Random thoughts

Competition

On the flight from the West to the East recently, I saw a Korean movie "The Naked Kitchen". It's very contemporary, very avant-garde, about a bold topic I've not seen explored in Asian cinema -- a woman caught between two men, well, nothing unusual there, but this young woman wants BOTH men. One is her husband of a year and the other a stranger who turns out to be her husband's partner in a new business venture. On their first anniversary, she meets this stranger in an art venue and sort of "makes out" with him. (They kiss and I'm not sure what happens afterwards, but the film synopsis says they make love!) I've not seen the actress before (Sin Min-Ah), but she's very pretty and cute in an impish sort of way, great legs too. But what I really want to write about are the two actors who play the husband (Kim Tae-Woo) and the lover (Joo Ji-Hoon*). I thought I didn't know them, even though the lover looks familiar, but as it turns out, he's the one who plays the Crown Prince in "Princess Hours". He looks much better in this movie than in the drama. These two actors are not my type at all, even though they are both tall and lean. But I could see a lot of fans being attracted to them, and other Korean actors like them. My point is -- Jo Hyun-Jae has competition! Every day so many new faces appear on the Korean entertainment scene -- all gorgeous hunks! Fans are fickle. JHJ has been in the army for almost a year. If after his discharge in June 2010, he does not make a great drama, he could easily be forgotten. So please, Mr. Manager, you need to get a good script and a good role for your superstar. *** JHJ's comeback must make a big splash! We are all waiting with bated breath.

(* Joo Ji-Hoon is currently being prosecuted for drug posssession, so his career may be over.)

H1N1

The world is under the grip of the H1N1 virus right now, but the response to this flu pandemic is radically different in the west and in the east. On my way to Los Angeles last month, I stopped over in Hong Kong for a few days. Every newspaper headline screamed: "Swine flu". (That's before pigs were vindicated.) All TV news were dominated by the dreary topic. When I got to the U.S.A., supposed to be one of the worst hit countries, there was hardly any mention of H1N1 at all. So I enjoyed three weeks of peace and quiet. But once I was back in Hong Kong, it's H1N1 all over again, every moment of every day. I see so many people wearing face masks. Why go out at all if you're so scared? Do these people know every year tens of thousands of people all over the world die from the flu -- the old kinds? It's just that this one is new. And it's highly curable, if caught early. If you want to be safe, stay home and watch JHJ dramas.

North Korea

The U.N. has imposed tough new sanctions on North Korea to curb its nuclear ambitions, and N. Korea has declared that any aggressive act like "stop and search" of its ships would be construed as an act of war. This is really worrying. Even if Jo Hyun-Jae is not serving in the S. Korean military, it would still be worrying. Technically speaking, N. and S. Korea are still in a state of war. They only signed an armistice, a temporary truce, on 7/27/1953. (N. Korea has since unilaterally withdrawn from this armistice on 5/27/09.) I'm not really worried that war will break out. (Heaven forbid!) Kim Jong Il is playing a dangerous game, but all this sabre rattling is just to get President Obama's attention. But I'm afraid Kim could accidentally go over the edge. After all, I live pretty close to Pyongyang. I pray for peace every night. I pray to God to keep JHJ safe. God bless us all! (This is Elena's line!)

*** Let's take a poll here on what kind of drama/film you would like to see JHJ in when he resumes his acting career after June 19, 2010:

1. Romantic drama (like "Only you")
2. Romantic comedy (like "3 Dads/1 Mom")
3. Action/romance/mystery (like "Forbidden Love")
4. Historical drama (like "Seo Dong Yo")
5. Thriller (like "G.P.506")
6. Tragedy
7. Any other suggestions?