Lydia Shum

I am saddened to learn of the death of Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum, on February 19, 2008.

She was an immortal in my mind; a woman whose screen presence never failed to make me laugh.

I discovered her in the earliest days of my Asian film adventure.

A nice remembrance piece is posted at Sensasian's web site which includes her impressively extensive filmography.

This direct link will take you to the rememberance piece in the event the item is no longer on the homepage.

She will be missed.

Running 7 Dogs - without getting bitten.

A tasty dish, but is it for you?


Recipe: Take a pissed off mob boss, a desire for revenge, and incompetent employees. Mix well.

Then sit and laugh yourself silly.

Simply put: South Korea meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

This is one of the darkest black comedies to come along in a while. It has the accidental disaster atmosphere of Pulp Fiction, peppered with discord between two enforcers, which leads to a very funny scene where the pecking order between them is reestablished.

Add Lee Ji-hyeon (La Belle co-star, and absolute best actress in the world when it comes to droll deadpan), and it gets better and better

There will not be spoilers here. So you don't get a synopsis out of me.

You either like insane, slightly twisted Korean humor, AND have a strong stomach for gore (not as gory as American gore BTW), which makes you a category one, or you're squeamish and don't find whacked out twisted Korean humor funny. If you're in category one, jump in and have a laugh or ten. Category two? Watch something else.

The ending is typically Korean in a delicious way, and fits the crime.

I absolutely refuse to put a morality-tale spin on this commentary. I picked up on one elsewhere, and it gave me a strong desire to rant about the descent into mediocre thinking we have become so placidly accepting of for too many years now.

I love the flick, have watched it a lot of times, and will close by saying, it is just plain bloody funny. And bizarre. And outrageous.

By A. Murray

Running 7 Dogs available at:
Available at:
HK FLIX:$9.95

YesAsia:$13.49

Amazon: Used (2) $8.34 + $8.37-New $9.03-$12.99
Type title into search bar at Amazon

Available also through eBay and Half.com. Prices vary.

Shipping costs at e-Bay are always an issue for me.

Best buy used: Half.com at $5.00
Set shipping rate 1st DVD/VHS $2.99 via Media Mail. Additional movies shipped from same seller, same transaction, $1.89.

Fantasy Couple/Couple or Trouble/Couple in Trouble

NOTE: SEE PRICE CHANGE INFO BELOW.

Whatever you call it, the show is the same. Slippery title aside, this is a gem.

It is now available on E-Bay, where you're likely to get burned on the price due to auction fever and shipping cost, HK Flix, where you'll get the best deal, YesAsia, or Amazon.com.

This is a Region 0 (all region) version. Good for you MBC, now you're cookin' with gas.

Prices:
E-Bay? Anybody's guess. (NOTE:Auction ended at $72.00 + $7.25 postage. A whopping savings of .70 below HK Flix, without the safty of a real live company guarantee (seller did promise to replace defective discs).
Hk Flix: $79.95 + Free Shipping in U.S. PRICE CHANGE: $80.95 + Free Shipping
YesAsia: $89.99 + Probably Free Shipping globally.
Amazon: $99.99 + Free Shipping Price Change: $89.99 + Free Shipping
Easiest returns for defective merchandise:Amazon

Unless your brain is sleeping, you know I recommend HK Flix.

In addition to giving the best price this time around, they are wonderful to deal with. They stand behind their products, sell very good all-region DVD equipment, are friendly and helpful, and have an incredible DVD inventory covering everything imaginable. They're the apple of my eye.

Other perks available are the informative newsletter currently offering a 5 day long 10% discount on ALL DVD's by clicking a link in the letter, by the way. They also give a few Flix Bux for customer reviews they post. Flix Bux are handy to put toward future shipping, or a DVD you might want. And they do add up.

I want to point out here, my comments re E-Bay are not a slam against them or their sellers. BUT, I do feel a lot safer buying from people I've come to know and trust. like HK Flix. I have had fairly extensive communication with them, and you do get to know each other that way.

They keep the customer informed about the status of an order, they pack shipments like the professionals they are, and they ship quickly for the most part. I've never waited weeks for a package as I have at times through other sources.

