On December 7, Navi released her OST track “Missing You” featuring Pae Nuri of FIX, for the new drama ‘Come Come Absolutely Come‘.
“Missing You” was composed by Gavy NJ, KCM, and produced by a famous producer Min Myung Ki. Navi’s clear and beautiful voice tied well with the track’s medium tempo and smooth melody.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Singer : Navi
Single : Come, Come, Absolutely Come Part.1
Date : 7 December 2011
Source:
http://www.allkpop.com/2011/12/navi-releases-missing-you-for-new-drama-come-come-absolutely-come-ost
Singer Kim Hyun Joong has announced that he will be starring in a drama soon.
On November 29th, the star attended a press conference for the ‘2011 MAMA‘ in Singapore’s Sands Expo Convention Center. He said, “It hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but I will be acting in April of next year. We originally had a world tour in mind, but we postponed that for the drama.”
He continued, “I heard that I did well on the Billboard charts. I am very happy about that. It feels real that being #1 in Korea means being #1 in the world.”
Stay tuned for more updates on Kim Hyun Joong’s new drama!
Source:
http://www.allkpop.com/2011/11/kim-hyun-joong-to-star-in-a-drama-next-year
Title: 빛과 그림자 / Lights and Shadows
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Episodes: 50
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2011-Nov-28 to 2012-May-15
Air time: Monday and Tuesday 21:55
Production Credits
Director: Lee Joo Hwan
Screenwriter: Choi Wan Kyu
Synopsis
MBC’s special 50th-anniversary drama production “Light and Shadow” draws a man’s up and down life with modern history as its background starting from the 1960s during the Vietnam War. Ahn Jae Wook will play the role of Kang Ki Tae who is the first national entertainer for soldiers in war fields.
Cast
Main Cast
Ahn Jae Wook as Kang Ki Tae
Nam Sang Mi as Lee Jung Hye
Lee Pil Mo as Cha Soo Hyuk
Son Dam Bi as Yoo Chae Young
Supporting Cast
Jun Kwang Ryul as Jang Chul Hwan
Lee Jong won as Jo Myeong Gook
Sung Ji Roo as Sin Jeong Goo
Shin Da Eun as Kang Myeong Hee
Son Jin Yeong as Hong Soo Bong
Ahn Kil Kang as No Sang Taek
Lee Se chang as Choi Seong Won
Kim Hee Won as Yang Tae Seong
Ryu Dam as Yang Dong Cheol
Jun Gook Hwan as Kang Man Sik
Park Won Sook as Park Kyeong Ja
Kim Mi kyung as Kim Geum Rye
Seo Seung Man as Johnny Boy
Kim Dong Gyoon as Cherry Boy
Ha Jae Sook as Kim Gye Soon
Lee Ah Yi as Lee Kyung Sook
Lights and Shadows Trailer
The song isn’t released yet, but Jung Il-woo will be featured on the upcoming Flower Boy Ramyun Shop OST with the title track on its Part 3, “Someone Like You” (너란 사람).
Jung plays the delightfully immature, spoiled Chi-soo in the drama, and it’s been a hoot watching him grapple with actual human feelings the more he finds that not everybody (namely, our intrepid heroine) is going to kowtow to his every demand. It’s like Chi-soo’s got the social awareness of a 3-year-old, but wrapped up in an adult body. The song will be a warm ballad that’ll accompany Eun-bi’s (Lee Chun-ah) growing feelings as she starts to see more of Chi-soo’s childlike sincerity. Aw. We’ve sure seen a lot of the childlike, so it’s time for the latter part of that equation to step up to the plate.
If you’ll recall, Jung also contributed a track to the soundtrack of his last drama, 49 Days (posted below), which is one of my favorite tracks from that series. He’s reportedly working himself ragged (not a new state for him) with all-night shoots, song recording, and cameo appearance filming. Busy boy is busy.
