Sawajiri Erika eating Hamburger Steak

Horikita Maki's LOTTE Ad

I've  been a fan of Horikita Maki ever since I first saw her in Nobuta Wa Produce and Hanazakari Kimitachi E and really grew to respect and love her as an actress in shows like Innocent Love and Tokujo Kabachi, but strangely enough, I've never really thought she was all that ravishing a gal. (Yes, I know I'm in the minority) Maybe it was the stigma of Hana Kimi and Nobuta, which really played on her tomboyish looks.


So earlier this evening I'm watching another fun episode of Himitsu No Arashi-Chan, and during one of their ill-timed sponsor breaks, they run the latest LOTTE commercial for their new CHARLOTTE AI choco sticks, and who should come striding through the door but this gorgeous, lovely creature whom I had to double take as I realized it was none other than Horikita-san herself!

HOLY CRAP does she look FINE in this commercial! Maybe she's gearing up for that Byakuyako role, but she's really pulling out her sultry, sexy-vixen  look here! She was already showing signs of that calm, cool  stature in Tokujo Kabachi looks like she got the attitude DOWN! I was like, "WHOA! Maki Horikita is...HOT!"

This commercial was a win/win all the way around for besides Maki looking all kinds of fine, it also featured Nagase Tomoya as Horikita's wacky boss making for a fun and zany ad, one that made me say for the first time: MAKI HORIKITA SUUUUUUUUUURE IS SEXY!!!

Utsukushii Rinjin Update:

Man, I just finished watching episode #7 of the Nakama Yukie/ Dan Rei drama UTSUKUSHII RINJIN, and the ending just BLEW ME AWAY! This is ONE show that REALLY knows how to wind up an audience and keep you on your toes- Holy CRAP, what an CLIFFHANGER!


And you know, when the first episode ran and it had such a sad, melancholy ending, I thought that the theme song "Why? (Keep Your Head Down)" by Tohoshinki , with its loud synthesizers and posturing rapping didn't match the show at all, but as the show got darker and DARKER and Nakama Yukie got more and more EVIL, the song suddenly became PERFECT for it, and every time the show would end on another intense cliffhanger and the song would start, it would always close the show with a BANG!


PS: Just noticed on the Dramawiki site that Utsukushii Rinjin's ratings have been dropping, from a great 15% during episode 2 to 9% in episode 3...what's WRONG with those viewers?! How can they NOT be as captivated as I am about this show? I know, I know, different strokes for different folks, right, right, demo saa.....AHAHAHAHA

An AAA Query

After spending my last two days off listening to the new AAA Album BUZZ COMMUNICATION, though I was diggin' it, something seemed to be missing in the mix. Looking back, the question that kept popping into my head was: WHERE DID ALL THE FUN SONGS GO? And it's not just Buzz, I even felt this way about their prior alum HEARTFUL...All those songs with light hearted and poppy vibes like  “Get Chu!”, “Sunshine”, “Kuchibiru Kara Romantica”, “Winterlander” and “Q” have been one hundred percent AWOL on AAA’s recent releases!

I mean, sure, there were songs on the albums that were in the "upbeat" and “uplifting” category, but GEEZ, when did AAA get so darn SERIOUS?! It seems like every song that isn’t a ballad has that identical Techno Keyboards with the same House Beat Drum Pattern: THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP like it was the music for an SNL skit with Chris Kattan as “Mango” AHAHAHA

Ah well, at least the good news is that all of the songs on Buzz Communication are very catchy (especially Dream After Dream and the very TRF sounding “Digest”) and I love the way the songs all segue right into each other making the whole album feel like one big dance party!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: My Little Lover / Shiroi Kite

J-pop trio My Little Lover had the knack for turning out the absolute cutest sounding songs, as evidenced in such singles as Man and Woman, Hello Again and now their hop-jump-and-skip playful single SHIROI KITE!

There’s just something about Akko’s voice that makes you think of kids in a park on a sunny Sunday afternoon with the wind blowing the clouds across the clear blue sky, and though the lyrics of the song are actually quite somber, the melody gives it a decidedly optimistic and upbeat slant!

I remember back when My Little Lover had just arrived on the scene- there was so my buzz around them because of their connection to Mr. Children, (Takeshi Kobayashi was the same producer as well as a member of My Little Lover) and they came along just in time to take over the Beatlesy feel-good tunes as Mr. Children was slowly becoming a more serious and moody act!

Ah, this song just melts my heart with its good vibes and nostalgic melodies…

And The Tally Right Now Is…

Matsushita Nao in GeGeGe No Nyobo

At the rate I’ve been devouring the Matsushita Nao asadora GeGeGe No Nyobo, I’m already up to episode #63,  slowly catching up to the Ryoko Kuninaka drama Churasan, which is right now at Episode #84! 

