Mom's Dead Upset

Director

Jeong Eul-yeong(정을영)

Cast

Lee Soon-jae

Baek Il-seob

Kim Hye-ja

Sin Eun-kyeong

Kim Jeong-hyeon

Kim Na-woon

Lee Yoo-ri

Kang Boo-ja

Kim Ji-yoo

Kim Yong-geon

Jang Mi-hee

Ki Tae-yeong

Ryoo Jin

Nominees Announced for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards

Nominees for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards, scheduled for November 1st at Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, were announced yesterday on October 7. For the best acting award, nominees include respected actress Kim Hye-ja of “Angry Mom,” charismatic actor Choi Soo-jong of “Dae Joyoung,” acclaimed actors Kim Myung-min of “White Tower” and Jo Jae-hyun of “New Heart,” and top actresses Bae Jong-ok of “My Man’s Woman” and Kim Ha-neul of “On Air.” Nominees for the best drama category include “Legend,” “Angry Mom,” “Dae Joyoung,” and “Gourmet.” Life time achievement nominees are Choi Bul-am, Baek Il-seop, Na Moon-hee, and Kang Bu-ja. The first international festival for a single genre, the festival will feature a wide variety of interesting events, such as drama photo exhibition at the Jinju National Museum, Asian drama screening show, an international forum on Korean dramas, and a talent search.

Youthful drama targets weekend audience

Rarely does a weekend family drama make the splash that KBS' "Mom is that Upset" did. The hit series ended with a bang last Sunday, garnering viewer ratings of 39.7 percent nationwide, according to AGB Nielsen Media research. Hoping to continue their winning streak, KBS is following it up with a light and comic romance about a radio producer and a disc jockey. Celebrities Kim Sung-su and Lee Tae-ran will be playing the title roles. Actor Kim, 35, stars as a has-been pop singer who takes a job as a radio disc jockey. Actress Lee Tae-ran, 33, plays the domineering co-worker who bickers her way into his heart. Co-star Park Hae-mi, however, expressed reservations about the decidedly more youthful bent of the upcoming family drama - titled "My Precious You" - at the press conference on Tuesday. "In the previous drama, 'Mom is that Upset,' middle aged characters played the lead," said actress Park, 44. "But people still shy away from focusing on older characters. Why do we target younger audiences?" Park may have a point. She blew audiences away with her role as a wicked stepmother in SBS' "Dear Heaven" (2005). And now she promises to repeat its success. "I am upset that the preview screening did not show clips of me," she said. "My role is as big as Kim Sung-su's and Lee Tae-ran's." But the results are not in yet. Park is up against some stiff competition. Kim Sung-su built up a steady reputation playing rich-but-lonely men in dramas like "Full House" (2004) and "Bad Love" (2007). And Lee Tae-ran struck fear and respect into the hearts of viewers with her tough, no-nonsense role as a lieutenant in KBS' "Famous Princesses" (2006). It looks like Lee is set to continue to draw laughs with her tomboy persona in the upcoming drama. "Lee Tae-ran's character is supremely tough in this drama," warned co-star Kim. Kim, on the other hand, will be deviating from his standard role. "In the past, I played a happy-go-lucky gentleman, but this time around I tried to change," said the actor, who grew a beard for his role as a down-and-out single father. If "Mom is that Upset" focused on the trials and tribulations of mothers, "My Precious You" plans on highlighting the difficulties single fathers face in Korean society. Actor Kim's character and the father of Lee Tae-ran's character both give viewers insight into what it might be like for men to have to raise children on their own. The drama also plans to focus on the children, including actor Ji Hyun-woo, who stars as a playboy dentist. Ji won female viewers over as the sweet and innocent hero in the hit KBS series "Old Miss Diary" (2004), building a reputation as the kind of guy an older woman would want to date. Now his new role threatens to overturn whatever points he managed to score over the past few years. Quick to deny that his character is a player without a heart, Ji stated: "He is not a total playboy. My character just does not want to get caged in or hurt." Whatever the case, the 23-year-old actor is sure to draw laughs every time he leers or catcalls at a passing woman in "My Precious You." "My Precious You" starts tomorrow night at 7:55 p.m. on KBS 2 TV.

'Mom's Dead Upset' Ends with 40.6% Viewer Rating

The final episode of the hit KBS drama series "Mom's Dead Upset" was aired on September 28. The popular drama series ended with a viewer rating of 40%. According to TNS Media Korea, the drama series garnered a viewer rating of 40.6% on Sunday. The highest viewer rating for the drama series was 42.7% on September 21. In the final episode, Han-ja, who had left home and her family to enjoy some freedom of her own, returns home after finding out that her pregnant daughter-in-law Mi-yeon was showing signs of a miscarriage. The last scene shows the whole family playing a round of yut. According to GB Nielsen Media Research, the viewer rating for the final episode was 39.7%. The average viewer rating for the drama series from the very first episode to the very last was 28.1%. Meanwhile, a new drama series entitled "My Love, My Precious Gem," starring Kim Seong-soo and Lee Tae-ran, will take over the time slot of "Mom's Dead Upset."

