Kim Hye-Soo 김혜수 [Drama “Under the Queen’s Umbrella” | Movie “Smugglers”]

[rubie]

October 20, 2010

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

Hwang Shin-hye (left) and Kim Hye-soo pose at a press event for their new TV drama in Seoul on Tuesday.

From left, Lee Sang-yun, Kim Hye-soo, Shin Sung-woo and Hwang Shin-hye

[rubie]

October 20, 2010

Why is BB Cream so popular?

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia (cathy@koreatimes.co.kr)

Actress Kim Hye-su is the model for MISSHA's M Signature

Real Complete B.B. Cream, which recently sold one million

tubes in just eight months./ Courtesy of MISSHA

Ever since blemish balm cream or more popularly known as B.B. cream was introduced in Korea a few years ago, the craze has slowly spread to Japan, China and other Asian countries.

These days it is usual to find Asian tourists hoarding tubes of the B.B. cream from Korean cosmetics chains in Seoul.

B.B. cream is often promoted as a magic cream that promises to brighten and whiten one’s skin tone, as well as reduce blemishes and wrinkles, cover imperfections and provide sun protection. But depending on the quality of the B.B. cream, the results are often mixed.

"I first tried the B.B. cream from MISSHA in Singapore and I liked it a lot. It matched my skin tone and it hides skin blemishes well. I’m going to stock up on it because it’s so much cheaper here," said Rina, a tourist from Singapore, who was buying some B.B. cream at a Missha store in Myeongdong.

The prices of the Korean B.B. creams range from as low as 10,000 won to 40,000 won, which makes it affordable for a wide range of female consumers. Some brands have also introduced B.B. cream for men.

MISSHA, a leading budget beauty brand owned by Able C&C in Korea, has one of the most successful B.B. cream products on the market today. MISSHA sold 1 million tubes of its M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream in only eight months since it was released last February.

MISSHA's M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream is made of organic ingredients and offers sun protection, whitening and wrinkle care and has proven to be popular in the local and overseas market. In its first month after launching, more than 100,000 items of MISSHA's B.B. cream were sold, and since then, it has ranked highly among consumer surveys.

"Domestic and foreign brands are scrambling to launch a variety of B.B. creams, but MISSHA's B.B. cream remains on top because it provides good coverage, more moisture and other qualities that addresses the customers’ needs. We are constantly upgrading our products," a representative from MISSHA said.

To celebrate the product’s success, MISSHA is offering a promotion where one can buy an M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream for 23,800 won and get a free tube of wrinkle repair cream on the website www.beautynet.co.kr, until the end of the month. This move is expected to spur even more sales of MISSHA's B.B. cream.

The rising popularity of B.B. cream has even prompted global cosmetics brands like MAC, Estee Lauder and Maybelline to come out with their own versions of the B.B. cream not just in Asia, but in Western countries as well.

Earlier this year, MAC introduced its Prep + Prime Beauty Balm product, described as a lightweight formula that protects and corrects the skin tone, in the U.S. and Asia. Estee Lauder also has a CyberWhite EX Extra Intensive BB Creme Multi-Action Formula SPF 35, while Maybelline has its Clear Smooth Minerals B.B. Cream.

However, not everyone is happy with B.B. cream products. Some complain that the formulations are too oily. Others complain about the fact that most B.B. creams only come in one or two shades, that often make their faces look deathly pale and not at all natural-looking.

Cecilia, a tourist from Hong Kong, said she once bought a B.B. cream from a budget beauty chain for 10,000 won, but she had to throw it away after one use. "I got an allergic reaction to it, so I stopped using it. I wish the information about the ingredients of the B.B. cream would be available in English so that I could have known if I was allergic or not. Next time, I’ll be more careful about buying B.B. creams," she said.

[rubie]

October 24, 2010

Melo-thriller My Happy Home premieres this week on MBC

by javabeans Via Sports Chosun l dramabeans.com

My Happy Home, aka the “Korean Desperate Housewives,” is MBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday show that premieres this week in the former Playful Kiss timeslot.

The show stars Kim Hye-soo (Style) and Hwang Shin-hye (The Queen Returns) as leads and rivals. Kim’s character is kind and intelligent, although deep down she harbors the stirrings of “an instinct for hatred.” Hwang, on the other hand, sports an elegant outer appearance that covers an inferiority complex as the resident femme fatale harboring deep pain. Buckle up and get ready for the catfighting seems to be the message of the drama’s promotions.

The two frenemies battle it out over a man (of course!), played by Shin Sung-woo (Secret of Keu Keu Island). He’s Hwang’s first love, but Kim’s husband, and complicating matters is the death of Hwang’s husband. Kim sets off to uncover the secret behind it, while Hwang tries to cover it up. Lee Sang-yoon (Life Is Beautiful) also stars.

