“Galileo” goes to the big screen
Fuji TV’s new drama series “Galileo” is making its way into theaters next year, it was announced on Sunday. The series got off to a good start last week with a 24.7% viewership rating for its premiere episode, and the network hopes the movie will be one of its big hits for 2008.
“Galileo” is based on the “Tantei Galileo” novel series by popular author Keigo Higashino. Last year, Higashino won the Naoki Prize and other literary awards for “Yougisha x no Kenshin,” the first full-length story in the series. That work is the basis for the movie.
The film will be directed by Hiroshi Nishitani, one of the directors for the television series. This is his second movie – he previously helmed the 2006 “Kenchou no Hoshi” (also known by the titles “Star Reformer” and “The Star of Prefecture Government”), which starred Yuji Oda and Kou Shibasaki.
Shibasaki will also star in “Yougisha,” reprising her role in “Galileo” alongside Masaharu Fukuyama. The rest of the main television cast is reportedly appearing in the film as well, including Kazuki Kitamura.
The story involves a man named Tetsuya Ishigami, a mathematical genius and high school teacher who has fallen in love with a bento vendor. When he finds out that she and her daughter committed a murder, he helps them out by constructing the perfect alibi.
Filming is scheduled to begin within the first few days of the new year. Theatrical release has been slated for the fall.
>>From: tokyograph.com
Popular Korean actress promotes Korean TV drama in Japan
Korean actress Choi Ji-woo is visiting Japan to promote her latest TV drama “Air City” that will be broadcast in the country, starting from later this month.
Choi, who arrived in Tokyo Sunday (Oct. 14), held a press conference on Monday (Oct. 15) to talk about the Korean series. The drama will be aired on Japanese satellite TV channel WOWOW from Oct. 26.
The popularity of the actress soared in Japan after she starred in the popular Korean TV dramas “Winter Sonata” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
After a four-year hiatus following Stairway to Heaven, Choi made her comeback as the female star of Air City because she “was drawn to play an independent woman who didn’t rely on men,” in a change from her previous roles in melodramas and love stories, she said.
In the latest drama, Choi plays a career woman who speaks five languages and holds a top post at Incheon International Airport, where she works closely with an intelligence agent played by Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.
Dentsu Inc., a major entertainment firm in Japan, spent 200 million yen to obtain the rights to distribute the drama, which was shot and aired in Korea by the MBC TV network.
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Article courtesy of Korea.net
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Lee Jun-Ki Expected to Take Home the Rising Star Award
Lee Jun-Ki Expected to Take Home the Rising Star Award at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival This October 2007
Lee Jun-Ki has been nominated for the “Rising Star” Award at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival. He is expected to be given this award, which is given to young talented celebrities who have a high potential in the bntertainment business, at the 27th Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), taking place from October 18 to the 28th.
Lee Jun-Ki was nominated for the “Rising Star” award due to his overnight stardom in the movie ‘The King and the Clown’ and his rising popularity in the drama ‘My Girl’ (SBS). His role in the movie ‘Virgin Snow’, a Korean and Japanese collaboration, was also a big success in Japan.
The HIFF Organization Committee stated, “Lee Jun-Ki has high ratings among many fans and viewers, which tells us he has talent and charasma when it comes to acting performances. Not only did he receive great popularity in Korea, but he is also a rising new Asian star and considered to be a top actor of the next generation. For these reasons, he was nominated for this award.
Lee Jun-Ki has also appeared in the movie ‘Remember U 518′, which received a nomination for the Grand Prix Award, the Golden Orchid (this is awkward…is this two awards or one award and one place??) . Lee Jun-Ki is to attend the film festival after he finishes filming his current MBC drama, ‘Time with the Dog and Wolf’.
The HIFF is a large-scale film festival that started in 1981, becoming a celebrated event of a cultural exchange between Asia, the Pacific islands, and North America, drawing a large audience of over 70,000 every year.
The above photo courtesy of The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo
From http://english.tour2korea.com/
Actress Jeon Ji-hyun Making Korean Comeback
Jeon Ji-hyun has returned to act in Korea. With a leading role in the new movie “A Man Once A Superman” to be directed by Jeong Yoon-cheol, Jeon returns to Chungmuro, Korea’s Hollywood, after a long absence.
