The Third Annual Dramafever 2014 Awards Review

Note: This post was written in early 2015, but was never published until now.

Hello, all, I'm back! Welcome to the Third Annual Dramafever 2014 Awards Review! If I'm not blogging regularly, at least I should blog annual, right? Even though I haven't been keeping up with Wehaiyo!, I have been watching my dramas for the most part. I excited and can't wait to review the awards for last year.

This year, the Dramafever awards location has upgraded to the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Presented by Toyota (Let's Go Places) and Imagine Your Korea (who also hosted the awards last year), the Dramafever awards prove to be on a larger scale than the cramped Highline Ballroom location last year.

First of all, why go to the Dramafever Awards?  Is it that exciting as it is hyped up to be? Well, that depends on whether or not the ticket buyer is starstruck or not. To be honest, I probably wouldn't go to the awards show if there weren't any actual Asian celebrities attending the show. Ticket prices aren't cheap either, going up to $2500 or its discounted price, $1950 in order to secure a Premium VIP Table that seats ten people. Besides getting a great view of the stage, a gift bag, I don't see how else a ticket holder can get his or her money's worth unless he or she drinks it up all night long with cocktails and the use of the full open bar. I heard a lot of people got wasted there and couldn't conduct themselves properly, but that's not my concern. Those people who don't like to drink and are not into celebrities sightings probably won't enjoy the awards show too much. Me? I'm happy with my general admission, second-tier balcony ticket for a discounted price of $25. I suppose I'm too old to be fan girling and getting myself wasted with alcohol. I would have loved to meet more people at the show, but people mostly mingled with their friends, at least, up in the second-tier balcony.

I voted for the Dramafever awards again this year, not half-heartedly this time, but I still feel as thought it isn't a completely fair voting system. All awards show seem to have an unfair element to it anyway. I think it's only fair to vote only if the voter has actually seen all the dramas that were nominated. I have not. Who has watched everything? I think the voter is inclined to vote for the dramas that he or she has seen already or his or her bias. I'm the type of person to tell it like it is no matter how much I like a nominee. It would be very interesting to compare last year's experience to this year's experience.

First, allow me to explain the background. On the awards day, it was snowy and bone-chillingly cold. I could not allow myself to dress in skimpy ways with short skirts and the like. My husband even told me that I should go without make-up and dress normally. How could I do that when I look like that 364 days a year? I'm exaggerating, but it's best to look pretty. All I know is that I won't be dressing like this:

I'm a overwhelmed mom who has to get ready on the go so I choose to look simple, but legging would be a must.

This is actually one of my mom's dresses, haha! I haven't really lost my baby weight, but close enough. Who can I blame? I'm not even trying to diet. The dress that I would love to wear is not fitting me. I always find it boring to dress in black because it seems that everybody wants to dress in black for an awards show, but I simply was not inspired to find another dress.

There would be no way I can make it to the Dramafever Awards early because of work and my baby, but at least I went! As I made my way around Times Square shivering in the cold, I saw two young, Asian ladies who wore black mini-dresses and superior heels walking in front of me and I knew I was in the right place.

Again, similar to last year, there was a problem getting into the venue right away. The staff member who was trying to scan or manually type the tickets couldn't figure out how to find the tickets because somebody had bought the tickets for the girls under a different name. I wasted precious minutes waiting patiently for my turn. Afterwards, I was given a white bracelet.

Then, a cheerful Dramafever greeter took my red carpet picture. I guess she thought that taking only my upper half was great so that was the only picture I have. She also taught me how to activate my camera quickly on the iPhone by flipping the screen upwards from the bottom.

I saw other people snapped a picture of a Dramafever ice sculpture, but I guess I missed it while I was trying to wildly find my way around before the show started.

I knew I had to go to the top section of the theater, but I didn't know where I was going. I started off by moving towards the VIP entrance, where a ticket checker promptly stopped me. Then, he told me to go to another entrance on the side. I passed by two beer/wine tables, but I wasn't sure if it was for VIP members and I had this impression that there will be a separate table upstairs. The ticket checker on the side entrance denied me again and asked me to go back to the red carpet side entrance. At the corner was a lot of "Imagine Your Korea" pamphlets on the table by the stairs.

At the stairs, I am finally allowed into the theater. I made my way up the long tedious staircase, which is really bad for people who have been drinking because, with unlimited drinks on the premises, what if somebody has an accident going up or down this long staircase?

I finally made my way to the top and huffed and puffed to catch my breath. A skinny, beautiful Dramafever awards attendee, who was standing at the top, was enjoying the view. I looked around and realized that there was no assigned seats. If I had come earlier, I could have gotten a better seat at the front, though I can still get a great view from the top seats. I was thrilled to even have a seat because while I was pregnant last year, I almost fainted from standing up too long at the awards.

I asked the skinny, beautiful Dramafever awards attendee if we can sit anywhere and she happily confirmed that we could. Later on, she even sat down a few seats from me in my row with who I believe is her boyfriend. Oddly though, she got up midway during the awards and never came back. Her boyfriend got up a while later and never returned either. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem except that she left her bag next to me and that me me nervous that she wasn't coming back for it. During intermission, I saw her cheerful self again, who finally went to retrieve her bag. She seemed high on alcohol, but I assume her boyfriend would take care of her, though I never saw them again after intermission.

Let's begin by reviewing the awards! I can't wait!