Sounds like makjang heaven! It appears that My Happy Home is taking an aggressive approach to its story and genre, which means it may be deliciously watchable, or really cheesy.

It’ll have an uphill battle in the ratings, but perhaps it’ll be aided by the fact that it’s a different genre from most midweek drama series, as it tackles the thriller-melodrama genre with its murder-mystery plot. It airs opposite SBS’s big hitter Daemul, which is increasing its ratings with every episode despite all the hullaballoo surrounding its behind-the-scenes drama. If things continue in its current trajectory, Daemul is likely to break 30% in the coming week or two, as it is already resting comfortably in the mid- to upper-20% range. KBS’s action-comedy Runaway Plan B may be less of a threat, but it has halted its ratings dive at 10%, and My Happy Home has a ways to climb if it wants to improve upon Playful Kiss, which wrapped last week with a 5.8%.

Will My Happy Home be able to crack the “MBC curse”? We’ll see come October 27 when it airs its first episode.

The drama held its prayer ceremony last week, on October 18, at its Yangju set location. The following are from the ceremony:

[rubie]

October 20, 2010

Han Suk Kyu – Kim Hye Su’s “Villain on the 2nd Floor” set to open on November 25th

By Shin Sang Mi (lowcut@tvreport.co.kr) Source: TVReport (Original article in Korean) Photo from TVReport DB Translated by Timothy Nam / Korea.com

Seoul, Korea – A new film by director Son Jae Gon, who brought 2.3 million people to watch his movie My Scary Girl, called Villain on the 2nd Floor is set to premiere on November 25th.

Villain on the 2nd Floor is a suspense comedy telling the story of Chang In (Han Suk Kyu), an unidentified, self-proclaimed writer who rents out the 2nd floor of Yeon Joo’s (Kim Hye Su) building, where they become each other’s necessary evil according to each other’s plans.

Just as he combined a thriller with a comedy with unique characters of Park Yong Woo and Choi Kang Hee in My Scary Girl, the director combines the sweet new neighbor (Han Suk Kyu) and the cold, conniving owner (Kim Hye Su) for his second project. Also, Han Suk Kyu and Kim Hye Soo are set to showcase their comedic skills that they have never shown on screen before.

Villain on the 2nd Floor, with its strong script, the mix of suspense and comedy, and anticipation for the chemistry between the best actors is set to open on November 25th.

October 27, 2010

'Villain on the 2nd Floor' Press Conference Photos

Source:

innolife.net

[rubie]

October 27, 2010

Kim Hye Soo looks classy for Elle

by kimchisteve allkpop.com

With a different concept then usual, actress Kim Hye Soo’s photo shoot for the Elle magazine has been revealed.

The photo shoot had her go and meet female students at an elementary school and the Ehwa Women’s University. She also met a store owner in her sixties and the editors of Elle, which totaled up to 52 people that she met for the shoot.

With clean and sleek outfits for the photos, Kim Hye Soo showed off her feminism and proved that her sexy look is still going strong.

The photo shoot will be featured on the November edition of Elle.

Source + Photo: Nate

[Guest ikesung]

i just like this actress

she has the charisma

[rubie]

November 10, 2010

Kang Dong Won, Kim Hye Soo chosen as the #1 celebrities people want to give Peperos to

by sweetrevenge allkpop.com l news.nate.com

Actor Kang Dong Won and actress Kim Hye Soo were chosen as the two celebrities the public most wanted to present Peperos to.

Movie ticket sales site Max Movie held a poll in honor of Peppero Day with the question, “For Peppero Day on November 11th, who is the number one male actor you want to give Peppero to the most?” . The results were astonishingly one-side, as 57.1% of the votes chose Kang Don Won as the number one male celebrity. Actors Go Soo and and Sung Dong Il placed second and third place respectively with 14.4% and 6% of the votes. Hyunbin nabbed 4th and Song Seung Hyun landed in 5th.

Meanwhile, the same question was posed but for a female celebrity. Results showed Kim Hye Soo to be in first place with 56.5% of the votes, while actress/model Yoon So Yi took second with 14.9%.

Pepero Day is celebrated on November 11th every year, for which couples and friends exchange boxes of the chocolate-covered cookie snack.

[rubie]

November 12, 2010

Founder of largest English K-pop site 'Soompi'

Korean-American web developer creates first global online community devoted to K-pop, Asian entertainment

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia cathy@koreatimes.co.kr

Main page of the ultimate K-pop site “Soompi”

If you’re looking for news about a SuperJunior concert, reviews for a 2NE1 album, recaps of Korean drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" or simply anything about Korean entertainment, chances are you’ll find it on Soompi.com.

Soompi.com is the oldest and currently the largest English-language online community devoted to Korean and Asian entertainment, with a million unique visitors every month.