Korean audiences last saw Jeon in last year’s “Daisy,” but that movie was made by Hong Kong’s Andrew Lau, director of “Infernal Affairs”, and shot in Amsterdam. After working on that she took the lead in the international film “Blood: The Last Vampire” in an attempt to break into Hollywood. It has been three years since her last Korean movie, “Windstruck” in 2004.
In the new movie Jeon will appear alongside Korean actor Hwang Jeong-min. She will take on the role of Song Su-jeong, a snobbish producer who makes a documentary about the extraordinary behavior of her neighbor (played by Hwang) who believes himself to be Superman.
“Any actresses would be eager for the script and the part. Above all, I’m looking forward to acting with Hwang Jeong-min,” she said. “This role is the most realistic and alive of all the parts I’ve had so far.” The movie will start shooting at the end of this month in Jeonju and be released in the first half of next year.
- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com
Soo Ae Sheds Refined Image for Boorish New Role
Actress Soo Ae has completely revamped her image as the “queen of tears.” In the MBC weekend drama “9 End 2 Outs,” she has broken out of her fragile and elegant shell, playing a 30-year-old, foul-mouthed and disheveled spinster. She has cast off her melancholy mien and transformed into a jaded single woman struggling with life. Working at a small publishing firm, she dreams of becoming a writer, though nobody much cares. She has a baseball-player boyfriend eight years her junior and, thanks to objections from her family and friends, the relationship is going nowhere. As the character Hong Nan-hee, Soo Ae has taken her acting to a new level.
“How many people have realized their dreams at 30?” Soo Ae says. “That’s why Nan-hee is so appealing to female viewers. So many opportunities have passed her by and now she’s 30 and realizing she’s accomplished nothing. Isn’t that how it is with most people? I totally understand her.”
When asked how she pictures her own life at 30, the actress says, “I’m not really sure because I haven’t set any goals, but I think I’ll be hard at work. But it could be that phase in life when you have to let go of something. I want to be 32 fast. I feel that by then, I’ll be more secure and have become a true woman who knows the world. Marriage? Probably not by then. Spinsters these days are in their late 30s, right?”
Her character gets low and vulgar in the show, boozing it up and cursing people out, and this weekend’s installment brings out the worst — or the best? — of it. Soo Ae in reality has a husky, neutral voice, which helps her tomboyish performance feel so natural. But her voice hasn’t always been a plus. “I’ve been told many times that my voice would be a detriment to my career,” she says. “When I first got started, a lot of viewers posted comments online that they changed the channel because of the way I talk.”
“It was odd because I thought of my husky voice as my biggest asset. So I would tell people, ‘Keep on listening, you’ll get to like it.’”
Soo Ae nearly debuted as a member of a pop idol group. Fresh out of high school, a record agent approached the young stunner on the street in the trendy Apgujeong area. She spent six months in grueling practice, but in the end had no album to put out. “I didn’t sing well, but the six months I spent with the team was so fun. I was lucky to get into acting.” So what is her off-screen personality really like? “I’m very shy,” she says bluntly. “I steep myself in my characters so much that often I get too heartbroken to control myself. I didn’t know I had qualities like Nan-hee does. Even my parents are surprised.”
- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com
BoA Blogs to Japan With Tempting Photos
Asian superstar BoA has become a messenger of Korean culture in Japan. The
singer-dancer-model opened her Japanese blog in June, introducing many items from Korea like cold noodles, red-bean sherbet and street scenes from Seoul (blog.oricon.co.jp/boa). The photos on the website indicate that she has a real talent for photography.
The blog has become very popular with her Japanese fans, at times leading the Oricon chart, the country’s most credible blog rankings. One reason for its popularity is BoA’s frequent updates. She uploads articles and photos about once every two days, which attract many regular visitors.
Recently a photo of red-bean sherbet piqued the curiosity of many Japanese netizens. BoA explained how the dish is made and the proper way to eat it. “Koreans eat this at cafes,” she wrote. “We make it from ice and red beans with toppings such as white rice cakes and jellies.”