Kuninaka Ryoko and Kanno Miho in Churasan

Kind of pleasant to be watching both dramas alternatively since they are so different- Churasan's a modern love story with Okinawan traditions, the other an omoshiroii period piece in 1950's Tokyo!

Worthy Of Repeated Viewings...

Just watched the Kitagawa Keiko movie Hitsudan Hostess again this afternoon. Man, I forgot how much I love this movie. Such awesome performances from everyone involved, and such powerful, emotional scenes!  Definitely one of her very best, and quite possibly my favorite Keiko-chan Movie of all time!

Nakayama Races Against The Clock

New AAA CD "Buzz Communication" is Here!!!!!

Yeee-Ha! My New AAA CD BUZZ COMMUNICAION arrived today!!!!! Right off the bat, the cover for this one is gorgeous, the group looks as kakkoi as ever, and they’ve once again even included a poster of the group as a free bonus!

AAA Buzz Communication CD and Promotional Poster

The packaging on Buzz Communication is simply amazing, a BIG and unexpected surprise especially after last album HEARTFUL’s rather basic release, (jewel case only, no slip case, etc) this one is a triple gatefold digipak set with booklet, when you remove all three discs you get a nice collage of the members of the group:

Buzz Communication Gatefold Detail and Booklet

 As I do with all new CD releases I get, I like to listen to it while driving at night, so as of yet I haven’t given it a proper listen to , and am looking forward to cruising around this weekend to enjoy it!

Buzz Communication CD Track Listing:

Accel

Paradise

Makenai Kokoro

Aitai Riyu

One More Tomorrow

Endless Fighters

STEP

Digest

Love@ First Sight

Dream After Dream

Daijinakoto

Day By Day

The first bonus DVD disc featured AAA’s latest Music Videos:

Aitai Riyu

Dream After Dream

Makenai Kokoro

Paradise

Daijinakoto

STEP

But the bonus to this set that BLEW ME AWAY was the second DVD disc which featured  AAA live celebrating their 5 years together!!!  Can’t BELIEVE this was only a BONUS…this is a freakin’ COMPLETE 2hour Concert!!! The concert was as much fun as you’ve come to expect from them: Songs, Skits and Fun!  And as far as the PLAYLIST, Dig THIS: The band went through their singles discography from Blood On Fire to Makenai Kokoro, performing most of the songs IN THEIR ENTIRETY!

AAA premium Award Anniversary Concert!!!

AAA Premium Award Show

at YOKOHAMA ARENA

 Track Listing:

Blood On Fire

Friday Party

Kirei Na Sora

Dragon Fire
Hallelujah

Sha La La Kibou No Uta (Chiaki and Misako version)

Hurricane Lily, Boston Mari

Soul Edge Boy
Let It Beat!
Q
Chewing Gum
Samurai Heart

Get Chu!!
Kuchibiru Kara Romantica
Sunshine

Red Soul
Mirage
Beyond: Karada No Kanata
MUSIC!!

Tabidachi No Uta
Break Down
Hideaway
Heart and Soul
Aitai Riyu
Makenai Kokoro

God DAMN was this an AWESOME concert! Everyone  was in fine form,  with great voices and super-cool outfits (especially the costumes of the second half of the show, SO KAKKOI, Chiaki and Misako so SEXY!!!!! All the perfs were great, but the ones that really stole the show for me were “Samurai Heart” and “Mirage”, MAN did those performances ROCK!

Samurai Heart

Having the group run through  all their singles was such a brilliant idea for this anniversary concert, because watching this, it really, REALLY reminded me of just WHY I love them as much as I do!

What an Incredible CD release, one that others must be judged!!!

PS: On the subject of the Bonus Card that is always included with AAA’s CD releases… I’m always crossing fingers that I’ll get Chiaki as she’s my favorite member, but getting Misako (as I did with Last years’ HEARTFUL album) is pretty good , too! So I opened the CD with great excitment to see who I got this time…

And it was...Hidaka! Hm, I like him as much as the next guy, but I suuuure wish I coulda got one a them fine Triple A Babes instead! AHAHAHAHA

PPS: I've noticed Misako's been getting sexier and SEXIER every time I see her!  Watching her strut her stuff in  the "Dream after Dream" PV, I was like WHOAA, and then that leather bikini top she was rocking in the second set of the Premium Live Concert...

