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NEWS INDEX page 93
March 9, 2009: Han Chae-young Cast in 'Good Morning, President'
March 10: Rain May Testify Over Concert Cancellation Wednesday
March 10: Actress Jang Ja-yeon 'Left Suicide Note'
March 10: Actor Jang Dong Gun Aiming for an Oscar
March 10: Reasons of Actress's Suicide Remain Mysterious
March 10: Seo Tae-ji Releases New Single
March 11: Stars Best Fit for HDTV
March 11: Korean-American trainer tones celebrity physiques
March 11: Villains Rule the TV Scene
March 11: Celebrities Return to Schools as Professors
March 11: Fans, friends hear snippet of BoA抯 first U.S. album at 憀istening party |
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March 9, 2009
Han Chae-young Cast in 'Good Morning, President'
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Han Chae-young
Actress Han Chae-young, who stars in the hit KBS drama "Boys Over Flowers," has been cast alongside popular actor Jang Dong-gun in the upcoming film "Good Morning, Mr. President," Yonhap News Agency reported Monday.
Han's agency BH Entertainment confirmed the actress will play the role of the outgoing president's beautiful daughter, who falls in love with Jang's character.
"Good Morning, Mr. President" will be a film about three fictional Korean presidents: an old, outgoing president who wins the lottery, a young charismatic president and Korea's first female president. Expectations are running high for the film since Jang will be portraying a youthful president patterned after U.S. President Barack Obama.
Jang Dong-gun
A representative for the film's production said that Han was the most suitable actress to convey the beauty, intelligence and dignity of the character.
The film is written and will be directed by Jang Jin, who also wrote "Public Enemy Returns." Filming is expected to begin next month.
Han, who is often called "Korea's Barbie Doll" because of her voluptuous figure and doll-like looks, has appeared in numerous TV dramas such as "Only You," "Delightful Girl, Chun-hyang," and "Autumn Fairy Tale." She was also cast in "Soul Mates," a joint Korea-New Zealand horror film directed by Scott Reynolds.
Credits: cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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March 10, 2009
Rain May Testify Over Concert Cancellation Wednesday
Rain
The civil trial against South Korean pop star and actor Rain is scheduled to begin Tuesday in U.S. District Court, The Associated Press reported.
Rain whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon and his producers are being sued over the performer's abrupt cancellation of a June 2007 concert in Honolulu. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday and Rain could be called to testify as early as Wednesday, AP said. "He will be appearing at some point in the litigation," the performer's Honolulu attorney Jennifer Lyons was quoted as saying.
Hawaii-based Click Entertainment Inc. alleges in the suit that Rain and his producers defrauded it of more than $500,000 paid in licensing fees. Also, it is seeking additional damages for the cost of staging the event, including rental of Aloha Stadium, stage production, travel, hotel accommodations, merchandising and advertising.
The concert was canceled just days before the scheduled June 15, 2007, performance at Aloha Stadium, disappointing many fans who paid as much as $300 for a ticket and flew to Honolulu from as far as away as Japan and South Korea. It was the first stop on the "Rain's Coming" U.S. tour.
Performances in San Francisco, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles were also canceled. The show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was canceled less than two hours before show time, "due to issues related to the show's production," promoters said. All ticket holders were offered refunds.
Concert organizers at the time said they called off the performances because of a copyright challenge from Nevada-based record company Rain Corp. A Nevada District Court later dismissed the case.
Rain, 26, is widely popular across Asia where his smooth dance moves and sculpted body have earned him the nickname of the :Justin Timberlake of Asia." He also gained popularity with his roles in Korean TV drama series, such as the hit "Full House."
Source: The Korea Times |
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March 10, 2009
Actress Jang Ja-yeon 'Left Suicide Note'
Jang Ja-yeon
The actress Jang Ja-yeon, who hanged herself last Saturday, left a lengthy suicide note. "Ja-yeon would feel sad if she knew people consider her as a mere depression patient who died without even leaving a will," a friend told the Chosun Ilbo. "I decided to reveal some part of her writing dotted with thumbprints to pay respect to what she had in mind."
