Lazy Sunday

"You can call us Aaron Burr from the way we drop Hamiltons..."

Priorities

I'm checking out the behind-the-curtain selection at my other local video joint, which I haven't visited in awhile & has remodeled to accommodate their expanded inventory (on both sides of the curtain). I hear a woman approach the counter clerk, asking if he can look into their system for any movies about elephants. The man sounds uncertain of her request as he says "I don't think so." She tries to narrow down her search to documentaries, then a possible Disney flick called "Whispers" or something. She states that she's trying to find an elephant flick for her kids. The clerk says he can't help her, & she leaves the store. Minutes later, a gentleman approaches the clerk and asks if they have any of the Asian POV series. With a couple of ticks on the keyboard, the clerk reads which of the titles (between #s 18-25) are in-stock & the patron appears in front of the curtain moments later. Possible points of the story: 1) research your titles before you go to the video store B) pornos are what keep the indy joints in business and separate the lil' guys from the Blockbuster/Hollywood corporate giants.

J-Music Clip Of the Week

Artist: Aya Matsuura
Single: Suna wo Kamu youni ... NAMIDA (click to buy single)

Suna wo Kamu youni ... NAMIDA video DL

a little bit about Ayaya-chan:

SHE'S FREAKIN HOT!!...

Random

I get calls from all types of people at my job, including the occasional cute chick voice. I received one such call today. The call was routine enough until she asked me if she'd be covered for her podiatry appointment for some surgery on an ingrown toenail. With an acrid taste in my mouth, I told her that her coverage didn't include that service, ended the call, & put off lunch for a bit.

My roomie just left the living room w/ the n'sync dvd on pause. I really hope she comes back before some unannounced guests show up.

Opinons sought: Would you be upset if your boyfriend/girlfriend went to some date function with someone you didn't know too well? Would it make a difference if it was with someone you were familiar with? On the other side of the coin, would you accept the invitation even after your bf/gf voiced their displeasure? I'm not involved in the situation, but I know a couple that is. It's just interesting to me because it walks the line between one person's insecurity & the other person's inconsideration. The funny thing is, the person who is mad for their partner going out has reason to be suspicious. Just doesn't know it.

Elephant Wedding

Coooooool.

Who Is Freefall Jones?

J-Music Clip of the Week

Artist: SamboMaster
song: Sekai wa Sore o Ai to Yobun da ze

Sekai wa Sore o Ai to Yobun da ze - song DL

Sekai wa Sore o Ai to Yobun da ze - video DL

a little about the band:

"...Sambomaster is a new rock band that recently surfaced as a major band. They formed in 2000 and immediately began working on songs. In 2001 they began to perform in Tokyo to spread their name. As they began to spread their name around, they recieved a chance to be featured in V.A/ Rebel Rockers Vol. 1! In 2003 the band did its first PV and played at the Fuji Rock Festival. In addition, they also went on a tour and recorded an album. The band continued to spread its name and began to appear in magazines and tv specials. They got perhaps their biggest break though, when their song Seishun Kyousoukyoku, was featured as a intro for the anime Naruto..."

..this particular song, was featured on the J-dorama Densha Otoko...it could be heard during the end credits..

Wilson Pickett, 1941-2006

His voice was rich, raw, and soulful. He made it look and sound effortless.

Mustang Sally, In The Midnight Hour, 634-5789,etc.

Pic of the Day..."Double Your Pleasure"....Edition

man, I feel so bad...a girl who has a special place in my heart celebrated her 21st birthday yesterday and I forgot...actually, she's not just a girl anymore...she's officially a women...and that special someone is the lovely Rika Ishikawa...I'm sorry baby, I'll make it up to you this summer when I make my way to Japan...

...like before, one pic of the lovely "Charmy" will not do..

and if Rika wasn't enough...another super-kawaii Morning Musume alumni is celebrating her birthday today!!...eventhough she could pass for a 10 year old(..you know, cuz she's really short), Yaguchan is celebrating the big 2-3...

MARI YAGUCHI

...and yes I am aware that it is very otaku of me to actually know when their birthdays are....

