@janna
I think Jae Hee will make a great Jun-mo. Jus sayin'.
Well, him or Hyun Bin.

@Supah: I will watch this episode. Sometime. I did not sleep at all last night and somehow made it through the day with just a small coffee milk (that's what I call the "flavored" cold drink they say is coffee, but is clearly not wawa) and a 20 ounce cup of Lipton black tea. I also think I ate some party mix out of the vending machine. Sudoku helps keep you awake in the lulls of the workday. Also..how did I get home. Where am I..?

But first: Psh! Hyun Bin is yet again too A-list expensive. Jae Hee however would be interesting. How did you not know it was 1979?! That's what it said on Kang-Mos calendar before he went to go meet Mi-Joo! Also I'm a stickler for details and so I had to look up that Eric Clapton song to know all was right in the timeline (or I would have never stopped nagging) (also JYs shirt in episode 19 the stripey one is modern but it's also retro and yeah I guess I can't complain about her fashion at the moment)

@janna
Good job you paid attention to that calender. They never really told us what year they were jumping into when they did the big time jump from childhood (1970) to adulthood. It was only when I saw Jung-shik's dodgy four-piece that I thought a-ha! 80s! (Since the actors' ages were no help at all).
But clearly it wasn't yet the 80s. We've had another timeleap this episode, we're now in 1981. No wonder there were still remnants of the 70s everywhere and none of that famous 80s electro-invasion. I'm also happy that it'll be a gradual crawl up over the years rather than big 10yr leaps like I was somehow expecting.
You'll love episode 20 btw, it was just so, so good! Some things have changed, a lot. Some, not at all.
We're also seeing a lot more Mi-joo now, but sadly it's probably more to do with the people she happens to keep having run-ins with, and it's not just one person but two. Aigoo Mijoo-yah.

Yeah, I need to get my head out of the A-list-expensive. Jae-hee would be awesomesauce, besides the slew of cameos must be costing Giant a fair bunch too.

Meanwhile get some rest! Some hot, nourishing food and a warm, cosy bed!

I got a neat video I want you guys to watch! It's a cute parody of super junior's sorry sorry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqmp5LiOcCo.

This mitt just be the second biggest casting news of 2010, behind the Athena juggernaut and I think bigger than Rain and Lee Na Young in Runaway. Ha Ji Won has been cast as the female lead in Secret Garden with Jang Hyuk (and Yoon Sang Hyun). I am in drama heaven. Oh, and script by Kim Eun Sook of City Hall, On Air, and the Lovers drama fame.

@ ockoala

Are you trying to start a riot?

*still hyper-ventilating*

@supah: Why am I watching these Mi-joos and Min-woos and Kang-mos?
We must focus on more important things: Jung Shiks Fashion. How will it change?! Will we be introduced to stunning neon plastic shades? Parachute pants?! Augh, dilemma. Maybe I won't sleep again tonight (powernaps... they are for cool people who work two jobs and then pad the rest of the time watching dramas and sometimes eating)
_
Sidenote, an apology of sorts:
I feel really bad going "Lee Tae Sung?! For Playful Kiss?" and then not realizing what his age actually is. It's been a while since I've seen him... like 9 ends 2 outs long. I have been working through the KBS drama specials, so maybe I'll get to that one he's in. Dude, I feel awful. I apologize.

Yeah I wrote "9 ends" and hit submit. .......Edit Buttonnnnnnnnnnn... (long sigh)

@ supah

I haven't watched Love Vanished yet. With my new job and frequent travel, my drama watching habit will have to change.... sigh. But there are surprises, currently in a city with KBS World and they are showing Four Colours of Love, a 4 x 1-episode drama. I watched the first one last night with Kim Jung-hwa which was a plesant surprise. After that drama, it was an entertainment variety program in which they interviewed KJH who's currently doing a stage play with Daniel Choi who alternates the male lead role with...... our manly Prosecutor Su from PP. He's all gorgeous in his shirt and jeans.

