Open Thread #895
by DB Staff
Happy Friday everyone!
Here is your Open Thread, which is here for you to chat about anything you want, whether it be drama-related or not. Nothing’s off-topic here! Spoilers may be rife, so proceed accordingly.
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1 Jezz
December 13, 2024 at 5:02 AM
Oh no... no Bean Count for 2024 yet? I am still patiently waiting for 2024 Bean Count.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
December 13, 2024 at 9:09 AM
There are a few shows I wanna watch/finish before the count, so I'm happy about it. Hehehe.
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2 welh
December 13, 2024 at 5:08 AM
In October, South Korea film box office finally matched its pre-pandemic admissions in an otherwise weak year. But that did not stop movies such as HIDDEN FACE from doing long and multiple promotions (screenings, press conferences, interviews, radio shows, YT shows, etc.) Reviews stated the actors in HIDDEN FACE, especially Jo Yeo Jeong, were very good. In promotions, her co-stars teased her about taking the film to the Oscars, calling her “Hollywood,” for her past success. But timing in life is everything. The film opened November 20 at the same time as WICKED and GLADIATOR II. It could never rise above #3 at box office. Then after 3 weeks and competition waned, MOANA 2 was released directly to #1. If HIDDEN FACE was released one week earlier, its admissions would have been much better. The film needed 1.4 million to break even. As of today, it only has 940,000 admissions so it will probably not make a profit. It is also more likely EXHUMA will be the Film Council’s Academy Award foreign film nominee.
Other studios have taken note. The Hyun Bin movie HARBIN moved up its Christmas premiere. It needs to have 6.8 million admissions to break even, but audience reception may be cooled since last year HEROES, the musical version of the same story, was an unexpected hit. Why see another version? Another movie set to open at end of December, IT’S OKAY, was pulled from distribution without a new date. This year there has been other big name movie stars have film flops. In Korea, a movie had basically two weeks in order to perform well before it slides down with fewer screens (there is a regulation that all Korean made movies must be shown in theaters for at least 73 days, but not how many theaters.) The peak months for movie going is December through February.
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3 Britney
December 13, 2024 at 5:09 AM
I've unintentionally dropped so many things this year haha
I'm gonna try to finish some before the end of the year.
One show that I dropped but came back to finish was The Judge from Hell. My biggest takeaway from that show was the production value. It looked so expensive. I liked the credits. I could rewatch them repeatedly.
About the actual show, it was kinda diminishing returns for me. The first case was the most cathartic to me. It was extremely satisfying seeing a violent abuser experience that his victim went through, from all aspects such as the physical, mental, and emotional. Everything after that was fine but not as emotionally affecting to me. The real Kang Bitna got the shortest end of the stick possible and during the final episode, that's all I could think about. That and how I didn't want Justitia to become human. For one, I personally was never into the romance of the show so that wasn't a draw and second, the most appealing thing about her (and the story) is that she's a demon and a judge with gray morality. Sigh, maybe that's just a me thing but it's irksome that supernatural characters always want to be brought down to normal human when the interesting thing about them is the supernatural part.
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panshel
December 13, 2024 at 9:49 AM
I never understood how the real Kang Bit-na could have gotten engaged to the serial killer.
Most supernatural characters want to become human because immortality is a lonesome concept. To have to watch all your human loved ones die, while you live a monotonous life with the memories of them forever.
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Britney
December 13, 2024 at 10:51 PM
He was a psychopath (or is it a sociopath) from a "good" family who is probably considered attractive. I guess I could see why she would fall for him. On his end, she probably looked good on paper and she had a docile personality.
The show didn't care one ounce about Bit Na so it's hard to believe she could've gotten engaged to someone like him.
I seriously can't believe she was just screwed over and it was never mentioned again. I guess it's supposed to be like "them's the breaks" but still, having to go through the rings of Hell when you didn't even deserve it😮💨😑
And then add insult to injury, the one who banished you there gets to live happily ever after in your body.
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4 TurtuallySarcastic
December 13, 2024 at 5:11 AM
Happy weekend Beanies and keep Beaning On! An early Merry Christmas everyone! 🎅🎄
I will not be on OT next week, because by then my Christmas break will have started! That is why I am extending my wishes early. I’m spending next weekend at my friend’s place so that I can attend another friend’s birthday party at a water park.🏊♀️
First, I hope to have lots of fun or sleep this weekend, depending on what I need most. I spent Monday and Tuesday in formation, the afternoons revising, Wednesday studying everything, Thursday working and solving exam questions, and this morning officially taking the exam. It went well, but I am totally knackered out now.😂
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
December 13, 2024 at 9:15 AM
Thank you for the positive wishes. 🥰
I'm glad the exam went well. Yay!
