Song Seung-heon in for a Brain replacement?
by javabeans
Whoaaa. The entire announced cast of medical drama Brain is being replaced…and potentially filling the new hero’s shoes is Song Seung-heon.
The official story from Brain’s chief producer is that the drama feels too much like a “youth drama” with formerly cast Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo) and Yoon Seung-ah (Playful Kiss). You know, the stripling young lad a month shy of 30, and the barely-pubescent 28-year-old woman. Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical. (By which I mean: Lee and Yoon are in no way old, but youth drama? Pfffft. Like you could see them playing the kids of You’re Beautiful and You’ve Fallen For Me rather than, say, the teachers.)
In any case, the CP said that they felt it was skewing too “youth” and are reworking things now. You think you could’ve done that before actually casting your show? All is backwards in K-dramaland; the cast had even recently held a script reading. Also out are supporting leads like Lee Hyun-jin (You’ve Fallen For Me) and Kim Soo-hyun (Sophie from Runaway Plan B).
Song Seung-heon is in negotiations to take over the lead role as ambitious brain surgeon, which…pfffft, just makes me giggle. I like Song Seung-heon, particularly after changing up his image in My Princess, and especially after hearing that he’s learned to have some fun and not always try to look cool all the time. But brain surgeon? With Song, nekkid abs and glowering are part of the deal, and sometimes the whole of it.
On the other side of the story, you have the replaced actors, whose reactions are: “This is shocking.” Lee Sang-yoon and Yoon Seung-ah’s agencies are already in drama promotion mode, having thought the deal finalized with the production company and the broadcast station.
KBS’s newly staffed Brain will follow Poseidon and air in November.
Lee Sang-yoon, Yoon Seung-ah
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1 kaedejun
September 20, 2011 at 9:24 PM
now kim tae hee really SHOULD join the cast.
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Cam
September 21, 2011 at 1:58 PM
YES. I really FEEL you ! ! ! ;D
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2 gala
September 20, 2011 at 9:27 PM
--and to think i was soooo looking forward to this.
forgive me if i'll be stepping on some fangirls' toes, but I dont even consider SSH attractive. i never really got the appeal... that is until My Princess because I think the character suited him. perhaps though, he's learned the way to "good" acting, rather than wrinkling his forehead or making love to the camera with his eyes. perhaps he can fulfill this role.
still... i was looking forward to seeing Lee SangYoon. i can soooo envision him as a genius, eye-candy for a doctor. i was also excited for YSA.
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kiotzo
September 20, 2011 at 9:32 PM
same here.... this show is now a no for me.
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Jen
September 20, 2011 at 10:15 PM
He comes across as kind of smarmy to me. I did like him in My Princess for the most part though.
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Jaeminuf
September 20, 2011 at 11:20 PM
His eyes bug me out.
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jinkzz
September 21, 2011 at 2:06 AM
same here...SSH for a brain surgeon? *shakes head*
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Many
September 21, 2011 at 7:11 AM
I agree with you on Lee Sang Yoon.
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MeeisLee
September 23, 2011 at 5:06 PM
I agree. I'm not into medical dramas from the start and was only considering watching because of the leads. I was excite for YSA as well. But mostly I was planning to watch for my Lee Hyun Jin. Now that he's out, they have a lost a very valuable potential viewer that is I :).
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3 Zoe
September 20, 2011 at 9:28 PM
"You need a surgery..." he said, complete with a smouldering look full of [i] meaning [/i].
he's progressed...but not that much...
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Zoe
September 20, 2011 at 9:29 PM
Oh, wait, maybe the character's a chaebol now!!!
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azuretash
September 21, 2011 at 5:06 AM
lol like a chaebol who's also a driven genius...way too many cliches in one character
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4 Uca
September 20, 2011 at 9:33 PM
this is so awkward for the both ex-leads-to-be lol
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Uca
September 20, 2011 at 9:38 PM
I mean YSH had already been interviewed and... I noticed how happy she... was... wondering how her reaction after hearing this
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Uca
September 20, 2011 at 9:40 PM
typo YSA
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5 danna
September 20, 2011 at 9:35 PM
fer realz?...looks like some ppl behind the production desk lack some of the stuff that the title of the drama boasts...Lee Sang Yoon is a wayyyyy better actor than Song Seung Hoon
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danna
September 20, 2011 at 11:33 PM
also does anyone else smell some money hungry mongrels over there or is just me...I mean they did replaces a talented though not-as-popular cast with an actor with one of the biggest foreign fan base
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Jilly
September 21, 2011 at 12:29 AM
Yep, some production politics going on here. Very unfair towards the original cast. I wanted to see Lee Hyun Jin in a more prominent role. Boo!
