Stephen King's Novel

THIS SECTION IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Carrie was the book that catapulted an unknown writer named Stephen King into fame. A teacher who wrote short stories for magazines out of love (and a need for cash), King began writing what eventually became Carrie, but found himself dissatisfied with the result. He liked neither the Carrie nor Sue characters, and felt as if he were in uncharted territory on "Planet Female," a terrain he was unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. As King said in his book, On Writing, "I couldn't see wasting two weeks, maybe even a month, creating a novella I didn't like and wouldn't be able to sell. So I threw it away."

Thankfully, his wife, Tabby fished the pages out of the trash and insisted that he finish the story. "You've got something here," she said. "I really think you do." Reluctantly, King finished the story for his wife... and the rest, as they say, is history.

While it wasn't an overnight sensation, King goes on to say that it was sort of forgotten about after it was first published, he initially saw a $2,500 advance... and was eventually sold to Signet Books for $400,000 (half of which, went to King).

Here's an excerpt of King's introduction to the audio book, where he gives a little more insight into the creation of the novel:



Two years after the book was first published, a film was made based on his novel. And the rest, as they say, is history... Although his name was misspelled "Steven" in many of the materials for the film, he became so well-known for CARRIE that he eventually became known as "the master of horror." Not bad for a novel that he originally intended to throw away!

Click here for a clip from a 2007 interview where King discusses writing the novel and it's origins.

The novel's been reprinted countless times over the years. Here's some different variations of the cover from around the world, many of which feature Sissy Spacek, since she's been synonymously linked with the character:

Dakota Fanning as Jane of the Volturi New Moon Poster

June 4, 2009 · 60 Comments

in Jane, Poster

Here’s a pretty nice fanmade New Moon poster that shows Dakota Fanning as Jane of the Volturi. Although it doesn’t quite match up with the vision of Jane that we’ve seen a brief glimpse of from the set in Italy, it still looks pretty neat. It was sent in my NMM.org reader James.

{ 60 Comments }

New Moon Poster in Latest Issue of Twist Magazine

June 3, 2009 · 100 Comments

in Poster

Be sure to check out the latest issue of Twist Magazine for this custom made New Moon fold-out poster that is included! Check out the photograph for a look at what you can expect.

[thanks, Candace!]

{ 100 Comments }

New Moon Poster: Edward and Bella Embrace

June 2, 2009 · 136 Comments

in Poster

Here’s a pretty good fan-made New Moon poster which shows Edward Cullen in a white dress shirt and Bella Swan in a strapless dress in a romantic embrace under an Italian archway.

[New Moon Poster by Tinderbox210, thanks DarkAngel!]

{ 136 Comments }

Official New Moon Poster Analyzed [Video]

May 28, 2009 · 169 Comments

in Poster

Here’s a video from ClevverTV where they analyze the official New Moon poster and compare it to fan posters as well. What do you think–is the official poster your favorite, or is their a fanmade one that you prefer?

{ 169 Comments }

Edward Cullen vs Jacob Black Fan Poster

May 26, 2009 · 357 Comments

in Edward Cullen, Jacob Black, Poster

Check out this New Moon fan poster featuring edited versions of Jacob Black and Edward Cullen from the official New Moon poster. They are facing each other, with Bella Swan nowhere to be seen.

Thanks to Nikitajuice for sending in her creation!

{ 357 Comments }

Jacob, Bella and Wolf Pack New Moon Poster

May 23, 2009 · 239 Comments

in New Moon Wolf Pack, Poster

Those of you who are Team Wolf Pack will be sure to adore this take on the official New Moon posters, which leaves Edward completely out of the picture. Full res versions for desktop wallpapers can be found at the Mah Designs site.

{ 239 Comments }

Shirtless Edward Cullen New Moon Poster

May 23, 2009 · 422 Comments

in Poster

Sure, this doesn’t look absolutely perfect–there aren’t any real pics of Robert Pattinson without a shirt to go by–but Hazeena took a shot at delivering a New Moon poster starring a very sexy Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen. Thoughts?

{ 422 Comments }

German New Moon Bizz zur Mittagsstunde Poster

May 23, 2009 · 99 Comments

in Poster

New Moon premieres in Germany on January 7th, 2010. Here’s the poster for New Moon: Biss zur Mittagsstunde in German.

[thanks, Mapi!]