I hope you have lots of fun!! And rest! Enjoy your break! ☺️
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owl 🦉 🫰
December 13, 2024 at 12:42 PM
Merry merry to you!
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5 Britney
December 13, 2024 at 5:12 AM
People are anticipating Squid Game 2 and I'm just wanting information on Weak Hero Class 2 haha. It's like ALL the money and marketing is going to SG2 and it almost makes me wonder if anything else is even premiering on Netflix haha
Maybe it's just me haha.
I just haven't been interested in much so maybe I'm just missing a ton of shows.
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6 9TailedVixen Loves Hanging Upside Down
December 13, 2024 at 5:17 AM
NOTES FROM 9TAILEDVIXEN'S 2ND WEEK OF DECEMBER 2024:
(A) THIS WEEK IN LIFE NOTES
All I can say is: Where did 2024 go? This year has just literally flown by so much faster than previous years.
Nothing much going on this week beyond doing more TEFL grammar modules, trying to wrap up as many things as possible at work before the holidays descend on us, and getting started on holiday baking.
On Wednesday I've baked a batch of Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, and Coconut Mini Cakes and distributed them to the first lot of holiday giftees. Today I baked Triple Chocolate Mini Cakes and those go out to the next lot of holiday giftees tomorrow. Still to come - Holiday cookies, Gingerbread, Red Velvet Marble cakes etc.
THIS WEEK IN KOREAN WOMEN'S NEWS:
(i) Hit K-drama helps revive traditional women's theater genre
"Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born," which ended last month, is set in the 1950s has as its protagonist Jeongnyeon, who seeks to join yeoseong gukgeuk and emerge as the top performer there. Because the hit series reignited interest in the genre, the Korea Heritage Agency (KHA) has shone the spotlight on the forgotten genre to revive it.
Yeoseong gukgeuk is a comprehensive form of theater in which women sing, dance and act in playing both male and female roles. Launched in 1948, it was highly popular during the Korean War (1950-53) but gradually disappeared with the rise of movies and TV.
https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=263186
(ii) 2024 Women In Film Korea Festival: full list of winners
Here is the announcement of 'Women in Film' Festival 2024 winners to highlight excellence achieved by women in Korean cinema over 2024:
https://www.msn.com/en-in/lifestyle/women/2024-women-in-film-korea-festival-full-list-of-winners/ar-AA1vDAXD
(iii) South Korean An Se-Young, the Paris Olympics champion, named world's top female badminton player For 2024
South Korean Olympic champion An Se-young has been named the world's top female badminton player for the second consecutive year, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recognised An as the Women's Singles Player of the Year during the BWF World Tour Finals Gala Dinner on Monday in Hangzhou, China.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2024/12/11/south-korean-an-se-young-the-paris-olympics-champion-named-world039s-top-female-badminton-player-for-2024
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
December 13, 2024 at 10:11 AM
Where'd all the time go?
It's starting to flyyyyy~
If time keeps flying like this we'll be in 2030 in a blink.
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9TailedVixen Loves Hanging Upside Down
December 13, 2024 at 7:19 PM
2030? PLEASE NOOOOOO!
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7 hacja
December 13, 2024 at 11:03 AM
In the spirit of year-end review, I watched 3 series this week that featured 3 actors that I’ve seen in 3 series this year, all playing various versions of a favorite kdrama trope: the non-sexual male lead.
I’m going to be long winded here, because I’m perpetually bothered with this aspect of the genre I otherwise really like, the kdrama rom-com, and it really bugs me that this type of character pops up again and again.
This week it was most ridiculous to me with Ju Ji Hoon in Love Your Enemy, whose role in this show is that of the early 40 something who spends his time mourning his prepubescent crying tantrum days and eloquently expresses his lifelong romantic feelings by saying things like “I hate you, nah, nana, nana nah, nah”
What makes this absurd, but NOT absurdly funny, is that this is the same actor whose sexual chemistry with Han Hyo Joo in the somewhat incomprehensible Blood Free earlier this year was so smoldering that the show ended with their internal organs melded together. And then also in Light Shop, he’s as usual effective at playing an enigmatic proprietor of few words, in what has become less a horror show and more a really sad meditation on death.
