STORY TO BE TOLD

Daemul PD quits

by javabeans | October 20, 2010

Mere days after a new PD was added and its scriptwriter replaced, SBS drama Daemul has lost its original director, PD Oh Jong-rok.

Oh had just days earlier agreed to shift his duties more toward working on the script with the replacement writer, while new director Kim Chul-kyu concentrated on directing the shoots. Oh was to remain as the head PD, while Kim would be in an assisting role. However, now the production company has confirmed that Oh will wash his hands entirely of the drama, making Kim the head PD.

The reason given this time is Oh’s health, combined with growing discord with the production company. (Methinks the latter is a bigger compelling factor than the former.) One source from SBS confirmed that it is true that the PD and the company encountered a big clash of opinions.

On the other hand, Daemul’s chief producer Gu Bon-geun gave a more cautious reply on the 20th, stating that he’d requested that PD Oh continue to remain onboard to supervise the flow and development of the story, and that he hadn’t yet received the final answer on Oh’s departure. Still, it’s pretty clear that Oh is indeed out, and he stated as much in interviews on the 20th with the media: “There are a lot of things being said about me, but I can say this for sure: I’m leaving Daemul completely. The things about me remaining overall director or sticking with the script work are all untrue.”

He continued, “I can tell you three facts: I directed Daemul through the first six episodes, and worked on the script through Episode 8. And I’m removing myself entirely from the production. I haven’t had any external pressure; it’s my own decision.”

He explained the lead-up to making this decision: “After working on directing and script revising for many months, it’s become too much for me and I can’t handle it anymore on my own. That’s why I’ve set additional measures with SBS and left as director last weekend and said I’d stay to work with the script. To be honest, I didn’t think it would come to this end, but I accept it readily. I’m sorry to the staff and cast who trusted and followed me, but I’m relieved that I could leave while the ratings are high.” He stated that because he’s not a writer and the director was already being changed, “It made no sense for me to work on script revisions.”

He added, “It’s true that I had conflicts with the production company, but I won’t talk about what those were. As the one leaving, I don’t want to add trouble to the drama.”

The 26-episode Daemul airs Episodes 5 and 6 this week, and has currently completed scripts for Episode 10 while currently shooting 7 and 8.

I’d wondered what else could go wrong after the PD switch happened, not expecting yet more problems to surface quite so immediately. The drama’s done with internal discord, right? I mean, they’ve maxed out on their in-drama drama, haven’t they? It’s not going to become another Boys Before Flower-esque drama curse… is it?

Via My Daily, Yonhap News

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Park Shi-yeon’s New York shoot for Cosmo
by girlfriday

Actress Park Shi-yeon (Coffee House, Story of a Man) took to the streets of New York to attend the 25-year anniversary gala for Tommy Hilfiger, and shot a photo spread for Cosmopolitan in their new fall line.

I know it’s stating the obvious, but she really does look good in everything.

It’s been great to see Park coming into her own with her standout role in Coffee House as a high-powered but sweet and endearing character, who stood toe-to-toe with Kang Ji-hwan. I love how she manages to seem totally girl-next-door approachable, and then transform into red-carpet starlet goddess when she puts on a formal dress. It’s crazy enviable.

Via Money Today

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I never saw it coming, says feng shui master who lost left hand

By ZALINAH NOORDIN
zalinah@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Feng shui master Th’ng Keat Seong, whose left hand was chopped off in a vicious attack on Monday, says he really did not see it coming.

Th’ng admitted he did not get any premonition that something bad would happen.

“I am a feng shui expert. I don’t predict the future as I’m not a fortune teller,” he said.

Th’ng, 44, offers consultancy services to his clients and has his own shop selling feng shui items in Penang Times Square shopping mall,

He claimed there was someone out there who did not want him in the business due to jealousy.

Th’ng said he was walking to his car after dinner at a restaurant when he was attacked at Jalan Lintang Emas, near Jalan Besi, at about 8pm on Monday night.

Blood stains found on the car boot indicated that his assailants could have held his hand there before chopping it off.

“It all happened so fast and I can’t really recollect what happened, or how the assailants looked like.

“All I can remember is that someone yanked my left arm from behind and I felt a searing pain. The next thing I knew, my left hand was missing and there was a lot of blood,” said Th’ng, who is right handed, when met at the the Gleneagles Medical Centre yesterday.

