Entertainment - The Korea Times

Koreas Next Top Model to debut

Model Jang Yoon-ju to take Tyra Banks' role as host/judge By Han Sang-hee The famous opening “You wanna be on top?” signals the start of the hit reality show “America’s Next Top Model,” and local fans can now watch the exciting show with a bit of a twist. A Korean twist, that is. The popular show produced and hosted by model Tyra Banks has been remade in numerous countries, including Australia, Germany and now Korea. Korea, infatuated with entertaining television, has already had an array of reality shows searching for young and talented models via both major and cable networks. Despite the interest, most of the shows failed to captivate viewers and create a stir. Some found fault in the format, which resembled “America’s Next Top Model” but didn’t carry that edgy and nail-biting excitement, while others pointed out the lack of originality and personality of the contestants. Now, cable channel OnStyle is aiming to bring the best show in the current model-search reality show scene, with some of the best known fashion experts as judges and photographers. “(Thi

Sep 15, 2010

Chuseok: prime time for couch potatoes

By Lee Hyo-won, Han Sang-hee Chuseok is the time for migrating home en masse, or for film buffs and couch potatoes, the perfect time to camp out in front of the screen. A couple of date movies are opening the fall cinema lineup while TV networks are offering a colorful array of programs for the big holiday. Travelers can even tune into fun programs en route through IPTV, to make the long road trip less grueling. Sugary romances on big screen The cinema lineup this year was mostly marked by hardboiled action flicks and ruthless, skin-crawling thrillers. While Won Bin’s bloody drama ``The Man From Nowhere’’ continues to top the box office with more than 5.1 million viewers as of Sept. 5, a couple of romantic dramas will open Thursday for the mellow fall season. Koreans have a soft spot for tragic melodrama, and even romantic comedies often cannot escape the traps of tragicomedies. On the post-``My Sassy Girl’’ Korean cinema scene the romantic comedy genre has repeatedly suffered from the problem of trying to substantiate silly slapstick with a dose of heartbreaking drama

Sep 14, 2010

Baekje revived through TV documentary

By Han Sang-hee The Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C.-660 A.D.) is commonly known as the “lost kingdom,” probably because there are not many historical records, artifacts or sites that can give us clues compared to other kingdoms. Broadcaster EBS has been seeking to find more about the hidden history and culture, and it finally offers its documentary “Sabiseong, the Lost City” this week. The documentary features an extraordinary journey and insights into King Seong, the 26th king of the Baekje Kingdom. The relatively young ruler had a grand vision and also great interest in geography, and was able to come up with something not many kings thought of: moving the nation’s capital. The kingdom, which was originally located in Woongjin, what is now Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, was politically torn and ravaged by wars; the young king understood that change was needed to bring back the glorious days of his kingdom. Despite opposition from royal officials who feared the move would affect their political stance, the king spearheaded the project and founded the first city built under spe

Sep 12, 2010

Local kids productions should go global

By Han Sang-hee Walk into a stationery store in Seoul and you will find numerous colorful office and home appliance products decorated with various characters and avatars. Korea is infatuated with unique and cute characters, but it requires a bit more to translate them to take on educational roles and acquire an international presence. ``(Korea has a) knack for designing cute adorable characters. From a design point of view, it’s probably the best in the world,’’ Josh Selig, head of Little Airplane Productions, told The Korea Times during an interview last Sunday at a hotel in Seoul. Little Airplane Productions is a production company that specializes in making preschool television shows. First established in 1999, the company created the Emmy award-winning show ``The Wonder Pets’’ and continued to captivate young viewers with ``Go, Baby!’’ ``Oobi!’’ and ``3rd & Bird.’’ Selig was in Korea to attend the Chuncheon Ani-town Festival and the broadcast content trade show BCWW. ``I have become an ambassador for preschool television and so my business is really knowing

Sep 8, 2010

Is local TV neglecting younger crowd?

By Han Sang-hee For four-year-old preschooler Park Sang-lin, watching television is not as exciting as it used to be. “She loves television, but it’s hard to find something that fits her age and needs. Local programs tend to be a bit boring for her, so she watches cartoons or other children’s programs made overseas,” Min So-ra, Park’s mother, told The Korea Times. Local channels are failing to satisfy children’s needs. Some networks simply air cartoons while others broadcast out-of-date shows. What will it take for local networks to come up with fun, colorful and educational programs fit for the younger crowd? Lacking homegrown programs Before the Internet explosion, children’s television programs were quite popular in Korea. Many preschoolers and young children started their days watching popular shows such as “Ppo Ppo Ppo” (MBC) or “Ding Dong Deng Kindergarten” (EBS) learning songs, the Korean alphabet and arts and craft, but nowadays, it’s hard to find original and creative shows on public television. Even local cable channels targeting children, including J

Aug 31, 2010

Will Naughty Kiss create magic?

