivion.
"so if u don’t mind an adaptation heavy on LingHu Chung, that’s the one for you"
Hee hee, that's the ONLY adaptation I want - unless someone wants to idolify Wanderer, and somehow, make Lin Ping-zi sympathetic, cool, and awesome - otherwise, Wanderer simply does not have a second male lead in the entire drama. It's the Linghu Chong story, but when the movie versions twisted it into the Dong Fang Bu Bai story, which was super meta and twisted and Bridgitte Lin was a casting goldmine on that one.
^ u know ockoala, Lee Jie (OuYeungKe) was the Lin PingZi in Wanderer03.... but that was an adaptation so heavy handed to stick to the book... the dramatization is very frustrating, chapters dragging on, diluting the plot. I had a sad watching.
One of my many raves for Mr LC is his books covered every genre, LoCH is perfect for an idolification, main characters r all very young adults = wuxia teen idols, but Wanderer begs a WKW treatment.
o dating a GJ doesnt work out actually... the attraction may be shortlived... afterall a GJ maybe looking for his HR... or just too dense and focusing on higher aspiration to even notice my winks. Husband matl, definitely... haha but if in another life time...I still wanna fall in first love with a Yang Guo ... and have a one nite stand with a YK *blush*... hang out in a jazzbar with LingHu, a Vegas/Macau trip with WeiXiaoBao and give a good therapy session to QiaoFung, after all the fun, settle down with a GJ.
I read in baidu it was a welcoming dinner for SHK who's visiting HK and TW and Leslie just accepted the invitation (she's a fangirl, rumored to have been sobbing on the st when she heard of his death on the phone fr a friend) to make an appearance...hence the abundance of cameras (I'm betting it's more for Leslie sake, 2002...SHK/Hallyu was big in HK, but still...)
and there's rumor it's a dinner brought tog by Tsui Hark, he was thinking of casting them in Death Duel/三少爷的剑 a wuxia work by Gu Long/古龙, and SHK would've played a prostitute!
I think she looks much older now. But mostly she's just much more guarded, not as bubbly as before.
Is it just me, or are their heads disproportionately large from the rest of their bodies? O_o
"and there’s rumor it’s a dinner brought tog by Tsui Hark, he was thinking of casting them in Death Duel/三少爷的剑 a wuxia work by Gu Long/古龙, and SHK would’ve played a prostitute!"
Tsui Hark . . . no no no . . . . He is to Chinese cinema what Andre Kim is to fabrics. :D
I've probably watched all these ATV and TVB dramas that you're talking about but I watched it in another language (not Chinese or English) so can't really contribute to the conversations you've been having on the OT.
But on ARJOE, I love those two. They had me at ISWAK (although her character annoyed the crap out of me!) and they had me again at TKA. Actually, that's the only TWdrama I have watched twice. All the others, especially the ones by Rainie and Mike He are a bit strange (directorial wise). I don't really follow TWdramas so if there is another ARJOE project out there, please let me know!
@ reluctantbutaddicted
Thanks for the explanations. Noona Pout Wiggle. Right. Got it. There are so many abbreviations on the OT. Someone should compile a glossary of terms for use on the OT. ;)
Yey! Happy to hear I've gotten some obasan buddies here! My head is spinning as it's been a long day working and it's approaching midnight. and have to fly to my sister tomorrow morning! Have to pack up! Still no time to read all the comments.
meantime, my play list containning about 40? songs by Bigbang really impressed my girl friend's teen age daughter! We have same tastes!!! Off to Kobe area tomorrow.
Hallyu's popularity in Japan is kinda quirky. The following is very strongly okasans and grandmums -- 35-50 demographic. This, BTW, is also true of K-pop in Japan. If you actually look at a Japanese audience for a SS501 or Big Bang gig, you'll see the audience is mostly made of housewives. Housewives screaming for 20-year old boys. :D
Though it's not as creepy as it sounds. (Just like American otaku getting their pedo on with the newest J-idol group coming over . . .) During the fanmeetings, there's a strong maternal (read: NOT sisterly or noona) bond between the fans and the boy bands. Certain artists like Rain and DBSK transcends that. And you can argue that BOA has a much stronger identity as a J-pop artist than K-pop.
It's usually very hard to compete with the Johnnies in the Japanese youth market. Johnnies are introduced in their teens, and usually fangirls develop a relationship with them since the preteens age, watching them grow as they approach senior high school. Boys Before Flowers -- which is a very familiar story to Japanese women from 15-30 -- got marketed to the housewives, not their daughters.
I wouldn't say K-dramas are treated as equal footing in China, Taiwan, or HK either (not like, say, Vietnam or Thailand.) But hit shows still rank.
"Is it just me, or are their heads disproportionately large from the rest of their bodies? O_o"
I read an interview with a photographer once (can't remember who now and I'm not sure I recognized the name to begin with) who said that film actors do tend to have disproportionately large heads... they show up on film (when posed and lit properly etc) as being in proportion and more aesthetically attractive. Those with regular size heads tend to look like pinheads (I don't think he used that term but that's how I remember the idea expressed).
![[Beanie Review] Hide](https://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hide_reviewb.jpg)
![[Beanie Recs] Cast of Queen of Tears](https://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BeanieRecs.jpg)
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101 ockoala
January 8, 2010 at 10:47 PM
@ serendipty
You also made me so happy knowing that I found an old theme song for you! The 1980 verson of Demi-Gods was amazing at that time, and it really only fails to hold up because of the supremely lame special effects. But Kent Tong was the perfect Duan Yu, Prince of Dali. I figured lots of folks watched it but may not remember the name of the drama.