@ supah

And, please keep us informed of your Hotelier progress.

Finished my re-watch of Painter of the Wind yesterday. Forgot the kissing scene in that was a good example of small an innocent pecks being much more meaningful than deep lusty ones. Episode 16, a small forehead kiss, wow! The heat and passion was there but the layers of emotion behind it was so intense. Bravo! To the Actors, writers and directors, my hats off to you for the setup of that kiss.

-----------

Also just finished watching Shinee Lucifer video. I take it back about them all being too young to look at. At least Onew isn't. And boy am I looking. To the previous comment about his hair and worries there in....I was stunned at how good he looked. I am impressed.

Also I want to remix this song already. The lyrics are fantastic and I know it is to be a dance track, but if you slow it down just a bit ...ooo that would be superb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dww9UjJ4Dt8

@janna
Let's see now, you didn't sleep, didn't eat and went ahead and watched Giant20 and possibly more? Fail.
But Giant 20… speechless, it was THAT good.
But more on that later, where were we, aah yes, Jung-shik's revamped hair and the animal print? My verdict? Love it. I too cannot wait for the flouros and for the hair to get crazier -- if that's even possible (but hey, fully shaven hair and prisoner orange ain't too bad either). Now if only MW can ditch the monochrome and take some style advice from JS. I think we'll have to wait till the 90s for the Hammertime pants though. I'm surprised he has such old fashioned taste in women though, y'know?

@epyc
Sure, I'll keep you updated on my Hotelier progress. Whereabouts are you travelling? It seems like you're having fun. Is it the K-shorts you're watching? Lucky you. I intend to watch Red Candy and the one with Jung Kyung-ho at some point. And do you mean Han Jung-soo? Yeah, I've heard he's doing some stage plays lately but I kinda lost interest in him a while back, sorree. He's just not my fave as an actor but I liked his characters a lot in Chuno and PP (understatement there, haha).

@diadda - bad hair or not, dubu is mine! I'm a bad, bad noona though, still haven't d/loaded the album or seen the MV. I'm too consumed by Giant on a Mon/Tues/Weds. Foh shame, foh shame. But still, mine!

Hotelier with English subs? I'm missing too much of the dialogue due to my faulty Korean, and I can't find it English-subbed at my usual sources.

Thanks for the help!

For your hotelier needs in english. There is dramafever dot com.

@supah

Ooooo, I shall not step on any toes. I was only admiring Onew's very fine development. I shall keep my distance. I promise.

Now I'm off to invest in binoculars and a telephoto lens. :)

@diadda
Oh noes, I'm happy to share with you! Either that or get a steamrollering to death by legions of scary dubu fangirls. No thank you, I'll just share him then. *sniff*
OK, listened to the album, now waiting for it to d/load *whistles* and seen the MV. He has two different hairstyles in it, I prefer the non bowl-cut one, me.

Sorry guys! I just realized I posted the wrong link. That was my dad's work, lol. But anyways, here's the right link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1pl1p_pkbE . If you've ever heard of mychonny, his parody is so funny and pretty well made!

@ miharatori

I think you sent the wrong video link. :D

@ miharatoru

Loved the Sorry Parody!!!!

Sorry everyone, I apologize! My kid posted the wrong link. :P
That's actually a video for my husband's startup company. :D
LOL, he comments all the time while watching K Drama's with me. "If they had been using one of my cameras, that never would have happened", he says, while pointing at the screen. :P

@supah

being older, bowl cuts don't scare me off easily. They usually need glasses. First thing that came to my mind when I saw him like that, he needs a pair of sunglasses with that leather coat. It is a retro 70's/80's biker look but in a techno/pop video. That is what drew my attention to him. Well that and his voice.

