Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Granted that I'm a known Harry/Ginny 'shipper and this movie is supposed to highlight their relationship, I find myself wondering why I still loved Goblet of Fire among all the movie adaptations. But really, what made me look forward to HBP the most was the fact that Ginny is finally given the chance to develop as a character that plays a major role in Harry's future. I shall not get into the argument of 'shipping again for it will be futile. Harry/Hermione 'shippers can gloat all they want about how much "sexual chemistry" Dan and Emma exuded on-screen. But that's it. That's all they will get. For even if Kloves is a self-avowed Hermione fanboy, the fact is that the epilogue has already been set in stone.

OBHWF on Entertainment Weekly

This was a photo-shoot that took eight years in the making! Yes, it's Daniel and Bonnie... minus the photoshop. This month's issue of Entertainment Weekly is certainly a treat for all OBHWF (One Big Happy Weasley Family) 'shippers. How lucky can we get? Yayyy, just four more days before HBP!

Bonnie Wright on Evening Standard Magazine

Little Ginny Weasley is all grown-up! I couldn't be more happy that Bonnie Wright finally gets her first cover girl stint since starring in the HP franchise. This is long overdue, people! Here's to more photoshoots for this talented young lady.

A WooJae fan-art

Lunarsea, you are a doll! You make Woobin/Jaekyung 'shippers like me very happy with your drawings. :) Now aren't they cute?

When Pinoy adaptations turn worse...

I have had enough of Korean drama adaptations on local television. Remember how Hannah turned into a pyschotic bitch in Ako si Kim Sam Soon? Now we have Erika who is an unknowing heiress and sister(?) of her mortal enemy on All About Eve. Lovers in Paris and Only You surely have tricks up on their sleeves that we have yet to find out. But then again, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a total 180 degrees turn from the original story.

The BOF Gary Stu

It gives me great relief that many people share my observation about Yoon Ji-hoo turning into a freakin' Gary Stu. The writer is too in love with the character that she piles up arc after arc on him just to maximize screentime. Sadly, the more Ji-hoo turns heroic in the eyes of viewers, the more he becomes annoying in my opinion. I have never hated the Rui character in the previous adaptations but the Korean one just takes the cake. It's very hard to sympathize with the way the character is portrayed even if he has the most heart-wrenching sob story among the guys. And it doesn't help that he continuously sports that "blue steel" look when the scene requires him to switch emotions.

Yoon Ji Ryun, I hope you're happy. You have successfully ruined the character I initially fell in love with in the HYD universe. But perhaps I should be thankful too (albeit grudgingly). Knocking Rui off his pedestal made me appreciate what a great and under-utilized character Mimasaka Akira was.

The WooJae ‘shipper in me is happy…

Just sharing something I found over at YouTube. Finally, a Woobin/Jaekyung fanvideo! Although the 'ship is practically non-existent in canon I am a firm believer of it in AU. Now if only I had the inspiration to write a fanfic about these two. Any plot bunnies, please?

Can Woobin get any love from TPTB?

F4 'Song Woo Bin' was about to get his own storyline but in the end the idea was scrapped.

On the 12th, a persons concerned revealed, "There was a plan to create an episode where Woo Bin would get his storyline."

According to the persons concerned, during the time when discussions where underway for the extension of 'Boys Over Flowers,' plans had been formed to produce an episode featuring Song Woo Bin. But there were some who were opposed saying that the F4 & Geum Jan Di must appear or the development will fall short.

And like this, Song Woo Bin's storyline was being debated along with the extension. There appeared to be an extension by 2 episodes and one of those would contain Song Woo Bin's storyline.

A decision was reached that a 2 episode extension would be too much, Song Woo Bin's episode plan was brought to the table and along with opposing views and organizational issues the plan was scrapped.

Meanwhile, the least is known about Song Woo Bin's character even in the original comic out of the F4. But, his character receives numerous amounts of love from 'Boys Over Flowers' because of his humorous and extravagant personality.

Thanks to moonangelkioku who helped translate the article we found from Cyworld.

