Lee Min Ho's 'Gangnam Blues' now 'Tagalized'

MANILA -- SineAsia kicked off with the premiere of a “Tagalized” version of Korean hit movie, "Gangnam Blues."

Starring hallyu star Lee Min Ho, "Gangnam Blues" is about two friends/brothers literally plucked from a shanty to join a sabotage plot against a political party. In the midst of that chaos, however, Ragmen Jong-dae (Lee) and Yong-gi (Kim Rae Won) get separated and end up in different gangs. When they meet again, these two play politics, betrayal and murder to amass the rich fields of Gangnam to create a new capital in Korea.

SineAsia, a joint project of Viva Entertainment Inc. and SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., provides Filipino viewers with premiere Asian films that have been “Tagalized” or dubbed in Filipino.

"Gangnam Blues" was an excellent choice to jumpstart SineAsia given the large Filipino fan base of Lee Min Ho, as well as the popularity of Korean popular culture, in general. Hordes of screaming girls gathered at a special screening on Tuesday night to lend support to their idol, who had just visited the country last week to launch a restaurant.

Lost in all that giggling, however, is probably the appreciation for the Filipino language.

Dubbing Korean shows is not new, what with the number of “Tagalized” Korean telenovelas being shown on local TV.

There are still debates until now on whether translating foreign shows to Filipino or leaving the film as it is (but with subtitles) would be the best option to truly enjoy a movie. The real voice of the actor coming out naturally to match his body movement, for one, is a big part in telling a story.

Academicians and language experts would be the best ones to assess whether the right Filipino words were used to complement the movie. Hearing conversational Filipino every day, however, there still seems to be a lack in that department.

Interestingly, the use of Freddie Aguilar’s “Anak” created a loud reaction from the audience on Tuesday night. Some probably laughed at the awkwardness of injecting the song, while others may have appreciated that a classic song was used to make the movie more “Filipino.”

SineAsia’s move to dub films to make the viewing experience “more enjoyable” is a good step in making the Filipino audience appreciate the language itself.

SineAsia has a lot of potential. For all its worth, the choice of words – Filipino is a rich language, to begin with – could hopefully start a debate among film enthusiasts and culture experts.

Chow Yun Fat's "From Vegas to Macau" and several horror films are next in the line-up as SineAsia vows to take on “various platforms” to present a line-up of films from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and other Asian countries.

"Gangnam Blues" opened Wednesday at the first SineAsia theaters in SM Megamall, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Fairview, SM Manila, and SM North Edsa.

Other SineAsia theaters will also open soon in SM Bacoor, SM Iloilo and SM Cebu.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lee Min Ho's favorite fried chicken now in PH

MANILA - Kyochon, the well-loved South Korean fried chicken restaurant featured in several Korean dramas, is finally here in the Philippines.

Even if rival Bonchon had a significant head start in the country, the company that brought Bread Talk and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is not afraid to foray into a new market that already loves all things Korean.

Even the Koreans who have been living in the Philippines for years now are giddy about Kyochon's opening.

Marketing manager Chanky Tiangco would not tag the fried chicken restaurants here as competition, however. “Even if we came in a bit later, we’re still different from the rest,” she confidently said.

For one, Kyochon boasts of a casual-dining ambience instead of the fast food-type atmosphere of some of its competitors. Its interiors are even styled the way it was originally done in the over 1,000 stores in South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and the United States.

“It’s a sit-down (restaurant)… Still the price is competitive,” Tiangco said.

Of course, the fried chicken is the centerpiece – all succulent right down to the bone. As its wall design states, Kyochon has three promises: "First, we won’t make fast food. Second, we only use natural ingredients. Third, we only make healthy chicken with honesty.”

“Even the way they drop the chicken for frying is different,” Tiangco said, noting that the franchise owners had to bring the Korean chefs to the Philippines to teach their kitchen personnel at SM Megamall, where Kyochon opened its first branch.

For P149, a customer would already get a five-piece drumstick and wing combo. But customers would scream for more.

The Kyochon series offers the original (fusion of garlic and soy sauce), red series (spicy), and the honey series (sweet honey).

Oops, ‘salsal’ is not on the menu

A personal favorite, however, is the Soonsal series. It is a boneless and skinless breast and thigh meat covered with a special batter that has rice crisps on it.

Lydia Lee, Kyochon’s ambassadress, said the original menu names “Soonsal” as “Salsal.” It was renamed, however, because of the bad connotation of the word “salsal,” which means “masturbation” in Filipino. (In journalism parlance, it also means sensationalizing a story.)

The name could have been more apt, however. Biting into the strip opens the senses to the most mouthwatering chicken ever.

Kyochon’s first branch in SM Megamall is only the start as more branches will be opened within the year, including one in Makati. Tiangco said around five more will open in 2014.

The first branch was supposed to open in Greenbelt, but the company chose SM Megamall because “it caters to all markets,” said Tiangco.

The prospects are exciting, she teased, especially since the company is preparing to bring Korean superstar Lee Min Ho – Kyochon’s image model -- to the Philippines next year.

From the small restaurant in South Korea in 1991, Kyochon (Kyo means start, and cho means town) intends to rule the fried chicken market here and abroad.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lee Min Ho arrives in Manila for concert

MANILA, Philippines - Korean star Lee Min Ho is back in the country for a one-night concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on July 6 (Saturday).

The event is presented by the local clothing brand Bench, which has Lee as one of its celebrity endorsers.

Lee’s concert in Manila is part of his “My Everything” tour. The Korean star is best known in the Philippines for his role as Gu Jun-pyo in the hit series “Boys Over Flowers.”

He first visited Manila in November 2012 for a “meet-and-greet” event organized by Bench.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Korean superstar Lee Min Ho arrives in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Korean superstar Lee Min Ho arrived in Manila on Thursday afternoon.

Lee Min Ho landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 past noon today for a commitment with local clothing line Bench.

Dubbed a “GlobalBenchSetter,” Lee Min Ho is set to meet his Filipino fans on November 16 in a "Fun Meet" organized by Bench at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Lee Min Ho, who will be staying in the country for four days, was tapped to become a Bench endorser after rising to fame for his role as Gu Jun Pyo in the hit Korean series "Boys Over Flowers." The show was first aired in the Philippines by ABS-CBN in 2009.

This was followed by the local airing of another Lee Min Ho-starrer, "Perfect Match," in 2010, and "City Hunter" in early 2012.

Lee Min Ho’s latest Korean series “Faith” is also set to air on ABS-CBN.

Aside from Lee Min Ho, two other Korean stars Si Won and Dong Hae, of the group Super Junior, also visited the country. The two are also among the roster of Bench's international endorsers.

Other foreign endorsers of the local clothing line are Filipina-Mexican-American singer Jessica Sanchez, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, Hollywood actor Liam Hemsworth, Disney-grown singer Joe Jonas, and American TV stars Lucy Hale and Michael Trevino.

source: abs-cbnnews.com