But the friend added, "Even though the note includes details of how she has been hurt since she started working in show business to become an actress, I won't reveal it all because that could cause unwitting damage to others."
image source
Jang's friends have been suspicious that the 27-year-old really killed herself due to depression because she had just risen from relative obscurity through the hugely popular TV drama, "Boys over Flowers."
Jang was allegedly distressed over the need to choose an agency, but a representative with her current agency said Sunday, "She wanted to renew the contract with us after it expired, so we were discussing the matter. I can't believe that problems surrounding the agency have driven her to suicide." A representative at another agency identified as Yu, to whom Jang had reportedly talked about her problems, is believed to have seen the suicide note but has been incommunicado since he wrote on his website, "People in the entertainment world know why she killed herself."
Credits: englishnews@chosun.com |
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March 10, 2009
Actor Jang Aiming for an Oscar
Actor Jang Dong-geon visited his Japanese fans in Yokohama on Friday for the first time in two years.
Some 4,500 fans from Japan, Korea and Taiwan flocked to the fan meeting entitled "2009 Jang Dong-geon's Story-Opening the door to the world."
Jang is a global star serving as a goodwill envoy for the United Nations World Food Program. At the event, he appeared on the stage from inside a blue globe-shaped balloon.
He greeted his fans, saying, "Let's have a good time" in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and English. After a video recap of his full acting career, a talk show commenced.
Jang said, "I want to show a new side of myself never before conveyed on film. My first English language role in 'Laundry Warrior' will likely come out this year. I will strive to receive an Oscar award one day."
He also introduced his service for WFP, saying, "A person starves to death every 6-7 seconds in the world. Famine is not due to food shortage, but problems in food distribution. I urge your interest in this basic human concern that goes beyond political and ideological differences."
Fans also celebrated his 37th birthday, which was the next day on Saturday. Members of his fan club Adonis International as well as Korean and Japanese fans handed him flowers and gifts. Adonis International, known for its charity activities, also gave him a certificate of donation.
Source: KBS Global |
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March 10, 2009
Reasons of Actress's Suicide Remain Mysterious
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The late actress Jang Ja-yeon
Suspicions and questions are growing over the suicide of actress Jang Ja-yeon, who was starring in the hit drama "Boys Over Flowers," as some letters she left to friends showed that she had suffered from unknown troubles.
Jang, 30, was found dead in an apparent suicide at her home in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. Although her family said that Jang had suffered from depression and had undergone medical treatment, it is also said that she had trouble with her management agency renewing her contract.
The writings also showed there may have been another reasons for the suicide related to the entertainment business.
A friend who did not disclose the entire contents said that Jang described the anguish she had had from people in the entertainment industry but that disclosing it all could result in more victims.
At the end of them, Jang said, "I'm a new actress, weak and powerless. I want to escape from this anguish." But the disclosed parts did not show what the anguish was about.
She also wrote the date, her resident registration number and signature, and sealed every page with a thumbprint.
Jang's former manager Yoo Jang-ho, head of a management agency Hoyaspotainment, said on his blog that she'd visited him several times over the last two weeks and talked about her stress. He said she also gave him a six-page handwritten letter. It's unknown whether the letter was the same one handed over to the friend.
"I didn't know what to do about the problem she asked me to solve. I don't know whether to follow her wishes or to cover it up according to the bereaved family's wishes," Yoo said on the blog. "It reminds me of the movie 'Public Enemy.' Those involved in the entertainment business would know why she killed herself. She picked me as the one who should fight against the public enemy," he said.
As for the rumors, Jang's agency, The Contents Entertainment, expressed unpleasantness. "The rumor that Jang had conflicts with us is not true. We proposed she move to another agency because we had financial problems, but she rather insisted that she remain with us," an official of the company said.
Police plan to examine the writings and say they may reinvestigate the case if they show Jang was threatened or blackmailed.
Credits: [email protected] via The Korea Times |
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March 10, 2009
Seo Tae-ji Releases New Single
Ahead of his return to the music scene, singer Seo Tae-ji has released his new single album |
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March 11, 2009
Stars Best Fit for HDTV
Which star celebrities are the most perfect for high definition television, which is known to capture even their sweat glands and fine body hair?