It could be funny, to have him make fun of his usual suave and sexy roles—@attiton 's fanwall page has a couple of scenes from the show that illustrate the potential— but in my opinion, the writer does not have the sophistication or skill to construct such a character, and even Ju Ji-Hoon can’t redeem the weakness of the dialogue and the plotting, so his character is just irritatingly juvenile.
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hacja
December 13, 2024 at 11:06 AM
Then I watched Lee Yi-kyung, twice, first as a humorous country bumpkin in Marry You then as a crazed villain in Face Me In Marry You his version of manhood is one of a kind but absurdly naive ignoramus. In U.S. culture, the rural man is sometime portrayed as a cultural bumpkin, but is just as often a romantic stereotype of strong and somewhat reserved masculinity— especially if he is a former firefighter, as Lee ky-kyung’s character supposedly is.
Again, it could have been very effective to have this type of manly character as a kind and considerate nanny who cooks. But Lee yi-kyung has instead chosen to play the country bumpkin as a simpleton with a high voice and mincing steps, whose chosen reading material are children’s books, and whose arms wave around like the legs of an overturned beetle when he is being kissed. It would seem that even a country bumpkin would know something about sex, given his proximity to farm animals, but since Lee Yi-kyung’s character is a fisherman, I guess he thinks the female fish lays eggs and then the male fish comes by later to fertilize them. He might have learned something if instead “Minho the Whale” or whatever he chose as his favorite book, he would have picked up the child’s sex instruction book “Everyone’s Got a Bottom.”
Obviously, I much prefer him as a villain, though his role Face Me was way too cliched, and he was best at the over the top, egotistic abuser of Marry My Husband. In Marry You there is just no way to imagine this country bumpkin as someone in an adult relationship, which is exactly the same problem I had with the country bumpkin ML in the much better Like Flowers in Sand
(Speaking of male characters in Face Me Lee Min-ki, playing a stoned face cosmetic surgeon whose impassive manner and sourpuss demeanor hides his inner turmoil and humane impulses, played exactly the same character as the police detective in Crash, which was exactly the same character he played as a computer developer in Because This is My First Life. I think, to show his acting range, he should probably cycle through all the various common kdrama professions—lawyer, accountant, psychiatrist— as a stone faced character whose impassive manner hides his inner turmoil. And then he could leap back to the Joseon era, playing a crown prince, a left AND a right minister in succession, none of whom ever showed any facial expression! It would confirm him as one of the greatest impassive actors of all time!
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hacja
December 13, 2024 at 11:11 AM
Finally, I watched the end of Brewing Love starring Lee Jong Wong, after seeing him in Bad Memory Eraser and Knight Flower . His version of manhood in Brewing Love was that of someone so sensitive that his favorite mode of intimate contact was a sobbing hug. But putting Bad Memory Eraser aside, (please, put it WAY aside) in Knight Flower he was perfectly capable of portraying a decent man who felt physical desire. Its just that the show was set in the Joseon era, so in the end he had to just fantasize about winning over an independent woman. So again--the writer, or director, or presumed tastes of viewers--cannot see a kind and sensitive man as someone who is capable of exciting physical contact.
Obviously, this is just my particularly bugaboo. None of these shows portrayals of male leads are controversial or even that significant. But it is always a little frustrating to me that in rom-com kdramas, physical chemistry and niceness are so often counterposed, and a male character who is sensitive to women and their struggles cannot be sexy.
And I do look to kdramas for attractive masculine role models, which is why I’ve kept the fact that I’m married hidden from the public for 40 years, communicate with my wife only through writing and phone texts, and don’t know whether she has a mole on her inner thigh or not. Our chemistry is through the roof—if only she wasn’t trying to have me killed!
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Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 12:14 PM
Thank for the laugh, it was very appreciated after a long hard day)))
2 addition notes:
- first, I think it's safe to crown 2024 as "The Year Of Impotent Writing Wasting Good Actors", it fully deserves such title as of now. And then some.
