Train to Busan hits10 million mark viewers in cinemas.

For this year itself, the opening of the movie Train to Busan 부산행  has hit the 10 million mark of viewers in the cinemas. The movie is directed by PD Yeon Sang Ho and Train to Busan is ranked at top 12 movies. 

According to the distributor of the film- New Entertainment World, Train to Busan is exceeding its expectations and even overwriting the popular movie Haeundae. The movie Taegukgi 태극기 휘날리며 is ranked at 11th spot earning ₩64.8 million in South Korea.

Train to Busan has been released on 20th July in South Korea and ever since for the past 2 over weeks, it attracted so many viewers.

All smiles from Jung Yoo Mi, Gong Yoo, Kim Su An and Kim Eui Sung

The film portrays the story takes place between a zombie virus outbreak and people boarding the KTX high speed railway to Busan. Starring Gong Yoo, Ma Dong Suk, Kim Su An, Jung Yoo Mi, Choi Woo Shik, Kim Eui Sung and Ahn So Hee. 

So far the domestic ranking of box office movies:

1. Admiral: Roaring Currents - 17.61 million 
2. Ode to My Father -14.25 million
3. Avatar (English)- 13.62 million
4. Veteran - 13.41 million
5. Monster- 13.01 million
6. The Thieves- 12.98 million 
7. Miracle in Cell no.7 - 12.81 million
8. Assassination - 12.7 million
9. Masquerade - 12.31 million
10. The King and the Clown - 12.3 million 
11. Taegukgi- Brotherwood of War- 11.74 million 
12. Train to Busan- 11.74 million  (still in progress)
13. Haeundae- 11.45 million 
14. The Attorney - 11.37 million
15. Silmido- 11.08 million
16. Avengers: Age of Ultron (English)- 10.49 million
17. Frozen (English)- 10.29 million
18. Interstellar (English) - 10.27 million

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo projects audience back to Goryeo dynasty.

This week SBS drama slot has been replaced by new drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo after Doctors wrapped up last week. It's a highly anticipated drama for the Chinese fans especially for those who have watched the Taiwanese version- Bu Bu Jing Xin.

A slight change of story whereby the heroine Go Ha Jin who tried saving a little boy from drowning in a lake ends up been transported back to Goryeo dynasty. She resumes a new identity Hae Soo who is Lady Hae's cousin sister. Hae Soo is shocked to realize she is stuck in this era and facing with an entourage of Princes who are King Wang Geon's sons.

She starts to take life easier after settling down and finds herself drawn to her cousin's husband who is the 8th Prince Wang Wook. In a twist she finds herself on heated arguments against the playful cheeky 10th Prince Wang Eun.

With her bubbly personality from the modern era, her language and antics do create some weird atmosphere with the dynasty people. She fends for herself and even go loggerheads with the mysterious dark 4th Prince Wang So who is an outcast in the Royal family. Lady Hae sees that 8th Prince who has a soft spot for Hae Soo ever since she comes into the family. 

The romance starts to unfold when Hae Soo is entangled with the 4th and 8th Princes and the fight for the throne. 

Lee Jun Ki has always been great in flawless in sageuk periodic dramas. His mask is a bit distracting making him like a Phantom of Opera but because he had to wear it due to a scar on his left face. There were many critics and comparisons on IU versus Cecilia Liu who played the heroine role. Many close ups on IU which makes it rather odd but it's too early to tell whether IU fared well or worst. EXO's Baekhyun who plays the 10th Prince is his first debut acting is receiving tons of criticism of his overacting and awkward talking.  

Though Jun Ki is the lead role and I'm a fan of his, I am starting to get a feel of 2nd lead syndrome. Ha ha! I love the images of Kang Ha Neul as the 8th Prince- he's soft spoken, highly intellectual and kind in character. Who wouldn't love him as a husband material?
The main baddie lies on Hong Jong Hyun's role as the other Prince and the rest were still laying low on their characters. 

One question I must say- why do all the Goryeo men have to lean forward so close towards the female lead to talk? And why can't she push them away or perhaps tell them off why are they staring so intensely at her? Perhaps too early romance and it's rushing through for 20 episodes... the preview is shown that 8th Prince is confessing towards Hae Soo,...that's fast!

I'd still give it a go to continue watching it because of Jun Ki and Ha Neul...mmm...aaah!
*Swoons* ... 

Paragliding and Brown trips with 1 Night 2 Days casts

1 Night 2 Days casts continue their Free Easy Trip with guest members gagman Kim Jun Hyun and actor Park Bo Gum. Tae Hyun's team finishes their mission at the Cheongpung Land Big Swing and earns 400 mileage points. It was one of the thrilling rides which Bo Gum somehow coax Jong Min into overcoming his fear of heights. They went for some nice lunch at a nearby restaurant famous for stew and dishes. It was hot and sweaty for everyone.

Meanwhile Junho's team finishes their couple paddling in the swan boat they earned their mileage. The 4 men again headed to an amusement park to ride the Viking Pirate Ship. Jun Young and Shi Yoon had to board the ship. It was complete opposite seeing Jun Young hated it and Shi Yoon enjoyed to the max. Quite a funny picture seeing 4 grown up men playing at the amusement park alone! Lunch time so Jun Hyun suggested to have "cream tangsuyuk" and Chinese dishes. Jun Hyun recommended the restaurant and even taught them how to describe dishes in more beautiful flowery language. Junho expresses his distraught when last time actress Han Hyo Joo cooked a stew for them which turns out to be so bland. He wasn't fond of it but didn't know how to describe it in order not to hurt her feelings. Turns out Shi Yoon was better in describing the flavors and everyone was enjoying their meals. 