Jung’s track releases on the 24th.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/jung-il-woo-sings-a-track-for-for-ramyun-shop-ost/
So the rumors were half-true: Yoon Eun-hye isn’t taking on romantic comedy series Wild Romance, but Lee Dong-wook is.
He’ll be joining Lee Shi-young, who was recently cast as the female lead, a judo athlete turned bodyguard. He plays a baseball player, and their relationship gets off to an inauspicious start with some “unpredictable bad luck.” I foresee lots of comedic clashes in their future, before the antagonism turns to love.
I love Lee Shi-young — she can make even the worst writing somewhat watchable (see: Poseidon) — and I think Lee Dong-wook has solid comic chops, so I’m looking forward to this pairing. But more than the casting, I’m particularly keen on this drama because it comes from writer Park Yeon-seon, who wrote Alone and Love and Mixed-up Investigative Agency, both of which were standouts. Directing is PD Bae Kyung-soo of Infamous Chil Sisters; actor Oh Man-seok has also joined the cast.
The drama is set for 16 episodes and premieres in January. It’ll air on Wednesdays and Thursdays, in the post-Man of Honor timeslot.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/lee-dong-wook-added-to-wild-romance/
Yet more stills are out from Padam Padam: The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats, the upcoming cable drama starring Jung Woo-sung, who is the focus of this batch of images.
Jung plays Kang-chil, a man wrongly accused of murder who serves 16 years in prison, whose innocent nature is protected in part by his younger buddy and “guardian angel” Kook-soo (Kim Bum). Kang-chil at one point experiences a near-death experience, surviving thanks to a miracle. He falls in a “fateful love” with a woman described primarily as “selfish,” played by Han Ji-min. Due to his past, he’s awkward in the romance arena and turns shy around her, bringing out his innocent, cute nature, while also contrasting with his tough side. (See: tattoos and skill with mechanics.)
So that explains Jung’s clean-cut, aw-shucks appearance in the show. Yet I can’t help feeling that Jung’s character is starting to veer past “pure” and “good-hearted” and into simpleton territory, based on the way he’s depicted here. He’s supposed to be a good boy, not Forrest Gump. And the Dumb and Dumber hair certainly doesn’t help.
I feel like we’ve been hearing about this drama forever, with photo dumps occurring on a regular basis, and yet we don’t actually know any more about it. With a respected writer like Noh Hee-kyung (The World They Live In, Goodbye Solo, More Beautiful Than a Flower) penning scripts, you’d think they’d put a bit more emphasis on the story, but other than “fateful love between an innocent man, a selfish woman, protected by a guardian angel,” we’re not getting much. It’s all the same old. How ’bout some story with that story, hmm?
Padam Padam premieres on jTBC on December 5, and will run as a Monday-Tuesday drama.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/jung-woo-sungs-image-transformation-in-padam-padam/
T-ara‘s Eunjung met with an unfortunate accident on set while filming for her new drama, ‘Queen Insoo‘.
Representatives of Core Contents Media revealed, “On November 14th, Eunjung headed straight for the ‘Queen Insoo’ set after completing her choreography rehearsal.” They continued, “Unfortunately, due to the cold weather and the fast speed of the horse, Eunjung lost her grip on the reins and fell.”
The representatives assured that Eunjung was given painkillers after she was rushed to the hospital. Shooting schedules will be readjusted accordingly after closer examination.
In related news, T-ara will be making their comeback performance on November 17th through Mnet‘s ‘M! Countdown‘.
Source:
http://www.allkpop.com/2011/11/t-aras-eunjung-falls-off-a-horse-while-filming-for-queen-insoo
Title: 브레인 / Beu-re-in / Brain
Genre: Medical
Episodes: 16 (to be confirmed)
Broadcast network: KBS2
Broadcast period: 2011-Nov-14 to 2012-Jan-3
Air time: Monday and Tuesday, 21:55
Production Credit
Director: Yoo Hyun Ki, Song Hyun Wook
Screenwriter: Yoon Kyung Ah
Synopsis
A drama that deals with the brain and neurosurgeons.
