By Boon Chan
They have good-looking stars who can act, novel storylines and no sequels, which ensures compelling plots
Each time you think the Hallyu wave is about to peak, a new South Korean television series comes along and crests to another high.
In 2013, romance drama The Heirs, starring Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, took South Korea and beyond by storm. Then sci-fi romance My Love From The Star, with Gianna Jun and Kim Soo Hyun, surged to new heights of popularity in 2014. Earlier this year, military romance Descendants Of The Sun blazed a different path and turned Song Joong Ki into a megawatt star.
What these three shows have in common are beautiful actors and actresses, but that is only half of the reason K-dramas are flourishing.
The fact that they all star different actors points to the depth of talent in the industry. There is a seemingly inexhaustible supply of actors and actresses who not only look gorgeous but can act as well.
This becomes even clearer when you go beyond the blockbusters – a star is seemingly born every few months on the small screen.
Nostalgia drama Reply 1997 (2012) was a cable show that came in under the radar, but grew to make a big splash as word of mouth spread. Singer Seo In Guk had a star turn as the high school hotshot with a sensitive side and Jung Eun Ji from girl group Apink had an auspicious acting debut as a feisty superfan of male idol popsters Sechs Kies.
The drama Incomplete Life (2014) heralded the arrival of Yim Si Wan as a new acting talent as he played the part of workplace greenhorn Jang Geu Rae to perfection. He picked up several accolades, including a Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor.
Interestingly, individuals who get lost within the confines of a boyband or girl group shine in the spotlight when they make the leap to television. Apart from Apink’s Jung and ZE:A’s Yim, there is also Lee Hyeri from Girl’s Day, who made a great impression in Reply 1988 (2015) as the bubbly high-schooler Sung Deok Sun. The ratings for the show’s final episode are the highest in Korean cable TV history.
The depth of talent in the acting pool extends to the creative pool.
A second reason for the thriving K-drama scene is the industry’s ability to come up with new concepts and to put a fresh spin on familiar ones.
The recently concluded W, written by Song Jae Jung and starring actor-model Lee Jong Suk and actress Han Hyo Joo, played mind games with its characters and viewers as the story unfolded across two parallel worlds – our world and the world of a hit webtoon, a comics title that is published online.
With a fresh and exciting premise, it kept viewers guessing throughout what was going to happen next.
You could say that it was an update of the concept Norwegian pop band A-ha used for their seminal music video for Take On Me in 1984, in which a woman enters the world of a comic strip she is reading.
Similarly, the crime thriller Signal (2016) borrowed a key idea from the American sci-fi thriller flick Frequency (2000) – two characters communicate with each other across time, using walkie-talkies in the former and a radio in the latter. To this it added an elaborate labyrinth of unsolved cases and personal connections. The result was gripping.
The ongoing period romance Love In The Moonlight is more than just a replay of the old chestnut of gender-bending – see Hong Kong rom-com He’s A Woman, She’s A Man (1994) or even the previous hit Korean series Coffee Prince (2007).
It’s a gender-pretzel as Kim Yoo Jung plays not just a girl in man’s clothing, but one who has to pretend to be a eunuch.
Moonlight is based on the Korean Web novel of the same name (in Korean) and it is proving to be popular enough that there are reports asking whether it could reach or even eclipse the ratings for Descendants Of The Sun.
Another reason shows from South Korea are thriving seems to boil down to a general tenet: no sequels.
Signal’s scriptwriter Kim Eun Hee has hinted at the possibility of a follow-up given the tantalisingly open-ended finale. But it would be an exception that proves the rule as none of the other titles mentioned above have yet had sequels.
Season 2 for Descendants Of The Sun is reportedly in the works, but it has also been said that stars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo will not be returning and neither will director Lee Eung Bok and writer Kim Eun Sook. For fans of the show, that would be like getting a beautifully packaged gift, only to find that it does not contain what they want inside.
While the titling of Reply 1997, Reply 1994 (2013) and Reply 1988 suggests a continuity, they are best thought of as sibling series – recognisably part of the same family, but each with its own traits and quirks.
They share the same attention to period detail as well as a similar set-up – who will the female lead end up with among a large group of potential suitors. Yet each show is about different characters and stands alone on its own.
Keeping things contained to a single season forces a show to be compelling and complete in that timeframe.
And if a show fails to pique viewers’ interest, not to worry, the next one could well be the one to sweep you off your feet.