{ 99 Comments }

Wolfpack and Jacob, Bella, Edward Official Posters Mix

May 22, 2009 · 110 Comments

in Poster

Here’s another go at mixing the two officially released posters from New Moon in order to make a desktop wallpaper. It combines the official New Moon poster and the shirtless wolf-pack poster.

Check out the high resolution version at EastCoastBabe’s DeviantArt page.

{ 110 Comments }

New Moon Poster for the Volturi, Official Poster Mashup

May 22, 2009 · 157 Comments

in Poster

There aren’t any official New Moon posters for the Voltur yeti, so NMM.org reader TalieX decided to give it a go. I think it’s a fresh and unique approach–what do you guys think?

Talie also sent in her mashup of the official New Moon posters with Bella, Edward, Jacob and the wolf pack joined together similar to the desktop wallpaper we saw a few days ago. Read on to see the poster. [click to continue…]

DRAMAS WILL BE RATED AS FOLLOWS

Dramas are rated on the whole package and dramas I watched are based on who are the cast and storyline. How well it does in the ratings in Korea is the least of my concerns. I generally stay clear of melodramas nowadays!!!

Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated drama, amazing in every sense.
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama.
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama.
Bad Kimchi: Not enjoyable drama.
Smelly Kimchi: Really bad drama.

===============================
KOREAN DRAMAS CURRENTLY WATCHING
===============================

Queen Seon Duk (Lee Yo Won, Go Hyun Jung, Uhm Tae Woong, Park Ye Jin)

That Fool (Hwang Jung Min, Kim Ah Joong, Joo Sang Wook)

Ja Myung Go (Jung Ryeo Won, Park Min Young, Jung Kyung Ho)

Empress Chun Chu (Chae Si Ra, Kim Suk Hoon, Choi Jae Sung, Lee Duk Hwa)

=====================
KOREAN DRAMAS WATCHED
=====================

2009

Boys Before Flowers (Goo Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong)
Good Kimchi: Probably the most anticipated and hyped drama to begin 2009 with. Did it deliver? Well, it wasn’t perfect with good and bad points but overall it was an entertaining drama. Being the 3rd adaptation of the popular manga, there were still some refreshing plotlines to keep us entertained. Lee Min Ho, Kim Bum and Kim So Eun were the breakout stars I feel, especially for Lee Min Ho who must be thanking his lucky stars to have landed the role of Goo Joon Pyo. The love for the SoEul couple is legendary. For Goo Hye Sun, it was a mixed performance largely due to the somewhat imbalanced writing for her Jandi role, ranging from sassy to idiotic in the extreme range. Kim Hyun Joong, at times, he was awkward and I just felt it was best for him not to say anything. He was rather inconsistent especially for the emo scenes but expected since it was his first acting role. But much was expected from him. Music-wise, the insertion of music plus the tracks (Paradise, Lucky) in the first half was overplayed until it became an irritant. The music for season 2 was much more enjoyable. A notable mention for Lee Min Jung who I felt played a good potrayal of Ha Jae Kyung. The pacing of the whole drama did not lag too much despite it being 24 episodes which was a surprise. Certainly something worth rewatching. 4/5 stars.

2008

East of Eden (Song Seung Hun, Yun Jung Hoon, Park Hae Jin, Lee Da Hae, Lee Yeon Hee, Han Ji Hye, Jo Min Ki, Lee Mi Sook)
Okay Kimchi: I could write an essay but going to keep this short. Billed as one of the mega budget MBC drama of the year and with an impressive cast, it looks like nothing could go wrong for East of Eden especially at the early stages. But audiences soon grew tired of the repeating plotlines and numerous side-stories (which usually end up in dead-ends).

How many times did we see Dong Chul and Young Ran being kept apart? And it seems like kidnapping is a proven method for getting things done in East of Eden as there were over 10 kidnapping attempts in the drama. There were also many question marks over the side stories which remained unresolved by the time the drama ended. The script had too much inconsistencies and a change of scriptwriter in the middle only made things worst. Who was Kim Ji Hyun’s parents? Where did Janice go? Dong Wook’s marriage disappeared? The ending also seemed too rushed in my opinion and simply put, the writer wrote too much stories than the drama could possibly fit in.

Acting-wise, most of them did a really good job especially Han Ji Hye, Jo Min Ki, etc. There were also many negatives in that Lee Da Hae quit the drama mid-way while there was a farce at the 2008 MBC Drama Awards where everyone involved with the drama won an award. It also lost in the ratings after the entry of Boys Before Flowers. In summary, it was a drama that started strongly but finshed on a weak note. 3.5/5 stars.

