Crush of the Day: Gong Hyo Jin

Not every actress can pull off girl next door sexy with such aplomb. But Gong Hyo Jin does it time and time again in real life and on screen. Not only is she talented, but she has such an easy going way about her. Even her outfit above – floral dress paired with the kickass shoes – just radiates her inner beauty mixed with some good ole’ sass. She has always been one of my favorite actresses ever since she played the feisty Mi Rae in Ruler of Your Own World. But she recently upped the ante as the lovable Gu Ae Jung in Greatest Love. I liked her in Pasta but she just hit all the right notes for me and sang her way into my heart as a national treasure. There were quite a few of her projects on my “to watch” list so I’ve been devouring them faster than you can say ‘ding dong’.

You’ve Fallen for Me: Midterm Report

The re-teaming of Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa has been turning away heads in Korea. It’s seen dismal ratings (5-6%) and has netizens writing scathing comments about the drama. One recent review called all the characters an abomination, accused Lee Shin (Jung Yong Hwa) of being a stalker and Kyu Won (Park Shin Hye) a meddlesome ajumma for butting into Shin’s relationship. Way harsh I say! Readers of this blog may remember my You’re Beautiful obsession, so I probably have a soft spot for these 2 actors. But I’ve enjoyed the breezy feel of You’ve Fallen for Me. It’s not reinventing the wheel by any means but what else is new? Every other kdrama has characters falling into stalker-ish behavior and I believe the tenet of kdramaland is being in each other’s business.

I can understand what the netizens are saying. On a micro level, the characters can be annoying. It takes Shin 7 episodes to let go of his teacher crush and Kyu Won does become a bit of a nag. I guess it doesn’t bother me as much because I see the drama as a slice of campus life. Even though it seems like eons ago, I remember my college days and my heightened emotions, especially when I was in love (i.e. had a crush.)

More than a specific storyline or character, I’ve been drawn to the feel of the drama. I’m especially enjoying the colors and the set design. It just seems to fit. Doesn’t the promo remind you of Girls Generation in Gee? (I’ve always been drawn to the SNSD videos more than any of the other idol groups. They’re kitschy but fun.)

Cutest Couple Ever

Seriously – how cute are they?? The Smile, You couple, Lee Chun Hee and Jeon Hye Jin, are just adorable together. They got married in March and have a baby coming any minute. You can even see the slight bump in the wedding pic. The couple has a new CF where Lee Chun Hee plans a surprise event for his pregnant wife. (Cute, cute, cute.)

In drama news, Lee Chun Hee will be the lead in a sageuk KBS short at the end of the month. Love me some Lee Chun Hee in a sageuk so I’m looking for to it.

Below the jump are some great pics of the couple – wedding and a photo shoot. And a small clip of the CF.

My Year in Kdramaland

3 Ha Ji Wons, 2 Lee Da Haes, and a lovely Gong Hyo Jin later… I can’t believe it’s already July. The first half of the year has been a blur. The baby has kept me busy and tired. And it takes me about 5 sittings to finish watching an episode of a drama these days with a now more active baby. I had to stop watching The Duo half way because I couldn’t remember which episode I was watching and kept having to backtrack to figure out the storyline. It will need to be shelved until I can piece together more time.

But I have been able to watch a number of dramas (some halfway) for the better part of the past year and thought I would do a condensed review. What have I learned? Ha Ji Won is a goddess.

Checking in with The Duo

The Duo finally had the adults debut a few weeks ago which helped the ratings front runner to firmly establish its hold. I, of course, initially tuned in to watch Chun Jung Myung and was quickly sucked into the drama with its good story, acting, dialogue, and pacing. The initial disappointed of not seeing Chun Jung Myung early on died down quickly as the kids did a pretty fabulous job of showing layers to each character.

And then the “10 Years Later” sign finally flashed and the stars showed up on screen. ‘Finally’ I thought to myself. As much as I had been enjoying the kids story, I was ready for some adult action. Unfortunately, the crop of adult actors are doing no justice to the still great drama. Han Ji Hye is a total bore – it’s like she’s playing a different character than Jin Se Yun (child counterpart) as the compassionate and arrogant Dong Nyeo. Sadly, Chun Jung Myung first foray into a sageuk hasn’t been a good one [yet]. He seems confused and befuddled as Chun Doong, the lovable slave turned shoemaker turned merchant, after he was fabulously played by the child actor No Young Hak. Also, am I the only one who’s bothered by the oddly teased hair?? Lee Sang Yoon is quite one note as the fake son of nobility, Gwi Dong. Seo Hyun Jin is probably the best as the feisty shoemaker, Dal Yi. Besides all having their own issues, whether its robot-like delivery, ineptitude at sageuk talk, or downright bad acting, it’s the chemistry between the leads which has dropped off the planet.