(Acting awards are divided into a couple classes; those who don’t win the Daesang will be awarded a Best Actor award. A group below them who were not nominated for the Daesang will be honored with Excellence awards. Correct me if I’m wrong, please.)

My understanding is that Daesang winner is chosen from Top Excellence Award (above Excellence Award) nominees. Daesang and Top Excellence Award can be won by the same star, Jumong's Song Il-kook won both in 2006. There are times where a star who doesn't win Top Excellence Award ends up winning Daesang though.

Good luck to Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Gun!
I love this couple and I want them to win the best couple award.
I don`t have high hopes that Suna will win the DAESANG award this year, but she deserve to be awarded as Best actress, she did a great job in WIAN.

I agree that these awards aren't incredibly meaningful, but I do hope Choi Jin-shil receives some sort of award or recognition. Given how long she was in the industry and how well-liked and well-respected she was, it's only appropriate, I think.

Hope that Suna and LDG will win all the awards they were nominated
for. Both of them performed well in WIAN and Suna's performance was
superb. She deserves the Top Excellence Award.

djes - "New" refers to new to MBC dramas, not necessarily new to acting.

My bet is on Kim Myung Min for the Dae Sang this year, and I think they'll give Choi Jin Shil either an honorary award or the Top Excellence award for female actress. I doubt they'll give her the Dae Sang since it'll likely bring down the mood, and since KMM is the favorite by many to win the award. Also, I doubt Kim Suna and Lee Dong Gun will get anything since their drama was a flop in ratings this year, along with Son Ye Jin's Spotlight.

The MBC dramas that have done well in ratings in 2008 are New Heart, Beethoven Virus, East of Eden and Last Scandal. They're the most likely to sweep at the awards ceremony at the end of this year.

they usually give 2 awards for each category except Daesang i think. i think it should go to Choi Jin Shil, i thought she was so good in that role in the beginning of the year. or Kim Myung Min, he is an amazing actor, he was able to be stuck up/rude & funny all at the same time. the dad & lead guy in Who Are You should have been nominated. i started watching Golden Age of My Life, its really good, i'm rooting for Shin Sung Rok & Lee So Yeon.

I Think Choi Jin Sil will win it .... who dares to go out againts her in 2008 ?? she had a big drama happening to her nothing can beat that

all i can say...these awards are judged by the rating of the series...
BYJ won the DAE SANG last year because LEGEND rated at 35% just before MBC Award, that even if Kim Myung Min was better in terms of acting to BYJ, his WHITE TOWER could not beat Joo Mong which was still airing when WHITE TOWER was shown.

i am betting that Jo Jae Hyun will take home the bacon as NEW HEART was able to reach 30% when it ended...East of Eden has not reached 30% in its nationwide rating....unless it hit 30% before MBC Award...Song Seung Hun will take home the bacon.

again, these station awards lacks credibility. the basis of the DAE SANG sometimes is well-judged, sometimes it is plain joke and insult to those who most-deserved it.

Song Seung-heon and Lee Yeon-hee makes one hot couple!

Yea, I have a feeling they would hand her the DaeSang, but I still think Kim Myung Min deserves it more. hehehe...

I am a bit annoyed that Kim Bum did not even get into Best New Actor.. or even the Popularity Award category..

Lee Sung Jae, Oh Yeon Soo, Lee Dong Wook and Yoon Kye Sang too..=(
(All of them were in great dramas, but ratings were dismal..)

my bet is that they would give Choi Jin-shil the Daesang or the Top Excellence Award...a posthumous one I must say, and I think she deserves it as a tribute to her acting career though Kim Myung-min is also good in Beethoven Virus...too bad this kind of awards sometimes nominate from the dramas that got high ratings or in the popularity of the actors, I agree to what Ripgal posted above

my vote go to
The Last Scandal of My Life

my vote for new heart and choi jin shil and songseungheon :)

I'm suprised by SSH nomination...based on plot and so many episodes hi EOE character is not even the main lead..the main based on plot being characters played by Park Hae Jin & YJH. and if ratings will be used as basis SSH cant claim sole credit for EOE, many leads and highest ratings episode are not even "his" episodes which mostly are loveline with LYH. If its a lovestory with him & LYH as leads and its rates well then he can be candidate. but main plot and what's shown of his character so far doesnt make him main lead at all. It's to injustice of true EOE leads...acting wise..he's not best among male leads at all. He should take a drama with him as only lead to check if he can generate high ratings by himself. most junior lead PHJ has ratings credit reaching of his recent dramas 30s to back him up. I have high expectations of SSH EOE character because of the hype...I expected too much.

I wonder when SSH will finally make a "solo" comeback..his comeback movie is with able support of best friend big star KSW and his comeback drama has loads of co-stars. He's definitely taking "sure" steps....but he's a big star already and of age to be on his own....nothing to fear about I think. I hope his next project is really his and his alone!

".the main based on plot being characters played by Park Hae Jin & YJH. "

Yeah it sometimes seems like Song Seung Heon's storyline has little to do with the actual story. Then again, it's sometimes more interesting than the actual story . . .

"most junior lead PHJ has ratings credit reaching of his recent dramas 30s to back him up. "

Until last week, I'm not sure if you could say PHJ was the main attention of the story.

Somewhat controversially (depends on which side you sit I guess), Song Seung Heon and Lee Yeon Hee was the selected East of Eden couple nominated as Couple of the Year. The couples of the year include

Song Seung-Heon & Lee Yeon-Hee
Kim Myung-Min & Lee Ji-Ah
Choi Jin-Shil & Jung Joon-Ho
Lee Dong-Wook & Oh Yeon-Soo
Ji Sung & Kim Min-Jung
Kim Sun-Ah & Lee Dong-Gun

I'd like to have seen Yoo Dong Geun get a nomination, who is by far the best performer in the show. His President Guk is a delightful, delightful character with layers of moral ambiguity and hidden agendas.

It's a tossup between Kim Myung-min and Song Seung-heon. SSH may win because East of Eden is the flagship drama of the 2008 MBC season. KMM may win because "Kang Mae" is the K-drama cult (anti)hero of 2008.

I'd, of course, love to see Choi Jin Shil win the award posthumously.

Rather disappointed Le Dolce Vita didn't even get a token nomination. (EDIT: Oops. Apparently Bittersweet did. My bad!!)

kim myung min & jo jae hyun, hands down. if 1 of them doesn't win, obviously the awards is not based on acting....

I really hope that Ara gets the award for new actress for Who Are You?
She deserves it!

i love you CHOI JIN SIL

Mãi mãi yêu Choi Jin Sil. Mãi mãi chị là duy nhất, hãy ngủ ngon ở thiên đường nhé chị gái của em.

where is kang ji hwan anyway. does him not worth enough to be one of the nominee?

"where is kang ji hwan anyway."

This awards show is for MBC. KBS and SBS also have awards shows on the same night. It's a really nice way to end the year.

Kang Ji Hwan is nomined awards of drama Kbs with Sung Yu Ri In Hong Gil Dong. You Can Find It if you write Drama kbs awards on search in this web.
I think Song Seung Hun, Ji Sung, Han Ji HYE, CHOI JIN SHIL wILL wIN.
gOOG LUCK FOR YOU! HOPING CHOI JIN SHIL PEACEFULLY IN HEAVEN !

hi..............
song.....seung........heon...........