Lee Kang Hoon (Shin Ha Kyun), who graduated from the top medical school, works at the top hospital, and is the top neurosurgeon around. Basically, he’s Brain No. 1. (And he works on brains, too!) He has ambitions to become the director at his university hospital. He is obsessed with success, which is probably both his greatest flaw and strength, since it makes him steely and fierce.
However, once he meets his sunbae Kim Sang Chul (Jung Jin Young), the prickly genius doctor and world famous neurologist, he turns over a new leaf and becomes a sincere doctor. Seo Joon Suk (Jo Dong Hyuk) is a doctor and will become Lee Kang Hoon’s rival. Yoon Ji Hye (Choi Jung Won) is also a neurosurgeon who grew up in an ordinary family. She is extremely strict in matters of work and study, but has a warm bedside manner with her patients.
Cast
Shin Ha Kyun as Lee Kang Hoon
Jung Jin Young as Kim Sang Chul
Jo Dong Hyuk as Seo Joon Suk
Choi Jung Won as Yoon Ji Hye
Supporting Cast
Lee Sung Min as Ko Jae Hak
Ban Hyo Jung as Hwang Young Sun
Park Cheol Ho as Park In Bum
Im Ji Eun as Hong Eun Sook
Jo Soo Min as Im Hyun Jung
Kwak Seung Nam as Yang Bum Joon
Shim Hyung Tak as Jo Dae Sik
Lee Seung Joo as Dong Seung Man
Kwon Se In as Yeo Bong Goo
Kim Soo Hyun as Jang Yoo Jin
Song Ok Sook as Kim Soon Im
Kim Ga Eun as Lee Ha Young
Note
This Drama was original casting by Lee Sang Yoon, Yoon Seung Ah and Lee Hyun Jin, but they all left on 20/Sep/2011 after had their first script reading on 17/Sep/2011.
Brain Trailer
Lee Beom-soo, Jung Kyeo-woon, Jung Ryeo-won, Hong Soo-hyun
History of the Salaryman is the SBS drama coming from the producers of last year’s hit Giant, and after teasing cast possibilities for a while, the drama has now finalized its main cast.
Lee Beom-soo, who also starred in Giant, was an early lock for the series, with Jung Ryeo-won (Pain, Ja Myung Go) now set to play leading lady. Her name had been previously floated, so there’s no surprise with her, nor with Jung Kyeo-woon (Romance Town) also onboard, although his contracts are still in the works. We do have a fresh name in the mix, though, with Hong Soo-hyun signing on.
That’s great, since she’s fantastic. After a rather slow start in her career (Only You, Sangdoo Let’s Go To School), Hong Soo-hyun really burst out of the gates this year with a couple sharp performances: She stole scenes as the jealous frenemy to Yoon Eun-hye in Lie To Me, then put in a strong turn in The Princess’s Man as the commanding-yet-vulnerable Princess Kyung-hye. I remember thinking she was a lackluster actress in earlier dramas, but she’s on fire now and a definite actress to watch.
The four main leads all participated in the drama’s script reading last week, and will begin filming in the upcoming week, with first shoots scheduled for November 17. It’ll air in January.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/sbss-history-of-the-salaryman-finalizes-its-cast/
Title: 나도, 꽃!/ Na-do, Kkot! / Me Too, Flower!
Also known as: I’m A Flower, Too
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16 (To Be Confirmed)
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2011-Nov-09 to 2011-Dec-29
Air time: Wednesday and Thursday 21:55
Production Credits
Director: Go Dong Sun
Screenwriter: Kim Do Woo
Synopsis
A complex love story involving three women and one man.
