{{short description|2008 South Korean television series}} {{Infobox television | image = StarsLover-poster.jpg | caption = Promotional poster | alt_name = Celebrity's Sweetheart | genre = Romance, Drama | writer = Oh Soo-yeon | director = Boo Sung-chul | starring = Choi Ji-woo<br/>Yoo Ji-tae | theme_music_composer = | open_theme = | end_theme = | composer = | country = South Korea | language = Korean | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 20 | list_episodes = | executive_producer = | producer = | editor = | location = South Korea, Japan | cinematography = | camera = | runtime = Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) | company = Olive9 | channel = SBS TV | first_aired = {{start date|2008|12|10|df=yes}} | last_aired = {{end date|2009|2|12|df=yes}} | related = | native_name = {{Infobox Korean television name/auto |hangul=^스타의 연인 |hanja=스타의 戀人 }} }}
'''''Star's Lover''''' ({{Korean|hangul=스타의 연인}}; also known as '''''Celebrity's Sweetheart''''') is a 2008 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo and Yoo Ji-tae that aired on SBS. A love story between a star actress and an ordinary man, director Boo Sung-chul said the series was inspired by the 1999 film ''Notting Hill''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Oh|first=Jean|title=Mega drama duo signals hot winter|url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20081201000065|work=The Korea Herald|date=December 1, 2008|access-date=2012-05-30|archive-date=2023-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407142712/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20081201000065|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Han|first=Sang-hee|title=Celebrity's Sweetheart Knocks on Viewers Hearts|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/12/201_35425.html|date=December 2, 2008|access-date=2012-05-30|work=The Korea Times|archive-date=2012-10-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003100108/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/12/201_35425.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Plot == Lee Ma-ri (Choi Ji-woo) is a top star in South Korea and throughout Asia. The head of her management agency, Seo Tae-suk (Sung Ji-ru), hires a ghostwriter to help transform Ma-ri's image. Poverty-stricken university lecturer Kim Chul-soo (Yoo Ji-tae) takes the job in order to earn money to repay his ex-girl friend, who paid for his college tuition. Whilst they are in Japan he falls in love with Ma-ri. However, when the travel essay book ''Lovers in Asuka'', written by Chul-soo on Ma-ri's behalf, becomes a bestseller, Ma-ri gets caught up in the controversy generated by the ghost writing. The two lovers try to continue their relationship away from media attention, but obstacles abound: eligible young executive Jung Woo-jin (Lee Ki-woo), who pursues Ma-ri; Ma-ri's first love Kang Woo-jin (Choi Phillip), who suddenly vanished from her life; Chul-soo's ex-girlfriend Choi Eun-young (Cha Ye-ryun); and the manipulative Seo Tae-suk, who seeks to control everything in Ma-ri's life.
==Cast==
===Main characters=== *Choi Ji-woo: Lee Ma-ri **Jung Da-bin: child Ma-ri **Park Bo-young: young Ma-ri *Yoo Ji-tae: Kim Chul-soo **Kang Yi-seok: child Chul-soo *Lee Ki-woo: Jung Woo-jin *Cha Ye-ryun: Choi Eun-young
===Supporting characters=== *Sung Ji-ru: Seo Tae-suk, CEO of Ma-ri's management agency *Ki Tae-young: Son Ha-young *Choi Phillip: Kang Woo-jin *Lee Joon-hyuk: Min Jang-soo, Ma-ri's bodyguard *Jung In-seo: In-seo *Yang Hee-kyung: Lee Seung-yeon, Ma-ri's stylist *Shin Min-hee: Kim Yu-ri, Chul-soo's sister *Jung Woon-taek: Jun Byung-joon *Shim Eun-jin: Ye-rin *Ban Hyo-jung: Ma-ri's grandmother *Kwak Hyun-hwa: Lee Eun-sil *Lee Seung-hyung: Choi Seung-wook *Yoon Joo-sang: Professor Ahn *Lee Jong-nam: Choi Ryun-hee *Kim Ji-young: Kim Ok-ja *Kim Ye-ryeong: Lee Ji-soon *Kim Ji-sook: Bo-young, Chul-soo's mother *Bae Ki-bum: Chul-soo's father *Lee Young-eun: student (cameo, ep 1) *Gong Hyung-jin: Hong Kong movie director (cameo, ep 1) *Shin Hyun-joon: department store magnate (cameo, ep 1) *Kim Ji-seok : actor (cameo, ep 1) *Ji Jin-hee: actor, Ma-ri's ex-boyfriend (cameo, ep 8) *Lee Dong-gun: Eun-young's friend (cameo, ep 20) *Min Joon-hyun: entertainment journalist *Song Young-kyu
