It looks like Daniel Dae Kim is staying in Hawaii after the final season of LOST is finished because he has been cast in a lead role for the CBS remake of Hawaii Five-O.  Kim will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly, a role played in the original series by Kam Fong.

The new “Hawaii Five-0″ hails from hot feature writers and “Fringe” co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and “CSI: NY” executive producer/co-showrunner Peter Lenkov.

Kim, who played Jin Kwon on “Lost” for its six-season run, is the first actor from the show’s core cast to book a new series project this pilot season as the ABC mystery drama heads to its May finale.

Getting key “LOST” players to do pilots this season is proving tricky as ABC’s drama doesn’t wrap its final season until April. In Kim’s case, it helped that both “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-O” are filming in Hawaii.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will join the cast of CBS’s “Ghost Whisperer” starting February 5.  She will play Professor Avery Grant.

“Ghost Whisperer” follows Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character of Melinda Gordon- a woman who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live as normal a life as possible, Melinda helps them pass over to the other side by working as an owner of an antique store, sometimes dealing with people who push her away, and disbelieve her ability. The show was created by John Gray and is produced by Sander/Moses Productions, in association with ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios.

Margaret Cho has performed nationwide with one-woman shows including “I’m the One That I Want,” “Notorious C.H.O,” “Revolution,” “State of Emergency,” and “Assassin.” On screen, she has played John Travolta’s FBI colleague in the action movie “Face/Off.” On television, she appears as Terri – assistant to lawyer Jane Bingham – on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva.

“Ghost Whisperer” airs on CBS Friday’s at 8 pm EST.

Source: Broadway World

Anthony Kim made a guest appearance on The Jay Leno show on Monday night to teach Jessica Alba how to putt.  First it’s pretty cool that Jay Leno referred to AK as his friend and he was on national television, and secondly, it was really cool that AK got to cozy on up to Jessica Alba and teach her how to putt.  She almost made the first putt after Anthony’s instruction but she left it a little short though it was on line to go in.  It was then AK’s turn and he quickly set up and stroked a power putt up the ramp into the buddha statue for a hole in one.  Sure he’s a professional, but there had to be some nerves putting in front of a national television audience on a contrived hole. Check it out below!

Entertainment Weekly created a power list to rank the currently known contestants who are heading to Hollywood for the finals of American Idol (Season 9).  Interestingly, the Korean-American college kid from Illinois was ranked #1 this past week. Go John Park! Hopefully he’ll make it into the finals.

1. John Park (New this week; pictured, left): The rich, buttery baritone he displayed on Blood Sweat & Tears’ “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” was perhaps the tastiest treat to come out of the first four audition episodes of season 9. Plus, his lips, teeth, and bottom end have Shania Twain’s stamp of approval. How can you not get behind the guy?

EW.com is letting everyone rank the contestants.  Go to EW.com and submit your vote.

The very popular TV show LOST kicks off its final season on Tuesday at 9pm EST on ABC.  LOST was the first time we saw a Korean couple kiss on an American television program, and what was also remarkable about LOST is that the Korean couple played significant roles in the show as the only married couple on the island.  Daniel Dae Kim plays Jin, the very stoic and subdued husband of Sun, who’s played by Korean actress Yunjin Kim.  It was awesome seeing their relationship evolve over the course of 5 seasons but sadly Jin’s death on the show was a shock which shook the series and further created twists in the already crazy story lines of LOST.  Sadly for the viewers, the show is finally concluding this season but we can look back and say that this show was the first to break ground in revealing Korean relationships.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview with Yunjin Kim regarding the final season of LOST.

What were your expectations when you signed on as a cast member?

When I read the script, I thought it was like a movie script. I had never seen anything like this on television. I thought, “Either this is going to be the best TV show or the worst TV show.” And when I say it had the potential to be bad, I mean so bad that we would be made fun of for years!

What do you think of the journey of personal growth that Sun has taken over the years?

Sun has come such a long way from the pilot. If you remember, she was very subservient, a really quiet, scared woman who did whatever she was told by her husband. Now you cut to Season 6 and she’s a very different woman and very much her own person. That’s something that [producers] J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof promised from the beginning. I was concerned that I was playing into this stereotypical image of that Asian woman. But J.J. said, “You’re going to end up loving this character.”