And your comment about "Young Andy Lau, Reowr" is the most profound contribution, no joke, because when I first saw him in RoCH I thought he was the handsomest human being I had ever seen and I was 10 yrs old. @ A. I can totally relate to how you feel about the Louis Koo version, watching something as kid, certain things make such an impact it's got lasting effect.
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102 serendipity
January 8, 2010 at 11:23 PM
@ ockoala
:-)
Did you watch 'Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon?' I was pretty baffled by its barely-there plot. Until I realised that the movie was all about The Glory of War and The Glory of Andy Lau. And then it all made sense. :-)
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103 belleza
January 8, 2010 at 11:45 PM
@ockoala,
"BTW, is Lee Junki considered a noona killer? "
At this point, he isn't (hasn't really done a noona drama yet.)
However, Lee Jung Ki is the closest actor of his generation (much like Jang Dong Gun in his generation) to being like an golden-era HK matinee idol. His colonial bearing (which doesn't come through so much on TV, but very very strongly during public appearances), true rock star charisma, and that mischief glint in his eye . . .
I have misgivings about his actual acting, but I also acknowledge that it's kinda besides the point of Jung Ki, because his movie star cred (for a 20-something Korean actor) is overpowering. I know Mookie will KILL me for saying this, but there's a liiiiiiiittle bit of Leslie or young Leonardo in there, and well . . . Leslie's appeal transcended age, gender identity or sexuality, and cultural bounds.
[B]Noona Killer Ranking[/B]
1) Jo In Sung. JIS wins this by default because virtually every drama's he done has been opposite much older women. Go Hyung Jung, Jeon Do Yeon, and Ha Ji Won. But where he sticks out from other would-be NPW specialists is that he himself has said that his style of acting has been formed from the actresses he's played against. That's right ladies -- Jo In Sung The Actor was created from noona love. :D
2) Rain. Master at NPW. Hell, he even uses NPW with younger actresses. :D
3) Lee Seung Gi. "Noona/You Are My Woman" helped set off the Noona Love craze, and it's still his signature song. Of course he hasn't actually done a proper drama to demonstrate his NPW power, but it goes without saying that this 6-foot ex-student body president is beloved by women 15-45 LOL
4) Lee Min Ki. Perhaps the most accurate representation of the May-December dynamic, since in his two famous NPW roles (Dal Ja's Spring and I Really Really Like You) he doesn't hide his youthful exhuberance.
5) Jang Geon Suk. Until You're Beautiful, he hadn't played opposite a younger actress in a proper drama. Perhaps it hasn't been a good thing for his acting.
6) Hyun Bin. This one is subtle. He's played opposite older women in 5 of his 6 dramas, but outside of My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, he hasn't been in a true "noona is pretty" love story. Moreover, he doesn't acknowledge any subconscious deference in his performances opposite any of these women, including Sam Soon. This is extremely unusual; you can pick up deference in Jang Geon Suk and Rain's performances, even when the age difference is not stated in script.
Binnie on the other hand always plays an equal opposite his women. Matching them with his melancholy, dry wit, voltaility, and sometimes compelling, sometimes overtly precious self-absorption.
[B]Noona Killers of Tomorrow[/B]
1) Yoo Seung Ho (heh heh, that 120-watt smile is wasted on the teens ;) )
2) Kim Bum (worships JIS too much to not be)
3) Jung Il Woo
4) Lee Min Ho
5) Baek Sung Hyun
6) Wang Suk Hyun (aka Jung Pyo Jr)
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104 mookie
January 9, 2010 at 12:21 AM
@ockoala,
o think of a 6 yo me, mesmerized by the young Andy Lau performing at my school's anni and he's at the epitome of his RoCH fame... he's so super nice, even for a school performance he was there hours ahead rehearsing, u just can't beat his work ethics ie he's like 1000x more godlike in person for me that particular day...he even sang one of my friend a 'happy birthday' when we told him it's her day, we didnt request, he just serenaded her. My gf is still talking about it to this day... ;) So I mean even though I do jab at his stagnancy in acting, he's deserving every bit of idolization.
I'm really grateful for GuoJing fr Mr. LC... in a way it's a wuxia Cinderella/Samsoon for the guys. No brains, no looks, no talent, no silver spoon, I doubt he's even having normal IQ...but LC developed out of nth, convince us that he and only he can master the all powerful 18 Dragon-Subduing Palms. Given his influence on boys bound to fall for wuxia, maybe the only books they'll touch in their teens in our age of PC... he developed a character that is any normal faceless guy, and gave us a chronicle of his growth fr boy to man doing every single thing right, and the lesson to boys: yes it's hard and forever bumpy path but it will be honorable and rewarding in every way imagine to be THE good guy and not take shortcuts, and went on to have the grandest accomplishments in all his heroes. I don't know how many boys LC influenced but at least he gave them one ideal out there that will catch their fancy, yet benefit the greater good (haha). I can only speak for myselt if I met a follow LC fanatic and his fav hero is GJ, instant brownie pt. In our world where we girls ar all swooning over pretty bad boys, LC is quite preachy with the coupling of a superheroine HR with GJ in the carrot dangling package of wuxia, and done so convincingly in a 'they complete each other' way. That's why I'm grateful.