- second, your rant aligns perfectly well with the notion I often see in other drama spaces these days - that notorious ill-mannered, emotionally constipated and often simply aggressive old school "red flag" MLs should make a comeback in dramaland asap, because these guys, no matter how poor at healthy communication and courting they may be, at least still have some functioning testosterone left in their system, unlike the current crop of "perfect nice guys". Very interesting, isn't it? Proves that you absolutely CAN overdo anything in life and media, even supposedly good things. Also, one may argue that perfection from the start is stagnant and boring, thus makes a wrong choice for a FICTIONAL hero...
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bomibeans
December 13, 2024 at 12:55 PM
"one may argue that perfection from the start is stagnant and boring, thus makes a wrong choice for a FICTIONAL hero..."
Amen to that! Fiction thrives on some type of friction nd tension. We are seated for a k-drama, for fs, not a yule log burning channel! There's absolutely no need to make "nice" - boring, when we can make "nice" - interesting and charismatic!
AmnesiaYawns
December 13, 2024 at 2:39 PM
OMG I had completely forgotten Lee Jong Wong was in Bad Memory Eraser. To be honest, I had completely forgotten BME, the last really spectacularly bad drama I actually finished this year.
However, not completely unrelated: I dropped "Brewing Love" because the eternal drama misdiagnosis annoyed me too much - ML isn't an "empath", the guy is autistic and just very, very good at reading the room (It's a survival trait, it happens), and his eternal "You are not okay" annoyed me more than being forced to listen to "Fix you" from Coldplay three times in a row (very high up on my irrational hate list).
What I'm actually also trying to say is: Lee Jong Wong in his roles in Knight Flower and Brewing Love is very good at representing a non-threatening male sexuality.
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darwi
December 15, 2024 at 9:36 AM
I though of you during When the phone rings when they wake up after their night on the floor and later when he realise that the "kissed" and jerks away.
I often rolls my eyes when a couple "in love" sit with 1m in between them. My first drama was Healer, and their physical intimacy felt real. Don't play in a romance if you don't want to touch or hug. I find c-romances more real since the actors are less reserved/inhibited.
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bomibeans
December 13, 2024 at 12:48 PM
"the non-sexual male lead"
Might be the fact that the audience of the k-drama is often preteens and teens, and it still needs to serve that demographic. But yes, card-boarding grown-ass adult into preteen dynamic is boring and unfunny and (to me) quite irritating.
I avoid this male archetype like plague. It's the prime reason I didn't even attempt to finish Like Flowers in Sand.
This is why When The Phone Rings gets a buzz these days. (Apart form many other delicious things it has.) There's a potent combination of innocence and sexiness that is now rare in k-drama. A combination that is absolutely absent from Western media (apart form YA tripe that fully-grown adults are mostly not interested in).
The only other medium that explores this potent combination are romance novels that are written (mostly) by women, and that has become rarer and rarer these days. We are no longer interested in discovery (and enjoyment) of the actual process of love, of foreplay, of innocently transcending through love. We necessarily must be jaded or funny or "deep" and critical these days... We forgot how to be light and spontaneous, and have fun with our love. Alas!
(Am I being too critical? :)
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Procrasti-NationFirstCitizen
December 13, 2024 at 5:28 PM
I may be wrong about this, but the rise of conservatism in Kdrama may also be because they're showing in many more relatively conservative cultures now? So if they want to be allowed to air there even, I guess they have had to tone down the skinship a lot. I watched a couple of pre-Hallyu-wave shows, and even though they're not great, the leads had chemistry and they weren't afraid to show it. I fear that WTPR will also chicken out in terms of overt skinship.
But going by comments I read about how Kdrama is becoming too "Western" or whatever, even after minimal scenes of sex or nudity, I don't have my hopes up.
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bomibeans
December 13, 2024 at 6:59 PM
I don’t think it’s because of a rising culture of conservatism. After all we had King The Land and What’s Wrong With Sec Kim and Her Private Life to name the few. I truly think the majority of rom-com kdramas are YA dramas masquerading as adult stories, and for whatever insane reason that has become the norm in Korean culture. Even the K-pop groups appear too infantile compared to previous generations of K-pop groups. The “old” k dramas we all loved were just simply more…adult.
I see the same trend in the western media. We no longer have tender and passionate stories of love like we had a decade or two ago. We have these weird infantile overly-polished superhero franchises and YA novel adaptations that feature zero sex or physical passion. The only “good” love stories I’ve seen in last years were gay stories, and as much as I loved them, I cannot honestly pretend to vicariously live through them because I’m straight. The last good “straight” romantic movie that flew under the radar of most people was Beyond The Lights and that was in 2014.
