Tape 3 is here, with your song requests. I love making these “tapes” and the thought that there are people listening to them makes it even more fun. Please leave your comments cos every bit of encouragement helps with the making of the next one, and as before, leave your song requests to make it a little more challenging.
Faithway updated! 
OK… 「落花流水」CDS &「Empress」DVD…. nothing new….
Wait! 「BEST FINGER」 25th anniversary selection?!
Er…. so our dear 姫 has named her best album "BEST FINGER"?!
After her right eye on 「赤い花」 jacket, now she decides to feature her finger?!
OH…. Plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz DO NOT!!!!!!
I believe all fans want a proper jacket, not just a finger (even if it’s gold plated)!
Anyway…. I hope I’m just over reacting here. Keeping my fingers (oppss finger again) crossed.
OH…. 姫 has a message for us too ^^ 
Roughly, she said
Merry X’mas!
Time files, 2005 is ending soon.
The weather has become freezing as we enter the month of December.
Everyone, take care and beware of influenza.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at my dinner shows.
Till then… Akina
It is official … I have just received an email from my dearest friend, Leslie Kee that includes the following excerpt:
"I am now working on the possibility to photograph our Superstar Nakamori Akina, as I am going through Ayumi Hamasaki to help me contact her"
He is currently working on his newest and biggest book called "Superstars" and he has photographed many Japanese stars on it including 安室奈美恵 and 石川さゆり . His interview and a collage was included in the newest Japanese Harper’s Bazaar January issue. You can also read more of the contents of the email and see a cap of the interview on my blog.
Hopefully, he will be able to finally get to Akina and include her in time for the publication. He has also previously mentioned his dream of photographing all the 80′s idols in a single book. He has photographed Kyon2 and Miho amongst the 80′s top idols and have spoken to Seiko once at a Karaoke for an hour or so (no, she didn’t sing). Matsutya Yumi is his close friend and Akina is the only one that he has yet to photograph and would really love to. He said that he will tell her about this big fan (me) that lives in Australia now and I will tell him to include everyone here too! He also said before that I will be one of the first he will notify when this dream comes true!
Oh! What a wonderful reality that will be when that happens!
OMG….according 1 posting in this Akina BBS and 1posting in this Kouhaku BBS,
It was said that in a monring news show in Osaka(Geino corner/Entertainment news corner), the above was reported.
The kouhaku BBS posting even suggested that Akina should be the トリ(last singer for 紅組) this year!!
WOW!!! How true is this?? until 31st Dec…before the real show, there will be a release of the ranking results!! Till then…..
Did a google on "中森明菜" and found this piece of news reported by a Chinese newspaper in July. It is amazing and irritating at the same time that Akina’s name is always linked with these two phrases in the Chinese media: "丑闻女王" and "咸鱼翻身". I believe they use "丑闻女王" for Seiko too but "咸鱼翻身" has been used on a couple of occasions on Akina. I wonder if and when she gets invited back to 紅白 again this year, will these words "咸鱼翻身". be recycled once again.
Here is the report:
今年已经39岁的丑闻女王中森明菜，出道经年早已“恶贯满盈”，去年开始却意外地人气高涨，让人大跌眼镜。
中森名菜今年7月7日到11日之前，会在东京品川的王子酒店的俱乐部eX举办演唱会，演唱会名为“EMPRESS”，根据中森明菜3部顶级系列专辑《歌姬》中选出的歌曲定名。中森名菜本人更是表示：“我希望可以展现出前所未有的妖艳的舞台！”
实际上，在日本提到中森明菜，就会让人联想到非常不好的方面。
中森明菜曾为男人搞得身心俱疲，还曾一度因此酗酒崩溃，导致恶评如潮，更被冠上“丑闻女王”的封号。中森明菜当时更因此突然在即将上演的电视节目和演唱会开始前不久临时毁约，还突然和唱片公司解除和约，打算就此隐退。日本媒体因此对她进行连番抨击，更认为中森明菜从此以后会消失在演艺圈，一时之间中森明菜在日本演艺圈变成了人人喊打的过街老鼠。
但出人意料的是，中森明菜非但没有退出演艺圈，甚至再次逐渐展现了她天后的魅力。今年5月日本国税局发表的高额纳税者名单中，就赫然有中森明菜的名字。她去年的推定年收入达约有5800万日元。
据某位圈内记者分析：“中森明菜现在每年都会定期举办全国巡回演唱会和表演晚宴，而且几乎场场爆满。中森明菜在少女偶像时代就非常受欢迎，一直以来都拥有很稳定的粉丝群。加上近来她改变了很多也更成熟了，每次举办演唱会时都会有固定的粉丝群以及被她现在的风情迷倒的人去看。中森明菜去年的收入不错，绝大部分是依靠她的演唱会，每一场都有500万日元的收入。”
虽然是公认的丑闻女王，但现在的中森明菜却绽放出异样的魅力，获得日本媒体一致好评，相信现在是中森明菜最好的翻身机会。
http://women.sohu.com/20050701/n226136929.shtml
Thankfully, there was some saving grace at the end, recognising Akina’s charm and they used a few nice photos, so I thought I might share that. Can anyone identify that "matador" pose because I don’t think I saw that photo before and was she trying to bite her nails in the one next to it? Still, it was done elegantly. Ha! Ha!
The announcement for 紅白 should be imminent because this is the latest since 2001 that they have not revealed the list. Hopefully, we will have something great to look forward to at the end of this year!