When she started the blog she wrote, “I’ll write a lot of articles here including what I think and how I feel, especially focusing on my activities in Korea.” She appears to be excelling in her role as a volunteer civilian diplomat.
- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com
Summit of the Starlets – Jessica Alba and Lee Hyo-lee
Korean cosmetics brand Isa Knox has unveiled the story to its much-anticipated commercial starring Lee Hyo-lee and Jessica Alba.
The ad for the company’s Double Effect Advanced Serum emphasizes the two starlets’ sex appeal and embraces their unique charms.
Beneath the headline, “A woman’s face is lies”, a tearful Lee breaks up with a man while a smiling Alba does the same. Then, in the latter part of the ad, the situation is reversed and the copy tells us, “Now Lee Hyo-lee smiles” and “Jessica Alba weeps”. The ad intends to suggest that women make no bones about telling a lie to finish with men. The company says the copy “A woman’s face is lies” denotes that a woman’s skin is lies, too.
The two stars were the center of attention during the filming of the commercial in Vancouver, where observers commented on their gorgeous and quite similar figures. The two resemble each other in stature, shape, hair style and even healthy-looking copper skin tone.
Their beauty managers took great pains to adorn the stars, who were competing for national pride. Their stylists each transported about 50 outfits to Canada, filling their hotel rooms with clothes like a boutique.
- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com
‘Coffee Prince’ Gong Yoo, Looking Good Even When Trying to Avoid the Heat
Gong Yoo, star of the MBC Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Coffee Prince’, was caught on camera trying to avoid the hot weather.
The pictures from the drama’s filming location of Gong Yoo trying to avoid the heat is displayed on his fanclub site, ‘YOO & I’ (http://cafe.daum.net/gongyoo).
In order to avoid the hot summer, Gong Yoo was seen blocking the sun with a large umbrella and using a fan while reading lines. He was also seen using a mini electric fan during breaks and having a cold glass of ice coffee, worthy of being named ‘Coffee Prince’.
During the last filming of ‘Coffee Prince’, the drama’s actors and crew were seen full of laughter, working in harmony and showing great teamwork even in the hot summer weather.
A drama representative stated, “The paper fan, mini electric fan, drinks, and ice cream that Gong Yoo’s fans sent were of great help.”
As ‘Coffee Prince’ comes to an end, the love story of Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-Hye is receiving explosive popularity.
Gong Yoo is being named as Korea’s most complete and well-rounded man (Wansonam) after filming the drama ‘Coffee Prince’. The clothes and accessories he wore in the drama is also receiving much attention and growing in popularity. – http://english.tour2korea.com/
Yoon Eun-hye Goes From Girl Group to Boy Actor
Few people would think of the now defunct girl band Baby V.O.X. looking at singer-turned-actress Yoon Eun-hye. In her third and latest drama “The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince” (following “Princess Hours” and “The Vineyard Man”), she solidified her acting talent, successfully pulling off her role as a tomboy pretending to be a man.
“I’m more attracted to unusual roles,” Yoon says, “but of course confidence should come first. In all three dramas, my parts weren’t necessarily a typical heroine. I’m working hard so I don’t have any regrets.” In the show, Coffee Prince is a coffee shop that hires only male waiters. Yoon plays Go Eun-chan who pretends to be a guy in order to get a job there.
Most viewers of course won’t be fooled by Yoon as a “man.” But she’s still a lot of fun to watch, as Yoon studied how men act to play the role. To get that husky voice, she’s said to have sung at the top of her lungs at a karaoke hall. “After I got the part, I keenly observed how men act and talk and practiced mimicking them. I thought it would be more effective on screen to portray more of a tough kind of fellow. On set, the crew just considers me a guy.”
Choi Han-kyul, played by Gong Yoo, doesn’t know Eun-chan is a girl and develops feelings for the person he believes is a boy. The drama tackles homosexual love carefully yet provocatively. “I never thought of it as homosexual while doing Eun-chan and Han-kyul’s hugging and kissing scenes,” Yoon says. “People say it’s astonishing and shocking, but not for me. I’m a girl and Eun-chan is a girl, that’s all.”
- Copyrights ⓒ 2007 The Chosun Ilbo& Digital Chosun Ilbo All rights reserved –
http://english.chosun.com