Bo Gum ends up doing all the chores for his team. It was like a personalized Bo Gum's Tour whereby he does all the calculation and prepare where to go next location to which PD Yu points out he's a guest- not a cast member. Quickly Defconn and Jong Min attended to themselves fearing netizens and public would badmouth about them. Jun Hyun was enjoying his massive variety of noodles while Defconn stuffs his mouth with lettuce filled pork. A battle of food eating!

Next Bo Gum suggests to go for paragliding at Danyang. It's one of the extreme sports. Mt. Yangbangsan site is located close to downtown Danyang and offers a runway as well as a practice area where novices are given standard training before flying. Bo Gum and Tae Hyun were excited while Jong Min refused to go on it while offering to drive the car later.
Somehow Bo Gum managed to do his magic trick getting Defconn to paraglide as well.
There is no way you can reject Bo Gum's offer when he asks politely and his way of words will somehow trap you to follow him! Muahaha! Defconn reckons he cannot paraglide due to his weight but the max was 100kg so he could still do the sport! 

Junho's team headed to nearby falls after Shi Yoon was distracted during driving to make his exit at the highway. They enjoyed the cool waterfalls and compared to the bigger one, this was nothing while Junho took the dip in the cold water. Jun Young tells them they must earn more mileage otherwise they will lose the mission. All were into the Brown Trip. This means whenever they see a sign in brown color-it's one of the tourist attractions along the freeway. They agreed and carried out their next journey. Bo Gum was first to hit off and fly in the sky happily with his instructor. He was thanking the people all the way in his sky trip!
Tae Hyun followed him behind and was happy with his para glide too. Jong Min rang Soo Chan- Tae Hyun's eldest son and told him his father is flying happily somewhere in the sky.
Defconn was the last to take off but the first to land after 10 minutes due to his weight! 

Both teams enjoyed their extreme sports to where they earned more mileage points.
Bo Gum tells Jong Min they can try next is water sports! There is no end to it...Defconn points out Bo Gum is a human vitamin, he doesn't complain and doesn't get tired at all.
They drove to Dodam Sambong where the lake has three peaks named Changgun-bong, Cheop-bong, and Cheo-bong - a garden pavilion is built by Jeong Do Jeon- a famous figure during the founding of Joseon dynasty. 

Scarlet Heart: Ryeo casts join Running Man in search for Rebellion of Princes.

Episode 314 of Running Man features the 3 main leads of the new SBS drama Scarlet Heart: Ryeo with seasonal actors Lee Jun Ki, Kang Ha Neul and Hong Jong Hyun. The opening of the episode cracks everyone up with Jong Kook, Jae Suk and Kwang Soo dressed in women's hanboks and head dress. They looked hideous and terrible too. Ha Neul and Jong Hyun kept laughing away seeing how awful they look. 

There were 3 teams of Princes and enters in Emperor Jun Ki who was all charismatic in his royal dragon garb followed by Eunuch Suk Jin! The fellow Empress and Consorts were dissing out their unsatisfactory in the household while Emperor Jun Ki tells them he is choosing an heir to the throne. He throws a scroll of command by a certain date where the moon and sun meets, a Crown Prince must be selected for the throne. 

Fast forward to the future, the 3 handsome Princes were seated in a cafe receiving a scroll. Since Jun Ki is particularly new to RM program, he is given a special chance card. Jong Hyun sprints out the door upon reading a mission which is to interact with the public. Poor Ha Neul couldn't find anyone who knows who he is! Confidently Jun Ki finds two female fans in the public who were going ga-ga over him and each of them has to ask the citizen what is their name and they must play a mission- Two Bodies, One Heart. Example- Cola and Cider- both must give the same answer otherwise choose another citizen. Upon getting the same answer, the Princes must hurry to the gate by playing a ball game where they duck and receive two balls into their head crown. 

While everyone was busy dodging the head balls, Jun Ki was having his own fan meeting snapping photos with public! Hahah!
First to get through is Jong Kook followed by Haha and the rest and last two were Ji Hyo and Jun Ki. 

Now the 10 Princes were given a mission to use an air hammer to eliminate the others by hitting them on the back of their head. The back of their head has two hearts. If they lost the two hearts, they are out. The last two that came through the gate must find their own air hammer balloon. Ji Hyo immediately found her hammer and started hounding on her preys. Jun Ki finds his hammer hidden too and started immersing himself in the role. He takes on Jong Kook while Ha Neul easily took off Ji Hyo's heart. Jong Hyun was pretty swift as well.
The 4 winners- Kwang Soo, Gary, Jun Ki and Jong Hyun proceeded to a nice swimming pool where they were to shoot arrows at the teddy bears containing names.
Gary and Kwang Soo starts whinging that Jun Ki and Jong Hyun will win the race because they have just filmed the sageuk drama. Jong Hyun denies flatly shaking his head he has never shot any arrow before... Hah! His teaser and promotion shows he is holding a bow and arrow in the drama! 

It has proven Jong Hyun is a skilled archer! He managed to eliminate the rest easily and scored a chance card. Jae Suk laughed seeing how Jun Ki tried hard but also keeping his image and pose. Instead he shot down his own teddy bear name! Disaster!

Meanwhile the earlier 6 losers of the hammer mission were to fight and defend themselves on the pool filled with mud water...eeewww....
As expected big nose brother Suk Jin was oust immediately by Haha. So he cannot play for the final mission game- ripping name tags. Instead he became an announcer for the rip tag game.

The 9 Princes adjourned to the working building where they are to run around and find the golden cushion. They have to sit on the cushion for 3 minutes and to fend for themselves to ensure the person they wanted to eliminate gets oust. Ha Neul tried to rip Gary's name tag but he failed. He wasn't quick enough so Gary ripped his telling him he hasn't mastered the skill yet. But to Gary's shock, Jong Kook crept behind him and easily tore his tag! Muahah!

