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Category Archives: Lee Young-ae

Rain 8 - Colbert 4 (Cowell 6)

14-Feb-08
Devoted followers of Korean popular culture will remember the Rain v Colbert battle in Time magazine last year. The much smaller population of devoted LKL readers will remember that I did a straw poll of my US co-workers last year: how many out of an unrepresentative sample of US bank regulatory specialists had heard of the famous US comedian Stephen Colbert? The answer was 40%: 6 out of 10 had never heard of him. So I decided to repeat the exercise out in Hong Kong. At a similar team-building dinner yesterday, I asked the assembled company how many people had never heard of LKL Man of the Year 2006, Rain (above). The nationalities present were: 1 Indonesian, 1 Malaysian, 1 Philippina, 2 ...
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The redemptive power of Lee Young-ae

13-Jan-08
As we all know, Jewel in the Palace is a hit in many countries. It's watched all around the world. Including in Indian jails. A convict in India has sent a letter of gratitude to a top Korean network for airing the historical drama "Jewel in the Palace," or "Daejanggeum" in Korean. Narendra Kumar Sharma, an inmate at Ambala Prison in Haryana, northern India, sent the letter to Munhwa Broadcasting Company, or MBC, for producing the drama. Sharma is serving time for multiple attempted suicides, a crime under Indian law, and has been under close watch at the prison for the past three years. "I have developed a fondness for 'Ghar Ka Chirag' and its lead character 'Jangum' (Jang-geum), who has been ...
Also filed in Dae Jang Geum, Strange but true | | Comments (2) »

Some Lee Young-ae videos

22-Dec-07
I've been feeling guilty about not meeting the needs of all those people who come to this site looking for articles about the lovely Lee Young-ae and not finding very much. Having done a few searches on YouTube I'm amazed at the dedication of fans who create tributes to their favourite star. Here's a small selection of what's available. First, a seasonal one: a slightly odd combination of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and some footage from Dae Jang Geum: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXz7MgQGjpk[/youtube] Next, a much more conventional tribute, featuring the Spice Girls and Viva Forever: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfnZy3N-cYA[/youtube] And one for James Blunt fans:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKckMh9275c[/youtube] A slightly odder choice of music, a hyperactive little number which accompanies the Japanese anime Gundam Seed Destiny... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiQwNxn7sTc[/youtube] ...while this one has a more sedate soundtrack: Gary Barlow's ...
Also filed in Dae Jang Geum, VoDs | | Comments (0) »

Chuseok at the BM — part sprint, part marathon

26-Sep-07
It is a commonplace observation that Korea is caught between two larger neighbours. Similarly, in marketing terms, the Korean events at the British Museum last Saturday were dwarfed by the blitzkrieg advertising for the Chinese "First Emperor" and the Japanese modern design exhibitions, both also at the British Museum at the same time. But although the façade of the museum was plastered with giant posters of terracotta warriors, all eyes were on the Korean festivities in the museum forecourt. Most people could tell that all the jollifications were Korean. "Korean Harvest Festival" was hastily written in front of the changseung (totem poles) which formed the centrepiece of the first performance in the forecourt. And more importantly, the large group of helpers ...
Also filed in British Museum, Chuseok 2007, Dae Jang Geum, Dulsori, Im Kwon-taek, Pictures, Shin Mee-kyung | | Comments (0) »

Some pictures of Insadong

23-Jan-07
As I've been on a plane for what feels like the last 24 hours, a lazy post today. Insadong on a Sunday morning, before it gets busy: One of the products for sale: Question: If the diary is designed for the Japanese market, why is the writing in English? And a British style icon somehow perching on a slanting roof: Update 22 Feb 2007: A pic from the Chosun Ilbo: A promotional event involving the above mini and some b-boys:
Also filed in B-boys, Pictures, Seoul, Travel | | Comments (1) »

Alternative takes on Independence Day

17-Aug-06
The Chosun provides some interesting alternative takes on Independence Day. It's not just the day that Koizumi visited the Yasukuni shrine again, or when Koreans held anti-American demonstrations. First, the event was marked in Japan, as it has for the past 16 years, by a "Concert for Peace" given by the Tokyo Phil, this year conducted by a Korean conductor. The encore was Arirang; one of the performers was a new age Japanese pianist who has worked with Yonsama and who counts Lee Young-ae among his fans. "You have worked a lot with Korean Wave stars like Bae Yong-joon and Lee Young-ae, what was that like?". Kuramoto said because his music was used in Korean TV dramas, it was only natural for ...
Also filed in Bloggers and newspeople, Historical | | Comments (0) »

Celeb watch

10-May-06
A couple of items from today's Chosun which I didn't want to lose: (1) Lee Young-ae's Japanese fans tell her she looks as if she's 61 years old (2) Rain confirmed in Time 100 as one of the world's most influential entertainers. The KBS site has a rather more fetching photo of the star (right). Celebrity is a rather wierd thing though: Rain scored 4.53 out of 5, "which puts him in second place following actor Dane Cook", says the Chosun. Who he? I guess he must be famous in America.
Also filed in Celebs, Rain | | Comments (3) »