FIRST US FAN CHOICE AWARDS FOR KOREAN DRAMA
1st Annual DramaFever Awards recognizes over 70 actors/actresses and dramas. Cast your votes through March 31.
Over the past three years, Korean Drama has gained popularity beyond the devoted hardcore K-drama fans, and we got a tip from our friends at DramaFever that they have created what just might be the first US Fan Choice Awards for International TV. Even though, the site has added shows from other countries, like Taiwanese drama and even telenovelas, most of this first year's nominees are the most watched K-dramas in 2012.
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How it works:
Vote for your favorites among six contenders in 12 categories. Categories range from Best Actor and Best Actress, favorite performances by an ensemble cast, most unforgettable theme music, breakout actors and, of course, the big prize for "Drama Of the Year." Viewers are also being asked to choose among dramas with actors who electrified the screen as couples, best guy friends ("bromance"), exceptional villains, and the ever-present unrequited loves.
Once all the votes are in, DramaFever will announce the results and send the award trophies to the winners in each category.
In case you don't know, DramaFever is based in New York, where two former college buddies who were born in Korea both made good on a promise they made to themselves to start their own business before they settled down and turned 30. In 2008, they were traveling for their full-time jobs as executives of global media companies and noticed Korean drama was translated in different languages. DramaFever launched a year later in 2009. Over the years, they noticed that there were also no formal fan choice awards for the growing fan base outside of Korea. So, Boram Nam, VP and head of licensing for Asia, asked some Korean TV networks and actors how they'd feel to connect and get recognition with their US fans. They loved the idea!
Voting for the DramaFever Awards began March 1 and ends March 31. So, cast your votes now! And make it count. It looks like the total number of votes will reach the half million mark before then.
Just a couple things to keep in mind:
The nominees were selected based on the popularity of the dramas on DramaFever and their channel on Hulu. Let us know in the comments who you think they missed.
In the "Most Underrated Drama," you'll find an Argentine thriller "Killer Women," which is not a mistake. DramaFever's cofounder Suk Park and his brother, Hyun were born in Korea but grew up in Spain, so Spanish-language content was added in October. This title got a lot of attention because ABC and Modern Family star, Sofia Vergara announced they are doing a US version.
That's it for now. Stay tuned in April for the announcements of the winners of the DramaFever Awards! Happy voting!
BONUS: Here's a partial list of the major categories and nominees, followed by a few links.
Here are some video clip compilations for each award category:
