Jamie Chung dishes on new film, NBC pilot

Jamie Chung dishes on new film, NBC pilot

MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS

Jamie Chung at the premiere of 'The Hangover Part II.'

Jamie Chung remembers vividly the dreaded call a few years ago when her strict Korean mother discovered her deepest secret:

That her little girl was actually a professional actress on “Days of Our Lives.”

“I got a call from my mom one day and she said, ‘Are you on a soap opera?’ So and so’s mom ‘told me you were on a soap opera,’ ” Chung told the Daily News, able to laugh at it now.

“I was like, ‘Yeah I’m on a soap opera. ... I said, It’s been a year, I didn’t want to tell you until I did something you would want to watch.’”

RELATED: SEE IT: ‘STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS’ TRAILER'S BIG REVEAL

The 29-year-old stunner’s latest movie, “Eden,” which opened in New York Wednesday, is definitely one of those roles. Chung plays a Korean-American teenager who is abducted by a prostitution ring.

The script is based on the real-life ordeal of human trafficking victim-turned-activist Chong Kim, who suffered a similar fate in the mid ’90s.

“It’s not like the movie ‘Taken,’ where your dad turns out to be a CIA agent and he kicks everyone’s ass to find you,” says Chung, who has previously appeared in more mainstream movies like “The Hangover 2” and “Sucker Punch.”

Though she’s in the make-believe business, there were days on set where the material really got to her â€" particularly a scene where it’s implied her character is gang-raped by a college fraternity.

RELATED: HARRISON FORD ON 'STAR WARS' RETURN: 'I THINK IT’S HAPPENING'

“The way it was shot, I never needed to be in that scene but I was hanging out in the next room and hearing them doing their countdown, chanting and cheering, and it was unbearable for me to be in the same vicinity.

“It was so hard to listen to, I had to be driven around the corner to wait for them to finish.”

These days, Chung can be found in Brooklyn, making a super-powered drama pilot for NBC called “Believe,” from JJ Abrams and director Alfonso Curon.

Living in New York during filming has been an adventure. “I’m such a Cali girl that at this point I’m just so excited to see snow,” she says.

RELATED: 'THE HANGOVER PART II' REVIEW: AN UNASHAMED ATTEMPT TO RECAPTURE MAGIC OF THE ORIGINAL

And slowly but surely, she’s convincing her family that this acting thing really isn’t so bad, even if it’s tougher to keep things from them now.

“My parents don’t know how to use the Internet yet, thank God,” she says. “But my uncle is really tech-savvy and he’s been printing things out.

“My dad would call me and he’d say, ‘Yeah I saw you were at a New York fashion show and you were making a little heart on the runway.’

“I was like, ‘What are you talking about and how did you get this news so fast?’”

esacks@nydailynews.com

Parkour gym Bklyn Beast opens in Bushwick

Parkour gym Bklyn Beast opens in Bushwick

Joe Marino/New York Daily News

Henry Friedman (l.) is working the elevated parallel bars with Bklyn Beast instructor and co-director Luciano Acuna Jr.

Parkour, the sport that treats features of the urban landscape like an obstacle course to be run over and around, is normally practiced outside. But 12-year-old Henry Friedman runs up walls, does backflips, swings from bars, and swan-dives off a 15-foot platform into a pit of foam â€" all from the comforts of indoors.

At Bklyn Beast in Bushwick, New York’s first parkour gym, the skinny Brooklyn Heights native turns into Spider-Man.

The space is decked with structures nonexistent in other gyms. There’s the maze of bars 10 feet off the ground, a 20-foot warped wall with multiple bars for different skill levels, and multileveled vaults and window frames that students leap over and through.

But why mimic obstacles readily found on the city’s streets? After all, doesn’t the beauty of parkour lie in how it need not be done in a gym?

“I certainly never learned in a gym,” admits Bklyn Beast co-owner and parkour instructor Luciano Acuna Jr.

“But this is safer for the students,” he says of the hundreds of young parkour enthusiasts who train there. “I got banged up a lot and dislocated a lot of fingers. These kids can try bigger and better moves without risking their health.”

For Friedman, it’s all about the fun. “Parkour combines everything that I love to do,” he says. “I just love being active and pushing myself to the limit. It’s like walking, combined with gymnastics, but even cooler.”

Commonly known as freestyle walking, parkour is broadly defined as the art of flowing through obstacles with ease. The acrobatic art form developed out of military obstacle course training in France and arrived in America in the 2000s via YouTube videos. Parkour made its big-screen debut in movies like “Casino Royale,” “Hot Fuzz” and “Rush Hour.”

Bklyn Beast, which opened earlier this year, was started by four former gymnastics instructors. The 4,000-square-foot training facility â€" complete with a spring floor, dance floor, trampoline and foam pit â€" mirrors its gritty surroundings in Bushwick. The ventilation system consists of old paint cans joined together. The bar where students rest their fruit juices is a repurposed I-beam covered in polyurethane. And the walls are covered in murals created by a local graffiti artist.

“We wanted the gym to reflect the character of Bushwick while also providing a safe environment for students to practice parkour,” says co-owner Masi “Yahya” James. “Dance, acrobatics, capoeira and gymnastics all use the same free-spirited skills as parkour. Nothing is choreographed. So parkour becomes a natural extension of interests for dancers, gymnasts and acrobats.”

Friedman was a rock climber before he became a “traceur,” as practitioners of parkour are called. But now he swings by Bklyn Beast four times a week to work on climbing, jumping, running and balancing skills.

“Henry is one of our best students,” says Acuna as he watches Friedman on a set of bars 10 feet off the ground. “He’s not very big, but he can flow.”

On cue, a smiling Friedman leaps three feet, lands on a dime and seemlessly pulls himself up to another bar.

“This style of parkour is called flow,” Acuna says. “You try to flow through the bars with complete fluidity. The gaps range from 1.5 feet to nine feet. You have to be very precise because you are landing on a thin obstacle.”

Friedman does a front flip into the foam pit.

“I don’t know anyone my age,” says the preteen, “who wouldn’t have fun doing that.”

josterhout@nydailynews.com

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Bklyn Beast, 230 Bogart St., Bushwick; BklynBeast.com, (347) 457-6290. Parkour classes cost $ 18 for one, or $ 150 for 10.

Dennis Quaid reunites with wife, but can't derail divorce

Dennis Quaid reunites with wife, but can't derail divorce

Dennis Quaid and his sweetheart Kimberley Buffington-Quaid may be the ultimate on-again off-again couple.

The couple, who married in 2004, has reconciled again, TMZ reports.

PHOTOS: FAVORITE ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN CELEBRITY COUPLES

Unfortunately, their decision came too late in the legal proceedings to prevent a divorce. According to the gossip site, both parties had already signed paperwork that is on its way to being finalized by a judge.

Last March, Texas real estate agent Buffington-Quaid filed divorce papers against her husband, noting that her marriage had become "insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities."

PHOTOS: NASTIEST HOLLYWOOD DIVORCE BATTLES

Just two months later, she withdrew the divorce papers, asking a judge to dismiss the previous petition.

But the legal wrangling wasn't done yet. In November 2012, Buffington-Quaid again filed for legal separation, angling to gain sole physical custody of the couple's 5-year-old twins, Zoe Grace and Thomas Boone.

RELATED: SERENA'S TENNIS ACE LOSES TO QUAID AT LOVE

Buffington-Quaid is the third wife for the "Vegas" actor. He was previously married to actress P.J. Soles and "Innerspace" co-star Meg Ryan.

Boy shoots brother, 12, thinking him intruder

Boy shoots brother, 12, thinking him intruder

A 12-year-old mistaken for a home invader in Florida was shot and killed by his older brother in a heartbreaking tragedy.

The midday incident in Orlando was an accident, police said. The 16-year-old and younger brother were home alone when the older boy heard noises, feared an intruder and shot and killed his brother. Realizing the mistake, the boy called 911.

RELATED: BOY FATALLY SHOOTS BROTHER IN HEAD WITH BB GUN

“He heard some noises and he called out for his brother and he didn’t answer and so then his brother startled him,” Orlando Police Department Detective Mike Moreschi told WFTV-TV.

“He’s devastated, obviously,” Moreschi added. “His parents are devastated by what happened and it’s just a really bad situation for the family.”