Dramafever Awards Hosts: Arden Cho and George Hu

Continuing from last year, Arden Cho continues to dress impressively at the Dramafever Awards show, changing into three outfits throughout the evening. She still made a few mistakes during the night and it was confusing and entertaining to see her present an award before the nominees were announced.

George Hu spoke impressive English throughout the night. I didn't know he had such great English skills and his charisma took center stage throughout the evening. I'm still watching his drama, The Prince of Lan Ling, where his character seems to be underused, but I can't seem to get myself to watch a drama where he is the main character. Taiwanese dramas could be overly silly, but perhaps, I will watch George Hu's dramas one day.

Arden and George recreated a popular "Pinocchio" toast kiss scene where Arden is holding a piece of toast in her mouth, but George failed to secure the "kiss."

First Presenters: Dan and Mike Chen from the "Double Chen" Youtube show.

I've always enjoyed watching the Double Chen show that parodies Asian, mostly Chinese, culture. It is educational, but mostly fun videos on Asian culture. They will be joining Dramafever in the DramaFever Studios with their "Double Chen Report" show coming soon.

Dan and Mike appropriately presented the awards for "Best Bromance." Actually, I think Dan and Mike have a pretty awesome bromance themselves, but too bad they are not included in the nominations.

BEST BROMANCE

Love Family, Chris Wang & Jack Li
It's Okay That's Love, Sung Dong Il & Lee Kwang Soo
High School - Love On, Nam Woo Hyun & Lee Sung Yeol
Perfect Couple, Wallace Huo & Huang Ming
Sly and Single Again, Joo Sang Wook & Seo Kang Joon
ST: Scientific Task Force, Okada Masaki & Fujiwara Tatsuya

WINNER: Sly and Single Again, Joo Sang Wook & Seo Kang Joon

All I can say about this one is, "huh?" I admit, I was watching Sly and Single Again, peeking here and there while my husband was watching it, but I saw almost no bromance in this drama between Joo Sang Wook's character and Seo Kang Joon's character. I can't say anything about ST: Scientific Task Force, but I have seen the other dramas. I'm not sure who should have won for best bromance, but I definitely would not have picked Sly and Single Again. My idea of a bromance is to have the guys on an equal level, supporting each other so I probably would have picked It's Okay That's Love's Sung Dong Il and Lee Kwang Soo because at least their characters knew how to retaliate against each other.

RISING STAR

Temptation, Lee Jung Shin
Doctor Stranger, Kang So Ra
Bride of the Century, Yang Jin Sung
High School - Love On, Kim Sae Ron
My Lovable Girl, Kim Myung Soo (L)
Love Myself or You, Jasper Liu

WINNER: Temptation, Lee Jung Shin 

What's going on here? I admit that actor Lee Jung Shin did a great job, but there were definitely other winners in my mind. I think Kang So Ra's performance in Doctor Stranger was impressive and she was so strikingly beautiful that I felt that she should have been the main lead instead of Jin Se Yeon. Furthermore, I could not believe Yang Jin Sung did not win for Bride of the Century. She had to act in two roles for that drama and she pulled it off so well. For somebody who previously played a side role in City Hunger, Yang Jin Sung was hardly on my mind as a main lead in a drama. She definitely deserves a Rising Star award for Bride of the Century.

We now take a break to see a fun Nutty Nomad video: If You Could Live in K-Drama for One Day. This seems to be a huge hit with the audience.

My favorite part would be when Christina parks her car any way she likes to because it's Drama Land! The chance of getting a random phone call from a hot guy? Nah. I think cat fights are more part of American culture than Korean culture, unless it is a school bully drama.

FAN FAVORITE

Fated to Love You, Jang Hyuk
Discovery of Romance, Eric Moon
Trot Lovers, Jung Eun Ji
It's Okay That's Love, Jo In Sung
Roommate, Park Bom
Blade Man, Lee Dong Wook

WINNER: It's Okay That's Love, Jo In Sung

I don't really have too much of an opinion for fan favorite because this award is a true fan vote. I do like the fact that Jo In Sung won because he really did a great job playing a healthy man degrading into a schizophrenia. His heartfelt performances continue to touch my heart.

BEST ACTRESS

Emergency Couple, Song Ji Hyo
My Lovely Girl, Krystal Jung
Tomorrow's Cantabile, Shim Eun-kyung
The Time In Between, Adriana Ugarte
It's Okay That's Love, Gong Hyo Jin
Angel Eyes, Gu Hye Sun

WINNER: Emergency Couple, Song Ji Hyo

Wow! I'm actually very happy for Song Ji Ho's win. She was up for some tough competition against Gong Hyo Jin in my opinion. It seems that the Dramafever crowd cheered the loudest for Gong Hyo Jin. I thought Song Ji Ho pulled off her role very well in Emergency Couple. The Emergency Couple audience got to see a full range of emotions from this character as she struggled to put her life back together after a painful divorce.

At this point of the awards show, Arden and George mentioned about getting a free gift for all the attendees and also a free gift under select seats for those attendees who are sitting in the upper level. In the second-tier balcony, nobody got a gift under their seats. I wonder what the gift is for those who got it.

And now, for a musical distraction: 5urprise performs the song, "Hey U, Come On."

