[NEWS] Choi jinshil's younger brother choi jinyoung dies!

It has been reported that actor Choi Jinyoung passed away this afternoon (the 29th). He was the younger brother of actress Choi Jinshil who committed suicide in late 2008. This news has just come out so the cause of death is yet to be released, although it is speculated to be suicide. His body is currently being held in a funeral parlor in Gangnam.

Much-beloved actress Choi Jin-shil’s death rocked the industry when she committed suicide after battling depression in October 2008. Her mental anguish was aggravated by the constant malicious harassment of a netizen who accused Choi of contributing to the suicide of her friend, fellow actor Ahn Jae-hwan, just a month prior. Those two deaths were the first in a series of celebrity suicides that followed (many of those celebrities were said to be battling depression as well).


After her death, an ugly custody battle unfolded between her family (Jin-young and their mother) and her ex-husband, former baseball player (and deadbeat dad and abusive husband) Jo Sung-min, who eventually relinquished his claim after massive public outcry. Her two children were being raised by Jin-young and their grandmother, and Jin-young had taken on a fatherly role to them. He was even planning on making an acting comeback — he announced plans to return to television just earlier this month. He hand announced, “I’ve got to earn a living and start acting again for the sake of my niece and nephew. I’ll have to show them in person what kind of work their uncle does.”

Below, he is pictured with his sister’s two children.

from dramabeans


sources nocut news, asaie
translated by okdubu @ omona_prection

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[NEWS] Ha Ji Won joins in “IRIS 2″ cast as the female lead? Not true.

Ha Ji Won is confirmed as the heroine (Kim Tae-hee’s season 1 role) in “Athena,” the second season of “IRIS.”

Ha Ji Won has also made plans to do filming for the mutant monster film “Seven Remedies” (칠광구), so the management is currently working on a filming schedule so that she can do both the film and the drama.

Ha Ji Won joins the cast with the two male leads, Jung Woo-sung and Cha Seung-won and even guest stars SNSD. They will begin filming this coming June in Italy and then Switzerland.

Be ready for another action-packed season with “Athena (Goddess of War).”

Cr: Popseoul

EDIT:

On the 19th, it was reported that the Taewon Entertainment CEO had said that they were in negotiations with Ha. In response, Ha’s management stated, “That is not at all true. She has a lot of other projects that she is deciding between. She has not discussed appearing in IRIS 2.”

Ha already has her next film project lined up, which reunites her with director Yoon Je-kyun from blockbuster disaster film Haeundae. She’ll begin filming in April. Athena, meanwhile, plans to begin filming in June in Italy, then Switzerland, followed by shoots in Singapore, New Zealand, and more overseas locations.

Cr: dramabeans

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[Video] Preview of "Cinderella Sister" featuring 2PM's Taecyeon revealed!

This is a 30 seconds trailer of Taecyeon's upcoming drama "Cinderella Sister".

The teaser is already making me cry although it is just 30 seconds long,this is the very first time for Taecyeon to involve in a drama,are you confident with his acting skills?

Watch the teaser here!

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[NEWS] IRIS 2 unveils its leads!

Well well, now. Producers have announced the two lead stars of its anticipated IRIS 2: Hallyu star Jung Woo-sung and rising actor Cha Seung-won. The drama which will be produced under the title Athena, which is an international terrorist organization that provides the conflict in the sequel.

Jung plays the good guy, while Cha is the bad. Jung’s character is an agent with the national intelligence agency, named “Lee Jung-yuk”; like Lee Byung-heon’s character, he’s the top spy at the agency. Cha, on the other hand, is “Sohn Hyuk,” the “absolute leader” of Athena who trains his agents as human weapons.

Producers at Taewon Entertainment promise that they’ll be casting sufficiently noteworthy female stars and supporting actors, whom they will unveil in due time. Athena will begin filming in June in either Italy or Switzerland, two of a total of six overseas shoots that include Singapore and New Zealand. It plans for a premiere later this year.

When the rumors floated about Kwon Sang-woo’s interest in this drama, discussion pointed out that in order to live up to its predecessor, the drama would really have to go big in the casting, and it has done that with Jung Woo-sung. This is Jung’s first drama role in fifteen years; his last was 1995’s 1.5 with Shim Eun-ha.

Cha Seung-won is another great pick; he’s had a number of film roles but didn’t really break out until City Hall, where he showed both intense charisma and an ability to portray some bad-guy behavior in a compelling way. If the female leads are as strong (at least stronger than Kim Tae-hee, although it’ll be hard to top Kim So-yeon), perhaps Athena will hold its own as a worthy sequel.

Source: DongA, My Daily
Via: dramabeans

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[NEWS]Secret Love unveils provocative poster and release date

Yoo Ji-tae’s new movie Secret Love (finally!) has a premiere date: It’ll hit movie theaters on March 25. The film has also released a rather eye-catching new poster featuring Yoo with his co-star, Yoon Jin-seo.