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seattlebabe
September 22, 2011 at 1:20 PM
It's not production politics but production economics if the claim is true that the drama will and can be sold more overseas with SSH in it .
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Bee
September 21, 2011 at 2:09 AM
Yeah, it stinks of one powerful agency throwing its weight around! :P
I wonder what went on behind the scenes, perhaps an investor pulled out and those who got in had other ideas on whom to cast?
In any case, it's really unfair towards the actors, who suddenly find themselves unemployed... because their agencies cleared their schedules for the upcming filming. I just hope that those two (and whoever else gets axed) will find a new and satisfying role, soon.
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6 Ace
September 20, 2011 at 9:37 PM
Are they even thinking there at KBS? Most of their decisions this year regarding casting, guesting, etc., are so questionable.
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nonski ⭐️A forever JIN who crash landed on Hyun Bins heart❤️!
September 21, 2011 at 7:39 PM
agreeeeee to that, really questionable like the sudden cancellation of JYJ guesting.
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7 Isabelle
September 20, 2011 at 9:38 PM
SSH as Brain Surgeon - Eye Candy and hot mess in white coat!!! love love.
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8 Noelle
September 20, 2011 at 9:42 PM
Are they kidding me? What's going on in the casting/production department? I liked the previous lineup. I like YSA and was really looking forward to seeing her as a lead. This is complete bunk!
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diorama
September 20, 2011 at 10:01 PM
I'm upset too. I was SO looking forward to seeing Lee Hyun Jin again after he got way too little screentime in Heartstrings.
What's wrong with the cast they already have? And even so, what's wrong with having a 'youth' drama, if it comes to that?
SSH. As a brain surgeon. Pffft.
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9 tisyamey
September 20, 2011 at 9:50 PM
wow! the title of this article just about killed me! hahahahahahaha... SSH needing a BRAIN REPLACEMENT! Thanks for the LOL, Dramabeans!
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10 danni
September 20, 2011 at 9:51 PM
Lol, what? I'm wondering how a medical drama could skew in the youth drama direction. I mean, no matter how young looking the cast was, don't youth dramas depend on the subject matter, which I don't think would be light since it centers around brain surgeons.
Darn, I was kind of looking forward to this drama too. Sucks for the actors too, since they thought it was a done deal. I'm not really a fan of SSH, nothing against him, but the other cast sounded more interesting. Ah well, let's see who else they put in there first.
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11 YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 20, 2011 at 9:55 PM
I'm laughing so hard now imagining SSH taking a hot shower after EVERY mind-boggling brain op he's completed. Heck, he can even take a hot shower BEFORE scrubbing into surgery! I can so imagine him knitting his brows, frowning, jerking his head over X-rays, and hurling his surgical instruments against the operating theatre walls, complete with his classic AARGHHHHHHHH in a fit of rage. This is going to be fun.
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danna
September 20, 2011 at 11:30 PM
lines with go something like this :
If this calls for comedy--"ewwww brain juice squited on me gotta scrub harder in that shower"
If it calls for seriousness "Very important surgery coming up *cue for very serious background music*..MUST scrub harder to get of all germs off of me"
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Linda165
September 21, 2011 at 5:59 AM
Well, in his defense, you do have to tilt your head to examine X-rays, no?
Of course it will be fun. We can follow JB and GF's logic and make it a drinking game: one shot every time SSH head tilts.
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Kiara
September 21, 2011 at 2:11 PM
Hahahaha
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jomo143
September 21, 2011 at 7:41 AM
OMG, YY! Make this be a nightmare!
All I can imagine is the poor poor Hand Towel flapping in the wind. He has to say no!
I like the first cast. It was awesome!
Btw Lee Sang-yoon is a physics major - he could very well be a brain surgeon!
We don't want SSH to look stupid, just pretty.
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YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 21, 2011 at 8:29 AM
Don't you worry, Jomo, for all we know, he'll rise magnificently to the occasion and deliver the goods. Going from hand to brain is a tall order, but I'm optimistic....hand towels are wonderfully adaptive to new situations.
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12 Lena S.
September 20, 2011 at 9:56 PM
wow no wonder the actors are shocked i would be too if i was replaced all of a sudden from a job (i know they didn't started filming but they already read the script and was about to promote).
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13 ockoala
September 20, 2011 at 9:58 PM
Don't people actually think before making a casting (re: hiring) decision? To think the irony that this drama is called "Brain" when clearly the production company has none.
I don't care which way the drama skewed (young or aged-glowery), someone's head should roll for not figuring it out before casting Lee Sang Yoon (who by the way is a fantastic actor after The Duo) and Yoon Seung Ah, and the rest of the cast.