These actor-singer idols were all in the 2013 drama, After School: Lucky or Not where they play a bunch of high school students doing all sorts of mysterious, weird antics. They also remind me of the American fictional boyband, 2gether.

BEST KISS

Joseon Gunman, Nam Sang Mi and Lee Joon Ki
It's Okay That's Love, Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung
Doctor Stranger, Jin Se Yeon and Lee Jong Suk
I Need Romance 3, Kim So Yeon and Sung Joon
Fall In Love With Me, Tia Li and Aaron Yan
Tomorrow's Cantabile, Shim Eun Kyung and Joo Won

WINNER: It's Okay That's Love, Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung 

Actually, I'm not sure how some of the nominees for this category was picked. Some of these kisses from the nominees look too uncomfortable for me to watch. Any kiss from Lee Joon Ki makes me feel squirmy because of his feminine looks. He plays a manly character in Joseon Gunman, but I don't want to see him kiss anyone. Tia Lee and Aaron Yan's kiss in Fall In Love With Me was good except their environment and situation was weird. I think it's weird to kiss half naked in the middle of a forest (with a paparazzi man taking pictures of them on the side in secret). In addition, Aaron's character is engaged to another woman so to make out like this when he's about to get married make me feel uncomfortable. I am not feeling any chemistry between Shim Eun Kyung and Joo Won in Tomorrow's Cantabile and they didn't really kiss either. Jin Se Yeon and Lee Jong Suk's Doctor Stranger kiss also made me confused and uncomfortable because I really wanted Lee Jong Suk's character to be with Kang So Ra's character instead. Besides, Lee Jong Suk and Jin Se Yeon's chemistry was so mild throughout the drama.

By process of elimination, this leaves the I Need Romance 3 or It's Okay That's Love kiss. I'm more looking for the true love type of kiss to be a winner in this category. If anybody has seen Jo In Sung kiss, he or she would know that he is a passionate kisser. I'm still thinking about his role in That Winter, The Wind Blows. I think Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung appropriately won in this category.

At this time, Dramafever is promoting their Dramafever Studios. They are trying to expand on their Youtube channel. I am the most excited for the Double Chen Report as I previously mentioned (to debut on Valentines Day, February 14th!

Youtube Dramafever personalities, Mister Popo (K-Trend)  and Feiii (Fridays with Feiii) came out to present the next awards.

BEST MOVIE

Secretly Greatly
Architecture 101
Always
The Huntresses
The Fatal Encounter
The Face Reader

WINNER: Secretly Greatly

I don't understand how the nominees were picked. Most of these movies wouldn't make nomination status in my opinion. The Huntresses was absolutely the most terrible movie nominated. It was so terrible that I lost interest, fell asleep, and then waited a long while before watching the second half of the movie. It was terribly cheesy and had a lot of nonsense. The Fatal Encounter was so difficult to follow and understand that I lost interest and never finished the other half of the movie even though it was Hyun Bin's comeback-from-the-army movie. Secretly Greatly, The Face Reader, and Architecture 101 was too sad for my liking. This leaves the film, Always, to be the winner in my opinion. I liked how despite a dreary, sad theme about a man who almost lost all hope, I couldn't help but watch until the end to see how So Ji Sub's character turned out in the end. After watching the whole movie, I realized that I wouldn't mind watching it again. This movie can be in the rerun category.

BEST CHINESE LANGUAGE DRAMA

Say I Do Again
Love Myself or You?
Fall in Love with Me
Aim High
In a Good Way
Prince of Lan Ling

WINNER: Fall in Love with Me

Maybe, Dramafever shouldn't call this category the best Chinese Language drama, but the best Taiwanese drama. All the nominees are Taiwanese dramas. I have only watched Prince of Lan Ling, Love Myself or You?, and Fall in Love with Me so far, only completing Fall in Love with Me. The drama, Fall in Love with Me, really had potential, but the plot and common sense died midway and the drama got worse and worse until it spiraled out of control. Because of the way the plot went, I really can't give Fall in Love with Me the final win despite seeing popular actors, Aaron Yan and Tia Li. I believe the Prince of Lan Ling had potential to win for its heroic plot and beautiful leads, Feng Shao Feng and Ariel Lin. I barely watched half way, but I love the drama! I can't comment on the other nominees since I didn't watch it so I can only vote based on what I have seen so far.

BEST JAPANESE DRAMA

I wonder why the category for Chinese drama had to include the word, "language," in the category, but the Korean and Japanese dramas have that word omitted. I feel like Dramafever is making the Chinese dramas stand out for no special reason.

After the awards show was over, I realized that there was a star I haven't seen: Hudson Yang from the American television series, Fresh Off the Boat. Why wasn't he a presenter? I guess he was just a VIP guest. Sadly, I could not attend the awards show earlier to see all the celebrities walk the red carpet.

The Hours of My Life
All About My Siblings
ST: Scientific Task Force
Love Affairs in the Afternoon
Partners by Blood
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

WINNER: Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

I can't comment too much on this category because I haven't been watching Japanese dramas. I have, however, saw some of The Hours of My Life and thought that it was such a sad drama. It's interesting to see Yuki Furukawa, the lead actor of Mischievour Kiss: Love in Tokyo, deliver his speech in Japanese (and the interpreter didn't understand Japanese) and then in English. He mentioned that he lived in New Year nine years ago so he was able to speak English. Bravo!