Soompi has come a long way from its early days as a personal online shrine devoted to K-pop started by Korean-American Susan Kang in 1998.

"I had recently graduated from college with nothing much to do. As a recent fan of both K-pop and the Internet (AOL was all the rage), I noticed that there weren't any English-language sites devoted to Korean pop music or TV dramas, so I purchased a book called `Make Your Own Website with Microsoft Word '97’, and the rest, as they say, is history," Kang said, now a 35-year-old mother living in Irvine, Calif., in an email interview with The Korea Times.

Kang’s original site, Soompitown, was fairly simple. She would just upload photos of her favorite K-pop acts like H.O.T., S.E.S., Shinhwa and FinKL and English translations of Korean magazine articles, as well as post CD audio samples and her own album reviews. Basically, Kang ran the website out of "love" for K-pop.

(If you’re wondering about the meaning of Soompi, it simply refers to a nickname that a roommate’s family gave Kang in college.)

In the early 2000s, hallyu or the Korean wave began spreading around Asia and international fans discovered Soompi, the first website that actually provided English-language information about their favorite Korean stars.

Soon Soompi became more and more popular, requiring more servers and more technical expertise. A team of volunteers helped moderate the forums and post content on the website, but Kang, who also worked full-time as a web developer, was running the website on her own as a hobby and it was starting to feel burdensome.

For one, it was getting expensive to pay for the server fees out of her own pocket, although it was partially funded by member donations and small ad buys.

Then came the fateful day, Oct. 5, 2005, when the entire Soompi website crashed. Its entire database of 80,000 members and millions of forum posts was gone. "I seriously thought of just making that the end of Soompi, as I'd been running the site as a hobby for seven years at that point, and was paying for the servers completely out of my own pocket," she said.

"The turning point was when we re-opened an empty forum with 0 members and 0 posts, and within 5 days, we already had 40,000 members. That's when I knew that Soompi was bigger and more important than just one person's hobby."

Soon, it became apparent that a more serious, business-oriented approach to Soompi was needed.

In 2006, Joyce Lan Kim, a lawyer then working for technology firms in Silicon Valley, joined Soompi to handle the business side, albeit on a part-time basis.

"I joined the company, working on advertising and thinking of ways the company can break even. Susan never started this with business in mind. It was always just about fun. It was about bringing K-pop to the people. But how we make this sustainable is our job," Kim told The Korea Times at a coffee shop in downtown Seoul, last week.

Last year, Kang and Kim both decided to leave their full-time jobs and focus on Soompi.

The 33 year old Kim, who studied at Cornell and Harvard universities and received a law degree from Columbia University, had no second thoughts giving up a law career. She sees Soompi as a good business opportunity with K-pop’s potential to expand around the world.

Soompi is may not yet be profitable, but there is no doubt it is an Internet success with 500,000 registered members, and attracts over one million unique visitors every month ("That's like a small city," Kim quipped.) Revenues are currently generated from ads, premium membership and affiliate programs, but not enough for the company to break even.

There may be other K-pop websites that attract more hits, but Soompi has the most activity among community members, such as posting content and comments on the site. "Our success comes from covering such a wide variety of topics - not only the latest K-pop news, but Korean dramas and variety shows, original fan fiction, our own member-run shops, beauty & fashion, among so much more," Kang said.

Aside from sections on entertainment news, fan clubs and beauty & fashion, Soompi also has its own weekly music chart and annual contests, such as Soompi Idol, Soompi Dance Idol, Soompi Ulzzang, fan fiction writing and graphics contests.

All contests were originally started by Soompi members themselves. This year, Soompi Ulzzang Contest, a modeling competition for Soompi members, has become an official event and sponsored by Korean entertainment company Sidus HQ.

Member feedback is invaluable to keeping Soompi relevant. Whenever new features are launched, Soompi looks at the comments from members and makes the appropriate tweaks. Members can also vote for which Soompi fan clubs should be created next, as well as recommend new forums and sub-forums.

Soompi is working to make the site more user-friendly. "It's not a hobby anymore. We have to do it for real. Functionality is very important for us. We are definitely working on making it easier to use, and on getting great content," Kim said.

In terms of technical innovations, the Soompi Street Teams Twitter application is being launched. This will make it easier for fans to get their favorite K-pop idols on Twitter’s top trending topics.

"We wanted to make it easier for everybody to join together and tweet in support of their celebs. Twitter is not just for K-pop, because it's for everyone... Each time a K-pop celebrity ends up as a Twitter topic, people go, `who is this guy?’ Like when (SuperJunior member) Kim Hee-chul was trending on Twitter, everyone was talking about him... We can expose more people to the world of K-pop," Kim said.

