| [INTERVIEW Part 1] Kwon Sang-woo "thirsty" for "Fire" success (Source) |
2010/06/23 |
Actor Kwon Sang-woo [Park Sung-ki/Asia Economic Daily]
Hallyu star Kwon Sang-woo has said he is "thirsty" to see the success of his new film "71-Into the Fire", hoping the war pic will outshine the reputation of his former big screen hits.
"The movies I've starred in for the past eight years had all done well up till two years ago so I am thirsty for the success of this one", Kwon said of his expectations for "Fire" during an interview with Asia Economic Daily.
"In the end, it's up to the heavens but I do hope it breaks my previous record and that it becomes the highest grossing movie this year", the actor added##.
Kwon had placed a succession of fi... |More
|
|
| Star Couple to Seek Probe Over Rumors (Source) |
2009/07/23 |
Star couple Kwon Sang-woo and Son Tae-yeong plan to ask police to investigate rumors about them that have been spreading rapidly on Internet portals, press reports say.
One of the couple's associates was quoted as saying, "Rumors began to emerge through underground newsletters circulating on the stock market. The couple will file a petition with the police cyber task force asking for a probe".
One of the rumors claims that Kwon, 33, and Sohn, 29, will divorce soon. The couple has flatly denied the rumors, reportedly saying, "We are living well. We have no idea why such rumors are spreading".
Kwon's friends support the couple's claims, noting that they have been going out with their son frequently.
Kwon and Son tied the knot last September during a three-hour private wedding that drew a crowd including top Korean stars, reporters and fans from Japan.
Kwon shot to stardom by appearing in hit dramas like "Stairway to Heaven" (2003), "Bad Love" (2007), and movies "My Tutor F... |More
|
|
| Should TV Actors Be Paid Exorbitant Fees? (Source) |
2008/12/12 |
Actress Kang Soo-yeon, who appeared in the 2001 SBS TV drama "Ladies in the Palace", was paid W4 million (US$1=W1,364) to W5 million per episode. Kim Hye-soo who appeared in the 2002 drama "Jang Hee-bin" and Lee Young-ae from the 2003 drama "Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum") received W6 million per episode. That jumped in 2005 to W15 million per episode received by actress Jeon Do-yeon in the SBS drama "Lovers in Prague". By 2006, Ko Hyeon-jeong was being paid W25 million for the MBC drama "Fox, What Are You Doing ?", while in 2007, Kwon Sang-woo got W50 million per episode of the KBS drama "Bad Love". In the MBC drama "East of Eden" currently being shown on MBC, Song Seung-heon receives W70 million per episode.
The dramatic jump in fees for soap opera protagonists was caused by the huge overseas successes enjoyed by dramas "Winter Sonata" and "Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum") in 2004. Increasing numbers of Independent drama production companies began to compete, raising ... |More
|
|
| Bae Yong-joon is highest-paid actor (Source) |
2008/12/02 |
A phenomenal Korean star in Japan, Bae Yong-joon is the highest paid actor in Korea, raking in 250 million won ($171,600) per episode, an unusual release of the details of actors' payrolls showed this week.
A seminar on Korean television drama took place on Monday in Mok-dong, Seoul, hosted by the association of Korean television drama production directors to tell the difficulty in footing production costs.
Broadcasting stations and production companies have been raising concerns about costly payments to stars in recent years. They contend the payments create serious difficulties in financing television programs.
At the event, details of the payments for popular actors and actresses during the last two years were revealed by professor Kim Jin-woong of Sun Moon University.
Bae Yong-joon was found the most expensive star of all while he starred in the autumn hit of 2007, "The Legend". The number, however, is an approximation, as Bae was paid in a form of splitting profits be... |More
|
| |
| Youthful drama targets weekend audience (Source) |
2008/10/02 |
Rarely does a weekend family drama make the splash that KBS' "Mom's Dead Upset" did. The hit series ended with a bang last Sunday, garnering viewer ratings of 39.7 percent nationwide, according to AGB Nielsen Media research.
Hoping to continue their winning streak, KBS is following it up with a light and comic romance about a radio producer and a disc jockey.
Celebrities Kim Sung-soo and Lee Tae-ran will be playing the title roles. Actor Kim, 35, stars as a has-been pop singer who takes a job as a radio disc jockey. Actress Lee Tae-ran, 33, plays the domineering co-worker who bickers her way into his heart.
Co-star Park Hae-mi, however, expressed reservations about the decidedly more youthful bent of the upcoming family drama -- titled "My Precious You" -- at the press conference on Tuesday. "In the previous drama, 'Mom's Dead Upset', middle aged characters played the lead", said actress Park, 44. "But people still shy away from focusing on older characters. Why do we target y... |More
|
|
|
