Get a Glimpse of What’s Up

By silkyjade

December 3 can’t come any sooner. As an unswayed member of Team Park Kyu (more on this later), I am so looking forward to the forever-anticipated musical drama What’s Up, hence the google search on the broadcast date confirmation. After several clicks of rummaging, I came across a video of Arirang’s interview with the cast on set. PARK KYU!!… ehrm.. Im Joo Hwan Oppa!! How I miss you much! (I’m so embarrassed writing this as I’m not used to this fangirly side of me, but what can I do? I can’t help it when it comes to my forever love PK). After watching “Tamna the Island” in its entirety, I completely fell in love with PK the character and of course IJH the actor, natch, though to a lesser degree (IJH’s part of PK, after all. He portrays PK marvelously. Sometimes you just wonder when one ends and the other starts. This kind of actor-character duality never fails to bemuse me).

What’s Up finds a new home on cable

Score one more for new cable channel MBN, which will open with a bang this December with a number of projects, including the much-neglected What’s Up, which has struggledto find a home on broadcast television for the better part of a year now.

The drama set at a theater and performance arts department of a university features a line-up of rising stars, headed by Im Joo-hwan (Tamra the Island), Daesung (of Big Bang), and Im Joo-eun (Hon). What’s funny is that early buzz was all about the Ims and Daesung, but now the focus has shifted to include another newbie, Kim Ji-won, who’s made a splash recently in High Kick 3. It’s always interesting to watch projects out of the order in which they were completed, because Kim was given hardly any attention in the first go-around and will now likely overshadow some of the secondary leads like Jang Hee-jin (that spoiled brat princess from Myung-wol the Spy) and Lee Soo-hyuk.

It’s kind of a bummer that What’s Up won’t be seen on broadcast; I know that for most of us fans outside of Korea, it doesn’t really matter where a drama airs as long as we get to see it. But at home, it’s a difference of ratings around 1% and ratings anywhere from 5% (for the dismal) up to teens (modest success) to 20% and 30% (bona fide hits). I would have thought that screenwriter Song Ji-nah’s name would have been enough to guarantee a pickup (she wrote some mega hits like Legend and Sandglass, as well as early campus drama KAIST and one of my favorites, Story of a Man). But there are no absolutes in showbiz, apparently.

Furthermore, with Im Joo-hwan now serving out his military duty and Daesung’s car accident marring his public image (even if he wasn’t the drunk driver, the death of an involved party is bound to darken the mood), I wonder if publicity will be muted for the show. That said: At least we get to see it!

What’s Up will air 18 episodes total, at 60 minutes each. The first episode airs on Saturday, December 3, on MBN.

From: Dramabeans

'Heart trouble' Im Joo-hwan stationed at TI&E

Actor Im Joo-hwan was admitted to military in May and suffered from heart trouble and is now stationed at TI&E.

STYLE H

Ju Hwan in the military hospital for 'heart problems'

It seems that Im Ju Hwan has been in the hospital for 3 months due to heart problems since his admittance into the army. However, he's not considering early discharge from the army.

Im Ju Hwan - the enlistment day

Im Ju Hwan reported for his two-year mandatory military service on May 17. He met with reporters and fans to say goodbye outside the gates of the Nonsan training camp in South Chungcheong Province. He wore a black jacket and cap, but he doffed the cap to display his new military haircut.

Ju Hwan enlists for the military

On May 16th, Im Ju Hwan left one last message for his fans before his military enlistment today.
Through his Twitter, he wrote, “In 12 hours, I’ll be enlisting in the army. I’m so sorry towards everyone I won’t be able to see, and I’m thankful for the fans who love me. The day after my enlistment is my birthday, and I feel like this will be an opportunity for me to start fresh. Anyway, I’d like to say goodbye to everyone. Please be healthy!”

In response, fans commented, “Thank you for leaving a message”, “By the time you come back, ‘What’s Up’ will have hit jackpot and you will be worth billions”, and “I’ll wait for you while watching ‘What’s Up.’”

After five weeks of basic training, he’ll be serving as an active duty soldier for the next 21 months. His drama, “What’s Up“, is currently waiting to go on air.