Gary didn't survive long after eliminating Ha Neul as he felt the most embarrassing moment of his life. Kwang Soo betrayed Haha and as Jun Ki tries to help them out however Jae Suk sneakily rips off Jun Ki's tag from behind. Awww poor Jun Ki! He wanted to survive longer as he promised his niece he will win the race. 

Jong Hyun, Ji Hyo, Jae Suk and Jong Kook were the remaining ones at the very last minute. As they tried to fight off Jong Kook, he was strong enough to rip off Jae Suk's name declaring himself a winner- the heir to the throne. Ta-dah! 

Eunuch Suk Jin presented the royal robe and crown for Jong Kook's coronation to which Jun Ki pointed out that's his garb for his role in the drama! He wasn't happy...poor fella.
He promised he will be back for the next mission to win. The rest pushed Jong Kook back into the stage and closed the curtains since they are getting used and bored with his usual winnings. 

Jealousy Incarnate sparks offensive remarks to weather forecasters.

SBS has screened its latest drama Jealousy Incarnate 질투의 화신 starring Gong Hyo Jin, Jo Jung Suk, Go Kyung Pyo, Lee Mi Sook, Seo Ji Hye, Park Ji Young and appearances from Lee Jung Jae, Moon Ga Young and Ahn Woo Yeon. 

Jealousy Incarnate is about a poor woman Pyo Na Ri who works endlessly at the TV broadcasting station as a weather forecaster doing all sorts of jobs to earn a living. Weather forecasters are considered low status with 60 seconds on the screen compared to the main newscasters who often looked down on them. Na Ri works endlessly to support her living and to pay for her younger brother's tuition fees. 

She meets her first crush Lee Hwa Shin, a flamboyant news anchor at Thailand and surprisingly she also stumbles across his best friend Go Jung Won who is a rich chaebol. 
Hwa Shin thinks Na Ri is still interested in him but to his surprise she has eyes on the soft spoken and kind Jung Won after meeting at the plane. Hwa Shin has a big family feud when his brother married twice- one is the fiesty anchor woman Sung Sook and another is the director Ja Young at the same TV station. His teenager niece Pal Gang is living in a same home rented with Na Ri and her brother. 

Though the drama is fictional whereby weather casters were ill-treated by the seniors and news announcers, however in real life the weather forecasters were pissed off seeing the drama portraying them so low class status. It is shown those who failed for the test to become news announcers can either choose to leave or become weather announcers instead- this is simply not true according to the rep in the TV station. 

It is indeed outrageous to watch the slimy PD asking Na Ri to wear body shapers to show her figure and boasting her butt and chest on screen- quite sexist and discrimination, I'd say! 

Jo Jung Suk did a great job in dancing around with his bright sparkly jacket to promote career for the TV station cracking everyone away! Nevertheless Gong Hyo Jin is perfect in delivering her role as once again the bubbly and innocent looking Na Ri in search for career and love. She reminds me of the role she did in Master's Sun. Go Kyung Pyo is once again dressed well in suits and comfortably as a rich heir gaining everyone woman's attention.

You might notice Moon Ga Young as Pal Gang is the Red Killer in Mirror of the Witch and Ahn Woo Yeon was recently in Five Children as Teacher Tae Min. And imagining Lee Jung Jae's relationship with the two cranky women in the TV station. It's going to be one hell of a drama of fierce competition between love and career. 

Swish swash romance on Cinderella and Four Knights.

Can't get enough over the leads in the tvN cable drama Cinderella and Four Knights? Oh well I can't get enough of the male leads though. Ha ha! Even though the rebellious Kang Ji Woon (played by Jung Il Woo) can get real nasty and cold at the start, but he starts to soften up when Eun Ha Won (played by Park So Dam) confirms that he does want to see his late-father at the memorial service. 

Kang Hyun Min (played by Ahn Jae Hyun) may be the biggest Casanova and heir to Haneul Group but he's hard core when it comes to his mother-son relationship. He has the guts to tell off his materialistic mother never to return to Korea. 

Kang Seo Woo (played by Lee Jong Shin) being the nicest of all singer-songwriter is a baby when he even composed a song for his late father. The three grandsons might have different striking personalities but when it comes to their late fathers, they do have a pitiful past and background. 

We see that Ha Won's presence in Sky House might be irritating at times to the guys but when she is not around, the three men scattered to find her back. When being informed Ha Won is been bullied at her school during her graduation day, Ji Woon was the first to show up as a black knight in shining armor to save the damsel in distress! I can see why she has something for Ji Woon. Hyun Min comes to flaunt his wealth around and buys her a new uniform and about to confess his feelings to her in public. Seo Woo rushes to the school only to be cornered by his fans. There's even Yoon Sung, the PA who also comes in to see the grandsons were present at Ha Won's school. 

There is something about Ha Won that attracts the three grandsons and PA Yoon Sung. Her bubbly attitude and positive thinking including family concerns do bring them altogether.

But for one thing I find the most distressing in the picture is 2nd female lead Hye Ji (played by Son Na Eun). She is clingy and most pathetic character I've ever seen in dramas. When a man says no and goes on with other women, it's time to move on but she's pining forever for Hyun Min who is least interested in her. Poor Ha Won involved in the cousins' triangle relationships and family feud. My instinct tells me Ha Won's real father is related to the Kang family and somehow PA Yoon Sung is related to CEO Grandpa's new wife. 

Jung Il Woo does have a presence in the house and his meany demeanor can't be helped and Ahn Jae Hyun's cheesy romantic lines does make the girls cringe even though Park So Dam doesn't give a damn on it.

Lee Jong Shin makes a fairly loveable cousin who is patient and caring when he organizes the birthday party on a wrong date! Now we can see PA Yoon Sung can fight and stern in many ways when it comes to things that we disgust- Ha Won's stepmother and stepsister!  

