Never Mind The Jackal, Here Comes Seo YiAn

Kim Jaejoong and Song Jihyo in Codename Jackal

  I’ve been dying to check out the Song Jihyo/KimJaejoong movie The Jackal is Coming ever since I first heard about it almost a year ago, so I’m kind of bummed to report that I wasn’t overly thrilled with the movie when I finally DID get to see it. The story of Jackal Onda which concerned a hapless Hitman named Min-Jung (Jihyo) who’s on the case to assassinate Hallyu Star Choi Hyun (Kim Jaejoong) while the police are infiltrating the building on the hunt for the mysterious Jackal, actually started out pretty good, but by midway through it got SO slapstickly silly-

 By the time it got to Jihyo hiding behind a couch trying to poison ChoiHyun's manager, it felt more like I was watching a zany SNL skit than a theatrically released movie...and it didn’t help that pretty Jihyo was set up with the most god-awful of afro wigs! Blech! Why couldn’t she have looked like the smoking siren she was in the Theatrical Poster? 

Seo Yi An as YoungSun

Thankfully, there was ONE bright star in this whole mishmash of silliness, and that was the pretty young actress playing the part of the protégée Police Detective Young-Sun, a “Level 9 Ranked Officer” according to her. Stats say her name is Seo Yi-An, and she was just about the only reason I stuck around when the film began moving south! In fact, strangely enough, the sillier the movie got, the more serious and pretty SHE got! 

  When she first appears in the scene with Inspector Ma at the Police Station, I was like, “Whoa, that girl in the background is kind of cute!”, then when she accompanied Ma to the Crime Stakeout and I got to see her in her “regular”clothes, i.e. tanktop, flannel shirt and demin skirt, I was all like “Aw Heck yeah, this chick is freaking FINE!” 

From a character who started off in the movie simply as the assistant to Inspector Ma who makes her the errand girl whose main job seems to be to get snacks and drinks for the stakeout team (where she silently demands money from the head inspector, so funny!)...

...before you knew it, she began to emerge as the only competent agent there! While everyone else is out and about getting into zany situations, Young-Sun is the ONLY one seriously working the case, poring over the Jackal casebook articles and examining the clues...

...As well as even going undercover as one of the Hotel Staff so she can look through the lodging's past receipts (and all the while getting hit on by the Hotel's sleazy manager, LOL) Look at her face, one of the cutest aspects of this character is how she NEVER shows any kind of emotion regardless of if she's happy, sad, interested or angry, it's always that same blank expression (her apathetitc demeanor kind of reminded me of f(x)'s Krystal, LOL)

 SO yeah, by the show's halfway point, YoungSun was the MAIN reason I was watching the show! And I can't hide how disappointed I was that she wasn't a bigger factor in the show's conclusion (in fact, it seems like as the story wound down, they kind of just forgot about her, tbh)... So much for THIS movie- I’ll have to see MORE of Seo YiAn in some of her OTHER shows!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Dreaded Running Man Steal

  I’ve been a big fan of the SBS variety/reality show Running Man ever since first catching it almost a year ago, and have faithfully anticipated and cherished each and every episode since-but I have to tell you that there is this disturbing trend that has been appearing more and more regularly, and that’s the challenge where the team has to collect certain objects (where the team that acquires the most items wins). 

Now, I’m all fine with that, but the thing that grates me is that the PD has deemed it OK for the opposing team members to “steal” the objects from the collectors even as they’re carrying them to the winning table, and while it may make for “funny” television, having the members have to collect the items OVER and OVER again, only to have them get continually stolen is like trying to build a tower of blocks only to have a bully keep kicking it over!

Though they’ve occasionally used variations on this challenge in the past, the first time it really BUGGED me was during Episode #123’s “Kim Chee Run”, where everyone kept stealing each other’s toy cabbages: watching Kwangsoo and Sukjin walk up to Han Hyojoo and simply snatch the cabbages she’d worked so hard to collect out of her hands was PISSING ME OFF! 

Though that challenge irritated me, I felt that since it was only an isolated incident, I could look it over. Then when I was watching the “Spy VS Spy” Race in episode #132 (where the challenge was to accumulate a certain amount of steel briefcases), I found myself watching the SAME SCENARIO all over again as the teammates began stealing each others’ cases from their hidden storage places as well as right out of their hands, and I was like “OH GAWD, it’s the Stealing Strategy again!!!!” Luckily this episode had sort of a twist on it, (so I was entertained throughout the race), but STILL…!

I thought I’d seen the last of this “Stealing Thing”, and even overlooked the similarly aggravating “Executive Chair” episode in #128 (where there was the same stealing, but was a bit more controlled), but when I watched the latest episode with Jackie Chan where they had to collect animal costume head masks and they began stealing from each other in earnest, I KNEW it was here again; indeed, the players are so used to this stealing setup, that guest runner Choi Siwon doesn’t even bother looking for the Animal Heads and instead goes directly to the opponent’s table to steal the heads they’ve collected. And once again stealing and snatching scenarios ensue, to the delight(?) of all!