Ahead of its 7th anniversary, cable operator SkyLife conducted an Internet survey last month on the most preferred actors and actresses for HDTV. Topping the actors' list was Jang Dong-geon at 18%.
He was followed by Gang Dong-won (14%), world famous singer Rain (12%), singer Kim Hyeon-jung (famous for his acting role in the current hit drama series "Boys over Flowers") and Jo In-seong (7.8%).
For actresses, Kim Tae-hee (20%) ranked first as having the best looks for HDTV, trailed by the heroine of "Boys over Flowers" Gu Hye-seon (17%), Moon Geun-young (12%), the heroine of the hit Korean film "Speedy Scandal" Park Bo-young (6.4%) and sexy pop queen Son Dambi (6.3%).
Respondents chose MBC comedy "Infinite Challenge" (28%) as the most preferred program for HDTV, followed by KBS's "1 Night 2 Days" (23.3%) and SBS" "Family Outing" (22.7%). The leading reality entertainment shows of the three terrestrial channels rounded out the top three.
Source: KBS Global |
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March 11, 2009
Korean-American trainer tones celebrity physiques
Dressed casually in sweats and a zip-up, bodybuilder-turned-celebrity trainer Danny Joe opens the door to the former residence of prominent Korean singer Lee Seung-chul. His loose clothes do little to mask his chiseled physique.
The luxurious studio apartment is spick and span. A set of barbells resting near a neatly made bed and mugs that read "Let's Starve" in Korean are the only external signs of Joe's profession; that and the fact that he has been staying in client Lee Seung-chul's pad (currently unoccupied by the singer) for the past five months.
"Everyday I thank my first love, I really do, for leaving me," says the 25-year old Korean American in an interview with The Korea Herald.
Heartbroken, a teenage Joe, he says he was "roughly 18" at the time, turned to weightlifting for solace. "I had to relieve my stress so I chose the gym."
What originally started out as a cure for a broken heart quickly evolved into a profession, and this amateur natural bodybuilder catapulted to fame when he nabbed overall masters men and first place for novice male short class division at the 2007 International Natural Bodybuilding Association San Diego Natural Bodybuilding Championship.
Prior to his win, Joe had been racking up experience as a certified personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness in Los Angeles and had trained a "small time Asian actor in Hollywood" for a film. Fellow actors impressed by the results turned to Joe. And once he received press for his win, word spread. Joe soon had a growing list of celebrity clients.
By 2008, he was training Hallyu star Lee Byung-hun for his upcoming Hollywood flick "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." Then, in late August, he flew into Korea to train Lee Seung-chul, all the while staying in the singer's lush pad.
When asked how he copes with his fast track to fame, Joe answers: "To be honest, I wake up everyday and then think to myself, 'Wow!' You know? Honestly, I do, you know. I'm working right next to a superstar that people dream of meeting."
According to Joe, he meets with his clients around three to four times a week for fifty minutes a session, all the while helping them maintain a diet that includes three normal meals a day along with snacks. By snacks, Joe means peanuts, almonds, fruit or protein shakes.
Joe's clients seem pleased with the results. "Lee Seung-chul says he thinks Danny Joe is the best trainer," said a representative of the Korean singer.
"I think he has a lot of know-how and works really hard," said Lee Byung-hun's international agent. "I think Lee Byung-hun was satisfied."
Looking at Joe pose for his pictures, muscled arms flexed and six-pack on display, he looks perfectly capable of whittling even the most out-of-shape physique into a finely toned powerhouse.
Subsisting on a diet that includes grilled steak, fish, chicken breast and egg whites, Joe recommends eating two-thirds one's normal intake and working out, for example jogging for 20 to 30 minutes, prior to breakfast.
"Your body burns fat as soon as you exercise, because you didn't eat anything the whole night," Joe explains.
An advocate of egg whites, Joe breaks his reasoning down. "It's the only protein source that has all the BCAA, branched-chain amino acids. So basically, it's the most powerful protein that you could consume, food-wise."
