[Variety] Grandpas over Flowers 꽃보다 할배

[Blizzardistkaputt]

 Il-Seob halbae seemed very self-conscious in this trip.Did the Korean social media make nasty comments of him?  I will always remember the hilarious scene of him dumping the precious lock n lock box of beef on the street in Paris. Everyone is much wiser and nobody packs bottles of soju this round??  We should call Seo Jinnie the Butler, not porter. He got his mum to pack kimchi. I wondered if he packed ramyeon and ready-to-eat rice too......

[emmie]

it seems like some K-netizens did comment on how Il-Seob halbae is slowing everyone down and how he doesn't really join the sightseeing because of his knees.  He was the youngest halbae (til this season) and yet he is not as healthy as the rest.  Guess that's why he decided to set off 30 mins earlier to get to the train station before the rest.  

 

Im sure SeoJinnie has other wonders in his luggage.  Probably some banchan and definitely ramyeon. 

[rubie]

True.. true.. only after the halbaes were ready to travel again, did they resume GOF. Na PD might not want to 'force' the H4, only when LSJ sunbaenim suggested they went on a trip that everything starts falling into place. No doubt every trip they made could be the last one.. and even if Seojinnie has had too much on his plate with variety shows, he couldn't and wouldn't let the halbaes travel without him.  Already traveling with them numerous times, no one could replace the original Porter, the only one who can deal with each halbae and knew what to do. 

 

Despite his knee pains, Il Seob halbae knows very well how to enjoy his trip. He doesn't rush himself anymore to keep up with others (previous trips, doing that clearly stresses everyone).. he stops and sits down whenever he sees a cafe and enjoys a nice cuppa and never forgetting to treat his companion staff, really sweet of him indeed.  I thought that's how one should enjoy the sight-seeing more. The rest of the halbaes, Lee Soon Jae sunbaenim especially is actually more fit and fast than ever, being 80-somethings does not slow them one bit! Not even Seojinnie can catch up with him, nor should he.. knowing the halbaes by now. 

[rubie]

July 11, 2018

 

HELLO MONOPOLIES, GOODBYE INDEPENDENTS – IT’S GETTING HARD TO STAND ALONE IN A WORLD OF GIANTS

by Yeoh Siew Hoon, Web in Travel

 

I was at a blockchain event last night when a Beijing-based investor let loose a rant on how this Internet world of centralisation was creating monopolies especially in travel where OTAs were completely dominating the market and there was now no room for new startups in travel that could scale well and successfully.

 

Just that morning, Booking Holdings had announced its intention to acquire HotelsCombined, the hotel metasearch business, based in Australia, and the sale is pending regulatory approval expected by year end. It was inevitable in this world of scale and consolidation that HotelsCombined could not and would not stand alone for much longer.

 

Started in 2005, it’s been self-started, self-funded and self-run for going on 13 years and as successful as it has been in executing in parts of Asia, let’s face it, it’s tough to compete as an independent in a world of giants.

 

HotelsCombined’s focus on hotel search has stood it well. Its focus on business-to-business execution with its affiliate model in the early years helped it grow to a good enough size that it could expand its business across Asia.

 

The iconic HotelsCombined bear, Max (Image credit: HotelsCombined)

 

Its move to a consumer brand in the last few years was slow, steady and measured. From 2015, the company started advertising in Korea, Russia and the Middle East and tested advertising as well in France, UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Max, the bear, started making his appearance.

 

It is South Korea that in particular stands out as a success story for HotelsCombined. One of the toughest and closest markets to penetrate, Hotelscombined managed to do so through a partnership with Naver, implanting its hotel search into the Korean search giant, as well as through its own marketing campaigns.

 

One recent campaign featured product placements into a Korean TV travel reality series called “Grandpas Over Flowers” in which four veteran Korean actors, Lee Soon Jae, Shin Goo, Park Geun Hyung, and Baek Il Sub, travel to different countries with actor Lee Seo Jin. The show is produced by TVN, which is popular not only with travellers but all Koreans.

The South Korean reality show “Grandpas Over Flowers” (Image credit: tvN via YouTube)

 

Building a consumer brand today though needs more than a cute bear and product placements, and winning in one country. However if it is the one country that matters, then you’ve got an interesting prospect for an acquisition.

 

At yesterday’s event hosted by Atlas, a new startup that wants to build “the next generation of TripAdvisor and Booking.com, powered by blockchain” (more of that in another article), the high costs of customer acquisition were mentioned. With Booking Holdings and Expedia spending $7b between them on Google, which company can outspend them?