It's interesting you said, 'I have a really hard time watching it – because of the life trajectory that is Qiao Fung/Hsiao Fung. To me, Yang Kang had two paths to go down in LoCH – the path he took, or the path Hsiao Fung took in Demi-Gods – and both lead only to one place, so inherently, YK is a tragic anti-hero, except YK was not afforded the dignity and slavish adoration HF was given.'
But is it really the same growing up a privileged spoiled prince on the invader/baddie side of the coin vs all the elements of a pure dirt poor hero upbringing then flipped? I fully understand the purpose of writing YK the way LC did in LoCH, it's a debate of nature vs nurture. GJ and YK r born equals, YK was fr a genetic pool of pure great patriotic heros and nurturing sweet gentle souls, both were thrown their fair shares of rocks growing up.
We cant delve into Qiao Fung the character without touching Karma and Samsara. I love the book because it crystallized Mr LC's transition of ideologies, before DemiGods he gave us a simplier wuxia world, where the heroes are in individual existence working towards a human goal of various greatness or honor with minimal spirituality. In DemiGods, all his heroes are brought down to literally a 'demi God' existence, no one can escape karma, samsara, all the characters, good or bad are true equals.
My fascination of Qiao Fung the character is how his development was in a revelatory progression, when met him, he's already a fully established hero, matured, accomplished, revered, then we got a meltdown fr hero godliness to every bit an ordinary man, flesh and blood and in all the entrapment of fate, personal revenge, love for a woman, a self-servicing anger over injustices to his name. his ascension back to honor did not occur till he can accept suffering as part of any existence, an intermission of a worldly life is the beginning of a rebirth with AhZhu and his own death. In a way if he's born a Linghu Chung, who has the highest EQ of all wuxia heroes, he can just shrug it off with plenty of drinks and stargazing...but I enjoy the memorable, spiritual ride with Qiao Fung.
nono Belleza, I do see a bit of Leslie in JungKi... but I just have to add this in before the editing ticker expire... when u mention JunPyojr and binnie in same post... argh bin is spotting a PAMA, so that's his look for a 60s azn gigilo. I'm disturbed.
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105 nycgrl
January 9, 2010 at 12:25 AM
Just finished "The Good, the Bad and the Weird" and all I can say is WOW! I haven't had this much fun watching a movie in a while and I watched the movie knowing nothing about the film and not even realizing the director directed two of my other favorite korean films, "The Quiet Family" and "Tale of Two Sisters".
The movie is not perfect, I actually zoned out a few times during the long extensive chase scene in the desert and in my zombie state I actually thought I was watching Mad Max. The movie is also not thought provoking in any way but the directing was pretty masterful, the stunts amazing (though the horses falling scenes made me cringe) and most importantly it was fun.
Song Kang Ho never ceases to entertain me with his great acting but I did think maybe his character should have been weirder considering he is "the Weird". Plus LBH's perfectly chiseled naked chest and JWS's clint eastwood cool had my head spinning with testosterone overload. The women are like the parsley on 24 oz steak -not noticeable, NOT that I'm complaining.
(BTW I loved the scene between JWS and SKH lying awake and thinking what they would do with their fortune. Totally was a Lenny and George moment)
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106 celestialorigin
January 9, 2010 at 12:31 AM
Hello! I have 1 hour before my next client show up. I'm going to watch Chuno! I'd love to read all the comments here but this is my chance!
cingdoc
take care and you are blessed!
Belleza
there are some of us even older than your said age range somewhere above or am I the oldest?
Korn
I do have a great tip(as I just discovered this on this trip) about saving money on transportations here in Japan, I'll come back later and post it!
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107 mookie
January 9, 2010 at 12:31 AM
on Leslie in JunKi:
the trajectory of their career is uncanny.. though Leslie is god in HK cinema, he's nth more than a matinee idol in dramas (esp those pre TVB ones) ie a LJK. I honestly can't predict how huge LJK will become after his enlistment... coz when he can tap more into his sexuality (and for sure he can effectively project it on celluloid) instead of feeding us cutesy, he's formidable.
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108 celestialorigin
January 9, 2010 at 12:36 AM
Wait! Where are people watching this???? I can't find it. Please tell me!
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109 crzycpl
January 9, 2010 at 1:46 AM
@belleza
I didn't know that Lee Seung-gi sang! And after having watched your MV link with Nam Sang Mi, I watched another one "Because you're my woman'" and what's the deal with him being beaten up all the time in his MV? :)
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110
January 9, 2010 at 2:35 AM
@103 belleza
LSG is a certified Noona Killer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KlHD-Ddc3c ;)
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111 crzycpl
January 9, 2010 at 2:50 AM
@ 110
Ah..... serenade the noona, always gets them! ;)
I don't know what they said but the CFs with Lee Seung Gi and Kim Sun Ah are hilarious!