Source: Straits Times
Categorised in EN, The Straits Times.
Television Page D15
C.L.I.F. 4 (PG)
Channel 8, 9pm
Get ready for movie adrenaline-packed action as the police force cracks down on crime. Stars Rui En and Ya Hui.
C.L.I.F. 4 è¦å¾½å¤©èŒ 4 is now airing on Channel 8 at 9pm from Mondays to Fridays.
Categorised in C.L.I.F. 4 è¦å¾½å¤©èŒ 4, EN, The Straits Times.
Background
1. The Media Development Authority conducts the annual Media Consumer Experience Study and Zero-to-Fourteen Consumer Experience Study to keep its finger on the pulse of local consumers’ media consumption habits and preferences, and to assess their satisfaction with the media services and content standards. With the growth in online content services, MDA also launched its inaugural Over-The-Top Video Consumer Study this year to measure viewing habits and usage of such platforms.
Key findings from Media Consumer Experience Study
2. The fourth edition of the Media Consumer Experience Study (MCES) was conducted between October and December 2015 with a sample size of 2,000 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 15 to 65. The summarised key findings were:
a. Consumers were generally satisfied with local media services and content classification standards
– Satisfaction with media services scored 76.6% in 2015, up from 75.7% in 2014. In particular, respondents recorded an improvement in satisfaction with the quality and variety of media content, and customer service standards.
– There was also an improvement in satisfaction levels with content standards, rising to 74.1% in 2015 from 72.4% a year earlier.
b. Media consumption habits remained consistent over the last few years
– Watching Mediacorp channels remained as the top media activity in terms of time spent at 17.4 hours per week. This was followed closely by viewing media via websites and apps at 17.3 hours per week.
– Respondents generally relied on traditional media to discover TV shows, and digital media for online content.
– Most respondents (99.1%) who watch Mediacorp TV watched the platform ​at least monthly.
– The subscription rate of Pay TV services recorded a marginal decline to 68.2% in 2015, from 69.3% in 2014.
Key findings from Over-The-Top (OTT)1 Video Consumer Study
4. MDA’s OTT Video Study is aimed at providing insights into OTT video usage patterns, viewing preferences and habits among consumers. A total of 2,585 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents aged 65 and below were interviewed between October and November 2015.
a. More than half of those polled accessed online content
– More than half of consumers (54%) have watched online videos. This number was the highest among millennials (aged 15 to 34) at 89%.
– The most used online video services were YouTube (96%) and social networks such as Facebook and Instagram (59%).
Younger OTT viewers spent a greater proportion of their viewing time on online videos compared to traditional TV (Children – 65%, Millennials – 61%, Adults aged 35 to 54 – 48%, Adults aged 55 to 65 – 43% of their total viewing time​).
b. Viewing preferences & habits
– The top genres of online videos were Drama (40%), Movies (25%), Sports (10%), and Entertainment & Variety (8%) for adults; and Animation & Cartoons (59%) for children.
– Online videos were most frequently consumed on mobile phones for adults (41%), while the most frequently used device varied for children according to their age. For example, children below 6 years old preferred watching videos on the tablet while those between 11 and 14 years old preferred the smartphone and the computer.
– Multitasking on a second screen was a more common behaviour in millennial OTT viewers (60%), and OTT viewers aged 11 to 14 (58%).
– Only 11% of adult OTT viewers were paying for online videos. Majority of those paying (67%), were doing so on top of their existing pay TV subscription and made no changes to their pay TV subscription. ost used online video services were YouTube (96%) and social networks such as Facebook and Instagram (59%).
1 Over-The-Top refers to the delivery of content to local consumers via the Internet onto Internet-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs.
Source: MDA, Channelnewsasia, Straits Times
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, Facebook, Infocomm Media Development Authority, Instagram, Social Media, The Straits Times.
By Gwendolyn Ng
Rui En has been blaming herself since she knocked over a motorcycle https://t.co/R3hfXAvtys https://t.co/DH2YKd9f0j
— Straits Times Life (@ST_LifeTweets) May 18, 2016
The repentant stance that actress Rui En adopted at the recent Star Awards, where she apologised for an incident in which she drove and knocked over a parked motorcycle, continued at a press conference on Tuesday (May 17) for a new Channel 8 drama.