 

Certainly not HotelsCombined or any other independent travel company that has to fend for itself in this consolidated world.

 

In an interview in 2013 with WiT, then COO and now CEO Hichame Assi talked about its expansion plans for Asia and its localisation strategy. “We believe in localisation and will evaluate each market individually to determine its requirements for local presence. One of the keys to our penetration of new markets involves integrating local OTA partners and we’ve progressed well thus far with this method.”

 

Clearly its localisation strategy in key markets in Asia has paid off and was probably a key reason why Booking Holdings wanted it for KAYAK as it expands in Asia.

 

It gives Steve Hafner’s team in Asia a stronger base on which to build. KAYAK has had some success in South Korea but found it harder in Japan where it faces competitors like Yahoo!

 

Whatever the price was paid, we hope it was a good deal for the HotelsCombined team, who are recognized as one of the most solid and humble teams working in digital travel.

 

Whatever the outcome, whether HotelsCombined continues to operate as its own brand or will be subsumed under the KAYAK brand, we hope the team remains intact and its rebel spirit endures. We have a feeling given Hafner’s own “rebel spirit”, which seems to have remained intact with the Booking acquisition, this may be the case.

 

But then we are a naïve and optimistic bunch at WiT.

 

• Featured image credit: rudall30/iStock-Getty Images

[rubie]

H5 on a 'Breakfast Mission' in Prague?

 

Clip: tvN

 

[rubie]

*GOF Challenge* It's great that they let the halbaes out by themselves to find breakfast in Prague.. a way to cover more tourist-spots plus, perhaps, a way to lessen Seojinnie's task. The 2 reliably-cute 80+ sunbaes, getting their coffee and cakes together.  Then PGH and KYG enjoying breakfast the fancy way.  Il Seob halbae, of course, has no problem finding coffee for himself.  (Aww.. just saw the show with subs, the halbaes still look out for Seojin when they're about to order breakfast. He'd always make everything easier for them..)

 

Seojinnie looks so worn-out compared to the happy halbaes.. maybe it's the intended editing (as always!) but it's hard not to notice the rather off-the-beat-mood of the porter.. at times. 

 

July 13, 2018

 

Lee Seo Jin Says He’d Want To Take 2PM’s Taecyeon As A Porter On “Grandpas Over Flowers”

 

Source: Soompi by J. K 

 

 

Actor Lee Seo Jin says if he were a grandpa on “Grandpas Over Flowers,” he’d want to bring 2PM’s Taecyeon along as the porter!

 

On the July 13 episode of “Entertainment Weekly,” Lee Seo Jin was visited on the set of a cosmetics advertisement. When asked about his unchanging appearance, Lee Seo Jin joked, “I feel like I’m getting older lately.”

 

In regards to being cast for a cosmetics commercial, Lee Seo Jin said, “At first I thought I’d misheard. It’s great and an honor to be doing a cosmetics advertisement at this age.”

 

Lee Seo Jin was also asked who he’d want to bring as a porter if he became one of the “grandpas” on “Grandpas Over Flowers.” The tvN show led by producing director Na Young Suk features a cast of veteran “grandpa” actors going on trips, and they bring along their “porter” Lee Seo Jin to help them.

 

Lee Seo Jin replied, “I would bring along Taecyeon. I think he’d be a good fit for an overseas trip.” When the interviewer said Taecyeon seems to have good stamina, Lee Seo Jin added, “He’s also good at English.”

 

Lee Seo Jin and Taecyeon previously appeared together on another of Na Young Suk’s shows, “Three Meals a Day.”

 

 

The actor also laughed as he said that while filming the most recent season, he began to feel tired and wondered if it wasn’t time for him to stop. “The biggest issue wasn’t their health, it was mine,” he joked.

 

“Grandpas Over Flowers Returns” airs every Friday at 9:50 p.m. KST.

 

Source (1)

Top Photo Credit: Xportsnews

[rubie]

July 14, 2018

 

Hit shows make triumphant return :

‘Hidden Singer’ and ‘Grandpas Over Flowers’ continue to dominate TV

 

Source: INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

 

JTBC singing program “Hidden Singer 5,” left, and tvN reality travel show “Grandpas Over Flowers Returns,” right, have both returned for the first time in three years. Both shows premiered in June and are drawing big audiences. [JTBC, TVN]

 

The hit tvN reality show “Grandpas Over Flowers” and the popular JTBC singing program “Hidden Singer” have both returned to television for the first time in three years. Despite the gap, each program is off to a strong start and has proven to be stalwarts for their networks. 