An Asian website

Soompi is no longer just devoted to Korean pop music, but Asian pop and entertainment in general. It is also very much a global community, with most members from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia.

The majority or 81 percent of Soompi members are Asian, while 8 percent are white, 5 percent are multi-ethnic and the rest are African-American, Hispanic and other ethnicities. The most surprising fact was 60 to 80 percent of the non-Asian groups said they "know some Korean."

"It’s mostly non-Koreans, as opposed to 7 or 8 years ago when majority were Korean-Americans. Now Korean Americans are a minority on the site. We have ever growing number of people who are not even Asian. We have Caucasians, African-Americans, Middle East, Latin American, South East Asians," Kim said.

Soompi stands out because of its tight-knit community and its members. "Soompi is very community-focused, not just information or gossip-focused. It feels like home to many, and there are many members who have literally grown up on the site ― from Junior High to High School to College to getting married and having children," Kang said.

Noticeably, the Soompi forums are relatively free from the anti-fans and trolls who frequent K-pop websites to post vitriolic comments that rile up fans.

"I think our biggest defining feature is our members. Our members are the ones who do the subtitles, episode recaps and organize fan meetings," Kim said. "We have good members."

Future of Kpop & Soompi

Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that Soompi has helped give a boost to K-pop and Korean entertainment’s popularity among English speakers.

But while K-pop is undeniably big in Asia, there is yet to be a real K-pop breakthrough in the U.S., despite attempts by Rain, Wonder Girls and Se7en. "Honestly, I'm not sure if the U.S. is ready to accept Asians as idols, as Asians are still widely portrayed as awkward geeks or kung fu masters on TV and film, but I do believe it's just a matter of 'when', not 'if'. I hope it's sooner than later," Kang said.

Looking back, Kang admitted being constantly amazed and inspired by the level of commitment and amount of time people will willingly volunteer to support their favorite idols. "Passion will drive people to do crazy and wonderful things," she said.

In the future, Soompi hopes to leverage its brand value as the oldest K-pop online resource, and to continue fanning the flames of K-pop and Asian pop fever around the world.

"In 10 years, I'll be 45 years old. I hope by then, the Soompi community will still be going strong, with the love for Korean and Asian pop being passed to a much wider audience. We'll still be providing the best place for people to express their fandom and meet others who share their passion," Kang said.

[rubie]

November 18, 2010

A noir tragicomedy with rhythm and zest

By Lee Hyo-won hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

Actors Han Seok-gyu, left, and Kim Hye-soo appear in a scene from "Widow and Villains."

The latest film by "My Scary Girl" director Son Jae-gon opens in theaters Nov. 25. / Courtesy of Sidus FNH

In the 1995 comedy “Dr. Bong,” Kim Hye-soo played the role of an irritable single woman who becomes involved with a philandering widower, comically brought to life by Han Seok-gyu, who lives with his eight-year-old son in the apartment downstairs. The son recognizes great mother material in his neighbor and sets out to marry off his father.

Fifteen years down the road, the two actors have reunited onscreen — this time Kim is the one mourning her husband’s death while Han is the mysterious man renting the second floor of her house. But our heroine’s grumpy teenage daughter is far from willing to play cupid like in the plot of “Dr. Bong” — because in fact “Widow and Villains” isn’t exactly a romantic comedy.

Director Son Jae-gon made a name with “My Scary Girl,” introducing the suspense of crime thrillers into the romantic comedy genre with wit and style, and this time, he brings yet another deliciously noir tale rooted in tragicomedy.

As its title suggests, it’s about a widow and other characters with ulterior motives. After losing her husband in a freak accident, Yeon-ju (Kim) tries to make ends meet by running an antiques store while raising her pouty teenage daughter Seong-a (Ji Woo). Desperate for money, she puts the house’s second floor up for rent. Chang-in (Han), who claims to be a novelist looking for a quiet place to write, moves in for two months.

But our heroine, suffering from depression and much in need of cash, doesn’t notice how strangely obliging and eager Chang-in is to rent the space. This is because he is actually an illicit arts dealer who heard about a 2 billion-won antique porcelain that Yeon-ju’s late husband hid somewhere in the house.

So this thieving tenant thus gets busy to work during the daytime when the mother and daughter are out. When he discovers that the prized relic is nowhere to be found on the second floor, he sets out to infiltrate Yeon-ju’s home, which involves stealing her keys and, of course, her heart.

Most of the story takes place inside the two-story house, with very fleeting moments in other venues Given the limited number of locales and characters, it’s no easy feat trying to orchestrate circumstances that would elicit laughter, but the director shows off his knack for meticulously coordinated comical situations — a result of tough labor, working with 2,600 cuts in the 115-minute running time. Add to that some rhythmic scores apt for a crime thriller.

