Korean Entertainment News 2011

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News Index page 5

May 4, 2009: 'Thirst' Breaks This Year's Box Office Record on Release

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May 4, 2009

'Thirst' Breaks This Year's Box Office Record on Release



"Thirst," the latest film by Park Chan-wook, has attracted more than 700,000 viewers in just three days since its release.

All That Cinema, which is in charge of marketing the film, said Sunday the film, which was released last Thursday, lured 715,000 viewers until Saturday, besting the record set by "Speed Scandal," the most popular Korean film this year to date, which attracted 709,000 viewers in the first three days of its release. "Speed Scandal" was released in December and drew a total of 8.27 million viewers.

"Thirst" has been invited to the competition at the Cannes International Film Festival this year, and created a lot of buzz even before the release for the a full frontal nude shot of star Song Kang-ho, and steamy sex scenes between Song and co-star Kim Ok-bin.

Credits: englishnews@chosun.com

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Weekly Box Office 2009.05.01 ~ 2009.05.03 3-day Gross/Total Gross (won)

1. Thirst (South Korea) 4,369,977,000 / 5,538,596,500

2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (U.S.) 2,705,005,000 / 3,398,422,000

3. My Girlfriend is An Agent (South Korea) 2,600,424,500 / 9,473,694,000

4. Insadong Scandal (South Korea) 1,832,476,000 / 2,343,165,500

5. Monsters Vs. Aliens (U.S.) 794,008,000 / 2,518,359,000

6. Knowing (U.S.) 462,892,000 / 6,317,741,000

7. Sergeant Keroro The Super Duper Movie : Dragon Wars (Japan) 289,617,500 / 307,540,500

8. State Of Play (U.S.) 320,315,000 / 423,924,500

9. Shadow Kill / Private Eye (South Korea) 245,702,000 / 12,424,297,500

10. White Tuft, the Little Beaver (France) 180,417,500 / 186,358,500

Source: KOFIC

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May 4, 2009

Cannes-nominated 'THIRST' nears 1 million at box office in 5 days



SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- Ticket sales for the South Korean film "Thirst" (Bakjwi) were expected to top 1 million Monday, five days after the Cannes-nominated movie was released here.

The blood-soaked vampire film, created by director Park Chan-wook, had drawn 960,500 viewers as of Sunday and will likely pass 1 million by end of Monday, said the movie's producer, Moho Film. One million is considered the yardstick for a box office hit here.

"Speed Scandal," which has drawn the largest number of moviegoers here among this year's releases, topped the 1 million viewer mark nine days after it hit screens.

"Thirst" has already sent waves across the global film scene, receiving a nomination as one of the 20 films competing for the top prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, which opens on May 13.

This is the second time Park has aimed for the top honor at the French contest, after his 2004 win with "Oldboy."

Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr via yonhapnews.co.kr, image copied from daum.net

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April 30, 2009

TVXQ to Start Japan Tour



The hottest hallyu group, TVXQ, begins its fourth tour in Japan on May 4th. The group will kick off the live tour with a two-day stay in Kobe, which will be followed by a total of 19 concerts in eight major Japanese cities. The concerts are scheduled to mark their fourth album, 揟he Secret Code,

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May 1, 2009

2NE1 to Release Debut Song  



2NE1, a much anticipated girl idol group, has released its music for the first time on Friday. Even before their debut, the quartet received wide media attention as the 揻emale Big Bang.

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May 4, 2009

'Thirst' Nears 1 Mil. in 5 Days


A scene from "Thirst"

Ticket sales for the South Korean film "Thirst" (Bakjwi) were expected to top 1 million Monday, five days after the Cannes-nominated movie was released here, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The blood-soaked vampire film, created by director Park Chan-wook, had drawn 960,500 viewers as of Sunday and will likely pass 1 million by the end of Monday, said the movie's producer, Moho Film. One million is considered the yardstick for a box office hit here.

"Speed Scandal," which has drawn the largest number of moviegoers here among this year's releases, topped the 1 million viewer mark nine days after it hit screens.

