Another hilarious gif

Nikita

So Nikita is the only American show I'm still following. I think I liked episode 7 because it really was about the lives of the recruits versus what the other episodes were about (which I've already forgotten). Since Nikita is on the outside of "Divsion" while most of the action in the past few episodes have occurred in Division, I guess it makes sense for us to get to know those people a little better.

I don't even know what I'm saying. Anyway, I'm sticking with it for now. I'm not sure if we're expected to watch 5 seasons of how Nikita tries to take down Division because this plot feels like a one season drama to me... or have I just gotten too used to the Asian drama format? Whatever.

Dr Champ episodes 9&10

At the beginning, Dr. Champ was a pleasant surprise. I hadn't expected much and found the first two episodes fresh, interesting and cute. After watching them, I thought I'd finally found another drama that just might capture my heart. But I guess I was wrong.

I don't know but something is missing for me. It's well acted, well directed and the plot is mellow (for the most part) which is what I like. It's not exactly a rom-com but it's lighthearted (for the most part) which I enjoy. But I think what's lacking for me is the romance. Or to be more specific, I don't enjoy the execution of the romance.

Okay, so Dr. Champ is clearly a romantic drama as we have two parallel romantic storylines in it. We have the "fresh and fun couple" and the "stale (lol) and angsty couple."

Ji Heon and Yeon Woo are the main couple. We were introduced to them in the first episode, watched their meet-cute and their so-called romance is in my opinion, the main plot of the drama.

Well, perhaps I am slightly biased against the couple since I don't really like Ji Heon. He's tall and handsome enough so that's definitely not my problem. But I don't like the clingy, pouty, annoying, pestering type. He's also a kind person but for me, the bad outweighs the good. I just don't like his childishness and would never date a guy like him even if he's tall and has a hot bod. So maybe that's part of the problem for me. When I watch a romance, I like to get swept up in the story and even in the fantasy of the lead male. Not to say that I always fall for the lead male.

For example, in MNIKSS, the only reason I liked Jin Heon was because Sam Soon liked him. If I had my way, I'd have had her dump him and date that cute guy she kept being set up with. But on the other hand, I didn't dislike him completely and could understand why she fell for him and under the right (or wrong) circumstances, I could date someone like him. Same with My Girl. I would have picked Lee Jun Ki's character over Lee Dong Wook's but I could get why Lee Da Hae's character fell for him and thought he was a worthy man. So it's not necessary for me to fall for the lead male. However, I have to like him as a boyfriend or spouse for somebody in some capacity and that's not the case with Ji Heon for me.

Then it doesn't help that their love story, IMO, is boring. Now, it's entirely realistic with their little flirty friendship thing that they have going on now. If I thought they had amazing chemistry and just loved the characters, I would love it. I would squeal when he looks at her wet chest (lol) or rushes over to her place just to hear her say, "Do well." But since I don't really like them that much, I'm detached from all their supposedly touching moments. They are enjoyable but I feel no emotional connection to them so I need some more action. A fabulously entertaining plot starring a male lead I don't really like just might work for me.

Now, onto the stale and angsty couple.

I LOVE angsty couples. My favorite part of a drama is when they are giving each other forlorn looks and struggling with their feelings. So I was hoping that this couple who apparently haven't been able to get over each other after 14 years of separation (!!!!!) would provide loads and loads of that to me. What I was hoping around the episode 4 mark when it became clear that there would be two couples in the drama was that Ji Heon and Yeon Woo would provide the more fun, young love story while these folk would be the passionate, mature love story. So where's the passion, peeps? Squeezing your faces and looking constipated doesn't make you passionate. I know that as the secondary couple, not much time can be dedicated to them especially as we also have stories about friendship and the sports world in general but still, their story could be a lot more compelling. I think part of the problem is that they just don't have enough chemistry for the couple they are pretending to be. I should see more life in the characters, especially Hee Young, who have 14 year old feelings they haven't been able to truly shake off.

So does that mean I don't enjoy Dr. Champ? No. I don't know if the word "interesting" would truly describe it but perhaps entertaining. I also like some of the non-romantic plot lines like the friendship between Ji Heon and Sang Bong and also his relationship with his brother's family. But I also dislike all the scenes we have to watch involving the toupee-d Vice President. Mr. VP, please take that rodent off your head!

