Entertainment - The Korea Times

Producers of audition show 'Sing Again' give glimpse of new season

Chief producer Yoon Hyun-joon, left, and producer Chae Seong-wook of JTBC's new music competition show, "Sing Again 2" / Courtesy of JTBCBy Lee Gyu-leeJTBC's audition show, “Sing Again,” is set to premiere a new season, following the success of its first, which ended with a 10 percent viewership rating in February. Led by chief producer Yoon Hyun-joon, who also created the music show, “Two Yoo Project ― Sugar Man,” the show's purpose is to provide a second chance for lesser-known singers who have never been in the spotlight before.“The show brings competitors together to set their titles aside and compete solely with their talent,” the chief producer said in a written interview, Tuesday.The first season garnered huge popularity, launching its top three finalists ― Lee Seung-yoon, Jeong Hong-il and Lee Mu-jin ― into stardom. The tickets for the after-show concert featuring the top 10 finalists sold out within minutes. Producer Chae Seong-wook, who is joining the show for the new season, noted that the contestants' journey of finding their identity a

Nov 24, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

Producers of audition show 'Sing Again' give glimpse of new season

Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi give sneak peek of new romance drama 'Our Beloved Summer'

Choi Woo-shik in a scene from SBS's new drama, “Our Beloved Summer”/ Courtesy of Studio N, Super Moon PicturesBy Kwak Yeon-sooActors Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi are reuniting in SBS's new romance series “One Beloved Summer,” three years after starring together in “The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion.”The upcoming series centers on high school sweethearts who meet again after 10 years through a business relationship. A documentary they filmed as a couple suddenly goes viral online, and they are given a new chance. Choi plays the role of Choi Woong, a successful illustrator, while Kim portrays Gook Yeon-soo, a workaholic PR specialist.Returning to the small screen after four years since JTBC's “The Package,” Choi picked “a well-written script” as the reason for choosing the project. “Unlike movie scripts that reveal everything from beginning to end, drama scripts give actors only limited information about future episodes. I got to read the first few episodes, which left me curious to find out what happens next,” he

Nov 23, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi give sneak peek of new romance drama 'Our Beloved Summer'

'Squid Game' team gets bonuses from Netflix

A still of South Korea's dystopian drama “Squid Game” / Courtesy of NetflixBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe “Squid Game” team has received one-time bonuses from Netflix in the past weeks, according to Bloomberg News.The media report came amid an “underemployment” controversy raised by some Korean experts who claim Netflix does not sufficiently value the efforts of the creators, producers and cast members. The amounts of money paid to the team are not the level of “life-changing,” the Bloomberg article said. “The cast received less than the stars of (U.S. TV series) 'Succession' get paid for one episode. The bonuses are a recognition of how lucrative 'Squid Game' has been for Netflix. The show, which cost just $21 million to produce, is estimated to be worth more than $900 million to Netflix,” the article read. Netflix's one-time bonuses for the Squid Game team, paid in the past couple of weeks, came at a time when some Koreans were complaining about the global streaming giant's inequitable financial reward model. The South Korean dysto

Nov 23, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Squid Game' team gets bonuses from Netflix

'Hellbound' vs 'Squid Game': What global chart says about two Korean dramas

A still of director Yeon Sang-ho's “Hellbound” / Courtesy of NetflixPopularity of 'Hellbound' appears not to be as solid as that of 'Squid Game'By Kang Hyun-kyungWriter-director Yeon Sang-ho's fantasy drama, “Hellbound,” has topped the top 10 Netflix shows list only 24 hours after its official release last Friday.The Korean drama was quick to rise to global stardom, generating quite a buzz in the Korean entertainment industry, with some hastily predicting that the fantasy drama could become another “Squid Game,” which has become the most-watched Netflix series ever. Despite sharing some parallels, the two Netflix original series are different in terms of their paths to success and audience reactions. “Hellbound” was quicker to top the global charts than “Squid Game.” It took only a day to rise to the No. 1 spot on Netflix's top 10 most watched shows, while “Squid Game” won the same title eight days after its official release. The global streaming chart, uploaded by FlixPatrol, a website that updates daily VOD cha

Nov 22, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung

'Hellbound' vs 'Squid Game': What global chart says about two Korean dramas

Korea's 'Hellbound' debuts at No. 1 spot on Netflix

This image provided by Netflix shows a scene from "Hellbound." Courtesy of NetflixThe South Korean fantasy horror "Hellbound" has topped the world's popular TV show rankings on the day after its release.According to data by streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, the Korean-language Netflix original became the most-watched TV program on the streaming platform Saturday (U.S. time), a day after its global premier.The show placed No. 1 on the most-watched show list in 24 nations, including South Korea, Belgium and Mexico, while it finished third in several countries like the United States and Canada.It pushed down the global sensation "Squid Game," also a Korean-language original, to second place, which has long maintained the top spot.Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho of "Train to Busan (2016), "Hellbound" depicts social turmoil and unrest after a series of inexplicable supernatural phenomena.It is based on a webtoon titled "Hell," written and drawn by Yeon, and which has received widespread acclaim since its release in 2019.On the following day, however, "Hellbound" dropped to second

Nov 22, 2021

Korea's 'Hellbound' debuts at No. 1 spot on Netflix

'I-Land' producer returns with new season of dating show 'Love Catcher'