I do think that WTPR will chicken out. It will definitely lack the physicality and passion of What’s Wrong With Sec Kim (for example.) But the good news is, WTPR has never been a purely romantic genre, neither of course a rom-com. It’s primarily a romantic thriller and it does its job quite well in that genre, with its delicious blend of secrets, thrills, some comedy and romance. It’s, simply put, quite a classic of that genre (unless ofc it fvcks everything up in the last episodes.)
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Procrasti-NationFirstCitizen
December 13, 2024 at 8:47 PM
I truly can't understand this conservative mindset AT ALL, because listening to random KPop or watching the groups, esp the girls groups, everything seems quite sexualised... I heard the explicit version of some Sunday, Monday song by one of the BTS, and my eyebrows were permanently raised. Then I hear stories of the very explicit p*rn, hourly motels, quite a lot of PDA in Korea, etc, and wonder why the disconnect between drama and reality.
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bomibeans
December 13, 2024 at 9:32 PM
The disconnect is quite astounding, and it’s getting weirder by the minute. I don’t know if it’s an easy access to the internet, this VR we are living in, but, my God, it’s like we are turning into cartoons, perfect sexless kisses on these AI faces and bodies of AI models, feeding into this fascist and fastidious nature of the media.
I don’t know how old you are but check the older gen of K-pop, like 4 minute or 2NE1. Similarly they were sexualized but they still looked like human freaking beings! Look at the current crop of K-pop or (the worst worst offenders!) the modern day insta influencers. They look like cartoons, lol.
It’s this tendency in mass media to homogenize so much, that we can hardly even relate to what’s being shown on screen. While it was always (somewhat) true of the mass visual media, it’s now infecting the stories we are being shoved down our throats. These homogenous sexless stories devoid of human emotional core are boring and awful, and for many of these big corps (and small human beings), they are all pure cash grabs.
And unfortunately, we (and our tastes) are being the victims.
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Mrs Buckwheat
December 13, 2024 at 12:52 PM
I have dropped Love Your Enemy for this reason.
It is absurd to have JJH acting like a child.
He has too much physical presence, sex appeal to behave like this.
They should have picked a different actor.
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Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Imo, they should've kept it as a youth drama entirely, all this only made a bit of sense with teenage-very young adult leads.
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bomibeans
December 13, 2024 at 1:28 PM
Uhu. Maybe that's why as soon as this flashback teenage love story ended, I mentally bailed out. I agree, this behavior can only make sense if you are 18 and younger, in a realm of a youth drama, not when you are nearing 40!! (Frankly, that includes nearly every adult in that series. The grandpas have not yet even grown up themselves!) *melt*
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jerrykuvira
December 14, 2024 at 8:40 AM
They're both acting like 36 year old children. It is basically stunted.
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8 spazmo
December 13, 2024 at 11:05 AM
i can't finish anything or start any new ones that aren't on netflix, dammit... i've resorted to playing that stupid melon game on netflix. hate it so much my daughter gave me her switch to play the cuter Suika game. however, i did like Link Twins game on netflix...
so bored, i'm make foccacia and giving most of it away.
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owl 🦉 🫰
December 13, 2024 at 12:44 PM
Making foccacia? That seems quite ambitious, spazmo. I bet it's delish!
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spazmo
December 13, 2024 at 5:03 PM
it's actually super easy - just yeast, honey, water, flour and salt... let it rise in the fridge overnight, olive oiled. stretch out in pan to rise another 4 hours, then bake. that's it. then you brush melted unsalted butter with microplaned garlic over the baked focaccia and sprinkle with flake salt!
then i go to my laptop and there's nothing to watch again... rinse and repeat.
*rolls eyes*
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spazmo
December 13, 2024 at 5:13 PM
forgot to say the most fun part is PUNCHING THE HOLES in the flattened dough before putting in the oven... therapeutic.
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egads
December 14, 2024 at 12:39 PM
Can confirm this is the best part of making foccacia. Well, besides eating it.
owl 🦉 🫰
December 13, 2024 at 6:55 PM
Are yoy watching When the Phone Rings?
