[JAPAN] Innochi(V6) and Seto Asaka Suddenly announce their engagement

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According to sponichi.co.jp, V6’s Inohara Yoshihiko(31) and actress Seto Asaka(30) announced at a press conference on the 28th at Tokyo Akasaka’s TBS that they would be getting married. The two already live together, and are to get their marriage license soon. They have not planned a date for their wedding ceremony just yet. Asaka is not pregnant. “I want to work on building a family with endless smiles,” said Inohara, and Asaka said with a smile, “We will do our best together”.

For the original article, go to: http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/special/2007jya/20070618top.html

 

[JAPAN] Dreams Come True,’s Yoshida Miwa’s common law husband dies of brain tumor

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Tragedy has come to the life of Dreams Come True, vocalist Yoshida Miwa (42) as her common-law husband Sueda Takeshi (33) died on Sunday, September 30th due to complications due to a brain tumor.

Sueda and Yoshida have announced their marriage back in May of 2004 but never entered the family register.

Sueda’s condition worsened around August but insisted that Yoshida Miwa continue her concert tour with DREAMS COME TRUE but after each concert, spent each time at her husband’s side.

The group ended their tour last week with their publicized performance which included the passing of the Olympic torch for pre-olympic activities.

Sueda Takeshi is a director and is known for his work for directing the music videos for Dreams Come True, EXILE, Hamasaki Ayumi and Byon Hon.

Dreams Come True, has a new CD single which will be released on October 3rd titled”Aishiteru – Watashitachi no Mirai Yosozu -”, Miwa’s DCT partner Nakamura Masato (49) posted on his blog that Sueda made Miwa promise to him that despite his health, that she should give her best on stage. Also, that the group will not do any promotion for the CD single until his partner is ready.

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Photos courtesy of Sankei Sports

 

[GALLERY] LA Celebrates Harvest Moon Festival

On September 23, the Los Angeles Asian community celebrated the first day of autumn with its annual Harvest Moon Festival.  Although the Harvest Moon Festival is mainly celebrated in China, the Los Angeles festival includes many cultures of Asia.   Entertainment showcased local and international performers representing many Asian countries.

Featured performers included:

From It’s Showtime at the Apollo and America’s Got Talent, Tatum Jones.

From the television show So You Think You Can Dance? and Black Eyed Peas’ music video for “Pump It”, QUEST.

Kuh Ledesma, a popular singer from the Philippines.

 

[Wii] Nodame Cantabile coming out in Japan on December 27th

 

Image linked from DengekiOnline.com 

“Nodame Cantabile” is a popular drama and anime series which has come out on the Nintendo DS and now it will be coming out on the Nintendo Wii.

The game will be a music game which the wiimote will be used to play music and the game will utilize 4-player gameplay.

The game will be out in Japan on December 27th for Y6,090.

More on this article 

 

[HK] Jackie Chan writes in his blog about how he doesn’t really care for the “Rush Hour” films

“Rush Hour” was a film that gave Jackie Chan his popularity to a new generation in the United  States but Jackie Chan has been quite vocal of his American films and how he is not too fond of the “Rush Hour” films.

According to an article on Mainichi Daily, “Chan said when he made the first installment of the “Rush Hour” series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn’t have high hopes.”

“When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn’t appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn’t understand the American humor,” Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.”

“The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an “irresistible” amount of money to do it and made the third installment, which was released recently, to satisfy fans of the series.”

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[Ehh?] Suck a nipple on a car contest in Beijing?

 

CRIEnglish.com reports on a contest that happened in Beijing where people had an opportunity to win $9,000 prize money to purchase a new car.

According to the article, “Dozens of people sat, squatted or knelt down to suck a silicone nipple stuck on cars. The victor, who sucked on the nipple for the longest time, could then spend only one yuan to buy a car worth 70,000 yuan, or about 9,000 US dollars.”

