Lee Min-ki re-teams with Haeundae director

Lee Min-ki had a supporting role in the blockbuster hit Haeundae, and now has been chosen to headline the director Yoon Je-kyun’s new production Quick. (Yoon is producing, but not directing, the new project.)

Quick is an action comedy described as a Korean version of Taxi (based on the French original), and stars Lee Min-ki as a motorcycle delivery boy (a “quick service” deliverer, hence the title). The adventure begins when his character accidentally comes into possession of a bomb. A rep from production company JK Films, which is run by PD Yoon, described Quick as a refreshing comic film that will entertain audiences with its action scenes that speed through the heart of the city.

Yoon cast Lee Min-ki after seeing his potential in Haeundae, and also intends to bring onboard a few more cast members from that film, Kim In-kwon and Kang Ye-won. Quick will begin shooting in the latter half of the year and aims for a release in early 2011.

This sounds promising — as good as Lee is in dramatic roles, I love him even more in wacky comic situations (see: Mixed-up Investigative Agency) and can totally see him freaking out over a bomb that he inadvertently carries on his bike.

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Lee Jun-ki quits film and drama for army duty

Military service has been looming for a while for Lee Jun-ki, but in a surprising turn, he has announced that he will enlist next week, on May 3. As a 1982-er, Lee would have to enlist by the end of this year, but he received his papers shortly after beginning his new film project.

This forces him not only to drop his upcoming drama Faith, which would have paired him with Kim Hee-sun and Philip Lee, but also his film Grand Prix, which has already begun shooting. Grand Prix is the horse-racing movie that co-stars Kim Tae-hee, and because of Lee’s last-minute dropout, the producers are currently filming all the parts that exclude his character while hurriedly casting Lee’s replacement.

Lee had attempted to postpone enlistment, as he had filled his work schedule through the end of the year, but was unable to do so.

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[Photo Spam] Rain and MBLAQ boys at a recent event

Rain and MBLAQ member Lee Joon and Mir were recently spotted together at an event together, which had caught the attention of many.

Guess what event it was.

They were spotted at a wedding together.

And the groom happens to be one of the directors of their management company. Spot the boys out!

Meanwhile, remember to keep a lookout for MBLAQ who are having their comeback this May!

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Hong Sisters’ Gumiho drama set for August premiere

After writing such beloved, zesty dramas as You’re Beautiful and Hong Gil Dong, the Hong sisters are coming back with a fantasy drama called My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho (a mythical nine-tailed fox), which has nabbed a slot in SBS’s upcoming schedule. It’ll take up the Wednesday-Thursday timeslot following the upcoming Kim Sun-ah ajumma-rock-band vehicle I Am Legend (which follows Prosecutor Princess).

The story features Lee Seung-gi as a somewhat wimpy dude who falls in love with a gumiho, which is a classic character in Korean folklore who looks human but eats organs to stay alive. He therefore lives in fear that she will steal his liver, unable to share his worries with his friends who all think he’s the luckiest guy alive to have such a gorgeous girlfriend. The female lead has not yet been selected, and producers are in the later stages of casting her.

This drama had been announced rather early in the process; initial news trickled out almost immediately after they’d finished You’re Beautiful last fall and the details were confirmed in the spring when they cast Lee Seung-gi as their lead. Unlike their other dramas, this one will be largely produced in advance. (Most of their other dramas have filmed at the frenetic pace that accompanies the live-shoot practice, which results in shows being filmed the week they air on television. Hong Gil Dong, as a larger-scale period drama, did begin filming months in advance, but toward the end they were still shooting as the drama aired.)

I’m very curious to see if advance production will affect the drama for the better — and whether this will allow the writers time to smooth out the angsty wrinkles that so often appear in their last few episodes. Regardless, the Hong sisters have a great track record and wonderful comic flair, so I’ll be watching for sure.

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SS501 Kim HyunJoong and actress Jung RyeoWon to star in Gummy’s new MV ‘As A Man’

SS501 Kim HyunJoong will appear in Gummy’s new minialbum title song ‘As A Man’.