Star’s Lover (Choi Ji Woo, Yoo Ji Tae, Lee Ki Woo, Cha Ye Ryun)
Bad Kimchi: I thought it would be different and interesting. It didn’t really start off well for me but gradually drew me in with the wonderful cinematography, witty dialouge and the chemistry between Yoo Ji Tae and Choi Ji Woo. Choi Ji Woo was awkward but improved as it went along. Yoo Ji Tae was the reason why I stuck to watching this. But it soon descended into slow-paced meandering scenes around the mid-way mark and I started to hate it. The continous let’s be together – let’s split storyline was simply irksome to watch. Perhaps having 20 episodes wasn’t a really wise choice in the 1st place. I officially stopped watching after 12 episodes. 2.5/5 stars.

Kingdom of the Winds (Song Il Gook, Jung Jin Young, Choi Jung Won)
Bad Kimchi: Had high expectations going into this because of 2 factors: Song Il Gook was the main protagonist here as Muhyul, no one plays a better king than him, it was a story set in early Goguryeo, a time where war was like eating everyday. But after a few episodes, I was left utterly disappointed with the way it was filmed, they could have done a better job at it. Apart from Song Il Gook who excelled as the king, there were a couple who were simply unsuitable for their roles. Or maybe it was the weak storytelling which simply did not captivate me. The war scenes were underwhelming and oversimplified as well without much tactics or thought put into it. If the director’s aim was to make it a family oriented drama, it was simply the wrong drama to apply it to. A wasted opportunity. 2.5/5 stars.

Tazza (Jang Hyuk, Han Ye Seul, Kim Min Joon, Kang Sung Yun)
Okay Kimchi: This was a pretty predictable linear gambling drama from how it had panned out in the beginning. Well, at least I got the ending correct. I thought Jang Hyuk was quite over in some scenes while Han Ye Seul was pretty much insignificant frankly. Kim Min Joon did a really good portrayal of his Young Min character and you gotta feel sorry for his fate at the end. Kim Gab Soo as Ah Gwi was once again awesome as the villain. Overall not too bad but my failure to understand Go Stop with Hwatu (flower cards) which was the centerpiece of the drama spolit the viewing pleasure somewhat. Moral of the story, gambling is the root of all evil! 3.5/5 stars.

Women of The Sun (Kim Ji Soo, Lee Ha Na, Han Jae Suk, Jung Gyu Woon)
Good Kimchi: The drama revolves around the fate of Do Young and Ji Young/Sa Wol which develops differently due to a wrong decision made by the earlier when they were children. It’s about learning to forgive, love and the courage to admit to your wrongdoings. Kim Ji Soo was excellent in her role whom you will hate but gradually feel that she is so pitiful and didn’t really meant for that. Lee Ha Na was good in some but not that good in some scenes. The climax of the drama must be the play enactment between Do Young and Sa Wol during the live broadcast of the Wonder Woman show. It really blew me away. Jung Gyu Woon as Cha Dong Woo who will give up everything for his love Do Young was admirable and something that would happen only in dramas. Wasn’t expecting much judging from my initial intepretation of the storyline. But it was really well-written. 4.5/5 stars.

Iljimae (Lee Jun Ki, Han Hyo Joo, Lee Young Ah, Park Shi Hoo)
Good Kimchi: The ending just gave me a deja vu feeling but luckily on second viewing, I realized that Yong/Iljimae was probably alive because he was hit by a dull sword and not a real sword. Plus the final double shoes scene gave it away. The ending wrapped up the series nicely I thought with everyone settled down quite nicely. It was just sad I felt that Eun Chae never ever realized Iljimae = Yong while Bong Soon never ended up with Yong. The series started slowly but picked up pace from episode 8 onwards and the character development was nicely done. All the secondary characters were really interesting and I will miss them. Very good action drama overall. The last 4 episodes were excellent like a movie. 4.5/5 stars.

When It’s At Night (Kim Sun Ah, Lee Dong Gun)
Bad Kimchi: Pretty dismal and dire storyline. Considering the genre, it could have been better explored. The side characters are downright boring and one-dimensional although Kang Jung Hwa do tickle me at times with her princess complex. Kim Sun Ah’s character is too serious for my liking. Decided to put myself of my misery early. 2/5 stars.

