Kim Ah Joong is back in the spotlight after a 2 year hiatus from her success with the heavyweight film, “200 Pound Beauty.”  The actress is set to star in a new movie called “29 Years,” based on the faction (fiction + fact) comic or “man-hwa”, “26 years”  by Kang Pool. “26 years” tells the tale of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in the 1980’s under Chun Do-hwan’s presidency.

Kim Ah Joong will take the role of a woman who hooks up with a good-for-nothing , (played by Ryu Seung Bum) to plot the assassination of Korea’s president after having lost her father in the Gwangju massacre.

“29 years” is expected to be released in 2009-or exactly 29 years since the Gwangju massacre.  Jin Goo of ”All In” and Byeon Hee-bong from the movie, ”The Host” also join the cast.

Kim A-joong should have used haircare products that she endorsed to tame her flyaways.

Or maybe not. If anything, the hair adds some “boon-i-gi” or oomph to the plain outfits. Kim A-joong is the model for the Fall/Winter collection for domestic brand, Yetts. Don’t the pictures make you want to go out and buy the outfits?

Despite the hush hush nature of the wedding details, the press sniffed out the location and time of Song Il-gook’s (37) wedding. Befitting the image of a Korean prince, the Jumong actor wed Jung Seung-yeon (32) in a gorgeous traditional ceremony at the Vista Hall in Sheraton Walker Hill on March 16^th, 2008.

There are very few pictures released to the public of the new bride. To avoid the glare of the cameras, the low-key bride remained in her room until the start of the ceremony. (Generally, brides are displayed in ‘bridal waiting rooms” )

Congratulations to the newlyweds

Sure the guest list was packed with the A-listers, but unfortunately, there were very few celebrities of interest.

The wedding ceremony was held in the evening with approximately 1600 persons in attendance. Evening weddings are usually formal affairs so let’s see how the celebrities stack up.

Ahn Seong-ki. appropriate, but note that black ties are usually worn at funerals

Kim Ajoong. Appropriate. The outfit is more office appropriate.

Chae Shira. Appropriate but needs some styliing tips.

Choi Su-jung looks so gaunt and tired, a bit like Han Jae-suk. Both need to chow down on a few more big macs.

Han Hyejin is wearing black. Again, an outfit that signals that it was thrown together without much thought.

Han Jae-suk is gaunt but appropriately dressed-although shouldn’t he wear a tie?

Jung Sunghwan

Kim Hye-na (with Song Ji-hyo). The girl is wearing shorts to a wedding. Did she not check what she was wearing down below before stepping out?

Kim Na-woon wears an interesting silver ensemble. Not something I would pick out of the closet but the silver color is fabulous.

Couples Kim Taewook and Chae Shira and Shin Dongyeop and wifey.

Lee Boyoung is hiding a striped dress under a black jacket…. need a better picture.

Lee Tae-gon is in a suit. (can you tell I have nothing to say?)

Lim Hyunsik. The night belonged to the ajushis!

Park Sol-mi. Only the top half is appropriate. I wonder what went through her head when she picked out jeans for an evening wedding?

Park Sang-won looking smart in a black suit and dark navy tie.

Shin Dong-yeop wears a power red tie. I wonder where he got the red blotch on his face?

Sohn Hyun-ju is buttoned up.

Won Ki-joon wears the popular “Kalchi” suit but in a darker gray color. Not bad.

Yu Dong-geun makes an appearance.

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After her hit movie 200lb Beauty, endorsements for Pantene Shampoo and hitting the red carpet at major award shows, Kim A-joong has taken another step to represent the face for ETN (Entertainment Television Network) in Korea. Now that’s a huge step in her career.

Is she another celeb so desperate for exposure that she has to resort to being the face of a celebrity TV channel? Are there no other celebrities to report on?

The plastic fantastic contender’s mug will be seen on the ETN channel and ETN internet site (in Korean) in 2008 January.

Pop in:
Stars flashy flashy at 2007 Golden Disk Awards
Who pops it best: Kim Ajoong vs Debra Messing
Who pops it best: Song Hye-gyo vs Kim Ajoong
Red Carpet Trail: Pusan International Film Festival Part IV

With each awards show, the length of the skirts seems to be getting shorter and shorter. And this time, 2007 Best Dresser award winner Han Hyo-ju gives us a glimpse of what’s underneath all that glam.