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spazmo
December 13, 2024 at 9:28 PM
i am watching that one, but didn't they not air? OH YEAH, now i can watch it, thanks!
owl 🦉 🫰
December 14, 2024 at 5:13 AM
I'm looking forward to watching it tonight!
9 Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 11:53 AM
Happy Friday 13th, Beanies! Sorry, I'm a bit late tonight))) It's awards+music time this week, with certain singer-actor basking in his well-deserved glory at iQiyi's 2024 Scream Night where he got trophies, performed and overall had the time of his life, lingering cold and haters probably seething in their dirty caves somewhere regardless. I'm sooo happy and proud rn)))
The first shocking twist of that long day (show lasted 6+ hours overall – a real test of artists' patience
and bladders) was Yuning walking the red carpet. I believe I told yall before how much he dislikes posing for photos, esp press, thus he skipped that part of all his public events in cold blood since 2021. Well, not this time – man strutted there like a winner he is and made sure EVERYONE saw his success! While wielding a double-sided fan with AJTL and ADWAD Chinese titles written on it for the emphasisand tiptoeing while signing the obligatory celeb wall, so everyone else would have to look up at his autograph lol^^ Also being still largely sick didn't stop him from changing his outfit/hair THRICE! Thankfully, he left Goomba suit at home, looking sharp and expensive in all 3 versions. I do find it funny that plunging neckline (hi there again!) stayed for the main part, and he seemingly had no problems with airing his cleavage through the night, heh. At least it's warm in Macau where event took place, so he wasn't freezing himself for the sake of looking cool... The way his pink highlights match the walls lol!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQq6i5BdLM
Translation of game segment – with quotes from AJTL and acapella OSTs singing. And he failed ALL his draws... It's OK, Ning-ge, here we have a superstition that people unlucky in games are lucky in love instead!
https://x.com/fandoestrans/status/1865360306949722155
I need to let if off my chest once and for all – last year at the same award he was... not treated nicely or even decently by iQiyi((( Who pretty much turned him into not really welcomed “plus one” at family-only gathering: he was sat somewhere in the outskirts near passageway all alone, AWAY from his AJTL team (and not once allowed in the same frame or speech with them either, even when drama got awarded for its hot reception while still airing atm – because stardom levels and whatnot) and friends, visibly awkward and bored... And look how the tables turned in a mere year! Perhaps that was WHY he suddenly bothered again with red carpet – to flaunt his shining like a polished coin confidence of award winning ML. “Best Performance/Expressive Actor Of The Year”, to be precise)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glGUdvs2oO8
Acceptance speech translation (feat trademark mic struggle splits lol):
https://x.com/fandoestrans/status/1865379673741591021
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Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 11:56 AM
This time around his crewmates made sure to cheer on (his buddy Joseph Zeng and ADWAD FL Li Yitong he sat with worked hard at it) and acknowledge him (AJTL writer Zhang Wei thanking him for sharing his flu meds with her when receiving her own “Best Scriptwriter” award and camera panning to rofling LSS in audience were a riot). Platform itself had a character development too, giving him not only place at the main tableand very closing performance (medley of LBFAD's “Looking for you” and “Offer”, together officially titled “Glorious” stage), but also having him present ENTIRE winning OSTs segment:
https://x.com/fandoestrans/status/1865433158227017955
He did sound a little strained while singing and looked... how should I say it gently?... tired in extreme close-ups, but nothing a smile of genuine satisfaction cannot fix. And boy, did he smile A LOT here)))
Even after messing up timing for “Offer” intro, but we ain't talking about thatThe fans with giant yellow banners in the crowd, awww! Gotta say, he chose the smartest fandom color probably – his folks stand out everywhere.https://x.com/Bigsislilred/status/1865427721570111757
Media (?) fancam:
https://x.com/Bigsislilred/status/1865437613945135323
Wow, that was probably the most extensive award coverage I ever did!