Right now, we're at the point where Ji Heon & Sang Bong's friendship and relationship will be put through the ringer. Just like Do Wook said, while SB might not hold a grudge and want to see Ji Heon, the former might be too guilty to maintain a friendship with someone he paralyzed. Why this drama has to go this route is anyone's guess but perhaps they needed to inject some more drama into the plot.

So as of episode 10, while Dr. Champ doesn't touch me the way I'd hoped, it'll still enjoyable enough for me to watch till the end. But I hope they speed up the romance in the next 6 episodes. I don't know if it's possible for me to squeal about anything that happens between these couples, but I'll still like to see some über romantic scenes that can only be constructed in a brilliant writer's imagination. Too much to ask?

Photos were taken from soompi & dramabeans.

WTF?

Is it just me or does this drama look like it's going to be a train wreck?

Mary Stayed Out All Night cooking up a spell? Casting demons? Digging a grave? What in the name of all that is holy is this?!?!?

Apartment 543

I used to be such a Craig David fan girl. This was before he debuted in the US wearing all those "extra medium" t-shirts... in the pre-youtube days when I used to go to Yahoo! Music UK to watch all the foreign vids. Fun times.

This song didn't have a vid but I got to hear all these non-album songs as a devoted fan girl. Born To Do It will always be a favorite album of mine... too bad his subsequent ones are kinda blah.

Even if the movie sucks...

Another in the series of Even if the movie/drama/whatever sucks, you'll still find a song you like.

This is from the Love in Magic OST and was played during the magic show, which coincidentally is the only scene from the movie I still remember.

It's "I Thank You" by Cadence Blaze.


Scene in the movie


Something about the scene reminds me of part of the last performance in Center Stage. Yeah, I like Center Stage. I tend to like movies about performers. Not really actors but singers, other musicians and dancers. lol... I guess since I love music and movies, I love music in movies in any form.
From around 4:35

Rock Wit'cha

Nothing that exciting in the dramaworld. I've dumped a few dramas and I've picked up a few namely Guilty (jdrama) and That Love Comes (twdrama) and will attempt Juii Doolittle (jdrama) sometime this week. I'll blog about them later but for now, I'm just enjoying one of my favorite songs by Bobby Brown.



But I also love a similarly titled song by my dearest MJ. Before his death, this was the song of his that was always on constant rotation. I don't know why I love it so much. Maybe because it's kinda naughty? And he also looked very handsome and happy. Maybe that too. Plus the song is just fun.

KimuTaku

So I'm one of those Kimura Takuya fangirls. I can't help it - he charms my soul. I think I really got into him when I began to watch jdramas and was having a hard time finding a romance I would emotionally connect with. And it seems that Kimura Takuya stars in some of the best romantic dramas! Plus there's something about his acting that just draws you into his web. When the heroine says she loves him, you understand it because perhaps you've fallen in love with the character too. Not always, though. lol. I enjoyed Love Generation but his character was an idiot. I also couldn't finish Good Luck so it's not like I fall in love with all his dramas. But I definitely give most of them a chance.

How did I get on this topic? The subs for Natsu -niji finally got released so I decided to watch the end (I'll watch the last two episodes properly on another date). Taiga started calling out Shiori's name and that reminded me of the Sena! Minami! ending to Long Vacation. That led me to watching the final scene of that drama for the umpteenth time and before I knew it, I was watching Kimura Takuya kissing scenes on youtube. lol.


One of these days, I'll do a jdrama romance recommendation post cos they are truly hard to find.

lmao@MJ

I love this performance because he's totally showboating in it.


lol... I wonder what his brothers said to him when they were back in their dressing room.

Mentioning My Queen...

.. led me to watching one of my favorite scenes from the drama.

So she's single at Christmas and decides to cheer herself up with a little one night stand. She finds herself a sexy victim and when they are at the beginning of getting it on, she sees his ID card, and because she's completely insane, freaks out because of the age difference. LMAO. Who, other than this woman, cares about an age difference when it comes to a one night stand for crying out loud? In fact, knowing that he's a younger guy should make it even more fun, if anything. lol.

It's at the very beginning of this clip.

