Archives For 2011

Since the first time we talked about what people said about Yu-chan on twitter brought out toshii9245 out of lurking, I thought I would keep on posting other fun tweets about Yu ;D

Let’s start off with this fan-made trailer of Center of the Universe, starring Shugo Oshinari and Yu Aoi~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdaW5pP7KB0

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The first edition of the Global Chinese Golden Chart was held recently in Taipei, Taiwan.

Besides Leehom performing All the Things You Never Knew, Bibi was also there performing a medley of her i.Fish.Light.Mirror singles, including a bit of Canned Fish (like… the intro LOL), Single Mirror, and finally closing with I Miss U Missing Me.

I’m happy that BiBi performs her best when there’s important people. LOL Like… she sounds pitch perfect when musician, producers, and actors are in the room. She doesn’t even need fireworks, outrageous clothing or flashy stuff, just her singing.

There’s this funny thing about fandom, they just don’t care about anything else that doesn’t directly affect fandom. So unless X-member of boy/girl group is directing a movie, you won’t hear who’s directing a film.

But then again, that’s what generally happens anywhere.

I just wished, at least, that labels would care to put this information down in their description fields… to make it easier. I know Chinese/Taiwanese music videos have the information — most of the times — of who wrote the music, the lyrics and who directed all in the video… but it makes it really REALLY SUPER REALLY hard for us, who don’t read character. For a two paragraph post, I have to spend 1hr (maybe) getting the character on paper, then using Japanese handwriting input or the Kanji dictionary to get the characters into a browser, and then search for it. And that’s just the bit where I get the names xD

Anyway, I feel illuminated because I have discovered 5 important names that I will highlight in this post. But since no one is more important than the other, it will be from most recent mentioned in the blog.

First, Bounce (比尔贾) of Bounce Visual Creative… the director of one of my latest fave music videos: Stefanie Sun’s The Kingdom of Fools, a song which bring me to… Francis Lee (李焯雄), a Taiwanese lyricist who wrote Sun’s lyrics for that song, as well as being in charge of many of the songs in BiBi’s NOW/WOW album… as well as the Canned Fish song.

Then theres’ COSMOS, aka. Yingzhi Chen (陳映之) who directed Elva Hsiao’s Let Love Fly, other artists… and has recently directed this new girl group called Dream Girls and their MV for Tears Should Also Be Beautiful… a song which was written by famous Taiwanese songwriter Yao Ruo Long (姚若龍), who is the one who wrote one of my 2010 faves- Broken by Jing Chang.

And finally, another video for Dream Girls (this time I’m Your Dreamgirl) directed me to Yi Ren Chen (陳奕仁), the MV director of such gems such as Incomparable Beauty and Little Love Song – all by Sodagreen ;D

I feel like I learned something important these past few days of posting CMusic MVs. LOL Too bad I still haven’t finished Chinese homework and it’s nearly 4am.

Dear, Bang Bang Tang members~

I stalk your douban page from time to time, even if I don’t really read Chinese characters. I heard your music once featuring on CNN’s CNNGo programming, and I was hooked.

Anyway… enough with the fan message. xD

I am aware Bang Bang Tang — not the Taiwan boyband — just get together when they feel like playing, and actually study… or I guess already have jobs. I know the indie music scene is really tough… imagine such a huge market like China.

I wish someone who sign them already. Anyone, even an international indie label. Sighs. You know, instead of debuting a new girl group a week, they should fund BBT’s album.

Suffering fan,
amy xD

Here. I leave you with the video for  Bang Bang Tang (棒棒糖) – 我最爱缺陷男 (Wo Zui Ai Que Xian Nan) – My Favorite Male Defects, which was included in my Top-Rated Songs of 2010, even though it’s not a 2010 song. Only one exception to that rule. xD

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Top-Rated Songs of 2010

April 7, 2011 — 3 Comments

I know it’s pretty late, but I guess that I always put the list off because there was always that “haven’t listened to that yet” issue. I will be probably adding 2010 stuff later on, but it won’t hurt to put my top rated songs — according to iTunes and iPod numbers.