I think this round of promotional images captures the theme of “cruel and secret love” a lot more vividly than the previous round, where the couple was shown in a rather innocent light. (Another example: the initial wedding photos released last summer.) This dualism fits with the movie’s plot, which casts Yoo Ji-tae in two roles; he portrays brothers with vastly disparate personalities who fall for the same woman.

The promo copy reads, “The moment I thought I was at an end, he helped me breathe.” In somewhat contradicting copy underneath, there’s also the tagline that says, “A destructive love.”

The film had first been announced last year and was said to be looking at a release last fall, but since that obviously didn’t happen, the film must have hit delays. This is Yoo’s first time playing two roles in one project, but not his first time with actress Yoon; their first meeting was in Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy seven years ago. He follows Secret Love with a villainous turn in the thriller Late Night FM, in which he stars opposite Su Ae as a psycho killer.









Source: Break News
Via: dramabeans

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[NEWS] First shots from “Cinderella’s Sister” – opening titles!

Cinderella’s Sister, KBS’s upcoming buzz drama, shot its opening titles on February 19 after its first script rehearsal took place last week. The production has released the first shots of the drama’s two stars, Moon Geun-young and Chun Jung-myung, which were taken at a resort in the Kyeonggi province.

(The mood seems a little heavier than I’d anticipated. Perhaps this’ll be a weightier drama than expected? Not that they ever said it would be fluffy — and with actors like Moon and Chun, we could expect better than throwaway silliness anyway — but when a kdrama throws the term “Cinderella” into its core description, one tends to think trendy romance.)

Cr: Dramabeans

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[NEWS] SBS Korean Drama coming soon to 80 different countries?

“Brilliant Legacy,” is sentimental love story, stars Lee Seung-gi as a wealthy socialite and Han Hyo-ju as the commoner girl whom he comes to adore.

The Korean Wave has already washed over large swaths of Asia, but one local state-sponsored non-profit company has adopted a new approach to keep the waters rising.

The Korean Foundation for International Culture Exchange announced it has acquired a limited international license for “Brilliant Legacy,” a television drama that gained ratings of over 40 percent when it aired on SBS here, and will give away broadcasting rights for free in 81 overseas countries as a way of boosting Korean popular culture.

The drama, a sentimental love story, stars Lee Seung-gi as a wealthy socialite and Han Hyo-ju as the commoner girl whom he comes to adore.

SBS retained licensing rights in Japan, China and Southeast Asia, and is still negotiating with broadcasters in those areas to air the drama, which originally ran on weekends from April to July last year. East

Asia already has high demand for Korean films and dramas, and thus was excluded from the deal with the foundation.

The same organization acquired the rights to “The Painter of Winds” from SBS last year, contributing to its airing in 30 countries.

Cr: JoongAnd Daily

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[NEWS] Fans get their “Christmas date” with drama cast

Some happy fans got their “Christmas date” with the cast of Will It Snow For Christmas, per the show’s recent promotional event. If you’ll recall, the SBS drama series held an online event that invited fans to tell memorable Christmas stories, with winners getting to meet the actors and possibly win a background acting part.

Four winners were chosen out of more than a thousand participants and given a brief tour of the broadcast station offices on January 14. They shared a meal with lead actors Go Soo, Han Ye-seul, Sunwoo Sun, Song Jong-ho, and Kim Ki-bang, and took photos with supporting actress Jo Min-soo, who plays Go Soo’s mother. In addition, they were shown the drama’s upcoming 13th episode, which airs this Wednesday.






One participant, aspiring broadcast writer Kim Yuri, asked Go Soo and Han Ye-seul about filming their “snow kiss” scene (Episode 10). The answer: “It was snowing a lot and very cold, but I was glad the scene came out beautifully.” Two of them (Kim Ki-wook and Lee Hye-jin) were given bit parts as a hospital patient and nurse, respectively. Kim Ki-wook also presented Han Ye-seul with a gift he’d made himself, a wooden bowl (pictured below); Kim Yuri gave all the actors decorative jars.

Afterwards, the four winners wrote on the drama’s homepage, “By coming here to the filming set, we saw the actors and staff all working hard, and got to know what they’re like normally. I hope there are more events like this in the future.”

The drama’s assistant director, PD Shin Kyung-soo, said, “In the past, there have been instances where groups visited the filming set, but this is the first time having viewers invited on a date with the lead actors and appearing in the drama itself. I’m glad we were able to give a meaningful experience to the viewers, and will do my best for the remaining episodes.”









DramaBreans+heraldbiz+tvdaily

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[News]Six Drama Line Up For 2010

The New Year heralds a new start for the three major broadcasting networks. A total of six dramas are revamping the 2010 lineup.

A trio of period pieces shuns court and queen and explores the past from a different angle, while a rom-com, a family-oriented drama and a teen-friendly series tackle modern-day issues. Here's a closer look at this month in television.

The Slave Hunters

A swashbuckling period piece with a fresh premise, KBS' new Wednesday and Thursday night series looks set to carry on the winning streak of its blockbuster predecessor "IRIS."

The action-packed series, aptly titled "The Slave Hunters," channels the high stakes allure of a modern-day thriller while bringing on the classic tang of a martial arts piece and the grit of a Western.

The tale unfolds in the 1600s, during the Joseon Dynasty. The king and two of his sons are dead. One final son, the last crown prince remains. A former warrior-turned-slave, Song Tae-ha, is sent on a mission to save him. The infamous slave hunter, Lee Dae-gil, is sent on a mission to capture Song Tae-ha.

In essence, viewers will be tuning into a 24-episode long chase scene. Despite its longevity, this is a prolonged pursuit that promises to never let up. Stellar action scenes involving martial arts, swords and guns and a bar brawl or two will keep audiences on the edge of their seats as they cheer on the hunter and the hunted.

"Tazza (The War of Flowers)" actor Jang Hyuk, who is returning to the small screen as slave hunter Lee Dae-gil, captured the charm of his bad boy persona at a press conference on Dec. 21: "Rather than categorize him as a villain, my character possesses both good and evil traits."

Bulked up, sporting a tan, long bedraggled locks and a devil-may-care smirk, Jang Hyuk looked well-suited for his a role as a ruthless hunter.

But it is the duality of his character that will display his versatility and charm as an actor.

A nobleman who lost his family to a fire set off by the brother of his first love, Jang Hyuk is tasked with the burden of making a convincing transformation from a soft and gentle aristocrat to a vengeful and cold-hearted ruffian.

Starring opposite Jang Hyuk, "My Wife is a Superwoman" Oh Ji-ho takes his first turn at a period piece as slave Song Tae-ha. "My Girl" actress Lee Da-hae plays Lee Dae-gil's first love and Song Tae-ha's last love.

"Spirit of Jeet Keun Do" actor Lee Jong-hyeuk spices things up as an assassin hot on Song Tae-ha's trail. "Marrying the Mafia II: Gamunui Wigi" actor Gong Hyung-jin sheds his comedic skin for the role of a tattooed slave who shoots up aristocrats and "Jump 2009" actor Kim Ji-suk plays a member of Lee Dae-gil's slave hunter posse.

Jejungwon The Hospital

Starting tonight, SBS fuses two popular genres -- medical drama and historical romance -- for its new series "Jejungwon The Hospital."

Based on the first modern hospital in Korea, the new period piece charts the establishment of Kwanghyewon, later named Jejungwon, by American missionary Dr. Horace Newton Allen in 1885 and of its first Korean doctors.

"Once Upon A Time" actor Park Yong-woo plays a butcher's son who becomes Korea's first surgeon. "East of Eden" actor Yeon Jung-hoon stars as the aristocrat with a passion for medicine. "Jumong" actress Han Hye-jin tackles the role of Horace Allen's translator, a heroine who becomes a doctor.

The Reputable Family

Yet another period piece that goes against the trend towards charting royalty, KBS' new Saturday and Sunday night series churns out a classic family saga with the tale of the famed and wealthy Gyeongju Choi household.

Veteran actor Cha In-pyo and actress Han Go-eun star opposite each other in "The Reputable Family." The first episode aired on Saturday.

Pasta

The gourmet rom-com has established itself as a staple of Korean television. From "My Lovely Sam-soon" to "Coffee Prince," MBC has been successful at this genre and is attempting to repeat history with its new Monday and Tuesday series "Pasta."

Featuring "Coffee Prince" actor Lee Sun-gyun as the new chef of an Italian restaurant and "Thank You" actress Kong Hyo-jin as his ambitious underling, "Pasta" promises to bring a bit of kitchen romance to the small screen. Former Miss Korea Lee Ha-nui and Clazziquai Project singer Alex will also be starring in the series.

The Masters of the Art of Study

Last January, KBS garnered massive viewer ratings with its comic book-inspired hit series "Boys Over Flowers." This year KBS is bringing audiences yet another comic book-based drama with its new Monday and Tuesday night series "The Masters of the Art of Study."

Like "Boys Over Flowers," a Japanese TV version of the original comic series has already aired. "The Masters of the Art of Study" director Yoo Hyun-gi promises that the Korean version will not draw inspiration from the Japanese television drama.

"We are making the original comic book Koreanized," he said at a press conference last week, adding that it would showcase more content and that it would be reinterpreted to suit "our situation."