After seeing this stealing concept appearing AGAIN, I realized this is a concept that the writers of this show think is popular, funny, and intend to keep around for a WHILE! D’oh!
I dunno, I suppose if I were a more casual fan of the show, it might not MATTER who won or lost, as long as the contestants were zany and silly, but the best thing I've always loved about this show is how passionately the Runners run this race, so it’s maddening to have the final challenges boil down to this! As a loyal fan of the show, I BEG the PD’s and WRITERS: CUT OUT THE STEALING CONCEPT!!!!!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Songs In The Key Of Running Man

  One hilarious aspect of the awesome SBS Variety/Reality show RUNNING MAN is not only watching the amazing members of Running Man themselves in action, but their THEME SONGS, those fun little ditties that always seem to accompany the members whenever they’re onscreen! Though not “official” in any sense, the songs are played so regularly that fans watching the show can almost exactly predict when they will appear for maximum laughs!
 Over time, you get to know these snippets of songs so much that eventually you’re curious to hear the rest of the song, and onto the internet you go!  Clicking around on Youtube for the songs, it’s interesting to hear the songs in their entirety and FUNNY AS HELL to read the comments by confused viewers who have no IDEA why their videos are suddenly getting deluged with comments like MONGJI MONGJI and KWANGSOO OUT! KWANGSOO OUT! LOL!

 Every time I feel like listening to all the songs, I go online and have a time trying to find all of them, so I decided to go ahead and just post the tunes up here so any theme you feel like hearing is only a click away!

Yoo Jaesuk’s Theme

“Step By Step” by New Kids On The Block

Kim Jong Kook’s Theme

Beowulf Theme “What We Need Is A Hero”

Lee Kwang Soo’s Theme

“St. Agnes and the Burning Train” by Sting

Ji Suk Jin’s Theme

“The House You Live In” by Park Jin Young

Song Jihyo’s Theme

“Angry Birds” Theme Song

HaHa's Theme
"Pororo" Theme/Vincent Price Laugh

Gary’s Themes
Gary  has at least THREE recurring tunes, each for its own situation:

“Traditional Gary” Theme:

“Lessang’s Blues” by Lessang

 “Success Gary” Theme:

“Our Meeting” by Lessang Feat. Jang Gi Ha and Faces

“Romantic Gary” AKA “Monday Couple” Theme Song:

“The Answer is You” by Lessang Feat. Hareem

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Running Man Still Running...

  I know I’ve said this before (and repeated it here ad nauseum), but I just have to say it again: MAN, that awesome variety show Running Man just has to be the most exciting, imaginative and FUN show out there! Tuning in each week to the antics of Jaesuk, Sukjin, Jongkook, Jihyo, Gary, Kwangsoo and Haha always makes my day and continues to amaze and blow me away!!

When I first took the time to check out Running Man, it was only because SNSD was the guests and had no idea of its format, if it was a regular show, or simply just a two-part special, all I knew was that this was a show that fellow SONES all swore was a MUST SEE for any SNSD fan- and they were right, of course! It was such an entertaining show and I really got to know the girls in a new and fun light!

Later I was on a forum looking for Invincible Youth when I saw that they had the latest episode of Running Man up for grabs and that the guests were members of KARA. Checking out that episode(ep94), I was initially concerned that KARA didn’t appear til the end, but the show was SO DAMN ENTERTAINING that by the time the guests showed up, I’d fallen in love with the regular cast members and didn’t even CARE who the guests were! From then I became a fan of Running Man for life, and began to seek out not only the latest episodes but the earlier ones as well!

Thanks to the efforts of subbing teams iSUBS and KSHOWNOW, I had access to watch almost every one of its 100+ episodes, from its very FIRST episode down through to the latest 105th, and it has been a sheer and utter JOY to pick one to watch every day after work! Sadly, I’ve finally reached the point where I’ve watched all the past episodes and now have to go back to waiting patiently each week for the new episode to arrive and satiate my “fix”! 

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

The Legend Of Lizzy

   Regular visitors to this blog already know of my love for Jihyo, the "Ace" player in SBS's awesome show RUNNING MAN, but I’m finally getting around to the ealier episodes when After School's Lizzy was part of the cast. At first I didn’t know if I would like her since I only wanted Jihyo as the female Running Man, but she sure was a cutie, and soon enough, I was a huge fan of hers!

    Lizzy was only a member of the running Man team for a short time, but she made enough of an impact upon fans that they still muse online about her possible return to the show. Naysayers have stated that she wasn't a very strong player in the first place, and I'll admit that the first time I saw an episode of RM with her in it, she DID get caught very quickly and without much fuss or fight. But then Iwatched more shows with her and realized strength was never SUPPOSED to be her forte- no, the skill that Busan Girl Lizzy brought to the table was her amazing AEGYO!

