Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Vacationing in Argentina this past Christmas was special for Michael Vlamis because it was the first trip he paid for himself. “Up until then, the only time I traveled was because of work or on family vacations,” he says. “As an actor starting out, you’re a slave to the Hollywood system, but my (CW series) ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ gave me the freedom and financial flexibility I needed to go see the world.”
Remember that last post when we wondered whether KBS — or KBS2 in this case — could have a hit with either “Doctor Prisoner” or “My Fellow Citizens!” It turns out that they could!
One of Japan’s most popular groups, Perfume became the first J-Pop act to ever take the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with a performance last weekend. Formed in 2000, the electro-pop trio will do another set at the fest’s Gobi Tent on Sunday. That concert will conclude Perfume’s U.S. tour to promote their album, “Future Pop.” Nocchi (Ōmoto Ayano), Kashiyuka (Kashino Yuka) and A-chan (Nishiwaki Ayaka) made the most of their Coachella experience: The group caught a bit of Ariana Grande’s show and attended parties hosted by Interscope and Moschino. The experience, they said, was a dream.
Korean dramas are famous for asking viewers to believe that women — often the tiniest, daintiest actresses you could find — are going to be mistaken for men. But when they do it right, they do it so well.The best example I can think of is the gateway drama, “Coffee Prince,” starring Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-Hye.
“Paul Bowles’ ‘The Sheltering Sky’ really had an impact on me in high school,” says “Breakthrough” and “Homeland” actor Sam Trammell. “The story of an American couple traveling to north Africa and then continuing into the desert without a solid plan and the impromptu thread of the narrative (of) following your heart and gut. The descriptions of Morocco and the desert were so vibrant. It was very much of an escape for me. And it made travel and exploration feel like deeply important tasks for the soul.”
The success of Korean superstars BTS has paved the way for multiple K-pop acts to try their chances in the U.S. — but few will be making their U.S. concert debut with as much panache as Blackpink.
In 2013, BTS was just another Korean boy band signed to a small label that hardly anyone had heard of. Six years and a K-pop global explosion later, they are the most popular boy band in the world, which is why fans around the globe set their alarm clocks (or pulled all-nighters) to catch the global release of “Map of the Soul: Persona” at precisely 6 p.m. KST (2 a.m. PT/ 5 a.m. ET).
Since it’s 2010 premiere in South Korea, “Running Man” has been a weekly favorite. Though the ratings aren’t as high as it was during its heyday, the show still has a strong following of Korean and international fans. It also survived the departures of original cast members Song Joong-Ki and Gary. Though it’s difficult to narrow it down to just a few favorites, here are 5 episodes that I enjoyed very much!
“I absolutely believe that moms are total superheroes,” says Marta Milans, who portrays foster mom Rosa Vasquez in the feature film, “SHAZAM!” “My mom is definitely one of them, so it was easy for me to encapsulate her essence when playing the role of Mamma Rosa.”
It hasn’t even been a month since Lee Jong-Suk enrolled for his mandatory military duty on March 8. But there’s a ton of us fans who miss him already. Am I right? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.)
Grammy Award-winning musician Stephen Marley has many memories of performing with his family. But one of his favorites was when he traveled to Zimbabwe with his father, the late reggae icon, Bob Marley. “It was really eye opening,” says Marley, whose latest EP is “One Take: Acoustic Jams.”“I was probably about 9 years old. My brother, Ziggy, and I performed with him to honor the nation’s independence at the time. This was the moment I realized music is way more than just music.”
I finished watching the final episode of “Kill Me, Heal Me” early this morning, and I am left with a sense of melancholy — not because the ending was unhappy (it wasn’t), but because the series was so good I wanted to see more. This K-Drama unravels at a languid pace. As each new backstory is revealed, it felt like a jolt to my heart.
K-Dramas tackle topics not often talked about in everyday conversation. By doing so, they bring some important subject matters, like adoption, to the forefront.
Ten years ago, Epik High was in jeopardy when online trolls went on a malicious rampage to defame frontman Tablo. “I took my family to Tokyo and then to Hawaii to keep them away from the awe-inspiringly hellish thing that was happening to me,” he says. “I remember everything about that trip. It kept me sane for a little bit. Call it a sane-cation.”
I could go on and on about the romance elements. But because I knew the lead character would be fine regardless of who she chose — and that the men would be OK as well — I was more fascinated by the dynamics at the workplace and how difficult it can be for women to juggle being a mom with having a job outside of the home.
When Big Hit Entertainment announced that it was launching a new boy band, the internet went wild digging for more information. Why? Because Big Hit is home to the world’s most famous boy band — BTS — and everyone wanted to know who TXT was.
“We can speak Hebrew, Polish, Spanish, Hindi, German, Japanese and many more languages,” says M.O.N.T. “We really enjoy learning languages and we learn it through music most of the time, so it’s easy for us to memorize vocabulary.”
Quick! Off the top of your head, which K-Dramas have been talked about the most in recent years? If you said “Sky Castle,” “Reply 1988,” “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” “Mr. Sunshine” and “100 Days My Prince,” you would be correct. And something they all have in common is that they aired on Korea’s cable television.
“Angry Mom” brings up the question of whether it’s OK to be a bully, if you are standing up for the rights of the weak.
As every K-Drama aficionado is well aware, the second lead syndrome — where two men are vying for one woman’s attention — is an integral part of just about every Korean series ever made. And though we may roll our eyes at yet another one, it’s also fact that it’s something we love (and sometimes love to hate).