Is she going to eventually become my FAVE member??? HAHAHA

Shida Mirai eating Ice Cream

Another Dark Drama: Utsukushii Rinjin

Nakama Yukie

Dan Rei

Just started watching the Nakama Yukie/Dan Rei drama Utsukushii Rinjin (Beautiful Neighbor) the other night... What an incredibly dark , moody and moving show this is so far! 

A story centering around the drowning of a young boy and the subsequent arrival of a mysterious new neighbor who may or may not have a connection to the terrible incident,  this is one drama that takes it time to build powerful passages that really affect you. With deliberately thoughtful and drawn out dialog and well-paced scenes, you are instantly sucked into the haunting tale.

Everyone is doing a superb job of acting here which also gives the scenes more gravity, and the dreamy, disconnected music (sounding a bit “Harry-Potter”-ish) also keeps the viewer feeling a bit helpless and disoriented!

Minami Keisuke

Miura Rieko and Dan Rei

 Besides Rei Dan and Yukie Nakama, the cast includes (among others), Atsuro Watabe, Kusabue Mitsuko, Miura Rieko (yay!), Minami Keisuke, and an unusual role for Fujii Mina (Bloody Monday, Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi) who’s trying our her first  “older adult” role here as the “Sexy Young Thang” at the office!

Fujii Mina

The show’s still currently on the air, so it’ll be a while til we can get to the bottom of all the mystery and intrigue, but when it’s done this well, I won’t mind the wait at all!

Whoa! Sailor Venus Still Rockin'!

Just blown away by the recent pics of Ayaka "Sailor Venus" Komatsu on Tokyohive-Appearing in a Photoshoot for BIG COMIC SPIRITS promoting her new show with Karina, "Misaki Number One!", Ayaka fully laid it all out for the awesomely sexy photo spread! (pics by hpriest for tokyohive)

Ayaka Cheesecake Collage...Yum!

The Mizukawa Asami Luvver In Me is Dying To See This!

Just read about a new romantic comedy movie scheduled to come out around May of this year starring Takenouchi Yutaka and Mizukawa Asami, whom regular readers of this blog know, I absolutely love to death. Though right now I'm currently in the middle of her drama "Godhand Teru", probably my FAVORITE drama of hers is the highly wacky YUME WO KANAERU ZO,  so I really have a soft spot for Asami's comedic roles!!


From Tokyograph:  

Yutaka Takenouchi (39) and Asami Mizukawa (27) will co-star in a new movie by director Ryuichi Honda (“GS Wonderland”). Titled “Okike no Tanoshii Ryokou: Shinkon Jigoku-hen,” the film is an adaptation of a novel by writer and actor Shiro Maeda.

In this comedy, Takenouchi and Mizukawa play the newlywed couple Nobu and Saki, who are already tired of married life. The two embark on a “trip through hell,” but their experiences and encounters along the way renews their love for each other.

The cast is rounded out by Kirin Kiki, Hairi Katagiri, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Ai Hashimoto, Denden, Ryota Yamasato (Yama-chan), and Akira Emoto.


Hahaha, just looking at those co-stars and you KNOW it's gonna be one HECK of a ride! Aw Man, Can't Wait!!!

A Kamen Rider Reflection...

I was listening to this wonderful KAMEN RIDER Theme Song Collection CD today...for some reason, I started it off with the RIDERMAN theme, and slowly worked my way through to  Kamen Rider ZX...then back to the beginning with Hongo and the "Lonely Rider" theme...

When I got to Kamen Rider V3, I have to say, and maybe I'm biased as this was, like the Kamen Rider show I grew up with, but DAMN I was blown away by how frickin' HEROIC the song was! Really, listening to the blaring horns, deep voiced choruses and patriotic violin strings... One can easily believe that the "V" in V3 stands for VICTORY!!!!

The Bespectacled Side of Kitagawa Keiko

Besides being one of my favorite actresses in recent years and looking hot as heck, another aspect I love about Keiko "Sailor Mars" Kitagawa is how you'll occasionally see her wearing glasses on various talk and variety shows.

For the most part of the show (in this case an extremely FUN appearance with the rest of her BUZZER BEAT cast on the awesome NEP LEAGUE show) she'll be her usual un-spectacled  and beautiful self, but then when it comes time for her to read stuff off of a monitor or video screen, you'll see her make a quick move...

And then when the camers cut back, you'll see that she's adorned a very cool pair of glasses, instantly turning her into a highly sophisticated and well-read college major! AHAHAHA!
Oh mY Keiko looks soooo darn sexy with those glasses on, I tell ya...

I first noticed Keiko and her glasses switcheroo thingy during an entertaining episode of 5LDK where Kei-tan sat down with TOKIO to have a fun and informative chat with the boys. During the interview segment, Keiko was outgoing and talkative, looking like her usual pretty self...