 

“Grandpas Over Flowers Returns,” which aired its season premiere on June 29, drew ratings as high as 9.2 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. Meanwhile, JTBC singing program “Hidden Singer 5” which aired the first episode of season five on June 17, had a viewership rating of 7.9 percent for a recent episode featuring singer Psy. That was higher than the 7.2 percent rating the show had during a season three episode that featured veteran singer Lee Sun-hee. 

 

“Hidden Singer 5” is expected to feature multiple talented artists, including Kim Dong-ryul, Naul of the vocal group Brown Eyed Soul, Park Hyo-shin, Rain and Zion. T. In each episode of the show, a singer and multiple impersonators who can mimic the singer’s voice stand behind a curtain and perform verses from the artist’s song, leaving it up to the audience to figure out who the real singer is. 

 

Since the first season in 2012, the singing program has became a nationwide sensation. 

 

After the fourth season ended in 2015, singing programs became the hottest trend in television and started to pop up on many networks.

 

Shows like SBS’ “Fantastic Duo,” MBC’s “Duet Song Festival” and Mnet’s “I Can See Your Voice,” became fan favorites, as ordinary people were given the chance to sing with their favorite celebrities on stage. Ratings for the shows were high not only in Korea but also abroad in Taiwan, Vietnam, China and Italy. 

 

However, complications arose as these singing programs started to proliferate. It was extremely difficult to gather singers and impersonators that had not already appeared on other shows. But despite difficulties, the original hit was not ready to say goodbye. 

 

“We never thought that season four [of Hidden Singer] would be our last season,” said producer Cho Seung-wook of “Hidden Singer.” “We were willing to continue after successfully filling our lineup.” 

 

Season five was met with excitement from audiences and quickly returned to its position as one of the hottest shows on TV. The show featuring Psy that aired on July 1 was the highest rated episode in the program’s history. But what was more dramatic was host Jun Hyun-moo’s promise to buy chicken for the audience if Psy received more than 90 votes. Because Psy received 98 votes, this promise was kept and Jun bought 100 chickens for the 400 people who made up the show’s audience. 

 

“Grandpas Over Flowers” has been a sensation ever since its first season. The first episode of the newest season featured members of the original cast, such as veteran actors Lee Soon-jae, Shin Goo, Park Geun-hyung and Baek Il-seob, and actor Lee Seo-jin, as well as a newcomer, veteran actor Kim Yong-gun. 

 

The hit reality TV show features actors in their 70s, packing up and leaving for excursions around the world. Since the show’s first season in 2013, actor Lee Seo-jin has played the role of a tour guide as well as being the show’s host.

 

So far, the group has been on trips to Taiwan, Spain and Greece. The ongoing season has taken place in Germany and Eastern Europe, with Berlin being one of their destinations. 

 

“Due to the old age of the four actors, it was hard for us to decide whether or not we should make another season,” said producer Na Young-seok, who is also known for the reality show “Three Meals a Day.” “But we changed our minds when actor Lee Soon-jae, who is the oldest member of the cast, asked us ‘Aren’t we going again? Let’s go again.’” 

 

The group is heading to Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and other countries in Eastern Europe this season. “We decided to film [this season] in these [particular] countries because of the increased discourse on unification due to the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit.” 

 

While both “Hidden Singer 5” and “Grandpas Over Flowers Returns” will basically follow their previous formats, there will be some slight changes. In the case of the singing program, producer Kim Hee-jung, who also produced the JTBC talk show “Non-summit,” will be in charge instead of Cho Seung-wook, the producer from the past four seasons. For “Grandpas Over Flowers Returns,” veteran actor Kim Yong-gun, 72, has joined the original cast of grandpas and is the youngest of them all. 

 

“As most movies, dramas, variety shows have turned into series, programs have become longer compared to the past,” said Park Gi-soo, a professor at Hanyang University. “Just like the halo effect from the Marvel series, people will keep reusing this [idea] until it dies out.” 

 

BY MIN KYUNG-WON [lee.jeonghyun@joongang.co.kr]

[rori0711]

On 7/13/2018 at 11:00 PM, rubie said:

July 13, 2018

 

Lee Seo Jin Says He’d Want To Take 2PM’s Taecyeon As A Porter On “Grandpas Over Flowers”

 

Source: Soompi by J. K 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Actor Lee Seo Jin says if he were a grandpa on “Grandpas Over Flowers,” he’d want to bring 2PM’s Taecyeon along as the porter!