By Han Sang-hee A catchy storyline, plus likable characters, is a must for dramas. And this is probably why some are made into various versions in different countries, particularly in Asia. But to be successful they need a little more to create a stir among the smart and somewhat ruthless viewers today. Following the comic-drama “Boys Over Flowers” (2009, KBS), which was remade in Japan, Taiwan and Korea, a new comic adaptation, “Naughty Kiss,” is awaiting its first airing next month, with hopes that it will attract viewers and also surpass its Japanese and Taiwanese versions. “Naughty Kiss” first appeared as a comic series from 1990 to 1999 by Japanese cartoonist Kaoru Tada’s “Itazura na Kiss” and was made into a television drama in 1996 and also a cartoon in 2008. The popular series was later remade into a television soap in Taiwan in 2005. And now it awaits its Korean remake with a star-studded cast this September. The show brings two doll-faced characters back to the small screen: young stars Kim Hyun-joong and Jung So-min. Kim will play the arrogant yet smart a

Aug 30, 2010

Miss Korea crowned Miss Asia

By Han Sang-hee You Soo-jung, second runner-up in the Miss Korea 2009 pageant, was crowned Miss Asia at the gala for Miss Supranational 2010, held in Plock, Poland, Saturday. The 24-year-old charmed the judges and audience while wearing an elegant evening gown and a colorful hanbok, traditional Korean dress, at the event, where 66 beauties from around the world competed for the title. After she made it into the top 20, You showed off her belly dancing skills but failed to reach the final 5. ``I am so happy to have won such a great honor,’’ she said upon arrival back home. ``The experience was a happy one as I did everything I could to represent Korea,’’ she added. You participated in the Miss Korea 2009 Pageant as Miss Daejeon, and was chosen the second runner-up. She is currently an English literature major at Mokwon University and hopes to work at a television company.

Aug 29, 2010

Drama fest to offer diversity

By Han Sang-hee The Seoul International Drama Festival, to be held from Sept. 1 to 10, will likely provide drama lovers a little bit more than just enjoying the storylines and characters. First launched in 2006, the annual event will bring various events, showcases and a red carpet event inviting some of the most promising and popular dramas from around the world. From 2006, the festival has made rapid growth in many countries and this year it is embroidered with colorful events. More than 172 works from 43 countries entered the preliminaries, exciting the event organizers and also the jury. ``Due to the economic downturn, drama productions have seen a decline, but we still found some interesting works from the United States, England, Ireland and of course, Korea,’’ said programmer Ha Jae-ho during a press conference for the event at the Seoul Press Center. The Best Drama Awards will be the most competitive category, with 19 works vying for prizes under the short, mini-series and epic sections. Among them, the highest bets are on ``NCIS season 7’’ from the U.S.

Aug 24, 2010

Mickys challenge: from idol to actor

By Han Sang-hee Transforming from an idol to an actor can be tricky. Not only does it require superb acting skills to wash away that idol image, but he or she must go through worries, criticism and also harsh self-discipline. Amid the numerous crossovers of young and determined stars, a particularly famous one is aiming to captivate viewers with his never-before-seen acting. Dressed in ``hanbok,’’ or traditional Korean clothes, TVXQ member Micky (real name Park Yoo-chun) looked proud, yet a bit nervous to represent his first–ever drama ``Sungkyunkwan Scandal’’ at a press conference held at the W Hotel, northern Seoul, last week. The doll-faced 24-year-old will appear as Lee Sun-jun in the period drama and work with fellow actors Park Min-young, Song Joong-ki and Yoo Ah-in. The soap is a ``campus romance drama,’’ according to the production company, and will bring Korean history, comedy and romance to the small screen. Korean period dramas have not only been popular here, but also overseas, and they tend to have certain patterns: traditional dress, ancie

Aug 22, 2010

K-Pop concerts beckon fans

By Han Sang-hee After Stevie Wonder wowed fans with his popular tunes, powerful vocals and unforgettable stage presence, local K-pop groups are following suit with a festival to keep the musical wave high and flowing. SM Entertainment, one of the main agencies here, responsible for some of the most popular stars including BoA and Girls’ Generation, is holding SM TOWN LOVE ’10 World Tour in Seoul beginning on Aug. 21. Staged at the main stadium of Sport Complex, Seoul the six-hour event boasts a lineup of the cream of the crop. BoA, who has recently returned to the local K-pop scene with her new number ``Hurricane Venus,’’ will aim to dazzle fans with her talented vocals and dance moves. The 23-year-old singer has proven her star power in Korea and Japan. Despite not doing as well as she had hoped in the United States in 2009, she is still a fan favorite thanks to her charisma and considerable experience as a top singer despite her young age. Fellow singer Kang Ta, and also an older performer in the SM stable, will join BoA to impress fans with his balladic tunes. The 3

Aug 15, 2010

Shows & Dramas