If I were the blind-sided former cast of Brain, I'd advocate suing the production company for this unprofessional and likely contract breaching fiasco.
Imagine if I hired my staff, who showed up for work all happy and shit, with good attitudes and lots of hope, only for me to tell them two days later they are all fired because they weren't what I wanted. Too bad I could figure out what I "wanted" until AFTER I hired them. Whoops, bad me.
I hope Song Seung Heon doesn't step in. This whole thing reeks already. I feel terrible for the fired cast.
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Cynthia
September 20, 2011 at 10:53 PM
Agree.
It makes me wonder exactly what these contracts are comprised of.
There can't be much of a penalty clause for termination. Four actors let go at once because the PD decided he might end up with a "Doogie Houser" drama?!
Here's hoping those fired actors file suit and screw the pants off of him and the management.
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✐ iZzie ✐
September 21, 2011 at 9:55 AM
If this doesn't further push the competition among actors...
Is this another way of letting the actors know that they are indispensable? Is this making more reasons to drive actors to the brink of physical exhaustion?
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Daniela
September 21, 2011 at 10:26 AM
A comment full of truths
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nonski ⭐️A forever JIN who crash landed on Hyun Bins heart❤️!
September 21, 2011 at 7:53 PM
yeah sis, the Brain production must have left their brains somewhere. I hate it when people do this just cause they can, that's utterly despicable.
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14 belleza
September 20, 2011 at 10:02 PM
The lead change makes sense. If this IS a remake of Kimura Takuya's Mr Brain (and presumably will be marketed back to Japan as such), they will want to cast Hand Towel-San.
Add some Van Halen and we're good to go!
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Ace
September 20, 2011 at 10:09 PM
It's not the remake of Mr. Brain (which I loved btw). It's set in a university hospital with ambitious neurosurgeons and genius doctors.
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Ani
September 20, 2011 at 10:37 PM
HAHAHA. I was wondering when someone would accidentally mix up the two. It's ok, it was my first thought until I read the previous Dramabeans articles and found out what it was really about.
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gala
September 20, 2011 at 10:45 PM
oh gawd, such an amazing KimuTaku dorama. maybe comes close to Hero for me. well, nothing can beat Hero for me anymore. i can keep watching it every other month. ha ha.
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Beng
September 20, 2011 at 10:49 PM
Kimura's Mr. Brain is the genius scientist type and helps solve forensic mysteries. Kdrama's brain is about brain surgeons, right?
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15 Jen
September 20, 2011 at 10:13 PM
aw that makes me sad for Lee Hyun-jin. I was looking forward to seeing him in another drama.
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16 Angel
September 20, 2011 at 10:35 PM
This is appalling. What an irresponsible producer. Can the fired cast like sue him or sth? He really needs to use his BRAIN...
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17 Ani
September 20, 2011 at 10:36 PM
Dude! Not that I was going to watch this drama or anything but firing your cast when you've already basically "hired" them is messed up. What the hell dramaland? What the HELL? Wait... Is it topsy-turvy day?
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18 saranga
September 20, 2011 at 10:43 PM
to be honest, i'm quite glad that they've replaced the old cast. for me, it was kind of lacking in star power. lee sang-yoon doesn't seem charismatic enough to be leading man material (yet), and i didn't really like yoon seung-ah in playful kiss. i won't even go into lee hyun-jin's awkward acting...
SSH brings more star power and frankly, i'm much more interested in this show now. his acting isn't top notch but there's something about him (more than his looks) that's always made me want to tune in, at least for the first few episodes. but definitely they should cast a 연기파 actress alongside him.
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YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 21, 2011 at 12:59 AM
Yup, me too....I wouldn't even have bothered if it were the old cast, but with SSH on board, I'm in! - sole reason being to see his miraculous transformation into neurosurgeon....oh dear, I'm laughing again....
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Ashley
September 21, 2011 at 3:15 AM
AGREE with you YY, SSH on board I'm in too!
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MeiMei
September 21, 2011 at 3:56 AM
Absolutely with you guys on this one. NOW the show seems more interesting...
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19 Birdie
September 20, 2011 at 10:56 PM
Wow. I guess nothing is certain until filming start. It is unfair to change the old cast at such short notice, otherwise they could have taken another job. Even actors have mortgages or rent to pay.
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20 Pat
September 20, 2011 at 10:56 PM
I find SSH vapidly boring. he has a CF kinda quality( 30 seconds) is enough.
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eximius
September 20, 2011 at 11:09 PM
I don't mean any disrespect, and you are surely entitled to your own opinion, but do you really have to be this mean?