@ momosan

Like belleza so adroitly pointed out, if Secret Garden is indeed a go with JH + HJW, with a script by Kim Eun Sook - OT would be barreling past 600 easily each week, and maybe hitting 700 the week we have a make-out scene between the OTP where KES shows us that she can out-hot her own creation in the City Hall car kiss.

I personally adore Yoon Sang Hyun to pieces, in my mind he's a Kim Nam Gil, in that he has gotten his breakthrough so late in his career and definitely has the acting chops. Secret Garden - my newest obsession. Seriously - our Chuno-kkun meets our Damo! How utterly surreal and meta is that?

Whta's next - Bidam meets Hwang Jin I? And why is it that all the strong saguek females are played by Ha Ji Won (including Duelist here as well). I'll tell you why, because she rocks! (for the reverse, you mom is watching it right now in Dong Yi, and one needn't look any further than Lee Yo Won in QSD).

I might be more excited about Secret Garden then even Athena, bc I know what type of script we'll be getting (whereas Athena is a big fat questions mark on writing).

You have to start HnH2 - it's my summer drug of choice.

Just for anyone, where is there a good forum for k-drama discussion, where newbies are welcomed??

@ Leonardswench

Not sure what type of forum you are looking for. There has been and always will be soompi for everything on every K-drama. And I second @ momosan about DB.

@ momosan

Gah, you started? Knew you wouldn't be able to resist. 47 yen is like what? Less than 50 cents, right? Our Hotaru continues to out-screw her own life time and again. How does a 47 yen owning hinomo onna get married?

And I am so pleasantly surprised that I adore the second male lead (nothing can touch my Buchou + Hotaru FTW! ship, but at least this time I don't find the second lead a giant douchebag like I did that Teshima - hmm, this might have been Ender's Girl's description, but I shall borrow it and credit her).

Wasn't it @celestialorigin that mentioned liking Mukai Osamu (and I was like, um hm, yeah, more Buchou screentime please) - she is so right, he's got this natural connection with the camera and a light touch to his acting.

As for BG - I'm watching the raws, and I am firmly on the camp that GW doesn't have a master plan, he's just inserting himself into whatever position appears before him so that he was screw with the Hongs. If I take the revenge element out of it, GW is just as lost as TS is. Makes my heart bleed - both of them combined are like Jung Jae Min in WHIB.

My out on a limb prediction - 10% chance of coming true - while searching for eye-searing screencaps of Prince Shin in Goong, I kept flashing to Joo Ji Hoon in Mawang, and how much he improved, to the point of me watching with my jaw half open most of the time. Who says Kim Hyun Joong in Playful Kiss won't be the next JJH. Just a career trajectory he can emulate (minus the little mishap JJH got into). For that alone, I'm deathly curious about PK.

@supah: So yeah, MW has a thing for women who beat him, or put up a struggle or something. Your mileage on opinion may vary but yeah. Yeah. Ha, ha, ha. Leopard suit. It was only fitting it got wet. I liked the super shiny suit for spacemen suit. I seriously should just go back and screencap every outfit he wears and make it my desktop. Oh, and right now KM is such a jerk!

KM: I think I should really just give it a rest and quit. It just doesn't fit.
JY: What, loving me?
KM: No, trying to grow this moustache. It's been over two years.

I really didn't think JY would hang out with Tin Man AND the Scarecrow (srsly lacking in the brain dept there).... Now if only her lion brother had the courage...