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112 belleza
January 9, 2010 at 4:21 AM
"I didn’t know that Lee Seung-gi sang! "
Lee Seung Gi is first and foremost a singer, second an entertainer (host, MC, 1 Night 2 Days), and lastly an actor. The "Because You (Noona) Are My Woman" video, his debut single, came out when he was only 17 years old. His first album is unique in that it isn't typical K-pop at all; most of the songs are soft-rock ballads, and his voice was raspy, which gave his singing real edge. As he gotten older, his vocal tone got smoother, and he says he wished he could still sing with that rasp. So in that sense, his first album really does represent him as a love-sick, passionate, beyond-his-years teenager who could be . . . in love with noona. :D
LSG's clean cut, gentlemanly, very humble, and smart (he had top grades in school) reputation was exactly what Brilliant Legacy was trying to play against. SBS took a gamble that LSG's noona killer reputation would get him over with both teens and their mums, and well it worked.
"LSG is a certified Noona Killer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KlHD-Ddc3c "
When Queen Noona Kim Sun Ah bestows you the honor, you know you've made it. ;)
Oh and, yes, he really is serenading her with "Noona/You Are My Woman." Of course. :D
"what’s the deal with him being beaten up all the time in his MV?"
Actually that's part of NPW appeal. The School of K-Pop Love goes something like this:
1) How To Be Good Oppa: Be tough and beat up the bullies, even if they're half your height.
2) How To Win Noona: Be stupid and get beaten up by bullies, even if there's 20 of them with lead pipes.
So let's go back to Rain (aka NPW Ninja) and his melodrama A Love to Kill. There's this key scene where he got beat up by all the bodyguards, while holding Shin Min Ah. This is one of my 3 or 4 favorite scenes in the show, but it's interpreted differently depending on whether you're younger or older than Rain.
Rain fangirl: "Rain oppa so strong!! Protect Shin Min Ah from the bullies!! I love Rain!!"
Me: "Rain so stupid!! He looks so helpless and vulnerable when he holds her!! I love Rain!!"
See? When a guy such as Rain has mastered NPW, he's doing NPW even when he doesn't know he's doing NPW. The female counterpoint would be Ha Ji Won. She's SO internalized OPW that she doesn't even know when she's doing it.
So, yes, Lee Seung Gi always get PWNED in his own videos.
Here's his best MV. It's essentially a short film taking place during the Japanese occupation. This is Part 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI-VgenfxVA
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113 belleza
January 9, 2010 at 5:43 AM
@celestialorigin,
"there are some of us even older than your said age range somewhere above or am I the oldest?"
Noona love stories are primarily between 20-something men and 30-something women. There's also overlap into adultery or racier love stories. For example, the classic 1998 movie An Affair, where you had a 38-year old Lee Mi Sook opposite a 25-year old Lee Jung Jae.
What I do appreciate, though, is that older women/younger men love stories are allowed to be romantic and they don't necessarily have to overplay the age card or default to sex or sexual politics. Creating Destiny has a smaller noona love arc, where there is a 14-year gap betwee a bachelor and a single mom. The age is a complication, but their interaction is thoughtful and often sweet. You know, typical K-drama stuff. And that's the point. The fact that a May-December romance can be given a normal K-drama treatment, where it doesn't have "cougar" or even "May-December" labels put on it, where age gap doesn't have to be part of every other conversation, is one thing that K-drama does much, much better than the States.
@mookie,
"coz when he can tap more into his sexuality (and for sure he can effectively project it on celluloid) instead of feeding us cutesy, he’s formidable."
If Lee Jung Ki ever tapped into his inner bitch like Jo In Sung, he could become Asia's biggest idol. He's very popular in China, which is especially notable because he's never done a C-drama or a crossover movie.
I daresay his potential upside in China is even higher than Rain's. Rain is cavalier, playful, and gracefully athletic. You know, Asian Usher. But Lee Jung Ki . . . when he does the whole Ziggie-Liberace-Princess Leia regalia (which is the true excess heart of Golden Era Canto-era), he can actually pull it off. And I don't mean in an androgynous-fan-service Johnny Entertainment sort of way -- I mean in the Chinese Empire Strikes Back Episode 5: Yoda of the Golden Lotus Brigade Sort of Way!!
I mean, look at this. As I'm typing this, my brain is squealing in happy glee. I can't explain it, except his hair is in 3 different colors LOL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3V-CF_aD8
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114 cingdoc
January 9, 2010 at 6:01 AM
Bye....going to LAX now....Samsooki, try not to fight with hjkomo too much...looking forward to see you guys, soon....@ockoala,maybe I will catch some of the old TVB old drama in the middle of night while fighting jet lag, he he
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115 samsooki
January 9, 2010 at 7:21 AM
@cingdoc -
take care! be safe! *hugs*
I will only fight with hjkomo as much as she fights with me.
remember, we will leave the light on for you, so that you can find us on your return...
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116 etee7114
January 9, 2010 at 8:49 AM
@ 111 crzycpl
This is the subbed version by none other than alodia and sarada.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=lovelykimsunah#p/u/25/1g3o0qfz8UU
Read somewhere that KSA and LSG were asked to do this Max Beer CF because they were recently voted as "Most Wanted Vacation companions". I really can't see a direct beer and holiday relationship but what the heck.
@ cingdoc
Journey mercies! Have a safe trip and I pray everything will go well with your mum.