Sun and her husband Jin (played by Daniel Dae Kim) differ from most of the other characters. Your thoughts about their relationship?

Sun and Jin’s stories have touched a lot of people, I think, because we are the only married couple on the island. We do have Rose and Bernard, but they’re guest stars. They sometimes show up and sometimes don’t, and they’re loved by fans as well. But Sun and Jin represent the only marriage and the most real and most tangible relationship on the island. And people root for us. They can’t wait to see us get back together and into each other’s arms. People really want to see a happy ending for Sun and Jin. It’s really touching.

What will be your most cherished memory of working on the show?

I had a such good feeling about it once I stepped into the set of Lost for the first time and saw that chopped-off half plane sitting on the beach. That was my first impression: “Oh, my God, is that a real plane chopped up in half?” And they said, “Yeah, we brought it in from L.A.” This beautiful Hawaiian beach and the chaos of the crash site to contradict it, it was quite stunning. I think I will always remember that first moment of just going, “Wow!”

For the promotion video of season 6, go to ABC.com and find a few spoilers.

Sources: ABC.com and Star Telegram

KBS’s megahit IRIS will be premiering on DramaFever on Thursday, Jan 28. IRIS will be available in high quality streaming video with English subtitles. All three Korean broadcasters (MBC, SBS, and KBS) have now joined with DramaFever to bring the best Korean dramas online to the U.S. and Canada. IRIS will become part of a growing library that includes recent hits such as Shining Inheritance, Boys Over Flowers, and Queen Seon Duk, as well as classics such as Coffee Prince, My Lovely Samsoon, Land of Wind, Gourmet, Stairway to Heaven, My Girl, Hotelier, Sandglass, Jewel In The Palace and Jumong.

And DramaFever will soon be carrying more than just dramas. The documentary series Shocking Life will be DramaFever’s first non-drama series. Part Real Sex, part Ghost Hunters, and part Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Shocking Life examines the oddities and the unusual from Korea. Shocking Life premieres on DramaFever on Thursday, Feb 4.

ABOUT IRIS
A blockbuster hit and one of the most talked-about dramas of the year, Iris premiered to stunning ratings of 24.5% and had crossed 30% ratings by its 8th episode. With a budget of 20 billion won (almost a million U.S. dollars per episode), this explosive action-spy thriller uniquely utilized many aspects of American television and action film genres to create a high-octane, large-scale production with international flare and exotic shooting locations.

Megastar and Hallyu icon Lee Byung Hun gives the performance of a lifetime as a daredevil secret agent who transforms into a driven, tormented spy on the run from powers he doesn’t understand. He is ably assisted by a star-studded cast including Kim Tae Hee (Hallyu star for Love Story in Harvard and Stairway to Heaven), Jung Joon Ho (2008’s hit Last Scandal), Kim So Yeon (Gourmet), and T.O.P. (mega Kpop hiphop boyband Big Bang). Having tried and succeeded in blending the tension and fast pace of American spy series such as 24 with the romance and character depth of Korean dramas, Iris’s innovative style, heavy-weight leads and big budget have enabled it to become something of a minor phenomenon (the broadcast rights have already been bought by seven other countries). It could very well become a Kdrama classic.

About DramaFever
DramaFever.com is the premier online destination for North American audiences to enjoy popular prime-time television shows from Asia in high quality with English subtitles. DramaFever has built up one of the largest licensed collections of popular Asian TV content for the North American market with programming from Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Media, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Distribution, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) International, Group Eight, ISplus, and JS Pictures. For more information, please visit http://www.dramafever.com

We have a Korean man on American Idol and he was damn good. If you watched American Idol on Tuesday night, you saw John Park, a college student from Northbrook, Illinois. John was only 13 contestants out of 12,000 that auditioned in Chicago to make it past the 4 judges, who all gave him a “yes.” He got major props from guest judge and country singing sensation Shania Twain. John Park sang “If I ever leave you baby” at the Chicago auditions of American Idol 9, which is the last season that the cantankerous Simon Cowell will be judging.