"Thirst" has already sent waves across the global film scene, receiving a nomination as one of the 20 films competing for the top prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, which opens on May 13.

This is the second time Park has aimed for the top honor at the French contest, after his 2004 win with "Oldboy."

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

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May 4, 2009

Korean vampire mauls wolf-man

Celebrated auteur Park Chan-wook's return from his lengthy hiatus with the priest-turned-vampire yarn "Thirst" paid dividends at the Korean box office over the weekend, pulling in an estimated 710,000 in ticket sales, the film's promotion representatives All That Cinema said yesterday.

"Thirst" convincingly edged the new major Hollywood release "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" by 300,000 more in attendance.



The gure also bests the previous three-day haul of box office juggernaut "Speed Scandal," which pulled in an estimated 700,000 on its opening weekend in last year's fall.

"Thirst" is the first Korea-U.S. co-production between Universal Pictures and Korean distribution house CJ Entertainment and had been highly anticipated by fans of Park who gained cult status around the world with his scintillating Vengeance trilogy ("Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy" and "Sympathy For Lady Vengeance).

Park's latest film is a Vampire-noir piece about a priest played by a significantly slimmed-down Song Gang-ho who lost 10 kg, who rises from the dead as a bloodsucker after receiving a blood transfusion from an unknown source. Unable to control his temptations that had been repressed most of his life as a servant of God and harbinger of faith he begins a torrid but dangerous sexual affair with his friend's wife played by 23-year-old newcomer Kim Ok-vin. Kim's character is a femme fatale who cajoles her new lover into killing her invalid husband.

The film had created much controversy over its explicit content -- both sexual and violent -- in the run up to its April 30 release. Particularly controversial was Song Gang-ho's full frontal nudity, reportedly a first for such a high-profile actor.

Among the other releases, the low-budget indie sensation "Breathless" crossed the 100,000 mark in ticket sales during the same period at number 10 at the box office.

By Song Woong-ki (kws@heraldm.com) via koreaherald.co.kr, image from newsen.com

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May 5, 2009

TV Programs Testing Limits in Foul Language

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter


The popular SBS miniseries, "Cruel Temptations,"
had been warned for offensive language on more than one
occasion by the country's T.V. watchdog

SBS perhaps could change its name to something that includes "swearing," as it leads a list of major broadcast networks exposed for their increasing use of bad language.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the country's watchdog for television, radio and Web content, said a jump in profanity was found on virtually every network in both the terrestrial and cable field.

Viewer complaints have also been rising, it said.

Of the 158 complaints submitted to the commission in March, about 70 percent of them were about programs from national networks. There were 17 complaints regarding language standards, the commission said, up from six complaints in the previous month.

Many of the viewer complaints were arrowed toward "Cruel Temptations," the immensely popular SBS miniseries starring Jang Seo-hee that allegedly set new highs for Korean television entertainment, or new lows, depending on who one asks.

The recently-finished drama, based on the plot of a housewife-turned-vamp seeking revenge on her betraying husband and back-stabbing friend, provided a buffet of distasteful actions such as adultery, kidnapping, slapping, kicking, hair-pulling, and predictably, verbal abuse.

Critics have accused Cruel Temptations for being "flooded" in vulgarity, which includes frequent use of degrading language toward women. The commission had issued warnings to its producers in November last year and March this year.

"Viewers found the frequent swearing in Cruel Temptations offensive, with the characters repeatedly shouting 'nyun' (pinkberry) at each other, and there were complaints about vulgarity in the new SBS drama, 'The Drum,' too," said an official from the commission.

Aside of nationally televised programs, there were also complaints about explicit sex scenes on late-night cable television, the commission said. Last week, the commission issued a warning to SBS, for its new drama, The Drum, for violence, which included stabbing scenes and a baby thrown into a river, and foul language. MBC, another national network, was also warned for profanity in its movie preview program, "Start, Video Travel."

Television networks and regulators are always engaged in a debate over where to draw the lines between expressiveness and profanity, and the boundaries seem blurrier for comedy shows, due to the improvised nature of many of them.

