Blessed!
Good luck on the comeback, Mamamoo kids. Red Moon, Fighting! Mariachi Maria la del Barrio Moonbyul, Fighting! Pole-dancing Solar, Fighting! Burn-everything Whee-in, Fighting! Just chilling in the tub Ahn Maria Hwasa, Fighting! Mamamoo, Fighting!
Also, my Japanese reading skills~ lol, thank you. And here is something I never thought I would say… bless Dispatch? LOL
Anticipate staying awake until Monday for Red Moon activities~
GINZA has just published a piece titled REDI no Shozo (レディの肖像, Portrait of a Lady) by Tomoko Kurose; and two black & white shots by Yasuhide Kuge. It’s a rare interview because it’s actually readable in Google Translate, lol. She talks about taking photos (she’s bad at it), what feelings she gets shooting movies and working on stage, how she perceives herself, a bit on her childhood, her work on voice-acting for animation… some talk on Penguin Highway and her speech for the Japanese Academy Award win where she talked about movies and being bullied.
Amy the celebrity-endorsements-don’t-work-on-me is back XD and must reveal that now I drink much more caffeine than before (I blame Turkish coffee) and I’ve been drinking Soju. Damn it, Korea. And I begin talking about drinks because Yu-chan has a brand new sponsor in Asahi for their Asahi Mogitate (アサヒもぎたて) campaign. “Mogitate” means “fresh-picked,” and it’s the name of their new ‘ready-to-drink’ (RTD) product— Chuuhai aimed at women. The err… Drinks Association in Australia (?) has a really explanatory post on Asahi’s road to design the perfect RTD that women (and men) want to buy.
I didn’t know the beer market in Japan had been shrinking. This is first news to me. Recommended watch: The Birth of Sake. Also, you gotta read about the Japanese whisky market and prices. Japan and their collectors’ stuff.
Chuuhai, on the other hand~~~
I do wonder if Yu-chan still sponsors Kirin xD
Here’s the most recent one titled Mogitate and Summer Veggies Curry (もぎたてと夏野菜カレー)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QME4RowP8AU
There’s also a Making Of xD
The first one out back in early May is called Mogitate and Young Bamboo Shoots (もぎたてと白子たけのこ) after the break~
I’ve never learned so much about chocolate texture and color xD Even though my love for it doesn’t stretch to wanting to try a $550 bar. lol
I did get curious about Guittard chocolates, though.
I must confess that I like cheap cocoa powder, though. xD
Also, sharing that overdone Beginner’s Guide I did because I couldn’t make up my mind, LOL
Happy listening~ xD
I honestly don’t have the time to keep up with variety shows on a regular basis, but this showed up on my YT recommendations and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch Leehom on a duet with Han Hong. It gave me goosebumps. I love Shangri-la (心中的日月) on its own original version, but this arrangement for Come Sing with Me (我想和你唱) just gave me the chills.
Han Hong’s voice goes so well with Leehom’s. ToT
Also, DAMN~ I used to not give much for Hebe’s voice, but girl has continued surprising me all decade. I don’t remember her being much of a vocalist, but I’m shooketh with her performance of Angel Devil (魔鬼中的天使). I wonder if she found Julio Iglesias’ not-so-secret microphone stash.
Leehom also got better. Maybe they’re all getting better sound engineers.
I’ve been watching NHK’s asadora, Hanbun Aoi (半分、青い。), intermittently like I always tend to do. At first, Mei Nagano made me think of a grown-up Ashida Mana which made no sense… even though Mana-chan is enormous and the last time I saw her it made me feel like those parents who watch their children turn into teenagers in horror. lol
But now I was watching the most recent episode of Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kanpai (鶴瓶の家族に乾杯) on NHK Premium, and she was featured wearing an up-do samurai bun, white baggy clothes; so relaxed, enjoying her snacks, a dip of her feet in onsen water, greeting fans and playing other young girls. Dorky charisma, yo~ It takes a special ability to have people younger than you to “kawaiiiiiiiiii” you so sincerely. LOL
I was looking for a decent quality image of Alexander Walker’s Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Star book cover, but I couldn’t find any :/ so I decided to scan my own. Take it as a service to the online community. I was going to watermark it, but decided not to. A link back or a shout out would be nice, tho :)
I like mentioned back in April [1], Yu-chan is featured on Hoshikuzu Scat’s (星屑スキャット) most recent music video directed by Birds Without Names director Shiraishi Kazuya~ The song, titled Shinjuku Chanson (新宿シャンソン), is featured on Kesho-shitsu (化粧室), the first album of the drag queen group, and was written by multi-talented illustrator-actor-writer Lily Franky.
‘Tis a thing of beauty~