Cast
Main Cast
Yoon Shi Yoon as Seo Jae Hee
Lee Ji Ah as Cha Bong Sun
Han Go Eun as Park Hwa Young
Seo Hyo Rim as Kim Dal
Jo Min Ki as Park Tae Hwa
Lee Ki Kwang as Jo Ma Roo
Supporting Cast
Im Ha Ryong as Bae Sang Uk
Kim Ji Sook as Kim Do Mi
Lee Byung Joon as Team leader Kim
Son Il Kwon as whimsical Manager Lee
Jung Man Shik as Kim Do Gyun
Baek Seung Hee as Lee Young Hee
Ki Joo Bong
Baek Bong Ki
Baek Seung Hwan (백승환)
Jo Sung Kyu
Heo Ga Yoon (허가윤)
Me Too, Flower! Trailer
Wow. Impressive. Yesterday’s Vampire Prosecutor episode pulled in a seriously solid 2.59% viewership rating overall. It peaked at a (minute-by-minute) high of 3.31%, making it a series best. Just yesterday I’d said it might take a little bit longer for cable dramas to make it that high, but I’m happy to stand corrected on that front.
Here’s another metric to consider: Of all 20- to 30-something female viewers watching television in that timeslot, Vampire Prosecutor had a 20% share, meaning that 1 in 5 women in that demographic tuned in at the time were catching a glimpse of our chic, wry prosecutor vamp tasting the blood of victims and solving crimes.
Read Full Artcle @
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/vampire-prosecutor-rocks-the-ratings-again/
You’re probably going to get sick of hearing it, but here’s yet more news that cable is standing strong: Channel CGV’s newly premiered four-parter, TV Bang-ja Chronicles, enjoyed a promising start on Saturday with an overall viewership rating of 1.510%, hitting 2.475% at its highest point. Other current cable offerings like Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Vampire Prosecutor and Empress are performing strongly as well.
To clarify, as there have been confused comments in recent ratings posts: Cable dramas have generally aired in non-prime-time slots and therefore don’t compete directly with broadcast dramas, which air in the 10 pm hour (with dailies in the 9 pm slot). A few exceptions: tvN has tried to carve out a spot in the prime-time landscape with Manny, I Need Romance, Birdie Buddy, and Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, all of which have competed with Big Three shows.
But given that many cable dramas are late-nighters (11 pm or midnight), and because cable has an inherently more limited audience, a 1% rating is considered favorable — even if a broadcast drama would be considered a failure in the 5% range or below. Only a year or two ago, a 1% cable show was a big success, but with the way things are changing, I think we’re going to see that baseline tick up to 2% very soon.
TV Bang-ja Chronicles is an adaptation of the sageuk film of the same name, updating the classic story of Chun-hyang. It brought in positive viewer response, thanks to its speedy storytelling, visuals, and portrayal of emotions as Episode 1 kicked off the love story between servant Bang-ja (played by Lee Sun-ho) and Chun-hyang (Lee Eun-woo), which naturally infuriates her other man, the aristocrat’s son Mong-ryong (Yeo Hyun-soo).
TV Bang-ja Chronicles continues airing on Saturday nights for the rest of the month.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/tv-bang-ja-chronicles-is-another-cable-hit/
With KBS medical drama Brain about a week from its premiere, here are the drama’s first two teasers, as well as character stills of the main cast of neurosurgeons featuring Shin Ha-kyun, Jung Jin-young, and Choi Jung-won.
The way this drama handled its casting process has been pretty clunky (not to mention controversial), which had turned me off the show from the start. Having seen the teasers, though, you can see that they’re clearly going for suspenseful and dramatic, in which case it makes sense to opt for a serious film actor like Shin Ha-kyun (The Front Line) over the younger Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo). And Choi Jung-won (Wish Upon a Star) has been a leading actress for longer than new face Yoon Seung-ah (Playful Kiss), even if I think she’s much more appealing in lighter comedies than serious dramas.
All that said, it doesn’t excuse the poor way the drama dumped its first cast, and begs the question: If you say these actors were all wrong for the parts, why cast them in the first place?