In a separate report last week, the commission announced the results of its content review of the sketch-comedy shows of the three terrestrial channels. "Laughter Search," another SBS program, was deemed as most offensive, as the commission counted 115 cases of abusive language, and sexually suggestive or violent expressions in two episodes that aired on March 27 and April 3. The number was 76 for MBC's "Gagya" in two episodes that aired on March 28 and April 4.

KBS's "Gag Concert," one of the country's most popular television shows, had 51 cases of inappropriate language and actions in two episodes that aired on March 29 and April 5, the commission said.

Credits: thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

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May 5, 2009

Ruby Lin Named Seoul Goodwill Ambassador


Ruby Lin (file photo)

Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin has been named goodwill ambassador for Seoul in the Chinese-speaking world. Lin rose to stardom with the part of Zi Wei in a popular Chinese TV soap opera "The Return Princess."

She has also appeared in the Korean-Chinese co-production "Sophie's Revenge" starring So Ji-sub, which led to her appointment. "I visit Seoul often for shopping and spa treatment," the Seoul Metropolitan Government quoted her as saying. "I will promote various aspects of Seoul in the Chinese-speaking world."

Lin, who came to Seoul to attend the 2009 Hi Seoul Festival on Monday, will stay in Korea until Saturday to enjoy the Hi Seoul Festival, trying on royal court clothes and making traditional masks. She is scheduled to visit Seoul City Hall on Wednesday for the appointment ceremony and donate some of her favorite items to the city.

Source: english@chosun.com

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May 5, 2009

Stars' Blogs as Tool of Communication  

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter


Korean stars, seeking to protect their privacy, are turning to the online
to speak their minds or clarify stances on certain issues.

As one of the most wired countries in the world, it is hard for anyone here to stay offline for long, and now even the busiest singers and actors manage to squeeze their time to communicate with fans and express themselves through the Web.

Many celebrities each have their personal blogs, mostly on the famous networking Web site Cyworld. More than 20 million Internet users have joined the site, and thanks to its easy-to-use features and popularity, it has become one of the easiest and effective ways for celebrities to openly express their thoughts.

It started with actors who wanted to show more of themselves as ordinary people, not as the fashionable stars they were presented as through the media.



Actors Lee Hye-young, Hwang Ci-ne and singers Park Jun-hee and Ock Joo-hyun's blogs were some of the most popular, with photos of their personal life, friends and even pets helping them to get closer to the public.

Now, stars and fans alike are using the simple medium to communicate, support and sometimes even criticize a range of topics. Communication-wise, many stars have eagerly answered questions posted by their fans, from the places they stayed during trips to the brands of their clothes and cosmetics shown in the photos posted on their blogs. Support, on the other hand, took an interesting turn when they were going through difficult times, both as an ordinary person and as a famous celebrity.

The sudden deaths Jeong Da-bin, Yuni, Choi Jin-sil and Jang Ja-yeon shook the nation, and fans found a way to express their sorrow in a more personal way ― leaving a comment on blogs.

Many paid a visit to those that lost their owners, showing that the online world can work as a great place to express gratitude and pay respect to loved ones."We don't know her personally, so it's a great way to show our respect. I have been visiting her blog ever since she started it, and to stop just because she passed away seems too sad and cruel. I visit her blog once a week, and sometimes leave a message or send a note. I don't know if anyone reads it, but some fans consider it a way of affection,'' Kim Ha-neul, a fan of Choi, told The Korea Times.

A total of 10 million have visited Choi's blog (http://www.cyworld.com/choijinsil) since she first joined, while more than 1,000 fans still visit every day.

Meanwhile, the online world has also become a popular space for stars who have something to say about issues other than fashion and trips, social issues and self-defense. Barely having enough free time to express themselves, blogs have apparently become handy when they need to get away from the glamour and trappings of the entertainment industry.

Shin Hae-chul has been known as a singer who openly and sarcastically criticizes government policies, and he made headlines once again by praising North Korea's April 5 rocket launch last month on his official Web site.  When fans talked about the Wonder Girls' Yu-bin's weight offline and online, the 20-year-old singer wrote that she "loved the way I am and I am proud of myself whatever people say" on her Cyworld blog.