Joe puts his short-term clients on a Western diet and his long-term clients on a half Korean, half Western diet.
"I apply a Western diet, because it's a high protein diet." " Protein is the only source that repairs our body, not only muscles, but everything," Joe explains.
While it sounds simple when Joe maps it out, being a trainer has its challenges. "I can't lift the weights for them. I can't eat the chicken breast for them," says Joe. "Being a trainer, it's not all about knowing how to lift weights or knowing how to give them the right nutrition, it's all about how to motivate them. So basically, it's very similar to counseling."
Naturally, Joe knows how to do all three. He also understands the difficulties of dieting and working out and allows himself and client Lee Seung-chul a "cheat day." "I do this so the body doesn't get used to a strict diet and to relieve mental stress when dieting."
On his cheat day, Joe chows down on ice cream, pizza, donuts and chocolate. On the weekdays, however, he keeps himself on a clean diet and trains.
Despite his boyish face, Joe presents a formidable figure. His bodybuilder's physique and tough but laid-back voice might give a client reason to pause and worry about bulking up.
"The first thing that usually my clients tell me is that, 'Oh, I don't wanna get too big.' And then I tell them if everybody could be that big easily then everybody could become a bodybuilder."
Joe chuckles.
By Jean Oh ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEW ... 12/200903120014.asp |
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March 11, 2009
Villains Rule the TV Scene
Female characters on TV dramas are increasingly growing vicious these days, like those in the dramas 揃oys Over Flowers, |
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March 11, 2009
Celebrities Return to Schools as Professors
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
From boy band members to comedians and musical actors, teaching at school seems like the new trend. Many local stars are now shifting to schools, not as students, but as professors. It's actually a win-win strategy for everyone. Artists can share their expertise with young students who have potential, the schools are getting recognition, and students can learn the real deal from some of their favorite stars.
Park Ji-hun from the boy group V.O.S. will give lectures at Woosong Information College, while singer Ock Ju-hyun has been appointed to teach at Dong Seoul College. Actress Lee In-hye became the youngest star to become a professor at the age of 28, while comedian Nam Hee-seok has been appointed as a full-time professor at the Taekyeong College in the Broadcasting and Masters of Ceremony department. Singers Mina and Jang Hye-jin will also stand in front of fans and students and pass on their experience and know-how.
Singer Park will teach as a part-time professor at his alma mater in the department of Practical Music this year.
"It feels strange because everything seems the same as 11 years ago. It was a bit confusing standing in front of students as a professor. I think realizing what the students need will be my most important task," Park said.
Musical fans and students will have the chance to listen to former girl group member Fin.K.L. Ock passing on her experience, as she will give lectures for the next two years starting Monday.
"She will be teaching two classes as a part-time instructor _ musicals and vocal training. She hesitated at first due to her personal schedules, but after some convincing, she decided to become a professor for the next two years,'' Im Hong-jae from the college public relations office told The Korea Times.
Hiring celebrities may be a plus in catching the attention of potential students, but the school said there was much more.
"It's not like we only want to promote our school. It's more about bringing the best faculty to our students and helping them feel proud of their school," he added.
Actress Lee also made headlines recently as she became the youngest celebrity professor at her alma mater, Korea University, in the department of Broadcasting and Entertainment.
"I'm happy because I feel like I'm becoming younger. I feel great responsibility after watching the students' bright sparkling eyes,'' Lee said after her first lecture.
Aspiring singers will also have the chance to learn from Mina and Jang, as the two also decided to teach at the Minzu University of China and Hanyang Women's University, respectively.
"I am planning to take full responsibility and try to bring out the musical talent hidden at schools as much as possible. These students usually have great difficulty continuing their careers as singers and finding jobs, so I will do my best to help them," Jang said.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/03/201_41070.html |
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March 11, 2009
Fans, friends hear snippet of BoA抯 first U.S. album at 憀istening party抂/color]
Korean singer BoA, 23, recently held a listening party, where fans and friends listened to the artist抯 latest single, at the Microsoft Zune Loft in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
She sang 揑 Did It for Love, |
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March 11, 2009
'Boys Over Flowers' explodes in popularity
Popular TV dramas *record their *viewer ratings. And their *re-runs also record their ratings.