There's always fanfiction, right? But really, the article above makes me want to slap the BOF screenwriter senseless. Yoon Ji Ryun's obsessive love for Jihoo has caused the script to sacrifice character development for the remaining F4 members. If Yijung never had Gaeul, he would most definitely suffer Woobin's fate. Twenty four episodes is more than enough to cover the entire manga with side-stories to boot. But what do we get? A fiancee overstaying her welcome, seven episodes of barely any Junpyo/Jandi interaction and confused fans who don't seem to realize that the ending will never change even if TPTB's been building up the wrong 'ships.

For the BOF scriptwriter who clearly hates Song Woobin...

Funny thing is, I was just praising a development about this show in my previous post. Now it looks like we've been sucked into the same hell-hole again with the latest episode. This rant goes out to the PD and the writer behind the series who may have forgotten that Hana Yori Dango's charm isn't just about the "you-and-me-against-the-world" love story between the leads, but also about the friendship between four (get it? FOUR, not THREE) guys.

You know what's even more irritating? Rabid fangirls who adhere blindly to this reason:

Mimasaka Akira never really had that much of a role in the manga either.

This is a freakin' adaptation for chrissakes! Writers are given creative license to flesh out the characters to fit the nature of the story. One can wonder if they only had F3 in mind when BBF was conceptualized because there was never a blatant disregard for the character when I watched Meteor Garden and HYD Live. Vaness Wu and Abe Tsuyoshi were never made to feel like extras in a show that is supposed to be about the F4.

But props to Kim Joon for taking it like a true actor. Woo Bin shines even in the very little scenes he's given. There's nothing more appealing after all, than an air of mystery around a certain character. I am no longer keeping my hopes up that Woo Bin will get the storyline he's been long overdue for.

The damage has been done.

For my favorite F4 member...

Boy am I glad that Woo Bin's finally getting the attention he deserves. But seriously, it took them sixteen episodes? Should the scriptwriter be blamed? I know Akira's background was never really expounded in the manga but it never hurts to actually flesh out the characters equally in this adaptation. You have to give the guy some credit for keeping the group sane with his happy disposition in life. Here's hoping that, with eight episodes left, TPTB will have a heart and show us a glimpse of Song Woo Bin's family. Fans have been clamoring about it for ages. If not, then can they at least pair him with Jae Kyung? They're my guilty ship since Min Ji isn't around anymore.

F4 at 45th Baeksang Awards

What's with the coordinated dress code, huh? Thank goodness Kim Joon decided to wear a tie. I am still confused who gets props for looking his best tonight. Who's your choice?

Hi there, Prince Song!

I found these photos over at HYD Korea but credits should go those who (watermarked) originally uploaded them. Looks like the F4 guys (or Woo Bin and Yi Jung, for now) are going for a change in hairstyle when they get back from their Macau trip. Hmmm, I wonder how Ji Hoo would look like with no bangs?

Oh look, it's Harry and Ginny!

Photo above is the current header over at Oclumencia. Funny thing is, I'm one of those die-hard H/G fans on the planet and yet the picture didn't have me shrieking like a fangirl. Has the long wait for movie #6 affected my enthusiasm? Maybe.

But hey, at least Ginny is on it! Hopefully they should start releasing more pics from the movie soon. July is just around the corner.

It pays to have canned scenes

The Macau scenes benefited the most from what was then a stress-free cast and crew of Boys Over Flowers. The editing, although still not seamless, seemed less rushed and the transition of scenes made sense. Finally, someone got their characterizations right concerning the remaining guys... with Yijung clocking Junpyo over his treatment of Jandi, Woobin trying to keep the peace with his happy disposition and Jihoo comfortably settling into his role as Jandi's guardian angel.

BTW, who finds JH's friend a bit odd though? I couldn't stop laughing over that photo of them together on the coffee mug.

OMG, Kim Joon sings!

Thanks to scentofyours from HYD Korea who first posted this video from minirion81 .