For Nam Gyu-ri, a former member of girl group See-ya, her blog was the last place she could turn to when her former agency and members accused her of walking away from her contract without notice. "I didn't want to get into the complicated life that depended on money. I just wanted to sing and act. The contract was officially complete and I felt free to do whatever I liked,'' she wrote.

"It's the way they connect with the real world. As they grow older, they realize that they need a tool to communicate with the world. Young singers are used to using the Internet ― it's fast, private and accessible in Korea, so it is natural for them to use their own blogs as tools of communication,'' an official at an entertainment agency said.

Credits: sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

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May 4, 2009

Vampires beat mutants at Korea boxoffice
'Thirst' tops 'Wolverine' over holiday weekend

By Park Soo-mee

SEOUL -- Park Chan-wook's "Thirst," the director's take on the vampire genre, attracted 630,000 theatergoers in its opening weekend, handily beating Fox blockbuster "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which sold 400,000 tickets in the territory.

"Thirst," one of the year's most anticipated Korean films and a Competition entry at this month's Festival de Cannes, is a story of a respected small-town priest who is reborn as a vampire after being infected with a deadly virus and starts a secret affair with a friend's wife. The film is Park's ambitious comeback, his first feature since the 2006 commercial flop "I'm a Cyborg, but That's Okay."

Park's vampire tale opened Thursday on 616 screens nationwide and has attracted 820,000 filmgoers to date, including Korea's three-day May Day holiday weekend, according to Korean Film Council's boxoffice data.

Distributor CJ Entertainment expects that "Thirst" will be the year's first Korean film to break 1 million admissions in a short period of time.

Talk of the film's explicit content -- both sexual and violent -- stoked controversy ahead of the release, including the full frontal nudity of leading actor Song Gang-ho.

"It'll break the previous record set by the Korean film 'My Girlfriend Is an Agent,' which attracted 1 million moviegoers in the first eight days of release, and also ties the record of foreign film 'Red Cliff,' " CJ marketing and PR boss Jessica Kim said. "That's a substantial achievement considering the film's limited audiences restricted for 18 years and over."

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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May 5, 2009

Super Junior to Hold Concert in Japan  



Super Junior, will have its first solo live concert in Japan in August.

The concert, "Super Junior Premium Live in Japan," will be held at Tokyo International Forum Hall in downtown Tokyo Aug. 1-2.

The 13-member boy band from South Korea had its first fan meeting at the Nippon Budokan last July. In recent months, Super Junior has been enjoying high popularity in Asia with its third album, "Sorry, Sorry."

Super Junior is the largest boy band in the world. The members are Leeteuk (the leader), Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kang-in, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum, and later, Kyuhyun. The Chinese member, Han Geng, was chosen among three thousand applicants through auditions held in China by SM Entertainment in 2001, according to Wikipedia.[2]

Credits: koreatimes.co.kr

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May 6, 2009

Top S. Korean actor hits Hollywood



SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- Top South Korean actor Choi Min-soo has been cast for a role in an upcoming Hollywood action movie, his wife said Wednesday.

Choi is currently in Denver, United States, shooting scenes for "Serpent Rising," an action thriller directed by Lauren Riggins and starring Julian Lee, an emerging Korean-American actor, Choi's wife Kang Joo-eun said. Choi plays Karl Kim, one of the government agents in the movie.

The 47-year-old actor has shunned the local film industry since being implicated in an alleged battering of an elderly man last April. He was cleared of all charges last month.

"Serpent Rising" will crank up by the end of this month, and is aiming for a global release this year.

Credits: hayney@yna.co.kr viayonhapnews.co.kr, image from sportsseoul / daum.net

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May 5, 2009

BoA signs up with CAA
Korean singer continues assault on U.S. market

By Patrick Frater


BoA, center, performs in Busan, South Korea (Getty Images photo)

HONG KONG -- Korean singing superstar BoA has signed with CAA in a move to accelerate her budding U.S. career.