We have now arrived at Intermission. I saw Arden Cho come out to take more pictures in her second dress of the night, the black and white sparkling dress, but I didn't have any space left in my phone to capture the pictures. I went up to the bartender and asked what was good. Without smiling, the bartender asked me if I wanted red or white wine. I asked for red wine. The wine was strong! I suppose it was strong because I didn't eat dinner and had an empty stomach. Going back up the stairs was a bit scary. I'm still scared other people might fall down the long stairway. I spent the rest of the intermission enjoying my wine, looking at the stage, and looking at other people. The second-tier balcony wasn't for mingling. People were more interested in lining up for the bathroom.

Once intermission ended, 5urprise came back out to sing "From My Heart," a heartfelt song. This song really sticks in my mind.

Arden and George came back on stage with new outfits to present Favorite Dramafever Moments recreated by the fans. The Dramafever Fan Reanactment Challenge winner, Marisa Luckie from San Antonio, Texas, came onstage to present the next award.

CAMRY BOLDEST MOMENT

God’s Gift – 14 Days
Fated to Love You
Temptation
You’re All Surrounded
Emergency Couple
The Hours of My Life

WINNER: Emergency Couple

I'm not sure what would be considered a Camry's "boldest" moment, but I suppose Song Ji Hyo won because her character was so strong despite the fact that she was ridiculed for starting her medical career so "late" in life. I haven't seen God's Gift -- 14 Days, but that scene was so intense when actress Lee Bo Young unsuspectingly pulled out a knife. Based on the nomination video, I would definitely pick God's Gift -- 14 Days as the winner. I honestly thought the Temptation scene was bold too because it's not every day a rich person offers one thousand million won (one million US dollars!) to spend three days with someone with a one hour to think about it and make a decision. I would consider Temptation a runner-up for this award.

BEST COUPLE:

Emergency Couple, Song Ji Hyo and Choi Jin Hyuk
Joseon Gunman, Nam Sang Mi and Lee Joon Ki
It's Okay That's Love, Gong Hyo Jin and Jo In Sung
Tomorrow's Cantabile, Shim Eun Kyung and Joo Won
Fated to Love You, Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo, Miki Honoka and Furukawa Yuki

WINNER: Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo, Miki Honoka and Furukawa Yuki

It was a sweet win for Furukawa Yuki and Miki Honoka. Since Miki Honoka was not present for the award, she gave Furukawa Yuki her acceptance letter and Furukawa Yuki read it to the audience. I thought that was so sweet of Miki Honoka to compose a letter in English for her fans and the Dramafever audience. Unfortunately, out of all the nominees, none of the couples came to my mind to win this award.

BEST ACTOR:

Tomorrow's Cantabile, Joo Won
It's Okay That's Love, Jo In Sung
Emergency Couple, Choi Jin Hyuk
Joseon Gunman, Lee Joon Ki
Pinocchio, Lee Jong Suk
My Lovely Girl, Rain

WINNER: It's Okay That's Love, Jo In Sung

Honestly, I'm not all that suprised. Jo In Sung took on another ultimate role as a person with schizophrenia. This role required him to have so many layers on emotion. On the outside, his character seemed okay, but his world is constantly shattered by guilt for his brother, his illness, and his love. Without him, I'm not sure if the drama could be as touching. He seems to be impressing me every time I see him in a drama. Bravo!

It is time for a mini break for Dramafever to show us what type of dramas and movies are in store for 2015. How many movies can you identify?

BEST VARIETY SHOW

Running Man
We Got Married
2 Days 1 Night
Infinity Challenge
Roommate

WINNER: Running Man

Am I really that surprised? Running Man is the most popular variety show. I must admit that I don't watch the other variety shows all that much, but I can definitely say that Running Man gave me some good laughs at times.

BEST KOREAN DRAMA

Last, but not least, one of the highlights of the evening:

Emergency Couple
It's Okay That's Love
Tomorrow's Cantabile
Angel Eyes
Joseon Gunman

WINNER: Emergency Couple

I'm pretty darn proud that Emergency Couple won best Korean drama of the year. It also doesn't hurt that I "Hallyu Zombie" reviewed the drama right on Wehaiyo! The drama had a great list of underrated talented actors: Choi Jin Hyuk, Song Ji Hyo, Lee Pil Mo (Rapper Pilmo is what I affectionally call him because his name sounds like a name for a rapper to me.), and many more.

The drama lacked heavy romance, but in a divorce type of story line, how much of a romance can one expect? Compared to the other best drama contenders, Emergency Couple has the right amount of romance for a romantic comedy with our main couple fighting each other, caring for each other, being confused, and immersed into the emergency room full of medical drama.

Angel Eyes, also slightly a medical drama since Gu Hye Sun is an EMT and Lee Sang Yoon is a surgeon, in my opinion, was a bit too heavy on the romance, which sort of suffocated me.

It's Okay That's Love comes in close as a winner as well because the story line is very unique and interesting with a huge plot twist combined with amazingly talented actors. The story could drag on at times and if a viewer doesn't pay attention, they may miss many important details that lead to the twist in the story. The romance is also on the light realm compared to the other contenders.

Emergency Couple allowed Choi Jin Hyuk to rise up to leading actor status and introduced us to the awesome Lee Pil Mo, who is as cute as a bear. I can't wait to see them more in future dramas. More importantly, Emergency Couple revives drama enthusiasts to watch more medical dramas. May I also say that Choi Jin Hyuk's character, Oh Chang Min, has the most awesome Korean apartment ever?