But then, when they were watching clips of people talking about her on the monitor, I noticed that in the box in the corner of the screen, she was wearing glasses! I was like, HEY! What's going on?

When they cut back to the regular interview, the glasses were nowhere to be seen, but when they showed another clip on the monitor, I saw her very quickly slip her glasses on to enjoy the video footage:

I thought, OMG, this is such an OMOSHIROII girl!! I love that she brings her specs to the shows and doesn't seem to have a problem wearing them onscreen if she's watching something on the monitor! Furthermore, It's interesting to think that unlike most of the outfits she wears on shows which are (for the most part) chosen by her staff and management, the glasses she wears are part of her personal belongings! I look at her glasses and think, "those are Keiko's REAL Glasses!" AHAHAHA

An Ample Observation....

Watching Fugoh Keiji the other night, it occurred to me that Kyoko Fukada probably didn't have to use too much special effects or props to play the generously-bosomed Marie in Yama Onna Kabe Onna! Judging by her assets in this curve-hugging outfit in Fugoh Keiji, I'd say that she coulda fit the bill utilizing her natural talents alone!

Aoi Yu's Choco Meltdown

Recently discovered the absolutely awesome and ENTERTAINING AS HECK show KUWAZU GIRAI, a food challenge segment on the Tunnels’ variety show TUNNELS NO MINASAN NO OKAGE DESHITA. Featuring Ishibashi Takaaki and Noritake Kinashi as the dinner hosts, they invite two guests  to the “restaurant” who will be served 4 different dishes each. Of the four, however,  is a dish that the guest can’t stand, and it’s up to the other participant to guess which one it is by questions and looking at their facial expressions as they eat each plate!

Everyone knows how much I adore actress Aoi Yu, and I was excited to see that the episode featured her against actor Masaki Okada (whom she'd appeared ever so briefly in Honoka'a Boy) whom she had come with to promote their new movie RAIOU.

When you see the entrees Aoi Yu has set up for her meal, among the exotic dishes, the one that sticks out is the Chocolate Fondue. The first thought that comes to mind is that NO ONE would HATE such a delicious treat...but as we were to soon find, that isn't always  the case...

As soon as Okada picks the Fondue for Aoi to try, she immediately begins to hem and haw uncomfortably, and begins to have what seems to be a bout of uncontrollable laughter! 

Okada and the guys in Tunnels are all perplexed by this sudden wackiness on her part, but she expertly dodges the point by explaining that she's laughing at the tiny Fondue cup that's been presented before her. "My Image of the Fondue Pot was a bit bigger," she laughs, but she can't seem to hide the fact that she's having SOME kind of issue with the Fondue dish!


She puts off partaking of the dish as long as she can, but eventually, she takes a deep breath and , after ever so slightly dipping it in the chocolate, pops it in her mouth. Yu-chan's reaction is immediate and intense:

To which a bemused Okada and Nori-san keenly note: "Well, SOMETHING'S fishy over there!

Alternately dabbing her eyes and covering her mouth, at this point everyone is wondering if she's having a giggle fit or simply doesn't like the dish! Fortunatley for her, the Fondue is the last of the four dishes, and all that's left is for the guessing round

Well, try as she might, she just couldn't divert all that attention off her spectaclar eating fit, so it comes as no surprise when Okada chooses the Fondue as her most hated dish! His reason? "There was something Funny about that." Aoi chooses what she feels is Okada's most hated item, and then both dishes are brought back out to sample one more time!

With an air of resignation, Yu-chan picks up the tongs again, dips the strawberry in the chocolate and prepares to eat it, but not before wiping off most of the chocolate on the side of the bowl, to the laughter of all present! 

Once again Aoi's attempting to consume the piece of chocolate covered fruit, and this time, there's no DOUBT in anyone's mind that she clearly doesn't like what she's eating!

And so it comes as no surprise when she admits defeat mumbling "Mairimashita!"through a mouth full of unwanted chocolate! After she's delicately removed the fruit from her mouth, Takaaki asks her just WHY she doesn't like Fondue, to which a light-headed Aoi-san flatly states for the record, DAIKIRAI!!!!!

AHAHAHAHA! Poor Yu-chan! Furthering her loss, it's announced that this episode (as they all are)  is another BATSU game, and so Aoi must go before the camera and perform for them! For her punishment, Aoi pinched her nose and emulated the sound of Super-Mario jumping, a skill we've already seen her enact on her VIP Room segment on Himitsu No Arashi-Chan! HAHAHA