Playful Kiss chooses Kim Hyun-joong
by javabeans
Kim Hyun-joong of SS501 has beaten out fellow contenders Jung Yong-hwa and DBSK’s Chang-min for the lead role in Playful Kiss, aka the It Started With a Kiss / Itazura na Kiss remake.
With those options, it seems they were determined to cast an idol-star-turned-newbie-actor, which just confuses me when you’ve got such an open field of talented actors. (Kim Soo-hyun? Ji Chang-wook? Im Joo-hwan?) Aie, what a waste of a director.
According to a rep from Keyeast, Kim’s new management, the contract hasn’t been signed yet, but they’ve made their final decision. The character he plays is “Baek Seung-jo,” who’s the best at everything at his school. There’s nothing he can’t do, and he’s a perfect example of the “eomchinah” — the boy next door all mothers love. He falls for a scatterbrained “Moon Ha-ni,” who has yet to be cast. Top contenders right now are Park Shin-hye, Kara’s Han Seung-yeon, and f(x)’s Sulli. (Man, if they make this an all-idol newbie cast, this may just turn into incredible snark fodder.)
Playful Kiss will air on MBC on Wednesdays and Thursday, and follows the current war drama Road No. 1.
So….. pretty much all of my legitimate interest in this drama is dead. Since the news is apparently final there’s no use crying over it, I suppose, and I’ll try to be open-minded enough to the possibility that Kim has improved since he made his debut role in Boys Before Flowers and murdered the Rui character with his disconnected acting. Hey, Park Shi-yeon started out pretty bad in My Girl and has recently won me over in Coffee House with a much improved performance. (Then again, she has been steadily improving for years, and has taken on many film and drama roles since My Girl five years ago. And even if I can wish for improvement from Kim, I can’t wish him into another person. Booooo.)
Via TV Report
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Tags: Kim Hyun-joong, Playful Kiss
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51 Dara
July 8, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Personally I, I thought KHJ might be perfect and I'm willing to give him a chance.
Why? Because the leading role in this drama is a nerd, stern face, rude behavior and normally shows no feeling what so ever on his face since he is a genius everything seems dull and stupid to him.
It won't be that hard for KHJ.
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52 Brittany
July 8, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Arrrgh...why can't Kim Hyun-Joong just stick to singing? Watching that embarrassing remake of BOF was enough...but now this?
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53 Orion
July 8, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge was awesome because it was so friggin' bad. It was too hilarious and for me, a classic to watch just to see how bad things can get. It's like the Evil Dead movies. You know you're in for a laugh and you enjoy it.
Of course, those movies were meant to be funny and I don't think crazy laughs is what they wanted for YNSH. Still...
But Itazura na Kiss is a shame. It's a lovely story. It's not just his acting. His whole demeanor and looks don't match Naoki. Naoki has a strong presence. He has your attention when he's in the room. This guy could scream his lungs out, I still wouldn't feel like looking or paying attention to him.
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54 Yenna
July 8, 2010 at 11:28 AM
NOOOOOOOOOOO
why not Kim Soo Hyun?! or Im Joo Hwan?? or Lee Minho?!?
ahhhhh.
I will still watch it if Park Shin Hye is the lead, but if Sulli or Seung-yeon get the lead...i'm not gonna.
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55 therainhouse
July 8, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Kim Hyun Joong can't act.. But, he did win a lot of fans over because of his 'best friend-/protector' image in BOF. It's really an image issue. The manga character is look calm, collected and focused and Kim Hyun Joong fits the image.
As I see it,
1. If he has excellent chemistry with the female lead, bad acting will turn into okay acting.
2.I don't know whether some fans are already boycotting this drama just because he's in it but there's been cases where fans' complaints have encouraged the director and producer to make casting changes.
3.Boys Over Flowers was messy, but most of us loved it. The trick : lots of eye candy + a beautiful set + good supporting cast. They'll have to get the perfect Kotoko/Xiang Qin this time or it'll be hell for everyone - fans and actors alike.
4.There is another way to get Group Eight to rethink their decision : get the owner of the manga to comment on Kim Hyun Joong's casting.
The author has passed away but her husband's still alive..
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56 elisa
July 8, 2010 at 11:29 AM
o:! if im joo hwan wouldve been casted i would be so happy ;___;. please don't cast park bo young now! jksjks. but i mean, it would be a weird pairing @___@?
