I guess I could translate Daisuki Sweets to Sweets that I Love (the best).
There’s a new special issue by Magazine House that has just been released. My understanding is that it’s got write-ups on Yu’s favorite pastries, and stuff like that. I even read something about her grandma’s banana bread?
Obviously, this is to promote her upcoming film Yogashiten Coin de Rue, which opens on February 11th.
*drum roll*
Guess who’s going to begin Mandarin lessons?
Crap, I’m nervous about it. I hope I can get the tones right. I don’t want to end up frustrated with it, and give up on all the Chinese music I own.
Honestly, Mandarin is the most difficult — sound-wise — language to me. But then again, I know nothing about Arabic… and I’m pretty sure I will have issues pronouncing anything resembling Hebrew.
What I hate about Chinese – any of the dialects – is that it’s like playing charade with a language.
Wish me luck.
It’s over, I think it is.
Pretty much, I think. Don’t want to let that go because it’s been such long time, but ugh. It’s been wavering for the past year… from interviews, statements, etc. Enough is enough.
I’m giving you an ultimatum. I’m holding on to this until the end of February… out of respect. Pity being my bday month, but you know why it is. I don’t think it will ever be the same between us, but I’m a good sport. I can always forgive, but you really must show me how it’s going to work.
I always admired you in a way, tried my best to respect your private life. When that incident happened, I felt bad… I never liked reporters anyway, and my crush on your rumored boyfriend was gone because of it… because how could he, right? Yeah, maybe you should have known better.
Now, you’re flaunting your business? Admittedly, I was impressed with the timing… but I never thought it would have been for this. I want to turn a blind eye to this because that’s what I’ve been doing… but I can’t do that any longer. I’m sorry. I wish I were a better fan…
Hoping the best for you.
xoxo~
So says the girl that wrote an essay on Numerology and a certain Harry Potter subject. *cough* LOL Anyway… moving on! You know I’ve got fandoms… I’ve gotten into shipping fandoms, but never got as “bad” as those HP days.
I was browsing the web, and ended up in LiveJournal — the place where all fandoms seem to end — and I found Rachel/Quinn shippers? How did that happen? Well, you need not to wonder. They will explain to you episode by episode… in a rather very detailed and impressive way.
I’m even a little converted. Though, I attribute many of those moments to Diana Agron letting go off Quinn’s bitchiness in a musical number — some may call those character inconsistencies — but they work in a very ironic kind of way.
I love love love Ryan Murphy with all my heart because of Popular, but he’s really not the King of Subtleties… if you must know. How can you not know that? It must have hit you in the face by now that Murphy likes it big and loud. Those Quinn/Rachel moments are too subtle to be meant to. Attribute those to happy accidents.
But they work. My gawd, Quinn/Dianna stares a lot at Rachel/Lea. And it had never crossed my mind that all of Quinn’s musical numbers, real or in her imagination, have her surrounded by females. Plus, the number with the cheerleaders in football uniforms.
If slowly developed, I can totally buy it.
—
The dedication of that post, however, is what made me write this post. I miss that crazy passion that fandom can create. I don’t know if that crazy passion should come with the crazy disappointment, though. I don’t think I can take another fandom heartbreak.
Ahh fandom… NSFW fandom.
Shane and Molly have Asian fans! It figures~ I wonder if some pairings are more popular in each region just because of cultural preferences. The fact that Shane wanted to become a better person… more studious, more knowledgeable for Molly is what sold me on the pairing. I also think it’s a very Asian thing xD
Plus, they’re hot… but Shane and Carmen was hot– but too much drama.
I liked they used a song by a Taiwanese singer called Joanna Wang. She reminds me of the style of those easy listening tracks by Kendal Payne, or those tracks used so often in Grey’s Anatomy xD And the ending of the video, so sad.
I really meant to post this sooner.
Remember that Glee episode in which we have a flashback of Kurt as a kid with his dad? That was amazing casting, and just to test my theory, I screencapped some bits and showed them to my mother. Her verdict? She thought it was really Chris Colfer as a kid!