On March 1, re-runs of the KBS drama "Boys Over Flowers" were aired on KBS. Two *consecutive episodes - episodes 15 and 16 -were aired.
According to news reports, the episodes 15 and 16 re-runs recorded 9.2 percent and 11.8 percent respectively in viewer ratings. On the same day, other drama re-runs were aired on SBS, KBS, and MBC. But "Boys Over Flowers" was the highest rated re-run drama on that day, scoring an average of over 10 percent.
The SBS drama "Temptation of Wife" (아내의 유혹) which is the highest rated drama in the weekly charts only had a 6.4 percent viewer rating. And two episodes of MBC's "East of Eden" (에덴의 동쪽) which are in direct competition with "Boys Over Flowers" every Monday and Tuesday only scored 5.8 percent and 10.2 percent respectively.
Currently "Boys Over Flowers" has an average viewer rating that falls somewhere in the 30 percent range. The drama is creating a base of *die-hard viewers especially among teenagers and women.
The drama is so popular that the main characters and the plot are being *parodied by other shows and people in the entertainment industry. KBS' *signature comedy show "Gag Concert" recently started a subcategory of the show that parodies the drama and its characters.
Source: Yoo Bo-lam ([email protected]) via The Korea Herald |
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March 11, 2009
New Types of Husbands to Sneak Onto TV Screen
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
MBC brings the story of passionate wives and clueless husbands through new drama
"My Wife Is a Superwoman." The series starts March 16 at 9:55 p.m./ Courtesy of MBC
Marriage requires many things-- from caring and understanding to sacrificing and communicating. MBC's new drama "My Wife is a Superwoman" showcases the role of Korean wives when they were traditionally the ones who had to endure sacrifice and completely support their husbands, also known as "naejo" in Korean.
Starring Kim Nam-joo, Oh Ji-ho and Lee Hae-young, the 16-part series will feature the stories of three couples tangled up in different relationships and situations.
The 37-year-old Kim, who has returned to the spotlight after an eight-year hiatus, will be the "superwoman" Cheon Ji-ae who struggles to regain her own status and also her husband's.
"As a mother of two and an 'ajumma,' I thought this was a perfect role for me. Times are difficult these days, and I liked that the drama is bright and upbeat," Kim said, referring to the Korean term that means married middle-aged woman, at a press conference.
Cheon, who was once the most popular girl in high school, marries the smart Ohn Dal-soo, played by Oh, dreaming of the perfect marriage. But when she realizes that Ohn is an underperformer at work, she is determined to support her husband and help him climb the corporate ladder. The determined Cheon meets her match, however, when she discovers that Ohn's boss is the husband of her childhood enemy, Yang Bong-soon.
Promising "naejo" was primarily the role of wives when men were the main breadwinners. Wives would stay home, take care of the children and finish up house chores before the husbands came home to rest and prepare for another busy day ahead. The traditional belief was that the more fit the wife was for "naejo" culture, the better off the husband would be out in society.
A short conversation between America's former first lady Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill also shows how the current Secretary of State believed in the importance of her role as a wife. The couple stopped by a gas station only to find Hillary's former boyfriend was the owner. When her husband told her she could have ended up as the owner's wife, she replied that then the gas station owner would have become the president. Incidentally, South Korea's first lady Kim Yun-ok also defined "naejo" as the "opposition party," for sometimes you must harshly criticize your husband's deeds.
As many women nowadays often choose their careers over staying at home and solely supporting their husbands, the drama will try to bring back the passionate wives who supported their husbands, though with a modern and more aggressive twist.
"In the drama, Cheon follows Yang and helps her with house chores, shopping, and sometimes even cooks for her, which is harder to do when the person is someone you hate. For me, I think the best 'naejo' is to help the husband feel comfortable, which is necessary to go out and work well,'' Kim said.
Married to fellow actor Kim Seung-woo, she also added that her husband didn't need the help, or naejo, because he was nothing like Ohn in the story.