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57 Orion
July 8, 2010 at 11:29 AM
@51 Dara, Naoki might be cold sometimes, but he's not soul-less. If anything, sometimes he shows emotion in very subtle ways that are tough to act. It would take a very good actor to make Naoki someone you want to watch and not someone just boring you to death and this guy can't do that.
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58 Makino
July 8, 2010 at 11:31 AM
I swear to God, he better not butcher this role.
ISWAK was the first drama I EVER EVER watched, and I absolutely fell in love with it. And I'm going to be devastated if he can't pull this off.
He just isn't how I pictured the main lead..... but I truly want him to prove me wrong!!!
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59 -Maui-
July 8, 2010 at 11:31 AM
Ooookay. It's weird how he talked about how acting wasn't his thing but his company keeps trying to push him into the actor's mold. Honestly my impression of the character is pretty close to how Rui acts at the beginning of meteor garden and seeing as how he acted as the Korean Rui... man, I don't know. Kim! Hyun! Joong! Please have improved since then? Maybe if he brings his We Got Married persona to the table it'll be good.
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60 Jenny
July 8, 2010 at 11:32 AM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Why couldn't they choose someone who can act, how can they be that dense.
Naoki is cold yes but he has emotions so bye bye to that.
And if they cast a female idol as Kotoko I'll not be watching this drama, major snarkfest seriously!
Now I'll hope a japanese company will remake it with a decent cast.
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61 Kavitha Ravi
July 8, 2010 at 11:33 AM
FAIL BLOODY BLEEDING EPIC FAIL
sigh really choi si won would have been the perfect fit for this role so would have been LMH/ JGS in fact a whole slew of other ahem ACTORS would have been acceptable for this role...BUT nooooo they JUST HAD to cast KHJ of the im a marginally good looking cardboard school of non acting....really did not like the Japanese version at all...i was hoping the korean version would be better since it was Goong's PD at the helm....soo much for that....oh booo k-drama gods u have failed us here and we were such loyal worshipers too :(
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62 infiniti512
July 8, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Boooo.....I couldnt stomach boys over flowers because of the acting and now I definitely wont try this. Yeah PSY has improved but this role seems easy for her.
No thanks.....
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63 Artemis
July 8, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Worst casting news in like FOREVER! I am not watching now. Buhuuuuuuuuu :(
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64 Sruthi
July 8, 2010 at 11:36 AM
I'm so very happy that Kim Hyun Joong was chosen as the lead, I'm 100% sure that he is gonna rock in this drama and make his critics ashamed of themselves for talking all such nonsense about his acting skills.Go for it my Kim Hyun Joong,let the God accompany u in all ur steps.GOOD LUCK,LOVE YA!!!!♥♥♥
~Regards from India.
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65 Sweet
July 8, 2010 at 11:36 AM
@Javabeans.
Sooooooooo T R U E!
If only it was Choi Si-Won
If only.
Ughhhh.
The casting makes me want to scream my head off.
Sorry.
It cross off my to watch-list-in-the-future!
----Unless another they switch the cast :D
But they wont!:(
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66 tlina069
July 8, 2010 at 11:40 AM
This is global warming in K-drama land....
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67 otk
July 8, 2010 at 11:40 AM
I'm furiously FURIOUS. I absolutely hate this production company from now on!
KHJ is bad at acting , we all know that....but it's also his visual appeal. I HATE STIFF FACES!
I always picture this drama with Choi SiWon as the lead, because he played a similar role in 18vs.29 ? or something./......he did the smirk perfectly!
ahhhhhh
now I pray that this turns out like Shin SE KYung when she was cast as the Gumiho (although I loved that choice)
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68 MEL
July 8, 2010 at 11:41 AM
hey everybody, let's give him a chance, Kim Hyun Joong was adorable in We Got Married with Hwangbo....... @ 12 Javabeans--you are sooo biased for Si Won, (he, he, he!!!! big grin... umm me too!!!) Yeah, I wish Si Won could be in Athena, this and Sungkyunwan Scandal....
Good luck to Kim Hyun Joong and Playful Kiss, apparently there's something about him that Group 8 have casted him in BBF and now this.... I really enjoyed the original Jdrama Itazura na Kiss... Fighting!!!!
