Lee Byung Hun 이병헌 Byunghun Lee

[Guest veve111]

hi hi~~BH and TH ssi@TBS 紳助社長のプロデュース大作戦(That they went to Japan secretly and interviewed by TBS new tv program the last month) will be broadcasted today Japan time 0700pm, here's the preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ick94pVaIA0

cr: tbs.jp & ameblo.jp

[rubie]

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Spy drama pulls S. Koreans to Akita

By CHIHIRO INOUE

Kyodo News

AKITA — South Korean tourists are flocking in large numbers to snow-covered Akita Prefecture thanks to a South Korean TV spy drama featuring the popular Lee Byung Hun.

TV tourism: South Korean tourists take pictures in front of a dome-shaped

"kamakura" hut made of hardened snow in Yokote, Akita Prefecture,

on Feb. 10. KYODO PHOTO

The Japan office of South Korean travel agency Hanatour said about 1,500 sightseers from South Korea showed up in January and February, about 50 times more than during the same period last year. The surge forced the agency to route tourist groups through Aomori airport north of Akita because the direct flights between between Akita and South Korea couldn't handle the extra numbers.

Akita Prefecture became a popular destination after the hit TV drama "IRIS" was broadcast from last October to December. Its average ratings exceeded 30 percent. Lee played an intelligence agent fleeing to Akita. The drama was partly filmed in 20 locations in Akita in March 2009, including snow-covered Lake Tazawa in Semboku and the Nyuto hot-springs resort.

Footage from Akita was used in four episodes, lasting a total of 100 minutes. "IRIS" hits terrestrial television in Japan this month, and it will also be shown in Taiwan and Hong Kong. he number of South Korean visitors to the Lake Tazawa ski resort in January rose five-fold from the same month last year. "We are really feeling the effect of the drama," a local tourism industry official said.

One of the slopes at the resort where Lee and actress Kim Tae Hee skied has been named "IRIS gelande." Photographs and some of the clothes Lee wore on location are on display in the ski lodge. The tourist association in Yokote put up two domed "kamakura" huts made of hardened snow in a park to re-create one of the show's scenes.

Korean Air's Akita office said the number of passengers on its Akita-Seoul route was up for four consecutive months starting in November over the same months last year and seats were fully booked through the end of March.

"This is our first visit to Japan," said Kang Kyung Seo, a 33-year-old company employee who was taking photographs of his family in front of a kamakura hut in Yokote. "We've been to location sites and they exceeded our expectations. The hot spring and Lake Tazawa are especially good."

Local people are working hard to keep the momentum going and make sure it is not a fleeting phenomenon.

The city of Semboku held an introductory course on the Korean language for hotel employees and other people in February.

Source: japantimes.co.jp

[Guest veve111]

As BH is still sticking with the 'not-really-tight' shooting schedule of ISTD, he has shooted for 3-4 days at incheon last week and today he was shooting some scences at Ilsan-Dongguk University Hospital, the pics was very very far away and blur but still can 'figure out' BH(well...maybe....) ;)

cr: airwolf@nate.com

[rubie]

MISSHA Hunnie captures copied from PlanetBH

ps: veve, that pose sure looked like Byunghun-ssi :blush: .. but we need to zoom closer, obviously.. really miss him lots.

[Guest HoNeYFaN]

Hi,everyone Do you forget me? xD You know,my language not good so i can't explain myself and my feeling You're brillant (really) your sharing,uploud,news..all of them perfect i'm look forward to your new sharing I'm always here but i'm only read your message.I can't found words for the write

[Guest veve111]

Here's the 紳助社長のプロデュース大作戦@TBS Part 1, BH and KTH just showed up at the last 2 mins ...the more will be shown at 20th, the part 2~~ ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgCF_WvKXxo

cr: myhome.qook.co.kr/~lis19700

And, check out the latest news about the promo schedule about BH and the IRIS Cast:

http://www.tbs.co.jp/iris2010/news/#n2010041402

『IRIS -アイリス-』のキャストがさまざまな番組に出演し、番組を盛り上げます。

是非チェックしてみてくださいね。

詳細は下記の通りです

【番組名】

　『IRISナビ』(仮)