[TV Review]Runaway moms swap drudgery for liberty

Mothers are running away from home - in well-received TV dramas, that is. Trapped as stereotypical housewives who dedicate their lives 24 hours a day to their husbands and children, fleeing moms are a hot fad here. The epicenter of this TV trend is “Mommy’s Angry,” written by Kim Su-hyun, the guru of Korean TV drama writing. Han-ja, the lead character in this show, which airs at 8 p.m. on weekends on KBS2-TV, declared independence from the family after spending decades as a housewife looking after three children, a husband and a widowed father-in-law. Han-ja’s situation doesn’t elicit sympathy at first. Her husband is trustworthy and father-in-law wise and caring. Her children have started families of their own. However, Han-ja feels that something is missing in her life, which is her own self, and declares that she needs a break. In a surprise announcement on her birthday, she decides to take a one-year break. Meanwhile, another TV drama, “My Sweet Seoul,” which recently ended its run on SBS-TV, featured another runaway mom. In this series, which is focused on the loves and anxieties of 30-somethings, the female lead first struggles with and then embraces her mother who decides to leave home. In My Sweet Seoul, the mother is more like Nora from Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” who slams the door in a revolutionary act to protest discrimination against women. Meanwhile in Mommy’s Angry, the runaway seems more lighthearted. In a recent interview, the writer Kim said she wanted to “give a sabbatical year to all mothers.” Some doubted whether Kim could attract a big enough audience, but she did, with record-breaking ratings, making the program a highly popular prime-time TV program. The high audience rating, however, does not mean that all viewers welcome the runaway. Viewers on the bulletin board of this TV drama are busy sharing their thoughts. Some are raising their eyebrows at the main character, calling her “irresponsible” and “self-centered” for deserting her family. Some say on the Internet that they fear their mother-in-laws would do the same. In recent episodes, Han-ja intentionally keeps her distance from her family, as she couldn’t be happier when she is alone in a room of her own. She also could not care less about the complaints and whining of other family members, who have to deal with increased house chores and responsibilities. She is doing her best to savor her independence by getting her nails done, going to late-night movie screenings by herself, reading and learning to use a computer. Seeing Han-ja clearly so happy doing things that most in the younger generation take for granted, I found myself agreeing with the writer Kim’s intention to liberate mothers from their stereotypes. I have to admit that I’ve not always been a big fan of this TV drama guru, as she has penned some overdramatic - yet still immensely popular - stories, such as a wife who finds out her husband is carrying on with her best friend, as in “The Woman of My Man,” a phenomenal hit last year. However, Kim has long had a way with family dramas, and Mommy’s Angry playing with Korean family structures shows her magic is still alive and strong. In addition, Kim also deftly presents characters who look and act authentic with those around them, such as the lovesick 80-something father-in-law and a 20-something daughter getting into trouble after marrying a man who is from a much higher social hierarchy. By doing so, Kim cleverly addresses the issues of Korean families. So I have a feeling that I’ll also be canceling appointments this weekend to surrender to Kim’s power after all.

Producers of Popular TV Series 'Mom's Dead Upset' in Dilemma

"Mom's Dead Upset" is a popular drama series on KBS 2TV that boasts a high viewer rating of 30 percent. The producers of the drama, however, are facing a dilemma regarding when to end the series, as the cast and crew of the show are showing signs of fatigue and physical meltdown. Writer Kim Soo-hyun, the pillar of the show, underwent surgery late last year to remove breast cancer. Fortunately, the cancer was at an early stage so the operation was successful, but doctors say that the writer needs to rest. Producer Jung Eul-Young as well as actresses Kim Hye-ja and Shin Eun-kyung have been complaining of extreme fatigue. The show was originally planned to end at episode 69 at the end of September, but the cast of the show are asking to end it at episode 61 at the end of August. Samhwa Production says when it signed the contract with KBS, the two sides agreed to end the show at episode seven, but present circumstances are calling for further negotiations.

"Mom's Dead Upset" Viewer Ratings Exceeds 30%

Viewer ratings for "Mom's Dead Upset," a popular new TV series on KBS, has exceeded 30 percent since it first began airing two months ago. According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, "Mom's Dead Upset" recorded nationwide viewer ratings of 30 percent on April 13. The drama also recorded viewer ratings of 30.1 percent in the metropolitan area and 31.6 percent in Seoul. A study by TNS Media Research showed the drama's nationwide viewer ratings recorded 29.6 percent the same day. The series is popular writer Kim Soo-hyun's first drama in four years. The first episode of "Mom's Dead Upset" which aired on February 2, recorded viewer ratings of 25.3 percent. The story is about a middle-class family of three generations that run a laundromat. The mother of the family, played by actress Kim Hye-ja, has planned out the lives of her three children her whole life. However, all three end up with partners that don't quite suit their mother's taste. The drama features realistic and witty conversations, typical of Kim's works, as well as superb acting by some of Korea's top actors.