The fantasy melodrama is aptly titled If Only I Could…, and its protagonists are given a second chance to go back in time to change their lives for the better.
Rui En, 35, says: “Who doesn’t want second chances? Who doesn’t want to go back in time, amend mistakes and do the right thing? Such sentiments is especially heartfelt for me now.”
The actress was flamed last month for her behaviour in the traffic incident where she asked the motorbike owner, “Do you know who I am?”, a phrase that she later clarified as telling him that she would not run away without taking responsibility for what she had done.
Asked how she would have handled the situation differently if she were given a second chance, she says she does not know.
“Honestly, I’m in a dilemma. Be it mistakes or success, be it peak or hell, whatever we go through makes us who we are today,” she says.
“Initially I thought if I could go back in time, I would definitely do so – not just to half a year ago, but to the time I was a baby. I wanted to start anew. Then I realised that going through suffering may change a person for the better.”
Through this tough period, she has learnt two lessons: to be grateful and to learn how to forgive herself.
“I’ve never expected the unconditional concern, love and help given to me by my family, friends and colleagues. It has taught me not to take the people by my side for granted. I want to give back the love that they’ve showered on me during this period.”
A self-professed perfectionist, she says that she has been heaping blame on herself since the incident and she vomited at the Star Awards last month because stress triggered her existing gastric ailment.
“I’ve realise that I need to adjust (my mindset). I need to learn how to forgive myself and not put too much blame on myself. It has been tough,” she says.
Another problem she is facing – her inability to shed the extra weight gained for her dowdy character Zhen Hao in If Only I Could….
“I’m not young anymore. After I hit 30 years old, my metabolism rate has dropped. Now I don’t lose weight as fast as before,” says Rui En, who had gained about 7kg and does now know how much of that extra weight she has lost because she is afraid of weighing herself.
“I’ve always felt that stepping on the weighing scale is very demoralising when you find out you don’t lose as much as you expected to. I find it counter-productive.”
She is fighting back against talk about her chubbier face, though.
“Women go through a lot. We get criticised for ageing or putting on weight. Why is our society putting so much emphasis on physical appearance? This shouldn’t be the case.”
If Only I Could… premieres on Channel 8 on May 31 at 9pm. It airs on weekdays at 9pm.
RBKD: Click the link for the full article.
This article will also be available on The Straits Times’ Print Edition tomorrow.
Source: Straits Times, CLEO, Lollipop, Her World Singapore
If Only I Could… åå¹´…ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—? Debuts 31 May 2016, Weekdays 9pm on Channel 8
Categorised in Cleo, EN, Her World, If Only I Could... åå¹´...ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—？, Lollipop, Social Media, The Straits Times, Twitter, Video.
NOTE: Exclusive 10-minute preview of “If Only I Could… åå¹´…ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—?” would be available for viewing slightly after 10pm today :)
If Only I Could… åå¹´ã€‚ã€‚ã€‚ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—? Debuts 31 May 2016, Weekdays 9pm on Channel 8
Actress #RuiEn says who doesn't want second chances,referring to her time travel drama & alluding to her controversy pic.twitter.com/8qrv7BPwy8
— Straits Times Life (@ST_LifeTweets) May 17, 2016
@ch8sg 新剧 《åå¹´â€¦ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—？》记者会直击：#ç‘žæ© ä¸€èº«ç™½çŠ¶æ€æžä½³ï¼ @ElvinNg80 ç†æƒ³åž‹æ˜¯æ€Žæ ·çš„？
é”定#ToggleSG 访问ï¼#ifonlyicould8 #åå¹´ä½ å¥½å— pic.twitter.com/KFxkYXbA2A
— Toggle – ä¸æ–‡ç‰ˆ (@ToggleSG_ch) May 17, 2016
Posted by Hype Records on Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Video:
5月17日 【即时】新传媒新剧《十年，你还好吗？》剧中主演瑞恩、黄俊雄、蔡琦慧及陈邦鋆今天下午出席记者招待会。近期的话题人物瑞恩早前为这部戏特地增胖至少4到5公斤来饰演“安娣”角色，她透露现在还在减肥当中。
因涉车祸事故而备受困扰，瑞恩也非常有感触地说，在戏中的这个角色有穿越时空的机会，可以回到过去纠正错误。《8频道新闻及时事节目》网站稍后将送上完整报道。
