The Korean Television Drama Production Company Association made a bizarre decision last Friday (Dec 6) to ban actor Park Shin-yang from appearing in any K-dramas in the future, stating that his ‘outrageous’ wage demand as the reason behind the sanction.
Park requested 170.5million won (~USD110k) per extension episode for his previous drama “War of Money”, which the production complied to but failed to pay up in full [more on Hanfever]
Park has filed a lawsuit to claim his unpaid fees (~ 341mil won), which probably prompted the Friday meeting which led to the ban.
The association is also requesting TV stations to ban the involved production company for giving in to Park’s demand at the first place and ‘disrupting the orders’ of drama production.
At the moment an A-list Korean star could demand 30-40mil won per episode, a few super A-listers could get 70-80mil, while the one and only Bae Yong-joon was paid 200mil won when filming “The Legend” per episode. Bae’s case was a bit unique though for the fact that foreign investors were heavily involved.
Korean drama production companies have been complaining a lot lately about the high wages demanded by the actors and actresses. They were planning to set a cap on the actors’ wages last month, which I believe is already being implemented unofficially… as some of the big names are ‘voluntarily’ reducing their wages recently.
Park Shin-yang is obviously a guinea pig for the association to show their determination in the wage battle. He has not done anything wrong legally, but there’s always hidden rules in every industry that needs to be followed, unfortunately… and he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The 41st Hong Kong TVB Anniversary Awards were presented on November 16, with drama “Moonlight Resonance” dominating the winner list as expected…
Veterans Ha Yu and Michelle Yim with best actor/actress awards (Image from
Baidu)
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Hong Kong star Gillian Chung might be starring alongside Taiwanese actor Ethan Ruan and actress Cheryl Yang in a Taiwanese idol drama.
Gillian is struggling to make her comeback after the infamous Edison Chen scandal… her Hollywood venture didn’t work well as she only managed a three-second cameo; while her appearance in the highly anticipated Chinese movie “Mei Lanfang” is wiped out altogether.
It’s reported that EEG (Gillian’s agency) is making compromises to have Gillian in the idol drama, which she will take on the supporting female role instead of the main lead.
The arrangement has not been finalised though; despite willing to take a pay cut… EEG’s desired pay is ironically the highest among the cast. The drama producers are still in negotiation with EEG and are positive that they could reach an agreement.
Update – the parties involved couldn’t reach a final agreement; Gillian won’t be appearing in the drama. Young actress Yang Ya Zhu is taking the role instead.
“Attention Please” is a 2006 Japanese drama, adapted from the same title manga about the training of flight attendants for Japan Airlines.
The drama starred Aya Ueto, Ryo Nishikido, Saki Aibu, Miki Maya, Misa Uehara, Chihiro Otsuka, Kotaro Koizumi and Fumiyo Kohinata etc.
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Im Yoona from Korean pop group SNSD is taking the leading role in new KBS drama You Are My Destiny… her first prominent role in her acting career.
Yoona plays a young and cheerful lady who has just undergone a cornea transplant; the story revolves around her relationship with the donor’s family and her new found romance.
The co-stars include Park Jae-jung and Gong Hyun-joo etc. (in the poster)
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Fan made music video of If (만약에) by Korean singer Kim Tae-yeon from all-girls pop group SNSD; OST for K-drama Hong Gil Dong starring Kang Ji-hwan and Sung Yuri… spoiler alert!
Not really a fan of SNSD yet, but love Taeyeon’s voice… it’s pretty unique, and she hit the high notes pretty well.
[video via blahkice@Youtube]
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Japan’s Fuji TV [Jp] is filming Hana Kimi, a drama series based on popular manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e by Hisaya Nakajo.
Hana Kimi is about a girl who fell in love and decided to transfer into the same school to meet her dream guy. Problem is, the guy is attending an all-boys high school, and the girl will have to disguise as a HE to meet her Mr Right.
The manga was first adapted by the Taiwanese, starring Ella Chen, Wu Chun and Jiro Wang. The drama was a huge hit and prompted Fuji TV to produce the Japanese version, which will star Maki Horikita, Shun Oguri and Toma Ikuta etc.
K-drama If In Love, Like Them, starring pop diva Lee Hyori, is suspended indefinitely for violation of Korean broadcasting guidelines.
The drama is penalised for inappropriate product placement and overused of Hyori’s songs as soundtrack. The drama will not be allowed to rebroadcast in Korea, and the show (producers) are required to make a public apology.
The drama, also titled Perhaps Love, is about two cancer patients who met each other in hospital and developed a relationship.
Despite the ban in its homeland, the drama is expected to recoup some of its investments with the popularity of its main cast (which includes actors Lee Dong-gun and Jung Joon-ho) in foreign countries.
Lee Hyori news
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