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Jaeminuf
September 20, 2011 at 11:24 PM
That was mean? I thought that was fairly tame and rather widely accepted. He does come across as vapid. Hence, DB's nickname for him as handkerchief / hand towel.
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Elina
September 20, 2011 at 11:34 PM
It's also his nickname because his real name sounds a lot like "hand towel" in Korean.
And because, well... hand towel + SSH = yeah!
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Jaeminuf
September 21, 2011 at 12:12 AM
Yeah, it's just a great pun, all around.
YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 21, 2011 at 12:50 AM
I don't know why, but I find your comment so hilarious, esp the word 'vapid', which means 'insipid, flat, without liveliness or lacking in spirit', as in 'flat, vapid tea'...we could substitute 'tea' with 'hand towel' and it's spot on.
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jomo143
September 21, 2011 at 7:48 AM
Yes, sadly.
I love THT with all my heart. The press will destroy him if he sucks in this role.
I guess I am thinking back to other hot docs like George Clooney - was he supposed to be a genius?
Mandy Patinkin - he was an odd genius.
House, MD
Uri SSH ah doesn't have the stuff.
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21 Lala
September 20, 2011 at 11:01 PM
Oh no! Lee Hyun-jin! D: Forgive me but I'm in love with him...:( Oh well I'm looking forward to his next project <3
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Mara
September 20, 2011 at 11:37 PM
he is a beautiful man.
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22 YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 20, 2011 at 11:22 PM
If they do this right, we could have a winner on our hands. SSH could very well be the new McDreamy....all we need now is a Meredith, and it'd be an exciting new love story...forbidden love between the surgeon and the young intern. The elevator, like Grey's Anatomy and Que Sera Sera, holds infinite possiblities for romantic encounters, a sizzling first kiss, even a shower....But who could be Dr Brain's intern? Hm...Jung So Min? Haven't seen her in a while.
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jomo143
September 21, 2011 at 9:11 AM
New idea.
Hapless, brainless Dr. Hand Towel lives his life by narrowly missing every possible accident that he creates - think "The Pink Panther" - and through a series of fortunate coincidences, ends up the Chief Neuro surgeon at Seoul Hospital in charge of doing a brain replacement for a beatiful model actress.
He ends up (detail fuzzy here) switching his OWN brain with the beautiful lady.
Hilarity ensues! Think "All of Me."
It isn't until the beautiful lady falls out of love with his cousin that they switch back brains, only to find...
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✐ iZzie ✐
September 21, 2011 at 10:10 AM
Does the story involve rain and magical smoke and gardens? Plants and zombies? I'm excited!
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jomo143
September 21, 2011 at 1:39 PM
OK. We can make that happen.
...only to find her world has turned upside down...The zombies have taken over the used car lot with their hilarious antics. Only by burning the plants from her herb garden they scare them away...but the rain, threatens...
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✐ iZzie ✐
September 22, 2011 at 10:16 AM
LOL!!!
I just love how poetic that sounds, Jomo. :D Now I believe that the story can be written as a series of haikus. :D
Thinking of "brain" and "rain," I'm laughing as I recite "Rain, rain, go away..." in my head and replacing "rain" with "brain."
...come again another day,
Little Seung-Heon wants to play.
23 Revy
September 20, 2011 at 11:24 PM
The cast being young is just some straight up bullshit. Is there some rule that says you can't be a brain surgeon at a young age. Japan did Code Blue with a young main cast & older supporting cast so why can't these people do it??????
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jae
September 20, 2011 at 11:56 PM
agree... code blue with yamapi and gakky has 2 seasons and 1 spesial drama... so why not?
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24 dramarrama
September 20, 2011 at 11:26 PM
hhahaa all I had in my mind when I read this post...korean McSteamy??? maybe...???
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YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 21, 2011 at 12:55 AM
He has to be McDreamy, the neurosurgeon....McSteamy's the plastic surgeon - for THAT one, maybe they could get someone who's really gone through the whole plastic surgery thingy; nothing like real life experience to hone those acting skills!
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✐ iZzie ✐
September 21, 2011 at 10:03 AM
McTilty?
McStill-y?
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YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
September 22, 2011 at 12:02 AM
LOLOL! McTilty it is! He's more tilty than stilly. Only Yong Hwa can be McStilly.
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✐ iZzie ✐
September 22, 2011 at 10:26 AM
If McStilly joins this drama with McTilty, I'd be definitely watching. :D
25 Elina
September 20, 2011 at 11:27 PM
I kind of agree the original cast looked really young.
Now SSH as a brain surgeon... Not convinced yet. Images of Joe Tribiani in "Days of our Lives" keep popping.
My reaction is: "why not?"
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