Moreover, a double-edged sword of tragicomedy slices right through the heart of the film to make it all the more convincing, as it portrays characters with very human imperfections. Chang-in finds it increasingly difficult to get down to business — Seong-a, a former child model, suffers from cruel remarks by netizens and classmates, and is constantly cutting class to stay home while Yeon-ju, emotionally vulnerable and increasingly dependent on alcohol, finds a new diversion in her sexual affair with Chang-in and doesn’t want to get out of bed.

The man thus unintentionally finds himself carrying domestic issues at hand, trying to send a kid back to school and inspiring professional integrity in a depressed woman, while also dealing with his own mid-life crisis of sorts. Despite his ill intentions, however, the man remains rather amiable (though the physical violence he resorts to in the more dramatic scenes is unwarranted).

Comedy is certainly dictated by culture codes. Yet even non-Korean audiences, completely unaffected by the star power of the cast members, could easily relate to the poking fun — a gesture that is no way light — at broken spirited urbanites, which the film does with rhythm, zest and a certain warmth.

[rubie]

November 24, 2010

[PREVIEW] Film "Villain and Widow"

Reporter: Choi Ji-Eun five @ Editor: Heidi Kim heidikim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia

Film "2 Story House" [sidus FHN]

There is something fishy about Chang-in (Han Suk-kyu), a guy who rents a room in a two-story house occupied only by a mother and a daughter. Although he introduced himself as a writer he is definitely up to something given how he snoops around the house whenever he can - as if looking for something in particular. But mistress of the house Yeon-joo (Kim Hye-soo) who is suffering from depression and insomnia at the same time and her rebellious teenage daughter Seong-ah (Jiwoo) who is going through a stormy period of her life from her obsession over the faults to her looks, will not permit Chang-in to come close by maintaining a hysterical attitude. Even the woman next door (Lee Yong-nyeo) who likes to poke her nose into others' businesses gets in his way. With time running out, Chang-in, increasingly anxious, ends up throwing himself at Yeon-joo to avoid a risky moment.

Film "2 Story House" [sidus FNH]

Anticipation Quotient: 8

Han Suk-kyu is back. And with the perfect role.

"Villain and Widow" is a movie that is hard to explain beforehand because it is a suspense comedy - anything can be a spoiler that could ruin the fun of the show. So all that can be done is to repeat saying, "It's fun, it's really, really fun ... but I can't tell you exactly why it is so and there's just no way to explain it. "But what is certain is that this film stands out the most in its usage of an extremely sophisticated form of comedy compared to its local rivals released so far. A treasure hunt in a limited space, a mother and daughter who are a nervous wreck, and a kind-faced villain may come off as a bit too contrived yet "Villain and Widow" skillfully brings the elements together to make its audience laugh to tears. The film was directed by Son Jae-gon who became even better at handling black comedy since "My Scary Girl (2006)," making laughter break out at the most unexpected moments as the story unfolds. The movie is the result of perfect timing and chemistry of its actors rather than word play or exaggerated situations.

The reunion of actor Han Suk-kyu and actress Kim Hye-soo who appeared as lovers in the film "Dr. Bong (1995) "15 years ago is another interesting point to watch in particular. Every small line they say and the details to their facial expressions that evokes laughter proves they are still at the height of their acting careers.

Chang-in who struggles to seduce Yeon-joo but reveals his rough nature at some point of the story once again reminds viewers of Han's wide spectrum of acting. Kim Hye-soo too knows how to pull off the ill-tempered and idiotic character Yeon-joo, playing the part to a subtle point in a convincing way. Supporting actors such as Kim Ki-chun, Lee Yong-nyeo and Um Ki-joon also guarantee there will be much to laugh about in the film despite their short appearance. Nonetheless, the best news that "Villain and Widow" brings to you is that actor Han is back. The movie premieres on November 25.

[Guest mandalaywith]

Kim Hye Soo 31st Blue Dragon Film Awards 2010 Redcarpet vod

upload by mandalaywith

youtube

tudou http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Aj9ShQxZrCc/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KHS MC 31st Blue Dragon Film Awards Part 1 HQ online Link

upload by mandalaywith

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/qD94p3XDNCk/

KHS MC 31st Blue Dragon Film Awards Part 2 HQ online Link

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/RECfOlr0Fz0/

[rubie]

November 27, 2010

Stars on the Red Carpet at Blue Dragon Film Awards

Source: englishnews@chosun.com 1 l 2

Kim Hye-soo (left) and Lee Bum-soo

Red Carpet arrival clip from innolife.net

DL Red Carpet

VOD

(KHS-LBS featured as well)

As emcees, there're loads and lots of KHS-LBS pics from the 31st Blue Dragon Awards on Friday night. Hope everyone will be able to share them here, too.