落花流水:
It was said on the Japanese BBS that the CM for the drama, テレビ東京系新春ワイド時代劇「 天下騒乱 徳川三代の陰謀」 , has been played on TV. The background music in the CM was 落花流水, which sounded like ballad…according to the posting in the BBS.
a はがき(postcard) has been sent out to all FC members, stating info about the new releases:
the BEST release:
The song selection for this BEST release to commemorate the 25th Anniversary was chosen by Akina herself.
the EMPRESS DVD release:
there will be 3 special limited offers for pre-order of this EMPRESS DVD–
1. Pre-order @ the Dinner Show venue : A B-size poster( used in train stations) will be given.
2. Pre-order from FC: Special limited 1000 pcs of different coverart (WOW!!!)
3. Pre-order from Yamano music store or Shinseido: Special Postcards
OMG…I think all hardcore fans want all 3 special items!! how?!!
At least, this time , there is special limited items for the FC members. 1000 pcs only. =)
This is an updated on oba-san idol group posted on 19 Oct 2005.
BTW, MMM=> "Mickey Mouse March" heehee….
WoW~~~ why is everyone competing with Akina (Seiko is releasing her first ballad album on the same day)? Keekee….
The trio [松本伊代(40), 早見優(39) & 堀ちえみ(38)] had a press meeting yesterday (ie 27 Nov 2005) to officially announce the formation of their group.
Are you ready for the name of their group?
It’s…… drums rolling…….. cutie mommy!
Cutie mommy will sing the MMM for you and your babies~
Nightmare? Sweet dream? You decide.
Apart from group effort, there will be three individual versions!
And…. there will be a shake hand event on 7 Dec 2005 at Ikebukuro Sunshine City fountain area from 5pm, according to Shinseido.
loads of turning around! haha.
I was reading the newspaper just now and noticed a small column with Seiko’s photo. She will be attending the Asian Television Awards 2005 on December 1, University Cultural Centre – Hall (UCC) in the National University of Singapore (NUS). Whoa…
So I was trying to find links to show you gals & guys about the news, what stumbled upon my bigger surprise was this news article by "New Paper". Hehehe… Read on…
Article dated 09 August 2005.
Forever young
Just what makes this ageless diva tick?
JUST what is it about Seiko Matsuda?
For over two decades, the 43-year-old Japanese songbird has managed to hog the Top 10 Oricon Chart.
Is it her girlish aura and unfading beauty, which has earned her the nickname, Never-aging Diva? Or her flamboyant showmanship on stage? It fascinates even the Taiwanese, who are eagerly snapping up tickets to her month-end concert in Taipei.
Or, could it be her penchant for courting controversy – the latest being her fall-out with her singer-daughter Sayaka, 18?
The Japanese media seems convinced that Seiko’s success lies in her remarkable ability to churn out one salacious headline after another to keep her fans intrigued.
A recent study shows that she is the queen of scandals in Japan.
In the past 34 years, her private life has hogged the most number of headlines in 300 tabloid magazine titles.
She has been featured in 4,510 articles – 1,000 times more than baseball hero Shigeo Nagashima.
From minor problems like the appearance of wrinkles on her forehead to major events, like her two divorces and numerous flings, Seiko has weathered all kinds of controversy and always emerged a winner.
Not even a sexual harassment lawsuit in 1998 – filed by her backup dancer against her, mind you – could damage her reputation.
Seiko managed to turn the tables in court and won praise from even her harshest critics for being a survivor.
While her contemporaries like Akina Nakamori and Momoe Yamaguchi have faded out of showbiz, Seiko has waded through several career lows to celebrate her 25th year in showbiz with a pictorial book that shows off her snowy skin and trim figure in a swimsuit. (A burning rage and disbelief for this part! Our dear goddess, Akina, who has also been working hard all these years… was thought to be FADED OUT by the writer… !!! -.-")
Her latest album, Fairy, is another testament to her undying presence in the fickle world of pop.
Commenting on her staying power, broadcast writer Michiko Yamada told Weekly Playboy magazine that Seiko has a ‘wonderful talent’for coining phrases that make great headlines.
Her timing is always immaculate, too. When her pictorial book was launched months ago, rumours of Seiko dating her manager also made it to the news-stands.
In May, Seiko also shocked Japan’s showbiz scene by announcing that her daughter, Sayaka, will stop all activities to concentrate on her studies.
ROLE MODEL
The truth, according to insiders, is that the mother-daughter pair had severed ties after fighting repeatedly over Sayaka’s 30-year-old guitarist-boyfriend.
Despite the bad publicity, ticket sales for Seiko’s concert tour in June reportedly increased, and orders for her new commemorative DVD have also soared.
Seiko continues to be a role model to her numerous fans.
They admire her ability to look cute despite her age and for continuing to sparkle after two failed marriages.
‘Seiko Matsuda is, without doubt, the ultimate celebrity,’conceded Ms Yamada.
What keeps this ultimate diva youthful then?
When quizzed in Taipei by the Taiwan’s ETTV last week, Seiko revealed that she always keeps herself immersed in a blissful state.
And the key to bliss is – love.
Seiko is known to date only hunks, and her latest trophy boyfriend is her handsome but much-younger manager.
The title of her upcoming new single says it all – I’ll Fall In Love.
· Seiko’s latest album, Fairy, is out in stores.
Simply unbelievable piece of news that I managed to find through the power of internet! Hahaha…