Hye Rim/Do Ya

I guess you can say I love the older woman-younger man coupling a little bit. How much is "a little bit?" Well, let me put it this way: my favorite jdrama, Long Vacation, is older woman-younger man; what just might be my favorite kdrama, My Lovely Sam Soon is also older woman-younger man; and what would have been my favorite twdrama had they not extended it and pushed it into Drag City is My Queen which, you guessed it, is older woman-younger man.

Which brings us to Dae Mul. I'm not quite sure what the age difference between Ha Do Ya and Seo Hye Rim is but they met while he was in high school and she was on her way to a job interview (which we can assume was after she graduated from college).

It's at least ten years later and now he's a prosecutor and she's a recently fired widow. He never forgot her after that initial meeting while she pretty much forgot him however, now that they've reconnected, he looks out of her. He's gotten to know her son and they have some kind of fun vibe to their relationship. She was sentenced to community service at his office and sometimes they have a hard time keep their relationship professional (sometimes speaking informally).

She suspects that he likes her and cautions him against it while he insists that she's being delusional. But of course, the audience does know that he indeed likes her considering that he keeps a picture of her that he stares at from time to time.

I don't know where this story is going but I certainly hope it's going in the direction of Ha Do Ya and Seo Hye Rim becoming romantically involved. They currently have a fun vibe to their relationship but I hope that the second lead female, Se Jin, who has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with Do Ya will have no romantic ties to him. And yes, we know in dramas, characters who start off hating each other (they've already kissed) often end up in love. Please writers, let this be one drama where that doesn't happen. PLEASE. Because it's the Do Ya/Hye Rim relationship that keeps me interested in this series - not the political stuff.

There are some nice clips and vids out there but SBS is going nutso deleting every single thing (including previews) so  I won't post anything. But these pics are from when Do Ya gets so happy that Hye Rim's son has malaria, thus keeping her from emigrating to Australia. LOL.

Pics source is soompi.

4 Gifts

So I've not gone back to watching this drama since I paused it in ep 1. But now that I see a kiss is coming up in next week's episode, why am I suddenly interested again? Hehehe.

Bahara - I Hate Luv Storys

I guess I'm catching up on my Bollywood movies because I just saw I Hate Luv Storys. It's the typical story of a man uninterested in love who finds love. The film was set in the movie industry (he's an assistant director and she's an art director). He hates every thing "filmi" so he spends his time cringing at the dialogue, sets and characters in the movies he works on. She loves every thing "filmi" and at the start of the movie, she's practically living the life of a Bollywood heroine. The movie was predictable and I thought it was pretty okay at first till we got to the second half (and the angst) and it got quite boring. Overall, I'll say the first half is good enough as a time pass (good enough for killing time) but the second half...  uhm.... Anyway, I finished it and the ending wasn't too bad. What I liked about it were the references to other hit movies both in song and through clips.

What I once said about kdramas applies to Bollyood movies too. Even if the drama (or in this case, movie) sucks, you're bound to find at least one song that you like. And this is one:


A much better film to watch the male star Imran Khan in is Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, which is an overrated but still charming story of longtime friends-turning-lovers. And no, this isn't the only romantic plot that I like. lol. That movie was quite refreshing because it was set within an ensemble cast of friends. However, it has some rather annoying and silly parts with the older characters that IMO, took away from the movie. Nonetheless, that one is still worth a watch.

Playful Kiss in the rain

So the epic scene is here. Truthfully, it's not as bad as I expected. At least he looks like he's really kissing her (some jaw movement) which is good. In fact, it's pretty nice by kdrama standards to be honest.


The Taiwanese one still trumps it. It's not just about the kiss itself, but all the emotions and the passion that built up to it.

With just two more chapters of The Honeymoon left...

... I'm beginning to rest easy. And they should be rather short too. It'll feel good to be done with this story. Phew! Lol... and it only took three years (At least there was like a two year-long hiatus which I'm not sure should make me feel good or bad).

Jon B - Body Language

So my ex-hubby has finally released a new song after a long ass hiatus.


There was a time when Jon B was one of my top 10 favorite artists so when I call him my ex-hubby, I'm not kidding at all!!! :D :D He was hot for a while then suddenly not. I guess that third album just didn't live up to his previous one.

Anyway, despite his absence, he's one of those artists that many have always had a fondness for and hoped for their return. So Jon B returns... with this.

