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 TALK OF THE TOWNFashion model and actor Joo Ji-hoon is waiting to find out if he will be called up to complete his mandatory military service. Joo was planning to join the army at the end of the year but his plans may be pushed back due to the increase in the number of young men being conscripted this year. On a phone call with local media company Newsen, a source familiar with the actor said that Joo may have to wait until early next year. Meanwhile, Joo's home page will close on Dec. 1 and membership fees will be refunded, a note on the site said. Joo got into trouble earlier this year when he was indicted on charges of illegal drug use in April. In June, he was sentenced to a six-month prison term suspended for one year, community service and fines....| More | |||||||||||||||||
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 TALK OF THE TOWNKorean actor-cum-singer Ryoo Si-won is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his debut in Japan. The festivities coincided with the start of his concert tour "Jump: Ryoo Siwon 5th Anniversary Live" last weekend at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. The tour, which has a capacity of 80,000 seats and continues to Nagoya, Yokohama and Osaka, is sold out, a sign of Ryoo's popularity there. Ryoo's last tour of Japan with seven performances in three cities in 2007 was also sold out....| More | |||||||||||||||||
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 The local production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" - which has been called the most stylish rock musical of the century - is back with a notable cast that includes popular rock musician Yoon Do-hyeon in the title role.Since its inception in 2005, the Korean production of the famed rock musical has been a bona fide success. In 977 performances from 2005 to 2008, it has drawn audiences of more than 300,000. And hundreds of local "Hed heads" say they have seen the show more than 10 times. The show has also been good for local actors, many of whom, including Oh Man-seok, Jo Seung-woo and Eom Gi-joon, have found renewed fame and fans after playing the lead. "I've never seen the musical, although I have seen the film adaptation of it three times. Though I like the music and the message in it, it's not easy to perform", Yoon, the new Hedwig, said after a preview for the press in Samseong-dong on Friday. "It's been 10 years since I performed in a musical", he said, referring to...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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A Korean production took second place at a world-renowned animation event based in France, according to the Korea Trade Promotion and Investment Agency (KOTRA) on Wednesday (Nov. 18).
"Canimal", a 3D animation for pre-schoolers, jointly produced by Korea's VOOZ Co., Ltd, and Spain's BRB International S.A., took second place among the top 30 programs selected by MIP JUNIOR 2009. A total of 40,325 animation series from 618 companies in 59 nations competed in the latest competition. MIP JUNIOR 2009 is the largest kids' programming and screening event in the world. Set in Cannes, it regularly screens over 1,000 programs from its digital library and attracts buyers from over 40 nations with conferences and seminars. The latest evaluation is based on responses from buyers through a digital inquiry that left Canimal with the second highest number of hits. The results for the top 30 programs in terms of hits, buyers and screenings were unveiled only recently. Canimal -- a hybrid o...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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 The production announcement for the movie "Actresses" on November 17 at the COEX Megabox was unprecedented. First, actress Lee Mi-sook appeared wearing a gorgeous glittering dress. She was followed by actresses Kim Min-hee, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Choi Ji-woo, Kim Ok-bin and Yoon Yeo-jeong. The last one to appear was director Lee Jae-yong."Actress" is a story about six actresses of several generations who get together for a fashion magazine photo shoot on Christmas eve. Each actress plays herself in the movie. The six actresses are also the co-scriptwriters. In the movie, the actresses talk and act at their own discretion in the given circumstances. Sometimes it is even hard to tell whether they are acting or whether that is how they are in real life. In the scene that was shown at the production announcement, Ko Hyeon-jeong and Choi Ji-woo have a fight, which looks very true-to-life. Lee Mi-sook said that she was startled to see the two fighting for real, because when the scene was ...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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A galaxy of stars including Lee Young-ae, Jeon Do-yeon, Song Yoon-ah and Han Chae-young and actor Won Bin will appear at the Best Star Award hosted by designer Andre Kim on Nov. 27. At 73, the flamboyant designer is as active as ever, with fashion shows here and abroad attracting many celebrities.
The normal hurdles to casting A-listers do not seem to exist for Kim. Lee Young-ae, who has drastically cut down on public since after her marriage, will willingly appear for him. So how does he do it? Kim wakes up at 5:30 a.m. every day and reads 17 newspapers. "Reading newspapers is the best way to absorb a massive amount of knowledge and information with little investment. So I read newspapers no matter what", he says. That has helped him develop a knack for discovering rising stars and support them. Kim casts them as model for his fashion shows so that they can get media coverage, and that is why they can't refuse him even when they become hugely famous. Kim Tae-hee has been i...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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 By Lee Hyo-wonStaff Reporter "Descendants of Hong Gil-dong" ("Hong's Family Business" - working title) by Jeong Yong-ki, who directed the second and third installments of the "Marrying the Mafia" series, brings yet another family slapstick that provides bona fide lighthearted entertainment. Earlier this year, mid-budget films such as "Speedy Scandal" have shown that good old humor rooted in witty ideas can prevail. "Hong's" relies on classic formulas ― a cast of endearing actors playing quirky characters, B-movie humor that retains a certain uniformity in the internal logic of the film and an adeptly crafted mise-en-scene that shows that mind boggling spectacles aren't crucial to a fulfilling audiovisual experience. The Hongs are the perfect model family ― Mu-hyeok (played by the popular Lee Beom-soo), a darling high school music teacher, and his cheerful student-cum-younger brother Chan-hyeok have a respected professor for a father and a mother who exemplifies ...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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Kim In-gyu, a former KBS director and the chairman of Korea Digital Media Industry Association, was picked as the final nominee to head the television station, Thursday.
The KBS board of directors elected Kim as the final candidate after interviewing five candidates. The board will now ask President Lee Myung-bak to appoint him as the head of the state-run broadcaster Friday. If appointed by the President, Kim will serve in the position for three years until November 2012. A graduate of the Department of Politics at Seoul National University, Kim entered KBS as a reporter in 1973. He assisted President Lee's election campaign in 2007. ...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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KOFIC Korean films showcase in Tokyo, will be held this year from November the 21st to the 30th as an official section of FILMEX. The annual event, designed to promote a diversity of Korean films to Japanese audiences will show everything from more commercial fare such as the current box office number one "Good Morning President" to art house films including the international film festival hit "Daytime Drinking" (2007). Other films include LEE Hae-joon's "Castaway on the Moon", LEE Yoon-ki's "My Dear Enemy" (2008) and the multi-ethnic independent "Bandhobi "directed by SIN Dong-il about a Bangladeshi migrant worker's relationship with a Korean girl. All in all, a total of 10 films will be screened over the FILMEX period.
Alongside other events will also be a seminar focusing on a strategy for expanding the domestic film market of both countries. Speaking at the seminar will be the Senior Vice President of CJ Entertainment, CHOI Joon-hwan whose company has vast international dis...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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Reaching further inland, CGV will open its third Chinese multiplex in Wuhan, the capital on the Hubei province. CGV entered the Chinese market in 2006 and already has two multiplexes in Shanghai. The new addition will have 6 screens, 940 seats and be capable of 3D projection.
The Korean film industry has been making steady inroads into China with co-productions such as the Zhang Ziyi starring "Sophie's Revenge" and more recently with "Haeundae" – one of the few Korean films to have a commercial release in the burgeoning Chinese market. CJ's growing presence will potentially act as a bridge for more Korean films to enter the market. CGV plans to expand to Beijing and other cities with 30 multiplexes in 5 years. David Oxenbridge (KOFIC)...| More | |||||||||||||||||
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