Credit: http://www.allkpop.com/2011/05/actor-im-joo-hwan-enlists-for-the-army

Favorite Male Lead Character

By Xiaoxin

For the people that know me, this should be a no brainer answer. If you’re my friend and you got it wrong…….    My Favorite Male Lead Character of ALL time, be it may a drama or movie of ANY language, is…

Lim Ju Hwan’s PARK KYU in Tamra Island

What’s Up hits airwaves in March

Probably. A few media outlets are reporting that musical drama What’s Up is a “strong contender” for a March 21 premiere, while another announces it as a done deal. Take that as you will.

In either case, the good news is: After more than a year in pre-production, we’re finally close to seeing the anticipated series, which boasts a pretty solid cast as well as a very strong writer in Song Ji-nah, who wrote Story of a Man, Legend, andSandglass. Two of those are in my all-time top list, while the other…was interesting, despite not being my particular cuppa tea.

And while I am completely into Dream High, I have hopes that What’s Up might even do it one better, because in addition to the similar music-school setting, What’s Up has focused its casting on actors who can act as musical students, rather than using idols with limited acting experience. (And if I must nitpick Dream High for a fault, it’s that the acting sometimes falls short of emotionally convincing. It’s a minor quibble in the scheme of things, but still — imagine if the rest of the cast were up to Kim Soo-hyun’s level. How awesome would that be?)

With What’s Up, we have two very charismatic budding stars in Im Joo-hwan (Tamra the Island) and Im Joo-eun (Hon). And while I’ve yet to see pop star Daesung in anything, I’m hopeful about him; he conveys a personable vibe and has been beefing up his acting skills with musical-theater experience.

The proposed timeslot is SBS’s Monday-Tuesday 9pm hour, which, funny enough, was just announced as a cancelled slot. If the drama airs as suggested, it’ll follow Paradise Ranch. However, according to other reports, SBS is still deliberating whether to slot in a drama or new variety programming in that 9pm hour.

What’s Up is currently 90% done with filming, and will be entirely pre-produced by the time it hits the air, whether that’s in March or (gulp) later.

From: Dramabeans.

Mnet Viewer Gratitude Event (04/02/2011)

“Mnet Viewer Gratitude Event“ was carried out live on February 4th at Tokyo’s Shibuya CC Lemon Hall.

At this 3rd annual event,  Im Joo Hwan and orther artists such as Girl’s Day, Supernova, Smash, Japanese artist Mogendanshi (Forever Man)  showed up to showcase themselves.

Ju Hwan tweeted: So proud

From: imjuhwanfan

오늘 새벽 영화 촬영중 너무 기쁜일이 있었어요. 푹 자고일어나 작은 자축하러 밖에나갑니다. 감독님 옆에 류승범선배님 옆에 제 이름이 세겨진 의자가 있더라구요ㅎㅎ 올한해 많은 기쁨과아픔 행복과슬픔이 있었지만 그 의자가 제게 큰 뿌듯함을 주네요

4:36 AM Dec 31st, 2010 via Twitter for iPhone (PST)

“Really enjoyed shooting for the movie early this morning.Slept well then woke up and went outside to celebrate a little. There’s a chair with my name …next to the director’s and Ryu Seung-beom sunbaenim’s.ㅎㅎ This year there was a lot of joy and pain, happiness and sorrow, but I think I’m most proud of that chair.” -translation credits to my good friend K. ^^

전에 언급했던 촬영장에 생겨버린 나에 의자.. 뿌듯함

http://yfrog.com/h5zwdrj January 11, 2011 8:48:01 AM PST via Twitter for iPhone (PST)

“The chair I received on set, that I mentioned before.. so proud” -translation credits to my good friend K. ^^

Yes.. Just like him.. I want to be able to look into my life beyond the sorrow, grief and heartache. I want to be able to see the good things in life that brings us joy, happiness and peace. It can be little things that we may take for granted.. like a toast prepared in the morning when you wake up, or a smile, or a chair with simply your name on it.. marking your place in that world.

Tamra the Island: Progress Update

By Doozy

I’m up to episode 13 and with each episode, my affection for this drama and its characters grows stronger and stronger. Tamra also has one of the cutest opening sequences, with the pop-up book theme and animated character cardboard cutouts.

Tamra the Island Opening Theme

(Special thanks to thduddbals for uploading the clip.)

You know, the more I think about it, the more I’m glad to have come across Tamra at just the right time. Otherwise, I would have missed out on this gem of a show.