I can now sadly announce that the Dramafever Awards has come to an end. With that said, I can't wait to review more dramas next year! See you all then.

The Sunshine Award - Me?

Hello Wehaiyo readers!

This blog is not dead, but on hiatus since I have no idea how to juggle my life with a newborn child. Haha. There's so many dramas I've seen and so many reviews I haven't written yet, but believe me, I am watching them (on my spare time, perhaps 20 minutes at a time).

Why am I writing this post?

My good buddy Zombiemama nominated me for The Sunshine Award as if I deserve one! I'm not sure how many people I have inspired by providing Wehaiyo!, but I suppose at least one person is enough!

As copied from Zombiemama's website:

The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers who are positive, inspiring and spread a little sunshine with their blogs. It’s kind of like an online chain letter, but spreads happiness and light instead of ominous threats of bad luck. :)

The Guidelines:

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Answer the questions from the person who nominated you.
• Nominate a few other bloggers.
• Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you nominated.
• Notify the bloggers on their blog.
• Put the award button on your blog.

I would like to thank Zombiemama for the nomination. Would it be bad luck if I broke the chain? I am on hiatus after all. Anyway, onto the questions.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I think I'd stay right where I am. I often think about this question and while I do like to travel, I'd like to travel and then come back home to what is familiar to me. I'd like to own a house someday though.

What was the best concert, gig, performance, or festival you’ve ever been to?

I think the 2011 SMTown concert was the best Kpop concert I've ever attended. I am a SM fan after all and the staff bumped my seat to the more expensive middle section where I had a great view! I almost cried watching SNSD take the stage.

What is your go-to karaoke/noraebang song (or your hairbrush-mic in the mirror song if you’re shy)?

Eh~ I'm actually really bad at singing or remembering lyrics. I really can't say!

CNBlue 2014 Concert

Choose one: Would you want to be a rock star or a movie star?

Ideally, I'd like to do a little of both. Korean rockstars such as FTIsland's Hongki and all the CNBlue members are acting so why not? Though, if I had to choose, I'd probably choose to be a rockstar and hope I'd get some side movie roles. Music is what touches people and that's what I love about it.

If money or time was not a concern, what one thing would you love to try or learn how to do?

I'd like to start my own language school, starting with Korean and Chinese.

Who was your very first celebrity crush?

It's really hard to say. I don't remember! He's definitely an older figure though.

The Second Annual Dramafever 2013 Awards Review

Dramafever, one of the most prominent online Korean drama streaming services decided to host their second annual Dramafever awards live in New York at the Highline Ballroom. Special MC, Arden Cho, was set to host the awards as well as special guests: Taiwanese actor Chris Wang (Love Me or Leave Me) and Korean actress Park Shin Hye (Heirs). There was also a mystery guest at the Dramafever awards. Special guests, music group, Magnetic North and Taiyo Na also performed at the event.

I must admit that I wasn't initially interested in seeing the Dramafever awards live because it wasn't exciting enough for me. Besides, I had to pay a ticket just to see it live. When Park Shin Hye was announced as one of the special guests, I bought my tickets early. I think it would be fun to see her semi-up-close.

As for the nominees, I half-heartedly voted because the nominees aren't particularly the choices I would pick as the best of Dramafever. The drama Heirs was noticably nominated for a lot of awards, but I expected it since Dramafever has a co-production deal with the Heirs production team, which is why Dramafever held the special Dramafever screening event in New York City.

I voted only once, but each person can vote up to once a day for his and her favorites. I believe the actual voting system itself is biased and flawed so I treated the winning results with a grain of salt.

The awards show is from 7:00PM-10:00PM in the evening, but I think even around 7:30PM, I was still standing on line waiting to get inside. Traffic was crazy that day in New York City and I wished that the Dramafever event wasn't held on a weekday. I even ran over a deep pothole, which I believed damaged my new car. I also bought standing-only, cheap tickets so I had to scarf down some tacos before I even attempt to show up at the awards show. I am pregnant after all and there is no way I would last through the awards without having a bite.

I was surprised that a lot of Dramafever vloggers such as Mister Popo and Nutty Nomads were invited to be guests at the Dramafever awards and even Dramafever staff presented the awards, but the Dramafever writers were largely ignored. I haven't reviewed any dramas for Dramafever in a long time, but at least the Dramafever veterans such as Tanya from Hallyu Know, who bought a ticket and came all the way to the Dramafever awards should also have a shot at being a presenter. It would have gave Dramafever writers the hope that writers also important too in the Dramafever community.

While I waited on the line outside, Colleen from Dramafever gave us a #DFAwardsToyota paper so that we would get some kind of special photo cards from Dramafever if we participated in hashtagging our photos of ourselves on social media. Check out the Dramafever Gallery for a collection of all pictures with this hashtag.

A man checked IDs to make sure my husband and I were over 18 years old and then stamped our wrists with a star. Later on, I had to give my ticket to the staff before entering and upon checking my star upstairs, another staff member gave me a drink ticket. Honestly, I would really prefer a non-alcoholic drink so my ticket went unused. I would have gave away my ticket to anyone who wanted it.