-----------------
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117 mookie
January 9, 2010 at 9:19 AM
@ Belleza:
'I mean, look at this. As I’m typing this, my brain is squealing in happy glee. I can’t explain it, except his hair is in 3 different colors LOL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX3V-CF_aD8 '
^ OMG! they don't even do excess heart at all anymore in Cantopop...maybe Aaron Kwok... I'm missing Leslie a lot! :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2njWpnQd0
o m g I clicked on this also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIvLyoLB_JM
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118 djeedjes
January 9, 2010 at 10:14 AM
@Taohua
So it's confirmed?Taecyeon on Family Outing! *tears in joy*
I was sad when Dae Sung refused to rejoin the show, but then I'm happy he gets chance in a drama....but Taec? I love Dae Sung and his antics, Taec, not only his antics, I love the whole package....that geek turns to be hot young man.
AHHHHHH, this really makes my dawn! (it's 1 AM now :P )
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119 Snikki
January 9, 2010 at 10:20 AM
@celestialorigin
I do have a great tip(as I just discovered this on this trip) about saving money on transportations here in Japan, I’ll come back later and post it!
I'm going there, too. Please share your tip, I'll wait for it. Thanks!
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120 djeedjes
January 9, 2010 at 10:34 AM
@ockoala : thanks for the Ariel's video.
OK, I will restart watching LOCH 08! It will be my first wuxia serial after...3 years?
But I love..love...love Ariel. I watched almost all her dramas, she always can make her co-stars shine, I haven't ever felt she and her co-star are not meant to be together! hehe. I used to love Ariel + Marcus Chang, then Ariel + Joe Cheng ( LOVE!!! ), Ariel + Hu Ge ( double cuteness ), Ariel + Zun ( well not this one i think ), Ariel + Mike He (oh gawd, I miss them! Love Contract is just an awful drama, but their chemistry is undeniable! )
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121 Taohua
January 9, 2010 at 10:35 AM
@117 djes
Yeah...here's the link to the article:
http://www.allkpop.com/2010/01/2pms-taecyeon-joins-family-outing-season-2-cas
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122 crzycpl
January 9, 2010 at 10:37 AM
@ belleza
Thanks for the run down on Lee Seung Gi. I know understand.
But on another point, what does NPW and OPW stand for? Noona something and Oppa something?
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123 reluctantbutaddicted
January 9, 2010 at 10:38 AM
@ 110 - 112 : Lee Seung Gi - Kim Sun Ah are adorable together.
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124 reluctantbutaddicted
January 9, 2010 at 10:47 AM
Oh, oh ! I know ! I know! (waving hand in air) >.... the PW is Pout Wiggle. Oppa Pout Wiggle, Noona Pout Wiggle.
Yes! Finally, I know the answer to something.
Now, please, someone, please tell me what a PAMA is. You guys have no idea how much time I spend on Google trying to figure out what's going on here. (I figured out LoCH purely by accident while browsing in YesAsia, thus saving my sanity for another few minutes.)
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125 Snikki
January 9, 2010 at 11:05 AM
@ reluctantbutaddicted
I think "pama" means curly hair like BOF's Gu Jun Pyo's, if I'm not mistaken.
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126 ockoala
January 9, 2010 at 11:11 AM
@ reluctantbutaddicted
"Now, please, someone, please tell me what a PAMA is"
Ha ha, it's the Korean slang term for perm, i.e. Lee Min-ho's pama in BBF is so styling every guy in k-pop wants one.
As for LoCH and all the lexicon mookie and I have been trading back and forth - my apologies, it's so dense that its like you've never read/watched Harry Potter and folks are talking about the existentional nature of Voldemort's desire for power and whether Hogwarts resembled Eton or a version of co-ed Spence circa Gossip Girl.
LoCH and the majority of Louis Cha (pen name Jin Yong) novels have been made and remade into dramas in the last 30 years, so it makes for great comparison viewing and lots and lots and lots of fangirling!!!
Doesn't help that when I watched my first Louis Cha novel adaptation of a drama - I found my ideal woman idol, the woman I wanted to become (Huang Rong from LoCH - brilliant, cute, sassy, in short, she was da bomb), and then when I watched my second LC adaptation, I wanted to marry the lead hero (Yang Guo from RoCH - loverboy was THE man). And therein sowed the seeds of probably a lifelong love affair with the amazingly dense and encyclopedic world of wuxia LC created via his novels.
@ djes
Did you watch the adorable Melt with You video of Ariel and Joe, or the BTS video of the gang of four making LoCH 2008. Both are such great YT vids, and just speaking of Ariel alone, she's truly a shining star, and she really isn't a *da mei nu* or huge beauty, but her beauty really shines from within, especially when you see her act. I think her and Joe (ArJoe) is still my absolute fave, but I've never seen Love Contract. If Ariel can make Wu Zun emote properly, then no one can.
I'm excited you're doing a wuxia drama for the first time in many years. I think you'll be really excited after a few episodes, LoCH 2008 is a idol-drama crossed with the intense epicness of an LC novel. Truly heady stuff.
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127 reluctantbutaddicted
January 9, 2010 at 12:15 PM
@ ockoala : PAMA : PERM ... LOL. Why on earth didn't I think to say it out loud?! Hilarious.
But I'm a bit disturbed the look has caught on. I thought Gu Jun Pyo looked far too much like granny's home-made rag rug, thrown in a fit of anger, had come to rest on his head.
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128 momosan
January 9, 2010 at 1:48 PM
@97 Amg1 In our family the saying is "never trust a skinny chef." 8-)
"But we must acknowledge that working in a
“Commercial Kitchen” and cooking at home are two totally different arts, cooking at home I believe is ” El Arte Grande” the grand art."