I buy wherever I get the best deal. I'm not a blind follower. But common sense tends to be the deciding factor in most of my dealings online. Common sense dictates HK Flix is the best place for buying Fantasy Couple.

Check out their inventory, and their comments regarding some of the things they sell. At times these people are so brutally honest and funny, they completely crack me up. I love funny smart people.

Go shop. ;)

Hallyu Singers Concert Coming to Hawaii

The poster below will give you information concerning the participants at this upcoming event.

There is a second photo below it with the text line from the bottom of the main poster enlarged for your viewing convenience.

Please click both images to enlarge them enough to see the text.

If you're in Hawaii, this may prove to be another great Korean event. Hope you can attend!

Best wishes,
Hyacinth



Text from main poster:


Samwoo Marketing Concepts
1311 Kapiolani Blvd., #600
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Tel: (808) 597-7979
Fax: (808) 597-1569
kim@samwoomc.com
www.samwoomc.com

Movies being screened at...

CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MÂNOA

KOREAN FILM SERIES
FALL 2007

Tuesdays at 7 PM

Sept 18 The King and the Clown
Sept 25 Over the Border
Oct 2 Time
Oct 9 Family Ties
Oct 16 Cruel Winter Blues
Oct 23 Woman on the Beach
Oct 30 Schoolgirl’s Diary
Nov 6 Milyang (Secret Sunshine)
Titles are subject to change.

All showings will be with English subtitles.

Notice from Benton Pang.

Sounds like fun. Go if you can, and enjoy!

Oh Ji Ho says, "I Am Really Oh Ji Ho"

"I Am Really Oh Ji Ho" - Special Disguise As A Fat Man in SBS, "Oh Sujung"

After Kim Ah Joong disguised herself in the movie, "200 lb Beauty," Oh Ji Ho is taking on the disguise as a fat man.

SBS “Oh Sujung” is the next drama to be aired after "Bad Couple," starting on the 28th. The male lead character played by Oh Ji Ho had to wear a special disguise to act as an unattractive man.

On June 30th, Oh Ji Ho went to the office of a special effects makeup team, CELL, to do a special effects makeup test for the role of fat and unattractive Mansu in "Oh Sujung." The result of the two-hour long makeover produced a fat man who seemed totally unlike the former Oh Ji Ho.

"Oh Sujung" is a drama about Oh Sujung who chooses to marry a partner solely based on their wealth and background, and when the unattractive Mansu fails his law entrance examination, she dumps him on the day of their wedding.
Mansu gets traumatized by this and sets on a path of revenge to transform himself, and after succeeding in America by eight years of dieting and exercise, he becomes a professional golfer who exceeds Tiger Woods in terms of wealth and looks.

The fat version of Oh Ji Ho will be shown in episodes one, two and three.

Posted at Broasia

July 5, 2007

Oh Ji Ho News Article

The Electric New Paper (Article)

HE'S BACK & HOTTER THAN EVER
By Chang May Choon
July 10, 2007

WHAT'S a hunk like him doing in a slapstick comedy?

Oh Ji Ho found his co-star Shu Qi 'terribly beautiful'. Ji Ho prefers being recognised more as a good actor than a sexy star.

So said Taiwanese babe Shu Qi, referring to co-star Oh Ji Ho in the Korean film My Wife Is A Gangster 3, currently showing in theatres here.

She plays a Hong Kong triad chief's daughter who goes into hiding in Seoul with the help of a Korean gangster (Lee Bum Soo) and his two sidekicks, one of them played by JiHo.

Shu Qi told The New Paper recently: 'I feel he (Ji Ho) is quite good-looking. He is suave and (pointing to her arms) quite well-built.

'I was wondering why someone like him would play a comedic role. Then I realised he wasn't fully established (as an actor) yet.'

But things are set to change.

A year after filming My Wife Is A Gangster 3, Ji Ho is now establishing himself as a popular leading man for romantic comedies on TV.

He had shot to fame in Korea late last year in the highly-rated drama Fantasy Couple, even winning a Best Screen Couple award with his pretty co-star Han Ye Seul.

The media labelled him a 'kkot mi nam' (Korean for pretty boy) for his 'sculpted face' and Adonis-like body that he often flaunts on screen.