RELATED: FACEBOOK PHOTO OF N.J. BOY HOLDING RIFLE DRAWS OUTRAGE

Police don’t yet know how the boy got his hands on the legally owned gun. The unnamed 16-year-old hasn’t been identified and has not been charged in the killing. The states attorney’s office will review the case.

“All I can say is it’s so scary. It’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine what his parents are going through,” neighbor Julia Bracey said.

sgoldstein@nydailynews.com or follow on Twitter

Free & Cheap in New York: Saturday, March 23

Free & Cheap in New York: Saturday, March 23

EGG ’EM ON. Children, ages 2-12, are welcome to the Easter Egg Hunt at the Bartow-Pell Mansion. Kids are encouraged to bring their baskets. They also can enjoy the arts and crafts tables, and have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny. Light refreshments will be offered. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $ 12. 895 Shore Road, Bronx. Register: (718) 885-1461.

‘ARGO’ AHEAD. “Argo,” this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, will be shown at the Webster Library. Directed by Ben Affleck, who also starred in it, the movie is about a CIA agent’s secret mission to rescue American diplomats from Iran in 1979. Its screenplay also won an Oscar for Staten Island native Chris Terrio. 2 p.m. Free. 1465 York Ave. at E. 78th St.(212) 288-5049.

STAR SEARCH. Summer Ash, Columbia University’s astronomy public outreach director, will give a guided tour of the stars at the BAM Fisher’s Rooftop Terrace. Telescopes will be set up, and a team of experts will be on hand to answer any questions. 10:30 p.m. $ 10. 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn. (718)-636-4100.

CUP, CUP AND AWAY! Don’t throw out those takeout coffee cups. Give them to artist Gwyneth Leech, and she’ll draw on them and turn them into art. It’s part of a new exhibit by No Longer Empty called “Gathering Place.” 1-4 p.m. Free. 24 W. Eighth St. RSVP: lab@nolongerempty.org.

OH, CANADA! “Morgan’s Journey,” the longest touring theatrical production from Canada, will play Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. It follows the adventures of Morgan the Clown and how he learns about life and love. 11 a.m. Adults, $ 25; kids, $ 15. 2537 Broadway at 95th St. (212) 864-5400.

FORWARD, MARCH. Celebrate the vernal equinox by joining the March for the Earth to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Unisphere. Visitors also can help weed and plant in the Queens Botanical Garden. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. 43-50 Main St. (718) 886-3800. RSVP: rforlenza@queensbotanical.org.

PLAYING HOOK-EY. Families can enjoy Free Saturdays at the Red Hook Recreation Center. It’s a day of fun and fitness featuring board games, billiards, weights and more. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 155 Bay St., Brooklyn. (718) 722-3211.

THEY’RE ALL GOOD SKATES. Students of Figure Skating in Harlem will perform to music greats such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Lena Horne. The ice show will honor Karen A. Phillips from Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. 7 p.m. Suggested donation: $ 15. Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive. (212) 694-3600.

TURN OUT AND TUNE IN. Staten Island Songwriters Circle will meet at the Everything Goes Book Cafe. This community of tunesmiths gather to support each other and promote the art of songwriting. Those interested in creating original music are welcome to join. 7:30 p.m. Free. 208 Bay St., between Victory Blvd. and Hannah St. (718) 447-8256.

Free & Cheap in New York: Saturday, March 23

Free & Cheap in New York: Saturday, March 23

EGG ’EM ON. Children, ages 2-12, are welcome to the Easter Egg Hunt at the Bartow-Pell Mansion. Kids are encouraged to bring their baskets. They also can enjoy the arts and crafts tables, and have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny. Light refreshments will be offered. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $ 12. 895 Shore Road, Bronx. Register: (718) 885-1461.

‘ARGO’ AHEAD. “Argo,” this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, will be shown at the Webster Library. Directed by Ben Affleck, who also starred in it, the movie is about a CIA agent’s secret mission to rescue American diplomats from Iran in 1979. Its screenplay also won an Oscar for Staten Island native Chris Terrio. 2 p.m. Free. 1465 York Ave. at E. 78th St.(212) 288-5049.

STAR SEARCH. Summer Ash, Columbia University’s astronomy public outreach director, will give a guided tour of the stars at the BAM Fisher’s Rooftop Terrace. Telescopes will be set up, and a team of experts will be on hand to answer any questions. 10:30 p.m. $ 10. 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn. (718)-636-4100.