While flimsy micro minis were worn by some, other female stars stuck it out with longer lengths. Overall, showing off skin was de rigeur despite the freezing temperatures. It’s at times like this, it’s good to be a guy and fully clothed.

Winner of the Grand Prix for the 2007 Golden Disk Awards went to SG Wannabe. Two-timer Ivy also picked up an award for the Best Digital Sound.

For the list of award winners, click here (in Korean).

Kim A-joong and Ryu Shi-won. Kim Ajoong’s forest green dress looks comfortable.

Big Bang boys strutting on the red carpet. The boys are huffing and puffing in their performance here.

Epik High. The nerdy hiphop group put on a fabulous performance combining the modern with tradition by having Honey Lee play the kayageum. Check it out here.

F.T. Island look like ushers in their black and white suits. Check out there performance here.

Girls Generation. Black and white again. They should go out with F.T. Island so they can match.

Han Hyo-ju must be freezing in this flimsy chiffon white summer dress. On that night I was wearing long underwear, down filled jacket, gloves and beanie but was still cold. It even snowed that night.

Honey Lee rocks the house with kayageum performance. Who would have thought the traditional instrument was so cool? Miss Korea 2006 stays understated in this long black dress.

Ivy sheds tears of “joy” for winning the Golden Disk for Digital Sound. It’s probably tears of embarassement. Check out her ultra conservative, wannabe good girl outfit ? a plain black suit with white shirt.

Jun Hyebin, along with Han Hyoju wear the shortest dresses, but Ms. Jun’s dress does not reveal anything it shouldn’t. The dress itself is cute, but the earrings should go.

Pastic fantastic Miss Korea 2007, Lee Ji-sun is probably glad that Andre Kim is not looking over her shoulder. This time she opts for a conservative black gown.

Park Shi-yeon and Girls Generation. Park Shi-yeon literally tower over the youngin in her platform heels and monotone dress.

The Seeya girls are starting to look like clones of Nam Gyuri. Is that the concept?

SG Wannabe. They won a 2007 Golden Disk Grand Prix but not many pictures of them. Again, with the black and white outfits, they could be mistaken for part of F.T. Island above. Here is their performance of Christmas music.

Song Jihyo looks like a layered chiffon cake in this summer dress.

Suh Jihye wears a boring silvery dress. Again, a dress for summer.

Super Junior crew take over the red carpet in a sea of black. Now, if we mix FT Island, SG Wannabe and SuJu together and randomly pick out a 13 boys, we really wouldn’t know the difference.

Wondergirls (with Girls Generation). The girls have had a huge year with their viral hit, “Tell me.” Watch the performance here.

Wheesung is all gangsta channelling Usher in his performance.

Yangpa can’t decide whether she wants to be sexy or cute. She can’t do either in this blue-purple dress and fur tendril-like coat. Someone call PETA!

Actress Yoo In-young is gorgeous in this silver dress! The dress is feminine and subtly sexy. Plus it hugs her all in the right places. Purrfect. I want this dress!

Same Ralph Lauren dress from the Spring 08 collection, but Kim Ajoong wore it for the 6^th Korean Film Awards last week and Debra Messing wore it at the Emmys in September 2007.

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Slits and …at the 2007 Blue Dragon Film Awards

There was a bit of sunshine on the red carpet but no secrets. At least none that we know of.

At the Sixth Korean Film Awards, the night belonged to Secret Sunshine (밀양) with Cannes award winner for Best Actress Jeon Do-yeon, co-star Song Kang ho and director, Lee Chang-dong.  Korean-as-a-second-language hottie Daniel Henney was recognized for his English acting skills in his portrayal of adopted son in My Father and the no-show Song Hye-gyo nabbed the Best New Actress award for Hwangjini. Also, Shim Hyung-rae’s disastrous over hyped film, D-War (aka Dragon Wars) managed to get a nod for its special effects.