“Such an unusual contest was held at a shopping mall in Beijing on Saturday. Six cars were involved in the contest, with each randomly outfitted with 20 silicone nipples, Beijing News reported. ”

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Image courtesy of Beijing News/linked from CRIEnglish.com

 

[HONG KONG] Actor Tony Leung Ka Fai enters hospital with wound on head

CRIEnglish.com reports that actor Tony Leung Ka Fai entered a hospital in Hong Kong with a wound to the head.

According to the article, “Hong Kong veteran actor Tony Leung Ka Fai, who hurt his head, denied being beaten in Queen Mary Hospital of Hong Kong on Friday.”

“Website Sina.com reports that Tony Leung went to the hospital accompanied by his wife. The actor was hurt on his head with a bleeding wound when he arrived at the hospital.”

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[KOREA] 200+ year-old pornography found

In an article on Chosun, a very old form of pornography was found.

According to the article, “These are lines of dialogue from an explicit play dating back to the late Chosun Dynasty. Titled “Buksanggi”, it was discovered by Ahn Dae-hoe, a professor of Korean literature in classical Chinese at Sungkyunkwan University. On Saturday, Ahn will publish a paper on the play at a seminar sponsored by the Korean Classical Literature Association at Hanyang University.”

“The play is presumed to have been written either in 1780, the fourth year of the reign of King Jeongjo, or in 1840, the sixth year of the reign of King Heonjong. The author’s name is given as Donggo Eocho, a man presumed to have been a ruined aristocrat. At 124 pages long, it was written in the Chinese style then current as a story in dialogue. It is the second Chosun-period play, following “Dongsanggi” by Lee Ok.”

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[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to m.o.v.e – 10th Anniversary MEGA BEST

GROUP: m.o.v.e

ALBUM TITLE: 10th Anniversary MEGA BEST

LABEL: avex tune

CATALOG #: AVCT-10163~4/B

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2007

DURATION: [CD 1] 1:10:41 [CD 2] 1:09:02

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

[DISC 1 - Thank you for the fan -]

1. Gamble Rumble
2. DOGFIGHT
3. ANGEL EYES
4. Romancing Train
5. DISCO TIME
6. Blaziin Beat
7. Painless PAIN
8. Blast My Desire
9. around the world
10. SUPER SONIC DANCE
11. Systematic FANTASY
12. Good Day
13. SPEED MASTER
14. Key Ring
15. Sugar Sugar Rain

[DISC 2 - Thank you for the music -]

1. platinum (Drum n’ Bass REMIX) / Remix by Takashi Kimura
2. Raimei -out of kontrol- (Reggaeton REMIX / Remixed by motsu
3. Noizy Tribe (Rave REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
4. How To See You Again (Jungle REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
5. BURNING DANCE (Glitch REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
6. BREAK IN2 THE NITE (Mashp Remix) / Remixed by motsu
7. FREAKY PLANET (Disctoque REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
8. come together (Bangladesh ‘Mid East’ REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
9. !WAKE YOUR LOVE! (Hardcore REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
10. WORLD’S END (Old School REMIX) / Remixed by motsu (motsu Select)
11. GHETTO BLASTER (BigBeat REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
12. over drive (Electro Mix) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
13. words of the mind -brandnew journey- (Dream House REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
14. Disinfected Generation (Hard House REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura (yuri Select)
15. Rage your dream (Dance Pop REMIX) / Remixed by motsu
16. sweet vibration (italo House REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
17. ROCK IT DOWN (High Eenrgy REMIX) / Remixed by motsu
18. FUTURE BREEZE (Psychedelic REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura
19. FLY ME SO HIGH (Trance REMIX)/ Remixed by Takashi Kimura
20. SUPER SONIC DANCE (Hyper Techno REMIX) / Remixed by Takashi Kimura (t-kimura Select)

DVD – Non Stop VJ Mix -: Region 2, 4:3, 51 minutes, VJ: D-SK Non Stop Mixed by T-TASHIRO

NOTE: 27 music video clips remixed. Short video clips remixed from first CD single “ROCK IT DOWN” up to their 28th CD single “SPEED MASTER”

The trio known as m.o.v.e celebrates their 10th Year Anniversary and to celebrate is the group’s third best album titled “10th Anniversary MEGA BEST”.