Brain is doing something a bit unusual for premiere week, in airing Episodes 1 and 2 on the same night, Monday. That’s because the following day is going to be pre-empted for soccer, so they’re trying to get the jump rather than falling an episode behind schedule. With Mondays and Tuesdays pretty packed with programming, a new show can’t afford to lose interest, so hopefully they’ll hook viewers with the double header. Medical dramas aren’t really my bag, but they do have some dynamic actors at play here with Shin Ha-kyun and Jung Jin-young, both of whom are pretty damn charismatic.
Brain comes from God of Study’s team, PD Yoo Hyun-ki and writer Yoon Kung-ah. It follows Poseidon and airs its first two episodes on November 14.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/11/medical-drama-brains-teasers-and-stills/
Fermentation Family (aka Balhyo Gajok), starring Song Il-kook and Park Jin-hee, may have an awkward-sounding title (at least in English), but the stills from the upcoming cable drama are quite easy on the eyes.
Pictured together here are series stars Song Il-kook (A Man Called God) and Park Jin-hee (Giant) from the drama’s open set day, and already the chemistry is crackling between them. Take the above shot: They look like they’re either about to bite each other’s heads off or start making out, or maybe both.
Normally I’d find the drama’s unwieldy title off-putting (even if it’s apt given the traditional (fermented) Korean cuisine milieu), but in this case I don’t even care, since what has my attention is the credentials of the producers: Writer Kim Ji-woo and Park Chan-hong have paired twice before, and both Devil and Resurrection were standouts — tightly written, dark, and gritty.
This drama is aiming lighter than those previous projects, though, so I’m expecting less in the way of dark crime material and more of the heartwarming variety. The drama is centered around a family that runs a Korean restaurant who bumble through life, as well as the oddball characters who gather there, and promises to tell a “cheerful, touching story.”
The romance between the leads described as one of those bickering relationships that graduates to friendship, mutual helpfulness, and then a “family-like, warm romance.” Now, that’s an ill-thought-out simile: Familial is just about the last quality I look for in a romance, myself. (I’m going to write this one off as a promotional foot-in-mouth moment rather than an actual faux-incest motif.)
The broadcaster, jTBC, is another of the new cable channels that has yet to premiere. It is preparing an impressive drama lineup with which to launch: Fermentation Family joins the list along with others like Padam Padam: The Sound of His and Her Heartbeats and sageuk drama Queen Insu starring Chae Shi-ra.
Fermentation Family premieres on December 7.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/song-il-kook-and-park-jin-hee-in-fermentation-family/
Title: 꽃미남 라면가게 / Kkot-mi-nam Ra-myeon-ga-ge / Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
Also known as: Flower Boy Ramen Shop
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: tvN
Broadcast period: 2011-Oct-31 to 2011-Dec-20
Air time: Monday and Tuesday 23:00
Production Credits
Director: Jung Jung Hwa (정정화)
Screenwriter: Yoon Nan Joong (윤난중)
Synopsis
This romantic comedy deals with “pretty boys,” who with good looks and individuality, operate a ramen shop with lively college girls and experience the happenings of daily life.
Cha Chi Soo looks cool, confident and fascinates women with his bright smile and pure love. He then becomes involved in running a ramen shop with other beautiful men and a woman.
Cast
Main Cast
Jung Il Woo as Cha Chi Soo
Lee Ki Woo as Choi Kang Hyeok
Lee Chung Ah as Yang Eun Bi
Suppporting Cast
Kim Shin Ah as Kang Dong Joo
Park Min Woo as Kim Ba Wool
Jo Yoon Woo as Woo Hyun Woo
Ho Soo as Yoon So Yi
Joo Hyun as Cha Ok Gyun
Jeong In Gi as Yang Chul Dong
Seo Bum Suk a Coach Seo
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Trailer
Title: 내일이 오면 / Nae-il-i O-myeon / If Tomorrow Comes
Also Known as: When Tomorrow Comes
Genre: Family, Romance
Episodes: 50
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2011-Oct-29 to 2012-Apr-15
Air time: Saturday and Sunday 20:40
Production Credits
Director: Jang Yong Woo
Scriptwriter: Kim Jung Soo
Synopsis
“If Tomorrow Comes” is about the love and conflict between a mother and daughter. Seo Woo takes on the role of kind-hearted college girl Yoon Eun chae, who thinks respecting your parents brings you happiness. The mother role will be played by Go Doo Sim.