It was known that Kim HyunJoong and actress Jung RyeoWon have completed the MV filming for Gummy’s new song ‘As A Man’ on 22nd and 23rd April. Even though Kim HyunJoong will be doing a Japan concert performance on 25th April, he still agreed to help out with appearing in Gummy’s MV since this is her comeback after 2 years.

Kim HyunJoong and RyeoWon are said to play lovers in the MV.

Meanwhile, the song ‘As A Man’ is produced by YG main producer Teddy, and this is also the first time that Gummy and Teddy work together.

And also the song ‘There is no love’, revealed on 22nd April, is currently up #1 on various music chart.

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Who are the top idol CF stars for South Korea?

Who are the top CF stars for the first half of year 2010?

A large scale of one-to-one interviews were conducted by Brand 38 Consulting Firm (brand38.com) from 1st till 10th April done on 1012 people aged above 17 years old on the question ‘Which star does well as TV advertisement model?’

Coming in #1 is 2PM with 16.01% of the votes from the participants, and at #2 is MC Yoo Jaeeok with 13.34% of the votes, and at #3 is So Nyeo Shi Dae with 11.86% of the votes.

Go under the cut for the rest of the survey results.

‘Which star does well as TV advertisement model?’

1. 2PM (16.01%)
2. Yoo JaeSeok (13.34%)
3. So Nyeo Shi Dae (11.86%)
4. Kim YunA (9.49%)
5. Kang DongWon (9.19%)
6. 2AM
7. C.N Blue
8. Brown Eyed Girls
9. BEAST
10. SHINee + T-ara

We can see the idol singers taking up many of the top 10 rankings on the survey namely. And also other idol singers voted on the survey:

• After School at #14
• Super Junior at #16
• Dong Bang Shin Ki at #18
• KARA at #20
• 2NE1 at #24
• MBLAQ at #25
• SS501 at #25
• Davichi at #30
• Big Bang at #30
• 4Minute at #30
• WonderGirls at #36
• FT Island at #36
• ZE:A at #36

We can see the power of the idol groups in the advertising industry in Korea with 22 idols groups occupying the rankings on the chart – of which 11 are girlgroups and 11 are boygroups.

Also there are specific members from the idol groups who are more popular when it comes to CF. And according to Brand 38, they are:

• 2PM TaecYeon
• So Nyeo Shi Dae TaeYeon
• 2AM Jo Kwon
• CN Blue Jung YongHwa
• Brown Eyed Girls GaIn
• BEAST Yoon DooJoon
• SHINee JongHyun
• T-ara JiYeon
• After School UEE
• Super Junior Lee Teuk
• Dong Bang Shin Ki Xiah JunSu
• KARA Goo Hara
• 2NE1 Park Bom
• MBLAQ Lee Joon
• SS501 Kim HyunJoong
• f(x) Victoria
• 4Minute HyunA
• WonderGirls YeEun
• Big Bang TOP
• FT Island Lee HongKi
• ZE:A Moon JoonYeong

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Lee MinHo, “I was offered to star in a movie by Goo HyeSun, but I rejected it”

Actor Lee MinHo reveals that he has been given a proposal from actress Goo HyeSun from drama ‘Boys Over Flowers’ to star in a movie.

Lee MinHo was featured for an interview on MBC ‘Section TV Entertainment’ aired on 23rd April when he was asked if he was offered to appear in the movie directed by Goo HyeSun in her upcoming director-debut movie. His answer was, “Even though I was offered to appear in the movie, it will be inconvenient/uncomfortable for me to meet Goo HyeSun as actor-director since we were once partners in a drama.”

Meanwhile, he was also asked about his complexion during the interview and his answer was, “I lost weight on my face.”

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Kim Ji-suk plans for his upcoming enlistment

Kim Ji-suk’s up for his military duty, and has announced that he will begin his service in June, according to a statement made by his management on 21st. His current drama, MBC’s Personal Taste, will be his last project before enlistment.

His management clarified that the speculation that his enlistment would come on May 26, however, is false. At his recent fanmeeting, Kim’s Chuno co-star Oh Ji-ho had joked, “I hear you’re going on May 26.” However, in actuality Kim has not yet fixed a date.

