This is probably the most unique pick and most controversial of our top ten most influential Korean-Americans for 2009 because it’s a website. allkpop.com is the only website chosen because of its significant influence of exporting the Korean wave. Based on our calculations, Johnny Noh and his gang has made allkpop.com the most web trafficked Kpop website outside of South Korea; this in a matter of two short years. They’ve become so big that Korean entertainers and the agencies that represent them have taken notice and they’re now coming to allkpop.com for help to deliver their promotions and messages to the U.S.
The Korean wave had its biggest year yet with significant milestones like Korean actors Daniel Henney, Lee Byung Hun, and RAIN making their entry into Hollywood. You had Korean singing acts trying to make their way into the American music consciousness with Se7en, BoA and the Wonder Girls taking big steps into the U.S. market. And the website that was at the forefront of breaking and covering these events was allkpop.com. And just to give you a little bit more perspective, this website that covers Korean pop culture and entertainers made the distinction of becoming the #1 retweeted account on Twitter this past fall and it’s currently a finalist for Mashable’s Open Web Awards for “Best Breaking News” website in 2009. That is pretty impressive because they’re one of the finalist against well known websites CNN, Twitter, and the BBC. How the heck did they end up among those big names? That says it all and that’s why they’re #8 for 2009.
Big bummer for Korean-American actor Daniel Henney who was a co-star on the CBS medical drama “Three Rivers,” which got cancelled this past week. The TV show about organ transplant doctors in the Pittsburgh area had a tough time slot, going up against NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Of course they were trying to appeal to the female demographic since all the men would be watching football, but initial low ratings compounded by waning interest only made it an obvious candidate for getting cut. To bad for Daniel Henney who made a splash this past summer as Agent Zero in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and looked like he was on the rise with a network TV show. I guess you win some and you lose some. Well, his very promising career won’t be curtailed. He could always return to South Korea where he was a star in Korean dramas or he could continue to pursue Hollywood. He certainly has the talent because not to many people, especially Asian, get a big role in a summer blockbuster movie and a network TV show. Doesn’t that sound like John Cho (Star Trek & FlashForward)? We hope to see Daniel Henney sooner than later in another Hollywood movie or TV show.
Have you noticed the significant increase in Korean-American actors and actresses on TV and movies lately? Have you noticed there are more men than women in Hollywood? You would think that there would be more women in front of the camera because let’s be honest, Korean women are great to look at which makes sense in such a visual medium. Not that the Korean men aren’t studs but who doesn’t like looking at a Korean women? They are undeniably beautiful women. Then again, I guess it does take more than just looking good in front of a camera to make it in Hollywood.
This is a an anecdotal story I’m going to share and it does not provide any empirical evidence as to why there are more Korean guys than gals on the screen. However, it does suggest something. In my earlier days living in NYC, I roomed with actors and guys who worked at a movie studio. I was the odd man out because I had a regular job unrelated to the entertainment industry. I once asked one of my buddies if he ever saw Asian guys out on the audition circuit. He quickly responded, “Are you kidding me?! Those guys get more work than most actors out there.” Huh?! What? He continued to tell me that though there are only a few roles seeking Asian male faces, there were even less auditioning for them and he suggested that I just give acting a try – even though I had very little acting talent. Well, to best illustrate this perception, let’s do a quick roll call here.
Ladies on a TV show or in a film in 2009
Smith Cho, Moon Bloodgood, Grace Park, Jamie Chung, Kelly Choi, Margaret Cho, Jenna Ushkowitz, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Price & Yunjin Kim
Guys on a TV show or in a film in 2009
Daniel Henney, Tim Kang, Ken Jeong, Aaron Yoo, John Cho, Rex Lee, C.S. Lee, Justin Chon, Rick Yune, Sung Kang, Rain, Lee Byung Hun, Daniel Dae Kim & James Kyson Lee
We may have missed a few folks but these are the Korean-Americans who were in a prominent role in their film or show. Now 14 to 10 in favor of the men doesn’t seem like a big difference, but if we were to count up the hours of coverage or viewer impressions, then we would see the greater disparity. We don’t have time to count up every second and sum it all up but here are a couple proxies.
Weekly TV program comparison: Tim Kang, Ken Jeong, Rex Lee, John Cho, C.S. lee, Daniel Dae Kim and James Kyson Lee are in key roles on current weekly network television shows.
Movies: Only Moon Bloodgood and Jamie Chung were in big screen films this year versus John Cho, Aaron Yoo, Ken Jeong, Justin Chon, Rick Yune and Sung Kang. And don’t forget that Hollywood is really gambling with Ninja Assassins and the predominantly Korean cast with Rain as the lead role.