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69 momosan
July 8, 2010 at 11:43 AM
@53 Orion
I'm not sure if I started it accidentally, but it's funny to note that I'm not the only one whose brain went straight to YNSH/so bad it's good. I've been known to make people watch the opening credits just to roll around laughing hysterically at their expressions. 8-) On the up side, at least he's not a Johnny Boy.
It's really too bad, though. A k-drama Itazura na Kiss could be good, but it rests pretty squarely on the shoulders of the 2 leads.
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70 awww nooo
July 8, 2010 at 11:43 AM
aw jeez the taiwanese version was so good!
I really hated Kim Hyun-Joon in Boys Over Flowers...I couldn't stand his acting or his wierd nose (did he get a nose job?)! But I grew to like him more on WGM...he's so much more natural on there.
I really hope they don't butcher this one....maybe Kim Hyun-Joon's acting has improved? :S *cross my fingers*
I actually think Seung-yeon would suit this drama quite well. Sulli is really cute but there's something about her that just doesn't fit.
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71 Alexis
July 8, 2010 at 11:44 AM
Ooooohhhhhhhhhhh mmmmaaaaaaannnnnnnn!!!! =/
I was hoping for Lee Min Ho NOR Baek Sung Hyun should have take the role for this drama, but.......It's KIM HYUN JOONG??!!! O_______o
Oh well.......=/ Honestly, I am not really "fan" of him that it's very strange for me to not interesting in him, oh aigoo.............Anyway, AHH! I remember something about last time -- Park Shin Hye had worked together with Kim Hyun Joong that before because of TV commercial, of course. I can't imagine that if they'd be awkward while working together in this drama = Park Shin Hye & Kim Hyun Joong ???
I don't know, but I am not sure about this --- Ouch........Don't do that, Park Shin Hye, don't choose the role for this drama. =/ Sorry, my apologize........=/
*** (it's BETTER for Park Shin Hye to should be with Lee Min Ho nor Baek Sung Hyun that it would keep so good looking drama, that's my opinion.)) ***
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72 Alison
July 8, 2010 at 11:46 AM
i literally groaned when i saw this. my interest in this drama died too.
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73 Rant and/or Rave
July 8, 2010 at 11:47 AM
lol i love how some people mentioned yamato nadeshiko xD i don't even know what's going on in that drama <,<
i think they chose KHJ coz he's the most popular, compared to the other two.... but yea, good luck to him, hope he'd improve by now -.-
park bo young was an excellent choice IMO T_T
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74 cathy
July 8, 2010 at 11:47 AM
good luck , blond hair handsome singer but sorry i pass this drama .
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75 Cam
July 8, 2010 at 11:48 AM
Oh EHH?? NNNOOOOOO..................Ouch.
I am sure that it'd be GREAT for Jung Yong Hwa to be with Park Shin Hye in this drama --- I can imagine that it would be awesome, ha!
HIM --- Kim Hyun Joong?? Ummm.................um, I-I don't know how I should have to say about him.............oh aigoo.
Oh, I didn't meant to say this, my apologize. =/
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76 Kavitha Ravi
July 8, 2010 at 11:49 AM
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge was a laugh riot...it entertained me to endlessly ( ok for the 10 or so hours i watched it it did :P ) with its awesome brand of crazy!! one can only hope playful kiss does half the job that Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge did...but i suspect even its soo bad that its good laugh are going to be denied to us cos of the PD involved...sigh
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77 aiqcn
July 8, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Oh..NOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want dead fish eye playing this genius character.
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78 loveydovey
July 8, 2010 at 11:51 AM
SUCKS. I'm sick of the girly looking idol male leads. I especially don't like Kim Hyun Joong lol so this really turns me off. I would of preferred the other F4 member from T-Max.
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79 ockoala
July 8, 2010 at 11:53 AM
@ orion, momosan
YNSH aka Perfect Girl Evolution - really that bad? I couldn't tell when watching this below opening credit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkXSO3dgiHs
I mean, the spirit fingers are perfect for this dance, don't you agree?
[Actually, I refuse to watch this drama because I didn't like the manga, and Kame is back to being fey lemur Kame instead of broody semi-masculine Kame from Tatta Hitosu no Koi - but thanks for the confirmation that it's godawful, I had an inkling since no one talks about it].