What I enjoy the most about m.o.v.e best albums is that they try to introduce something new with each release. Things that you will not see with other artists with the exception of probably Hamasaki Ayumi.

“m.o.v.e super tune BEST SELECTIONS” back in 2002 featured a CD and DVD release. The songs non-stop, thus it seemed like one big remix (FYI – there are chapter tracks), then in 2004 was the release of “REWIND – singles collection +” featuring nearly all the CD singles from m.o.v.e and complete music videos.

With “10th Anniversary MEGA BEST”, on the first disc you get a total of 15 tracks featuring the top 15 fan selections from their 10 Years as a group (so, in other words, if you want a true set of all of m.o.v.e’s songs, you still need to buy all three best albums as the cheapest alternative).

The second disc features 20 remixes by m.o.v.e members Takashi Kimura (note: t-kimura has gone back to using his full name) and motsu.

And then to top it off, there is a DVD which features a remix of 27 of their music videos (video clips about 2 minutes long) but done in a way that it’s like a DJ remixes music, in this case, a remix of a VJ mixing videos. So, when you hear scratching, the video goes along with the scratching and if you hear a transition to a new song, you get a college of that segment and so forth.

The CD-insert features all the lyrics to the songs featured on the album. Inside the case are photo clips of all of m.o.v.e’s CD singles and albums.

Also, to be released on the same day is “10th Anniversay GIGA BEST” which features the full music video clips from the group.

I personally feel that all m.o.v.e best albums are must-buy albums if you are a fan of their music. With each best release, there is no skimping. Multi-CD’s, DVD’s, etc. you can’t go wrong with what they jam pack into their best releases.

With “10th Anniversary MEGA BEST”, it’s definitely an awesome album worth getting because you get 15 awesome songs (selected by fans) but there has not been a collection of their remixes from their Hyper Techno and “TropicanTrops” albums until now.

Also, the non-stop VJ mix is such an awesome idea. When “m.o.v.e super tune -BEST SELECTIONS” was released, I thought it was good to get a non-stop release and how everything melded together, despite the songs being full tracks was a novel idea. But to see it done with 27 of their music videos and to watch them flow so well and mixed together was more than I can ask for from a m.o.v.e album.

m.o.v.e’s “10th Anniversary MEGA BEST” is truly a definitive 10th Anniversary album and again I’m impressed with what is bundled in this album.

If you are a m.o.v.e fan, this best album is highly recommended!

 

[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to AAA – “AROUND”

GROUP: AAA

ALBUM TITLE: AROUND

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-23348/B

RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2007

DURATION: 50:00

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Get chuu!
2. SUNSHINE
3. She no Jijitsu
4. Deai no Chikara II
5. kuchibiru kara romantica
6. Red Soul
7. Paradise Paradise
8. Hanabi
9. No End Summer
10. Body Talker
11. That’s Right
12. Saigo no Kotoba

DVD: Region 2, 16:9LB, Duration: 37 minutes

1. Kagi no Aru Basho (short film)

The hybrid boy band/girl band known as AAA (Attack All Around) is back with their third album “AROUND”.

A few things have changed since our last review, this time the group has seven members (former member Goto Yukari had to leave the group in June due to a major health condition. But fans can keep up-to-date with her progress through her blog and her new life as she studies to become a bookkeeper and a dedicated L’Arc~en~Ciel fan).

Also, the group continues to do very well with nearly every CD single and album making it into the Oricon Daily Charts top 10 and top 5.

Now, here they are with their third full-length album “AROUND” and after listening to the album multiple times, I actually like it a lot!

The album features twelve tracks which includes the group’s 13th CD single “Get Chu!/She no Jijitsu”, 14th CD single “kuchibiru kara no romantica” and coupling song “That’s Right”, 15th CD single “Natsumono” songs: “SUNSHINE”, “No End Summer” and “Hanabi” and 16th CD single “Red Soul”.