My pick of all time? Mmm...I like PA Yoon Sung since he's reasonable and quiet. He is quite encouraging,accommodating and mysterious background. Jung Il Woo and Lee Jong Shin are cute as buttons at times. Ahn Jae Hyun maybe cute in the drama but he is total off the market in real life since he just tied the knot. 

Lee Jung Jae and Yeo Jin Gu in film Opposition Forces filming beings in Sept.

Actors Lee Jung Jae and Yeo Jin Gu has been confirmed as leads in the upcoming movie 'Opposition Forces 대립군' directed by PD Jeong Yun Chul for next month's full scale filming. 

On 25th August, the Korea's 20th Century Fox the main leads were confirmed and others starring together with Lee and Yeo are Kim Mu Yeol, Park Won Sang, Lee Ssom, Bae Soo Bin and Kim Myeong Gun. 

Opposition Forces is a periodic film set in the Joseon dynasty whereby Crown Prince Gwanghae played by Yeo struggles to defend his country and opposition forces after his useless father King Seonjo ran off to Ming country (China).

Lee Jung Jae will be playing as the leader of the opposition group who refuses to go for war. Yeo Jin Gu has been playing as many roles of Crown Princes in the dramas such as Moon Embracing the Sun and Jackpot while Lee's recent role in Operation Chromite is screened in theaters now. 

Sechs Kies' Jae Jin, Sung Hoon and Big Bang signs contract with YG Ent.

First generation idol group Sechs Kies members Lee Jae Jin and Kang Sung Hoon including the 2nd generation idol group Big Bang have signed their contracts with YG Entertainment.

(Left to Right): Jae Jin, Jae Duk, Sung Hoon, Su Won and Ji Won

The two Sechs Kies original members respectively signed exclusive contract with YG Entertainment on 25th August. Recently in May, YG Entertainment has signed a contract with the rest of the Sechs Kies members to assist them in group promotion and activities.
At that time, YG's CEO Yang Hyun Suk as a producer has promised to actively promote their solo activities. 

YG mentioned that now the deal has been signed with Lee Jae Jin and Kang Sung Hoon to fully support them on their continuing and future activities.

The other members Eun Ji Won, Kim Jae Duk and Jang Su Won are still currently signed with other agencies for their personal work.

The final member Go Ji Yong has left the entertainment industry for a long period of time did not engage with any agencies and neither have any contracts with anyone. However he is likely to show up in open concerts or performances.

Meanwhile for the first time in 16 years, Sechs Kies members are gathered together for a profile photo shoot under YG. The group will be holding their first ever solo concert after a long hiatus from September 10-11th at Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium entitled Sechs Kies Yellow Note- 2016 젝스키스 - 옐로 노트

Celebrity Bromance with Roy Kim and Jung Jun Young at Mokpo.

The two best mates- singers Roy Kim and Jung Jun Young were featured in the most recent Celebrity Bromance program. Previously we have seen how INFINITE's L and actor Kim Min Suk interacts and there's SHINHWA's Minwoo and BTS Jung Kook awkward relationship. 

Now the program PD has brought together the two goofballs Roy Kim and Jun Young whereby the two singers headed to Mokpo. In real life the two are close buddies after meeting as Superstar K program in 2012 and emerging as top 3 winners. Jun Young is a fixed permanent member in 1 Night 2 Days program while recently Roy has won the title in MBC's The Mask King Singer as the romantic 'Black Knight'. 

As usual the laid back Jun Young came without a bag or anything looking like a neighborhood dude meanwhile Roy arrives in a decent outfit and even with a backpack. 

The two set off to travel to Mokpo via KTX and drive around the coastal area. While grabbing coffee at the cafe, the girls serving them managed to grab their autographs and posted on SNS ensuring these two are famous and nice in person. Hehe! 

The two even got lost at the roads trying to locate the White Lighthouse. Jun Young's main aim is to eat as much seafood as he could as well as catching Pokemon since he is an avid gamer. As the two guys arrived at Mokpo first mission is to go fishing at North Port! Thanks to the fetish hobby of Jun Young, he is considered a 'pro' in it compared to Roy who is just a beginner. But Jun Young is a scaredy cat when it comes to handling wet live fishes. 
Fishing requires lots of patience where Jun Young caught a black porgy fish while Roy fished out a stingray! He was stunned when the Ajusshi told him it's dangerous and he freaked out did he catch a Pokemon instead? 

It would be Roy's first time smelling fermented skate which Jun Young says it's awful like a rotten sock! The two enjoyed marinated crab, seaweed bean soup, rice and side dishes. But Roy had the shock look on his face when the Ajumma served another plate of skate from Seoul. Unfortunately the skate dish just sat at one corner untouched. Hahah!

John Park's debut solo concert 'Prelude' in October.

Singer John Park (28) will be holding his first ever solo debut performance 'Prelude' in October.

John's entertainment agency Music Farm Entertainment has confirmed he is scheduled for

his solo concert from 22nd to 23rd October 2016 at Seoul Blue Square at Samsung Card Hall. It is expected to attract around 3000 fans to the performance.

Originally he came from the United States and he took the audience by surprise when he placed as a semifinalist on the 9th season of American Idol. 

When he returned to South Korea, he was the runner-up of MNet's Superstar K2 program. He did struggle a fair bit adjusting himself to the Korean culture since he was brought up in Illinois, United States and even attended Northwestern University. 

Since then John Park has released 2 albums which is on February 2012 mini album 'Knock' and 2013's first album 'Inner Child'. From his first album he has established himself as a singer-song writer since he also produced it on his own too.