Pic of the Day..."I'd Like To Takahashi her Ai..." Edition

I have a theory about the ladies of Morning Musume...they are not natural inhabitants of our planet earth...in fact, they come from the planet HOTNESS where beautiful women do nothing but sing catchy pop tunes and have tickle fights all day long...okay, well maybe not ALL the ladies of MoMusu come from the planet HOTNESS...you know the one I'm talking about....its the one that you say "damn, someone really drop the ball on that one or she did some "favors" to get in the group..." everytime you see her..... *shudder...anyway...its about time I featured some other members of the group besides my beloved Rika, Mari and Miki.....and so I give to you...

AI TAKAHASHI

Angela Aki Vidz!!! (I'm sorry I just can't help myself)

While checking on some routine stuff I came across a new Angela Aki video I had beenwaiting for!!!
So I decided to be kind and share,
This is the trailer to Final Fantasy XII. The name of the song is,
"Kiss Me Goodbye" by Angela Aki

King Kong

First, it takes WAY too long before you finally get to see Kong. But as soon as you do, this movie is non-stop action. --a lot of CGI action. There are times where the CGI doesn't look that great (the brachiosaurus chase), but other times where it looks freakin' amazing (the t-rex battle). I'll clarify that by saying that during the t-rex battle, I didn't notice the CGI at all. Every time a t-rex lunged at Naomi Watts, I jumped back in my seat. That pulse-pounding scene was pretty suh-weet.


Naomi Watts is great as Anne Darrow, the woman Kong falls in love with, but I really didn't feel a lot of chemistry amongst the cast. And that's despite the one hour-plus of character development we get on the way to find the giant ape.

The movie looks beautiful, from 1920s depression-era New York to the jungles of Skull Island. The scenery looks incredible on the big screen. I just wish the long hour on the boat had been shorter to get us to the island faster. I mean we KNOW where the boat is going to end up, right? So there was no need to drag that out.

And finally, the ending was a big surprise. SPOILER WARNING --STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I always thought it was "beauty that killed the beast," but in this version, it was Chuck Norris standing on the wing of a bi-plane delivering a roundhouse kick to Kong's face.

Who Is Freefall Jones?

J-Music Clip of the Week

going to do things a little different this week..instead of featuring a music clip, we're gonna bring to you a video clip...why the change?...cuz the lead singer of the band is so freaking cute and I had to show you guys my new future wife!!..I came across the band while watching the Japanese Music Awards last nite, I believe they won the Best New Artist award..


Artist: Nakanomori BAND (click to vist official website)
Song: "Oh My Darlin" from the album OH MY DARLIN' - Girls having Fun

(click pic to purchase album)

Oh My Darlin'- video DL

a little about the band:

"..currently four member Girl Rock band who began in early 2005 under record company Teichiku Entertainment. The band's leading vocalist/guitarist Ayako was the runner up for the Starlight auditions in 2000 out of 1,000 entrants. The winner of this competition was the vocalist for the popular band w-inds, Keita Tachibana..."

and here's a screencap from the video of my future wife and lead singer of Nakanomori Band

Ayako Nakanomori

Elfen Lied ... Fin...

Yes, I've finally saw the 13th tv ep of Elfen Lied and I must say I'm a little dissapointed. I wasn't really happy with the ending, I usually like closure to a story. I like to know that the characters I liked are going to be ok, but that didn't happen. Also the story left me with a few more questions that I would of liked answered. I also wish the whole story would of been laid out in a better way. It dealt mostly with a lot of flashback and characters suddenly remembering important events and just the right time.
Rarely happens like that in real life but it is just a story afterall. Also, there were many sad parts I didn't like or want to happen. It felt as if some of the main characters were doomed to be unhappy right from the start.

Aside from the things I didn't like I still enjoyed the series overall. It does give a positive message that no matter what horrible things may happen, life does go on and in time things do get better. So while not everyone may love it, I definatly reccomend watching it but try to get through the first few eps.
You can find the trailer here,
http://www.advfilms.com/titles/elfenlied/trailers.php

"You Got the Touch..You Got the Power..YEAH!!."