【放送予定日時】

　4月18日 (日) 午後3:00～4:00

【出演】

　『IRIS -アイリス-』出演者のみなさん

　 ※番組について放送の予定が変更となる可能性がございます。あらかじめご了承下さい。

　※TBS の放送予定となります。各地の放送予定につきましては、

　　お住まいの放送局までお問い合わせ下さい。

[rubie]

Thanks to the sharing by utkim via PM, recently in IRIS Japan

large image, please click to expand

April 9, 2010

Lee Byung Hun, Kim Tae Hee and Others Gather to Celebrate the Japanese Airing of “IRIS”

The famous actors of the thriller “IRIS” will be gathering for an event.

“IRIS” has been scheduled to be aired on Japan’s TBS in April. Accordingly, events to celebrate this decision will be held at Osaka-jo Hall on May 26th and at the Saitama Super Arena on June 1st. At these events will be the main actors Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee, Big Bang, who participated in recording the OST, and other significant actors who appeared in the drama.

The tickets for the seats for these events are 9,800 yens, and will be sold starting Saturday April 10th in Osaka and the Kanto region.

A 1.5 million dollar project, the drama “IRIS” was filmed over many years in Korea, Japan, and Hungary. It is an action thriller that deals with spies from North and South Korea. The cast included Lee Byung Hun, who has returned to drama scene in 6 years, Kim Tae Hee, Jung Jun Ho, Kim Seung Woo, Kim So Yeon, and Big Bang’s TOP. The drama displayed average viewer ratings of 30%, with the final episode topping the highest viewer rating of 39.9%. The drama was a hot issue in Korea; it will debut on Japan’s TBS on April 21st.

The celebrations are titled “Dramatic Live Stage, IRIS”. These much anticipated events will be comprehensive entertainment events that encompass music, dancing, action, videos and talk shows. [March 16th=KEJ Saito Mizuki/Translator=Jung Ji Eun]

Source: kejnews.com

[Guest KTH393]

LBH is so handsome in this CF..make him a perfect man for KTH...KTH is so pretty in HERA advertisement too..wish them (LBH & KTH) to be a great couple...

[rubie]

Capture copied from PlanetBH0712, credits to the original fan-sharing as stated on image ♥

 

 

 

Lee, the most desirable star ★ 1

Source: news.nate.com

[rubie]

April 15, 2010

South Korean dramas finally go primetime in Japan

By Chris Gallagher

TOKYO, April 15 (Reuters Life!) - South Korean TV dramas have dazzled Japanese fans ever since love story "Winter Sonata" ushered in Korean pop culture almost a decade ago, and now these shows have become primetime viewing.

The hit spy thriller "Iris" debuts on network TBS (9401.T) next Wednesday, the first South Korean series to air on a major Japanese commercial broadcaster during the key viewing block and underlining Korean dramas' breakthrough into mainstream Japan.

The espionage spectacular, starring Lee Byung-hun ("I Come with the Rain" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"), is also notable for being one of a very few foreign series to ever appear on Japanese network TV during the 7-10 p.m. "Golden Time" slot, which is typically heavy on quiz shows featuring local stars. "IRIS is so different from the Korean Wave dramas up until now," said TBS producer Yuko Yoshino, pointing to its overseas filming locations, star-studded cast and complex political storyline.

"We judged that the content is enough to compete even during Japan's primetime," she told Reuters in an interview, adding that there were never any reservations among station executives about giving "IRIS" a primetime slot.

The "Korean Wave" -- a boom in South Korean pop culture -- swept Japan in the early 2000s when public broadcaster NHK aired the Bae Yong-joon starring "Winter Sonata," putting middle-aged female fans in a frenzy over the hunk nicknamed "Yon-sama" with some even taking tours to locations where the series was shot.

South Korean dramas, especially those of the romance genre, have since become a staple of Japanese cable and daytime TV but a primetime slot on network television had until now been virgin territory.