The hip-hop- and R&B-influenced BoA, aka Boa Kwon, has had a massive career that extended from her native Korea to Japan and Chinese-speaking territories, in large measure because of her versatility and her linguistic skills. She has sold more than 20 million records.

Within North America, CAA will rep the 22-year-old in all areas including music, film and merchandising. The agency is mulling a U.S. tour in the late second half of the year.

Under the guidance of her Korean management company, SM Entertainment, BoA launched an English-language single in October, followed by her first all-English-language album "BoA" in March. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, the first time a Korean singer entered the Billboard rankings.

She is currently in the U.S. on a multistate radio tour to promote the recent launch of her new single "I Did It for Love," produced by and featuring Sean Garrett.

BoA topped the list of 20 young showbiz professionals named in March by The Hollywood Reporter in the inaugural Next Gen Asia awards.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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May 4, 2009

Moon Geun-young's Special B-Day Party



Philanthropic actress Moon Geun-young抯 23rd birthday was celebrated with some 700 of her fans and a very special birthday present. Moon抯 birthday party/fan meeting was held Saturday evening at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul.

The members of her fan club, Angels, donated more than 370 books, toys, and study materials to the children of Haenam, the southernmost village in Korea. The charity work was carried out without Moon抯 knowledge, and the award-winning actress found out only when a video message from the children was shown during the party.

The party went on for three and a half hours and featured fun-filled events organized by her fans. Stars such as Kim Tae-hee, Kim So-yeon, Kim Ji-soo, and Bae Su-bin sent their congratulatory messages and Moon Cha-won, who co-starred with Moon in the drama 揚ainter of the Wind,

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May 5, 2009

G.I. Joe with Lee Byung-hun a Most Anticipated Summer Movie



U.S. entertainment magazine Entertainment Weekly selected 揋.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

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May 6, 2009

BoA Signs With No. 1 Hollywood Agency  


BoA

BoA, South Korea's pop superstar, has signed a contract with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the No. 1 Hollywood entertainment agency in an effort to spur her activity in the United States.

The hip-hop- and R&B-influenced BoA, aka Boa Kwon, has had a massive career that extended from her native Korea to Japan and Chinese-speaking territories, in large measure because of her versatility and her linguistic skills, according to the Hollywood Reporter. CAA. She has sold more than 20 million records.

Under the contract, within North America, CAA will represent the 22-year-old in all areas including music, film and merchandising. The agency is mulling a U.S. tour in the late second half of the year.

BoA released her U.S. album on March 17 amid high expectations that she will be able to reenact her success story in Japan in the United States.

The album contains 11 songs including "I Did It For Love" and dance tracks "Energetic," "Eat You Up," and "Look Who's Talking."

BoA's album ranked 127th on the Billboard 200 Album Charts announced on March 26. It was the first time that a Korean singer had entered the Billboard chart.

BoA topped the list of 20 young showbiz professionals named in March  

Source: koreatimes.co.kr

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May 6, 2009

The Blue Returns after 14 Years



The Blue, the hottest male duo of the 199s, is coming back to the music scene after 14 years by releasing a mini album titled, 揟he Blue, The First Memories,

katt

May 7, 2009

Article highlight: 양승준 kranky@news.nate.com





Date Posted: 5/1/2009

APA Top Ten
Hot Asian Actors Hollywood Doesn't Yet Realize It Needs

By APA Staff

On the occasion of Daniel Henney's debut on the Hollywood summer blockbuster scene, APA counts down the top ten Asian actors who were born to seduce American audiences.

So... we're the first to admit this is a highly nonacademic, inevitably biased, and minorly inappropriate study. But let us academize it and tell you why it's important to talk about.

For many decades, Asian Americans have been a minority group in the United States, dealing with irritating and offensive stereotypes, being lumped as the "model minority" or "the other," etc., etc. Asian American women have had the strange burden of being exotified, over-sexualized, and rendered submissive, while Asian American men have been stereotyped as nerdy, studious, asexual, and unable to throw a football (let alone get a girl). This has made people such as Frank Chin and David Henry Hwang -- and angry asian man -- very angry.