Winners at the 6^th Korean Film Awards:

Best Actor : Song Kang-ho (Secret Sunshine)
Best Actress : Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine)
Best Supporting Actor: Sung Ji-roo (Paradise Murdered)
Best Supporting Actress: Gong Hyo-jin (Happiness)
Best New Actor: Daniel Henney (My Father)
Best New Actress: Song Hye-gyo (Hwangjini)

Best Director: Lee Chang Dong (Secret Sunshine)
Best New Director: Kim Mi Jung (Shadows in the Palace)

Best Original Screenplay: Choi Dong Hun (Tazza)
Best Art Direction: Yoo Joo Ho & Yoon Sang Yoon (M)
Best Cinematography: Hong Kyung Pyo (M)
Best Special Effects: D-War

However, on the red carpet, it was no secret that the queen of the night was Kim Hye-soo. The voluptuous star gave “fan service” by bringing out her assets.
Check out the red carpet video clip here and award winners and mega post of pictures after the jump.

Black & White

Korean fashion magazines are touting that black is back. Indeed, the red carpet was awash with black and white – again. You would think that if all the dresses are borrowed, the stars would be a bit more daring in terms of color. Or maybe they were being respectful by not wearing something flashy…

Chu Ja Hyun. Sparkle at the neckline to a boring black dress still makes it boring.

Han Chae Young looks washed out in this black. The dress would have been a stand-out if it was a brighter color. Too bad.

Kim Hyesoo’s assets need a post of their own. The curvy star looks fabulous in this super simple but too long black dress. Hope she didn’t fall or trip.

Kim Ji Soo. The sparkles have migrated to the bust area from Chu Ja-hyun’s dress.

Lee Hana. A very Elvira type dress. And what’s that on her head? This is not a wedding.

Song Yuna. Did I mention that yellow was difficult to wear? This is especially true if the colors are that of a bumble bee.

Son Yeh Jin and Kim Myung Min. Not feeling the underwire on the dress…the straps make it interesting though. Again, another dress that would look better if it were a brighter color. This is getting depressing.

Hyun Young. The plain cream dress frames her neckline nicely, but the dress is average.

Jo Eun Ji.This woman needs a makeover. First, her bowl cut does not flatter her face. Second, the white dress has pictures of women at the bottom. Third, black stockings and sheer white dress do not go together. F.Y.I, it was not that cold last night – about 10 c.

Kim Ajoong looks fabulous in this black n’ white satin gown! Her makeup is also flawless.

Color

Finally, some color! Although the favorite color of the evening was red, the dresses, for the most part, should have stayed in the closet. However, Jun Do-yeon’s moss green satin dress was gorgeous.

Kwak Ji Min. A simple red dress that would lovelier with better accessories.

Lee Young Eun. Too much. This looks like an Andre Kim creation. Enough said.

Son Tae Young. Not sure what to make out of this dress. Seems to be Missoni inspired. Something I would not have chosen. The Ralph Lauren dress worn by Kim A-joong at the Daejong Awards was a better pick.

Jun Hae Jin. This should have stayed in the closet.

Jun Do Yeon.Gorgeous moss green dress! Usually, anything bulking up the shoulders is a no-no, but on this dress, it works.

Kim Hyun Sook. The color is very pretty. The fit is great. But… the top of the dress bothers me.

Kim Min Sun. The thin straps on the back of the dress are sexy but the color, a drab purple, looks like an ajuma color. Better if the dress was black.

Kim Taehee. Depending on the screen, this navy-purple dress is a perfect fit on top, but the length of the dress is about 30 cm short of being classy. Besides, it’s just too tight to be that short. This would look better on a sexier diva such as Lee Hyori.

Lee Hye Young. Another closet dress. We know that Lee Hye-young still has a great figure and she has the haughty air to pull off the dress worn by Lee Hana above. Even Lee Hana’s hat would look good on her.

Lee Yun Hee.This purple empire waist dress works on her because she is so thin. The dress look very comfortable, but that’s about it.

Oh Seung Eun. Hmmm. First, I would never be caught dead in this copper color. Second, what’s going on at the top of her dress? What are those frilly things?