Truthfully, my first reaction to this video was one huge WTF?!?!!? But when I opened another tab and began to do something else i.e. stopped watching the "video," I realized that the song wasn't that bad. Jon B but seriously, WTF is going on with such a shitty ass video? You're better than this. Next time, if you don't have money for a video - don't release one! Just release the single and let it get hot on the radio and in the clubs. JEEZ!

But I can't make a Jon B post without some of my favorite songs. And since I like nasty songs with people talking about how they wanna slide downtown to taste a woman right, lol, of course I love this song. hehehe.


I used to be such a baby, crying in your arms


My other jams like "Tell me" and "I ain't going out" aren't on youtube :(

Couch Kimchi

Check it out.

http://couchkimchi.wordpress.com/

I just saw Wall Street (2010)

I haven't seen the first one so I have nothing to compare it to but what exactly was the point of this damn movie? Other than to be preachy and to show supposedly smart hustlers being foolish?

Oh and once again, I got reminded of why I don't go to movie theaters - my especially long legs get all cramped and sore. 

I think I'm done with Playful Kiss

I began to watch episode 11 and kept watching it with breaks here and there till we got to the part where Ha Ni and her friends were complaining that with so many classes to study for, it's going to be hard to pass them all. Then Ha Ni said she will only study English because that's the class she takes with Seung Jo and she didn't want to flunk then stop being in his class.

Are we for real? She only cares about class because of Seung Jo? This is worse than those who attend college for an MRS degree because most of them at least plan on graduating with a degree even if that's not their main purpose for attending college. This chick only cares about not failing the class so that she doesn't part with her precious Seung Jo. And truthfully speaking, I don't even understand what she sees in him. It's not like the guy brings her any joy or improves her life in any way without her asking first. My interest was already waning but perhaps this was when I decided that I'm done with it.

I may watch the "kiss in the rain" but something tells me it's going to be disappointing. It'll probably just be a lip press with the camera revolving around them to make it look more passionate. BLAH.

I'm really looking forward to this bromance...

... so bring it on, Dr. Champ!

Dae Mul

So I was looking forward to this drama mainly because the premise was a gigolo ending up with the president. I find that combo too hilarious for words. However, it looks like it's been revised to be a former young playboy who becomes a lawyer, ending up with a president.

I kind of rolled my eyes at the beginning especially as I don't like movies or dramas that get so deep in the political mumbo jumbo. Not that I don't like politics but they are always so biased against other countries that it's a huge turn off. So for this drama, I am going to choose to ignore the parts where they are so obviously negatively biased against other nations.

But when we got into the main characters' pasts, it was quite enjoyable. I like the chemistry between Go Hyun Jung and Kwon Sang Woo and I like that there's a fun vibe to this drama. Kwon Sang Woo and the actor playing his father also have a nice chemistry. I read some spoilers about the plot (which I really hope changes) and I immediately began to dread later episodes. The drama does get over the top at times but it's a kdrama after all. I just hope it doesn't get too melodramatic in later episodes.

So for now, I am watching Dae Mul.

Bollywood Recommendations

I'll update this post as I remember but for now, these are the movies that have a rewatch value for me. Basically, I've seen all these movies more than once.

Dil Chahta Hai. Bromance between three friends and their romantic stories. We have an arranged marriage, an older woman-younger man story and the third is the typical young love story. 
Main Hoon Na. Action. Romance. Comedy.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Friends turned lovers.
Kal Ho Naa Ho. Friends turned lovers and a 'Taming of the shrew' type story.
Hum Tum. It borrows a little from When Harry Met Sally but not too much. One of my favorites. It's follows a couple as their relationship evolves over a number of years.
Saathiya. About the ups and downs of young love.
Lagaan. Extremely long but I thought it was worth it. About imperialism and of course, has a romance.
Mr & Mrs Iyer. This is not a Bollywood movie per se since it's in English but a pretty great film. The first 30 minutes are really hard to get through but most end the movie feeling that the pleasure is worth a little pain. A story of a couple that meets on a fateful bus ride.
Socha Na Tha. Arranged married turned to love. My description sucks but I really liked this movie.
Jab We Met. About a couple that meets on a fateful train ride.
Rules: Pyaar ka Superhit formula. A girl follows her grandma's advice to nab her dream man. Sounds kinda dumb but I found it really cute
Monsoon Wedding is also not a Bollywood film as it's in English but I think a good movie for someone trying to test the waters. It's set around a girl's arranged marriage.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I really liked the second half but it's about the story of a girl who falls in love, loses her love and chases after that love but through this journey, discovers what real love is.