 

Before I move on, let's talk about my outfit. It was simple and I did not wear a dress. I really wanted to, but my pregnant self cannot fit into any of my existing dresses. Therefore, I chose my Von Vonni dress shirt paired with simple black leggings. I didn't see many people wear red carpet style dresses, but being simplly dressed is enough because it was so dark and crowded inside the ballroom. I doubt anyone was paying attention too much to what everybody else was wearing. I wore glasses instead of contacts simply because I forgot to bring my contacts. Again, I wish the event was on a weekend so I could actually prepare instead of rushing over to the event after work.

Once upstairs into the "ballroom" (I say that because the venue does not look like an actual ballroom), I picked up some Korean tourism books while passing by and they were one of the sponsors at the event. To my right was Dramafever merchandise for sale and in front of me is a picture station with a DF background. I didn't have time for that since the show already started and I was late.

To my left was the ballroom and it was packed and full of people! Arden Cho was already MCing the event and sadly, I didn't recognize her at first glance. I realized that Arden Cho is a beautiful woman and perhaps, dare I say, more beautiful than Park Shin Hye herself, though Arden looked more like a mature, beautiful person, who looked pretty in all of her dresses that night.

Sorry all, I was so far in the back that I didn't get any good shots of the presenters, VIPS, or anyone else. As I mentioned, the pictures in the Dramafever Gallery are way better than my pictures.

Before I move on to more presenters, let's take a break with a Secret song: Movie Star. Let's set the mood minus what negativity this song might bring (as the lyrics speak of the pressures of being a movie star).

Presenters:

Arden Cho, MC

Chris Wang, Taiwanese Actor

Because of Chris Wang's slick hair that night, I am reminded of HK entertainer Aaron Kwok.

Dramafever Staff Presenters

Sorry, I didn't remember their names. Sorry for such bad pictures.

Jeremy Oppa, Dramafever Staff Member, and Arden Cho

Jeremy Oppa says that one of the most common questions that he gets for his "Ask Oppa" column is people requesting Lee Min Ho's personal phone number.

Mystery Guest: Kang Gary, Korean Entertainer

Actually, Stephanie, blogger from Crazy for Kdrama tipped me off with her Instagram photo at the Dramafever awards show. I really thought she was joking, but she wasn't. Here he is, very cool and all, surrounded by pretty ladies. He promises that he will try to win best kiss next year and will work hard so that he can be at the Dramafever awards again.

Guest Musical Group: Magnetic North

I liked their music video for Home:Word, but I went out to buy some Dramafever merchandise when they were playing. They sounded good though from afar.

Mister Popo, Vlogger, with a Dramafever Staff Member

Sorry, I didn't catch the name of the staff member who presented and even interpreted for Park Shin Hye.

Nutty Nomads, Vloggers

I'm surprised that they came all the way to the east coast for the Dramafever awards. It would have been fun if they covered the "red carpet" event. I'm not sure if there was one since I came late.

Park Shin Hye, Korean actress

I feel bad that I did not capture any flattering pictures of her. At least I have videos!

Now, it's time to talk about the winners:

I don't remember the award sequence so I will just pick the category order myself. Acceptance speech videos may be found on the Dramafever's Youtube page.

Hottest Eye Candy

Song Seung Hun, When a Man Loves 
Kim Woo Bin, Heirs
Chris Wu, Substitute Princess 
Lee Joon Ki, Two Weeks
Kwon Sang Woo, Queen of Ambition 
Hwang Chan Sung, Level 7 Civil Servant

WINNER: Kim Woo Bin, Heirs

Personally, I would have voted for Song Seung Hun any day. He's just too hot to handle in my opinion. I didn't watch When a Man Loves yet, but everyone seems to be say it's a really bad drama.

Most Feels

Good Doctor 
That Winter, the Wind Blows 
The Suspicious Housekeeper 
The Master’s Sun 
Two Weeks 
Who Are You

WINNER: The Master's Sun

Another problem of the voting process is that I never watched all the dramas that were nominated. I voted for That Winter, the Wind Blows because that is such a sad drama overall. The whole drama gave me a hopeless feeling. I do understand that The Master's Sun would give the viewer all different range of emotions including a lot of scary ones. I am not brave enough to watch this drama yet.

Best Variety Show 

Running Man 
Infinity Challenge 
Barefoot Friends 
2 Days 1 Night 
Hwasin: Controller of the Heart 
We Got Married (Global Edition)

WINNER: Running Man

I love how Kang Gary is our mystery guest of the night. His acceptance speech at the end signals his entrance onto the Dramafever awards stage accompanied by two pretty ladies. Honestly, I love the variety show Running Man a lot and it's the only variety show that makes me laugh so hard that I can't breathe.

Best Ensemble 

Nail Shop Paris 
Dating Agency: Cyrano 
The Suspicious Housekeeper 
Answer Me 1994 
Flower Boy Next Door 
Good Doctor

WINNER: Flower Boy Next Door 

I really thought it was going to be Answer Me 1994, because the cast was so strong. I have a suspicion that a bunch of fan girls must have voted for Flower Boy Next Door a lot to have the cast win for best ensemble. Honestly, there was a lot of eye candy, I guess, but I don't think the cast was as strong as Answer Me 1994.