"After all is said and done...You've never walked, you've never run...You're a winner"

..now I don't know much about this item right here but I DO know that Diamond Select is putting it out sometime soon and it looks like its gonna be freakin huge and that I want one...talk about having the ultimate "bling" around your neck..

Tom Yung Goong

The first time you see Tony Jaa's character, Kham, in action in Tom Yung Goong, he's leaping out from the side of your screen about ten feet in the air to take out a bunch of gangsters. And so begins another cinematic demonstration of Jaa's mind-blowing physical abilities.

The setup is quick--smugglers kill Kham's father and steal two beloved elephants from his village, so Kham sets out to stop the baddies and rescue the elephants. Next, a lot of people get a knee to the head.

Son of Gigan and I watched this film with no subtitles or dubbing, but you really don't need them to enjoy stuntmen being brutally thrown through walls. Besides, you wouldn't hear the dialogue anyway over the two of us yelling, "WWWHHOOOAAAA!!!!!" every few minutes.

One of the best sequences in the movie is a one-take scene where Tony Jaa invades a building with a long spiral staircase. The camera follows Jaa from the bottom floor to the top, without cutting away, as he smashes guys through furniture and tosses them over the railing. Not only would Martin Scorsese be proud, but so would Thomas from Kung Fu Master.



Who Is Freefall Jones?

...The Hell?

A lawyer (with a euro/non-Asian name & voice) calls the office today on behalf of a client, who hasn't heard/rec'd any correspondence after submitting an application. It turns out the suite# on the mailing address was off by a number, so it was fixed. Before we found out what the problem was, he was saying how he was looking everywhere to see if the mail was misplaced. He then went on to say "I found a dormant Japanese gene in my system so I cleaned up my whole office & still didn't find anything." Not that I'd get angry on a work-monitored ph line but I was caught off-guard.

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

Tales of the Strange and Somewhat Creepy...

Jeebus Christ...this thing is real!!...

PORTLAND, Ore. - A photo of a one-eyed kitten named Cy drew more than a little skepticism when it turned up on various Web sites, but medical authorities have a name for the bizarre condition.

"Holoprosencephaly" causes facial deformities, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In the worst cases, a single eye is located where the nose should be, according to the institute's Web site.
Traci Allen says the kitten she named Cy, short for Cyclops, was born the night of Dec. 28 with the single eye and no nose.

"You don't expect to see something like that," the 35-year-old Allen said by telephone from her home in Redmond in central Oregon.
Allen had taken digital pictures that she provided to The Associated Press.

AP regional photo editor Tom Stathis said he took extensive steps to confirm the one-eyed cat was not a hoax. Stathis had Allen ship him the memory card that was in her camera. On the card were a number of pictures — including holiday snapshots, and four pictures of a one-eyed kitten. The kitten pictures showed the animal from different perspectives.

Meanwhile, Cy the one-eyed cat may be dead, but it has not left the building.
Allen said she's keeping the cat's corpse in her freezer for now, in case scientists would like it for research.

Pic of the Day.."Excuse me while I punch the wall..." Edition..

well, the ORIGINAL Pic of the Day feature is back..no more of these second rate imitators...had to take a little hiatus while my laptop was on the temporary disabled list, it actually still is but that ain't going to stop me from giving you good people some bonafide, top choice select, grade A eye candy...and so I give to you...from the Langdon Alger Future Wife files:

RIKA ISHIKAWA

um..I don't think one picture is enough..so here's another:

um..one more for good measure...why?...cuz I love her DAMNIT!!

now excuse me while I go to my room, hug my pillow and cry myself to sleep....

Opinions?