Anyways, the dancing here makes Shuuji to Akira singing and dancing Seshun Amigo seem like a masterpiece.
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80 riceballer
July 8, 2010 at 11:54 AM
...
what is wrong with the world?
i love him as an IDOL SINGER, definitely not a actor.
i could not bear to watch his scenes in BOF, it was so depressing.
um, hello? there are SO MANY MORE ACTORS OUT THERE!!!!
yoo seung ho. song joong ki. choi si won. EVEN CHANGMIN! i think even changmin wouldve done a 10x better job.
:LDKFj;ladfj;alsdfkja;sldfkja;ldf NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
i was soooo excited about this one too :P
if only joo ji hoon was back from the army already....
ugh.
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81 tofu
July 8, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Aww... so much hate for the poor guy. I feel kind of bad for him. I know he practically butchered Jihoo/Rui, but that was his first role, correct? There's still room for improvement, and well... it's been about a year since BOF ended. Maybe Bae Yong Joon worked some acting magic on him.
I, for one, will be looking forward to watching this version of the manga. I thought the Taiwanese version was unbearable and their male lead, Joe Cheng, made his character hard to watch. It was like watching HyunJoong butcher Jihoo x10 - eye candy.
But since HyunJoong's been casted, I'm worried about his female counterpart. lol. Sulli would have been the PERFECT fit, but her next to HyunJoong was just be weird.
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82 Carinne
July 8, 2010 at 11:56 AM
All right, I'm happy. I tried to watch the Japanese version after finishing the Taiwanese version and I... I just gave up. I even tried to fast forward some scenes to keep at it since it's merely 9 episodes however the show drained me instead of pump fuel into me like every time I watch its TW version.
Nonetheless, I think the Korean version will beat out the Japanese version hands down although I'm not expecting this cast to out shine the Taiwanese cast 'cos Ariel and Joe had extraordinary heat in their roles that at certain climax I felt some combustion.
I still itch for PBY as lead female. Have fun KHJ. Aja~aja, F I G H T I N G!
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83 Lena S.
July 8, 2010 at 11:57 AM
i am disappointed.
the Taiwan and Japanese version are awesome imo, so i'm watching this one just to see how it goes, but yeah my interested dropped.
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84 Lahlita
July 8, 2010 at 11:59 AM
OK, all of y'all are cracking me UP. Choi Siwon would have been too perfect (that boy is perfect, I swear), but we got sunbaeeee.
@ Javabeans :
I kind of love reading articles about Kim Hyun-joong being cast in things, because it's the one time that your professional veneer shatters. The anguish and frustration; you just let it ALL hang out. Bwahaha!
Will you be recapping this drama (which I will not be watching)? If not, what do I have to pay you to at least recap the first episode for us in graphic, torturous, excruciating detail?
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85 Sophie
July 8, 2010 at 12:00 PM
What. I don't even. WHY? JUST WHY? T__T
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86 momosan
July 8, 2010 at 12:03 PM
@80 ockoala
Ah, speak of the devil.....the infamous opening credits.
YNSH is a laugh riot, although probably not for the reasons originally intended. 8-)
Imagine Kame as broody and angry at having to hide under a hoodie because he's so pretty that everywhere he goes he's harassed by hordes of girls and some guys. Worth a watch in the same way that zombie movies are. 8-) Lots of fun. 8-)
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87 kaedejun
July 8, 2010 at 12:06 PM
well - since the lead character in playful kiss is supposedly stiff and cold, kim hyun joong will have no problem portraying that.
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88 Orion
July 8, 2010 at 12:07 PM
@80 ockoala, YNSH is pretty bad. I mean, it does have this unique style about it and it does have many funny scenes. I just don't know if that was the purpose. I spent most of each episode laughing and the "serious" parts were just corny. Would only move teenage fangirls of Kame.
The acting was horrible and some of the episode themes as well. But it did have some intentionally funny parts that were good. It's good for a laugh and some interesting parts in the score, but it's not the kind of series you'd take seriously.
As long as you realise you're gonna watch a weird, cooky and cheesy series and accept that, it's a fun ride. But it's just not quality work and most of the time, it's unintentionally funny because it's so bad.