The Gents

High shine was the theme for the gentlemen at the Korean Film Awards. If you haven’t noticed, the greater male working population in Korea is wearing shiny suits. So I guess, the male celebrities are leading the way.

Daniel Henney. Such a handsome man but such a bad navy suit. The suit looks polyester and borrowed from his dad’s closet.

Jang Gun Suk. Man, this guy has packed on the makeup but the hat pulls this look together.

Ji Hyun Woo. Wow, an interesting fashion statement. The weather was not that cold so the scarf served no purpose than to add to the sparkley black suit.

Jo In Sung also has dipped into the color lotion for this event. The effeminate star looks great in the classic black suit with bow-tie.

Jo Min Ki looks awkward.

Joo Jin Mo. Sexy Joo Jin-mo is slithery in this ultra shiny black suit. The man look better in jeans.

Jung Il Woo is too much black and too much shine (including his shirt!).

Jung Kyung Ho wears another shiny purple/black suit. Can’t wait until this trend dies.

Lee Sun Kyun and Oh Man Suk are all black except for the white bow tie and handkerchief. Did I mention that class is best?

Shim Hyung-rae represents the working ajasshs of the Korea in this shiny gray suit.

Outcasts

Andre Kim. Now we know his real color, and it’s not baby white.

Jo Won Suk. Ridiculous.

Ok, the festive season has finally arrived and the year-end party invitations are pouring in (um…just one). Anyhow, after lending my salmon-colored cocktail dress (never worn) to a friend and not getting it back (hint hint), this POPSEOUL! sister is forced to find another dress. For inspiration, we look to the stars.

Check it out.

Black:(main picture)

Every woman needs the perfect black dress. Kim Tae-hee’s (left) sweet n’ lovely lace cocktail dress worn at the 2007 Daejong Film Awards. Park Jin-hee’s vavavoom black zipper dress spells out sexy on the red carpet at 2007 Pusan International Film Festival)

White:

At the Paeksang Awards in April this year, mother of 2, Choi Jin-shil (left) is white hot in this simple white strapless dress. The tanned skin and gold accessories complement the dress purrfectly.

Arriving with sexy Lee Jung-jin at the 2007 PIFF, Lee Soyeon rocks the red carpet in this short cream number. Simply gorgeous.

Color:

Wearing a bright dress takes confidence. You will stand out in the sea of usual black dresses. So be prepared. Our picks for a spark of color is Kim A-joong’s (left) fun purple-blue satin dress worn at press conference for 200lb Beauty early this year. The dress hugs her curves and there is a even cute little bow in the front. Park Jung-ah’s (right) yellow Dior dress also shows off her dangerous curves. Even though yellow is difficult to wear, Park Jung-ah wears it marvelously.

For more party dress inspiration, check out Top Posts.

For now it least.

Pantene used to be one of my favorite shampoos. Until I realized that the clumps of hair clogging the tub drain was due to harsh chemical based shampoos. Because of that, I switched to paraben-free and sulfate free hair products. The drain no longer is clogged and I still have my hair.

And I hope that Kim A-joong still has her hair. From the looks of it, her hair looks thick and healthy. Lucky ducky. The 200lb Beauty, the face of Pantene, was hawking the Shampoo and Treatment products yesterday. She also signed autographs for fans.

Notice the couple ring on 4^th finger left hand.

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When a single boob becomes as big as your head, then you know that spells trouble. For actress Park Shi-yeon, the flattened curves of her chest make her head look disportionately small. And the blunt bangs don’t help either. In contrast, Kim A-joong looks more proportional even though the gold n’ red clutch clashes.

Park Shi-yeon wore this Gucci dress at the 2007 Blue Dragon Awards while Kim A-joong modelled the same outfit late last month at the Elle Style Awards in Hong Kong.

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The stars brought out all the stops for the 2007 Blue Dragon Film Awards last night. The female celebrities braved the cold in flimsy dresses while their male colleagues bundled up in sweaters under their suits.

Byun Jung Min. She should have called her sister, Byun Jung-soo for some style tips. This miss matched golds with white mesh is a mess.

Choi Yeh Jin, model turned actress, wears an elegant peek-a-boo black satin gown with a green fox stole.