Posted by 8频é“æ–°é—»æ–°åŠ å¡ Channel 8 news on Tuesday, May 17, 2016
FB Live Videos:
If Only I Could – Media conference
Posted by Channel 8 on Monday, May 16, 2016
If Only I Could – media conference
Posted by Channel 8 on Monday, May 16, 2016
《åå¹´â€¦ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—？》记者会现场。
主角 #ç‘žæ©ã€#黄俊雄ã€#陈邦鋆 ä»¥åŠ #蔡ç¦æ…§ 一起亮相。请继ç»é”定 #ToggleSG ，我们会陆ç»é€ä¸ŠLive 片段ï¼
#ifonlyicould #åå¹´ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—
Posted by Toggle – ä¸æ–‡ç‰ˆ on Monday, May 16, 2016
《åå¹´â€¦ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—？》记者会现场。
主角 #ç‘žæ©ã€#黄俊雄ã€#陈邦鋆 ä»¥åŠ #蔡ç¦æ…§ 一起亮相。请继ç»é”定 #ToggleSG ，我们会陆ç»é€ä¸ŠLive 片段ï¼
#ifonlyicould #åå¹´ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—
Posted by Toggle – ä¸æ–‡ç‰ˆ on Monday, May 16, 2016
If Only I Could… åå¹´…ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—? Debuts 31 May 2016, Weekdays 9pm on Channel 8
Categorised in CH, Channel 8, EN, Facebook, Hype Records, If Only I Could... åå¹´...ä½ è¿˜å¥½å—？, Instagram, Social Media, The Celebrity Agency, The Straits Times, Toggle SG, Twitter, Zaobao.
By Gwendolyn Ng
Joining the fan clubs has its perks. Loyal fans get to interact with their idols in casual but intimate settings.
RBKD members have volunteered with Rui En. Ms Peh recalls how Rui En was willing to get her hands dirty to clean a one-room flat.
“The flat was filled with so many items that the family slept at the lift lobby. Rui En was just like any of us, kneeling to scrub the floor, climbing up to install the curtain rod and scrubbing window grilles.
“When cockroaches appeared, we screamed and ran away together.”
RBKD: Show your support & read the complete full-page fanclub feature by Straits Times by clicking the link below!
Source: The Straits Times
Categorised in EN, Star Awards, Star Awards 2016, The Straits Times.
By Gwendolyn Ng and Yip Wai Yee
It was a bittersweet moment for TV star Rui En at the Star Awards on Sunday night (Apr 17) as she addressed her recent controversy while collecting her All Time Favourite Artiste Award on stage.
The 35-year-old actress asked for forgiveness and wondered aloud if she is suited for the entertainment industry, given her straightforward personality.
Holding her award in her hand, she said slowly: “This is an important moment in my career but I also face a difficult obstacle. To be a good actress, I not only have to act well – but I also have to put on my best self to the public. Because I have a straightforward personality, I show all my emotions on my face, so sometimes that causes misunderstandings.
“I still wonder every day if I’m suited for the entertainment industry. Regarding the recent incident – it’s still under investigation, so before the full report is out, I hope you can all forgive me. I’m unable to answer the media at this point, but I hope to apologise for whatever inconveniences this has caused. I am very sorry.â€
At the end of her speech, she moved away from the microphone and gave a deep bow.
The All Time Favourite Artiste Award is given to those stars who have collected a total of 10 trophies in the Top 10 Most Popular Artiste Award category over the years.
Source: The Straits Times
Categorised in All Time Favourite Artiste Award, EN, 超级红星奖, Star Awards, Star Awards 2016, The Straits Times.
By Yip Wai Yee
RBKD: The Sunday Times discusses about the use of Social Media by celebrities and listed that Kit Chan and Rui En as two prominent home-grown celebrities who stay away from the social media game completely.
In the cover article, it was mentioned that Rui En does not manage any social media accounts as she prefers to separate her work from personal life.
While Rui En did not respond to The Sunday Times’ queries by press time, she was quoted in her cover interview with 8 Days January last year that she has no desire to share her life with the world; she said that she’s already a piece of public property and everyone wants a piece of her. So she’s not going to put her personal life on the line.
Source: The Sunday Times
Categorised in EN, Social Media, The Straits Times.
By Foong Woei Wan
RBKD: ST rates “The Dream Makers 2” 3.5/5 stars.
Source: Straits Times
Categorised in EN, The Dream Makers 2 志在四方 2, The Straits Times.