@janna
Disclaimer first: Sorry janna and everyone, I feel a huge Giant nerding surge coming on, mainly because I haven't really talked about 20 in proper detail yet, ya know.
I just can't get into today's episode of Bad Guy without offloading this first.
And excuse me very much janna but KM is not a jerk. No, he isn't, he was but isn't anymore.
1) LBS's acting in episode 20 was memorable, iconic, award-worthy** (and then there's the black humour -- the shampoo scene, I'll be damned!), up till this point he had been tolerable, just tolerable, with a few flashes of promise, like in 12, 16, 17. But I understood he was deliberately writ to not be so brilliant -- not yet. But then I thought his 'moment' came in ep19 but he squandered it away. His emotional outburst was lacking. Granted it was meant to be one of pure fury, not pain and it's easier for us to maybe connect with those in pain first and fury, not so much. But there was such unsatisfactory disconnect and yet again Sung-mo ended up stealing the show. Even PJH did great the way she ran down that road barefoot and in disarray screaming out after the police car ''don't take him away from meee... he's miiiine'' (loved SM's 'who the F is this crazy woman?' face in that moment). But we finally have an actor worthy of following on from Yeo Jin-gu. I think PD Yoo gives them a good thrashing if they underperform or something, and so he should. Whatever he did it worked with both PJH in ep15 and now LBS.
2) The hands! It's all in the hands. What is about this show and the hands? I could write an entire essay on it but I'll keep it short:
The Kang-yun relationship -- has kind of been built on a foundation of hand-holding (or WAS, hah!). The two brothers -- ep1 - the palms of their hands during the train scene, ep19 the backs of their handcuffed hands grazing. So sad, I need a moment here. *places hand over achy heart and whimpers* and the general hand-clasping when comforting one another. It's so simple a gesture yet in this particular show it conveys so much more love, affection in it than any other show I've seen.

Yes, janna, you should cap all his outfits, this one was the best though, by far my favourite.
And really, Dorothy should be able to kick everyone's ass without needing her lion brother. It's embarrassing when grown-up sisters still rely on their brothers for beating people up and stuff, c'mon it's 1981 not 1891. In fact, she should be beating people up for him.

** forget awards shows, they'll all go to Chuno or worse, Dong Yi anyways.

@diadda
Aah, like a Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China 'do? Yeah, I see it now, still don't think it suits him though. Seriously, no.

@ momosan, OMG, Abe Hiroshi too! I am so psyched about HnH2, as well .... I don't know a single soul who owns it (HnH1) outside of myself, so the fact that anyone knows who Hotaru is ... seriously, I can't keep up and I've so much to say/chat ... I just am more used to forums than blogs for blabbing about the things that I love/excite me.

Soompi seemed overwhelming when I first checked it out, maybe I'll go for another peak. Aww, geez, I just love the fact anyone knows what I'm talking about if I'm saying I'm having a Lee Jun Ki crush day, or using Abe Hiroshi for my current muse, or wondering what new manga to get for my daughter now that she's hooked on them, and checking out all the great music that I never knew existed before 2008.

Sadly, I'm a complete SS501 girl, even at my age. It should be embarrassing, but I love their sound and looks too much to care ....

I've resigned from one forum as an admin because of my new crushes (all things Asian, specifically Korean) and am about to bow out of another one for the same reason. I want to streamline my time to catch up and keep up with my personal Korean wave, and T-wave, J-wave ....

@supah: I can't believe we flip flopped. Okay, letting someone get beaten within an inch of his life is cool, cause those be prison rules.
I keep busting on SM not because he needs to like throw himself on the line to keep MJ in check. She's her own person, but SM is always selling himself short to me by not going all in. Get stuff done SM, get some courage juice, like booze or booze. Booze solves things in horrible, horrible ways.

I just got this one and had to share it! Yikes!!! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrI6csLz6Cc

@janna
Oh no, no. No flip flopping here. Your part was hilarious, and my lame-o reply was in jest, no really it was. I was a bit WTF with SM myself last episode, slacksville + scotch whisky -- so unlike him, kinda. I think his loyal junior is turning out more of a hero than even he is in some cases. How could he have let CPY get that far? Where was he all that time? But then the previews for ep21 looked quite promising so I'll wait and see, here's to more Sung-Min.
Hey, who was shot just before the timeleap? I counted all the ahjusshis and no one's missing from amongst them. Plus, was it at the gisaeng house or Baek-pul's place? Either way it has the JC stamp all over it.
So So-tae was a bit of misfire, the next one might hit the target though. *shudder* Awful people. Yes, SM who apparently has his priorities in check, could be more handy in situations like those, alas!