Spotlight (Ji Jin Hee, Son Ye Jin, Jo Yoon Hee, Jin Goo)
Bad Kimchi: Coming on the back of the successful On Air, this drama was suppose to be the equivalent focusing on how reporters gather their news. But in the end, it really amounted to nothing more than a documentary rather than a drama. There were far too many serious overtones in the entire drama and not even 1 likeable character that you can identify with. There wasn’t even a romance storyline. Drab, dull and listless. Only the first story involving the convict on the run, Jang Jin Gyu was interesting. 2/5 stars.

Unstoppable Marriage (Seo Do Young, Park Chae Kyung)
Good Kimchi: Daily sitcom that lasted eight months with less than desirable ratings and an ending that left many unsatisfied. But I for one was satisfied with the open-ended ending because this sitcom was never meant to be taken too seriously. Other than Kibaek and Miho who got married, all the other couples were left dangling in the air. The sitcom lost direction once Kibaek and Miho got married frankly but they were saved by the triangle relationship of Su Jeong, Ilbaek and Sambaek. I was entertained by almost every episode, bursting in laughter at their ridiculous antics. I like the fact that they did hint at the possibility of Ilbaek possibly getting hitched with a dorkier lookalike Su Jeong on the plane at the end.Mibaek couple, Chungdam-dong pigs, GuWangCha, the Hulk, bluff Chungjae, the childish Manager Cha, the 100% regulations Crab Manager, the expletives-laden Chairman Shim, etc, they will not be forgotten. 4/5 stars.
Read my Extended Coverage

On Air (Lee Bum Soo, Kim Ha Neul, Song Yoon Ah, Park Yong Ha)
Heavenly Kimchi: Came into this show with minimal expectations and just slightly attracted by the plot, big budget and the initial star cameos. Glad I stayed on for the show as I was treated to an excellent behind the scenes of how the entertainment industry operate (some was over the top) focusing on drama production. Great acting from the main leads and the rest of the cast, excellent soundtrack and the numerous star cameos. There wasn’t any redundant or lull scenes. My drama of the year thus far. 4.9/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review
Read my Extended Coverage

U-Turn (So Ji Sub, Lee Yeon Hee)
Okay Kimchi: 12 minute movie splitted into four episodes. The storyline didn’t amount to much as it looked more like a MV or commercial considering that it was sponsored by a automobile company. Just a vehicle to announce So Ji Sup return and introducing me to Lee Yeon Hee. Nice twist at the end although it was coming. Just filler stuff. 3.5/5 stars.

King and I (Oh Man Suk, Goo Hye Sun, Jun Kwang Ryul, Jung Tae Woo)
Okay Kimchi: A saeguk drama that lasted for seven months. It can be summed up in one sentence, “Unbalanced script and poor storylines but saved by an excellent and intriguing cast. Despite its faults, you just want to keep watching every week because of the characters. 3.5/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Hong Gil Dong (Kang Ji Hwan, Sung Yuri, Jang Geun Suk)
Okay Kimchi: To rate this, you can just use Goong as a template. Started well and was really promising with it’s characters and storyline. But it faded towards the end with stale and boring melodramatic scenes. The ending leaves one scratching their heads. An underwhelming production. Kang Ji Hwan was on top of his game while Sung Yuri improved tremendously. Overall good production with lush bright scenes mostly. 3.5/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Robber (Jang Hyuk, Lee Da Hae)
Bad Kimchi: Not really a fan of depressing dramas and I am surprised at myself for thinking this wasn’t in the first place. It started pretty decent for me but then it subsequently got too heavy and melodramatic for me as the characters got darker and darker. Decided to stopped at Episode 12 after knowing that someone would eventually die. 2.5/5 stars.