 

On the July 13 episode of “Entertainment Weekly,” Lee Seo Jin was visited on the set of a cosmetics advertisement. When asked about his unchanging appearance, Lee Seo Jin joked, “I feel like I’m getting older lately.”

 

In regards to being cast for a cosmetics commercial, Lee Seo Jin said, “At first I thought I’d misheard. It’s great and an honor to be doing a cosmetics advertisement at this age.”

 

Lee Seo Jin was also asked who he’d want to bring as a porter if he became one of the “grandpas” on “Grandpas Over Flowers.” The tvN show led by producing director Na Young Suk features a cast of veteran “grandpa” actors going on trips, and they bring along their “porter” Lee Seo Jin to help them.

 

Lee Seo Jin replied, “I would bring along Taecyeon. I think he’d be a good fit for an overseas trip.” When the interviewer said Taecyeon seems to have good stamina, Lee Seo Jin added, “He’s also good at English.”

 

Lee Seo Jin and Taecyeon previously appeared together on another of Na Young Suk’s shows, “Three Meals a Day.”

 

 

The actor also laughed as he said that while filming the most recent season, he began to feel tired and wondered if it wasn’t time for him to stop. “The biggest issue wasn’t their health, it was mine,” he joked.

 

“Grandpas Over Flowers Returns” airs every Friday at 9:50 p.m. KST.

 

Source (1)

Top Photo Credit: Xportsnews

 

 

 

*waves at @rubie *

Aside from stamina & English fluency which is necessary in travelling abroad, I felt like Seojin and Taecyeon has this effortless camaraderie. They are very natural together and Seojin smiles more often. Is this Seojin's way of saying he's missing Taecyeon much     

[rori0711]

anyone know where to download background music used in this season? 

[rubie]

Seojinnie, the porter-chef in Prague. With ShinGoo halbae setting up the table, feels like Youn's Kitchen. 

 

[rubie]

Never too old.. 

 

 

[rubie]

Tonight (7/27) ~

 

[rubie]

Episode 6 (8/3) ~

 

[HOMegirl]

The scene where Seo Jin accompanied grandpa Il Seob was really emotional!he must have really appreciated what Seo Jin has done for him :) glad that he was very determined to reach the peak and join the other grandpas.

[rubie]

On 8/6/2018 at 9:53 AM, HOMegirl said:

The scene where Seo Jin accompanied grandpa Il Seob was really emotional!he must have really appreciated what Seo Jin has done for him glad that he was very determined to reach the peak and join the other grandpas.

 

I can't agree more! It's really touching to see him holding tight halbae Il Seob's hand and walk slowly beside him, step by step all at his own pace. No rush but a lot of understanding support. I think this trip, Il Seob sunbaenim had it the hardest with his knees (he had the same situation every season) but because he just had a surgery, it's hard for him to even walk. But.. he prepared a backup plan that is to start out earlier than the others and to never give up! 

 

Episode 7 (8/10) ~

 

[rubie]

Photos of the Halbaes in Vienna ~

 

[rubie]

8/17: Halbaes' day out in Vienna ~

 

[rubie]

Alert! Handsome Halbaes (+ 1 genie) in town!  If not mistaken, this is the first time that all the halbaes stayed on the trip till the end. Usually 1 or two of them would return to Korea earlier due to scheduled filming, etc. But this time, all of them plus 1 happy-newbie enjoyed the trip throughout. Hopefully, they will have the chance for one more trip together.

Published on August 15, 2018 by tvN

 

 

[annchong]

Does anyone knows the site Mr Dimples used to make the bookings for the rooms in this season? The rooms are HUGE!

[rubie]

On 8/19/2018 at 4:11 PM, annchong said:

Does anyone knows the site Mr Dimples used to make the bookings for the rooms in this season? The rooms are HUGE!

 

Perhaps this one, article previously posted on this page (7/11)

 

It is South Korea that in particular stands out as a success story for HotelsCombined. One of the toughest and closest markets to penetrate, Hotelscombined managed to do so through a partnership with Naver, implanting its hotel search into the Korean search giant, as well as through its own marketing campaigns.

 

One recent campaign featured product placements into a Korean TV travel reality series called “Grandpas Over Flowers” in which four veteran Korean actors, Lee Soon Jae, Shin Goo, Park Geun Hyung, and Baek Il Sub, travel to different countries with actor Lee Seo Jin. The show is produced by TVN, which is popular not only with travellers but all Koreans.