As Asian Americans living in Los Angeles, California (with a decent-sized Asian/Asian American population), we hear many of the activists obsess over Asian American male demasculinization -- and for good reason. But you get tired of some of the reactions. You get tired of people who watch Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and think that seeing an Asian American man with a multitude of hot white/black/Latina lovers onscreen is some sort of empowering statement for Asian male sexuality. These images serve a purpose for a certain context, but they often come across as insecure, desperate attempts to overcompensate for an Asian/Asian American male hotness that supposedly isn't really there in the first place.

The reason this drives us crazy is because it is there. Hot Asian men abound in so many different forms that it's too hard to count or categorize. And in every case their hotness comes before the politics of their race. This is abundantly clear on the other side of the planet (4/7th of the Earth's population and growing), where Asian men have long been considered hot, and no one has identity issues over it.

It can be argued that mainstream America needs to be more open-minded about its standards of beauty, so they can fully appreciate the Asian faces we've got. Sure, Daniel Dae Kim, Kal Penn, and John Cho are attractive in certain ways, but let's not pretend they're the best examples of hot Asian men we have (just 'cause they're the only ones in Hollywood we can think of). When analyzing diversity in the media and thinking about Hollywood as a business, it's important to understand that Asian male actors will make you money in Hollywood if they are hot enough by mainstream standards. Let's not put all our pressure on our existing Asian American actors to compete with the Pitts and McConaugheys, when we can easily find others who can.

We're talking about blasting through glass ceilings here, not lowering them. Take Denzel Washington. Unarguably talented, Oscar-winning actor. But let's not pretend his hotness wasn't a deciding factor (see Mississippi Masala) when he was first breaking into an industry with an embarrassing dearth of African American actors.

Nobody had to explain that Denzel is hot "for an African American." Everyone just got it. There are hot Asian equivalents around, though we might have to look across the Pacific to find some of them. With the entertainment industry going global, this is a realistic possibility. Some of the Asian actors we're thinking of are locals, some are Asian Americans who have found work in Asian cinema and television. All are equipped for international domination.

This isn't a list of Asian actors who have offbeat charm, who are adorable in romantic comedies, or who are impressive character actors (although most on our list are talented beyond their hotness). Cute isn't going to cut it; pretty boy isn't going to sell enough tickets; and let's face it, great personality is going to get you supporting roles on TV shows, leads in oh-it's-so-great-to-see-Asian-Americans-in-starring-roles! festival films, and supporting parts in Judd Apatow movies. (All are very respectable, appreciated, and near and dear to our hearts -- but it's just not what we're talking about right now.)

This is about men who are striking enough to cater to international, cosmopolitan, mainstream tastes. This is about one day being on in the front pages of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People, not as a token Asian, but because you have first or second billing in the next summer blockbuster. No, scratch that... it's about being on the cover.

We'll let the pictures/links for our top ten do the convincing, but all we'll add is this:

1) As Asian Americans, we believe that we are in a prime position to understand American standards of beauty (for instance, skinny spiky-haired pop stars, while hot in Japan, might not be considered hot in the US), while having familiarity with a larger pool of Asian actors that your average American might not be exposed to.

2) Since the idea is to highlight men who need to come over to Hollywood, we decided to focus on a younger generation. Which left many very hot people off our list: Hiroshi Abe and Tony Leung just to name a few.

3) There were talks about making sure the list was diverse across all the Asian countries. But we scrapped that idea when certain choices didn't seem to meet the hotness requirements we were looking for. That's not to say that there aren't hot men actors working in these countries. It's just that, at this moment in time, no one who might be competitive was high profile enough for the persistent Google Image stalker (us) to find them. In other words, no national quotas. We chose to compromise on diversity, in order to not compromise on the hotness.

4) English-language skills and worldliness were originally factors we considered for the purposes of Hollywood-readiness, but sometimes people were hot enough that we completely forgot about that.

5) We're aware of some of the controversial omissions, but we stand by them. Feel free to write to asiaarts@international.ucla.edu to yell at us.

It's time for us to welcome the future. And throw Hollywood some suggestions, so they'll be able to help us spread the filmic eye-candy.