Kim's husband made a cameo appearance in the drama, making a "wejo" move, referring to the husband's version of "naejo." "I decided to appear in the drama just to support my wife, who is returning to the television screen after many years," Kim said, smiling at the shoot.
With high expectations in bringing the tactics and strategies for supporting diffident husbands to the small screen, "My Wife Is a Superwoman" will start airing March 16 at 9:55 p.m. on MBC.
Credits: sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr |
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March 12, 2009
Rain expected to testify in his Hawaii trial
Rain (Jung Ji-hoon)
HONOLULU - Korean pop star and actor Rain is expected to testify in his civil trial stemming from his canceled concert in Hawaii.
A five-man, three-woman jury was selected among a pool of 52 Tuesday. Opening arguments were scheduled to begin Wednesday. Among the potential jurors who were eliminated was a University of Hawaii student who indicated to the court he was a fan of Rain, but could remain objective.
Rain - whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon - and his producers are being sued over the performer抯 abrupt cancellation of a June 2007 concert in Honolulu. Attorneys for both sides listed the 26-year-old performer, who was not in court Tuesday, as one of the witnesses they intended to call. He isn抰 expected to be in court until next week.
Senior U.S. District Judge Alan C. Kay told jurors the trial is expected to last about two weeks.
Hawaii-based Click Entertainment Inc. alleges in its lawsuit that Rain and his producers breached a contract and defrauded the company of more than $500,000 paid in licensing fees. It is seeking additional damages for the cost of staging the event. The company also claims in the suit that it has lost business opportunities, earnings and sustained damage to its reputation.
The concert was canceled just days before a scheduled June 15, 2007 performance at Aloha Stadium, disappointing many fans who paid as much as $300 for a ticket and flew to Honolulu from as far as away as Japan and Korea.
It was supposed to be the first stop on the 揜ain抯 Coming |
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March 11, 2009
Chu Sung-hoon to Wed Japanese Model
Korean-Japanese mixed martial artist and TV model Chu Sung-hoon announced that he will get married to Japanese supermodel Shiho Yano. Chu made the wedding announcement on his personal homepage (http://www.akiyamayoshiro.com), saying that the two will be considerate and trustful of each other.
Although Chu and Yano have not held a wedding ceremony, the two have already obtained a marriage license and are officially a couple. The fighter and the model have been going steady for the past two years.
A Japanese national of Korean descent, Chu (a.k.a. Yoshihiro Akiyama) made his MMA debut at the K-1 Dynamite in 2004 and his career record is 12-1 with two no-contests. He recently signed a two-year contract with the U.S.-based fighting organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the second UFC fighter to have Korean roots after Kim Dong-hyun. He has also modeled for several Korean products, including Kia Motor, Hite Beer, and Binggrae banana flavored milk.
Source: KBS World |
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March 11, 2009
The Emergence of Korean Cinema:
Out of the Darkness, Onto the World Stage
Korean cinema has taken a long, winding road to where it is today: in the 20th century, it has weathered foreign occupation, civil war, political censorship, a maze of regulations, a barrage of imports, and South Korea's turbulent democratization movement two decades ago.
At least a shortage of dramatic inspiration is not a problem.
In recent years, with the full support of a proud government that realizes the power of its cultural exports, Korean films have finally arriving at a well-deserved place on the world stage.
To choose but a few highlights, Korean films have boasted wins in 2007 for best actress at Canne (Jeon Do-yeon) and best actor at the Asian Film Awards (Song Kang-ho), in 2004 for best director at the Berlin Film Festival (Kim Ki-duk's Samaritan Girl) and the Grand Prix at Cannes (for Park Chan-wook's Oldboy), plus a growing plethora of domestic festivals, chief among them the Pusan International Film Festival, one of Asia's biggest.
"I would say that the major strength of Korean film could be...not quite sophistication, but diversity," says Ahn Sung-ki, perhaps Korea's most well know actor: a veteran professional and head of the Korean Actors' Guild. Soft-spoken and broadly smiling, he spoke through an interpreter at the Korean Embassy's KORUS House in Washington D.C. in August, 2008.
