Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Born in New York, Jessica Ho was 14 years old when she moved to South Korea by herself to jump-start her music career. Because of her young age, Jessi – as she’s known professionally – lived with her grandmother, attended school and signed with a Korean music company. “My father hadn’t wanted me to go, because I was so young,” said the singer, rapper and on-air personality
“#Alive” was filmed a year before countries worldwide were locking down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But its depiction of isolation and fear of the unknown mirrors what millions of people went through (minus the zombies) in this 2020 thriller.
If you’re looking for a light K-drama where the plot is not really the point, “CEO-dol Mart” is the show to watch. The premise of this series is that after the death of a member, the idol group the Thunder Boys broke up and went their separate ways before they had a chance at getting recognition.
Playing undercover police officer Jun-mo — who hopes that his gig will lead to a promotion — Ji Chang-wook is in his element as an eager cop who infiltrates a drug cartel with ties to China and Japan.
Growing up in Cardiff, Wales, Jamie Miller dreamt about becoming a musician, but it’s not something he felt was possible. “You don’t really talk about things like that in Wales,” Miller, 26, said. “So when things started to happen, it felt almost unreal.”
There is a recurring dream sequence in “Doona!” A young woman is submerged in water. From below, she can see the glitz and glamour of her life as a top star. But when our protagonist startles herself awake, we see her living a mundane life, waking up sweaty in a small apartment and taking long drags of cigarettes in the courtyard. This is how we meet Lee Doo-na, a famous K-pop idol who is hiding away in a shared house for college students.
Less than seven months after xikers debuted, the 10-man Korean pop group has already released two EPs and is currently on their first headlining world tour – which includes a Chicago concert at the Patio Theater on October 24.
“When I was younger, touring sometimes resembled a party that you never had to clean up after,” Tom Heyman said from his San Francisco home. “The first time I went to Europe, we had a driver/road manager, and it was a revelation to be rolling down the road and drinking before and after the gig, not having to worry about who was sober enough to drive. When I got older and stopped drinking, touring became much more about trying to get enough sleep, eat right and to really try and connect with the audience in a meaningful way.”
Set in a hospice, the point of “If You Wish Upon Me” isn’t that the dying can only leave this world if they have a wish fulfilled. Rather, sometimes they need peace of mind before they’ll allow themselves to go.
Known for originating the role of Girl Scout in the Broadway production of “Beetlejuice,” Dana Steingold is one of the stars of Jason Alexander’s directorial debut, “The Cottage.”
“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” is not a good film, but it’s watchable because its star is Ma Dong-seok. The burly actor stars as a mob boss whose street credibility takes a beating when he is nearly killed by a floppy-haired serial killer (Kim Sung-kyu) — whose modus operandi is rear-ending drivers and then savagely stabbing them to death.
“Dr. Romantic” focuses on genius doctor Boo Yong-joo (Han Suk-kyu), who had been set up to take the fall for a patient’s death. Because he refused to play the kiss-ass game at work, he loses his job.
The first episode of “My Magic Closet” accomplishes what “XO, Kitty” failed to deliver. It deftly tackles identity and what it’s like living as diaspora.
There is a lot going on in “Moving,” Disney’s most-watched K-drama to date. Initially, it appears the series will center on heroic teenagers. But as intriguing as the storylines are for the children, it’s the parents’ arcs that really piqued my interest.
It is a stiflingly hot day in Seoul. But when Kim Jin-kwon – known professionally as Jinkwon – arrives for an interview at the Somerset Palace in the heart of the city, he appears cool in every sense of the word. The college student, 22, has a lot on his plate. Besides being the leader of the K-pop group Newkidd, he’s an actor who’s currently filming a new series.
A remake of the Taiwanese series “Someday or One Day,” the Korean version of this time-travel drama isn’t always easy to follow. But if you suspend your belief in reality and just go with the flow, you will find yourself immersed in a compelling plot that centers on love, while it also navigates story arcs about guilt, gaslighting and a, erm, serial killer.
One reason for the popularity of “Doctor Prisoner” may be that it has incorporated some real-life news into its story arcs, similar to how American shows such as “Law & Order” draw ideas from sensational headlines.
On the surface, it appears that “Mask Girl” is about beauty standards and how our looks are a catalyst for who we will become. But by the end of the series, viewers will have been taken on a wild ride where subterfuge and revenge are the norm, rather than the exception, and everyone’s moral compass has been broken.
After learning that his long-time girlfriend is deathly allergic to dogs, Min-soo sets out on a journey to to find a new home for his beloved golden retriever. In the end, he realizes that the solution to his problem was nearby the whole time.
You’ve seen the cold male chaebol/warm, hardworking female combo before in many popular K-dramas (including “Business Proposal” and “Oh My Venus”). But Im Yoon-ah and Lee Jun-ho are so charismatic and easy to watch in “King the Land” that they add a fresh touch to an old concept.