Singer and actress Uhm Jung-hwa takes on the role of the antagonist in director Park Hee-gon's new movie with the working title "Insa-dong Scandal." According to the Ssamzie I-Vision production company, Uhm will play "Bae Tae-jin," a cold-hearted mogul of the fine arts industry who stops at nothing to accumulate wealth. Filming for "Insa-dong Scandal" is set to begin next month. The story is about the restoration of a Joseon dynasty masterpiece and its secrets. Conflicts arise between "Bae Tae-jin" and the art restoration expert she hires, "Lee Kang-jun," played by actor Kim Rae-won. Uhm has starred in numerous silver screen features, such as "Crazy Marriage," "For Horowitz" and "Singles." Currently, she is promoting the music from her latest album.
The "sexy divas" of K-pop, Lee Hyo-lee and Uhm Jung-hwa, will be performing on-stage together for the first time. Lee Hyo-lee interviewed Uhm on the Mnet reality program which ended in May, "Off the Record with Hyo-lee." During the candid interview, Uhm confessed her feelings about returning to the music scene and in a moment of on-air bonding, the two decided to give a joint performance. That performance will be at the "2nd Mnet 20's Choice" summer ceremony on August 23rd at 5 p.m. at Seoul's Jangchung Stadium. "I have great respect for Uhm Jung-hwa," said Lee Hyo-lee. "I'm honored to be able to join her on-stage. We will give you a performance that can only be made possible with Lee Hyo-lee and Uhm Jung-hwa!" Uhm responded by explaining that she and Lee Hyo-lee were always compared as rivals in the singing business. "This will give us the opportunity to bring something completely new to the public," she said. "I'm very curious to see how a performance featuring the two of us will turn out." The inside scoop from the ceremony producers is that they have a lot of interesting set-ups prepared, such as an "Uhm Jung-hwa transformation" by Lee Hyo-lee. "Mnet 20's Choice" is a music festival and ceremony with awards for pop culture icons chosen by the trend-setting public in their twenties.
While the female persona Korean entertainment remains largely reminiscent of Hollywood during the 1950~60s, a few in recently released or upcoming films are beginning to reflect, with some realism, Korean women today. Women onscreen tend to be either innocent asexual Audrey Hepburns (think Lee Young-ae, Choi Ji-woo, Song Hye-kyo) or smoldering Marylin Monroes oozing with sex appeal (Kim Hye-soo, Uhm Jung-hwa). Then there exists a third, very minor group of eccentrics like Katherine Hepburn that fit into neither category, like actresses Kang Hye-jeong, Bae Doona and Kong Hyo-jin. In other words, it is rather difficult to meet truly realistic female characters in movies. A most disappointing example is director Kwak Gyeong-taek's latest offering "A Love". In this terribly old-fashioned story about a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, the heroine is but a mere caricature embodying romantic fantasies: the unforgettable first love, frail damsel in distress and untainted prostitute. She is but a superficial plot element that gives the male protagonist a story to tell. Roles for sexual or even remotely sexually active women continue to be reserved for the more "mature" actresses. They tend to be over 30 and/or married. Sex icon Kim Hye-soo, for example, plays a string of femme fatale roles from "Hypnotized" (2004) to "Tazza: The High Rollers" ("The War Of Flower", 2005) and "A Good Day to Have an Affair" (2006). Upcoming sex comedy "Lovers Behind" ("Love Exposure") features two very different but equally sexy women. The film delightfully resembles "Sex and the City", with two women speaking frankly about love and sex. Lee Mi-yeon, the Nicole Kidman of Korea enjoying a newfound peak in her career following her divorce from actor Kim Seung-woo, plays the role of a photographer who wants romances with no strings attached. Lee Tae-ran, who enjoys steady popularity in her acting career, depicts a woman who marries one man after another to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. While these female characters provide much humor, they are over-sexualized in a sense that their sexuality is the only thing that defines them. The film will be released mid-October. Another recent film, however, brings to screen a fresh new female persona. In Heo Jin-ho's "Happiness", now playing in theaters, Im Soo-jeong's petite, slim and dewy-eyed character Eun-hi is at first glance another Audrey Hepburn. But Eun-hi is far from passive in her romantic relationship with Yeong-su (Hwang Jeong-min), and does not hesitate to initiate sex _ without being a seductive temptress _ or propose to move in together. "I wanted to show that when a woman is in love with a man, she too can be assertive", said director Hur during a press conference at a Seoul theater last month. For the baby-faced actress, this is a dramatic departure from her girlish roles as a high-school girl in "...ing" (200) or the fairytale-like character in "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" (200). She has finally grown up enough to play parts closer to her actual age. Likewise, superstar Kim Tae-hee matures onscreen opposite award-winning actor Seol Kyeong-gu in "Ssaum" ("Fight" - "Venus and Mars")' coming to theaters December. The movie humorously portrays a couple who, once madly in love, are now fiercely battling each other. Kim casts off her sweet, angelic allure to personify an irritable woman who does not refrain from resorting to physical violence while arguing with her husband. The fighting spirit in women does not stop with Kim Tae-hee. Audiences can look forward to Do Ji-won in her role in "Punch Lady". Do plays a submissive housewife who one day decides not to put up with her abusive husband any longer. She begins training hard to master the Art of Fighting after publicly announcing a duel on the ring with her pro-wrestler husband. Although this is a rather comical theatrical situation, it reflects how women in Korean cinema are beginning to show a bit of dimension and color. "Punch Lady" is due for release at the end of the month.
Popular actress and singer Uhm Jung-hwa will hold a launch ceremony for her new fashion lingerie line at the Bistro D August 24 in southern Seoul. The style star plans to simultaneously launch some 70 online and offline lingerie stores nationwide. The name of her online brand is 'Zoom in New York' and her offline brand, 'Corner Suite.' Uhm said what makes her lingerie line stand out is originality and sexuality. She went on to explain that she wanted women to feel luxuriously feminine by making lingerie that exuded confidence and sex appeal.
In a passage from her diary on her first day in New York from the book “38 Days and 107 hours in New York,” the singer-actress Um Jung-hwa gets in a yellow cab from Midtown to Chelsea, where she is mesmerized by an endless attraction of streets ado....
Director Kim Ki-duk's 14th film "Breath" has been sold to French distributor ARP before its domestic release. Film marketer CineClick Asia said Tuesday that it sold "Breath" at the Hong Kong Film Market held from March 20 until 23. The French dist....