Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“The Dude In Me” is a 2019 Korean fantasy film that centers on a high-ranking gangster and a high school student. When the latter accidentally falls from his school roof, he lands on the mobster. While neither dies, the mishap somehow switches the pair’s bodies and minds. Now, wiseguy Pan-soo is trapped in the body of chubby and bullied teenager Dong-hyun, while Dong-hyun is stuck in Pan-soo’s comatose body.
I’ve always been one who has loved TV and never understood people who said, “I don’t watch TV.” I love TV and wish I had more time for it. I really don’t watch much TV these days — not because I don’t want to, but because of lack of time. When I do have an hour or two to spare, I watch K-dramas (Korean Dramas). They’re just more interesting to me now.
“When My Love Blooms” started off so strong and promising that I had high hopes for this years. You usually can’t go wrong with Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Bo-young in the lead roles. But while the actors did a great job of embodying their complicated roles, I ended up not appreciating either character very much.
“While on tour, I definitely like to experience what the places we’re (playing in) have to offer,” said Dirty Honey vocalist Marc LaBell. “So there’s quite a few places that we still haven’t been able to get to post-pandemic.”
“I really split my time between Los Angeles, London and Portland – and wherever music takes me really,” said singer/songwriter/guitarist Corey Harper. “[But for now] I am living in Malibu on a goat farm tucked away up in the hills. It’s essentially a shed, but I’ve made it feel like a million bucks in here. It’s really peaceful (and) quiet.”
BTS’ Kim Seok-jin announced today that he is preparing to enlist in the Korean military, which is required of all able-bodied Korean males. There are exceptions for athletes, classical musicians, and some academics. So why didn’t the Korean government exempt BTS, whose global achievements are unparalleled?
“Little Women” is a female-led K-drama that’s a loose adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name. And I mean really loose. The central characters share some of the personality traits as the book’s sisters. And a primary theme in both revolves around the class distinctions between the wealthy and the poor. But this Korean version has its own tale to tell. The show doesn’t vilify the rich so much as it presents scenarios where good people are tempted to commit a crime, because they have nothing left to lose.
The “Big Mouth” cast is perfect, especially the lead actors Lee Jong-suk (as a lawyer on a losing streak) and Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah as his pragmatic wife (who’s a skilled nurse). There was not a moment where I didn’t believe that this couple was besotted with each other. Even when they argued, it was obvious that they cared so very much about each other.
My absolute favorite thing about the Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm is the beautiful light scent, which I love. It takes me back in time to whatever products my mother used on her face when we lived in Korea. Obviously, she wasn’t using a stick balm, since they didn’t exist back then. But the fragrance is so familiar to me that it feels like home.
On her previous trip to Italy, actress Kathleen Garrett had an in. “I had recorded an audiobook titled ‘Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride’ by Lorenzo Carcaterra, which took place in Ischia,” she said. “I became so fascinated by the island that I had to go to it. The book spoke of several locations describing its natural beauty, delicious food, great wines and restaurants. I had a head start in researching the territory before we left. I then did my own Google research on the island and its villages.”
“I’m still in awe of the great passion and amazing support by Latin American fans,” said Jehyun, one of OMEGA X’s 11 members. “I’m truly thankful for them enjoying our concerts as passionately as we do!”
As Hyun-soo, Kim Soo-hyun is superb in a difficult role where he has to be sympathetic, but also could be a cold-blooded and manipulative killer. His role requires him to cry in a manner that allows viewers to feel his panic and fears. And Kim comes through again superbly, proving he is one of the best actors of his generation.
Born and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania, Paige Spara currently lives in Vancouver, where she films the ABC medical series “The Good Doctor” — which kicks off its sixth season on October 3. Her character, Lea Dilallo, is the head of a hospital’s IT department and is married to Shaun Murphy – an autistic doctor played by Freddie Highmore.
For many Westerners, Korean cinema didn’t enter their consciousness until the unparalleled success of the film “Parasite: in 2019. The gripping film deals with socio-economic discrepancies specific to modern-day South Korea, but the clever and sometimes brutal storyline hit a nerve with filmgoers worldwide. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, an Oscar for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
“(In) 2021, I lived in the single most locked down city in the world – Melbourne, Australia,” said Natalie Zea, who stars in the NBC series “La Brea.” “Not only were we not able to legally travel outside the city limits, but we were restricted to being in our homes for all but two hours a day. That experience made myself and my family even more determined to see as much of Australia as we could once the lockdown lifted.”
Two Korean men move to Suriname in the hopes of making some fast money. Their goal is to buy skate, which Surinamese don’t want, for pennies and resell them in South Korea at an inflated price. But when cocaine is found in one of their shipments, both men are arrested and jailed.
This second season of “Hello, My Twenties!” is entertaining, but suffers a bit from too-much-going-on syndrome, as well as the recasting of a central character.
More than 40 years into their career, The Smithereens are revving up for the Sept. 23 release of “The Lost Album” – a collection of songs they recorded in 1993 when they were in between record labels, but never shared with their fans. “(They were) truly forgotten, but were recently discovered because we are archiving all of our past recordings,” said guitarist Jim Babjak, 64, who resides in New Jersey. “It is important (to release them now) because it shows a snapshot of our progression as a band. There may be more tapes to be released in the future.”
Alicia Hannah-Kim makes her “Cobra Kai” debut as a powerful sensei in the popular Netflix series. “My character felt like a step in a new direction – not only for representing women, but Asian women,” said Hannah-Kim, who hails from Sydney, Australia.
