Lee Jong-hyuk (이종혁)

2008/04/16 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"Kangjeok" or "Rivals", a brand new drama series on KBS 2TV starring Chae Rim and Lee Jong-hyuk, started off with a lower-than-expected viewer rating of 7.1 percent (TNS Media Korea) on April 14.

In the first episode, new bodyguards were shown going through grueling training sessions. "Rivals" competed with "Lee San" on MBC (27.9%) and "I Love You" on SBS (6.7%).

According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, the viewer rating for "Rivals" on April 4 was 6.1 percent while that of "Isan" and "I Love You" were 28.4 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

The viewer rating for "Rivals" is only slightly higher than the preceding drama series "Single Dad in Love" which recorded a viewer rating of 5.9 percent in the first episode and an average viewer rating of 4.6 percent.

Meanwhile, "Unshaken", a new morning drama series on MBC starring Hong Eun-hee and Kim Nam-jin, recorded a viewer rating of 12.6 for the first episode according to AGB Nielsen Media Research. "I Still Love You", the pr...

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2008/03/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

It seems that the new keyword for 2008 will become 'women power'.

Female stars who received popularity for effeminate roles are now trying new characters, such as famous politicians, female bodyguards, and female detectives.

Ko Hyeon-jeong will be acting as Korea's first female president in her next drama, SBS "Big Things", set to air in May 2008.

Ko Hyeon-jeong's role of Seo Hye-rim is a passionate lawyer. She quits after taking responsibility for the arrest a political gang's leader, and becomes famous as a civil rights lawyer. She runs for office and is elected as a female president.

Ko Hyeon-jeong also acted as the first female chief of a police squad in the MBC drama "Hit". She is receiving roles that differ from her past image, and that are many "firsts" in the drama industry.

Also, Chae Rim will be coming back to television as a female bodyguard.

The KBS drama "Powerful Opponents" will air April 14, and her character Cha Young-jin is an unstoppable, aggressive ...

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2008/02/06 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The long Lunar New Year's holiday starts today, which spells good news for cinemas.
Holidays such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok, Korea's Thanksgiving, see a surge in ticket sales.
Megabox, one of Korea's largest movie theater chains, said the box office usually rises 10 percent during holidays.
Four Korean, one martial arts and one Hollywood film that opened last week will screen during the holidays this week.
Jeong Yoon-cheol's "A Man who was Superman" is one of the Korean choices. Jeong directed "Marathon" (2005) and "Shim's Family" (2007).
In Jeong's drama, Song Soo-jung (Jeon Ji-hyeon) is a documentary filmmaker, but life is not turning out well.
While she languishes in despair, a superman (Hwang Jeong-min) appears and helps her to take care of undone business.
If you fancy a thriller, check out Yoon In-ho's "The Devil's Game", starring Sin Ha-gyoon and Byeon Hee-bong.
One day Min Hee-do (Sin), a poor street artist, gets a strange phone call inviting him to a mysterious...

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2008/01/25 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"Radio Dayz" is a feel-good comedy set during the Japanese colonisation of Korea in the early 20th century and revolves around a group of radio employees who develop a radio drama that captures the heart of Korean audiences.
Ryoo Seung-beom ("Arahan", "Crying Fist") plays a laid-back and resourceful radio producer who decides to hire a writer for a radio drama format. However, the radio drama encounters numerous problems before it succeeds in captivating audiences.

A major problem is the character portrayed by KIM Sa-rang (Who Slept with Her ("Sexy Teacher")), a famous singer with star attitude, who – while broadcasting live – decides to create some more lines for herself whenever she feels she isn't quite in the spotlight; resulting in a plot turned upside down and everybody else confused.

KIM's character envies HWANG Bo-ra's character who has the female lead role in the radio drama. KO Ah-seong – the girl captured by the monster in "The Host" – plays a quirky girl who helps ...

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2008/01/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The audiences for the musical 'Singles' are more than 80 percent female.

Women are packing out the theater for the award-winning musical "Singles".
The musical ran in Seoul last year, but this run is attracting an even greater number of single women, it seems.
"Musicals usually appeal more to women", said Choi Bo-Kyu, the show's producer.
"In 2007, 70,000 people saw the show and 70 to 80 percent were women. This time around, I'd say well over 80 percent in the audience are women".
Is this because the themes of the show resonate with young women in Korea today?
"That's part of the reason", Choi said. But he pointed out the additional appeal: Son Ho-young".
Son, who plays the Park Soo-heon character, is a former member of the Korean boyband g.o.d. and enjoys a huge female fanbase.
Lee Jong-hyuk, an award-winning movie and theater actor, has pulling power, too.
But the interest lies beyond just the pretty male actors. The plot does echo sentiments felt by Korean women today...

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