For something a little grittier
Company about gangsters and stuff. lol... I saw this movie a long time ago so I can't even describe it in detail but I remember loving it.
Salaam Bombay is a less romanticized Slumdog Millionaire.
1947 Earth is about Partition.
Kannathil Muthamittal is in Tamil and deal with issues of political unrest in Sri Lanka and also adoption.

These are just a few that I particularly enjoyed but there are many more that are worth one watch. I might update this list at a later date.

3 Idiots

3 Idiots is a Bromantic comedy that was released on Christmas day, 2009. The movie was both a commercial and critical hit so early this year, I was all set out to watch it. But the DVD took ages to be released so in the end, I lost interest.

Anyway, since I was in a Bollywood kind of mood today, I decided to finally give it a try. 3 Idiots is about three roommates at the top (fictional) engineering college in India. Raju is from a poor family with a sick father and other than his interest in engineering, also chose the field to get a good paying job so as to shoulder his family's financial burden. Farhan is an amateur photographer from  a middle class family whose profession was decided for him at birth. So he attends ICE because it's what he was told to do. Rancho is from a rich family and lives and breathes science. He attends ICE because he wants to learn. He is the central character who challenges people out of their comfort zones and urges them to follow their hearts and not society or a system. The movie starts off 10 years after their freshman year with the two friends (and their nemesis) searching for Rancho, whom they haven't seen since graduation. So the story floats between the present and the past.

I think a lot of people from all over the world can relate to this movie because it challenges the educational system of cramming and competing just to get good grades so that you can get a good paying job. Not that there's anything wrong with working hard for good grades but it critiques the practice of cramming and studying just to pass exams, and not to learn. And picking fields like medicine and engineering, for example, not because one has an interest in them, but because the jobs pay well. The moral of this movie is to follow your passion and success will follow.

When I saw the first half of the movie, I thought it was pretty damn good. I love bromance so it was right up my alley. The comedy worked on both an emotional and a cerebral level. However, in the second half, when it started getting melodramatic with the plot going to Crazy-land, I began to give the movie the side eye. But it ended nicely and overall, was entertaining.

The chemistry between the three men was great, even though I don't get how 40+ Aamir Khan still gets to play a college student. The movie had only one romantic side story between Rancho and Pia and they also had nice chemistry. I liked that theirs was just a cute story with no over the top cheesiness.

I'm not sure that I'll watch 3 Idiots again in its entirety, but like I do with most enjoyable films, I'll probably rewatch a few hilarious parts... and the cute ending.

Watch here.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

So seeing the cut Segway scene got me all riled up about Coffee House once again and that led me into thinking about Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which I think I'm going to watch for the umpteenth time today. Okay, not the entire story but my favorite parts.

KKHH is the story of Rahul and Anjali who are college best friends who miss their chance but get another one many years later. We have college best friends. Girl realizes she's in love with Guy when he starts to fall for another girl. Girl leaves town. Guy marries other girl. Other girl dies at childbirth. Years later, Guy and Girl meet again. Girl is engaged to another man. You can guess the rest.

We even get an epic train scene in this movie. Starts around the 5:50 mark.


Rahul (Guy) confesses his love for Tina (other girl) to Anjali (Girl). Finding this too difficult to deal with, Anjali decides to leave school (although she claimed to have other reasons but still...). So this is the scene where Rahul runs to the station to stop Anjali. from leaving. What I love most about this scene is that while Rahul doesn't quite realize that he's in love with Anjali, it's pretty clear to any bystander, including Tina.

Another favorite scene of mine is the bench scene. It's so very simple and clean, yet crackling with chemistry. It starts around the 2:35 mark.
 

This is the day of the Anjali-Rahul reunion. They are both much older with different interests and priorities from what they had that day at the train station and even though Rahul had thought of Anjali over the years (it didn't help that his wife had named their daughter after her), I think perhaps this is when Rahul realizes that he just might be in love with her. I love the awkwardness, shyness and sincerity of their interaction.

Then of course, there's the famous gazebo scene. Anjali and Rahul are caught in the rain and well, this is what happens. Starts around the 0:15 mark.


