Minimix 38

• Two Days and One Night (1N2D; 1박2일) will try to follow up its successful Audience Tour Special with a Foreigner Tour Special. Six foreigners residing in Korea were invited to join Kang Ho Dong, MC Mong, Kim C, Lee Su Geun, and Lee Seung Gi on a trip to Chungsando from August 5 to 6. The guests ranged in language abilities, but there were no translators used. The Foreigner Tour Special will be broadcast on August 16 and 23 on KBS2.
  

  Two Days and One Night

  In other 1N2D news, there are currently discussions regarding whether or not Kim Jong Min will return as a regular member upon his completion of military service in December.

• On August 5, members of DC Inside (internet community portal) Jung Il Woo Gallery congratulated the actor’s 1000th day since his debut by sending rice cake snacks for the entire cast and crew of Jung’s new drama, My Fair Lady. The rice cakes were accompanied by several other gifts for the star.
  

  gifts from DC Jung Il Woo Gallery

• Tamra, the Island (also called Tamna the Island; 탐나는 도다)’s leads, Im Ju Hwan and Seo Woo have denied reports that they are dating. In an interview with Money Today’s Star News, Im stated that they are just good colleagues. (When asked, he responded that his last relationship was a couple of years ago with a fellow university student.) Since the Group Eight production filmed for four months last year in Jeju-do, the four main cast members – Seo Woo, Im Ju Hwan, Hwang Chan Bin, and Lee Sun Ho – grew very close. Tamra, the Island begins its broadcast this weekend at 7:55pm.
  

  Im Ju Hwan & Seo Woo

• Yashimmanman 2 broadcast its Brilliant Legacy special this week with guests Han Hyo Joo, Lee Seung Gi, Moon Chae Won, Bae Soo Bin, Kim Mi Sook, and Yoo Ji In. On the program, Moon Chae Won was asked which of her former co-stars she likes better – Lee Min Ho or Lee Seung Gi. Her response?
  

  Moon Chae Won

  Lee Seung Gi!

• Style debuted last weekend on SBS with a strong viewership of approximately 17%. Although reviews were generally favourable, there was significant criticism towards E Ji Ah’s over-the-top acting  as opposed to Kim Hye Soo’s strong performance as Editor Park Gi Ja.

• Cha Ye Ryun and Lee Dong Gun have supposedly ended their relationship – but sources close to Lee are claiming that the two were never dating in the first place and remain good friends.

Minimix 33

• After releasing on their respective solo albums, Horan and Alex returned to the electronica genre with DJ Clazzi. Clazziquai Project released its fourth album, Mucho Punk, on July 14. A slight variation of the album was released at the beginning of this month in Japan under the title Mucho Musica. They will perform on Mnet Countdown on July 23 and live at Seongnam ARt Center on August 21 and 22.
  

• SBS will broadcast a special program for its weekend hit Brilliant Legacy on Monday, August 3. Kang Ho Dong – Lee Seung Gi’s close colleague and show fan (refer to the fourth point in Minimix 29) – will be host the program and give viewers a glimpse behind the scenes. Lee Seung Gi, Han Hyo Joo, Bae Soo Bin, Moon Chae Won, and other cast members will participate in filming the special on July 30.
  

  Brilliant Legacy

• Joo Jin Mo, Kim Beom, Son Dam Bi, Choi Yeo Jin and the rest of the cast and crew of SBS drama Dream kicked things off with a ceremony on July 15 at Ilsan Production Center.
  

  Kim Beom with Son Dam Bi, Joo Jin Mo, Choi Yeo Jin in background

  The other lead cast member is Park Sang Won (Hateful But Once Again) as CEO Kang Kyung Tak. Julien Kang, Marcos Benjamin Lee, Hyun Woo, and Chung Lim have minor roles as Flower Fighters 101 (Double F 101) – a group of good-looking martial artists. Dream is scheduled to premiere on July 27 on SBS following Ja Myung Go‘s early exit.

  

  Son Dam Bi, Joo Jin Mo, Kim Beom

• Actress Kim Sung Eun (Returned Earthen Bowl) and athlete Jung Jo Gook (FC Seoul) will hold their wedding at 6pm on December 11 at Walkerhill W Hotel’s Vista Hall. The two are approaching their one year anniversary, having been introduced to each other by friends last July. Both are in their mid-twenties, with Kim being several months older than Jung.
  

  Jung Jo Gook, Kim Sung Eun

• Mother, starring Kim Hye Ja and Won Bin, has been invited to have its North American premiere at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September. The TIFF describes it as “a unique noir thriller that digs into the secrecy surrounding a terrible murder and the mystery of a mother’s primal love for her son” and praises director Bong Joon Ho.
  

  Mother

Minimix 32

• Viewers are growing increasingly frustrated with two of Triple‘s love lines – Ha Ru chasing after Hwan (her stepbrother) and Hyun Tae pursuing Soo Yin (his best friend Hwal’s wife). Following this week’s broadcasts, many viewers posted complaints online saying that the forced relationships were extremely uncomfortable to watch. Triple‘s ratings continue to hover around 7%.
  