Best Bromance

Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin, Heirs 
Jo Yoon Woo and Hong Jong Hyun, Dating Agency: Cyrano 
Kim Bum and Jo In Sung, That Winter, the Wind Blows 
Wen Sheng Hao and Xue Shi Ling, Substitute Princess 
Kang Ui Sik and Park Kyu Sun, Monstar
Lee Kwang Soo and Kim Jong Kook, Running Man

WINNER: Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin, Heirs 

There doesn't seem to be any competition in this category. It's almost a sure-win for Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin. Actually, they don't have much of a bromance in the drama, Heirs, because they are busy fighting each other until almost the end of the drama. I really wouldn't call that a bromance, but a frenemy of sorts. Sadly, I don't think I would pick anybody else to win though.

Best Bad Boy

Kim Woo Bin, Heirs
Kim Nam Gil, Shark
Jung Kyung Ho, Heartless City
No Min Woo, Sword and Flower
Yong Joon Hyung, Monstar
Yamada Yuki, Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

WINNER: Jung Kyung Ho, Heartless City



I'm really looking forward to watching Heartless City because Jung Kyung Ho seems to play such an intense character. I am definitely not going to dispute Jung Kyung Ho's win as the best bad boy.

Best Couple Not Meant to Be

Song Ji Hyo and Kang Gary, Running Man
Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin, Heirs
Jung Yong Hwa and Yoon Eun Hye, Marry Him If You Dare
Lee Yeon Hee and Choi Jin Hyuk, Gu Family Book
Lee Bo Young and Yoon Sang Hyun, I Hear Your Voice
Miki Honoka and Yamada Yuki, Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

WINNER: Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin, Heirs

After watching and reviewing I Hear Your Voice, I have a soft spot for the Lee Bo Young and Lee Sang Hyun pairing. The drama, I Hear Your Voice, was a deal breaker for me because the two never ended up together. If I didn't have to review this drama, I might have stopped watching. The fans, however, picked Park Shin Hye and Kim Woo Bin. While I do feel that Kim Woo Bin's character liked Park Shin Hye's character, I don't think Park Shin Hye's character ever considered his character as boyfriend material. At least, I felt that Lee Bo Young and Lee Sang Hyun's character could have had a relationship if Jung Woong In's character, Min Joon Gook, didn't interfere in their lives.

Best Couple

Bae Su Ji (Suzy) and Lee Seung Gi, Gu Family Book
Krystal Jung and Kang Min Hyuk, Heirs
Takei Emi and Matsuda Shota, A Clinic on the Sea
Lee Bo Young and Lee Jong Suk, I Hear Your Voice
Miki Honoka and Furukawa Yuki, Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo
Annie Chen and George Hu, Love Around

WINNER: Krystal Jung and Kang Min Hyuk, Heirs

I didn't watch most of these dramas, but it seems like our best winning couple is appropriate. I did find the Krystal Jung and Kang Min Hyuk pairing cute and fun. They weren't the main couple, but I enjoyed all their scenes in Heirs. If there was ever a side drama, they both should star in it.

Best Kiss

Shin Se Kyung and Yeon Woo Jin, When a Man Loves
Moon Chae Won and Joo Won, Good Doctor
Lee Ji Eun (IU) and Jang Geun Suk, Pretty Man
Song Ji Hyo and Kang Gary, Running Man
Bae Su Ji (Suzy) and Lee Seung Gi, Gu Family Book
Jeon Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun, My Love from Another Star

WINNER: Song Ji Hyo and Kang Gary, Running Man

Actually, I'm not sure who to pick in this category because I don't consider any of these kisses worthy of being nominated for an award. I think the audience voted for Song Ji Hyo and Kang Gary because they enjoy seeing what could have been between them. I think it's cute and entertaining (for us).

Best Actor

Lee Min Ho, Heirs
Joo Won, Good Doctor
So Ji Sub, The Master’s Sun
Jung Kyung Ho, Heartless City
Jo In Sung, That Winter, the Wind Blows
Matsuda Shota, A Clinic on the Sea

WINNER: Lee Min Ho, Heirs

Video at the awards with crowd reaction:

I am not surprised that Lee Min Ho won since Dramafever was promoting him like crazy. There is no doubt that Lee Min Ho is a great actor, but I honestly don't think his role in Heirs is enough to give him the win. His character, Kim Tan, is so helpless and impulsive that it could be off putting for the audience. I think die-hard fans simply voted every day to make Lee Min Ho a winner. Of the dramas that I have seen, Joo Won and Jo In Sung are very worthy to win this award as well. Joo Won played a difficult role of a autistic doctor with savant syndrome. I think about all the times Joo Won had to act with one shoulder higher than the other with a vacant expression on his face and I think he's a winner. For Jo In Sung, I am still falling for his crying scenes where his character is deep in desperation to live and save the one he loves. I think his performance is very memorable.

Best Actress

Lee Ji Eun (IU), You’re the Best, Lee Soon Shin
Im Yoon Ah, The Prime Minister and I
Michelle Jenner, Isabel (Season 2)
Bae Su Ji (Suzy), Gu Family Book
Jeon Ji Hyun, My Love From Another Star
Park Shin Hye, Heirs

WINNER: Park Shin Hye, Heirs

As I mentioned before for best actor, I also feel as if Park Shin Hye won for the same reason that Dramafever was promoting her and the drama, Heirs, like crazy. Her role in Heirs wasn't that awe-inspiring and I thought it was forgettable. I think of all actresses, I think Jeon Ji Hyun is worthy of winning of the award for her role of Chun Song Yi. I think it's a talent for Jeon Ji Hyun to act pompous and conceited to the point where she annoys me. She certainly got my attention in My Love From Another Star. Though, from another standpoint, if Park Shin Hye didn't win this award, would she come to the Dramafever awards? I'm thankful that she came out to meet her fans in New York.