WIDER AUDIENCE APPEAL

"IRIS" revolves around two operatives, played by Lee and Jung Joon-ho, and their sultry colleague, Kim Tae-hee, in the ultra-secret spy organisation NSS, caught up in North/South political intrigue from Hungary to Japan in a shadowy world of assassins and arms dealers.

The series, which TBS is to air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. local time, was a blockbuster during its original 20-episode run on South Korean public broadcaster KBS last autumn with average viewer ratings of over 30 percent.

Yoshino noted that "IRIS" would have a built-in audience among core Korean-drama fans, many of which are middle-aged women, but stressed the importance of aiming for a wider demographic through its primetime showing. "I think we need to target a mass audience, such as men who have had no interest in them (Korean dramas), kids and young people," she said. "That's why we're not using the word 'Korean Wave' at all in our advertising," Yoshino said, emphasising that she particularly wanted male audiences to tune in.

As part of this push, TBS will air "IRIS" dubbed in Japanese for its primetime run, which Yoshino said many viewers prefer to subtitles, using voiceovers from the likes of actor Tatsuya Fujiwara and actress Meisa Kuroki.

Korean-drama aficionados who prefer the actual voices of Lee and other stars, however, will be able to watch "IRIS" in subtitles on cable's TBS Channel.

As for broadcasting other foreign series during primetime hours, Yoshino said TBS had no such plans and would first need to see how "IRIS" performed.(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: reuters.com

[rubie]

 

April 15, 2010

I Come with the Rain – Review
Posted by Marcello japancinema.net



Josh Hartnett stars in a film that really made me open my eyes a bit to his acting ability. After lackluster success in America, it is nice to see him broadening his horizons. I Come with the Rain tells the tale of an ex Los Angeles cop turned private eye who travels to Hong Kong in search of the missing son of a billionaire. Hartnett is better than usual, and proves that most films will live or die on the strength of its cast. At over two hours long the film doesn’t drag once.

There isn’t a single thing about this film that feels organic. I will go out on a limb and even say the plot is very thin. Judging by the screenshot attached, violence runs wild yet they try to remain artsy with it. The shots are passably appealing, but nothing special. I Come with the Rain is really grindhouse fare riding on art house pretensions. For instance, take a scene where Dong-Po could just shoot the victim, but he first shoots his dog instead and beats him with it. Although, great to watch, it does remain unnecessary.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Lee Byung-Hun, there were moments when I thought there is more to this guy! I had actually liked him in GI Joe. However, by the time the closing credits came around, I was just relieved that it was all over. This makes my list of most painful cinematic experiences due to graphic violence and pacing. Another grip I had was the character Kimura’s English,. I wouldn’t have been so hard on his accent had his character really been a regular guy from Japan. But Shitao had a billionaire for a father — and one who spoke precise, fluent English at that — so it doesn’t make sense for the character to be struggling with English assuming he had the cosmopolitan upbringing implied by the film.

All in all, we have a film that displays strong acting but the presentation just doesn’t hold up. It is undeniably unique but nearly incoherent as a Hong Kong-set thriller. Josh Hartnett gives it his best shot, but his character has lost most of its credibility by the film’s conclusion. I am liking this trend of Western stars crossing over into Asian productions and I hope I get to see more of these films being created. The film competed in the 2009 Pusan International Film Festival, and from what I heard it was well received, so what do I know?