CUP, CUP AND AWAY! Don’t throw out those takeout coffee cups. Give them to artist Gwyneth Leech, and she’ll draw on them and turn them into art. It’s part of a new exhibit by No Longer Empty called “Gathering Place.” 1-4 p.m. Free. 24 W. Eighth St. RSVP: lab@nolongerempty.org.

OH, CANADA! “Morgan’s Journey,” the longest touring theatrical production from Canada, will play Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. It follows the adventures of Morgan the Clown and how he learns about life and love. 11 a.m. Adults, $ 25; kids, $ 15. 2537 Broadway at 95th St. (212) 864-5400.

FORWARD, MARCH. Celebrate the vernal equinox by joining the March for the Earth to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Unisphere. Visitors also can help weed and plant in the Queens Botanical Garden. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. 43-50 Main St. (718) 886-3800. RSVP: rforlenza@queensbotanical.org.

PLAYING HOOK-EY. Families can enjoy Free Saturdays at the Red Hook Recreation Center. It’s a day of fun and fitness featuring board games, billiards, weights and more. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 155 Bay St., Brooklyn. (718) 722-3211.

THEY’RE ALL GOOD SKATES. Students of Figure Skating in Harlem will perform to music greats such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Lena Horne. The ice show will honor Karen A. Phillips from Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. 7 p.m. Suggested donation: $ 15. Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive. (212) 694-3600.

TURN OUT AND TUNE IN. Staten Island Songwriters Circle will meet at the Everything Goes Book Cafe. This community of tunesmiths gather to support each other and promote the art of songwriting. Those interested in creating original music are welcome to join. 7:30 p.m. Free. 208 Bay St., between Victory Blvd. and Hannah St. (718) 447-8256.

Pink puts talent, character on display at Garden show

Pink puts talent, character on display at Garden show

Julia Xanthos/New York Daily News

A toned, fit Pink showcased her dance prowess while keeping the lyrics tight and powerful.

Pink spends a good amount of time on her new tour high.

Literally.

The show, which came to The Garden on Friday, kicks off with the agile singer dangling upside-down from the arms of her male dancers, way above the arena floor. Later, she gyrates on an array of precariously placed ropes, and spins on a gyroscope, wildly orbiting far over the stage.

RELATED: ALBUM REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, 'DELTA MACHINE'

It’s a spectacle that suggests both recklessness and precision â€" a balance that perfectly reflects Pink’s essential character.

Despite the wild, and often drunken, persona she presents in her lyrics, in concert she’s a woman in complete control. In both the pitch of her vocals, and the discipline of her dance moves, Pink proved herself a consummate performer Friday.

Given the more acrobatic elements of the show, it’s a minor miracle that Pink sang so surely and so emotively â€" without the aid of apparent lipsynching, no less.

RELATED: RUSH LIMBAUGH JOINS BEYONCÉ BASH-WAGON OVER 'BOW DOWN'

The force of her music pushes her physical abilities to the limit. Pink's songs straddle rock, pop and dance music in a way that’s full of brio, not to mention hooks.

The show’s opening song, “Raise Your Glass,” epitomizes the style. It’s a rousing rock anthem married to a sassy lyric. Here, Pink offers up a toast to those who “are wrong in all the right ways.”

From there, she slammed through “Walk of Shame,” a song about slinking home after a one night stand, “Just Like A Pill,” which has her ODing on bad love, and “U + Ur Hand,” a kiss-off song laced with a likeably rude instruction to a cad.

However much sleaze and abandon these songs chronicle, there’s a self-aware humor that leavens them. They finely balance anger and vulnerability, power with need.

Pink mined the softer emotions in that equation more directly in an acoustic section during the show, with songs like “Who Knew” and “Family Portrait.” In the same vein, she offered a balletic take on Chris Issac’s “Wicked Game.” It provided a nice break from the busy theatrics of the rest. Yet it’s to Pink's considerable credit that no matter how many bright lights, fast-moving sets or fancy dancers surrounded her, she kept her talent and character front and center.

In the end, that’s what gave the audience its ultimate high.

jfarber@nydailynews.com

On a mobile device? Click here to watch the video.