Comedic veteran actor Kim Su-ro plays the lawyer tasked with saving a high school from closure by sending five of its underdog students to Korea's top university. Actress Bae Doo-na plays the school's good-hearted English teacher. "The Great Queen Seondeok" hottie Yoo Seung-ho, "The Host" actress Ko Ah-seong and girl group T-ara member Ji-yeon star as the school's students.

When asked how he felt about playing a rebellious student, the 16-year old Yoo answered: "I play a student who confronts his teachers and is hip."

Sporting an edgy haircut and pierced ears, he grinned.

"It's really fun."

Wish Upon a Star

This year, SBS is going to make Monday and Tuesday nights a double whammy. Airing right before "Jejungwon The Hospital," SBS drama "Wish Upon a Star" and future dramas that will air in its timeslot targeting female viewers aged 30 and over, stated an SBS press release.

"Famous Princesses" actress Choi Jung-won stars as a newly orphaned heroine raising her adopted siblings. "Love and Marriage" actor Kim Ji-hoon stars opposite Choi.

Details

"The Slave Hunters" airs its first episode on Wednesday on KBS 2 TV at 9:55 p.m.

"Jejungwon The Hospital" starts tonight on SBS at 9:55 p.m.

"The Reputable Family" airs on KBS 1 TV at 9:40 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

"Pasta" starts tonight on MBC at 9:55 p.m.

"The Masters of the Art of Study" starts tonight on KBS 2 TV at 9:55 p.m.

"Wish Upon a Star" starts tonight on SBS at 8:50 p.m.

(oh_jean@heraldm.com)

By Jean Oh



Source: The Korea Herald
Pictures from google
cr:omona


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waaah.. so many dramas.. LOL.. Have a happy 2010 people!

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[news]Hero struggles to gain ground

Now in its second week, MBC’s Hero is facing a tough road with very low ratings even as viewers are praising the drama.

The low numbers are somewhat understandable this week, since IRIS is going strong and You’re Beautiful went out on a high note with an 11.9%. Considering that it entered this three-way fray at the very end, it would have been surprising if Hero drew high numbers. Still, its 3.9% rating for Thursday’s broadcast has to hurt. (Its ratings have been on a downward trend, starting with a 5.4%, followed by a 4.9%, 4.4%, and then the 3.9%.)

Lee Junki has drawn positive criticism for his acting, but contrary to expectations, his name recognition has not had the desired effect. A source with the drama said, “Because the dramas on the other stations are strong, we had expected the early portion to face difficulty. We think that because the plot is entertaining and the acting is good, after You’re Beautiful ends, the viewer ratings will gradually rise.”

On the other hand, the viewers who are watching are responding very positively. Lee Junki’s romantic storyline with Yoon So-yi is starting to develop, as is the battle between top-tier newspaper Daese Ilbo versus Lee Junki’s team of underdogs at Yongdeok Ilbo.

Next week’s ratings should be the determining factor to whether Hero sinks or swims. Unfortunately, I don’t think things look good for the production. On the upside, I did feel a cautious optimism about its story after watching the first two episodes,and hear that things improve afterward.

cr:javabeans || source: Joy News

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[news]Weekend dramas stay strong

Smile, Three Brothers, Loving You a Thousand Times

It’s a good time to be a weekend drama: Saturdays and Sundays are home to a number of thriving dramas these days. Leading the pack is KBS’s family drama Three Brothers, which again surpassed the 30% mark this weekend. Following the highest-rated series of the year (Sons of Sol Pharmacy), it seems like it has found the right tone to carry a similar viewership.

But it’s not the only series with healthy broadcast numbers; over on SBS, both weekend dramas (Smile and Loving You a Thousand Times) are faring quite well.

Three Brothers

Three Brothers airs in the earlier hour, and although it occupies first place, relationship melodrama Loving You a Thousand Times (starring Lee Soo-kyung, Jung Kyeo-woon) isn’t far behind with its most recent episode bringing in 22.5% ratings. Unfortunately, such strong showings for those two means MBC is stuck with a low 6.5% for its Eugene-led family drama Creating Destiny.

In the later hour, the competition is closer, but for now Smile is sitting pretty in first place as the romance and laughs continue for its stars Lee Min-jung and Jung Kyung-ho. Its most recent episode pulled in a 17.6% and its performance has been deemed strong enough to merit a 16-episode extension.

Meanwhile, MBC’s Assorted Gems is performing solidly with a 15.6%. Even the car-dealership-set, manhwa-adapted drama Hot Blooded Salesman, which stars Chae Jung-ahn and Park Hae-jin, isn’t doing too badly with a consistent, mania-level performance in the 9%-10% range.

Now, if only there weren’t so many of them and they weren’t so long, I might have the time to keep up with them…!

Smile

cr:javabeans || Source: Star News, Joy News

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