  Hwal & Ha Ru

• Brilliant Legacy surpassed 40% viewership on Sunday, officially making it a national drama. In episode 24, Eun Sung (Han Hyo Joo) turned down Jun Se (Bae Soo Bin)’s job offer as well as his love while Hwan (Lee Seung Gi) disappointed Seung Mi (Moon Chae Won) by telling her that he hasn’t liked anyone until now. Jinsung Foods is also in crisis with Jun Se’s father and Seung Mi’s mother plotting against Hwan’s grandmother and Eun Sung. The show has four more episodes before being replaced by Style.
  

  the leads of Brilliant Legacy

• Shinhwa member Kim Dong Wan wrote an open letter to Amy, Lee Min Woo’s ex-girlfriend, on his minihompy. He blasted her for speaking [negatively] about Min Woo in a recently published interview with ISplus. Labelling her actions as weird and messy, Kim requested that she no longer talks about her ex-boyfriend in interviews. Kim defended his friend’s character (which Amy sort of implied was not honest) and said, “Like you would know him better than we – who have spent 12 years with him – do”. He also questioned why the journalist wrote this interview when he/she must have known that Amy would get spoken ill of. Kim Dong Wan is currently serving military duty.
  

  Kim Dong Wan's message to Amy

• Actress Song Ji Hyo, who starred in A Frozen Flower and Goong, volunteered in Baseco, Philippines as the 10th part of tvN’s World Special LOVE project. She helped set up a school in the community and acted as a dental assistant. “Song Ji Hyo’s Episode: The Road to Baseco” was broadcast on July 11. tvn’s World Special LOVE series began last May to highlight international charity work by featuring Korean celebrities on the program.
  

  Song Ji Hyo

• Kim Myung Min said on July 10’s broadcast of Section TV Entertainment Report that he never wants to diet again. While filming My Love By My Side, Kim lost 20 kilograms to realistically portray a Lou Gehrig’s patient. He went from weighing 72 kilograms during Beethoven Virus to a mere 52 kilograms at a height of 180 centimetres. (He has gained some weight back after the completion of filming.) In addition, Kim said that he had daily nightmares of going to the hospital and being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
  

  Kim Myung Min

Minimix 27

• Jung Hyung Don and girlfriend Han Yu Ra have set a wedding date! After formally introducing their families on June 9, they have set September 12 as their wedding date although the venue has yet to be decided. The two met last year while working together on the SBS show Mystery Commando – he as a host and she as a scriptwriter. (She currently writes for MBC’s 오늘 밤만 재워줘 – loosely translated as Let Me Stay Over Tonight.) Although they began dating around October of 2008, the relationship was not publicized until this past April. Two of Jung’s Infinity Challenge co-hosts – Jung Joon Ha and Noh Hong Chul – also revealed their relationships this year.
  

  Jung Hyung Don and Han Yu Ra

• After a year and two months, Tablo is stepping down from being the DJ of Tablo’s Dream Station on MBC FM4U. There were various reasons cited – including increasing activities abroad and preparation for their sixth album as well as a remix album. June 13 will be his last broadcast.
  

  Tablo (from his blog on http://www.mapthesoul.com)

• Hit weekend drama, Brilliant Legacy, has been extended by two episodes (to a total of 28) due to high ratings. Discussion continues over extending it further to 30 episodes, but has yet to be approved.
  In related news, the show’s male lead, Lee Seung Gi (Sunwoo Hwan), distributed gifts to the entire staff of approximately 70 people. He gave each crew member a sweater, t-shirt, and handwritten letter to express his gratitude for their hard work. It reportedly took him about a week to write all of the personalized letters in between filming for Brilliant Legacy and Two Days and One Night.
  

  Brilliant Legacy - poster

• JYP Entertainment opened up an official English-language website for the Wonder Girls as their fame rises in America. In a hugely successful move for the group, the girls – Yenny “the go-getter”, Mimi “the daydreamer”, Sun “the perfectionist”, Sohee “the chic”, and Yubin “the swagger” – are touring with the Jonas Brothers for the entire summer. (KP’s note: Many Korean articles are referring to the Jonas Brothers as “America’s Big Bang” – in your opinion – true or false?)
  

  Wonder Girls

  In related news, the Wonder Girls are in China for a couple of days along with the cast of Two Days and One Night (1N2D / 1박 2일) to film a segment for the show before heading to the U.S.

• Hyun Young will begin studying at Korea University’s Graduate School of Journalism & Mass Communication this coming September. At age 32, Hyun Young stated that she is eager to study seriously since she is starting later than most. She will become schoolmates with actresses Lee In Hea (Iron Empress) and Kim A Joong (The Accidental Couple).
  

  Hyun Young

• Hallyu star Lee Young Ae (Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) was accepted into Hanyang University’s doctorate program for Theater & Cinema after submitting documents and passing an interview. Although she did not do a written test, a representative from Hanyang stated that Lee received no special consideration and was accepted on the same standard as all other doctorate students. After registering in July, she will begin her studies on September 1. Lee previously studied German at Hanyang for her undergraduate degree and attended Chung-Ang for her Master’s in theatre.
  

