Category: Japanese

  • AfterEllen Top East-Asian Suggestions 2010

    Okay, I took a WHOLE lot more time on getting names for this list, because apparently I am not knowledgeable enough in female actresses and well singers from Asia as I first though…

    AfterEllen.com also made their annual list of Hot 100 2010 [as well as Top Women of Color, Top Out Women, Top Women over 40], only they made it backwards, so I’m linking you to their last page, and you’re going to have to work your way backwards… Ovbiously, I thought AfterElton worked better because I took the time to look through it more than once to make sure I wasn’t missing anyone.

    Tips for a better list for AfterEllen:

    • Start from #100
    • Point out with arrows who’s going up or down in positions, and who’s a new entry.

    And really? No Asians on your list?

    Not that I don’t appreciate the likes of Alicia Keys, Jennifer Beals, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, the girls from Glee (Cheerios plus Rachel, woah that’s bizarre xD), Meryl (who doesn’t need a last name), Rachel Weisz, Amanda Seyfried (even though the things that are coming out of her mouth lately), Christina Hendricks, Tina Fey, Penelope Cruz, Jodie Foster, Rachel McAdams, the whole cast of The L Word… right? Pink, Emily Blunt, Kate Winslet, Ellen Page, all whom often make appearances on this blog. And to top it with Olivia Wilde…

    but then again… no Asians?

    So me, barely scraping made a list of Top East-Asians that you might want to consider for future editions of your Hot 100. I would also offer a weekly/monthly (a la my AfterElton offer), but I don’t think I’m as knowledgeable in this area. I could try pimping Asian talents on a monthly basis if you want xD

    Okay… once again, in no particular order.

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  • AfterElton Top East-Asian Suggestions 2010

    Dear AfterElton,

    I love that Taye Diggs topped your list of Top10 Men of Color, and that you also included Ricky Martin. Though, I still wonder… really? Eddie Cibrian? Anyway…

    I like that you tried to include 1/5 of Asians… but there’s too much Asian hotness in the world to only count Daniel Dae Kim (from Lost), and John Cho… it just makes it seem like you know two Asians in the west.

    So here is a list of Asian male that I’m pimping so you could check out for future editions. I would be more than happy (and I’m sure my friend Julz would also be happy) to contribute weekly or monthly posts of Asian hotties on AfterElton.

    So… in no particular order…

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  • The final nail on LimeWire’s coffin?

    People are saying it’s time that LimeWire is put to sleep…
    or most likely…

    According to the article, 60% of people use LimeWire. Really?

    I haven’t used LimeWire in… at least, 8 years? I do know about two or three that use it, but that’s because they pretty much suck with anything related to computers. And I mean really suck.

    I have recently used aMule because I needed to get three albums (of an artist… Ding Wei, if you must know), and the only place I found it was on this Chinese website that only supported aMule/eDonkey files. However, I haven’t used it for anything else.

    After Napster — does ANYONE use that for legal downloads anyway? — I went through a lot of other programs, including AudioGalaxy, iMesh, Kazaa, eDonkey, LimeWire… and maybe a few others, but the lines have started to blur already.

    What I have been doing for music? I have been listening to a LOT of stream music over at HaoTing.com [literally meaning “good music” or “good sound” or “pleasant to hear”], and whenever I decide the album is quite good, I download via any place. Those MP3s sit on my HD for a while until I finally add them on my iPod, and once they become my favorite “albums” [hint: albums, not single tracks], I look them up in different online stores, and actually buy the physical album.

    The last album that has defy that system was Salyu’s Maiden Voyage, which I pre-order for fear of losing my copy of the limited edition with DVD concert… like I lost Seo Taiji.

  • Welcome to Tokyo

    A while ago the Tokyo Metropolitan Government commissioned Studio 4°C to make an animated short to promote visiting Tokyo. Available in original Japanese audio with English, Korean, Chinese Traditional and Simplified, Italian, French, Spanish and Dutch, the short is titled Honey Tokyo and tells the story of a girl from the future traveling to present-day Japan to bring back Happiness to her time. A boy named Takeru serves as her guide to different places in the city, doing different activities and learning about traditions.

    The short had a budget of around half a million $USD, and can I just say~~~
    it’s a really great investment? It just fuels my wanting to go to Japan.

    Check it out at the Welcome to Tokyo website.

    Great way to mix Art and PR. Tagged as commercial and short! xD

  • Raiou Gets a Teaser

    Woah~ seems like Yu is everywhere this May.
    I’m loving it.

    Like I’ve said before, Yu’s face on Raiou seems flawless. And she seems more grown up, I was a little taken by that. I feel so proud. LOL even though I’m younger… This is the Yu I like, the one that acts. I’m all over the voice she uses on that teaser. The screaming, it reminds me of Shiro.

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  • Vampire in Vancouver

    Okay… Vampire is more than a meh title… but you know, even if it’s a film in English, I’m all for keeping the name as “ヴァンパイア” [VANPAIA] — but hopefully this is just a working title — LOL Because you know I’m all for Shunji Iwai and Yu Aoi in anything they might do together… but that is so generic a title.

    Nippon Cinema [Bloody Disgusting, and Just Jared, without mentioning Yu…] are reporting new casting decisions for the film. Alongside Yu Aoi, Kevin Zegers and Amanda Plummer, whom I have already reported on, there will also be roles for Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, and is from Vancouver), Trevor Morgan (Mean Creek, Jurassic Park III), Adelaide Clemens (whom I don’t know), and Oscar-nominated Keisha Castle Hughes (Whale Rider, The Nativity Story).