It's T-Max performing "Paradise" for a radio show. And because the BOF cast were currently on a break from filming, Kim Joon was able to join his groupmates for said guesting. He looks tired (notice the yawn?), he even sounds hoarse in those two lines he sang from the song. But those lines were still music to my ears. I guess I've finally found a new Asian heartthrob to fangirl after Ken Zhu in 2003.

Why Pinoy shows bother me...

I am confused with Tadyang. Isn't Marian's character supposed to be sexy, sassy and mysterious? Why is she coming off as someone sexy, crass and... demented? I dunno. I have this feeling the storyline is going the Vanilla Sky way. Has someone seen the original movie? (ABHSAT, I mean) How did it end?

~

Why is it that weddings, kidnappings and hostage takings are a staple in every Pinoy drama finale? Recently concluded dramas of a certain network had all these elements present right when the show was on its final week. You could almost predict the sequence of events after the villain gets outed for his/her misdeeds. Which leaves me wondering, will the flow of storytelling ever change for Philippine television?

~

By now I have no idea how I Love Betty La Fea is doing. The story has gone completely far off from the Columbian version that it looks like TPTB are milking it for all its worth. Too bad because the show looked very promising in its earlier months.

Woo-bin Appreciation Post #123456789

Song Woo-bin, if a guy like you only existed in real life... I will stalk you for ages!

Okay, I was just kidding out of sheer happiness that the character was not snubbed in this week's episodes. What's even surprising is that I can now tolerate the Yi-Eul 'ship considering my sentiments in an earlier post. Perhaps it was just the fangirl in me feeling slighted over Kim Joon's non-appearance in Episode 10.

Here's hoping TPTB would continue throwing us a bone and show Woo-bin getting in touch with his dark gifts mafia roots.

Unpopular Opinion

I knew I'd be getting hate mails if I posted this at Soompi, so I figured I might as well rant in my own blog.

Here goes... I cannot stand the Yi-jung/Ga-eul pairing on Boys Over Flowers.

They're giving too much importance to Kim Bum's character that it's now starting to look like there's two main couples on the show. Poor Ji-hoo and Woo-bin are now classified as mere sidekicks. But I'm not bringing too much negativity into that thought. I'll take it one episode at a time and just enjoy any scenes of my favorite character.

Lookie! After the snub he had on Episode 10 (which was ironically also his birthday), Kim Joon finally has some scenes in the previews released for Episodes 11 and 12. Yayyy! That's reason enough for us to download the torrents. I cannot take it if he disappeared for two episodes in a row... it would be a total insult to the character of Song Woo-bin.

I never even knew they were dating…

From Just Jared:

Fringe co-stars Anna Torv (Special Agent Olivia Dunham) and Mark Valley (agent John Scott) went from on-screen lovers to both on-and-off-screen lovers after getting married last December.

Ha! Funny how shows bring about surprise hook-ups between its stars.

Hotch/Prentiss, anyone?

From TV Guide:

Criminal Minds' Hotch and Prentiss have had some great scenes together this season. Is there any chance (fingers crossed) that they will become a couple? — Holly

MATT: A couple, no — but a source tells me you will see how much they care for each other as team members. That moment comes during a February March sweeps episode, when Hotch sticks his neck out for Prentiss on a case that is very personal to her. In that same hour, you'll also get new insight into Prentiss' romantic past, including mistakes she made as a teen.

Cool! Just the kind of spoiler to brighten up my day. Prentiss is by far my favorite character on CM and Hotch comes a close second. Although admittedly I'm a closet 'shipper of the two, any episode with them working closely together as professionals is something to look forward to.

Is it travesty that I completely missed Criminal Minds for two weeks now? Looks like someone's too caught up with Boys Over Flowers.

Boys Over Flowers: Song Woo-bin

Thank goodness they actually gave Woo-bin more lines this week! I was beginning to think they were treating him as the next door neighbor. Seriously, this guy gets the least amount of appreciation among the F4. But props to Kim Joon for getting favorable reviews with whatever appearance his character has in each episode. Now that I've reviewed my Hana Yori Dango Live DVDs, I have this whole new appreciation for the character of Mimasaka Akira whom I've regretfully ignored in Meteor Garden.

