Press conference for sexy comedy Petty Romance

We’ve been talking about the sex-themed romantic comedy Petty Romance for a while now, albeit mostly about its amusing and snarkworthy promo posters. The movie is finally just about to premiere, and thus its cast gathered on November 25 at Seoul’s Lotte Cinema for its press conference.

The plot: A manhwa-ka (manhwa writer/creator) of adult comics (Lee Seon-kyun) is a talented artist but sucks at story-writing; he’s also extremely meticulous and petty — hence the “petty” of the title. Determined to compete in an international adult-comics competition promising a $10,000 prize, he joins up with a writer who pretends to know a lot about sex and relationships (Choi Kang-hee) but who in actuality doesn’t have much personal experience. Commence adorable hijinks!

(With that premise, how could the product NOT be hilarious and wacky? Just imagine the flirty banter of Pasta, but with racier dialogue and a sassier heroine — no disrespect to Gong Hyo-jin, it’s just that her character was rather meek. Plus! A romantic relationship where sex is both text AND subtext? Rawr.)

The two leads have acted together as a romantic pairing in the past (in 2008′s drama My Sweet Seoul), which Choi explained was one reason she felt comfortable going for the kiss scenes in this drama. She jokingly added that she felt a bit sorry when filming their bed, though, because “Lee Seon-kyun would be undressed and lying down, and I’d be the one making all the moves, so I felt I ought to be embarrassed.” Embarrassed, or living out all our fantasies?

Another thing that made her feel uncomfortable was her character’s penchant for miniskirts. Her energetic personality was such a far cry from Choi’s own calm style that Choi had to put a lot of effort into talking, speaking, and dressing like her.

Lee also has a bit of skin-baring going on in the movie, which he admitted was not without its stresses. He said laughingly, “These days, the standard for male actors’ physiques is so high that it wasn’t easy to go topless.” To slim down for the requisite scene, he went on a diet while shooting the drama, which had its own effects on the filming process: “I think I was extra sensitive while we were filming, so I’m sorry about that. After we shot the bed scene, the set became a happier place.” Hee.

The film also stars Ryu Hyun-kyung (Cyrano Dating Agency, Bang-ja Chronicle) playing Choi’s sexy friend. The movie opens on December 2.

credit : javabeans

Noh Min-woo rocks out

Rock drama special Boohwal has undergone a name change. It’s now called… wait for it… Rock Rock Rock. (Geddit? Is it…maybe about…ROCK?) The first set of stills released from the set show leading man Noh Min-woo rockin’ out like it’s 1985.

It’s probably more like 1979, but by the high school uniforms, you’d think it was the 50s or something. Those hats always throw me. What I like about the stills though, is that they actually show some acting potential from Noh, who is, let’s face it, mostly known for his very pretty, but expressionless face. I think his two facial expressions in My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho were angsty and constipated. Oh wait. That was the same face.

*Ducks for cover*

But here, he’s showing some intensity, and not of the forced kind, but of the I-will-battle-you-with-my-kickass-guitar-skills kind, which is totally winning me over. I sort of wish it were a musical rather than a music drama, because in the still below, he seriously looks like he’s about to break into a song-and-dance number, like Grease-meets-West Side Story, and it’s awesome. The last still, where he’s totally into it, kind of kills me. It’s so cute.

But the hair? I can’t explain the hair. I mean, what’s with piling it into the middle like a sideways toupee? It makes me want to rip it off his head. If they’re going with the full hair-rock thing, I sincerely cannot wait until we get the stills of Noh Min-woo in long, flowing locks. That? Will be a sight to behold.

Rock Rock Rock is a four-episode drama special, a biopic about the life of Boohwal lead guitarist Kim Tae-won. The stills look like they’re starting early in Kim’s life, which is cool, because he was known as that whiz kid rocker who could play Led Zeppelin’s guitar riffs in middle school. He also wrote his first song at sixteen, the first of about, oh, 47 million or so.

Rock Rock Rock has been pushed back two weeks, and will air December 11 and December 18 on KBS.

credit : girlfriday@DB

Extension plans nixed for Runaway Plan B

KBS’s action-comedy series Runaway Plan B had been flirting with the idea of a four-episode extension, but that idea has been tabled, according to a source with the drama’s production company on November 23.

That source stated, “KBS wanted the extension, but Rain, Lee Na-young and the other cast members have busy schedules, and it was decided that drawing out the story development any further would be pointless.” Writer Chun Sung-il reportedly showed interest in a special feature version, but ultimately the production decided against it.

I’m VERY relieved at the decision, because I am not hankering for a story that is speeding to its climax to all of a sudden slow down while it searches for more story. Plus, I’ve been really liking where Runaway is going now that Rain and Lee Na-young have gotten on the same page and are making progress in their investigation — but groaned at the idea of their increasing sexual attraction being dragged out just when it’s getting fun.

Part of the reason KBS pushed for the extension despite Runaway’s middling ratings is because the drama set to follow, President, would be going up against SBS’s similarly-themed Daemul. Two presidents, played by two drama heavyweights? (That would be Go Hyun-jung and Choi Su-jong.) One timeslot? Yeah, you can see why KBS would have preferred to avoid that conflict.

But no, they’ll overlap for a couple weeks after Runaway ends as originally planned on December 2 with Episode 20, which means President premieres on December 8.

credit : javabeans

Runaway: On the run for four more episodes?

Looks like Runaway: Plan B is gearing up for a possible extension, upping the episode count from 20, to 24. It’s somewhat surprising that KBS wants to extend, given that the ratings aren’t exactly where they’d like, for such a star-studded cast and big-budget production.

But the middling ratings (hovering around 12.2% this week, TNS) aren’t the only factor in greenlighting the extension. For one, the drama has a loyal and vocal fanbase (Rain fans are no joke) and it’s being praised for the overall story and look, described as “fresh.” I don’t think that the look is all that new, but I do enjoy the tone of it, now that we’re actually in the thick of Ji-woo’s emotional journey. (Whereas the first few episodes just focused on the slick, thereby losing a good chunk of the audience, methinks.)

Another factor in pushing for the extension is KBS’ next drama on the Wednesday-Thursday slate: Choi Su-jong‘s President, which they understandably don’t want to premiere against Daemul‘s strong first-place showing, with such a similar premise to boot. It seems smart to extend Runaway through to the end of Daemul‘s run, giving President a chance to scoop up Daemul‘s audience.

Storywise, I don’t mind the extension because Runaway is finally getting good. It was mildly amusing before, but now that Ji-woo and Jin-yi are working together, the chemistry and goofy antics are adorable (see below). It’s become less run-run-run, and more character-centric, so I’m much more invested in the main storyline, and each episode’s table-turning twist.

The production crew and cast are in talks to weigh the decision, and Runaway Episode 17 airs Wednesday, November 24.

credit : girlfriday@DB

Yoo Ah-in models for HAZZYS

I suppose I should TRY to find something useful to say here, even though it is a Yoo Ah-in picture post, which means much squealing in glee is sure to ensue. (Not that I blame ya.)

The first four photos come from the newest spread for clothing brand HAZZYS, in which everyone’s favorite Crazy Horse dons winter fashions. The casualwear look is described as “cute” and “dandy guy” in style, which is about as far as you could get from his star-making turn as the gruff, passionate Jae-shin of Sungkyunkwan Scandal.

But first: A moment of silence to mourn the loss of his hair! It wasn’t perhaps the most elegant Mane of Glory ever, but he rocked it. Sure, he’s just as adorable with the short locks, but if ever a boy could rock the hair… (For more of where that came from, refer to these handy recaps.)

Meanwhile, the last image posted below comes from his recent Thailand trip, where he shot a spread for December’s issue of Esquire magazine. Yoo is reportedly in the hunt for his next project. May it come quickly.

credit : javabeans

Noh Min Woo taken to the emergency room

On November 15th, actor Noh Min Woo was taken to the emergency room after an accident that occurred on the set of his latest drama.

While he was filming an action scene for KBS2’s Drama Special ‘Rock Rock Rock,’ a broken fragment of wood hit Noh Min Woo around his eyes. He was immediately taken to the hospital and was treated for his injury. Although the production crew suggested that he take a break, Noh Min Woo insisted that they continue filming.

A representative stated, “Unlike his previous roles as a soft guy, his character in ‘Rock Rock Rock’ is powerful and manly. For that reason, Noh Min Woo has shown a strong attachment to his drama.”

‘Rock Rock Rock’ is a 4-part drama about the life of Boohwal’s guitarist Kim Tae Won. Former TRAX member Noh Min Woo has taken on the role of Kim Tae Won. This drama is scheduled to air on November 27th.

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Lee Seung Gi to hold ‘2010 Lee Seung Gi Hope Concert’

Lee Seung Gi, who has mostly been active in the acting and variety show fields for the majority of 2010, will finally be standing on stage to meet his fans as a singer.

Lee Seung Gi will be opening his ‘2010 Lee Seung Gi Hope Concert’ on November 21st in Seoul; this marks his first independent concert after a year of absence from the music industry.

The singer already has 4 full albums under his name, along with numerous singles, album remakes, and drama OST tracks, so there will be plenty of songs to choose from.

It was reported that Lee Seung Gi will perform a variety of genres for the concert, and is currently preparing special stages for the event. He will be delivering ballad tracks with a string orchestra and brass bands, and have a joint performance with ‘rock legends’, Resurrection.

He’ll even be performing an OST track from his drama ‘My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox’ alongside fellow cast members Shin Min Ah, Park Soo Jin and Noh Min Woo. To top it all off, he’ll also be singing the trot songs ‘Sister‘ and ‘Love Twist‘.

Many fans are also highly anticipating Lee Seung Gi’s attempt at dancing – which he claims is his ‘weakest’ field.

credit : vitalwarning@allkpop+as labeled