"Who says Kim Hyun Joong in Playful Kiss won’t be the next JJH."

I'm with you on this one, ockoala. He is no Im Joon-hwan (my pick of the Korea Zhi Zhu) but he's got the cold and handsome look. I could even picture him doing that side secret little smile at Xiang Qin's foolishness. So, despite my earlier disapproval of his being cast, I am trying to think positive and will give Playful Kiss a go now that 'Xiang Qin' and 'Ah Jin' are cast. After all, ISWAK is my favorite T-drama of all time and I do want we have a watchable K-version.

Antique Bakery is a movie that hints on what the next generation of actors will be. It goes without saying that JJH is shining there, the other three boys are doing an equally fine job. KJW is now one of the most watchable things in BG, as everyone has agreed.

@supah

Ooooo I love Big Trouble in Little China. Love love love it!

And it is a hair style that suits older beefier guys best, but for some reason I like it on Onew. You ever seen an episode of Scrubs ,where JD Has all the girls take off their wedding rings and all of a sudden 20+ women he never saw before magically appear. I think I have that with age. They are faceless drones that move about on screen and if they sing well or act well I can recognize the outlines and recall their basic information. I don't know what age (maybe 24), all of a sudden they come into focus and I can clearly identify everything about them. I think his hair forced him into focus for me. SO I can't quite fault the stylist who came up with doing something to him that wasn't quite age appropriate.

_________________

Antique Bakery is so much fun. I think the anime is the best version so far. But all others have been fantastic too. Basically meaning good writing and a good plot can go a long way, Add decent actors and you have a hit worth the re-watch in any language. This is the reason I too am looking forward to KImi Wa Petto adaptation. Good story and good actors.

______________

@Leonardswench

I couldn't get into Soompi. I tried, but I don't think I quite fit with it. I defiantly like it here though, it has what I am looking for. Who knew this 20+yrs old technology of blogging and bulletin boarding, I would still be doing. (Albeit now with a K-drama bent.)

＠ ockoala

Yes!!! Mukai Osamu kun is mine!!!!!! <3<3<3 He's the perfection at this moment in my life. He's on 2 dramas right now HH2 and Gegege no nyoubou which is a biographical drama of legendary mangaka Mizuki Shigeru on NHK(this one is also the one fine show). My guilty please for sure. I'll be missing watching them on real time since I'm finally flying back home on Monday. Who cares. I'm ready to be home!

K, I have never seen comments on Youtube scrolling. Live update comments while you watch the video and so many of them that they just keep going like a bad fangirl teleprompter. This is wild.

_____________

Anyway, Just finished first episode of Joker. I will hold off judgement till I see one or two other episodes. I do like all the actors in this j-drama. The male lead Sakai Masato (Himitsu no Hanazono one of my favs) and the female lead Watanabe Anne(samurai high) are both good. Something seems to be missing though. They have a plot but I feel like they are already spending too much time trying to convince the audience to side with the male lead. I get the premiss you don't need to sell it so hard.

May Jo Guk always shade Mi Rae's sun!

@ momosan

You mean K_t-TUN now, right? :-D Do share with me the real story of Jin's hitherto never expressed but suddenly manifesting desire to pursue a career in the United States. I seriously want to know (for example, anyone wants TW-dirt, more than happy to share - biggest news of the week, Zai Zai and Mark on the same stage for a charity benefit next week - oh the fireworks, oh the uncomfortable silences, oh the man-stares.....).

Does Jin even speak Engrish much less English? Shall we be saying Poor Jin! or singing hallelujah that he escaped from Johnny's pit.