So what are we trying to say? Simple observations suggest that America is becoming more accepting of the Asian male and there are more opportunities for them. But what about the ladies? My conclusion is that there’s that much more competition on the female side of the fence where they’re competing against more open non-ethnic/racial specific roles. Though they may be going on casting calls for Asian-American woman between 25-30, they’re also going on casting calls for (all) women between 25-30. I thoroughly root for all the Korean women on the big and small screen, but I wish there were more of them up there. Don’t you?
Daniel Henney is getting a lot of press lately as people are noticing the emergence of this Korean-American actor. He recently conducted an interview with CNN GO and he was asked if he’s dating and if he considers himself an American or Korean actor. What do you think? Oh and he has a man crush on someone.
What’s your goal in Hollywood?
I want to establish a role model for young Asian Americans to look up to and be proud of. For me, it’s just about being a good actor. As far as being a sex symbol, I have no interest in that.
Do you consider yourself a Korean actor or an American actor?
I’m definitely a Korean actor until the day I die. Korea gave me my career. Korea is where I made my mistakes, where I had my highs, my lows. It’s where I learned the ropes. If it wasn’t for Korea, I wouldn’t be here.
Daniel Henney released a thank you video this week after he finally premiered on the new medical drama “Three Rivers” last Sunday. Interestingly, he leaves us a teaser about how his new TV show is going to delve into some Asian-American issues on Sunday night. Hmmm, what particular issues? If that’s the case, then it’s pretty cool that such a window is being opened on American network TV and hopefully Daniel and Three Rivers succeeds in the long run.
For all you Korean drama peeps, get ready because Daniel Henney made his big premiere on U.S. television in CBS’ new medical drama, “Three Rivers,” on Sunday night as Dr. David Lee. So far it’s been a great year for Daniel Henney as he’s made 2009 the year he introduces himself to Hollywood. He made his big Hollywood movie debut earlier this year when he played Agent Zero in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Now he plays an organ transplant surgeon and very interestingly, the George Clooney type who womanizes and breaks ladies’ hearts. Actually, it’s more than interesting because an Asian man is playing the romantic type.
Maybe Hollywood is really diversifying? If you watched John Cho in FlashForward, he’s in an interracial relationship with an African-American women and now we’ve got Daniel Henney acting as the womanizer. Let’s hope these two new shows are successful! It’s been a great fall season for Korean-American actors with Daniel Henney now joining a growing list of actors who have regular televisions shows: John Cho, Ken Jeong, C.S. Lee, Tim Kang, and Sanrda Oh.
So who is Daniel Henney? Model-turned-actor Daniel Henney is now a household name in South Korea after starring as Dr. Henry Kim in the popular miniseries “My Lovely Samsoon.” Henney was also recently seen in this summer’s blockbuster hit “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” in which he plays the character Agent Zero.
Henney starred in the television series “Spring Waltz,” by acclaimed director SukHo Yoon and then went on to star in his first feature film “Seducing Mr. Robin.” His second film, “My Father,” won multiple awards in South Korea and was actually the first time in that country’s history that a foreigner swept all the major cinema awards in the Best New Actor category.
Henney has also appeared in the Off-Broadway production of “Death of a Salesman.”
He was born in Carson City, Mich., to a Korean-American mother and a British-American father. He studied Business Communications at Albion College and Alma College and as an avid sports enthusiast, played college basketball throughout his college years. He is also musically active and has been the lead vocal and guitarist for an underground rock band, Avarice, for two years. Currently, he lives in Seoul, South Korea and Los Angeles and his birth date is Nov. 28.
What’s Three Rivers all about? THREE RIVERS is a medical drama starring Alex O’Loughlin (“Moonlight,” upcoming CBS Films “The Back-Up Plan”) that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country, where every moment counts. However, dealing with donor families in their darkest hour and managing the fears and concerns of apprehensive recipients takes much more than just a sharp scalpel. Leading the elite team is Dr. Andy Yablonski, the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, whose good-natured personality and sarcastic wit makes him popular with his patients and colleagues. His co-workers include Dr. Miranda Foster, a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father’s excellent surgical reputation; Dr. David Lee, a womanizing surgical resident who’s broken as many hearts as he’s replaced; Ryan Abbott, the inexperienced new transplant coordinator who arranges the intricately choreographed process of quickly and carefully transporting organs from donor to patient; Dr. Sophia Jordon, the dedicated head of surgery who has no patience for anyone who hasn’t sacrificed as much as she has for the job; and Pam Acosta, Andy’s no-nonsense operating assistant and best friend. In this high stakes arena, in which every case is a race against the clock, these tenacious surgeons and medical professionals are the last hope for their patients.