"When you're asked to come up with a representative image of Korean cinema, it's very difficult," Ahn said, in contrast to the iconic samurai films of Japan or Kung-fu epics of Hong Kong. "There isn't just one word that can capture the characteristics of Korean cinema at the moment."
At age 57, having acted in more than 100 films spanning more than 50 years, Ahn should know: he has experienced first hand where Korean cinema has been, and how far it has come.
"His acting career nearly coincides with the history of contemporary Korean cinema," says Hyangsoon Yi, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, where she teaches Korean and Japanese cinema. "So in a sense, he's a living witness of the emergence of Korean cinema as a new vital cultural force in Asia and the spread of what we call Hallyu, the Korean Wave." Yi helped organize and served as interpreter for Ahn's U.S. visit in 2008, which included film screenings and discussion events at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer and Sackler Galleries in Washington, D.C. and the Korea Society in New York.
That "Korean Wave" of popular culture comprises film, music, dance, television dramas, and even the traditional arts of South Korea that have swept across Asia over the past decade as hot cultural commodities. Hallyu, as it is known in Korean, has made ever deeper inroads in the Americas, Europe, and even the Middle East, where traditional values strike a chord.
Ahn, however, was a Korean celebrity long before it became cool to be one.
The Long Journey
Born in 1952, Ahn became a child actor in many films from the 1950s-60s heyday of Korean cinema, including one of his earliest roles at age seven in Kim Ki-young's The Housemaid, now considered a true classic. "He virtually monopolized...child and even teenage roles in Korean films, starring in nearly 70 works," said Yi.
After his mandatory military service, Ahn resumed his acting career in the late 1970s, at the height of South Korea's authoritarian military rule. He says this era of protest riots and stifled creativity was a formative period for modern Korean cinema.
"There were a lot of restriction and limitations on freedom of expression due to the military regime.... Our Korean ancestors in Asia were known for their talents in entertainment and the arts, and these talents were suppressed for such a long time that with democratization of the nation in the 1990s, this repressed potential erupted like a volcano."
The result, Ahn says, is that some Korean films can seem rough, less than aesthetically smooth, and at times violent or brutal. "But there is an energy you can feel from Korean cinema," he adds.
It was not until the 1980s that Korean films began to gain attention around the world, Ahn said, with celebrated directors like Im Kwon-taek and Lee Doo-yong.
A key turning point from Ahn's perspective was the 1992 Pesaro Film Festival. This annual festival in the Italian coastal town often highlights films from developing countries and film industries梚n 1992, it was Korea.
"It's not widely known, but from my own experience, I know that Korean film became known as a major force [after the] festival," Ahn said. "This was a major channel through which we could introduce Korean cinema." Pesaro director Adriano Apr |
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March 13, 2009
(Movie Review) Duller than reality, 'Missing' fails to hit bull's eye
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- Whether intended or not, the main character in the movie "Missing (Siljong)" resembles Korea's brutal serial killer Kang Ho-sun to a considerable extent.
With the memory of Kang, who admitted to killing seven women for "mere amusement" last month, still fresh in people's minds, the similarity could have been a tool of superb commercial effect -- if only the movie were half as intriguing as the real-life story.
After several sleepless nights waiting for her missing sister to turn up, Hyeong-jeong (Choo Ja-hyeon) drives to a secluded provincial village where her little sister supposedly last used her mobile phone.
Told by some indifferent villagers that they may have seen her sister near the house of chicken farmer Pan-gon (Moon Sung-keun), Hyeong-jeong requests police to investigate, only to be rejected and insulted by them. Desperate to find her sister -- her only remaining family member after the death of her parents -- Hyeong-jeong is left by herself to search the shabby residence of Pan-gon, a psychopath who has raped and murdered three women, and feeds the ground-up parts of their bodies to his chickens.