Capture from auctions yahoo.jp, thanks to the original fan-sharing & highlight

 

[Guest veve111]

BH and TH's IRIS promotion-schedule as following: :rolleyes:

4/17

9：30～14：00 「王様のブランチ」 （TBS）>>pre-recorded tv program

4/18

Press Conference（AM）

11:45～12：54 「アッコにおまかせ！」

15：00～16：00 「IRISナビ」 （TBS）

19：00～20：54 「オレたち！クイズＭＡＮ」 （TBS）

4/20

紳助社長のプロデュース大作戦 Part 2 （TBS） >>pre-recorded tv program

19：00～19:54

握手弾丸ツアー （テレビ东京）

19：30～20：54 >> :unsure: i think maybe it also a pre-recorded program cos there's a special event of 'The Influence' that night???!!! So, BH should back to Korea at 20th afternoon or before~~~~

4/21

12：00～ TBS広播电台

「ゆうゆうワイド」 生放送

cr: Baidu BH tieba

And, i saw some posts @Japanese fans' blog that said BH ssi has arrived Japan yesterday(16th)??????????..i ll try to get the updates and pics~~

[Guest veve111]

Few Pics from the new Iris photobook:

cr: DC

And, the official BH's Twitter(just in Japanese-version first and limited period at the end of Sept):

http://twitter.com/lbh_jfc

[parkmisoo]

Thanks veve for the IRIS photobook pics- the cast were so close- they look close knit and happy

btw- I hope both veve and taprokh ( and any silent readers) are well and doing ok in light of the news from Europe about the effects of the volcano ash

[Guest celebrities88]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/452522...364302378_o.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnqKf_v_2H8...player_embedded

[Guest veve111]

Thanks veve for the IRIS photobook pics- the cast were so close- they look close knit and happy

btw- I hope both veve and taprokh ( and any silent readers) are well and doing ok in light of the news from Europe about the effects of the volcano ash

hihi parkmisoo~~~thanks for your concerning~~ well...the main bad influence of the volcano ash is all the airport has been forced to close!!! i can't do the mail to rubie!!!! :huh: :o

[rubie]

April 17, 2010

Starring Lee Byung Hun has been chosen as the best return man.

Lee is aired on April 16 MBC 'Section TV Entertainment Communication' - 'Star sorts Rankings' to 'a woman divorced from the Star and the coveted male star' was ranked 1.

Lee is the drama ' All In.' starring Song Hye-kyo in the relative station, but eventually broke up and declare the official lover. The recent drama Lee 'Iris' as hopefuls once again attracted the best. Lee appeal of a charismatic figure in the eyes and luxury, and is considered a soft voice.

Actor Lee Seo Jin was ranked the two. Lee Seo Jin, too drama 'Lovers' actress Kim Jung-eun and focused on the breath was the official lover. Two people do not reveal the exact cause of the breakup can lead to much speculation has. Lee Seo Jin the power house, where body and do not fall into a 'Powerare main topics' actor.

Kim Joo Hyuk, respectively. Kim Joo no drama like a river flowing from Kim Ji-soo met with and been dating for a long time, but eventually break up, fell in June 2009. Kim Joo Hyuk to love a woman for a long time sunjeongpa images and movies like 'My Wife Got Married' show, etc. is regarded as an attractive look charming. Kim Joo a movie bangjajeon as keombaekhal plans.

Top, right on top of a 3-star, all 40 units overlooking the late 30s and met at a drama that has been found in common was a star and lover. Eric else, nohongcheol, ha, Lee, Lee Jeong Jae, Ryu, Kim Jong Min, forward, Uhm Tae-woong, Park Yong-ha were ranked in order of rank.

Evy@newsen.com Hee / News Report and Press newsen@newsen.com news.nate.com / kr.news.yahoo.com

[rubie]

veve, thanks very much for the new goodies.. are there other pics, as well? So.. there's a new official Twitter from BH till September.. tried to click and check it out but since it's not for all fans, got an error reboot mode instead. Sigh.

Btw, please don't worry too much about mailing for now.. we still have enough time.. :blush: but didn't get any email from you. Hope everyone located in Europe would get through the current situation safely and soon.

Thanks to Angel 70 for the highlight, courtesy dc gall

[Guest love007]

Thanks veve111 for the pics.It seems the cast had fun while they were filming.Do you have a pic of the book's cover? Thanks in advance.

[Guest KTH393]

Few Pics from the new Iris photobook:

Thanks for those photos...Love it so much...I have safe it to my LBH/KTH photo collections...If you do have more picture of them, please help to post it..