Fans adored his nice guy image and affable charm.

But the untimely suicide of his ex-girlfriend, who worked as a bar hostess, drove the heartbroken man out of the limelight for months since January.

Ji Ho, 31, has since returned, hotter than ever. Last week, he dominated headlines in Korea for donning a fat suit in his comeback TV project, a romantic comedy entitled Seducing Karl.

He plays a 150kg man who flunks the bar exam and gets dumped on his wedding day.

So, he decides to change himself and after eight years, he becomes a professional golfer and gets wooed by his ex-fiancee (Uhm Jung Hwa of Seducing Mr Perfect fame).

In his own words, Ji Ho goes from 'obese to hot and charismatic'.

He wrote in an e-mail interview with The New Paper: 'It will be a huge transformation and hopefully, it will also be the most important turning point in my acting career so far. You'll be very surprised at my new look!'

When he visited Taipei two months ago to promote his drama Fantasy Couple, he had already won over the local media and fans with his friendly, obliging ways.

He even lifted petite Taiwanese host Chamder Tsai Tsan Der effortlessly. She merely clasped her hands around his right arm and the muscle man reportedly hoisted her off the ground with ease.

Also, he seemed to live up to his reputation as a loving boyfriend - as evidenced by how he was crushed by his ex-girlfriend's death, lashing out at reports that spoke ill of her.

Despite the media controversy over their mismatched relationship, Ji Ho appeared to have won more support from fans who were touched by how he handled the scandal with honesty and heartfelt emotion.

PAINFUL PAST

Seven months later, he seems to have put his painful past behind him.

When he was in Taipei in May, he spoke about how he has gradually recovered over the past few months, reported United Daily News.

Although he claimed it is still too early to embark on another relationship, he said he prefers cute girls with beautiful eyes, and he likes his girlfriend to rely on him for everything.

He would even help her repair her toilet, he added.

When asked if he would continue to date a woman if he finds out she is a gangster, he wrote: 'Of course I would be a little bothered, but I think it's our love that matters the most.'

On his impression of Shu Qi, he wrote, 'She's terribly beautiful!'

He went on to add that he initially found her 'cold', but grew to admire her professionalism.

'I'm sure it wasn't easy filming in Korea since she's not used to the lifestyle here, but she always had a positive outlook, which brightened up the mood around the set.

'I wished I could speak Chinese and wondered how she would express her feelings (without) the language barrier.'

NOT THAT PERFECT

His sense of humour showed when it came to the popular description that he has 'sculpted' facial features.

'It's too much! I don't think my face is that perfect. There are so many better-looking people in the world.'

Then, he added with a hint of mischief: 'But that doesn't mean I don't feel good hearing that.'

So is it out of vanity that he keeps baring his beefy body - which he attributes to regular games of football, baseball and basketball? Or is he planning to be a sex symbol?

This time, he gave a more typical answer - he prefers being recognised as a good actor than a sexy star. 'Although it's nice to flaunt my body from time to time, the story should dictate the action on the screen,' he said.

But he did confess to being lousy at making people laugh, even though his more notable works are romantic comedies.

The former model was first noticed as the baddie in the office comedy Super Rookie in 2005, before landing his first leading role in the tearjerker Autumn Shower.

But the latter, which co-stars Kim So Yeon (Seven Swords) as his comatose wife, bombed.,

Ji Ho said he enjoys doing both melodrama and comedy. He credited the success of Fantasy Couple, in which he plays a handyman who tricks an amnesiac heiress (Ye Seul) into becoming his housekeeper, to its 'great script' and production crew.

The drama is available here on VCD and DVD.

Finally, for someone who has the looks, the body, the personality, good roles and loyal fans, what does he think he lack?

'I think there's much more for me to learn about acting. I want to be better at what I do. The more popular I become, the greedier I get in the search for diverse and quality roles.'

- Additional reporting by Ho Lian-Yi

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,135393,00.html

Notes by Hyacinth:
This is rather a trashy article, but if you're hungry, it might suffice. It is reproduced as it is found online at the site.

I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would describe Oh Ji Ho's body as "beefy", being rail thin as he is.

Be that as it may, here's what's passing for news on the web these days.