Best Cinematography

The Prime Minister and I
A Clinic on the Sea
Isabel (Season 2)
The Master’s Sun
Shark
IRIS 2

WINNER: The Master’s Sun

The Master's Sun seems to appropriately win for this category. I haven't seen a lot of these dramas, but from the footage that I have seen so far for this drama, I think it's very creative and scary.

Best Drama

Heirs
Good Doctor
The Master’s Sun
You’re the Best, Lee Soon Shin
Gu Family Book
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo

WINNER: Heirs

Park Shin Hye's live acceptance speech for Heirs:

Why am I not surprised? As I have been mentioning, Heirs has been promoted by Dramafever like crazy since Dramafever is co-producing the drama. My favorite 2013 drama is Nine: Nine Time Travels with its many plot twists and turns but that drama isn't even nominated for an award. I didn't enjoy watching Heirs that much even though I watched every episode as it became available. The plot was going nowhere and the characters were very helpless and boring. Lastly, I had a hard time believing that this is what high school life is about. It's surreal.

After the ceremony awards was over, Park Shin Hye appeared on stage once again for an interview with Arden Cho. During the first part of the Q&A, Arden asked some general questions about Park Shin Hye's life as an actress. I honestly think Park Shin Hye can understand English because she reacted to Arden Cho's questions right away.

Then, we all watched an Heirs clip where Kim Tan and Cha Eun Sung were running away from some thugs in California. They also watched the sun set in Los Angeles. Arden Cho continued to ask questions afterwards.

Afterwards, some lucky fans get to come up on stage to personally ask Park Shin Hye a question. I'm not sure what happened, but all the fans who came up were female. I would have liked to see a male fan come up to ask a question. It was also funny that Park Shin Hye didn't know where Puerto Rico is located as one of her fans is from Puerto Rico. Park Shin Hye thought that Puerto Rico was part of Mexico. Each fan who came up on stage gets a unique gift from Park Shin Hye as well. Personally, I would have loved to receive the Heirs script book that Park Shin Hye gave to one of the fans.

Park Shin Hye ended up singing twice at the event. During the awards ceremony, Park Shin Hye came out to sing her song, "Story," from the drama, Heirs. I still have this song in my head now.

To conclude the event, after the Q&A session ended, Park Shin Hye sang "The Day We Fell In Love" from the Heartstrings soundtrack. I love both these songs from Park Shin Hye.

In between moments, I tried to go to the merchandise area to buy some Dramafever T-shirts, but nobody took action to help me and I couldn't identify the staff. When I finally identified staff members who wore badges around their necks, they were all helping other people and I couldn't wait because I didn't want to miss what was happening in the ballroom. Within this time, I overheard that if a customer buys two shirts, the customer would receive a poster for free.

I came back later on and wanted to buy couple T-shirts: one for my husband and one for me. I asked a staff member for a medium size T-shirt in men's size and he took forever to locate men's shirts. I stepped aside to watch the event while he looked for it, but he forgot about me afterwards. When I asked him again if he found the shirt, he said that he did and thought that I left when I was still standing relatively close by. Another female staff member rang me up and I gave her a credit card. I picked the Running Man poster as my free gift because it was all in rainbow and I love Running Man. What I didn't know was that the male staff member gave me two female shirts instead of one men and women's shirt. When I got home, my husband couldn't squeeze into his medium shirt and I was pretty upset and disappointed. I wonder if they even sold men's sizes in the first place. The shirts were $25 dollar each and if I had the physical receipt instead of the emailed receipt, I would have immediately saw the error of buying two women's shirts.

Dramafever Friends!

It's nice to meet my Dramafever pal, Adell, once again at a Dramafever event. I was actually standing behind her in line, but since it has been a long time since we've met, I kept wondering if she was Adell. Adell's English accent sounded familiar, but she didn't seem to recognize me so I wonder if I'd make a fool of myself if I assumed that she was Adell. Anyway, she was Adell! Adell went around taking pictures with all the VIPs. She had a lovely outfit on as well. Very dressy.

Even though my feet were swollen from standing more than three hours, I couldn't leave the Dramafever event without seeking my reviewing partner, Tanya from Hallyu Know, who recently attended the L.A. K-Pop Festival as a special Dramafever guest at the event. Tanya then introduced me to Martina and Gina, both who are also Dramafever writers. It's a Dramafever live drama club meetup! So exciting.

I'm sorry that I couldn't stick around longer to meet more people because my legs were killing me. I look for another opportunity to meet you all in the future! I honestly never saw an awards show where people stand around. I had to look over everyone's heads and I think Dramafever should have seats next time so that everyone can have a good view. I felt bad for those who paid seats to see the event because their views were obstructed by people who were standing. I heard some people who were up on the balcony complaining because they claimed that they couldn't see the stage very well. I'm also not a fan of the Highline Ballroom in general, but I wish Dramafever the best in growing the Dramafever awards into something even bigger every year.

To conclude the review, I now have two Dramafever T-shirts. I feel like I can play duel roles in a drama like Bride of a Century.

Smart Karen

Frazzled Karen