Daniel Henney can do no wrong. Man is hot with the fresh bowl cut and the penguin suit.

The top of Han Jimin’s dress looks like it is going to give way to gravity…..but the ensemble is classic.

Is this Han Yeh Seul’s wedding day? Who wears a white ballroom gown at an awards? Total faux pas.

Hwang Bora. While everyone is wearing something long and satin, Hwang Bora thinks she is going clubbing. And even at clubs, people don’t wear bags.

Jang Geun Suk. Is that a chain hanging from your bow-tie? And is that a gray sweater underneath your jacket? Dang. That’s just not right. Here is Jang Geun-suk all nice and wear while the women are out wearing skimpy dresses.

Jo Han sun. Not feeling the plastic, too short, all black suit. And what’s with the blue handkerchief? Is that so someone can find him in the dark?

Joo Ji Hoon is soooo skinny. Man needs to eat a few more Mc D burgers. Again, here is another man wearing a v-neck sweater under the suit.

Usually, Joo Jinmo is smokin! but here he looks like an unsuccessful pimp with the sad fur collar and ill-fitting suit.

Jun Doyeon adds some sparkle and color in this bright pink outfit but the pink is not a pretty shade and the silver sequins clash with her cute black shoes.

Jung Ryu Won. Why is it that there is always a female celebrity who dons on these chest-flattening dresses? I know that these outfits are a throwback to the traditional Korean hanbok, but dang, it’s not flattering. The ugly color combo of bronze and purple combo don’t help either.

Kim Ajoong. The silver dress perfectly shows off her decolletage but her makeup needs to be redone. Bright pink lips and painted on clown eyebrows are laughable.

Oh. Disappointed. Kim Hyesoo, star of the new movie, 11th mother, can usually be relied on to wear show-stopping, cleavage bearing dresses. But this time around, she plays it safe with this neutral chiffon gown. Maybe it’s because she has turned into a movie mama?

Kim Haneul is nodding to her Korean roots with (purple) baechu on her chest. Not feeling it.

Kim Minjun. Where’s the tie? Otherwise, the suit looks good.

Kim So Yeon & Kim Kwang Woo. Obviously Ms. Kim is desperate to show other parts of her body since the last dress. I wonder what she will wear next? Maybe something clear and plastic? Her date is the better dresser.

Kim Taehee looks luminous in this cute little chiffon number. She looks like a scrumptious cream puff.

The female celebs are always competing to show off the most skin. At this awards, Kim Yunjin wins. The top of her velvet dress functions only as a nipple cover.

Lee Junki shows us how cold it is outside by wearing a black winter coat. Poor women!

Lee Mingi. Another man all bundled up in a suit with polka-dotted bowtie.

Oh my. Lee Soyeon is like a virgin in this half-lined lace dress. What about lining the rest of this dress?

Lee Taeran wants you to connect the dots up her dress. Ugh.

Lee Yoowon over accessorizes her likely expensive gray chiffon dress with cheap looking beads. Too bad.

Is Lim Jung Eun wearing blue matching shorts under that dress? And is she trying to hold it down or show off her legs? Can’t tell.

Lim Sujung is sexy in a tight, form fitting black turtle-neck dress. Yes, she is covered all up, but the dress leaves room for the imagination…

Park Shiyeon is trying to take attention away from her pale and small face (at least her nose looks better now) by wearing this low-cut black dress. This dress does nothing for her except to emphasize the expanse of her chest and her pinhead.

Park Solmi looks fabulous in this white sexy dress with the silver trimmings. This dress would have been perfect for cleavage mama, Kim Hye-soo

Hate it when the blacks don’t match. And Shin Hyun Jun looks like his borrowed his shorter brother’s jacket.

Son Yehjin follows the pack with the thigh high slit in this dark green number. There isn’t much else to say….

Is hottie Song Seungheon getting married? I think I just saw his bride- Han Ye-seul.

Song Yoona. Yawn. Another black dress. At the very least, if you wear black, you should accessorize better.

Same coat but completely different feel. The gorgeous Song Hye-gyo looks positively glamourous in contrast to plastic Kim A-joong who looks like she going to the crazy house. On Kim A-joong, the coat looks like a strait jacket.