Strangely enough, I ran into someone today at an event who I hadn't met IRL before. He had co-ordinated a charity cookbook that I had donated recipes to a few years back. He had seen my name on the running order and hunted me down to tell me stories about a couple of my recipes taking some friends back to the old country.
Oddly, those particular recipes evolved here in the US not to replicate the old ones, but to make the best possible similar version I could with US ingredients. But it's amazing how a flavor or taste really does carry more than a simple food value - very Proustian, I know, but true.
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129 celestialorigin
January 9, 2010 at 2:20 PM
It's 645am here and I'm already up and I was up at 330am as well. I'm not dealing with jet-lag that well this time...
KORN somewhere above and @125 Snikki
Now after having said great tips, I'm not sure if it's that big deal or not lol. Well, it is cool, anyhow.
Anyway, upon arrival on Narita, I was going to take Narita express to Tokyo area and later on, I knew I'd be traveling to my mom. Off I proceeded to Narita Airport Terminal Travel Service Center(one each at T1 and T2). Wondering if I should purchase JR-East travel pass(this is the one you can buy without the preapproved voucher you need for Japan rail pass which is a pain because you need to get it before departing your originating country. it's 20.000 yen for all you can ride for 5 days within eastern part of Japn, so it can save you big bucks if you are doing sub-extensive traveling on Eastern half of Japan, but can't go to area like Nara and Kyoto)or just buy indvisual tickets as I would be doing part of traveling about by flying.
So, I started ask this very friendly lady at the counter about what would be the most economical thing to purchase there according to my travel schedule. I was pretty much ready to just get Narita express ticket(3000 yen to Tokyo station). Then I was asked if I had a US passport because if so, I can get Suica and NEX card for 3500 yen. Which means by paying 500 yen more I can get this card(like Octopus in Hong Kong)with 2000yen is already in it. You can use that 2000yen credit toward moving about in Tokyo(use it instead of purchasing paper tickets which can be really confusing) or can be used at stores with Suica signs. So basicly, I was given 2000 yen worth credit for free for me to use as I like it. For me, it'll cover taking subways and private train lines! Yes, Why not?
So for you KORN, it'll be nice option since you are there only for 3 days, it may be all you need for Tokyo area. For Snikki, I don't know your travel plan, there are several more options. Hope it helped a little. here's a link, you can read about it. and may be you can serch for Japan rail pass as well if you are going to Kyoto and so on.
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/
I have to take shower and get going full day ahead. Sorry in advance, if my writing is not coherent or not. I'm dying to check all your guys links Arrrgh. Later, later, at my sister's... Oh, and once again, where do you watch Chuno, just in case,I have one hour of free time, pleeeease!
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130 celestialorigin
January 9, 2010 at 2:27 PM
Oh, I'm actually taking a bath in a nice deep tub, it's so nice to have it to sink in. I think someone was asking about it somewhere...
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131
January 9, 2010 at 4:20 PM
hi this is cingdoc saying hi and bye from the bay area....waiting for the midnite flight...where's @langdon???
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132 reluctantbutaddicted
January 9, 2010 at 4:29 PM
Have a safe flight! Best wishes for your mother's speedy recovery...
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133 hjkomo
January 9, 2010 at 4:57 PM
@ cingdoc
Have a safe flight!
Samsooki wrote: "I will only fight with hjkomo as much as she fights with me."
Don't worry, Unni...as long as Samsooki behaves himself, we'll be fine. ;)
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134
January 9, 2010 at 5:33 PM
I'm at my sister's work, waiting for the rest of the family to come to the San Bruno area for early dinner before checking in with Singapore Air...the office's computers have no speakers ( or at least this one doesn't)so I can't watch kdrama...i better not, since I might miss my flight while I'm marathoning IRIS :)
@Samsooki
"remember, we will leave the light on for you, so that you can find us on your return"....when did dramabeans became Motel 6???....actually I love the sentiments behind that...please forgive the smirky remarks due to lack of sleep ( up since 4am ><zzzzzzz.....) I brought my earbuds from my laptop to drown out any potential crying children near my seat on the plane , and I will dream about a trip to Korea to visit my Gong Yoo ( hey, anything goes in a dream, right??).One thing good about waiting at the airport for 4 hours- I caught up in all my boring medical journals and magzines without any distractions (kids, phone calls, something called kdrama...he he) ....ok, the other guys are here, gotta go...really bye now...virtual hugs to all....
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135 paula253
January 9, 2010 at 6:18 PM
@celestialorigin,
let me bluntly answer your question: yes, some of us, maybe only a handful, are older than 45. ^^ there, is that what you wanted to know?? but that doesn't stop us from Inappropriate Crushes now does it? most of mine are on k-actors and singers in their mid-30s. only lee mingi falls outside that range, and he's almost... 25 (western age) kekeke. bday coming up on jan. 16.
enjoy your time in japan. i had 4 fab days there in osaka, kyoto, and the area around biwa lake. i know, that was too short!
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136 momosan
January 9, 2010 at 7:53 PM
@celestialorigin
"there are some of us even older than your said age range somewhere above or am I the oldest?"
Judging by the YB thread where a bunch of us 'fessed up to dispel the theory that only teeny-boppers were watching, there are at least a few of us around here in the over 45 category.
I am. 8-) I'm an obasan. Hence the long previous discussion in an earlier OT about the cut off ages for ICOMYM. (or as I said to my highly embarrassed niece when I was mentioning my favorite Hwarang hotties - "I'm old not dead, child.")