    I had totally forgotten this will be shooting in May, so this explains why Yu Aoi was missing from the FLOWERS premiere that other day everyone got blasted for those dresses. And I seem to be the only one who noticed.

    I have always had a soft spot for Leigh Cook, even though I haven’t followed her career. I do know she was involved in a project [with Dove?] about self-esteem and body image across schools in the US. And I totally love Whale Rider, so I’m thrilled to see Hughes hasn’t stopped acting after she got pregnant.

    Kristin Kreuk… I have the notion, because everyone keeps telling, that Kreuk is hot. I know. I get it, but man… her acting? I mean, how much of a suck was Chun Li?

    And finally… Trevor Morgan, who has always played the bully. In my mind… I can only think of Empire Falls and Mean Creek, and he’s a bully in both, isn’t he? He’s an okay actor though.

  • TheAuteurs Turns into MUBI

    First reaction was a shriek. What the hell had happened to my TheAuteurs.com account? Well, it had just turned into a MUBI account instead.

    From indieWIRE;

    It had to happen. The cinephile site The Auteurs has changed its name.

    …

    Cakarel wants to grow members into the millions. So he went on a quest for a new name. He called on ad agencies all over the world to find a simple, easily-typed name. “Find me my global brand, my Sony,” he told them. It took nine months, but finally an agency in Tokyo knew they had found the name. Mubi.

    The word “movie” is mispronounced in many cultures that have trouble with the letter V. It isn’t a word in any language. It is a city in Nigeria. And Cakarel plans to make that city the movie-lover capital of the world.

    Even if finding out about the change of names through indieWIRE and not TheAuteurs itself is just a little offensive, I could understand a change in branding. However, the change in brand seems to be a complete move towards the mainstream market to attract more members, who aren’t necessarily interested in auteur-driven films, and hence wouldn’t know how to type “auteur” in the first place… than a re-brand to actually make the product better for its core audience. It’s like Inca Kola trying to be hip and cool, when it doesn’t taste the same.

    With this “strategic” branding idea, they have stirred up their community by having many users complaining about the change of name, and those who aren’t complaining? Well, they are indifferent to the change. Overall feedback seems to be quite negative so it has prompted forum boards by now-MUBI Efe (Cakarel) titled “Why did we change our name to MUBI”

    The most interesting part of it all, is their deals with the Sao Paulo Film Fest to stream their films — and possible future deals with the likes of Tribeca — and deals with Cannes.

    Let’s just hope they continue to focus on Silents, Foreign Films, Classic Films and other hard to watch films, and/or other hard to find for people to share with, than mainstream Hollywood films.

  • Yu Aoi for 3D Exhibit and Pop-up Book?

    I am not sure if I’m reading correctly, but according to her website

    She will be releasing a new book, which happens to be a Pop-up Book titled “うそっ。” – and well, I don’t know how to romanize that… is it call “Uso.” as in “Lie.” because Google keeps translating to “Bull.” which I’m guessing it’s not.

    Published by Parco Factory, it will be released by late June at 3 990 Yen (roughly $50 USD) and will contain 16-high-quality A4-variant pages (6 pop-ups?) in full-color.

    Damn. That’s pricey.

    Parco Factory will also be doing an exhibit in Shibuya from summer to autumn (with possible future dates in Nagoya and Fukuoka) , which will be able to be enjoyed with 3D glasses… you know, the Blue and Red glasses. So you’ll be able to enjoy that, as well as getting the pre-release of the book.

    Date: May 27, 2010 to June 14, 2010
    Admission: General 500 Yen, Students 400 Yen / Elementary students for FREE.

    And… there’s also an event with Yu.

    Only 200 seats available, which apparently will be chosen by luck. [you can apply here]

    Date: May 29, 2010
    Venue: Shinekuinto (Shibuya Parco Part 3.8 F )
    Time: 9.30pm to 10.30pm

    Sorry, I can’t translate any more.

    Here’s more info.

  • Namie Amuro vs. Janet Jackson – FIGHT!

    So you know I don’t worship Janet Jackson. Okay, maybe a little.

    Okay, now that THAT is out of the way. I was reading that Namie Amuro topped the random polls of “female singer with the best dancing skills“, ahead of BoA… who barely made the list. I thought to myself “Wow, she must really be something”. Because even if I don’t appreciate BoA for all her BoA-ness, I thought she totally killed it with her video of Eat You Up (even if the lyrics are pretty rubbish).

    So this is my total non-biased opinion.

    I YouTubed Namie Amuro, and  came up with THIS performance for Girl Talk, which has over 100k views. Totally NOT impressed with the dancing. But something else called my attention.

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  • Yu Aoi for Corner Pastry Shop

    It seems Yu died and went to heaven. LOL

    It’s her in a pastry shop! And a new movie announcement!!

    Yogashiten Coin de Rue (洋菓子店コアンドル) [KOAN DA RU] – seriously, why the Katakana? – was shot last year between October and December, and post-production will be completed this month for a possible release by the end of the year.

    Starring alongside Yosuke Eguchi, and directed by Yoshihiro Fukagawa, it tells the story… hmm, I’ll let Nippon Cinema explain much better than I can.

    Eguchi will play Tomura, a legendary pastry chef who was renowned for his sweets before suddenly dropping out of industry circles. Aoi will play a cake-maker’s daughter who traveled from Kagoshima to Tokyo to chase after a boyfriend. She gets a job at a popular Tokyo shop called “Pastry Coin de Rue” where Tomura is a regular customer. Through their interactions she experiences personal growth, eventually learning the importance of enjoying life and not abandoning your dreams.

    Wow, how many projects it is now?