December 31, 2007
South Korean actress Lee Young-ae, who gained widespread popularity for her role in the television drama Dae Jang-geum, plans to open a chain of coffeehouses in several Asian countries.
The actress, who turns 37 next month, will likely open coffee shops in China, Japan and Thailand, a report in the Wen Wei Po newspaper quoted a confidant of Lee’s as saying.
Lee will officially announce her new business after she maps out all the details, her friend said.
The news report also said that Lee will offer Korean food in her coffeehouses to popularize the culinary customs of her country.
[Cri]
December 26, 2007
The first official movie poster for Forbidden Kingdom, starring top Asian stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li, has been released…
The movie is scheduled to premier in US on April 18, 2008.
December 26, 2007
Taiwanese boy band F4 will release a new combined album, Waiting for You, on December 28 to support Taiwan tourism. This is their first album in five years.
The four members of F4, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Chu and Vanness Wu, were invited to act as spokesmen for Taiwan tourism and to sing the theme song for the tourism TV play Finding Love Here.
The play, starring Ken Chu and Vic Zhou, will be broadcast in Japan and South Korea to promote Taiwan tourism. Vanness Wu will also appear in the play as a guest actor.
Unlike other bands, the members of F4 have mostly worked individually since the band was formed in 2001, thanks to the Taiwan version of the TV drama Meteor Garden.
The new album includes two choruses and two solos by each member.
[Cri]
December 17, 2007
Top hallyu actor Kwon Sang-woo has drawn contrasting responses in Korea and abroad recently for his role in a new TV drama after a two-year hiatus.
The drama, entitled Bad Love, recorded domestic viewer ratings of just 6.1 percent on Dec 3, when its pilot episode aired.
But its exports to Japan and Taiwan have been anything but sluggish, posting export revenues of three billion won in Japan alone. In fact, Bad Love and the epic drama The Four Guardian Gods of the King, starring actor Bae Yong-jun have been paving the way for a revival of the hallyu boom.
A person from the production crew of Bad Love said Asian fans have been looking forward to Kwon’s acting after his long hiatus and that some 100 foreign fans visit the drama’s filming sites every day.
[KBS]
December 17, 2007
Many South Korean entertainment stars have taken part in a series of charity photo-shoots, posing for pictures with orphans to help them find new parents.
This year’s charity exhibition, titled “letters from angels”, is the fifth of its kind, having attracted many big names including actress Yoon Eunhye (pic above) and actor Joo Ji Hoon.
The organizer said he hopes the activity will raise people’s concern for orphans and hopes to help homeless children find normal family lives.
There are nearly 10,000 new-born babies in South Korea every year who do not live with their parents due to various reasons. With the help of others, only some 3,900 of them are adopted and find new homes.
[Cri] [Asian Pop]
December 3, 2007
Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin has finally revealed her relationship with Hong Kong director Stanley Tong to Taiwanese press on Friday (Nov 30) after years of rumours.
The 31-year-old actress rose to fame in 1998 with the hit TV drama Huanzhu Gege, or Princess Pearl. She starred in the 47-year-old Tong’s action movie, China Strike Force, in 2000 and was first spotted together with him in Thailand in 2002. [Cri]