As is the case with so many actors, Kim’s enlistment comes just as his career is starting to heat up. He had a role in the popular 2007 series Likable or Not, had a box office mega-success with the sports comedy Take Off, then built on that popularity as Wang Son in the recent Chuno. In Personal Taste, he plays a spineless cad with enough humor to make him an enjoyable-to-hate sort of character. The drama airs its finale on May 20.

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Yoon Eun-hye films her cameo for Personal Taste

As announced last week, Yoon Eun-hye is making a cameo appearance on MBC’s Personal Taste, and recently shot her scenes. The stills were released on the 19th and depict her unplanned reunion with Lee Min-ho, her ex.

Yoon Eun-hye plays “Eun-soo” (a change from the previously reported “Eun-hye”) in these scenes, filmed at a movie cinema in Ilsan on April 18. She and Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho) dated in their university days, after which she went to Johns Hopkins University and became a doctor. In the episode, Eun-soo runs into Jin-ho as the latter is about to buy movie tickets with Kae-in. News of this former relationship gives Kae-in a hint as to Jin-ho’s actual status as a straight man — although knowing her, I bet she’ll write it off as mere college experimentation or some such. (Love her, but she’s not exactly the sharpest knife, is she?)

You probably recall that Yoon Eun-hye had almost been the lead in this project when it was first announced. She said of taking the guest spot, “Because I had been looking with interest at Personal Taste, I readily agreed to do the cameo.”

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Choi Siwon cozies up with daughter in Oh My Lady

If you’re following SBS’s Oh! My Lady, you’ll probably find that one of the highlights is the interaction between the drama’s star, Sung Min-woo (Choi Siwon), and his young daughter Ye-eun, played by 5-year-old Kim Yu-bin. Here are a few images from Monday’s upcoming episode; if you’re spoilerphobic, don’t click for more photos!

Choi Siwon has also released a few behind-the-scenes shots of him with Yu-bin, and it looks like they’re quite close. He posted the pics via his twitter on the 18th, writing, “My daughter Ye-eun, who always comes running up calling me Dad. ^^ I’m already a fool for my daughter! Oh my lady Ye-eun! Sorry, Chae Rim noona! Keke.”

The stills from Episode 9 involve a day out at the zoo for Daddy Min-woo, Ye-eun, and of course Kae-hwa (Chae Rim). Looks like the softening of Min-woo’s character in Episode 8 continues this week, seeing as how they look like they’re having a grand ol’ time.

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Rain for Cosmopolitan

Rain spilled the beans about his recent comeback in the May issue ofCosmopolitan magazine.

Rain said about his new concept for Love Song, “You’ll notice that I mostly got rid of big and fancy accessories. That’s because I wanted to focus on myself. The album title Back to the Basic is about that too. I wanted to go back to the beginning.”

He continued, “And the choreography where I go shirtless is not about being macho. It’s more about portraying a faithful and real heart and mind.”

When asked whether or not his past break-ups help him put emotion in his songs, he answered, “People ask me if I’ve ever been dumped by a girl. It’s hard to think that you’ve broken up with someone. When someone who would smile right next to me disappears, that pain becomes the story of my songs.”

When asked about the album concept, he said, “I’m not different from the me during my rookie days and the person I am now. I still am thankful for the people who don’t forget who I am and I always want to be closer to my fans. And to think that people are looking up to me as a mentor means so much to me. It’s really interesting and I feel responsible. That’s why I work so hard and give everything my all.”

He is planning on being in a Korean drama in September or October of this year. He is also looking to release a full album by the end of the year.

What a busy 2010 he has planned for himself!

You can find out more about this interview in the May issue of Cosmopolitan. This issue also includes an interview with 2NE1and a pictorial of Lee Hyori.

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Sneak peek of Lee Junki and Kim Tae Hee’s upcoming movie Grand Prix

The upcoming movie Grand Prix has released its first still cut from the film. The movie stars big name actors Lee Junki and Kim Tae Hee. Even before seeing the picture, we knew these two were playing each other’s love interests but the photos definitely shows that it’s a sad movie.