[rubie]

November 28, 2010

Satirical thriller 'Sworn Enemy' honored

By Song Woong-ki (kws@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Writer-director Jang Hoon’s satirical thriller “Sworn Enemy” on Friday took home Best Picture honors at the nation’s most prestigious film ceremony, the 31st Blue Dragon Film Awards at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.

Headed by the duo of heartthrob Kang Dong-won and veteran Song Kang-ho, the film about an ex-North Korean field operative-turned-defector (Kang) beat out some of the year’s top-selling films. In the film, Kang portrays a North Korean operative ordered to assassinate a former high ranking officer and defector of the isolated communist state. The plan is intercepted by a glory-hunting National Intelligence Service agent (Song) and goes awry, getting both men sacked from their organizations.

The film’s win comes at a time when the nation is still reeling from the North Korean shelling of the remote island of Yeonpyeong off the western coast near the Northern Limit Line. The win also surprised many entertainment pundits as the year’s biggest box office hit “The Man from Nowhere,” featuring Korean Wave star Won Bin’s first turn in violent noir, had been projected to take the Best Picture award alongside fellow nominee “Moss,” helmed by Kang Woo-seok.

The sci-fi action-comedy “Woochi” and the reboot of 1960’s drama “The Housemaid” rounded out the rest of the nominees in the Best Picture category.

The night’s biggest sweep, however, went to “Moss,” which grabbed a total of seven awards including Best Director, Best Actor (Jung Jae-young), and Best Supporting Actor (Yu Hae-jin). In late September, “Moss” took home four prizes at the Daejong Film Awards including Best Director for Kang Woo-seok.

Writer-director Kim Ji-woon’s serial killer yarn top-billed by Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik took home a trio of prizes in technical categories for director of photography Oh Seung-chul, lighting director Park Jung-ryul and composer Lee Mo-gye.

Best Actress went to both Yoon Jung-hee for “Poetry” and Su Ae for “Night FM,” while the supporting prize went to Yoon Yeo-jeong for “The Housemaid.” The year’s sleeper rom-com “Cyrano Agency” was recognized for its biting dialogue, taking the Best Screenplay prize.

Won Bin’s ultra-violent “The Man from Nowhere” was on the receiving end of the night’s biggest snub, winning just a sole technical award out of nine nominations.

Former culture minister and novelist-turned-filmmaker Lee Chang-dong declined to keep “Poetry” in contention in the awards ceremony with the exception of the Best Actress category in light of controversies surrounding his embattled relationship with the Korea Film Council.

The awards ceremony was hosted by actress Kim Hye-soo and actor Lee Beom-soo. Kim was visibly ecstatic when her real life beau, character actor Yu Hae-jin, won the Best Supporting actor prize for “Moss,” saying “I’m especially happy that (Yu) was honored tonight.”

Source: news.nate.com

Yu Hae Jin's may not have the usual leading man appearance but it was so obvious when watching the clip that he is clearly Kim Hye Soo's leading man from the way she looks and smiles at/about him, the way they look at each other (and not looking away).. both are clearly smitten and in love.

[rubie]

November 29, 2010

New SF "Skyline" wins No. 1 on Korean box office

Reporter: Heidi Kim heidikim @ Editor: Jessica Kim jesskim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia 1 l 2

"Skyline," the new Sci-fi flick from the United States, claimed the No.1 spot on Korea's box office chart between November 26 to 28, according to data released by the official Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS) on Monday. The story of alien invasion directed by Brother Strause, and starring Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson and Donald Faison which opened in theaters on November 25, attracted 414,336 viewers during the three-day weekend period.

Next in line was local film "Villain and Widow," another new entrant to the chart directed by Son Jae-gon which opened on November 24. A black comedy about a crook-in-disguise and a neurotic widow, starring Han Suk-kyu and Kim Hye-soo, sold a total 218,333 tickets during the same period.

Villain & Widow (2010)

Genres: Drama and Comedy

Running Time: 115 min.

Directed by: Son Jae-gon

Starring: Kim Hye-soo, Han Suk-kyu

Synopsis: Chang-in rents the upstair of Yeon-ju's house, posing as a novelist in need of a quiet place to write. He is actually seeking a prized piece of antique pottery hidden in the house, but ends up inspiring professional integrity in Yeon-ju and counseling her teenage daughter so they will leave him in peace to get down to business.

chosun.com

"Haunters" winner of the box office chart for the past two weeks, was pushed two steps down to third place. The film about an inevitable duel between one with a supernatural power and another immune to it brought in 151,045 movie goers in the third week.