He has contributed to the popular movie A Werewolf Boy OST- Childlike. Besides that, John has appeared in many Korean variety programs such as Happy Together, Running Man, Law of Jungle, 1 Night 2 Days, Two Yoo Project, Gag Concert, Witch Hunt and Cool Kiz on the Block. He took the Variety Male Newcomer Award in 2013 KBS Entertainment Awards for his role in Cool Kiz on the Block. 

He mentioned he wants to show different aspects to the audience through this concert.

Park Bo Gum's Moonlight Drawn by Clouds sails off smoothly for first broadcast.

Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung's new drama Moonlight Drawn by Clouds 구르미 그린 달빛 was aired on Monday for its first episode with viewers ratings at 8%. It has started off well with steady ratings for its first episode. 

On 23rd of August, according to Audience measurement company Nielsen Korea- the KBS2TV Drama has scored 8.3% ratings which is 5.1% above the average rating than the previous predecessor 'A Beautiful Mind' which only struggled at 3.2%.  Moonlight Drawn by Clouds nearly hit the 9.0% ratings within the metropolitan area and Seoul took the top spot at 8.8% and Daejeon scored 6.1%.

And not forget, viewers were treated with cameo appearances by veteran actor Cha Tae Hyun and actress Cho Yeo Jung at the start as star crossed lovers. Hahah! Cute couple! 

However the ratings were slight affected due to the finale episode of competitor SBS drama 'Doctors' that came to a nice finale. Doctors ranked 17.8% at top spot while MBC's Monster scored 8.9%. 

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds has leading actor Park Bo Gum who rose to stardom from tVN's Reply 1988 drama. Currently Park stars at the spoiled brat Crown Prince Lee Young who is lack of love and support. Kim Yoo Jung plays as the poor commoner girl Ra On who had to disguise herself as a Eunuch in the palace for the sake of money. 

Meanwhile B1A4's member Jin Young, Kwak Do Yeong, Chae Soo Bin, Kim Seung Soo, Jeon Mi Sun and Cheon Ho Jin are also starring in this drama. The drama is based on a web novel as well. 

SuJu's Kyuhun stops all activities due to vocal chord strains.

Super Junior youngest member Kyuhun (28) will be putting all his current work activities on hold due to the strain of his vocal chord nodules problem. 

His agency SM Entertainment rep has confirmed that Kyuhun will be treating his vocal fold nodules and plans are underway to find the best doctor treating it. The treatment is expected to be carried out approximately 2-3 weeks for full recovery.

As a result, Kyuhun will not be participating in the musical Mozart! on 27th August in Gwangju Culture & Arts Center and Theater. Also his participation from 3-4th September at Concert Hall of Fame in Gimhae. Kyuhun has been scheduled to perform for 2 months at the Seoul Sejong Cultural Center Grand Theater and Performing Arts Center since last June after been performing as Wolfgang's 'Mozart 'role in the musical. 

Even his MBC's Radio Star program where he co-hosts with other veteran emcees have been held up temporarily since he hasn't recorded any episodes for the past 2 weeks.

SM Entertainment mentioned Kyuhun will now focus on his vocal therapy for some time to digest any problems without any difficulties to be scheduled in future.

Good luck and best wishes for Kyuhun for speedy recovery! 

1 Night 2 Days visits Jecheon in summer heat wave for free easy travel.

The 1 Night 2 Days members gathered at Jecheon-si at Chungcheongbuk-do while lugging along their luggage for their upcoming free and easy travel. Tae Hyun's bag seems to be the biggest of all. All are keen to know who are their guests to travel together with them in this hot summer.


Not much of a surprise the guests are none other than gagman Kim Joon Hyun and actor Park Bo Gum. Jun Ho's team were divided to Joon Hyun, Shi Yoon and Jun Young. Meanwhile Tae Hyun's team consists of Bo Gum, Defconn and Jong Min. Bo Gum was nice to bring mosquito repellent for everyone while Joon Hyun said he only brought anti diarrhea medicine! 

They started off with dancing in the heat... they cannot believe when PD Yu tells them to earn some money for their vacation. Human Magnet is their first mission. The name itself makes them feel stuffy. Two mats scattered with tons of coins. Each team member have to roll on the coins and gather as many coins to transfer over to the other mat. The one with most coins wins. It was burning hot and now they have to roll on the coins with their body!
Bo Gum is hesitant to remove his t-shirt in front of the casts. Now moving on is to pick a drink and drink as much as they can to earn that mileage for their petrol. Jun Ho's team wins with Joon Hyun gulping in nearly 10 big glasses of iced tea while if it wasn't for Bo Gum's effort in washing down 5 glasses of sports drink, Tae Hyun's team struggled with it.

Now the two teams are to figure out where to visit, the further they go and post as many photos as they want in SNS, the better points they earn. Jun Young complains the two elders in the team were having 'toilet vacation' after drinking so many glasses of iced tea. Bo Gum is meticulous when he does things as he snap photos and did his research. Tae Hyun decided to go to Cheongpung Land for extreme sports which is 1/2 hour drive from where they are. Jun Young suggests to visit Uirimji Reservoir as a Nature Trip. Two teams set off in their 4WD and arrived at their destinations. 
In the car, Jong Min started asking funny questions to Bo Gum if he has a girlfriend and what are his ideal types which he shot down instantly stating it is such a boring question. LOL! Jun Ho's team were blasting girl group songs in the car and singing into it. They ended the car trip with Bon Jovi's rock song which Jun Young loves since he's driving.

Jong Min refused to get out from the car as soon as he sees the high bungee jump stand. It is scary and he's afraid of heights. Due to Bo Gum's persuasion, he gives in and even followed them to ride the thrilling Big Swing. 4 people are tied up together like a swing and lifted in the air. It is definitely fun to scream and swing around with friends. 