John even had the Kpop hairdo going. Shania complemented John with his beautiful “bottom end” and “nice lips.” Sadly the judges were so stereotyping that they kept saying they were surprised by him. That translates to, I see an Asian man and I expected Will Hung and not someone who can sing. Hopefully John Park will do all Koreans and Asians proud and make it through to the final twelve of American Idol 9.

Jenna Ushkowitz of Glee fame was up on stage with the rest of her cast mates from Glee accepting the award for “Favorite New TV Comedy” at the People Choice Awards.  It beat out Cougartown, Modern Family and other shows.    Congrats to Jenna.  Keep the Glee train going!

Ken Jeong became “that” guy this year.  Y’know, the guy you keep seeing in a bunch of movies but you don’t know his real name.  Ken Jeong made a huge splash in the surprise summer hit, The Hangover, when he jumped out of a car’s trunk in his birthday suit.  He kept on rolling with roles in The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, All About Steve, Couples Retreat and a co-starring role as the cantankerous Senor Chang in NBC’s new show Community.  He already has a full slate of work in 2010 and the future keeps looking brighter.  This is pretty incredible for a guy who gave up medicine to pursue a career in comedy and acting. Ken was a doctor in residency down in New Orleans, but he decided to give it up to go to Hollywood.  How many Korean parents would’ve rolled their eyes if their sons or daughters said that they were going to Hollywood after having gone through medical school and residency?  Ken defied a parent’s logic and believed in his comedic abilities.  Now he’s “that” guy that cracks people up in the hilarious character roles he plays.  What Ken Jeong showed us was that even in Hollywood, you can still make it even without looking like Brad Pitt.  As long as you have dedication and talent, the dream is possible.  There are many kids out there who are doing what they’re parents want them to do because it’s the most conservative route.  Ken just showed us that you can follow your passions and beat the odds, and that’s why he’s #5 on our list of top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.

Big news on the morning news shows as Juju Chang will be replacing Chris Cuomo on ABC’s “Good Morning America” as the newsreader. Juju Chang would become the first Korean-American to be in a prominent role in the morning news shows. She will be joining George Stephanapolous, Robin Roberts and weatherman Sam Champion as the new “GMA” team. That’s diversity people! Love it! So who is Juju Chang? Check out her bio from the ABC News website.

—
Juju Chang is a New York-based, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC News’ “20/20,” “Good Morning America” and “Nightline.” She also posts a weekly Web log called “JUJUJUGGLE” about work, motherhood and the madness of everyday living.

Chang recently won another Emmy for her breaking news coverage of California wildfires. She has previously won a prestigious Gracie award for a “20/20″ story on “Women and Science,” a profile of transgender neurobiologist Ben Barres. Her other stories include an hourlong look at the long-term impact of foreign adoptions through the eyes of one American family and an inspirational advocate who champions their cause.

Chang has also recently reported on the case of Hannah Overton, a mother who is spending life in prison for the salt-poisoning death of her foster son, Andrew Burd.

She has reported for Nightline about lead poisoning in toys and trinkets, the Heparin tainting scandal and the in vitro fertilization industry.

Chang has also won a Gracie for a story about judicial activism on PBS’ “Now,” and a Freddie for a series she hosted — also for PBS — called “The Art of Women’s Health.”

From 1999 to 2000, she anchored the early morning newscasts of ABC News’ “World News Now” and “World News This Morning.” From 1998 to 1999, Chang reported primarily for “World News Tonight,” covering such stories as the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya, Hurricane George and the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Chang was based in Washington, D.C., from 1996-97, where she covered the White House, Capitol Hill, and the 1996 presidential election for NewsOne, ABC’s affiliate news service.

Prior to her assignment in Washington, she was a reporter for KGO-TV in San Francisco from 1995-96, where she covered a variety of state and local issues.

Between 1991 and 1995, Chang served as a producer and off-air reporter for “World News Tonight.”

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University with a BA in political science and communication. At Stanford, she was awarded the Edwin Cotrell Political Science Prize. She is married to Neal Shapiro and has three sons. She’s a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.