December 31, 2009
December 22, 2009
Love shake phone (2009 - with Seo Woo)
Seo Woo and Im Joo-hwan are reteaming for a new CF, after playing a couple in MBC’s fusion sageuk drama Tamra the Island. The two, who had once been linked in dating gossip, shot the commercial in Sydney, Australia, for a new phone from KT Tech Ever.
The shoot depicts the couple on a date, and as they sit together in a car, they try to build up the nerve to make their move. However, at the moment they attempt the kiss, a sudden tremor shakes the car (which the staff accomplished by lying underneath the car, shaking it directly). The unexpected moment provokes a “shocking fantasy” for the two.
Meanwhile, Im Joo-hwan and Seo Woo were both recently in Japan to promote Tamra the Island with 1,600 fans on December 13.
December 5, 2009
Interview - Im Joo-hwan is one to watch in 2010
What a great year for Im Joo-hwan — he had roles in films like 2008′s Doremifasolatidoand Frozen Flower, but 2009 was his year to shine. Although it was a short part, any exposure in Boys Before Flowers was enough to create a buzz, as he got when he appeared a few brief times as Kim Bum‘s older brother. But it was the quirky, heartwarming and funny Little Drama That Could, Tamra the Island, that cemented his status as a rising star.
December 1, 2009
Im Juhwan, Awarded the newcomer award at the 2009 Republic of Korea Cultural Entertainment Awards
Actor Im Juhwan was awarded the best newcomer award at the 17th 2009 Republic of Korea Cultural Entertainment Awards show that was held in the afternoon at Yeouido’s 63City National Convention Hall in Seoul on the 30th.
In January 2009, Im Juhwan captured viewers’ interest through the KBS drama, Boys Over Flowers. This past September, he generated much affection through his un-novice like, solid acting as the lead character Park Gyu in the already ended MBC weekend drama, Tamra, The Island.
November 11, 2009
Tamra DVD will contain 21 episodes
From Dramabeans
Good news for Tamra the Island fans: Not only is the mania trendy-sageuk series getting a director’s cut DVD set, it’s been announced that the DVD set will have an extra episode.
The drama had been planned for 20 episodes (and filmed months in advance) before MBC cut it down to 16 episodes due to low ratings despite fan fervor and general praise. That sparked massive fan outcry and an extended campaign first to save the series, then to release a full DVD set with the unaired episodes. The former failed, but the latter was successful. As a result, beginning with Episode 11, the production had to quickly edit down the remaining ten episodes into six, leaving a lot of material on the cutting room floor.
The DVD is good news for fans who felt that emotions changed too quickly in the broadcast version, since a lot of development was omitted for time. In particular, the box set promises to show Park Kyu’s (Im Joo-hwan) management of the port opening and its problems with “much more detailed development.”
In total, it will contain an extra episode’s worth of material from its original plan. Group Eight CEO Song Byung-joon explained on November 10, “After editing the complete series, the DVD came to 21 parts. … The video editing is complete, and now the sound editing is being worked on.” Note that this does not mean there is additional materialafter the series’ end; it means that when the material was re-edited into its originally planned components, they came to an extra hour’s worth.
The DVD set will release in early December. The full series will also be re-broadcast next year on cable television, beginning in March.
October 31, 2009
October 11, 2009
October 10, 2009
October 9, 2009
October 8, 2009
Interview - Real man Lim Ju Hwan
Hidden behind ‘pretty’ smiles exists the ‘real man’ Lim JuHwan
WILD FALL DAYS
Lim Juhwan is not a kkotminam(flower guy-expression for feminine, pretty boys).
He lost his weight to avoid such image, and still does not like his baby face.
Conversations without filtering, revealing even his ‘old’ hobby as a fishing mania.
I saw that hidden behind ‘pretty’ smiles exists the ‘real man’ Lim JuHwan.
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October 7, 2009
Tamra, The Island Review
The adventure in Tamra Island/Jeju Island has ended for good.
A wonderful and lovely journey which ended with a teeny weeny feeling of regret and disappointment– yet was all worth the toil and turmoil. A journey filled with fun and pain, and yet was worth all our our laughter and tears. A journey filled with magic and fantasy, which gave us endless joy. And lastly, a journey to be remembered for a very very long time.
What I liked about Tamra, The Island was that it came in an unusual package — an ensemble combining a unique (fantasy-like) setting, a refreshing storyline, spectacular scenery (plus music) and most of all, a breathe of fresh air which set it apart from the trite and norm of Korean dramas that we’re so used to seeing.
October 1, 2009
September 29, 2009
Tamra will get a full director’s cut DVD
From Dramabeans
Good news for fans of MBC’s Tamra the Island, which was shortened by four episodesin its original broadcast run and just wrapped this past weekend: The drama will be getting a director’s cut DVD set, which will contain all 20 of its originally planned episodes (rather than the edited-down 16-episode version).