    Really, watching her adorable smiles, gestures and quirks throughout the broadcasts makes me realize that she actually filled a character type that is absent in later shows where the only female Running Man was the beautiful but decidedly super-tuff Jihyo. As Joon-Ki (the only other member who later left the show)  filled the "Pretty Boy" image, so did Lizzy fill the "Cute Idol" role, and FILL IT SHE DID!
  With her eye-smile and chipmunk cheery cheeks, her every glance had me on high, and I just HAVE to add what an ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE giggle she has. I noticed it early on, but it really came out in this one cute scene where they're passing around a Joker card that no one wants to get stuck with. After unwittingly picking it from Jihyo, Lizzy coolly offers it to HaHa, her giggle clearly giving away the fact when she's successfully passed it onto him!

Sadly, once Lizzy departed to focus on her AFTER SCHOOL activities, she never looked back, and though JoongKi would occasionally make guest appearances every now and then, We've never seen the return of the original Running Man Vitamin Pill! too bad, it would be such a thrill to see her reconnecting with her RM roots!
PS: just to show that it ain't all just cutesy smiles and adorable gestures, i HAD to isolate this one stunning two second appearance of Lizzy's curvy backside- Though it happened in just a heartbeat, my mind just went WHOA!!! when I saw it...Who woulda thought  she'd come with such an impressive "backfield in motion"? LOL

*All subtitles done by the awesome ISUBS Team!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Idol Goodness on Running Man

What a coincidence to read the news that T-ARA's Jiyeon's gonna be appearing on RUNNING MAN again- I JUST saw the Running Man episode with her FIRST appearance, and BOY was it AWESOME! The theme was a high school couples date, with the girl guests dressed in traditional seifuku school outfits meeting up with their prospective Running Men at a retro 80’s dance hall, where the pairs would be matched up! Along with Jiyeon were idols SUZY from MISS A, SULLI and LUNA from f(x) and Running Man's very own Jihyo  to complete the Date meetup!

Everyone knows Haha's usual schtick whenever it was announced that a girl idol was coming onto the show was to call out "Suzy! Suzy!" before the guest was revealed, so you knew he'd be trying his best to get paired up with her...but what's  THIS? Rather than the brash and boastful HaHa , we see  a shy and bashful Haroror instead! LOL! Luckily, she picked him anyway!

Sensible Sulli ended up picking Jaesuk, and they really matched well together since Yoohuk was the "thinker" of the Running Men, and good-natured Luna gracefully accepted being placed with KwangSoo  after Jihyo and Gary became their usual "Monday Couple" characters!

Since personalities and similar style played a lot in who got chosen, when Jiyeon commented that she was an athletic girl who was really into sports, it seemed inevitable that she and “Commander” Sparta JongKook would be paired, and when they were, the “Power” couple was born!!! The two were so naturally compatible, and when JongKook sat “tuff-guy” style on the bus, Jaesuk chided him for being a bad influence on Jiyeon as she sat exactly like him, the two bad kids from the neighborhood, LOL!!!

One of the funnier challenges was having to carry your date on your back through a busy shopping district, find a stationary shop for pencils, run back to the meeting place and sharpen the pencils in a limited timeframe!  Seems simple enough, but you not only had to sharpen the three pencils in an allotted 15 seconds, but do it on your partners' HEAD!!!!

If you failed, you had to start all over again, thus everal trips to the pencil shop were required by all! Jongkook had no problem carrying Jiyeon, but poor HaHa and Jaesuk were really pushed to the limit! LOL!

At the final Chase site (an old school, naturally) Gary became the chaser  (after having Jihyo stolen from him in a game twist earlier) and the 4 couples had to hide. As Jongkook and Jiyeon hid successfully in a dark supplies closet from the prowling Gary, Jiyeon marveled at how much FUN the game was to play!

Hilarity ensued when Jaesuk and Sulli thought it would be a good idea to hide in the car, but their self congratulations were premature as Gary made a beeline RIGHT FOR THE CAR they were sitting in! Aigoo, everyone's HEARTS froze (including Jaesuk's VJ who was ordered to hide as well!) and they all slunk down as far down as they could in their seats before clueless Gary moved along! WHEW!!

 Sulli was so cute hiding out there, but out of all the girls, I have to say that the clear winner for me was the absolutley squeezably huggable SUZY- Really, she stole my heart in this one: look  at this scene where she and HaHa are hiding behind a wall, then when she sees Jaesuk and Sulli laughing at them, Suzy smiles the cutest smile you've ever seen in your life *HEART MELTS*

All in all another exciting and FUN race, and I just CAN’T WAIT for Jiyeon’s return appearance! If that episode is even HALF as fun as this one was, it's gonna end up being ANOTHER favorite episode!!!!

Jihyo and the Girls relax after the Race

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com