Jero is a young man who has amazed me. He has achieved a feat that no one else has ever done - he is an African American Enka singer. His grandmother was Japanese and wanted him to be a famous Enka singer. Enka is a traditional or "country" way of singing for the Japanese. After a lot of work, he has pulled it off, his single Umiyuki was released on February 20th and has already sold over 3 million copies. If I had only heard his voice, I would never have known he was anything but Japanese. Congratulations! (omedeto!)
A bit of hopeful news for the 100th post (at least I think it's hopeful.) The North Korean stronghold opened a little on Tuesday. The New York Philharmonic became the first major foreign entity to play in the country. With foreign music cut off from North Korea, (they can't listen to anything made after 1900) it was an amazing opportunity to let the people expand their horizons. I hope little steps make a difference, and that over time (and in my lifetime) North Korea will open back up and be free. They played the North Korean and American National anthem for the opening songs in Pyongyang. Let's hope this is just a beginning for more and more small changes in North Korea!
I am incredibly saddened. I just read on a Chinese news site that Edison finally went to Hong Kong and admitted that the pictures were real and he never intended them to be public. I will say that in my opinion, those kind of pictures should never be taken in the first place if you don't want them to get out - they almost always find their way out in the public. He is leaving Hong Kong show business INDEFINITELY! This decision saddens me deeply. I know lots of people find him offensive, or don't like him, but I really did think he was a genuine person (I read his blog a lot.) It's really sad that this is going to ruin his career, and that NONE of the other celebrities are coming out to support or defend him. I hope that he puts his talent to use here in the United States and that he doesn't disappear entirely.
I'm not entirely sure whether this one is bad or good but, the U.S. is "stealing" another show from Asia. The miscellaneously named Hole In The Wall or Human Tetris from Japan or Jiwhaza from Korea is being picked up for a pilot on F.O.X. Ever since I saw the "viral video" of this over a year ago it's been my favorite online video for a mini giggle-fest. If you head on over to Veoh and type in either Human Tetris or Jiwhaza you'll get a bunch of videos to giggle over. Most of them have random guest appearances by Japanese and Korean celebrities - so enjoy. Also, I remember Ellen Degeneres having her own take on the show called Through the Wall or Take a Fall, I don't know if she got permission from them or not, but it was fun. (Not as fun as the Asian one's - they actually have way to get through everyone that is simpler than you think. Either way - tune in to F.O.X. if they actually pick it up for a season. It'll be interesting at least.
I have often been fascinated by Japanese nail art. It's beautiful and over the top - like a lot of things in Japan. I've ALWAYS said that the Japanese like to take things we start and push them to the limits. Here is a small example of that - super shiny cell phone covers. Swarovski crystals have taken over lots of things lately and the cell is no stranger to them. I hope you enjoy the small gallery I added for you. :)
I have a wealth of online sources for all things Asian and I found this recently and had to share it. KBS World Radio has a free source for learning Korean. It uses visual and vocal methods to help - check it out if you're interested. :)
Right after the release of his new Cantonese song "$$$" he was hit with a major scandal. If you've read my blog, you know he's one of my favorites, and I hate to see these things happen. In case you don't know, pornographic pictures of him and three other Hong Kong celebrities have leaked onto the internet and are causing a major uproar in the Hong Kong community. Bobo Chan, Cecilia Cheung, and Gillian Chung are the women involved. I WON'T be posting the pictures, even though I did see them while trying to find the lyrics to $$$. Grrr. Edison released a press release asking his fans and all the people who are making this worse by distributing the pictures by taking them down and deleting them. I will say, that if they are real (which I believe they are) celebrities especially shouldn't have taken the photos in the first place. It's just asking for a scandal because there is always the chance of them getting out. SO STUPID. But, I hope and pray that EDC and the other celebs affected can find who let the pictures out and try to stop them from spreading further. I hope that fans don't react too violently - sometimes scandals happen and I fear that many people will change their opinions of them. I for one, am going to remain loyal to them and hope others do too.
((SO sorry for the lack of posts, I've been a little busy starting a new job. I'll try to post more frequently ("+__+) from now on. )
