The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:41 AM PDT The demon-hunting Winchesters have never had it easy. Season Eight is no different, but there's happiness in store for one of them. ON the last season of Supernatural, the Winchester brothers went through some really dark times battling the Leviathan, an evil force from purgatory bent on global domination. In that season, too, the brothers experienced a major loss in their already-tough lives – the death of a close friend and mentor. The brothers eventually found a way to win, but at a terrible cost – Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and the brothers' guardian angel, Castiel (Misha Collins), ended up in purgatory! Season Eight picks up some time after that pyrrhic victory, showing in flashback what went down with the separated brothers. During their separation, we learn, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) actually found happiness (!) and gave up on the hunter's life for a while. With everyone close to him gone, he decided to settle down – complete with a girlfriend and a dog. In short, to see if he could live an ordinary life. In an interview transcript provided by beTV, Padalecki confirmed that for a significant part of the early season, Sam will lead a normal life – fixing pipes, taking his dog out for walks and having picnics. The actor said: "For the first time in his life, he was able to walk away unencumbered. Sam finally thought to himself, 'You know what? Everybody I know is dead, so I'm going to leave. I have nothing anchoring me here.' He didn't have a voice in the back of his head saying, 'Find this.' Or, 'My brother is in hell.' He didn't know what happened. He didn't know Dean was in purgatory; he'd just gone, so Sam was able to make a clean break and walk away from hunting." This is not the first time that Padalecki has been given the chance to explore a somewhat different side of Sam. Most times, he is "Emo Sam" – the more rational brother who also feels a little too much for everyone, since he has decided to take the weight of the world upon his broad shoulders. In Season Six, the tall actor got to flex another set of acting muscles when he became "Soulless Sam" – a heartless hunter, no thanks to Sam's soul being stuck in hell. Now the actor gets to portray "Happy Sam". "I'm really excited to see that aspect of Sam this year," he shared. "This is a hunter who has gone through so much, and now we can see if he will come out the other side. We'll discover if there is hope for Sam, and hunters in general. Will they be able to go out and make it on the other side? It's like getting out of prison after a couple of life sentences, literally life sentences." According to Padalecki, he's always been interested to see Sam and Dean fleshed out as individuals, even if the show's main focus is the brothers' relationship and their unusual occupation. Season Eight does just that, as it explores how Dean survives in purgatory while Sam does ... ordinary things. The woman who brings normalcy to Sam's life is Amelia (Liane Balaban), whom Padalecki described as a "lost soul", which the actor felt makes Amelia and Sam kindred souls. Love interests for the main characters have never worked out (they usually die). Will it be any different this time around? Padalecki replied: "Sam and Amelia's relationship is not at the expense of Sam and Dean's relationship. We'll see what happens, though. We're going to see a lot more of Amelia and I've got really high hopes for the character. She has her own issues, but I don't think she's a demon. I haven't heard yet if she is, anyway. Listen, this show is never going to be a soap opera about Sam and Dean's girlfriends and wives. Don't worry about that. That will never happen. "Supernatural is a show is about two hunting brothers, but I've always been interested in fleshing out the main characters. They are living, breathing, red-blooded American men and there's a very obvious missing part to their lives. I do think it would (help) the characters if you give them love interests." ● Supernatural Season Eight premieres tomorrow night on beTV (Astro Ch 720), with new episodes every Friday at 10.10pm. |
| Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:39 AM PDT He might be an award-winning actor but South Korean star Hyun Bin feels he has so much more to learn. SOUTH Korean actor Hyun Bin seems determined to come across as an earnest performer, rather than just a heart-throb idol. In an e-mail interview, the 30-year-old harps on the fact that he still has much to learn as an actor and that he hopes to be remembered for his devotion to his craft. "I want to give acting my all and be remembered as an actor who gave his very best in every project without an ounce of reservation," says the star. "Whether or not the shows that I do are associated with success or failure in terms of box office or viewer ratings, I want to be known as an actor who has given his very best." The actor readily admits that he still feels rather dissatisfied with his career thus far. This, despite the fact that he had starred in two hugely popular TV dramas, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon (2005) and Secret Garden (2010). Both shows scored big ratings, with the first drama, in which he played a restaurant boss, capturing 50.5% of viewers nationwide in South Korea for its last episode. The second drama, where his character switched bodies with a woman, achieved 35.2% viewer ratings for its finale episode. He says: "I'm not totally satisfied with my career. But I guess I do not have any regrets. There will be some disappointments with each project, but at least I gave my very best and worked hard to concentrate on each project." Adds the actor: "Through working on each project, I learn a lot and also grow as an actor. It is through this process that I am able to continue in the business." What the interview conveniently omitted, however, are any mentions about his personal life or his thoughts on the pressures of getting plastic surgery in image-obsessed Korea. (related questions were e-mailed to the actor but he failed to answer them). The bachelor once reportedly dated actresses Hwang Ji Hyun, 30, and Song Hye Kyo, 31. There is also speculation that he has undergone major plastic surgery as his jawline appears to have become sharper over the years. Out of nearly 20 questions that were sent to him only five were answered, all related to his work. Born Kim Tae-pyung, the actor had also starred in TV dramas such as Worlds Within (2008), about people working in the broadcasting industry, and gangster drama Friend, Our Legend (2009), where he played a sociopath. There were other film roles, such as in romance drama A Millionaire's First Love (2006) and the English-language flick Late Autumn (2010), co-starring Chinese actress Tang Wei. He had won several acting awards, including the Top Excellence Award (Actor) at the 2005 MBC Drama Awards for My Name Is Kim Sam Soon and a Top Excellence Award (Actor) at the 2010 SBS Drama Awards for Secret Garden. His role in Secret Garden also earned him an Outstanding Korean Actor award at the Seoul International Drama Awards in 2011. From March 2011 to December last year, he stepped out of the entertainment spotlight to serve Korea's compulsory military service in the Marine Corps. Since his discharge, there have been reports that he is leaning towards a movie role rather than a TV part to mark his comeback. Appearing to confirm this, he says: "Compared to TV dramas, movie preparations are longer and I can pace my acting better, so I feel that a movie is better for a comeback project. All this while, there are many sides of me that I have not been able to show as a movie actor yet. "But it is not because I want to be a movie actor over a TV actor. Movies and TV dramas are two totally different areas and I have separate plans for each." – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network |
| Life Inspired channels attention to Thailand Posted: 24 Apr 2013 04:56 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: Fans of Life Inspired TV channel can now watch their favourite lifestyle shows in Thailand. Li TV Holdings launched both its high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) channels this month after signing a three-year carriage agreement with TrueVisions, Thailand's leading cable satellite TV operator. Thailand is the latest to join Life Inspired's regional stable of Asian territories that include Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. A first in the region, the by-Asians-for-Asians channel showcases the best programmes across the five essential pillars of lifestyle – Food, Home, Wellness, Travel and Style. Life Inspired general mana- ger Anne Chan said the ex- pansion into Thailand show- ed the steady growth of the brand and the growing demand for Life Inspired's one-of-a-kind lifestyle brand and compelling programming from audien- ces and content distributors alike. "We are looking forward to continuing the distribution momentum with several other new markets this year. "We are 100% committed to offering audiences throughout Asia the highest quality of lifestyle infotainment. "We are thrilled to be wor-king together with new Pay TV platform operator partners such as TrueVisions to continue the channel's regional success over the coming year," she added. Life Inspired is available on TrueVisions channel 81 under the Platinum, Super Entertainment and Gold Lite packages. |
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