Jun Ho and Joon Hyun started off to pedal in the swan pedal boats at Uirimji Reservoir. Jun Young and Shi Yoon stood aside laughing as they see the boat was like sinking to the right due to Joon Hyun's big size! Jun Ho pointed out 4 crewmen had to pedal on another boat to catch a glimpse of them making it a funny picture! 6 grown up men pedaling on two swan boats when it is meant more for couples. The more games they participate, the more mileage they earn. Jun Ho's team earns 150 points for pedaling in the lake. As expected Jong Min freaks out when he's lifted high up in the air. Bo Gum and Tae Hyun were more excited than ever to swing over in the air overlooking the Cheongpung Lake. Locals were laughing away at them but clapped for their bravery. Of course Jong Min couldn't swear at Bo Gum who suggested the ride as a wonderful memory trip. Innocently he even asked the elders what are they doing next when their brains and souls were still left up in the air! They earned 400 mileage for the Big Swing adventure.

Tune in next week as their mission is to eat...two piggies- Defconn and Joon Hyun will be battling each other on what to eat and how much to gorge in. 

YG's Black Pink reaches no#1 in music charts within 2 weeks debut.

Rookie girl group Black Pink has continued to edge off the senior music artists in the music charts and topping them over to number one spot for two consecutive weeks.

Black Pink was scheduled to perform their debut single 'Whistle' on 21st August via SBS TV Program Music Inkigayo. The release of their debut album 'Square One' was also scheduled to launch on that day itself.

Last August 14th, Black Pink has gathered lots of interest and expectations from the public. They are considered one of the few rookie groups that broke into number one spot within weeks of their debut.

Their Whistle music video was viewed over 1 million hits via YouTube channel. Their single hit music sites at top spot via OLE, Naver Music, MNet, Bugs, Soribada and many more.

Black Pink is a 4 member girl group with them hailing from different countries. Jennie, Lisa, Rose and Ji Soo. Lisa is the only non-Korean artist hailed from Thailand.

They are the first ever girl group debut under YG after 7 years when 2NE1 was formed.

Infinite Challenge visits L.A and reminisce Korean independence memories.

Infinite Challenge casts visits Los Angeles, USA for their new mission whereby they were supposed to meet Jack Black unfortunately change of plans so it became Jung Jun Ha's penalty mission. They accidentally met singer Kim Jong Kook at the streets of L.A and was taken back he is so relaxed over there. Not far they were joined by Zico who helped them to compose a rap song called Hit. The locals sitting at the nearby cafe were smiling away hearing their so-called rap song. 

Now adjourning to the 3 missions- the Newest, the Highest and the Strongest. What lies ahead is something very frightening for the IC casts. The Newest mission attraction is whereby the members are supposed to slide on a mat across the glass bottom slide. It is definitely not for the faint hearted and best not to look down. Jun Ha was freaking out and couldn't even stand near the glass. The sky slide spans 13.7 meters from the 70th to the 69th floor of the US Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles. First to go was Jae Suk and his heart thumped away as he slide down to the bottom within seconds. Next was Myung Soo who looked as if he has been sledding since he was a kid! Followed by Kwang Hee and Ha Ha was basically screeching away on his arm - the friction against the glass definitely hurts. 
Jun Ha waned to chicken out but he was determined to do so after all members have done their part. The locals laughed and even the security lady was giggling away hearing how Jun Ha screamed and his expression on the video was hilarious! King of Expressions Jun Ha!

IC casts were taken to a outskirt theme park whereby they were greeted enthusiastically by girl group GFriend. Jun Ha starts smiling upon seeing the girls but their heads started to spin when their next mission The Highest is to ride the 80m drop roller coaster and have a duet song with GFriend. The lowest 2 teams of the score will have to ride the scariest X2 (4D) roller coaster at Magic Mountain. It was already terrifying to ride the roller coaster and now they have to sing a duet. Ha Ha started out first and his song Nagging was definitely all over the place screaming away. His team scored last. Myung Soo was not too far behind from Ha Ha. Kwang Hee's Magic Castle song at least scored better though it wasn't perfect. Jae Suk's team singing My Ear's Candy was quite funny but they scored 70 the highest. Jun Ha has to eat spaghetti while riding the roller coaster with GFriend members. Jun Ha's spaghetti splattered all over the air as soon as it drops 80m however the girls were laughing away and rather stable. Now the lowest team have to sit the X2 roller coaster. The chairs rotate and spin 360 degrees and moves rapidly as it twists around the corner. Haha mentioned his hair felt like it was ripping off. Myung Soo hated it. Jun Ha dragged Jae Suk to sit together with him for his last mission. Jun Ha's mission of eating yoghurt while riding X2 turns out disastrous as he looked as if he had face pack on his entire face! Muahahah!

Night time falls the guys were camping away under the stars and having BBQ. 
Next morning the members were taken for a downtown LA Tour by the MBC PD Lee in charged of America broadcast. As he took them in the bus explaining the the Korean Association and Korea Town, the members were grumbling they didn't see much. Upon reaching the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the members were given mission to find the 3 Korean celebrities who had their foot and hand prints in it. Jun Ha discovered the first 2 hand prints- actors Lee Byung Hun and Ahn Sung Ki. The rest were struggling to find the third and final person but nowhere to be found. It turns out to be Phillip Ahn - a pioneer and veteran famous actor in 1950's. He was also the son to Dosan Ahn Chang Ho- one of the earliest Korean Independence Activist and Korean-American immigrant community in US. 

It was rather a sad and touching story how Ahn fought his way through for the love of his country and Korean people. They met Ahn's youngest son- Ralph Ahn who is already 91 years old and only surviving lineage.He was rather pleased and honored to see they are covering the story of his father and the history was remembered to everyone until today. Soon it was getting dark and PD tells them they were invited to another person's house who is none other than Dosan Ahn's grandson- Philip Ahn Cuddy. He showed them the Korean flag hand sewn by his late grandmother Lee Hye Ryeon and even the smoke pipe which he stole when he was a kid. The original 3 smoke pipes are kept in the museum in South Korea but Cuddy took the last one and kept. LOL! 

