Kim Hyeon-sook (김현숙)

Daniel Henney, Kim Ah-joong Named Rising Stars

Source | 2007/10/07 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

BUSAN -- Premiere Magazine's 3rd Rising Star Awards recognized the talent of actors Daniel Henney ("My Father") and Kim Ah-joong ("200 Pounds Beauty") at at a Busan hotel, Saturday, at the 12th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF).

The private ceremony was very intimate, with close friends presenting prizes to awardees. Premiere Magazine chooses among works from the past two years, taking into account its artistic merit, popularity, influence and brand power, as well as input from online polls.

"This is a very special award. It's for acting, it's an acting award", said Daniel Henney, who gave a moving performance as a Korean adoptee in "My Father", a breakthrough role that showed he's more than just a pretty face. Director Hwang Kyoo-deok handed him the award.

Actress Kim Ah-joong's close friend and co-star Kim Hyeon-sook from "200 Pounds Beauty" gave a lengthy compliment before giving the star the prize. Kim starred as a talented ...| More

Hany revived in stage rendition

Source | 2007/04/23 | Permalink |

It is sometimes amusing to watch kids playing computer games with their portable PlayStation on the street and also young kids exploring the world through the internet for their homework. But on the other hand, it is quite worrisome that kids might fail to experience some of the emotional and warm-hearted feelings that grown-ups had a few years before the emergence of the digitalized world.

The musical adaptation of the 1988-animated TV series "Run Hany" lets kids and adults recall the sweet memories of the past. The musical hits the stage at Sejong Center for Performing Arts, downtown Seoul, from April 28 to May 6.

Based on the comic book "Run Hany" created by cartoonist Lee Jin-ju, the TV animation of the same title gained explosive popularity among kids in the late 1980s. In the wake of the track and field events boom between the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the comic took used the sport to make a heart-touching story.

The story begins when Hany, a tom...| More

Propelled to the Top by 200 Pounds

Source | 2007/01/13 | Permalink |

The actress Kim Ah-joong is the new star on the local film and pop music scenes. Everywhere, people are talking about her role in the movie "200 Pounds Beauty" and singing the theme song of the film. The movie drew more than 4 million moviegoers in only 20 days since its release on Dec. 14. The theme song has dominated all popular song charts. It is a megaton bomb of a success given that Kim had not played a leading role or sung a song in a movie since she debuted in 2004.

"200 Pound Beauty" is the only Korean film to compete with the Hollywood blockbuster "Night at the Museum", which was released a week later. It is also the only movie to draw more than 4 million viewers since "The War of Flower", which was released during the Chuseok(Korean Thanksgiving) holiday. The producers expect the movie to draw 5 million or even 6 million viewers if it maintains the momentum. The number of theaters showing it has slightly gone down now new films are coming out, but an average of 80,000-90,0...| More

200lb Beauty

Source | 2007/01/11 | Permalink |

The movie 200 Pounds Beauty is looking to pass the five million mark. The movie resonated with the female audiences by dealing with the fixture on appearances and the plastic surgery craze in the Korean society. The director is Kim Yong-hwa, who was said to "direct comedies well" through his debut movie Oh Brothers. We met this man, who has definitely made his mark in the Korean film industry, on January 8.

― Some view this movie as "victory of a woman who underwent plastic surgery".

"Han-na, the 'fat girl' (Kim Ah-joong), was happy in her own way, but she was hurt by prejudices against her, so her plastic surgery is justified. But after her surgery, she denied her father and her past, and discarded her values. After a truthful confession, she deals with her pain. It is a victory of truth, not of a woman undergoing plastic surgery".

―It was a twist that the side character, Jung-min (Kim Hyeon-sook), who maintained that "women that undergo surgery are monsters", cho...| More