Just a quick note to everyone in Internet Land: Merry Christmas to you and your friends/family/important people.  Each and every one.

Oh and check out the new Rika pics.  They're smoking!

Lounging

Hap~py!

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Thanks to Reanimation at JPHiP, great scans from the latest FLASH Magazine:

石川梨華 Flash 1

石川梨華 Flash 2

石川梨華 Flash 3

石川梨華 Flash 4

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Anyone know/remember Saijo Hideki?

"Jyounetsu no Arashi"

He was a Seventies J-pop fixture and apparently discarded in the cultural silly bin or something.  I remember Saijo being THE image of young/cool/passion/singing or whatever stands out when you're in elementary school and your senses tell you that this is IT.

Well thirty years later it has apparently frozen up and become ripe for parody.  Seems like EVERY time I sing a Seventies Saijo tune and there's a gal from Japan in the room...  Well, she's covering her mouth in a failed attempt at suppressing laughter.  In fact, it happened again this past Friday when I busted out this classic:

"Chigireta Ai"

Yeah it looks campy and overwraught and those moves sure aren't hip-hoppy.  Know what: the local dudes I was with didn't think it was silly at all, especially the monologue in the middle.  They thought it was great theater.  Only the 30ish women on the other side of the room were snickering as usual.  What the hell were they waiting for, Matsujun or something?

Friends: I kicked ass with this song and resolve to sing it EVERY time I go to karaoke from now on.


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UPDATE: I found this interesting medley of Saijo tunes, ranked in reverse order according to Oricon.  Was grooving to a few of them and was gratified that many of the top 20 were old faves.  However that #4 was pretty gruesome and it suddenly hit me that I already KNEW what the top song was going to be.  Aggh!

Saijo Hideki Best 50 songs

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... And the adventure continues.  Seriously, you think any of us is shocked at this kind of stuff?  She wants to go into "modeling."  Or discovered boys.  Whatever.

小春日記

                      
I'm kinda glad I'm not in the scene much these days but what of rookie fans who have yet to experience the annoyance and distraction of personnel movement?  Best of luck to them.

And also Koharu-chan, who I thought had a chance to succeed Ayaya as Japan's Last True Idol.  Maybe she'll keep the title after leaving H!P.

I'm glad she did another shashinshuu before leaving.

Sugar Doll

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Read the news of John Hughes's passing late this morning (on Twitter, of course) and a wave of nostalga hit a bunch of us in the office.  One person (local guy) drew a blank at the name "John Hughes" which I guess is possible (who remembers all those damn names in the opening credits?!). 

Everybody is quoting "Ferris Bueller," a movie I will recall mostly for making me SICK of "Twist and Shout."

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OK so here's the update page for the Pony Canyon stuffs.

Yep, the CoCo DVD box set is still there.  But what the HELL happened to ribbon?  Kaput: it's off HMV and now Rakuten.  I already began to set some buck$ aside for BOTH sets (assuming a Y30,000 MSRP each) so I wish they'd hurry up and allow me to budget my funds more wisely.

If it's only CoCo in 2009 then I'm spending the rest on Princess Princess...

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So there's this lady in the office and I'm busting my brain trying to figure out just who the hell she looks like.

Yesterday it hit me...

Do you know me?

OK I'm a meanie.

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Toma karaoke, 8 May 2009:

And We Danced - Hooters
Heart of Gold - EXILE
What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding - Elvis Costello
Bobby Jean - Bruce Springsteen
Come On, Get Happy - The Partridge Family
A Girl Like You - The Smithereens
King of Rock - Run-DMC
Add It Up - Violent Femmes
Daite Senorina - Yamashita Tomohisa

New updated English song database at Toma so I had to take advantage with the locals.  Split early 'cause I had a dental appointment on Saturday morning...

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Nick Adenhart: 1986-2009

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Ichiro soaks in the bubbly

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