Here's some of my favorite Woo-bin scenes from Episode 7.

Just a quick rant...

Spending too much time at Soompi can be quite addicting. I'm actually worse when I get attached to certain drama because I check the thread almost every hour. Who knew that Boys Over Flowers can bring about lengthy discussions from people? Well, except for those who continue to gripe about certain actors not being right for the role. It seems that you can never please anybody no matter how hard you try.

Don't get me started on the whole Yi-jeung/Ga-eul love connection theory as it's not on my good graces so far.

But the good news is, BOF episodes this week made history as they finally toppled East of Eden from their slot. Yayyy!

TV Show: Fringe

It's always a good thing when shows are on hiatus because I get to discover new ones that I've ignored during the start of the fall season. Take Fringe, for example. Boy am I glad to see Joshua Jackson again on primetime! It's a good thing I was never an X-Files fan or I would've expected much from this series just reading its premise. The lead characters are quite an interesting bunch that even Anna Torv's Olivia isn't as irritating and angsty as I thought she would be. Hopefully I'll get to do a quick catch-up marathon on episodes that I've missed.

Spread the Woo-bin love!

My sister says I'm suffering a case of F4 relapse. Why? Because the last time she actually saw me obsessing over an Asian drama was during the height of Meteor Garden's popularity. Now I've resorted to reviewing my Hana Yori Dango Live DVDs just for the sake of reminiscing. Oh well, the story never gets old.

But since I can't stop talking about Boys Over Flowers, let me just tell you one gripe I've had so far about the series.

Can they please give Woo-bin more lines?!?

The guy is getting the movie!Ginny Weasley treatment for the series. Just because he's the only F4 member with no major romantic interests doesn't mean he has to get the short end of the stick in terms of character development. He's made the character really likeable whereas I couldn't care about him in Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango Live.

But to his credit, with the little amount of dialogue he's given in each episode, he manages to make the most out of it. I especially loved this last scene from Episode 6 between Woo-bin and Jun-pyo where he tries to reason out with his friend regarding kicking Ji-hoo out from the F4. He argued his friend's case without it sounding like he was taking sides. It's sad that Yi Jeung gets to take all the credit for dressing down Ji-hoo on the consequences of his actions whereas Woo-bin was also doing his part in saving what little is left of the F4.

Happy New Year... and yes, another BOF post

Happy New Year, everyone!

I actually promised myself to be more active in blogging but I never do well with resolutions. Haha! Well, I'm off to a fresh start this year. There are a lot of new shows to look forward to and first off would be the Korean adaptation of Hana Yori Dango. Boys Over Flowers premiered last January 5 to a lot of eager fans. True to her word, my sister downloaded the first two episodes and we just can't get enough of it.

Here's my quick assesment of the first two episodes:

Lee Min Ho is Gu Jun Pyo

Lee Min Ho is by far the most charismatic Tsukasa they've casted in the adaptations. Here, Joon Pyo acts all tough and authoritarian in the eyes of the students in Shinhwa High. But when with the F3 and his household staff, his bratty and childlike nature emerges. Who could ever forget that scene of the bee chasing him around the room? I've been saying this since promotional photos were released but he really reminds me of Jerry Yan circa-Meteor Garden days.

I also do not get it why people have been complaining about Kim Hyun Joong's acting. His interpretation of the character Ji Hoo is just how I've envisioned Rui (channeling the Keanu Reeves school of acting) eversince.

Now I know everyone's fawning over Kim Bum and wishing he was cast as Ji Hoo instead but I'm beginning to love his dynamics with Kim Joon. Yi Jung and Woo Bin are my bromance for this drama. Joke! But really, their efforts to knock some sense into Joon Pyo should be commended especially since Ji Hoo is just too deadpan to do anything.

My assessment of the ladies will follow in my next post. For now, I am eagerly anticipating Episodes 3 and 4 next week. Yayyy!