Thoughts on its main characters

I still can’t believe I’m saying this, but Seo Woo is doing a winning job as Beo Jin. Although she does cry a tad too much for my liking, I find her utterly adorable as Beo Jin because she’s genuine, whether she’s with William or Park Kyu or anybody else, Beo Jin is always being herself, never putting up front to pretend to be someone else.

Welcome to the Island

By Doozy

When Tamra the Island aired in 2009, I had no interest in watching it primarily because there wasn’t anyone in its cast that really drew my attention. Seo Woo was a relatively newbie then. Im Joo Hwan was known to me as the dude who was Hyun Bin’s ineffective romantic rival in The Snow Queen; oh yeah, and also Kim Bum’s bro in a blink-and-you’d-miss-him scene in Boys Over Flower. And there was Hwang Chan Bin (Pierre Deporte), the blond albino boy whom I knew nothing about. Even after reading the many critical praises that Tamra gained, I still had no plans to check it out. Especially after being introduced to Seo Woo through the hot mess that was Cinderella’s Sister and leaving with feelings of indifferent and mild annoyance of the actress. So why am I marathoning it now?

In addition to a good script and solid performances by the drama’s cast, its OST is another aspect that can either enhance or diminish my enjoyment and emotional connection with that drama. For me, the pattern usually goes as such: 1) watch drama, 2) ooh, what lovely music you have there, 3) download OST, and 4) listen to it repeatedly. Tamra, however, has the distinction of turning this pattern upside-down because I fell in love with its instrumental theme before watching even a minute of the show.

Im Ju Hwan joins Life Is Beautiful

Im Ju Hwan fans, rejoice! 2011 looks like it’ll be a busy year for the rising star, as he adds a film to his resume (in addition to upoming drama What’s Up). The movie is titled Life Is Beautiful, and has already drawn some notice for casting prolific film actor Ryu Seung-beom (Bad Deal) and singer Younha.

First Look At Musical Drama "What’s Up"

We haven’t had much news about the musical-themed drama What’s Up, but the production has just released a four-minute trailer giving us our first real look at the show. And I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with the results; the characters seem well-developed and the cast looks strong.

Ceci - October 2010 - I love pet

Ju Hwan holds first ever meet-and-greet in Japan

Korean actor Lim Ju-hwan held his first ever meet-and-greet in Japan over the weekend.

A press release from Trophy Entertainment announced that the actor was in Japan for his fan meeting titled "2010 Lim Ju-hwan The Magic Hour" held at the Yamano Hall on October 24.

The actor held various events for some 1,000 fans including a talk show and games regarding his works "Tamra, The Island," "Mr. Kimchee and Ms. Teriyaki's Wedding War" and "What's Up." 

He also celebrated the one-year anniversary of his official Japanese fan club as well as performing the song "This is the Moment" from the "Jekyll & Hyde" musical and "You & I" by 2NE1 member Park Bom. 

"I was happy to see my fans and make special memories even though it was a short time," Lim was quoted as saying, adding that he will work harder in the future. 

Meanwhile, a day before his fan event, Lim attended an autograph session for Mnet Japan's "Mnet X Mito Excel Korean Entertainment" at the Ibaraki Prefecture [located in Kanto region on Honshu Island] to help promote Korean artists in the country. 

Lim, 28, made his debut in 2004 with a role in the SBS TV series "Magic," and has since appeared in other dramas such as KBS's "Snow Queen" and "Boys Over Flowers." He was also in several movies including "Frozen Flower," "Arang" and "A Millionaire's First Love."  

From : 10.asiae.co.kr

AERA (Japanese Magazine) - October 2010

Park Kyu - Im Joo Hwan

By OKOALA

Im Joo Hwan is Park Kyu: he of the perpetual whiff of snobbery, nary of speck on dirt to be found on his white robes, and general loftier-than-thou-demeanor. Here is a nobleman turned undercover investigator turned man in love turned man who has found his goal in life. Im Joo Hwan nails each and every subtle emotional turn required of this character.

I cannot stress enough how much I love both Im Joo Hwan’s performance as and the character of Park Kyu. [I first saw Im Joo Hwan as the second lead in Snow Queen. He was cute but not terribly memorable. Then he went and blew my mind in Tamra]. He captured the innate nobility of a privileged and intelligent young man, and conveyed the inner struggles of a noble reassessing his perceptions of the world and his place in it.

TSUTAYA (Japan)