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89 Sara
July 8, 2010 at 12:07 PM
probably will watch this too regardless and who knows maybe KHJ will do a better job this time .... will keep an open mind
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90 acuvue09
July 8, 2010 at 12:08 PM
NO! Really??
I mean granted we should give him a chance. He doesn't live in a bubble, and I'm sure tales of his less-than-desirable BOF performance have reached his ears. Maybe he has taken some constructive criticism.
It would be GREAT to have Lee Min-ho in there, but it may be even better to have an underdog who surprises everyone.
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91 kim bum
July 8, 2010 at 12:09 PM
good choice for the lead actor being Kim hyun joong. An even better choice for
the lead actress is Lee Da Hae. This would certainly draw in many viewers.
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92 Faye
July 8, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Uggghh.. no. Just no.
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93 納豆
July 8, 2010 at 12:11 PM
I'm Hyun Joong biased so best of luck to him:)
Hopefully, he will have enough time to better prepare for this role and won't receive any bad criticism this time around.
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94 alyssia
July 8, 2010 at 12:14 PM
oh lord... the only actual actress on the list is Park Shin Hye. If they gonna cast a singer, having him is enough. Why ruin the whole series!
If Park Shin Hye is on here i'll still watch it. But i doubt she'll take on this character again. It's so similar to her last character in "you're beautiful".I liked the taiwanese version but i did not like the female character all at. The reason being that they made that character so dumb and annoying to the point that you just want to slap her silly. lolz
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95 lovenyc52
July 8, 2010 at 12:14 PM
@ ockoala
aww, i actually really enjoyed YNSH and thought it was a fun show. Yes, the opening credits are ridiculous and totally lolworthy. but the show itself is fun and cute. i really enjoyed kame in it. I never read the manga though, so I have nothing to compare it against. Yes it's very OTT but I think that's why i enjoyed it so much. it didn't take itself too seriously. :) very very fun hehe. but now that you mentioned Tatta Hitotsu no Koi and it makes me want to go watch it.
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96 ar_arguably romantic
July 8, 2010 at 12:15 PM
NoOoOo! I sort of expected it. A good actor who is a bit more established and recognized probably won't want to be in an idol remake of idol dramas based off mangas. KHJ is probably the best choice for the production since KHJ fever will be raging now, especially since SS501 may be disbanding. Getting him in the drama will rope in a lot of viewers.
I really hope that after all the criticism abt his acting since BOF that he has since sought out some sort of acting training. But then he's so busy with everything else....i'm not so sure if he even had time to improve his acting. Naoki is most cold of the time with little slivers of emotion, so I guess KHJ may be able to get away with mediocrity as long as he brings something to the table for a few minutes in each episode.
I know some may disagree with me, but I think that the role of Kotoko is much harder to pull off than Naoki (she needs to be ridiculously dumb and annoying but still gain the sympathy and support of the watchers). So as long as the korean version gets a good Kotoko, I think the drama can be saved even if KHJ's acting sucks. The best female choice out of the 3 names you mentioned would be Park Shin Hye but I'm not sure if she wants to do another role so similar to her role in You're Beautiful. I'm not sure if *I* even want her to do such a similar role. (It would be like Go Minyeo cheating on Taekyung with Naoki!!) I get the feeling it may be Sulli in the end.
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97 Lahlita
July 8, 2010 at 12:16 PM
@ 83 Carinne : I've got a question for you. Please see post # 126 on the Open Thread. http://www.dramabeans.com/2010/07/open-thread-142/
Thanks!
@ No one in particular : Tee hee hee. Poor KHJ. I'm going to be coming back to this post all day. You guys are hilarious. Everybody wins eleventy billion internets!
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98 Purpleclouds
July 8, 2010 at 12:18 PM
Wow, I feel like an orange amongst tons of apples ...I am happy that Kim Hyun Joong is in this drama. Yes, BOF is my all time favorite fun/romantic drama. I have high hopes for this drama until proven otherwise. So this is happy news for me.
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99 winnie
July 8, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Not that I was going to watch this series, but goodness gracious, the casting has turned off my already-off interest. Also, looking at the list of potential actors and actresses, it definitely seems as if they're just trying to pack in idol stars.
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100 crazedlu
July 8, 2010 at 12:24 PM
no! for the love of.. NO!!
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