This is their "sexy" scene. Considering this is a Bollywood movie, and a family one at that, they couldn't exactly start making out but I think this worked well in showing the mutual attraction between the characters.

I loved Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in its entirety the first time I saw it although on subsequent viewings, I got tired of all the "fun" college scenes and what not. Plus it has the annoying crap of grooms being so generous of heart that they give their brides to someone else.  But nonetheless, I can't help but love this simple yet touching story of finding a once lost love.

Random but...

... isn't this hilarious?

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!

Coffee House rumored Segway scene

So, unless this is some amazing photoshopping, this looks like a picture of the rumored Segway Scene. And Jin Soo is wearing the clothes in the cut scene that mirrored their sitting positions in episode three (can't find the pic but whatever). So what made them remove all these happy scenes and replace them with Angst Central? How I wish I could get a copy of all the scripts ever written for this drama.

Credit.

ETA:
Found the pic and they are both wearing the same clothes. What gives, y'all? I need the footage from that day.

Dr. Champ episodes 3 & 4

So... it looks like I might have been wrong about the second lead, Hee Young. From the way she was introduced in the earlier episodes, I'd assumed that she was a typical second lead who tossed the lead away in the past but would want him when he began to develop an interest in another woman.

Truthfully, I am attracted to angsty couples - the kind that hurts each other all the time but can't be apart. Do Wook in his jealousy keeps mentioning Hee Young's husband to piss her off, and in turn she tosses him back in his face. But it was revealed that she's in fact divorced. So why doesn't she come clean? It think it's because she'd lose the upper hand and in addition, might end up opening a door she wishes to remain shut. It'll be interesting to see how Do Wook will act towards her now that he knows the truth. Being the kind of childish man he is when it comes to their relationship, I won't be surprised if he starts to test her in some form. But one thing is clear (well, seems clear) - they are still hung up on each other.

 In addition to liking angsty couples, I also love flawed ones and these two also fit the bill. I'm really looking forward to watching this relationship develop and I hope the writers give us some good stuff. The joke she made about being pretty to her athlete, Yoo Ri, also showed a cute side to Hee Young. I hope she turns out to be a great character.

We also saw some kind of development in the Ji Heon/Yeon Woo relationship. Truthfully, I don't like the idealistic types and both of this characters have that element to them. However,  even though Ji Heon can be very childish and act happy-go-lucky, we also know that there's some sadness in his life with the untold story of his brother's death and all the drama with his sister-in-law. I also don't like characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves like Ji Heon does but I guess he's still okay. Or maybe I'm just blinded by his hot bod! I can see how Yeon Woo might need someone like him in her life because she does seem to be a tad too serious about things so it's all good. We've started to see some jealousy on Ji Heon's part as he notices Yeon Woo's interest in her director, but on the other hand, we can see that Yeon Woo has become a lot more comfortable with him and that she notices he's a man (with the whole noodle thing).

I'm still not really shipping any couples per se, but I definitely wouldn't mind if these are the two love stories developed in this drama. I'm kind of sick of the usual kdrama love quadrangle so I'm more than happy to see one where the four leads = two couples.

In addition to the romance, they also delved into some "human interest" plots with the sick boxer. And it looks like Yeon Woo has landed herself into some hot soup with her callous actions regarding a prescription she made to an athlete. It's all good and I'm looking forward to next week's episodes. Fighting!

*Screen caps were taken from soompi.

Melt Away

This is off her Daydream album.
 

I don't know... Mariah is one of those people that can do no wrong in my eyes. I don't care if she's melting down on television or wearing way too tight clothing - Mariah is Mariah and she gets my support. I think I have all but one or two or her albums. I've never seen her in concert but her albums are definitely some of the most played ones in my collection. And Melt Away is one that's always on repeat.

I'm about to work on the latest chapter of The Honeymoon and needed to clear my head a bit so of course, I'm listening to some Mariah.

---
Hahaha... this was my Lee Jin Soo theme song for episodes 9-10 of Coffee House. Truthfully, there's a Mariah song for every single romantic situation out there.

Playful Kiss 9 & 10

I finally saw episodes 9 & 10 of Playful Kiss. While it's not a bad drama, I think I've finally put my finger on what is lacking in it for me - an emotional connection with the characters.