Where's my reward cookie, Ning-ge?Since we've already got that far, let's polish today's entry with few songs from Carnation 4.0 and let's call it a day. Another “slightly cold” version of “Offer” - I feel like his voice was in better shape here, but maybe it's mostly equipment:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9twF_lYAjs
Speaking of “triggering associations” OSTs, I never warmed up to “Only wish” even remotely close to how much I love “Offer”, despite both being pretty much harbingers of doom lol. But this MD's remix is quite nice, even though you'd be hard pressed to find traces of original melody in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qoy_b37wrc
For pink hair's sake – cheesy anthem “Fall in love”))) He wasn't trying very hard here, was he?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thzXjNdVo0
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Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 11:57 AM
And a bit of rock to end the day with Meng Weilai's “Savage”. For once the original arrangement was kept, and rightfully so – what a cool song (guitar part is everything)! Even tho I couldn't decipher wtf the lyrics mean – something about abandoning civilization to live as a hermit in the mountains? Well, we all have such urge at times... Ning-ge certainly gets it too, he even said that it's his dream vacation plan – to turn off his phone and go hiking/camping alone for a few days... I just hope he's trained enough to survive such challenge when the time comes – being big and strong man is certainly a huge advantage, but not a panacea in the wilderness...
Also, wouldn't he be scared out of his mind once the night fully devoid of artificial city lights falls?)))Bonus: happy boy with his award, practically glowing)))
https://x.com/Bigsislilred/status/1865602114514514344
Pink hair highlights and endless legs photoshoot for Scream Night – you can tell he was probably awoken early for that from his piercing glare and much more buttoned up styling))) I'd love for highlights to last the whole night, ofc, but I get it, probably wasn't cosher enough for current conservative regulations.
https://www.tumblr.com/heymeowmao/769237326539964416/liu-yuning-x-2024-iqiyi-scream-night
Video version – the holy trinity of “bed-window-stairs” background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lZ6gvepyag
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Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 11:57 AM
@kiara, @jillian, @zindigo, @isagc, @wonhwa, @seeker, @mochakat9, @wishfultoki, @cliosservant1846
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kiara
December 13, 2024 at 3:11 PM
Thank you, Chingu!
Simplicity has always been my favorite look on him. I want his necklace, though. LOL
It makes me sad when I see him being looked down on by the industry and those who refuse to acknowledge his talents. Internet Star or whatever the hell they call him. I don't care.
AJTL, my great love of 2023. I'm glad they are still getting more awards a year later.
Gikata
December 13, 2024 at 3:52 PM
@kiara necklace (second one, right? from main ceremony) was nice indeed. Ridiculously priced as well))) His jewelry brand just gave him a higher title - and probably upgraded paycheck - since he's clearly doing great job at advertising their stuff.
This whole elitism thing is ridiculous to me, esp hypocritical omission of the fact that half if not more of current liuliangs are no top graduates from prestigious music/acting schools either... Idols, models, people literally cast on the streets for their looks and nothing else - is that the unreachable "celebrity high class" they're talking about? Color me unimpressed))) Also he actually worked his way up there, unlike many others, so whatever. Dogs bark, yet caravan keeps going.
I feel like it's partially because 2024 was not THAT impressive year in cdramaland, esp for poor iQiyi, so AJTL looked even better in comparison. No complaints though, I can watch the show keep gaining trophies for the next decade or so))) Award/year wrap season is in full swing, I'm gonna have a lot more to cover!
Clios Servant
December 13, 2024 at 12:52 PM
Great writeup Gikata. Big day for LYN. Hard work rewarded, and he's built up friendships and relationships which will see him in good stead in the years ahead. 2024 is year of Man In Full for LYN.
Also, great to be blessed with long legs.
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10 owl 🦉 🫰
December 13, 2024 at 12:41 PM
Hello beanies, it's been ages since I've popped onto OT. I am watching two dramas with my brother - Parole Examiner Lee and Mr. Sunshine. We have watched the first 2 Mr Sunshine episodes twice each because they are so dense with info. It's very good, we are even up for the 24 eps! Also PEL is quite entertaining. I am finishing up Brewing Love, but haven't picked up Face Me after watching the first 2 eps, I guess I am not in the mood for the medical setting. Also, I keep up with weekly variety shows, I Am Solo, Radio Star (always a good round of conversation), Masked Singer, Immortal Song 2, How Do You Play, Project 7, Home Alone, The Manager, Oh Yeong's Report, My Little Old Boy, 2D1N, Love Naggers, and Jungle Bob (which seems to have ended after 8 eps).
Question: Has anyone read The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki? Recommend?
Happy weekend everyone ♥ owl
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spazmo
December 14, 2024 at 3:19 PM
no, i haven't - but wanted to thank you for the suggestion, put the audiobook on hold at my library!