Someone throws a White Elephant Xmas party, w/ 1:00pm start time. When the invitations go out, one of the invitees complains (not to the host) about the start time & says they are showing up at 8:00pm. By 6:00pm, everyone that is participating in the WE exchange is present, except for the 8pm arrivals. Texts & calls to the late arrivals go unanswered. At 7:45pm one of them finally answers the ph & says the other is on the way to pick 'em up & head over. They are told to hurry since the rest of the party is waiting. At 9:30pm, they haven't arrived yet so the party says "F it let's do it already." WE is started & done. About 10 minutes after it's done the 8pmers finally arrive. Of course they seem a lil' miffed when they realize it was done w/o them. The party awkwardly goes on. Everything settles down & after awhile everyone seems to have moved on and enjoy the rest of the night. Everyone eventually goes home w/o incident. My question: Do the late folks have a right to be upset, or did everyone have a right to go ahead w/ it after waiting? Unfortunately a white elephant party is one of the few parties that can be held up by tardiness...well besides surprise bdays and bachelor parties ("What time is the "entertainment" supposed to be here?").

Elfen Lied

I decided to give this anime a try since I heard many good things about it, but I must say its a little confusing. I really like the way it begins and draws you in. You just have to ask yourself "Ok, who's this girl?" "How can she do that?" and of course "Why is she naked?"
Yes, I haven't finished the series, but I'm hoping I get an answer to that last question toward the end. This girl is always naked. For no apparent reason. I know this is not new to anime
BUT!!! There is normally some reason. No matter how stupid or trivial, there is still some sort of explanation. I don't mind the nudity and all, but I feel it takes away from a film or anime after a while. A string of nude scenes or sex scenes isn't a "Film" its porn. If I want to watch porn, I'll watch porn.
Don't get me wrong, I'm into episode 8 out of 13 and I love the show! It has an interesting plot that seems to answer one question and leave a new one.
Its just the nudity thing that bothers me. Its sorta like introducing an important character, then killing him off. It makes no sense in this case, but as long as it makes sense, I don't care.
What do you guys think?

(and no I'm not gay so that's not it...I enjoy the female form, I just need to have a reason as to why its being shown in an anime that's not hentai)

"You'll Never Find...."

LOU RAWLS

1935-2006

Viewer Advisory: Miyazaki Thursdays on TCM

If you've got the Turner Classic Movies channel, then tonight is the first of Miyazaki Thursdays (all month). The first two movies showing are Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. The run of movies on the schedule also include My Neighbor Totoro, Naussica of the Valley, Pom Poko, and more. Oddly enough, no Kiki's Delivery Service! Nevertheless, they'll be showing some great animated movies from Hayao Miyazaki - so try to catch one.

Who Is Freefall Jones?

Incidental Luck

Remember those moments when you hope you're timing works out & the hot chick in class sits next to you on the 1st day & establishes that seat for the whole year or you're hoping you're sitting in the cute waitresses' section? It's a goofy little mental game that I'd forgotten for awhile until today. I was in line @ the bank to cash a check. There were 4 tellers there but only 3 were open. The 4th was counting money or something. Of course, this unavailable 4th teller was the cutest one. I had a few people ahead of me, so I held out hope that she'd open up when it was my turn. She ended up being preoccupied the whole time but I was helped by the tiny teller next to her, allowing me to sneak some peeks @ a formidable business-slacks ass. It's really not that exciting (even if she helped me) & I'll only remember it because I'm blogging about it, but it's another dorky feeling that brings me back to younger times.

dot the i

It starts with an engaged woman's kiss to a mysterious stranger, and ends with her dead husband's brains all over a wall. Everything inbetween in dot the i can best be described as "smoldering."

This movie is very much teh sex. It's not wall-to-wall sex, but it's very sexual. Mostly because of super-hottie Natalia Verbeke, a not-overexposed J-Lo who "has much better taste in picking projects." Translation: all her movies are sexed up. But what else do you expect from euro-cinema? If it's not a heist film, it's a sexed-up film.


The mysterious stranger, of course, becomes obsessed with Carmen (Verbeke's character) and does everything in his power to be with her before her wedding to a snobby rich guy. And, yes, you KNOW there's more to the stranger than meets the eye. Why is he always filming her with his little camcorder? And is there someone else filming her, too? I mean, BESIDES me.

You definitely don't want to watch this one with your parents in the room - even if you are hugging a pillow on your lap. And here are a few more pics of Verbeke getting ready for a few rounds in the ring -- but this movie has NOTHING to do with boxing.




Who Is Freefall Jones?