The New Beginning: Varia, 6 April 2007

Friday, April 06, 2007

Varia, 6 April 2007

Actor Jang Dong-gun to Star in Hollywood Film

Actor Jang Dong-gun will make his Hollywood debut in a Korean-U.S. fantasy-action movie called "Laundry Warrior." Hollywood producer Barrie Osborne, who made "The Matrix" and "The Lord of the Rings," will partner with Lee Joo-ick, the CEO of Boram Entertainment and the producer of "The Seven Swords" and "Battle of Wits", to make the US$30 million film.

Jang will act alongside Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi when the movie starts filming in the U.S. next month. Korean director Lee Seung-moo will helm the production. Boram Entertainment and Jang are planning to hold press conferences in Korea and in the U.S. this month to release further details.
(englishnews@chosun.com )

I hope this movie isn't a disaster like The Promise.

Pop Idol Ivy Rises Above Simple Sex Appeal
In the prime of her young singing career with the songs "Sonata of Temptation" and "If You're Gonna Be Like This" from her second album topping music charts both on- and off-line, pop sensation Ivy cited modesty as the reason for her success. "I think people like me because I try to be moderate," she said. "I didn't try hard to make myself look beautiful and sexy, I just devoted myself to singing. I think that's the reason for my popularity. Things that go too far tend to turn people off, don't they?"

At a time when it seems as if female singers who substitute sex appeal for talent are being churned out one after the next, Ivy stands apart. If the success of "Sonata of Temptation" is due to its arrangement based on the classical piece "Fur Elise," the popularity of "If You're Gonna Be Like This" proves that the public has begun to recognize her singing skills, rather than underestimate her as one of the many sexy but less talented singers.

Ivy said she still can't believe the enthusiastic response to her songs, although when she released her first album she felt sorry that she drew attention for her image rather than her singing. She has been told that "Sonata" has a powerful force since she first began working on it. "I don't lip-sync except in some unavoidable situations, even though I have to dance while I sing," she said. "I practiced singing everyday on a treadmill for four years when I was training for my debut, and I think that's paying off now."

Four years is a long time to pursue a dream in the hopes of a brighter future, but Ivy said it wasn't that hard to get through because she was both confident and optimistic. "I may look coordinated, but in fact I'm a very clumsy person," she said. "Just a few days ago, I bumped my arm on the edge of my bed as I was bouncing around in joy after reading some complimentary remarks about me on the Internet." She still has the bruise on her left forearm.

Born to a mother who studied singing at university and a father who played the drums in the Navy symphony, Ivy grew up with music. She remembered how proud she was of her father when she saw him perform at the Navy band¡¯s annual concert.

It may be difficult to swallow, but Ivy said the biggest obstacle to her success was dancing. She is a seriously bad dancer, she said. She also confessed that she's been nervous about performing in front of people since childhood. "It's still hard for me to dance, but I'm trying to enjoy it."

So what does she think about her voice? "Almost all my vocal teachers told me that I don't have bad singing habits. I think that's both my strong and weak points. I try to obey basic rules when I sing." she said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )