PiNaY In KoReA

One of Kim Yu Na’s arch-rival in the sport of figure skating, top Japanese skater Mao Asada recently landed on Korean soil to participate in this year’s ISU Four Continents Championship which began today (January 27). The competition is being held in the city of Jeonju, 240 km south of Seoul.

Mao competed flawlessly in the past here in Korea. She recently held a press conference wherein she stated that “Korea has been lucky to her”, and “delightful things have happened to me at events held in Korea”. In her third visit to the Land of the Morning Calm, she will try again to win the Four Continents Championship crown which she won back in 2008 in Goyang, South Korea. Last year’s championships, held in Vancouver, Mao placed third behind Canada’s Joannie Rochette and South Korea’s Kim Yu Na.

Besides Kim Yu Na, Mao Asada has always been my favorite figure skater. She reminds me of that beautiful Japanese doll my mom used to show us back in the Philippines. Just like that doll, Mao has that mysterious aura that captivates the viewer, especially when she performs on ice. I hope both Mao and Yu Na performs well in their respective events this year and I will be rooting for both of them when they compete in next month’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

One of Korea’s brightest star, Lee Min Ho, or more popularly known as the moody yet charismatic leader of F4, Goo Jun Pyo, has already picked his next drama project after the success of his last gig, the mega-popular KBS drama Kgot Boda Namja (Boys Before Flowers Korea). This time the Korean heartthrob will be playing the role of a perfectionist man named Jun Jin Ho who pretends to be “gay” in order to be close to the girl of his dreams. The girl, according to the synopsis, only befriends gay guys and will be roomies with the “gay pretender” Jun Jin Ho (Lee Min Ho).

The upcoming gay role for the MBC Drama entitled Personal Taste will be the most challenging project for Lee Min Ho yet, who a while back, promised the fans that he will return to the drama scene as a more experienced and mature actor.

Personal Taste was the rumored comeback drama reuniting Goong stars Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon but talks for the planned reunion faltered after Yoon Eun Hye backed-out of the project during pre-production. The drama is now back on track for its April premiere with Lee Min Ho in the starring role although the female lead star is yet to be named.