I don't know if it's because I've previously seen ISWAK, but when watching the show, I don't feel like I am watching people - merely actors playing a role. So it's impossible for me to be drawn into their story. Even though Seung Jo has supposedly fallen for Ha Ni, truthfully, I don't see it at all. It's like their chemistry slowly diminished as time went by.

And speaking of the episodes in particular, I liked the moment when Seung Jo was leaving and even though he wanted to say goodbye to Ha Ni, being the person he is, he couldn't. So he kept his eyes on her while speaking to his brother. Essentially, he called out his brother's name but he was really talking to Ha Ni. Maybe that's what's missing with them - I don't see the emotion in their eyes.

Ha Ni, for her part, was very annoying in episode 10 with all the stalking and stuff. ARGH. And when I compare the bed scene in Playful Kiss versus the one in ISWAK, I must say there's no competition. In ISWAK, I could feel the sexual chemistry and could understand why Ariel's character was nervous about sleeping on the same bed as him. In Playful Kiss, it was almost like, "Girl, why's your mind going there? He won't do anything to you, anyway." 

I can already guess that the kiss in the rain (if it's here) will be nowhere as epic as the one in ISWAK.

On another note, the old dude playing the Tennis club leader must be having a blast with this role.

Hmm... when is your next drama?

TV

So yeah... I'm officially on the Outsourced train. The second episode was so much better than the pilot and had some laughs. It pokes fun at both American and Indian cultures and does have some heart. So I'll keep watching. Episode 2 was about needing to fire someone so they focused on the superflirt who spent a lot of phone time chatting up women and also the annoying talkative guy with low self esteem.

I am currently one foot off the Cougar Town train. This episode was better than last week's but still boring. lol. So yeah. I think I preferred it when there was romantic tension between her and the dude that she's dating. But since everything is all good, it's kinda dry.

Undercovers also had a better week than the pilot's, however, it's definitely underperforming ratings-wise so it sounds like there's a good chance it's getting canceled. Oh well.

I'm also officially on the Nikita Train. I've pretty much liked the last few episodes and even didn't mind this past week's one even though they decided to show us some Nikita/Michael sexual tension. Shane West's breathy voice is really annoying. Is that how he sounded on A Walk To Remember?  The episode was pretty good with the double agent although I suspected something like that because that actor is a little bit too recognizable for a such a bit role. So I did expect to see him in some capacity even after he supposedly died.

On the Asian drama front... I got reminded once again why I need to dust off that Rosetta Stone dvd and start learning!

Natsu-Niji... the drama ended like a month ago but no subs means I can't finish it. I'm currently stuck with two episodes to go.

Runaway started this week. Licensing stuff means I'm not going to see it till it's been resolved.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a drama I tried yesterday. I guess it's a good thing I decided to wait before trying it otherwise, I'd be in pain like all the others desperate for a fix. Even though the subs were halted on viikii, the folks over there were nice enough to provide softsubs but as these things always happen, someone hardsubbed the vids and now we're all out of luck. So that's on hold till the situation is sorted.

So which of my dramas did I get to see? None to be honest. Because even though Playful Kiss is available, I've chosen to wait for the full length HD versions of episodes 9 & 10. Since I just watch the drama to kill time, I can wait.

I decided not to bother with Eternal Love since it seemed that episode 6 was just a rehash of the previous episodes. I plan to just skip to ep 7.

I did, however, manage to watch a one episode drama special called The Great Gye Choon Bin.

It's a rom com about an art psychologist (uses art to read people) and a kindergarten teacher with a crush on him. I understand that there are limitations as they have to tell an entire story in like an hour but there are drama specials like Kanojo to no Tadashii Asobikata or Drama City's Fog Street that manage to hit that romantic spot despite the time constraint. I think there was too much going on with his married ex, little girl's issues, his issues, the person who kept defacing the signs etc etc for any real proper development of their relationship. So it didn't really work for me. I can understand why one might find this adorable but I need to see chemistry and want the couple to be together - not because the drama says so, but because I can feel it. And this special lacked it.

Anyway, this week, Dae Mul starring Kwon Sang Woo begins. I'm looking forward to it since it's a story about a gigolo and a president. lol. I've never seen a KSW drama before since it appears he likes doing all these sad ones and I avoid those so I hope I end up liking this one.