Just like the actual serial killer Kang, Pan-gon is a two-faced character whom comes off as a timid, lonesome widower and a faithful son to his sickly mother. To fulfill his distorted sexual desires, Pan-gon lures young women to his house and barbarously tortures them to death, while villagers and policemen are fooled by his cowardly attitude. "I hope you didn't come here for fun. This is going to be an uncomfortable movie to watch," director Kim Seong-hong told the audience at the film's preview Thursday. "It is an honest movie showing what can happen when society remains indifferent about finding missing people."
The first part of the director's comment may be correct -- the movie is highly discomforting to watch and far from entertaining -- but the latter remains a question.
While the film does show indolent authorities and apathetic neighbors, it fails to convince the audience that they are partially responsible for the deaths of the missing victims. Although the movie presents many brutal scenes convincing enough to make viewers turn their heads and grip armrests, the overall plot has too many holes to keep them focused through the ending credit.
The movie also fails to offer a convincing explanation about the sudden personality change of the poker-faced psychopath, who suddenly becomes clumsy and reveals his emotions to the heroine. Even seasoned acting by veteran actor Moon, who plays the psychopath Pan-gon, falls short of livening up the movie, which becomes even more boring and obvious toward the latter half.
What is surprising is that director Kim is an acclaimed playwright who gained many fans after writing the scenario of the local blockbuster series "Two Cops" in the 1990s. One side note -- after watching the human-eating chickens in this movie, you may think twice about eating eggs in the future.
The movie, with a running time of 98 minutes, will hit local theaters March 19.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/ ... 0312007600315F.HTML |
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March 13, 2009
S. Korean female band to get tough on overseas plagiarism
SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top female pop group Wondergirls plans to take legal action against several overseas entertainment firms for plagiarizing its hit song "Nobody," the group's agent said Friday.
"Several Asian entertainment companies in China, Thailand and Cambodia have been making illegal profits off of 'Nobody' by remaking the song without permission and copying the costumes and dance moves. This is going beyond a tolerable level," Seoul's JYP Entertainment said in a press release.
Foreign companies that bought license rights to Wondergirls' albums, including Thailand's GMM Grammy, suffered financial damage from the rampant spread of pirated albums and plagiarism, the agent added.
As the so-called Korean Wave sweeps Asia, boosting the popularity of Korean pop culture, Korean singers have increasingly fallen victim to plagiarism, especially by Chinese singers. The cases were rarely taken to the court, however, as artists here either took it as a sign of their popularity overseas or simply did not how to initiate legal action.
JYP Entertainment said it will take further after discussions with Sony ATV, which handles its overseas copyright management.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/ ... 0313005500315F.HTML |
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March 13, 2009
"Rain's Canceled Concert Cost $1.5 Million"
Claim by firm who purchased rights to Rain's Hawaii concert during a US trial. In a Wednesday trial at a Hawaii court, President Lee Seung-su of Click Entertainment, who is battling in court with the singer, said a Rain concert that was canceled cost his company $1.5 million.
He cited damage both financially and in regards to reputation, but that Rain and his aides did not apologize even once, calling such an attitude embarrassing and dishonest.
Click purchased the copyright to the concert slated for June 2007 and argues that Rain and his former agency JYP canceled the show just one month before the concert date, taking $500,000 in copyright fees. Click filed a suit in Hawaii requesting $40 million in compensation.
In the Wednesday trial, a Click spokesman said, "Rain and his 90 group members didn't properly file for a visa, meaning they had no intent to perform in Hawaii. Rain took issue with the stage facility, but the stage set met all requirements stated in the contract."
Lawyers for Rain and JYP said, "Click signed a deal not with us but with Revolution Entertainment, which owned the copyright to the concert. The suit should not target us." During Rain's world tour, JYP sold the right to Rain's North America concerts to Revolution.
Rain's attorney said, "The stage facility didn't live up to the level of Rain's performance. He needed huge LED backdrop lights, a waterfall, fireworks, a protruding stage and five elevators. Rain is a fine singer but he needs the appropriate props."
The Hawaii concert to be held at Aloha Stadium was planned as the first leg of the "Rain's Coming" North America tour. It was canceled abruptly just days before the even, to the disappointment of Rain's Hawaiian fans.
Source: KBS Global |
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