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11 Goyangi and the Camel Crickets
December 13, 2024 at 8:03 PM
South Korea law questions:
I just finished watching Prison Playbook. Great show. I've been going back to watch Jung Hae In's shows.
I have two questions for anyone familiar with the law and legal system in South Korea. **Prison Playbook spoilers ahead**
1. Is entrapment illegal in SK?
When Looney Yoo Hang-Yang is released from prison, after months of struggle to get clean, there's a van waiting for him just outside the gates. A man from whom he used to buy drugs is there, knowing his release date and time, and ready with a syringe. This man is now working for the police. When Looney tries but can't resist the drug, he's arrested immediately. This seemed extreme, and definitely entrapment. He had no chance to even meet his waiting family who may have helped him stay clean. Yes, it's realistic that he may have been tempted at some point, but to be set up with a dealer waving drugs under his nose as soon as he is released?? Also it would have been nice if a gay character had an HEA with his bf rather than ending back in jail.
2. Why was Captain Yoo not released when evidence clearing him was brought forward?
Captain Yoo gets his retrial granted, the real murderer goes to trial and is convicted of the murder, yet months after evidence was presented to show he'd been framed, Yoo Jung Woo is still in prison. I don't understand. He's still there even after the conclusion of the trial finding the real culprit. I thought he would have been released way back when they had enough to show he'd been framed and had basis for a retrial. What would happen if Yoo was seriously injured or killed in prison while waiting for the process to conclude? Do SK courts move that slowly and keep someone innocent locked up? Would he be entitled to a huge compensation for the time his freedom was erroneously taken away? Not enough money in the world for that IMO. Didn't make sense to me.
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welh
December 14, 2024 at 4:54 AM
I did not not watch the program so I do not know the full context of the situations.
1. The use of the Entrapment Defense in Korea depends on if the actions of the police/investigators have “induced” the suspect to commit a crime or merely provided an “opportunity” for the suspect to commit a crime. The “crime inducing” act by the Korean government is a criminal defense to the alleged consummated crime. The main job of the court in determining if the crime was induced is to determine the intent of the suspect at the time of the alleged inducing action by the Korean police/investigator.
2. A criminal conviction can be reversed based on new evidence, but the standard is quite strict, requiring the new evidence to be "clear, sufficient, and convincingly contradictory" to the original evidence presented at trial; essentially, the new evidence must significantly undermine the basis of the initial conviction to warrant a reversal. The person would have to petition to have a retrial of the original proceedings.
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Goyangi and the Camel Crickets
December 20, 2024 at 6:44 PM
Thank you for this info @welh640!
I guess the first is a tough discrimination. The police planned that sting by being there at the prison gates, offering him a ride, and setting out a syringe. I can't recall whether the dealer encouraged or pressured him to use it or not, but it looked pretty incriminating to me, for entrapment.
As for the second, in the show it was noted that the most difficult part would be to get a retrial granted via petition, as they would need very conclusive as you say "clear, sufficient, and convincingly contradictory" evidence, and after a retiral was granted it would almost certainly be a reversal of the original guilty verdict. In the show's timeline the retrial was approved by the courts in Dec. They had a couple of witnesses who came forward after feeling guilty about lying and perjuring themselves in the first trial, pointed out the true murderer (a bully of course) and that JHI's character was innocent, plus there was new evidence shared that had been kept hidden by the witnesses as well. The end of the show was a time skip to Oct and the news came out that the other man was found guilty, JHI character was exonerated, yet he received this news while still in prison. I thought after the retrial was granted in Dec he would have been released, if only on parole, due to the fact that the court found the witnesses and evidence compelling enough to have a retrial. Just seemed odd that he would still be stuck in prison though his guilt was at that point very much doubted.
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12 DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
December 16, 2024 at 4:34 AM
Al my gifs on imgur have gone black. When I take a link and put it in html-coding, I can see the gif.
Also, if I publish a collection of gifs on imgur, they become visible, but then I can't add to that collection anymore.
I have been putting gifs in coding and then added descriptions for later use, but now imgur won't update descriptions, so my work is in vain. 😭
It's hard enough to re-find gifs as it is, helped along by the fact that I am a messy head.
Does anyone know why Imgur does like that? And is it possible to edit collections after making them public?
PS: Also, imgur is deleting some of my good gifs, but I suspect that's because they are so long that maybe they a copyrightly questionable? Though it's only 15 seconds at the most ...
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