Fans had rallied in defense of the series and launched a protest of MBC’s decision to cut the drama, circulating petitions, picketing in protest, and taking out multiple newspaper ads. They were unsuccessful in getting MBC to change its mind, but their extensive efforts (which are unprecedented in scope) did touch the hearts of the production team; fans even opened a bank account devoted to collecting funds on behalf of a 20-episode DVD set and received 1,100 responses within the first two days.
One member from the production team said, “It’s a difficult situation, but we were touched at the viewers’ petitions, so we decided to make a director’s cut DVD that restores the parts that had been cut out.”
In addition, Tamra the Island begins its Japanese broadcast on October 26.
September 20, 2009
Spellbound by Tamra, The Island
K-drama has never been so crack-like addictive.
That’s what I have to say about Tamra, The Island, a saguek-fantasy Korean drama which I’d just started watching 2 days ago.
I was quite hesitant to start on this drama in the beginning. I read the synopsis in Soompi thread and it didn’t appeal to me at all. It’s a fantasy fusion saguek, that I could tolerate. I didn’t know much about the actors, not a good sign but still acceptable. But the worst thing that it’s all about a chamber pot and some funny people living in an island called Tamna (didn’t know it was Jeju back then, I thought it was some made up fictional island)! How ridiculous right? It cannot get worst than that, RIGHT?
September 7, 2009
Tamra will air complete version overseas, not at home
From Dramabeans
Despite fan furor, the decision to cut Tamra the Island down to 16 episodes still stands, but the MBC drama will be exported abroad with its 20 episodes intact. This mirrors the scenario for MBC’s similarly chopped Strike Love, which was cut to 16 in Korea but exported to Japan with all its original episodes.
Because MBC’s decision came relatively late, Tamra’s production team will be working to cut the remaining material down to size for the remainder of its MBC run. The drama’s first ten episodes were aired intact; beginning with the upcoming weekend, however, Episodes 11 through 16 will show re-worked material of the story that had originally been planned for Episodes 11 to 20. Tamra the Island had filmed much of its show prior to broadcast, but not all of it; the production now has some extra time to complete the filming for the last several episodes according to their original plan, even though those portions will not air in Korea.
What a weird, illogical mess. I’m thinking that if you’re a fan, you may want to wait for the complete version from the overseas broadcasts. Or a DVD release. (The drama has been licensed to air in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand.)
The fans, meanwhile, are still furious and the campaign to save the show’s original vision is still raging; there are now more than 10,000 posts opposing the decision on the drama’s homepage and street protests have been organized. However, I doubt it will have an effect: If there was the least shot of getting MBC to change its mind, it was dashed over the weekend, when even in the midst of all this attention the drama failed to improve its 5% ratings. Sons of Sol Pharmacy, in the meantime, crushed its competitor as its story heads into its last phases, breaking the 40% ratings mark.
September 3, 2009
Fans are spitting mad at Tamra’s curtailment
Im Joo-hwan
When MBC announced that Tamra the Island was getting cut and ending early, they pissed off fans and even spurred them to publish a large ad in a daily newspaper protesting the decision. (As I said before, the ratings are low but this is a mania drama, meaning that the fans it has amassed are passionate — and vocal.)
The ad, which appeared on September 3, took the broadcasting industry to task for its vice of kowtowing to ratings numbers. It was organized and signed by members of the fan cafes for actors Hwang Chan-bin (who plays William) and Lee Sun-ho (who plays Yan).
At the outset, the drama’s original plan was for 24 episodes (although the last report put the number at 20), so this late-game announcement certainly makes things difficult on the production, who spent a year filming the drama in advance. MBC has said that their action is not strictly a cutting of the series, since they had already negotiated a term prior to the drama’s premiere that allowed the station to alter the number of episodes depending on the situation. That seems to me like splitting hairs on the issue, as though they want to calm angry fans with a technicality.
September 1, 2009
Tamra gets shortened to 16 episodes
From Dramabeans
Geez, what is MBC’s deal? First they butchered Strike Love’s ending — which already had a more fleshed-out ending filmed — and now they’re cutting their low-rated but well-received weekend drama Tamra the Island.
According to Group Eight, the drama’s production company, “We received the report from MBC that the broadcast will end with the 16th episode. As we prepared for 20 episodes, this is disappointing.”
Fan response is largely opposed to MBC’s move, saying that even if extensions are out of the question, to curtail a 20-episode drama to 16 episodes is absurd; furthermore, the drama’s own development will be impeded. Many statements opposing the decision are being posted on MBC’s drama homepage, and as of the source article’s printing on September 1, it had received 1,700 responses in protest. A further 1,179 were posted on another site, Agora.