Other films that made it to top 10 were "The Unjust" that continued to remain within the top five slots for the fifth week, "The Social Network," "Festival," "Unstoppable" Let Me In, "and the new films" The Concert "and" Due Date. "

Weekend Box Office: November 26-28

South Korea's box office estimates for the weekend of November 26-28, 2010 [Korean Box Office Information System (KOBIS)]

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November 29, 2010

Kim Hae Su takes the red carpet with Lee Bum Soo and not boyfriend Yoo Hae Jin

Source: ReviewStar (Original article in Korean)Photo from ReviewStar DB Translated by Timothy Nam / Korea.com

Seoul, Korea – On the 26th, the ‘31st Blue Dragon Awards’ ceremony was held at the Independence Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul.

The Blue Dragon Awards is a ceremony held every year for the advancement of Korean films and this year’s ceremony was attended by top movie stars Lee Min Jung, Won Bin, Choi Kang Hee, Lee Byung Hun, Soo Ae, Park Bo Young, Jin Gu, Kang Su Yeon, Song Jun Ki, Park Min Young, Cho Yun Hee, Ryu Hyun Kyung, Park Jin Hee, Jeon Sae Hong, Choi Seung Hyun (Top of Big Bang), Nam Gyu Ri, Han Hae Jin, and Jeon Soo Young.

[Guest adikkeluangman]

Kim Hye Soo posts teary selcas

Actress Kim Hye Soo’s teary photos have become a hot issue.

On November 27th, Kim posted photos from the set of her new MBC drama, “My Happy Home“, on her Cyworld.

Fans looked at her tired yet sad expression and left comments such as, “She’s so pretty. A true goddess“, “I hope she always takes care of her health“, and “She looks tired, but she still looks beautiful as always“.

Kim Hye Soo plays Kim Jin Seo, a perfect psychiatrist with beauty, smarts, and a warm heart, in her current drama, “My Happy Home”.

http://www.allkpop.com/2010/11/kim-hye-soo-posts-teary-selcas

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December 16, 2010

Won Bin named actor of the year: poll

Source: hkim@yna.co.kr english.yonhapnews.co.kr

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- Won Bin, who starred in the hit film "The Man From Nowhere," was picked as the South Korean actor of the year in a poll, Gallup Korea said Thursday.

The star drew 30.7 percent of the votes in a survey that asked 1,701 people who they thought was the best actor of the year. Won Bin dropped his trademark pretty boy image and transformed into a powerful stud in the film, which was the biggest hit of the year with 6.2 million viewers.

Jang Dong-gun, who made his Hollywood debut with the fantasy action film "The Warrior's Way" this year, came in second with 14.1 percent of the votes. That film, written and directed by Korean director Lee Sngmoo and also starring U.S. star Kate Bosworth and Australia's Geoffrey Rush, was a rare cross-cultural production in which Korea and Hollywood combined their talents, capital and technology.

Kang Dong-won, who played a North Korean agent in "The Secret Reunion," was next in the poll with 11.6 percent.

Actresses were less prominent in the poll, with Kim Hye-soo, who starred in "Villain and Widow," and Jeon Do-yeon of "Maid" sharing the seventh spot, each with 2.8 percent of the votes.

The poll had a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percent.

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December 25, 2010

Kim Hye Soo believes Go Hyun Jung has surpassed her

by skang90 allkpop l news.nate.com 1 l 2 l 3 l 4

Actress Kim Hye Soo is full of praise for fellow actress Go Hyun Jung.

On December 23d during an MBC radio show called ‘Son Seok Hee’s Look‘, Kim stated that Go Hyun Jung had surpassed her.

On this day, DJ Son Seok Hee asked Kim Hye Soo about how Go Hyun Jung had mentioned her as her rival in the film ‘Actresses‘, to which Kim modestly replied, “Go Hyun Jung has already passed me by a lot.”

To the fact that actor Kim Nam Gil chose her as the biggest influence on his acting, Kim Hye Soo replied, “I really like Kim Nam Gil. He has innocence, seriousness and maturity, and he makes me think I wasn’t like that at that age.” Kim Hye Soo worked with Kim Nam Gil for the film ‘Modern Boy‘.

Kim also admitted that she was the type that immediately comes out of character once the director yells “Cut!”, saying, “I don’t think I have opened my eyes for acting yet.”

Besides this, she also revealed her feelings about the show ‘W‘, which she had hosted until it got cut.

This interview airs on December 25th at 7:15 am.

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January 2, 2011

Soompi.com shows Hallyu where to go

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Soompi.com is the world’s biggest English-language online community dedicated to Korean pop culture. It boasts some 1.4 million visitors daily. More importantly, 90 percent of its members are non-Koreans.

The website is widely regarded as a promising social network venture that has secured a solid user base on the strength of Korean cultural content. Softbank of Japan has already invested in Soompi.com and other investors are lining up amid the outlook that the website will emerge as a key gateway to Asian pop culture for English-speaking audiences.