2007

Lobbyist (Song Il Gook, Jang Jin Young, Han Jae Suk)
Bad Kimchi: Plot was really bad and unbelievably unrealistic. Humour was lacking and there were no interesting sub-characters to fall on at all, incredible. The acting generally leaves much to be desired. The only redeeming point must be the music which was really good. 2/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi (Bae Yong Joon, Lee Ji Ah, Moon So Ri, Yoon Tae Young)
Good Kimchi: The last episode really spoiled the rating for me. An underwhelming ending as the director seem to have taken the easy way out with a sloppy finale. Other than the piss-poor finale, the series were generally good with excellent acting and impressive CG. Cannot think of anyone other than Bae Yong Joon as Damdeok. 4/5 stars.
Read my Extended Coverage

Yi San – King Jeong Jo (Lee Seo Jin, Han Ji Min, Park Eun Hye, Lee Jong Soo)
Bad Kimchi: Things just keep repeating in this drama and I am pretty sick of it. There is little romance, little action and far more negatives than positives for me. Decided to drop this after 20 episodes. 2.5/5 stars

I’m Sam (Yang Dong Geun, Park Min Young, T.O.P, Son Tae Young)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Time of Dog and Wolf (Lee Jun Ki, Nam Sang Mi, Jung Kyung Ho)
Heavenly Kimchi: This was really a top-notch production, great acting, great storyline, excellent soundtrack. What more can you ask for? Maybe the romance portion wasn’t as strong, but the action and suspense more than made up for it! My drama of the year and the benchmark for future dramas in my eyes. Pity about the ratings in Korea. 5/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Capital Scandal (Kang Ji Hwan, Han Ji Min, Ryu Jin, Han Go Eun)
Heavenly Kimchi: Top rated drama, amazing in every sense. 5/5 stars.
Read my Extended Review

Coffee Prince (Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun Gyun, Chae Jung Ahn)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3.5/5 stars.

War of Money (Park Shin Yang, Park Jin Hee, Shin Dong Wook, Kim Jung Hwa)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4/5 stars.

Thank You (Jang Hyuk, Gong Hyo Jin, Shin Sung Rok, Kim Sung Eun)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3/5 stars.

If in Love, Like Them… (Lee Hyori, Lee Dong Gun, Jung Joon Ho)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3/5 stars.

2006

The Book of Three Han: The Chapter of Ju Mong (Han Hye Jin, Song Il Kook)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4/5 stars.

Pure 19 (Goo Hye Sun, Suh Ji Suk, Lee Min Woo, Lee Yoon Ji)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

Couple of Fantasy (Oh Ji Ho, Han Ye Seul, Kim Sung Min, Park Han Byul)
Good Kimchi: Fantastic drama even though cliche storyline. The chemistry was great between the leads. Han Ye Seul was extremely good. Classic jajyungmian reference and her quote would always be remembered. The ending was a bit complex though. 4/5 stars.

Snow Queen (Hyun Bin, Sung Yuri, Im Ju Hwan, Yoo In Young)
Smelly Kimchi: This was really painful to watch, sleep-inducing and a total waste of time. Fast-forwarded it most of the time. 1/5 stars.

Bad Family (Nam Sang Mi, Kim Myung Min)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

What Star Are You From? (Kim Rae Won, Jung Ryeo Won)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3.5/5 stars.

Goong/Princess Hours (Yoon Eun Hye, Joo Ji Hoon, Kim Jung Hoon, Song Ji Hyo)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3.5/5 stars.

Heaven’s Tree (Park Shin Hye, Lee Wan)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3/5 stars.

My Girl (Lee Da Hae, Lee Dong Wook, Park Si Yeon, Lee Jun Ki)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

2005

Ballad of Seo Dong (Jo Hyun Jae, Lee Bo Young, Ryu Jin)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

My Name is Kim Sam-soon (Kim Soon Ah, Hyun Bin, Ryeo Won, Daniel Henney)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3.5/5 stars.

Beautiful Life (Eugene, Kim Jae Won, Lee Ji Hoon, Han Eun Jung)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3/5 stars.

Sad Sonata (Kwon Sang Woo, Kim Hee Sun, Yeon Jung Hoon, Kim Yeon Joo)
Bad Kimchi: Not enjoyable drama. 2/5 stars.

2004

Full House (Song Hae Gyo, Rain, Han Jung Eun, Kim Sung Soo)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4/5 stars.

Lovers in Paris (Park Shin Yang, Kim Jung Eun, Lee Dong Gun)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

Sorry, I Love You (So Ji Sup, Im Soo Jung, Jung Kyung Ho, Seo Ji Young)
Good Kimchi: Overall good production drama. 4.5/5 stars.

2003

Dae Jang Geum (Lee Young Ae, Ji Jin Hee, Park Eun Hye, Hong Ri Na)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3.5/5 stars.

Stairway to Heaven (Kwon Sang Woo, Choi Ji Woo, Kim Tae Hee)
Okay Kimchi: Sometimes good sometimes bad. Okay drama. 3/5 stars.