After losing her horse through an accident, Kim Tae Hee’s character Joohee leaves for Jeju Island. That’s the scene those still cuts are from. Kim Tae Hee said, “A horseback riding movie is new for me. I’m looking forward to it.”

She talked about practicing horseback riding, “I’m still not very good but I’m trying to be in the best condition when I go into filming. Horseback riding is a sport that will make you feel energetic.” It has been three years since she was seen on the big screen so I’m sure the fans are looking forward to seeing her than the horses.

Lee Junki suffers from the same pain as Joohee in the movie and roots for her very discreetly. He used to be a famous horseback rider but after an accident, he loses a friend. He wanted to give up everything but then he meets Joohee.

Lee Junki said, “The movie’s story was what drew me into it. But Joohee’s character was so lovable and beautiful to me. And my character Wooseok has a charming image as well.” The movie will be released at the end of the year.

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CNBLUE heats up the summer with a beach look for NII

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Despite the plagiarism controversy that surrounded their Korean debut track I’m a Loner in early 2010, indie rock boy band CNBLUE has gained a fanbase large enough to secure their rise to fame and success.

They have remained relatively low-key lately, aside from CNBLUE leader Jung Yonghwa’s regular appearance as the on-screen husband of SNSD’s Seohyun in MBC We Got Married.

However, fans have some eye candy to look at with the release of CNBLUE’s official photos from the Nii photoshoot.

In a sunny, beach setting, the members unveiled a casual, summer look wearing polos and jeans. Not only is CNBLUE talented, they are a good-looking bunch too.

Check out the photos below.

Park Han Byul dresses up in a wedding dress for…

Se7en’s lover, Park Han Byul, was spotted wearing a wedding dress for a groom that was NOT Se7en.

So who exactly was the groom? Choi Siwon.

However, the reason Park Han Byul was wearing a wedding dress was because she was filming for SBS‘ Oh! My Lady. For this scene, Park Han Byul wore a precious, white strapless dress that showed off her collar bones. The lovely image of her in an equally lovely dress even resulted in her receiving remarks such as, “You look like an April bride,” from the filming staff.

This particular scene will be of fashion director Hong Yoora (Park Han Byul) asking top star/ex-boyfriend Sung Minwoo (Choi Siwon) to wear a tuxedo that she designed. Minwoo reluctantly wears the tuxedo and and then gets surprised when Yoora pops out of nowhere wearing a wedding dress.

Viewers will be able to watch this scene on the 19th in episode 9!

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Kim Hyun Joong’s Samsung Card Photos released

Yesterday you saw SS501 leader Kim Hyun Joong do trot for a Samsung Card CF. If that wasn’t enough for your Kim Hyun Joong fix, Samsung has now released official photos of the Kim Hyun Joong Samsung Card.

He looks very stylish in these photos and I’m sure many of his fan girls will be getting the card very soon. Thanks to kiu for the tip and check out the photos below.

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Son Ye Jin wants to cast Jo Kwon for Personal Taste

Son Ye Jin, who has been receiving much love for her role inPersonal Taste, has sent a lovecall to 2AM’s Jo Kwon.

On the episode of MBC’s Section TV that was aired on the 16th, Son Ye Jin was asked which star she would like to have as a cameo for Personal Taste. To this she answered, “I would like it if 2AM’s Jo Kwon came out and played a slightly feminine role. Jo Kwon, Seulong is already participating in this drama so is there anyway you can come make an appearance?”

When asked how she felt about living with a gay roommate, she happily answered, “Dda-bong (the best)! In the drama, by being in the position where I mistake Jinhoas gay, I am more attached to him and show affection that I couldn’t originally show.”

To this, Lee Minho jokingly replied, “I hate myself for slowly falling in love with someone like that!“

Although it wasn’t exactly the “lovecall” you readers were hoping for, coming from a beauty like Son Ye Jin, I’m sure Jo Kwon is sitting somewhere, strongly considering this offer. It’s only fair that Jo Kwon gets a lovecall since Ga-In already received one from Seungri through the HahaMong show; otherwise, Jo Kwon would surely throw a tantrumon the next episode of We Got Married.

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