You get a good balance of music with the happy, dance, pop song “Get Chu!”, the big band, stylish song “Kuchibiru kara no romantica”, the smooth slow tempo song “Hanabi” which features a duet with AAA girls Uno Misako and Ito Chiaki, “That’s Right” featuring a very cool song with Nisshy and Urata and “Red Soul” which is reminiscent of their earlier songs such as “BLOOD ON FIRE”.

But with eight of the songs featured on CD singles (please check out our other World Groove reviews for these CD singles ), is it even worth purchasing the album for four more tracks?

Especially, if you are an AAA fan who bought the multiple CD single versions to get the DVD music videos (NOTE: AAA CD+DVD singles such as “Natsu Mono” had four version releases, three that comes with DVD’s and each has a music video for one of the songs featured on the CD single. A common practice for AAA CD+DVD releases).

So, taking a look at the four songs on the album that are not on the CD singles.

“Deai no Chikara” is a song that I enjoyed from the first album “ATTACK” and the second version “Deai no Chikara II” is just as enjoyable, upbeat version and a great song showcasing Nishijima Takahiro and Uno Misako’s vocals. The original is my favorite, because it’s more of a ballad.

“Paradise Paradise” is a very cool upbeat song that blends pop music with a touch of Mid East influence.

“BODY TALKER” is a pop song that incorporates a lot of brass and a average pop song. Ok, its my least favorite song of the album.

“Saigo no Kotoba” is a slow-tempo song featuring the members rapping and singing. A song that I would not be surprised if the group performed at the end of their concert. The song is also the ending theme for their short film “Kagi no Aru Basho”.

As for the DVD for the CD+DVD version, the short film “Kagi no Aru Basho” is the first to have all members of the group act together. Each member of AAA are also talented actors that have taken part in theater, drama series and film in Japan.

The film revolves around relationships. The main storyline arc is centered around Sueyoshi Shuta’s character. A young man who doesn’t get along with his father and his father seems to be out of his life, always gone. Until one day, he finds out why his father is always gone at night.

The other storyline arc features Atae Shinjiro who is always going to the combini (convenience store) to get food to eat and always sees a dog always waiting outside the store which he tends to feed until one night, the dog appears to be asking him for help.

Then there is Uno Misako’s story arc featuring her relationship with a former friend (played by Ito Chiaki).

What I found interesting is that since Nishijima is typically the actor appearing in theater and on television, his role as a traffic coordinator is quite small. As for Urata, he plays a driver and Hidaka Mitsuhiro plays a buddy of Sueyoshi’s character.

All in all, it was great to see all members of AAA act together in a short film. On previous concert DVD’s, we got to see them act in a theater-style type of play but it’s cool to see them in a short film like this and I really applaud Avex doing these type of films on their DVD’s. We had the one hour long film for Koda Kumi and another short film for Kiyokiba Shunsuke’s CD single, so I hope they continue to do more of these.

As for the CD insert, the booklet contains photos of each member and the lyrics for the songs on the album.

In Japan, a few listeners have been critical because the album mostly consists of CD singles. In Japan, the music industry is focused on CD single sales and for AAA fans, because the releases are monthly and there are various releases of the CD singles, Japanese listeners want to know that they are getting more bang for the buck.

So, typically on Japanese releases, you get an album version or the CD single but with different music or something new. That is not the case with “AROUND”.

So, it all comes down to the person who wants to buy the album. Don’t have the CD singles, then you can purchase the album and be happy. Those who own all CD singles should then purchase the CD+DVD version for the additional songs but most importantly, you get to see a cool short film with all AAA members on it.

But if you are an AAA fan, I’m sure you will buy it anyway to complete the “ATTACK ALL AROUND” album trilogy.

All in all, “AROUND” is a very cool album that features a good balance of music. I actually like them all but one song. And I have listened to the album like a dozen times already and still not tired of it.

Definitely check it out!

 

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