HnH2 ep. 3

Reasons for a himono onna to suddenly break out into hives:

1. Wanting some action and not getting any, i.e. sexual frustration.

2. Wanting to eat bitter melon but cannot do so bc her Buchou hates it, and she wants to please him (bonus points for beating up said bag of bitter melon with a stuffed dolphin toy to "kill" it).

3. Standard cat allergy - leaving window open so neighbor cat comes in to leave dander everywhere.

4. All of the above - and finding a solution for them all. Darn it, I love this drama!

@ celestialorigin

Did you call Mukai-kun when we divvied up the J-boys a few months back. If so, then he's yours. If not, hhhhmmm, I may have to add him to my boy-rem. He's adorable and such understated comedic timing. Man, if he was Teshima in HnH1, I would have a hard time shipping Buchou without thinking about it first.

@ockoala: Jin does speak English, well I can understand it. I'm not a fan of K_t-Tun&Jin, but somehow I know this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkkkFOAhQZM Sometimes he says some really off things though. You know, sexiness and what not. You stay real, bro. You stay real.

@supah: I'm going to buy SM a tommy gun. Then he get some work done. CPY house should look like swiss cheese when we're done.

_

So I was feeling a little blahsville with episode 13&14 of Coffee House (Crap I almost wrote Prince that time for real) but then it reclaimed itself in 15&16. Looking forward to the end! (It's really kept my interest the entire time! Good job) The preview of I am Legend when all the girls sing in unison somehow makes me think of a Queen song. Anyone agree? Disagree? It won't be hard rock but it will be an interesting OST for sure.

Look, at long as no one ships Pi off NEWS (not that NEWS is doing anything these days), Johnny and I are square.

Jin - he's the mouthy rebel one, huh. Thanks for the Jin "facts", momosan! Hahaha, I love idoru dirt, it's like watching EoE, everything sucked but all that behind the scenes meltdowns made watching it infinitely more enjoyable. Part of me wishes Dong Yi had crazy BTS shenanigans, I would watch that drama in a heart beat!

Oh, and you should hie yourself off to EG, she just posted a hilarious photoshopped 5 stages of Jin leaving Kat-TUN and their reactions. I almost pee'd my pants, esp. when Tatsuya(?) thinks "I'm scared of Jin, so good riddance.")

And I also made the mistake of watching a YT vid of their Queen of Pirates Tour ("Queen"? - is that supposed to be irony or an I suppose to take that at face value), which was epic Seshun Amigo level of glorious idoru-ness.

Good luck to Jin. He can always find Jaebom and hang out with him.

Trust your instincts. Never let your younger sister dye your hair on a whim. It's still Thursday, stupid.

Are you kidding me? it's hat Friday! The Friday where we wear hats! All day long!

@ ockoala

But, if Pi is shipped off NEWS, he too might have to be shipped off to LA to implove his Engrish. And we all know how much he likes to wander around taking public transport, startling unsuspecting bystanders, riding his granny bike and hanging out on the beach (ok, maybe not so much the public transport part, in LA). Think of the stalking possibilities! Or, at least, the sighting possibilities.

Have you been following the boy's blog? I is bad fangirl, I haven't read it in months. Is he up to anything new? Besides wondering at the sky and craving curry rice.

I'm going to sound so so stupid if I ask you to explain all of the slang that I still don't get, but ....

@momosan
Abe has been a muse for 2 years, he's on my wall. (I'm a writer and I have pics of good-looking guys with their 'hero' names under them for current wips -- that is, works in progress). I don't see him coming down anytime soon. Cha Seung-won was the 2nd guy up there after I watched him in Bodyguard (wasn't impressed with the series, I was impressed with him!). I also have Hugh Jackman, Richard Armitage, Gerard Butler, Patrick Dempsey, and several other hotties. My newest add was Lee Min Ho. I like my wall. I intend to plaster over the pics with that clear craft stuff someday and just make these boys permanent.

Not putting 2 and 2 together to know who Jin is ....