IC casts returned back to South Korea and visited the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho memorial and brought back some of the precious hand written notes passed down by his grandson. The most memorable leadership quote is 

'Love Yourself, Love Others'  愛己愛他 Love is the heart of a liberating leadership. A liberator is someone who fights for the highest possible good in the lives of those they lead. This idea of love is the heart of Dosan’s leadership philosophy.  

(taken from Paul Sohn's leadership website) 

W: Two Worlds leads choose to end their sweet romance as a dream.

The two main leads in W:Two Worlds drama decided to end their sweet romance with a sad teary farewell from where they first met at the roof top of the hotel. 

On 17th August, MBC TV drama W has Kang Chul (played by Lee Jong Suk) parting away from Oh Yeon Ju (played by Han Hyo Joo). Previously Kang Chul started to panic upon hearing the phone call of the mysterious killer threatening to kill Yeon Ju. He quickly ordered body guards to protect Yeon Ju and to set a new hypothesis.

In reality the original manhwa author Oh Seong Mo didn't give any entity depending on the context, the story line kept appearing without a reason to kill. Kang Chul felt very uneasy and tells Yeon Ju to return home after imagining her being shot dead on the forehead. Yeon Ju believes she is immortal in the webtoon world but he doesn't buy the idea after seeing her get cut by a kitchen knife and started bleeding. 

When Yeon Ju returns back to the real world, she gets a phone call asking her weird questions such as- 'You are Oh Seong Mo's daughter? You're Oh Yeon Ju? You're Kang Chul's wife'. Freaking out, she quickly gets Soo Bong to drive back to the house however the two stumbled across the mysterious killer appearing in front of them and shooting at them. The minute the bullet came towards the car windscreen, Yeon Ju immediately disappears and re-appear inside the car with Kang Chul. He was stunned too and asked if she was hurt seeing she is stressed out and fumbling away. 

So Hee starts to cry out in worry seeing herself slowly disappearing in the manhwa world. Her insecurity is causing the translucent image and fading off until Kang Chul re-assures he needs her forever. The marriage was just a show. From there So Hee's self returns and she weeps sorrowfully. 

The key to Kang Chul's life is Yeon Ju but he has to remain as friends with her otherwise her life would be jeopardized. Bidding goodbye, Kang Chul tells Yeon Ju to forget about him and draw it as if it's a dream after all he's a cartoon character before falling off the roof. Yeon Ju returns back to her real world and sobs upon seeing the manhwa online that Kang Chul wakes up after 2 months lying in the hospital and doesn't remember anything at all. He has tears in his eyes but he doesn't know what's going on. Everything returned back to normal as it was. 

The dream Yeon Ju created for Kang Chul in the webtoon world is probably increasing more anticipation when the two meet again but he doesn't recognize her at all. The new settings and story will be intriguing as Yeon Ju meets Kang Chul again at the hospital and she still kept her wedding band ring. The reversal of W starts with a new story....

Yoo Hee Yeol, Haha as JTBC's new entertainment program MC.

Singer/composer Yoo Hee Yeol (45) and Ha Ha (37) are leading the new JTBC entertainment program 'As I Say'  ‘말하는대로(大路). The two men will be meeting as emcees in the program for the very first time. 

Yoo already has his own popular Yoo Hee Yeol Sketchbook program which is ongoing. 

After the spin off of the successful singing program Two Yoo Project: Sugarman with nation's emcee Yoo Jae Suk, it definitely shows Yoo Hee Yeol is a pretty energetic and entertaining person apart from being a composer/singer in the 90s till today. Meanwhile Ha Ha is a typical warm and yet bouncy bright personality who will add further fun into the new program.

'As I say' is a new concept of King of Bus words - reinterpreting the trend nowadays is the street theater. The recording of the program and fellow guests will be based outdoors instead of inside a studio. 

'As I Say', Witch Hunt, and Two Yoo projects are mostly directed by PD Jeong Hyo Min. As I Say program will be broadcast in September 2016. 

Review on G2 Korean BBQ restaurant, Melbourne.

On 6th August, for my belated birthday luncheon- I caught up with some of my friends and ex-colleagues in CBD. First we decided to have lunch at Warra Warra Kitchen in Rainbow Alley but disappointed to know it was closed on weekends lunch except for dinner. 

So we adjourned to G2 Korean BBQ Restaurant along 301 Elizabeth Street. It was Mark's idea to have G2 BBQ but we ended up having individual dishes and a plate of Korean Fried Chicken with spicy sauce. Mark had the Bulgogi Bibimbap on hot stone pot while Chuan Lan had the similar except on a normal bowl. Katrine, Ann and myself ordered the Pork Kimchi Stew (Kimchi tchigae) however it turned out to be so bland and spicy. We had to ask for some salt and seasoning to make the stew taste more edible. Pfft!

I have to give thumbs up for the Korean Fried Chicken since it's boneless and crumbed to perfection. Crunchy and yet not too oily. Love it! Service was ok, the staffs were rather polite too. We arrived early and waited around 10 minutes before 12noon. Haha!
Side dishes were alright too though they are not huge portions as what we usually have in South Korea.

G2 is famous for its BBQ and grilled meat however we opted that out since it'd be smelly to BBQ meat all over the place with our best clothes on. Mark ordered the Raspberry Wine which suited to everyone's palette. Sweet yet it leaves a refreshing unique alcohol taste for a nice wine. It's not too strong and a bottle costs around A$17.00 but you can get it cheaper at the local Korean marts.