Wave at Yokohama for me!
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137 epyc
January 9, 2010 at 8:53 PM
@ 107 mookie
"though Leslie is god in HK cinema, he’s nth more than a matinee idol in dramas (esp those pre TVB ones)"
The thing is Leslie did only two or three dramas after switching to TVB and his drama-acting days were soon swept by the singing career. I personally love his pre-TVB dramas a lot, ie the ATV dramas and I loved supporting that underdog station :) There were many quality dramas produced by ATV in the early 1980s that they should be proud of.
My Leslie's favorite is 浮生六劫 aired in 1980, in which his performance as a sensual rich boy is nuanced to say the least, epecially when he was really a newbie then. Just checked on the wiki about this drama and found that its re-run in 2006 had actually stirred hot netizen discussion. And the script writer is the guy who wrote the 2000 TVB hit "War of the Genders"! See: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B5%AE%E7%94%9F%E5%85%AD%E5%8A%AB
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138 yourewaytoonosy
January 9, 2010 at 9:16 PM
Hi everyone,
Long time lurker here! The LC discussion for the last couple of thread made me decide to finally comment because...
I too love The Smiling Wanderer best out the LC novels, although my favorite adaptation is the 1996 TVB State of Divinity not the Chow Yun Fat one.
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139 mookie
January 9, 2010 at 10:16 PM
@ epyc
o gosh, I dun even know of anyone who've seen those old ATV ones!! My mom was totally a fangirl of those and I've watched my share.. esp the old wuxia 天蠶變, the writing in those old ATV oldies is superb, but then when I look at Leslie's acting in those, he's young and not as commanding on screen presence as his later self. I'm not saying he's anywhere near bad, same with JunKi, is just that u can tell a young Leslie or a current TV JunKi haven't tapped into their full potential (or not given as free a reign in that confine)
hi there yourewaytoonosy, o so now we have 4 in our SmilingWanderer fanclub! :)
See the fun in discussing a LC adaptation is that... the source material is beyond terrific, the plot alone should not be totally crap...so the question in evaluating an adaptation can go both tangent: the writing/production quality and the casting/acting...and many times the writing may not be terrific, but with a perfect casting, it works, that's the case with the CYF version. To me, he is the mind and soul of the whole drama, so if u don't mind an adaptation heavy on LingHu Chung, that's the one for you. I do like the 2000 adaption more to a degree in terms of the entertaining narration and production values, but I still have not warmed up to any of Richie Jen's acting. To be honest, I like some of those movies based on the book done in the 90s.. the tone and mood was just right for the novel and Brigitte Lin is just an amazing Dongfang Bu Bai
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140 yourewaytoonosy
January 9, 2010 at 11:03 PM
@mookie,
I thought that the 2000 one with Richie Ren was cool too. I also didn't really like Richie but thought Anita?? was awesome especially in the first couple of the episodes.
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141 ockoala
January 9, 2010 at 11:32 PM
@ mookie and epyc
I loved early ATV 80's dramas as well, but they were less available to overseas fans as the TVB ones.
[@ yourewaytoonosy - welcome to Xiao-Aou fan club, or the Wanderers Club, I guess.]
I once dated a guy simply because he told me his fave LC character was Linghu Chong, so I gave him a chance, and it turned out to be a dud, because I should have realized he was enamored of all the drinking and je ne sais quoi, and not truly understanding that what made everyone adore LHC was his insistence of always being true to himself. I should have followed @ mookie's position, which is men who love Guo Jing are really the ones to date/marry. They understand the need to work hard, uphold the righteous, pay no heed to their limitations, and really, hope for the "foolish men get the foolish luck' mindset.
Any guy whose fave character is Yang Guo - ladies, be care, be very very careful, in fact, run away screaming - he's a (wannabe) player.
Thanks for the Qiao Fung analysis, mookie. I may read Demi-Gods finally, and really attack the source material and see if the story grows on me now that I am an adult.
The TW adaptations of LC novels with Richie Jen are a monstrosity of bad production and screenplay - and Richie playing both Yang Guo and Linghu Chong in the same boy-next-door way was totally wrong for both characters, and massacred the production from the ground up. (Though Anita Yuen was a brilliant bit of casting as Ren Yingying, except she was wasted in the pairing with Richie). And to think Richie also played Chor Leu Heung makes me want to headdesk myself until oblivion.
"so if u don’t mind an adaptation heavy on LingHu Chung, that’s the one for you"
Hee hee, that's the ONLY adaptation I want - unless someone wants to idolify Wanderer, and somehow, make Lin Ping-zi sympathetic, cool, and awesome - otherwise, Wanderer simply does not have a second male lead in the entire drama. It's the Linghu Chong story, but when the movie versions twisted it into the Dong Fang Bu Bai story, which was super meta and twisted and Bridgitte Lin was a casting goldmine on that one.
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142 mookie
January 10, 2010 at 2:28 AM
^ u know ockoala, Lee Jie (OuYeungKe) was the Lin PingZi in Wanderer03.... but that was an adaptation so heavy handed to stick to the book... the dramatization is very frustrating, chapters dragging on, diluting the plot. I had a sad watching.