==Ratings== {| class="wikitable" ! width=100 | Date ! width=100 | Episode ! width=100 | Nationwide ! width=100 | Seoul |- align=center | 2008-12-10 || 1 || 9.5% (17th) || 9.8% (14th) |- align=center | 2008-12-11 || 2 || 8.8% (17th) || 9.3% (16th) |- align=center | 2008-12-17 || 3 || 6.8% || 8.7% |- align=center | 2008-12-18 || 4 || 7.0% || 8.5% |- align=center | 2008-12-24 || 5 || 5.9% || 8.0% |- align=center | 2008-12-25 || 6 || 7.6% || 9.8% |- align=center | 2009-01-01 || 7 || 9.1% || 10.1% |- align=center | 2009-01-01 || 8 || 7.8% || 10.1% |- align=center | 2009-01-07 || 9 || 7.9% || 9.1% |- align=center | 2009-01-08 || 10 || 7.5% || 8.5% |- align=center | 2008-01-14 || 11 || 7.4% || 8.9% |- align=center | 2009-01-15 || 12 || 6.2% || 8.5% |- align=center | 2009-01-21 || 13 || 7.6% || 8.4% |- align=center | 2009-01-22 || 14 || 7.3% || 8.5 |- align=center | 2009-01-28 || 15 || 8.2% || 9.0% (19th) |- align=center | 2009-01-29 || 16 || 9.2% || 8.8% (19th) |- align=center | 2009-02-04 || 17 || 8.3% || 8.4% |- align=center | 2009-02-05 || 18 || 9.0% || 8.8 |- align=center | 2009-02-11 || 19 || 5.3% || 8.3% |- align=center | 2009-02-12 || 20 || 7.2% || 8.5% |- align="center" ! colspan=2 | Average || 7.6% || 8.9% |} Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100125065320/http://www.tnsmk.co.kr/ TNS Media Korea]
==Production== As of the twelfth episode Choi was reported to have worn 147 outfits, thus averaging 12 ensembles per episode, with episode two alone featuring 25 different outfits. The sheer volume of clothing and range of styles is in line with her character as a top actress.<ref>{{cite news|title=Choi Ji-woo in Costume Change Marathon|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/02/14/2009021461002.html|access-date=2012-05-30|newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo|date=14 February 2009|archive-date=2013-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815142319/http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/02/14/2009021461002.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Seoul and Busan.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Star's Lover|url=http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/CU_EN_8_5_1_51.jsp|website=Korea Tourism Organization|access-date=2012-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093339/http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/CU_EN_8_5_1_51.jsp|archive-date=2015-05-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Episode 20: Ilsan Lake Park, Janghang-dong, Ilsan District, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. * Episode 8 and 19: Il Mare, an Italian restaurant, located in front of Ilsan Lake Park. * Seoul National University: the university of Chul-soo's employment, his lectures and Ma-ri's visit to the school were filmed at the gallery, Gyujanggak, and museum roads. This is the first time the university allowed its campus to be used as a filming location. * Haeundae Beach and Dongbaek Island, Busan: The scene where Ma-ri confesses her love for Chul-soo and the couple takes a walk on the beach.
==International broadcast== It first aired in Japan on satellite channel WOWOW beginning May 1, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Choi Ji-woo Explains Dating Rumors in Japan|url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view.html?No=75|work=KBS Global|access-date=2013-09-13|date=16 March 2009|archive-date=2014-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301075232/http://english.kbs.co.kr/hallyu/entertainment_news_view.html?No=75|url-status=live}}</ref> Reruns followed on terrestrial network TBS from September 27 to October 22, 2010,<ref>{{Cite web|title=韓流セレクトのトップページへ|url=http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanryu-select/star/|website=www.tbs.co.jp}}</ref> and on cable channel KNTV from November 9 to December 4, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kntv.co.jp/prog/detail/?p=10306 |title=Kn番組 ドラマ スターの恋人 |access-date=2014-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024202846/http://www.kntv.co.jp/prog/detail/?p=10306 |archive-date=2013-10-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In Thailand it first aired on Modernine TV in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=th:ก้าวสู่ปีที่ 4 เอสทีจี มัลติมีเดีย ส่งซีรี่ส์สุดอลังการ ลงช่องโมเดิร์นไนน์ ใน โมเดิร์นไนน์ซีรี่ส์ 2 ช่วงเวลา|url=http://www.pingbook.com/news/view.php?id=13644|work=pingbook.com|access-date=13 October 2015|date=29 August 2011|language=th|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073358/http://www.pingbook.com/news/view.php?id=13644|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://tv.sbs.co.kr/starlover/ ''Star's Lover'' official SBS website] {{in lang|ko}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721183404/http://global.sbs.co.kr/America/AboutSBSPro/Drama/drama.jsp?vod_id=V0000336804 ''Celebrity's Sweetheart''] at SBS Global * {{hancinema drama|Celebrity__s_Sweetheart|Celebrity's Sweetheart}}
Category:Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Category:2008 South Korean television series debuts Category:2009 South Korean television series endings Category:Korean-language television shows Category:South Korean romance television series Category:Television shows set in Nara Prefecture