Price is 3.5/5 stars
Ambiance: 3/5 stars
Service: 3.5/5 stars
Food: 3/5 stars

1 Night 2 Days interacts with Old Man Idol Championships.

The casts of 1N2D continues the evening with Old Man Idol Championships competition at Cheongdo. They were joined by KBS sports commentators and ex badminton player Ha Tae Kwon, ex-soccer player Lee Young Pyo, ex-fencer Choi Byung Chul and others.
Female KBS commentator threw out questions as which idol girl group does Yuri belong to? 
Immediately the younger generation wrote confidently on their note board Girls' Generation however Tae Kwon and Young Pyo were so lost. Young Pyo wrote Sung Yuri from FIN.KL who has turned actress while Tae Kwon scribbled trio group Cool! LOL!

2nd question was how to write in SNS when one is eating a brunch at a restaurant with hash tag signs. Tae Hyun was blur and he drew some painting stating food was great providing much laughter to the rest. He doesn't know what a hash tag is! Young Pyo scored better by writting #Good! while Tae Kwon just wrote !? signs cracking everyone up. Typical old man 아재!

3rd question is who sings the song Sunset Glow- 붉은 노을 which all knew original singer is Lee Moon Sae. However groups such as Shinhwa and Big Bang remake the new versions.
Now they are divided into Young Team and Old Team. YT consists of Defconn, Junyoung, Shi Yoon, Young Pyo, Byung Chul. OT were Tae Hyun, Tae Kwon, Junho, Jongmin and another ex-gymnast Yeo Hong Chul. 

Relay match of running backwards with hands clapping like ajumma during exercise, carrying the hurdles in a timely manner, running with wide open legs on the track field and finally typing the channel on the TV remote channel with their toes! They were amazed how Byung Chul could run backwards easily not forgetting he does sabre fencing! But Hong Chul cries out he only runs forward and not backwards in the vault event. Shi Yoon leads the YT but Junyoung struggles to carry the hurdles seeing he's a pretty weakling. Young Pyo also finds it difficult in running with wide open legs on the track and fails to type the channel number on the remote control. OT team wins so they scored gold medal for the first round.
2nd round is throwing the discus however discus is replaced with a big liters of water bottle. 
Shi Yoon's throw went to 18m in length, Defconn hits the record by 23m furthest of all, as usual Tae Hyun and Jun Ho were the black holes of their team. Everyone was placing hopes on the gigantic Tae Kwon to fling his last shot but instead of throwing it in front, he threw it to the left side towards Byung Chul who quickly ducked away from the coming water bottle!  Young Team wins 2nd round. Final mission is tug of war. Young Team struggles as Tae Kwon is too strong for them. He pulled them over easily but Byung Chul stood firm in order not to lose out to Hong Chul. Old Team wins the tug of war match and their prize is the meaty nice dinner! 

PD Yu gives Young Team a chance whereby it's 1 vs.1 for tug of war game. They get to snag 1 dish out from the winning team. Young Team suggested Young Pyo against Jun Ho. The ex-soccer mate easily pulled the rope which Junho just flopped into the pool of water! What a sight! Jong Min was confident that he will win over however he was wrong. Within seconds Jong Min splashed into the pool of water like a fish! Not only Young Pyo is fast in running on the soccer field but he was fast in pulling! YT gets plain rice, water and the pork bossam dish.

Old Team enjoyed their dinner feast of fish stew, fried loach and other side dishes. Later that night the casts were brought to a hanok house- they play Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine which room they go to sleep. One room is with air-con, fan and nice bedding where the other is empty means they need to sleep on the outside tent. Shi Yoon picks first followed by Defconn and Tae Hyun and theirs were air-con room! The other 3 were disgusted to know they have to camp outside tent for the night. Morning mission is run and follow the arrows to the peach plantation. Summer fruits are amazing and their peaches were sweet and ripe. Junho wins the morning mission and gets a box of ripe peaches. 

The following week they gather at KBS building with PD Yu waiting for them. Junho buys some Americano and suggests one of the drink to be swapped with fish sauce. They decided to prank on Shi Yoon which turns out to be successful as he kept his compose after sipping the iced coffee. PD Yu tells them to fill out a questionnaire to decide where they will go for their free travel holiday. Tae Hyun and Junho were the team leaders and they have to ring a friend to gather by Friday for the free and easy travel. 

Junho tries to ring actress Park Han Byul but the number was not available! Hahah! Tae Hyun starts dialing and first to pick up was actor Jo In Sung. In Sung always pick up Tae Hyun's calls but he has a school reunion on Friday. Next up was actor Kim Woo Bin who was also busy filming his drama Uncontrollably Fondly. 

Junho still fails to call anyone at the hour except his comedian friends. Tae Hyun tries again and this time is Song Joong Ki who answers the call but he has filming for his upcoming movie so he cannot turn up. Junho instead rang up gagman Song Jong Geun to heat up the marathon of calling. Everyone laughed seeing Tae Hyun is leading the race with his list of A-famous actors friends. Last but not least Tae Hyun rang Park Bo Gum who is also busy filming his new drama Moonlight Drawn by Clouds. Jongmin requests for him to bring along Kim Yoo Jung. Let's not forget- Joong Ki, Bo Gum and Tae Hyun are all in the same entertainment agency. 

Tune in for the next episode of Free and Easy travel with friends where Park Bo Gum shows up with another comedian Kim Jun Hyeon. The two guests joined them for the most thrilling and adventurous roller coaster rides of their life time. Hah! 

Special guests- Park Bo Gum and gagman Kim Jun Hyeon

(Thanks to Tae Hyun- he likes adrenaline rush rides but scaredy cat Jongmin is not a fan of it. Remember? He couldn't even jump off the 2m cliff when Shi Yoon and Defconn dived easily from the cliffs for the mission)