So kudos with the casting on this one:
Eric Dawson, Carol Kritzer & Robert J. Ulrich ~~~
Please, I finally have found out about this photoshoot. I didn’t really recognized Ayumi Ito on this, since I wasn’t really THAT familiar with her work when I found the pictures, and I was probably too embarrassed to ask anyone about this shoot… because, the photos actually make me feel kind of uncomfortable LOL
And you know I wouldn’t post photos just for posting. I wanted to know, and I finally figured it out.
Whenever I see Yu-chan sharing a photoshoot with a co-star — usually male — it’s weird, like really awkward. I always thought it was a Japanese thing… have no chemistry, or barely touching your co-star. It’s something that worked with Ninomiya in that Tekkon photoshoot, because it’s him… and he’s pretty much sexless to me. LOL
I have no idea if it’s because Ayumi Ito is really REALLY awesome, and that Yu Aoi really gets along with her, but this photoshoot made me re-think my whole “it’s a Japanese thing” theory. Maybe it’s because Yu-chan feels more comfortable doing this stuff with girls — because there’s no sexual tension… or if she doesn’t get along with most her male co-stars. Or maybe it is a cultural thing, and it’s wrong in Japan to see her getting cozy with her male co-star for a shoot~~~
Anyone can explain? Enlighten us~~~
I’m not even a fan, but woman knows how to work that stage. She certainly knows how to close a show! On a very VERY long new year night… imagine having to download 11Gb to watch a roughly 6hr show, Jpop duo DREAMS COME TRUE was the most memorable number of the night — which includes a giant tsuru (crane), and a rock n’ roller tongue-wiggling ojiisan,
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Are you kidding me? A marching band (the Kouhaku Marching band) with a lead singer jumping in a kimono? That’s an automatic win. xD Plus, Ikite yuku no desu (生きてゆくのです) is super catchy, the performance just brings it to the level of memorable.
This is the best I can do for the moment, the only clip I’ve been able to find. If/when I find something better, will re-post. Now, if NHK was smart, they’d be posting the Kouhaku performances on their own site for embedding, instead of taking down the performances that make it online…
OMG, how time flies!
Gou begins this Sunday!! And it’s supposed to be a 70min. episode.
Please, that clip of Juri possibly crying… and possibly pulling at each other’s cheeks, I’m going to be crying and laughing with this… just like when Atsuhime aired.
I told you BiBi was going to be my first post of 2011! xD
It’s common knowledge I don’t buy singles… or usually “best of” compilations — unless it’s an artist with too many albums that I don’t want to “catch up” on with.
Julz also knows I don’t do mini-albums.
But I do own all of BiBi’s albums ;P I have named myself her biggest fan living the farthest away. LOL Unless BiBi has a fan living in the Patagonia, I’m taking the title, thankyouverymuch.
Bibi’s latest albums are far from perfect. Really respect that she’s trying to expand her style, her vocal range, as well as her image. Though it sometimes feels like her label doesn’t know what to do with her, like they need to change her style (from Time to i.fish.light.mirror) to sell well in Taiwan and Hong Kong – where she probably did sell well after the change.
I sat today listening to her first album (not counting her EP), Who Touched My Violin String?, and it was really quite good. Very strong, except for maybe two skippable songs.
Her second effort, her double album NOW and WOW — UMPH! They’re a killer combo. After over two years of listening and discovering Chinese pop music artists, I have learned to appreciate NOW a lot more. But WOW blew me away right away for its hard to figure out sound.
In NOW, she is a lot more traditional sounding… a few “Chinese” or I guess zhongguo feng songs, nice ballads with tight vocals, great production values, and lyrics. In WOW, she does the opposite. She’s R&B without sounding R&B, she’s a bit Rock without being Rock, she’s Pop without being truly Pop — she’s got funk, soul… her lyrics are whack, and she sounds like no one else.
If Leehom coined Chinked-out style, BiBi was able to pull it off in WOW.
I really believe those two albums have been the highlight of her career, and hope that her new contract with Gold Typhoon lets her — as an artist — experiment with those styles more.
Hopefully, I will be able to get the pinyin for Bibi’s songs. In the meantime, you can check the one that’s already done for the WOW album. If you’re lucky, I will learn Chinese hahaha… tough luck!