Surprisingly, or not surprisingly… the majority of top-rated songs that are equal or greater than 5 stars are Asian artists with their Asian songs and albums. LOL As you know, I’m trying to mix everything up with languages, so I’m also trying to pick one song per artist xD

I hope you like this compilation, there are links to preview the tracks… and also links to buy the albums via affiliate programs, so if you like anything – please support this blog (or YAM)

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You know I love this type of things… like Pythagoras Switch and the OK GO’s MV.

This Docomo CM for the Touch Wood (ew) model of their phones — which to be honest are kinda cute. If I were in Japan, I would probably own a phone, but since I’m not xD The commercial, however, is made of awesome~

I think this might turn into a new feature xD

So I was checking YouTube uploads as I do now to see what to post on YAM Magazine, and saw this new Avex upload of MinxZone, whom I’ve never heard of. The intro (after the text) is kinda cool with the literal Paper Piano (the song title is Kami PIANO 紙ピアノ), but I thought it sounded familiar. Funny to find that one of the comments in it was the same.

See for yourself~

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I am obsessed with this music video… as you can see since I’m posting it here AND posting it in YAM Magazine. And especially now that I found that BOUNCE has a newly opened YouTube account that I hope doesn’t go POOF because of some wonk copyright issue.

I mean, this video is beauuuuuutiful in HD. And the song has rapidly grown on me — haven’t heard the album yet, but from all the singles released… it feels like this is one of the few songs that I can truly say WOW.

I know about Stefanie Sun, but I had never been actively interested in listening to her music. Like many of the Asian artists I followed, I saw her in the Beijing Welcomes You MV that came out for the Olympics… but then, I was more taken by that little girl in kind of a tux and glasses with the deep voice. Stephanie Sun is there — so young and cute, that it just never registered.

Call it a surprise to know that she’s got 12 albums, and that she’s 32. Amazing. I have become so cliché that whenever I ask my mom “guess how old this and that is” She just knows now. She knows when to add age, and when to subtract it. No fun anymore. xD

Here you go, watch the video – glorious HD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xifVlgSAdQE

Also, as a side note. You wouldn’t believe how LONG it took me to get the director’s name in characters and then figure out it’s BOUNCE who also directed MISSTER‘s Super Lover video. I was so crazy about this video, that I went name-hunting instead of doing my Chinese homework. LOL

After DBSK pretty rocking dance tune of Keep your Head Down, the guys decided to release — alongside a repackaged version of their album — the single for Before U Go with a music video styled as a slick action crime drama. The regular 5min. version of the video is actually pretty interesting, because it’s packed with some fighting, and some sort of story that we can follow.

It’s like the teaser of a quality Korean drama. LOL

And then… they decided to release the long-form video. I like to talk about it when MVs get turned to short films. So we must talk about it. Yes, the long version is still pretty slick, but there’s one BIG problem.

The remaining DBSK guys Yunho and Changming end up the 16min run of the MV looking like lousy one-dimensional goodies, while the baddie is an anti-hero. I actually felt a lot worse for him than the “good” guys. What’s up with that?

Yu Aoi Twitter

March 15, 2011 — 5 Comments

At the moment of this post, there’s no link to a Yu Aoi Twitter account.

To be honest, I can’t remember how I ended up in this account @yuaoi85 – which you know, would make sense as a username. However, there are several things weird with the account.

The most obvious one is that is not a verified account, but very few outside Hollywood verify theirs… so I can pass that.

The second big one is that Yu doesn’t speak English. It is simple English, but out of 17 tweets – 6 are in English. – Plus, her latest tweet is a copy and paste of the message on her website.

Also, who is that account following. Docomo. Fine, she sponsors Docomo.

But why a Kardashian? Marie Claire? Elle?

It’s very random follows.

And the first tweet is about a football soccer match. LOL

Then again, if it is the actual account (you never know xD) – I need explanations. Why Kardashian!!??!?

Until her website is linked to a twitter account, we shall label all as fakes.