The hosts of dating reality show “Love Catcher,” from left, Sunny, Jang Do-yeon, producer Jeong Min-seok, Son Ho-jun, and Miyeon, pose for pictures during the show's online press conference, Friday. Courtesy of TVINGBy Lee Gyu-leeProducer Jeong Min-seok, who co-produced the Emmy Awards-nominated audition show, “I-Land,” is set to showcase a new dating game show “Love Catcher in Seoul,” Friday. The show is a newly revised season of the reality show, “Love Catcher,” which aired two seasons on CJ ENM's network, Mnet, from 2018 to 2019.The show is getting a makeover after being picked up by the media giant's streaming service TVING as its original. “It's been two years since the last season. I've felt so much affection towards 'Love Catcher.' So I've been looking for ways to keep this a long-running show,” the producer, who has led the show since the first season, said during the online press conference of the show, Friday. “So I turned this show into a new series that will cover love and relationships in various cities ar

Nov 19, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

'I-Land' producer returns with new season of dating show 'Love Catcher'

New and improved 'The Dresser' returns to theater

Song Seung-whan, playing the character of 'Sir' in the play, “The Dresser,” and other actors, perform in a press presentation for the theater production at the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of the National Jeongdong Theater of KoreaBy Park Ji-wonRonald Harwood's play, “The Dresser,” returned to the stage last year, though its performance schedule was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.The play, presented by the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, revolves around an aging actor, Sir, and his devoted costumier, Norman, performing in a provincial theatre in the English provinces in 1942 during World War II. The actor, who is preparing to perform King Lear, starts to act strangely right before his appearance on stage due to an air raid, forgetting his lines and the existential quandary he is supposed to be portraying. Norman and the theater's other staff members make every effort to help the actor get on stage and perform.Sir will be played by veteran actor Song Seung-whan, who is better known as the chief producer of the iconic rhy

Nov 18, 2021By Park Ji-won

New and improved 'The Dresser' returns to theater

Netflix 'Busted' producer presents one-of-a-kind, utopian reality show 'New World'

The cast members of Netflix's new reality show, “New World," Eun Ji-won, from left, Jo Bo-ah, Lee Seung-gi, co-producers Go Min-seok and Cho Hyo-jin, Kai, Park Na-rae, and Kim Hee-chul pose for pictures during an online press conference for the show, WednesdayBy Lee Gyu-leeProducer Cho Hyo-jin, who created Netflix's first Korean variety show, “Busted!,” has teamed up with the show's co-producer, Go Min-seok, for another Netflix reality show, “New World," set to premiere on Saturday. Set on the island of Oedo, in South Gyeongsang Province, the upcoming show takes six celebrities ― comedian Park Na-rae, actress Jo Bo-ah, and singers Eun Ji-won, Lee Seung-gi, Kai, and Kim Hee-chul ― into a utopian world. While the cast members spend six days on the island, they have to go through rounds of missions to earn a virtual currency that they can exchange for cash on the final day, which leads them to devise strategies to beat and backstab each other. “We started off with the idea to create a show that really focuses on being fun. Since the COVID-19 spread, people

Nov 17, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

Netflix 'Busted' producer presents one-of-a-kind, utopian reality show 'New World'

'Squid Game' becomes most-watched Netflix show with record 1.65 billion hours

Masked actors pose during an event organized by the Enigma Room escape game in Milan on Nov. 14, where participants play some of the games of the world-famous Korean TV survival drama "Squid Game." AFP-YonhapThe South Korean sensation "Squid Game" has posted a total of 1.65 billion hours of streaming in the first four weeks of release, becoming the most-watched Netflix content of all time.Netflix on Tuesday (U.S time) released the global top 10 lists of films and TV shows based on hours viewed in their respective first 28 days on its platform."Squid Game" topped the non-English popular TV show list with an aggregate 1.65 billion hours of viewing over the first four weeks following its premiere on Sept. 17. It is equivalent to 188,400 years in total.Earlier, Netflix said about 142 million households had watched the dystopian series over the cited period.Its total viewing hours far outnumbered that of other Netflix hits, including the period romance drama "Bridgerton" Season 1, which placed No. 1 on the English-language popular TV show table with a total of 625 million viewing hours.Th

Nov 17, 2021

'Squid Game' becomes most-watched Netflix show with record 1.65 billion hours

Netflix series 'Hellbound' to premier this week

Actors Yang Ik-joon, from left, Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jung-min, and Won Jin-a pose for pictures during a press conference for the new Netflix series "Hellbound," Tuesday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeNetflix's new series, “Hellbound,” one of the most anticipated programs of the year, is finally set to premiere on the streaming site Friday. Director Yeon Sang-ho / Courtesy of NetflixBased on the webcomic, the dark, mystery series was created by filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who directed the zombie flicks “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula,” and screenwriter Choi Gyu-seok, and revolves around a fictional society where individuals are told the time and date of their death.When the time comes, supernatural creatures appear and brutally condemn the individual to hell. Amid the chaos, a religious group rises to power by preaching divine justice, while a group of people attempt to fight the group and its twisted belief. The series adaptation is written and directed by Yeon. “This series is about a supernatural incident happening in the middle of

Nov 16, 2021By Lee Gyu-lee

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