It was said that actor Lee Byung Hun will be unable to attend the 49th Grand Bell Awards because of his overseas schedule.
According to Lee Byung Hun's rep, "It is very likely that Lee Byung Hun will be unable to attend the Grand Bell Awards because of his film schedule for 'Red 2'."
Although he is unable to attend the awards ceremony, the odds are still high for him to win Best Actor. It has been pointed out that it is a bad custom for award shows not to give awards to actors that do not attend, but with the changed conditions and the prominent actors up for the best actor award, there is a keen interest on who will win it.
The nominees for Best Actor were announced on the 17th: Lee Byung Hun ('Masquerade'), Choi Min Shik ('Nameless Gangster'), Kim Myung Min ('Pacemaker'), Hwang Jung Min ('Dancing Queen'), and Ahn Sung Ki ('Broken Arrow').
'Masquerade' is also up for Best Film along with 'Pieta', 'Broken Arrow', 'A Muse', and 'The Crucible'. As 'Masquerade' has surpassed the 10 million mark in tickets sold, Lee Byung Hyun has a good chance at winning for Best Actor. He has more of a push because 'Masquerade' was his first traditional project and he successfully pulled off two roles with his intense acting.
This probably explains why the actors and actresses of 'Thieves', the movie that broke 10 million first, were unable to get nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress.
The nominees for Best Actress are Jo Min Soo ('Pieta'), Kim Go Eun ('A Muse'), Uhm Jung Hwa ('Dancing Queen'), Hwang Jung Min ('Mink Coat'), and Im Soo Jung ('All About My Wife').
Because of all movies with cinematic quality and successful hits this year, the nominees in all the categories are strong. The competition will be fiercer than ever this year.
The Grand Bell Awards will take place this coming 30th at the KBS Hall in Yeouido. This year, instead of voting on a film, the committee will rate a movie from 5 to 10 to try and keep the judging fair.