CBS is beginning its PR push for its new fall TV show with Daniel Henney and they released their first preview of their medical drama “Three Rivers.” Set in Pittsburgh – hence the title Three Rivers – Daniel Henney (Dr. David Lee) plays the part of the womanizing doctor on the show because there’s always a hunk who breaks hearts on a medical drama. This type of character has been previously portrayed by George Clooney of ER and Patrick Dempsey of Grey’s Anatomy. What’s great is that based on the character name Daniel Henney is using – David Lee – they’re allowing him to be recognized as an Asian character. So we hope. Woohoo!!! We’ll see how much of the Asian side is revealed throughout the season. For those of you who don’t know who Daniel Henney is, he’s half-Korean and is a big Korean drama star in South Korea. He got his big break into Hollywood as Agent Zero in this summer’s blockbuster movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” We wrote last week about South Korean actors entering Hollywood with Lee Byung-Hun in this week’s G.I. Joe and Rain in Ninja Assassin, but this is the first South Korean actor to enter American television. We’re not forgetting John Cho and Tim Kang who will be regulars on their respective shows this fall, but we’re just saying that this is the first South Korean actor to enter the U.S. TV market.
The show premieres on October 4th on CBS.
Synopsis
THREE RIVERS is a medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country where every moment counts. However, dealing with donor families in their darkest hour and managing the fears and concerns of apprehensive recipients takes much more than just a sharp scalpel. Leading the elite team is Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O’Loughlin), the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, whose good-natured personality and sarcastic wit makes him popular with his patients and colleagues. His colleagues include Dr. Miranda Foster (Katherine Moennig), a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father’s excellent surgical reputation; Dr. David Lee (Daniel Henney), a womanizing surgical resident who’s broken as many hearts as he’s replaced; Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke), the inexperienced new transplant coordinator who arranges the intricately choreographed process of quickly and carefully transporting organs from donor to patient; Dr. Sophia Jordan, the head of surgery and a dedicated medical professional; and Pam Acosta (Justina Machado), Andy’s no-nonsense operating assistant and best friend. In this high stakes arena, in which every case is a race against the clock, these tenacious surgeons and medical professionals are the last hope for their patients.
The Hollywood Reporter published a very interesting article this morning about the Korean wave (“hallyu” in Korean) of actors finding their way into big hollywood studio films. Coincidentally, we published a similar article yesterday about this occurrence. Very interesting. Coincidence? Perhaps.
They beg the question, what’s with the interest in South Korean actors when they can barely speak English? Someone once said, “don’t think it’s just about the money, it’s ALWAYS about the money.” Hollywood used to view Asia as a region of incremental dollars for their films, but with the significant rise of South Korean films, dramas, and their talent pool, Hollywood has taken notice of its big potential. For example, the Hollywood Reporter article starts off by noting that South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun was the most anticipated sighting for the fans waiting at the hotel, and not Sienna Miller and the other actors in G.I. Joe.
“For Hollywood, it [hallyu] is a sign that Korean actors hold major ticket power in Asia,” said Choi Min-soo, the head of marketing at CJ Entertainment, the importer of “G.I. Joe.” “It’s also a sign that the Asian market is no longer just ‘one of them.’”
Hollywood may have almost exhausted what it can do domestically, and the last few years we’ve seen Hollywood look to remake dozens of films that were first produced overseas and the subsequent trend is to import the actors and actresses that have a strong following. In the business world, it’s about scale and Hollywood is finally realizing that the scale is much bigger when you start weaving and integrating pieces together from outside the U.S. borders.
For Paramount Pictures, the film’s distributor, this was a promising sign — one that suggests the potential benefit of casting an Asian superstar to attract regional ticket buyers when marketing a quintessentially American film.
The strategy seems to be on the rise with major Hollywood productions that once had limited roles for Asian actors. Aside from Lee, who plays the film’s charismatic Storm Shadow, other Korean actors are also participating in the trend.
Similar to the Korean wave of singers i.e., Wonder Girls, BoA, etc. entering the U.S. market, it’s these supporting roles that are paving the wave for greater acceptance of Koreans in the biggest media and entertainment market. For those doubters, did you really think America would have a black president 2 years ago? Believe in the Korean wave!
Daniel Henney is the very popular Korean actor who is of both Korean and British descent. He’s not entirely fluent in Korean but South Korea doesn’t seem to care because they sure love him in Korean dramas. Well this weekend he makes his American movie debut as Agent Zero (David North) in “X-Men: Wolverine.” Interestingly, the actual Marvel comic character was the creation of Korean-American comic book artist Jim Lee. Little did Jim know that the character would eventually be played by someone of Korean descent. It’s only the beginning of the Korean invasion into Hollywood.
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This is probably the most unique pick and most controversial of our top ten most influential Korean-Americans for 2009 because it’s a website. allkpop.com is the only website chosen because of its significant influence of exporting the Korean wave. Based on our calculations, Johnny Noh and his gang has made allkpop.com the most web trafficked Kpop website outside of South Korea; this in a matter of two short years. They’ve become so big that Korean entertainers and the agencies that represent them have taken notice and they’re now coming to allkpop.com for help to deliver their promotions and messages to the U.S.