One of my many raves for Mr LC is his books covered every genre, LoCH is perfect for an idolification, main characters r all very young adults = wuxia teen idols, but Wanderer begs a WKW treatment.
o dating a GJ doesnt work out actually... the attraction may be shortlived... afterall a GJ maybe looking for his HR... or just too dense and focusing on higher aspiration to even notice my winks. Husband matl, definitely... haha but if in another life time...I still wanna fall in first love with a Yang Guo ... and have a one nite stand with a YK *blush*... hang out in a jazzbar with LingHu, a Vegas/Macau trip with WeiXiaoBao and give a good therapy session to QiaoFung, after all the fun, settle down with a GJ.
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143 belleza
January 10, 2010 at 2:56 AM
@mookie,
Any idea why Leslie Cheung and Song Hye Kyo were meeting in this clip?? O_o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV4KsuiEVVc
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144 mookie
January 10, 2010 at 3:35 AM
@ belleza, wow how come SHK looked older back then... *sigh* Leslie *swoon* http://www.leslietong.com/angelleslie/UploadFile/200351717355199063.jpg
I read in baidu it was a welcoming dinner for SHK who's visiting HK and TW and Leslie just accepted the invitation (she's a fangirl, rumored to have been sobbing on the st when she heard of his death on the phone fr a friend) to make an appearance...hence the abundance of cameras (I'm betting it's more for Leslie sake, 2002...SHK/Hallyu was big in HK, but still...)
and there's rumor it's a dinner brought tog by Tsui Hark, he was thinking of casting them in Death Duel/三少爷的剑 a wuxia work by Gu Long/古龙, and SHK would've played a prostitute!
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145 belleza
January 10, 2010 at 4:02 AM
"@ belleza, wow how come SHK looked older back then… *sigh* Leslie *swoon* http://www.leslietong.com/angelleslie/UploadFile/200351717355199063.jpg"
I think she looks much older now. But mostly she's just much more guarded, not as bubbly as before.
Is it just me, or are their heads disproportionately large from the rest of their bodies? O_o
"and there’s rumor it’s a dinner brought tog by Tsui Hark, he was thinking of casting them in Death Duel/三少爷的剑 a wuxia work by Gu Long/古龙, and SHK would’ve played a prostitute!"
Tsui Hark . . . no no no . . . . He is to Chinese cinema what Andre Kim is to fabrics. :D
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146 crzycpl
January 10, 2010 at 4:45 AM
@ ockoala and mookie and others
I've probably watched all these ATV and TVB dramas that you're talking about but I watched it in another language (not Chinese or English) so can't really contribute to the conversations you've been having on the OT.
But on ARJOE, I love those two. They had me at ISWAK (although her character annoyed the crap out of me!) and they had me again at TKA. Actually, that's the only TWdrama I have watched twice. All the others, especially the ones by Rainie and Mike He are a bit strange (directorial wise). I don't really follow TWdramas so if there is another ARJOE project out there, please let me know!
@ reluctantbutaddicted
Thanks for the explanations. Noona Pout Wiggle. Right. Got it. There are so many abbreviations on the OT. Someone should compile a glossary of terms for use on the OT. ;)
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147 celestialorigin
January 10, 2010 at 6:29 AM
135 paula253 & 136 momosan
Yey! Happy to hear I've gotten some obasan buddies here! My head is spinning as it's been a long day working and it's approaching midnight. and have to fly to my sister tomorrow morning! Have to pack up! Still no time to read all the comments.
meantime, my play list containning about 40? songs by Bigbang really impressed my girl friend's teen age daughter! We have same tastes!!! Off to Kobe area tomorrow.
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148 celestialorigin
January 10, 2010 at 6:43 AM
Oh, yes, I know. Where is Ms. Langdon?
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149 belleza
January 10, 2010 at 7:43 AM
@celestialorigin,
Hallyu's popularity in Japan is kinda quirky. The following is very strongly okasans and grandmums -- 35-50 demographic. This, BTW, is also true of K-pop in Japan. If you actually look at a Japanese audience for a SS501 or Big Bang gig, you'll see the audience is mostly made of housewives. Housewives screaming for 20-year old boys. :D
Though it's not as creepy as it sounds. (Just like American otaku getting their pedo on with the newest J-idol group coming over . . .) During the fanmeetings, there's a strong maternal (read: NOT sisterly or noona) bond between the fans and the boy bands. Certain artists like Rain and DBSK transcends that. And you can argue that BOA has a much stronger identity as a J-pop artist than K-pop.
It's usually very hard to compete with the Johnnies in the Japanese youth market. Johnnies are introduced in their teens, and usually fangirls develop a relationship with them since the preteens age, watching them grow as they approach senior high school. Boys Before Flowers -- which is a very familiar story to Japanese women from 15-30 -- got marketed to the housewives, not their daughters.
I wouldn't say K-dramas are treated as equal footing in China, Taiwan, or HK either (not like, say, Vietnam or Thailand.) But hit shows still rank.
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150 reluctantbutaddicted
January 10, 2010 at 8:04 AM
145 belleza - Jan 10, 2010 at 4:02 am
"Is it just me, or are their heads disproportionately large from the rest of their bodies? O_o"
I read an interview with a photographer once (can't remember who now and I'm not sure I recognized the name to begin with) who said that film actors do tend to have disproportionately large heads... they show up on film (when posed and lit properly etc) as being in proportion and more aesthetically attractive. Those with regular size heads tend to look like pinheads (I don't think he used that term but that's how I remember the idea expressed).
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