Soompi.com CEO Joyce Kim, who lives in San Francisco, said in an interview that Hallyu is still in the early stages of growth internationally and the website would help foster its development online as “the central online activity hub for all fans of Hallyu and Asian pop.”

Joyce Kim

As for Hallyu, Kim noted that the near absence of a legitimate distribution of Korean pop content is a serious problem that is often neglected by Koreans.

The following are excerpts from the e-mail interview with Kim.

Korea Herald: How did Soompi.com start, and how did you get involved in the site?

Joyce Kim: Soompi was started by my co-founder Susan Kang in 1998 as her own personal website dedicated to her interest in Korean dramas and music. During the initial first few years, Susan would scan Korean entertainment magazine articles, translate them into English and post them on the site. Slowly, a community began to grow around the site and Susan soon had people volunteering to help with the site. As the first Hallyu wave began to grow, the site also began to grow. Soon, there were hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

I met Susan because she is the older sister of my best friend from law school. We initially started to work together on Soompi in 2006 when the site growth was really taking off which meant server expenses were also taking off. I was helping Susan set up the advertising system on the site and eventually we decided to officially create a company and work on Soompi together. At first, we both kept our full-time jobs (Susan as a coder and me as a lawyer) and worked on Soompi during our nights and weekends. But by the end of 2008, the site was so active that it was obvious that the site needed more support. We made the decision to leave our jobs in 2009 and work on Soompi full-time.

KH: If you define Soompi.com, what is it?

Kim: Soompi is an online fan community for Hallyu. Soompi’s greatest strength lies in our members. Ninety-nine percent of the content on Soompi is user-generated content so our members are the ones who find the information to share and discuss. They spend a great deal of time online answering each other’s questions. No amount of money or marketing can create the organic community that sites like Soompi have.

KH: Who are Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members are mostly young Americans of many different backgrounds (Asian, Caucasian, black and Latino) followed by people in their teens and 20s in South East Asia (Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, etc). They are typically very fashionable and up on the latest trends since they follow entertainment so closely. When they come to Soompi, they are often looking for the latest news about Hallyu and to meet other passionate fans. Hallyu fans love to work together to do events and share their love for their idols.

KH: What aspect of Hallyu appeals to Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members love the celebrities ― their personalities, their visuals, their songs ― all of it. In fact, many of our members (90 percent of whom are not Korean) have started to learn Korean to better understand the music and dramas. Hallyu has definitely started to grow beyond its typical Asian boundaries. I think we will see Hallyu spread to the U.S., Latin America and Europe in 2011. However, for Hallyu to be truly successful abroad, Korean entertainment companies need to better understand international fans better ― this is important for creating new fans and reaching out to new markets.

KH: What can Korean websites and firms interested in Hallyu learn from Soompi?

Kim: I would say two differences between Soompi and Korean sites are 1) we really take into consideration the community’s desires when we build new products ― meaning oftentimes we look at community feedback first when thinking about new features and 2) we push out features before they are 100 percent perfect ― sometimes it means it has bugs, but it also means we can get our full community reaction quickly and fix or change things as needed.

For entertainment firms working in the Hallyu industry, it is important to make the music and drama content easily available for international fans. People in Korea do not realize how hard it is for international fans to buy the music and dramas legally ― there are not good options available. If entertainment firms made their content for easily available for international purchase, then more international fans would buy the content. But at the moment, we cannot even easily register on Korean websites.

KH: To create new and successful services based on social network service, what should and shouldn’t Korean venture startups do?

Kim: I see many Korean startups that are testing or half-heartedly targeting the global market. The decision whether to go global should be made early as it significantly impacts the kind of team that needs to be built and the product. If you are building an SNS service targeting the international market, then you should create your team abroad.

KH: What was the purpose of your latest visit to Seoul, and what did you feel when you were in Seoul?

Kim: I visit Seoul at least once a year to meet with Korean entertainment companies and Korean Internet startups. On the entertainment front, there is strong interest in online and social media strategy from the entertainment companies. This is one of the big growth opportunities for Hallyu. But I think Korean entertainment companies will need to hire people with international Internet experience to really open that opportunity.

[Guest adikkeluangman]

Kim Hye Soo posts pictures from her youth

Actress Kim Hye Soo has revealed through her mini-homepage a “Lil Soo” photo collection from her kindergarten years to late teens.

The photos highlighted Kim Hye Soo’s immaculate features, porcelain skin, and deer-like eyes, proving her natural beauty.

Her array of expressions from cute to sexy were perfect example of her future career as an all-encompassing actress.

Netizens showed vibrant reaction, “Original national little sister”, “Template for natural beauty”, “Queen of past photos”, and “Always the actress, so amazing“, pouring on the actress their praises.

http://www.allkpop.com/2010/12/kim-hye-soo-posts-pictures-from-her-youth