Cast
Seo Woo as Yoon Eun Chae
Go Doo Sim as Son Jung In
Ha Suk Jin as Lee Young Gyun
Lee Kyu Han as Lee Il Bong
Im Hyun Sik as Lee Kwi Nam
Lee Hye Sook as Kim Bo Bae
Kil Yong Woo as Yoon Won Sub
Kim Hye Sun as Kim Soon Jung
Seo Yoo Jung as Hyun Sook’s sister
Kim So Yun (김소연) as Da Jung
Lee Kyung Jin as Yoon Won Ja
Kim Joo Ri (김주리)
Lee Seung Hyung as Son Jung Mo
Shin Da Eun as Oh Soo Jung
Park Soo Young (박수영) as Lee Jin Gyu
Do Yi Sung as Lee Sung Ryong
Ri Ah (리아) as Lee Ji Mi
If Tomorrow Comes Trailer
Upcoming SBS drama History of the Salaryman secured its leading man Lee Beom-soo, but has turned in a new direction for his leading lady. Jung Ryeo-won, who has been focusing the majority of her career on films, is reportedly in talks to take on the role. In addition, Jung Kyeo-woon (Romance Town, Dr. Champ) is also considering a supporting role. Not that I expected anything else from the producers behind Giant, but the cast looks like it’s shaping up nicely.
I suppose starting with Lee Beom-soo as your anchor doesn’t hurt in attracting your choice of leading ladies. It’d be nice to see Jung Ryeo-won back on the small screen, now that she’s established herself as an actress in a broad array of film roles. She’s probably a better fit than Lee Min-jung was, because she’s got a little more heft in the melodrama department. Salaryman is described as the story of an average, everyday office worker, and his personal struggle to succeed as he deals with loneliness and isolation.
Read Full Article
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/jung-ryeo-won-and-jung-kyeo-woon-to-join-salaryman/
Ji Jin-hee (Dong Yi, The Man Who Can’t Marry) is returning to SBS with a drama titled Take Care of Us, Captain, in which he plays a skilled and perfectionist pilot opposite Gu Hye-sun (The Musical), his co-pilot and love interest.
The drama was formerly called Fly Again, which was a smoother-sounding title but also perhaps more generic-sounding. I think I’m okay with the new title, though it translates somewhat awkwardly into English.
The show’s calling itself “Korea’s first aviation drama,” which seems to be forgetting that spy-airport-terrorism-romance-action mishmash, Air City — or maybe they’re hoping we all forget that too. True, Air City was more about the airport than flying, which is no surprise since it was basically a show commissioned to commemorate Incheon International Airport itself. So weird. What were you thinking, Lee Jung-jae and Choi Ji-woo?
But I digress. Take Care of Us, Captain spins Ji Jin-hee into the opposite direction of his warm and cheerful portrayal of King Sukjong from Dong Yi. Ji will be going for “cool-headed charisma” instead as pilot Kim Yoon-seok, the captain of a passenger plane. The drama weaves in the stories of the numerous passengers he’s responsible for, as well as the various crewmen, customs officers, repair staff, and other employees he’ll come into contact with regularly.
So, a little bit like Air City, but with a less bombastic premise (no spies or international intrigue) and more focus on the people’s relationships. It could work (I’m thinking US sitcom Wings), or it could be boring as all get-out. Alas, I don’t think it’s going for funny, with the heroine’s relationship to her rival described as a “melo storyline.”