More on: http://thestar.com.my/news/

Credits to and source taken from: http://thestar.com.my/news/

Relatives to take care of 10-year-old who lost family in Tatau tragedy

BINTULU: When 10-year-old Des­mond Peter said goodbye to his parents and sister in Tatau on Monday, it turned out to be the last time he saw them alive.

Hours later, an express boat crashed at Sungai Anap, killing his father Peter Julan, 28, mother Beremas Nyuweng, 26, and three-year-old sister Amelia Peter.

“I miss them,” the orphan told The Star yesterday outside the Bintulu Hospital morgue, where he and some relatives waited for his family’s remains.

“I liked my younger sister the most,” he said.

Desmond, whose ambition is to become a police officer, stayed behind as he was attending school at SK Tatau. His parents and sister were returning to their longhouse in Ulu Kakus.

His aunt Sediah Nyuweng, who is their neighbour, said it was still unclear who would care for Desmond.

“We have not figured it out yet. Maybe I will take care of him, although I have many other children” Sediah said.

She described her sister’s young family as a happy one, that understood the importance of education.

Desmond, Sediah added, had taken the news “very well”.

She said the 10-year-old seemed okay so far, and understood the severity of the accident.

“He’s just been a little quiet.”

On what the extended family would do with the RM15,000 insurance payment for each dead victim, Sediah said the money would first go towards the funeral.

“I suppose we’ll put aside most of it for Desmond’s future, for his education. For now, we’ll use some of it to buy some new clothes for him.”

The tragedy also claimed the mother and sister of Jeluwi Ibin, 22, who was warded for high fever at Bintulu Hospital over the weekend when she was informed of the accident.

Her mother Lily Manggie, 38, and sister Lenny Ibin, nine, were returning to Kem Gabung, a logging camp on Sungai Kakus, a tributary of Sungai Anap, where their father works.

Lily’s body was among the first found by rescuers. Lenny’s body was recovered early yesterday morning.

“Why did this happen to my family? All our lives we’ve been using river transportation. Why this time, why us?” Jeluwi, who works in a hotel here, told The Star through tears.

“They were coming down specially to see me. They wanted me to get well soon. I find this so hard to accept.”

Jeluwi last saw her family members at about 10am on Monday.

“My mother’s last words to me were simple. She said, ‘I’m leaving first’,” Jeluwi said.

On whether her family members were aware of safety measures when taking river transport, she replied: “We’ve never used a life jacket in our lives.

“All these years, we never thought we would ever need them. Not just us, it’s normal for everyone I know. We just never knew it could be dangerous.”

Jeluwi is the eldest of three siblings, while Lenny, a student of SK Keseng, was the youngest. The family is from Rh Pandung along Sungai Kakus.

More on: http://thestar.com.my/news/

Credits to and source taken from: http://thestar.com.my/news/

Seven more bodies found in river tragedy

BINTULU: Seven more bodies from the Tatau express boat tragedy were recovered yesterday, bringing the total number of dead to 13.

The body of Undah Engkamat, 23, was the last to be pulled out of the Sungai Anap at 8.50am yesterday.

At 5pm, search and rescue efforts were scaled down. At its peak, 74 personnel from various agencies were involved, with the Tatau district police heading the effort.

Yesterday evening, seven police officers were still at the scene of the accident.

About half were conducting surface search, while the rest were manning a temporary desk, coordinating efforts and in case new reports were lodged.

“After we were able to account for all the people on the boat, according to lodged reports, we called off the full effort,” Tatau police chief Deputy Supt Wan Zaizudin Wan Jaafar said.

“The smaller team continues to work through the night.

“If we find nothing and there are no new reports, we’ll stop the search by noon today.”

The express boat had allegedly collided with the tugboat at a bend in the river at about 2.20pm on Mon­day.

There were 17 survivors.

Meanwhile, a Fire and Rescue Department diver from Kuching Awang Effendi said there was zero visibility in the river because of the mud.

“All we could do was touch and feel the river bed.

“The river itself was very deep. At various points, it was as deep as 30 feet,” Awang said.

He also said the river bed contained a lot of timber logs.

“Because the accident occurred at a sharp bend, the water flow at some parts was circular.

“There was a whirlpool effect, which meant there were a lot of sunken logs.”

In the end, all the bodies recovered were ones that had floated to the surface.

At Bintulu Hospital, there were emotional scenes at the morgue — all the bodies were brought there for next of kin to identify.

Meanwhile, Ting Neng Siik, 58, the pilot of the express boat, was placed under remand by the magistrate’s court here for four days to facilitate police investigations.

Ting surrendered to police on Monday night.