  Lee Young Ae

• Lee Kyung Kyu and Eun Ji Won join Kim Gu Ra and Moon Hee Jun as hosts on SBS variety program, Intimate Note (절친노트). The program will undergo some changes and be called Intimate Note 2 beginning June 19. Rather than inviting guests who are uncomfortable with each other to resolve their problems on the show (previous guests include Sohee-Yoobin, Seung Ri-Dae Sung, and Kangin-Sungmin), the second season will invite celebrity best friends to show viewers what true friendship is like. Close friends Kim Je Dong, Yoon Do Hyun, Kim Jang Hoon, and Bae Chil Soo will be Intimate Note 2‘s first featured guests.
  

  Intimate Note 2 hosts

Minimix 20

• Singer-DJ Koo Jun Yup is holding a press conference on May 6 to address rumours about being involved with drugs. It is reportedly out of concern for his mother’s health that DJ.Koo is making it clear that he should not be accused of doing drugs every time a celebrity drug scandal breaks out. He feels wronged, as May 2 was the third time he has been investigated by the police for drug abuse in his lifetime, solely based on the fact that he is a club DJ. A source close to Koo said that he doesn’t even smoke and is concerned at how the accusations cause stress to his family members.
  

  Koo Jun Yup

• Lee Ha Na (26) and Ahn Sung Ki (57) are lovers in the melodramatic film, Fair Love (페어 러브), which began filming this month. Ahn plays a middle-aged photographer who begins seeing a 26-year-old university student at the request of his friend. As he falls in love with the young woman, he rediscovers purpose in his life. Fair Love is a low-budget film being produced with less than $800,000 USD.

• Xiah Junsu of TVXQ/DBSK injured his leg during rehearsal on May 3, forcing him to perform on stage in a wheelchair at the Kobe concert on May 4. Despite obviously being unable to dance, Junsu still sang all of his parts as planned. DBSK’s ‘2009 – The Secret Code’ tour will hit 10 Japanese cities in coming months.
  

  Junsu & Jaejoong

• Click here for the teaser to an extended commercial for LG’s OZ service. This is part of OZ generation’s ‘We Start‘ campaign starring Kim Beom, Kim Min Ji, Yoo Seung Ho, Lee Yeon Hee, Kim Kibum, and Choi Ara. The theme song, “We Live in Oz”, is by Clazziquai (vocals by Horan).

• Moon Geun Young showed off a different side at her fan meeting on May 2 at her current school, Sungkyunkwan University. She practiced with pro dance group, Friends, for two weeks to perform in front of approximately 700 fans in attendance.
  

  Moon Geun Young & Friends

  The event was also in celebration of her 22nd birthday. Painter of the Wind co-star Moon Chae Won made a special appearance, while Kim Tae Hee and Bae Soo Bin were among several who video-recorded their congratulatory messages. Members of her fan club, Angels, brought Moon Geun Young to tears upon surprising her with a video message from children at Ends of the Earth Study Room and the announcement that they donated books and supplies to the facility.

• MC Mong put up a picture on his minihompy of himself and girlfriend Joo Ah Min. The caption read, “The happiness of my life”.
  

  Joo Ah Min & MC Mong

• Actress Choi Jung Won (The Kingdom of the Winds) visited Bangladesh last week to volunteer with children in poverty. In particular, she made ties with three siblings who are living with their grandparents in a difficult financial situation. Choi promised to send the monthly support to lighten the burden on the eldest sibling who, at age 15, is supporting the family with his low income as a rickshaw driver. By doing so, she is giving the eldest sibling an opportunity to upgrade his education at a vocational school. She returned before the weekend to host the Children’s Day (first Sunday of each May) special, ‘Love Concert to Give Hope to Children of the Global Village’.
  

  Choi Jung Won

• A week away from his musical comeback, Jun Jin seriously injured his wrist while filming Infinity Challenge on April 30. Despite the injury, he did a photo shoot for his upcoming mini-album’s jacket cover on May 1 and filmed the music video overnight on May 2. Jun Jin is planning to go ahead as planned and perform on Show! Music Core on May 9 to promote his mini-album, which is being released on the same day. He has been recommended to get surgery shortly.

• Brilliant Legacy is off to a strong start. Within two weeks, it gained the top position among weekend dramas with a viewership of 23.2%. KBS historical drama, Iron Empress, pulled in 16.5%, while new MBC sports drama, Strike Love, trailed at 7.7%.
  

  Lee Seung Gi & Han Hyo Joo

Brilliant Legacy – Filming & Premiere Preview

Episode 1 preview, translated from SBS:

Eun Sung is in her second year of studying at C.I.A, the top culinary school in America, after switching majors without her father’s knowledge. She returns from New York to Korea due to her father suddenly summoning her to come back. In accordance with her father’s request, Eun Sung has found a school that will cater to her younger brother Eun Woo, who has Savant syndrome and is a musical genius. Eun Sung figures that she will take this opportunity to confess her wrongdoing [of secretly changing majors] and then take Eun Woo back to New York with her. Eun Sung is exiting the gates – unaware that the luxury brand bag that she bought as a gift for her father got switched with Sunwoo Hwan’s bag – when…