Playing that romantic rival in a complicated relationship is Yoo Sun, who played Bok-shil (aka Bokifer) in the heartwarming family comedy Sons of Sol Pharmacy. She’ll take the role of the leader of the flight crew, and occupies one of the legs (I assume the impotent one) of the main love triangle featuring Ji Jin-hee and Gu Hye-sun. Back in her earlier days, she’d made an in-flight mistake that caused a young mother’s death, and led to the infant contracting blood poisoning. Haunted by her guilty conscience, she had helped the daughter of that woman become a pilot, who grows up to be the airline co-pilot (Gu Hye-sun). Okay, let me exchange impotent for most awkward ever.
Also in the cast is Honey Lee — gukak musician, Seoul National University grad, former Miss Korea, and musical actress — who takes another stab at drama acting (after Pasta and Partner) as the director of the airline.
Take Care of Us, Captain plans to begin filming in November, and is tentatively set for a January broadcast. It’ll take up the Wednesday-Thursday slot on SBS following Tree With Deep Roots.
Credit/Source:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/ji-jin-hee-joins-gu-hye-sun-in-aviation-drama/
For something a little different in the way of drama offerings, there’s a late-night Saturday drama that just premiered on MBC called Night Hospital, which is billed as a medical suspense thriller starring the very underrated (in my opinion) Yoon Tae-young as a surgeon-slash-boxer. What’s not to like?
Night Hospital‘s first episode drew a very promising 5.9% rating for its premiere episode on the 15th — note that that’s for a drama airing at midnight-thirty on a Saturday night. Considering that some prime-time weekday shows average in that range, that’s a pretty great number. Viewers have been impressed with its compelling plot and quick pacing, and I think the 10-episode length is a mark in its favor.
The story: Yoon Tae-young (who was great in Strike Love and Legend) plays Heo Jun, which is not coincidentally also the name of the famed court physician of Joseon times. This Heo Jun is a promising doctor specializing in liver transplants who for some reason roams from fighting match to fighting match (he practices MMA, or mixed martial arts). He gets “kidnapped” by another liver transplant specialist, Dong-man (Choi Jung-woo), and is put to work in his night hospital. His secret night hospital. Wait, this isn’t the kind where you wake up in a bathtub full of ice and a note, is it?
Jun’s motivation for fighting is to avenge the wife who was killed in front of his eyes. He had at one point found the killer, but had to watch him walk free on account of insufficient evidence. Dong-man entices Jun to work for with the promise to hand over a video that’ll ensure the killer’s capture, and makes him director of the night hospital.
However, Jun’s hands aren’t like they used to be, and in fact he was fired from his old hospital after making a mistake, so he brings in another surgeon, Na-kyung (Ryu Hyun-kyung) to work with him.
A promising start, it sounds like. Night Hospital airs at 12:20 AM on Saturday nights (technically Sunday morning) and is set for a 10-episode run.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/mbc-premieres-saturday-medical-suspense-drama-night-hospital/
I know Padam Padam is all about Jung Woo-sung (Athena) and Han Ji-min (Cain & Abel)…but can we talk about how much Kim Bum has grown up the the past year? Yowsa.
I know all boys have to age sometime, and Kim Bum has been gradually growing out of his boyish looks with every role he takes, but still…I feel like he’s turned into an adult overnight, and it’s both amazing (those cheekbones! those eyes!) and sad (bye-bye, pinchy-cheeks).
Now he actually looks like he might suit the role of Padam Padam’s street-smart prison inmate who watches over the pure-hearted and wrongly convicted Jung Woo-sung while they’re serving time in the clink together. Jung’s character spends 16 years in prison, gets out and meets the self-centered Han Ji-min, leading to romance. Kim Bum is his buddy’s guardian angel who watches his back in and out of prison, while new face Lee Jae-woo takes a role in the supporting cast.
The cable drama premieres on jTBC on December 5.
Credit:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/character-stills-from-padam-padam/