Tamra has been lauded as a “premium drama” and called a fresh trendy sageuk, despite the ratings that have lingered around the 5% mark. That’s low, to be sure, but as I understand it, most of the drama had been filmed in advance. That means that a shortening of the drama’s run will require a lot of rushed editing. One broadcast station source expressed dismay that high-quality dramas have been unable to grab ratings numbers, and said, “If the broadcast stations cling too much to ratings numbers, they will cause adverse effects on the development of dramas.”
August 22, 2009
Interview - Tamra, The Island - Im Juhwan “Now I get recognized in the subway” (Interview)
There is an actor who is slowly seeping into the minds of people like hanji* soaking up water. This actor is Im Juhwan, a lead character in MBC’s weekend drama, Tamra, The Island.
I met with Im Juhwan on the set of Tamra, The Island. He is unlike a celebrity with an easy-going attitude and honesty, which are his charming points.
August 8, 2009
Tamra the Island
Profile
- TV Show: Tamra, the Island [탐나는도다]
- Revised romanization: Tamnaneun Doda
- Hangul: 탐나는도다
- Director: Yun Sang-Ho, Hong Jong-Chan
- Writer: Shin Jae-Won, Lee Ji-Hyang, Choi Lee-Rang, Lee Jae-Yoon, Jeong Hye-na (comic)
- Network: MBC
- Episodes: 16
- Release Date: August 8 - September 27, 2009
- Runtime: Sat. & Sun. 19:55
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
August 4, 2009
Tamna cast members refute dating rumors
Normally, I don’t pay any attention to dating rumors since onscreen couples almost always fuel speculation of offscreen dating, even when they’re groundless. But it’s interesting how the latest rumors of on-set romance include Im Joo-hwan and Seo Woo, whose drama hasn’t even aired yet.
This likely means one thing (okay, one of a few things): The lead couple of MBC’s quirky comedic series Tamna the Island (also spelled “Tamra”) must have some great onscreen chemistry. A more cynical alternative explanation is that the drama is “noise marketing” to add buzz to its premiere this weekend, but I choose to look forward to their chemistry.
A representative from Im Joo-hwan’s management spoke out on the 4th, denying the rumors: “They’re just friends in an oppa-dongsaeng relationship who look after each other on set. They had begun shooting a year ago, and it’s ridiculous to say they’ve been dating since then. As both are relatively new actors, it’s too bad that they’re involved more in dating rumors than in talk of their new project. Were worried that it’ll cast a shadow over the drama’s upcoming premiere.” A representative from Seo Woo’s management issued a similar statement.
Tamna the Island has only been on my radar very recently, but for some reason I find myself looking forward to it. It’s on at an earlier hour (8pm), which makes it more family-friendly fare than MBC’s later prime-time offering, Friend, Our Legend, but it looks offbeat enough to be potentially very entertaining. The first episode airs on August 8.
July 26, 2009
Tamna the Island’s preview trailers
From Dramabeans
The two new preview trailers for Tamna the Island [탐나는도다] are short, but give us an idea of the goofy comic touch the new drama promises. One features lead actor Im Joo-hwan (Boys Before Flowers) as a snobby nobleman’s son, and the other shows lead actress Seo Woo‘s (Crush and Blush) encounter with a washed-up (literally) Englishman, played by French model Hwang Chan-bin (aka Pierre Deporte).
Based on the descriptions and still photos, it was pretty clear that this would be a fun adventure series (more fusion, less sageuk); the trailers confirm that the tone is firmly fixed in outrageous, possibly farcical territory.
I can’t recall a similarly themed drama in recent memory (or perhaps ever), but tonally I’d have to say that it feels most akin to Hong Gil Dong — when that drama was being light-hearted and silly, of course, not as it grew serious in its latter part as it turned to political intrigue.
Tamna the Island is MBC’s new weekend series, and premieres on August 8 whenChae Rim‘s Job Well Done leaves airwaves.
July 19, 2009
Tamna the Island on MBC weekends
From Dramabeans
There’s an interesting new drama taking over the MBC weekend drama slot from Chae Rim‘s Job Well Done, which is, sadly, getting a shortened run. Due to health concerns of its writer Park Ji-hyun, Job Well Done will not run for the originally planned 50 episodes and will instead air its last episode on August 2.
The week following that, MBC will launch Tamna the Island [탐나는도다], which is produced by Group Eight and features a cast of fresh faces. Based on the preliminary info and stills, it looks like a comical sort of Robinson Crusoe–meets–Joseon era adventure romp set on Jeju Island. Quirky, for sure.
March 31, 2009
March 24, 2009
Fan meeting in Japan on White Day
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