| Jeon Do-yeon Awarded Top French Honor (Source) |
2009/10/09 |
Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon is being honored by the French government with the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal.
The award was established in 1957 by France's Minister of Culture to recognize noteworthy contributors to the arts and literature.
Past recipients include J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, and actors George Clooney, Lee Byeong-heon, Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Jeon has moved audiences with her passionate performances in numerous films, including "The Contact (1997)", "Happy End (1999)", "Untold Scandal (2003)" and "Secret Sunshine (2007)", and in TV soap operas such as "Lovers in Prague" (2005). With "Secret Sunshine", Jeon won the Best Actress Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, gaining worldwide fame.
The medal is presented on Saturday during the 14th Pusan International Film Festival currently being held in Korea's southern port city of Busan.... |More
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| 'City Hall' to Bring Public Officials to TV (Source) |
2009/04/21 |
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The makers of hit dramas and some of Korea's favorite actors are getting together to bring the life, passion and love of public officials working at city hall.
Created by producer Sin Woo-cheol and writer Kim Eun-sook, who brought hit television series such as "Lovers in Paris" (2004), "Lovers in Prague" (2005) and "On Air" (2008), the new drama "The City Hall" portrays the story of public officials working in a small town finding their way to success, plus a bit of romance along the way.
"We were not going for a political drama. We just wanted to talk about people, and a lot of them, and that's how we set the backdrop in a city hall. The drama will be about people we meet and see everyday", said the producer at a press conference held in Incheon.
Kim Seon-ah, 33, who played the quirky and lovable character Sam-soon in the hit drama "My Lovely Sam-soon", will appear as Shin Mi-rae, a low-ranking official who's been making coffee for her supe... |More
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| TV Drama Getting People Travelling (Source) |
2009/02/26 |
By Bae Ji-sook, Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporters
Thirty-year-old Park Hyun-ju is getting married in March and has seriously considered New Caledonia as her honeymoon destination.
"I never knew there was such a place, but after watching TV drama "Boys over Flowers", it suddenly got on the map", she said. She gave up the plan and has chosen somewhere else, but said her friends are also considering the location as a honeymooner's nest.
New Caledonia Surges as Popular Place
Japanese writer Katsura Morimura described the place as "The Island Closest to Heaven", but it wasn't until four fabulous boys took a little girl out on a romantic spree that New Caledonia has appealed to Koreans as a must-visit destination.
The small screen smash hit shows glimpses of the luxurious lives of jet-setting, wealthy heirs. With the tourism industry struggling due to the plummeting economy, Korean audiences are smiling, with people rushing to catch a glimpse of the F4 ― the four fabulous ... |More
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| Four 22 Year-old Star Actors Up and Coming (Source) |
2009/01/22 |
Lee Min-ho, Jeong Il-woo, Moon Geun-yeong, Jang Geun-seok
Lee, of the hit new drama series "Boys over Flowers", has shot up to stardom. Jeong is also getting significant attention, and his drama "Iljimae Returns - Moon River" has yet to start.
Moon, who won the Grand Prix at the SBS TV awards late last year, was the heroine of the historical drama "Painter of the Wind" while Jang cemented his popularity for his role in the hit music drama "Beethoven Virus".
All four were born in 1987. The talented foursome of 22 year olds is set to rule 2009.
◇ Tall, handsome, born stars
The four all have handsome looks and long, slender legs. Lee is 186cm, tall, Jeong 184cm tall, and Jang 182cm tall. Moon appears small but she is in fact 165cm tall.
Lee is well built. In the drama, his character sports curly hair so his head looks bigger on screen but strong facial looks match his masculine figure.
In contrast, Jeong and Jang have more of a feminine flair. They have smooth, sm... |More
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| 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
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