GT4985

That's LCC for MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Japanese music video sampler

I've been amusing myself recently with looking up Japanese music videos on YouTube, to see if I can find the songs and artists that were popular when I was in Japan three years ago.

This may be due to some hidden masochism on my part, because as much as I like Japanese history and culture and the Japanese people themselves, I hate their pop music. You can judge for yourselves, but personally this was the one thing that always made me proud to be an American.

Still, I decided to share the following clips because they do provide a window into real, mainstream Japanese pop culture (it isn't all scary porn cartoons over there), and some of them are pretty entertaining in their own right.

1. Mr. Children, "Karumi" -- If you watch just one of these videos, choose this one. The song is nothing special, but I think it's a great video. It depicts the rise of fictional pop group "Mr. Adults". Only the young guy at the end is an actual member of Mr. Children. (Is it just me, or is "Mr. Children" the most subtly unsettling band name ever?)

2. EXILE, "Choo Choo TRAIN" -- this was a BIG hit in 2003, and it turns out it was actually a remake of a song that had been a hit in 1991. That explains why my slightly older coworkers liked it so much. My boss was particularly good at the dance that went with this song. Notable for both scenes of a real Japanese nightclub and the inclusion of a team of breakdancing, dreadlocked youngsters.

3. GLAY, "Yuuwaku" - GLAY is still popular today, but this looks to be an older video, maybe late '90s. I think the scrawny white woman is supposed to resemble Mila Jovovich. I chose this video because the obligatory random English lyrics are actually intelligible and coherent. Also, the (male) guitar player seems to be wearing a miniskirt.

4. Ayumi Hamasaki, "Startin" --Ms. Hamasaki is the Queen of Japanese Pop Music, sort of like Britney Spears a few years ago, or Mariah Carey a few years before that. This is a funny video that's also a nice example of the Japanese perception of American pop culture.

these effers lie about effing everything!

I'm sorry that First Lady Laura "Book Banner" Bush has skin cancer. I wouldn't wish that on anyone except maybe Dick Cheney. I understand the privacy concerns, blah blah blah, but I think this is just one more example of the First Family's pathological problem:

Mrs. Bush was noticed wearing a bandage on her leg on Oct. 23 when she and her husband posed for pictures with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Questioned at the time, Whitson [the First Lady's press secretary] told The Associated Press it was simply a sore.

Paparazzi

Yay Prom! Here are two of my favorite pics:



The Bitches



The Bitches' Bitches

Thank you!

Thank you so much to everyone who put together last night's shindig. The place was fantastic. We all looked fantastic. The food was fantastic. Well played, everyone!

We're a damn classy group of librarians.

*smooches*

My advertisement for myself

If any of you feel that this holiday season might be the time to purchase a little piece of jewelry, say a necklace or pair of earrings, for yourself or a loved one, well...you know where to find me.

All pieces handcrafted by local artists (me, myself, and I). All pieces come with their own special origami gift box, also handcrafted by local artists (also me).

Several pairs of earrings come with an exciting backstory, too. They were in my bag when it was stolen! But I got them back, and now I think they must be practically theft-proof from a statistical standpoint. I mean, what are the odds that the same pair of earrings would be stolen twice?

Anyway, let me know if you are interested and I can show you the pieces I have available, either in person or by e-mailing you some photos. I'll be in town for most/all of break.

A Very Purple Authority Record

Wherefore art thou Prince? The question came up over Bud Lites last night. Deborah, this one's for you:

LC Control Number: n 84079379
HEADING: Prince
000 01295cz a2200229n 450
001 1509249
005 20060201091252.0
008 840808n| acannaab |a aaa
010 __ |a n 84079379
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca01170893
035 __ |a (DLC)n 84079379
040 __ |a DLC |c DLC |d DLC |d MnHi |d DLC
100 0_ |a Prince
400 1_ |a Nelson, Prince Rogers
400 0_ |a Artist Formerly Known as Prince
400 0_ |a TAFKAP
670 __ |a Ivory, S. Prince, c1985: |b CIP t.p. (Prince) pub. info. (musician and recording star; Prince Rogers Nelson; son of jazz musician, John Nelson, who performed under moniker Prince Rogers)
670 __ |a Mabery, D.L. Prince, c1985: |b CIP galley (b. June 7, 1958)
670 __ |a MnHi files |b (changed name to a symbol; was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince or TAFKAP; at marriage in Feb. 1996 resumed his former name)
670 __ |a Rock who’s who, 2nd ed., c1996 |b (Prince; b. Prince Roger [sic] Nelson, June 7, 1958, Minneapolis; on his 35th birthday, changed his name to the combined male-female symbol used on his 1992 album)
670 __ |a Purple reign, 1998: |b CIP t.p. (The Artist Formerly Known as Prince) galley (Prince; in an interview given Oct. 24, 1996, he said that he did not know what sound the symbol should represent)
953 __ |a ea17 |b ta30

does santa trade in stealth beverage systems?

Oh boy, this entry in the latest NY Times Magazine's Annual Year in Ideas cracked me up! Read it and weep with joy. And then go to the actual Beerbelly website (yes, it's real). Freedom to the beverage!

The newest in stalker technology

Forget googleing crushes, now you can track their location in real time.

ish.

If you haven't looked at Britney Spear's website in a while, it's worth a click. I'm not quite sure if she is genuinely issuing a mea culpa or if her antics last week were just a (non) product placement opportunity. In any case, girlfriend grosses me out and a dumb note on her website isn't going to explain it away.

Elsewhere on the internets is this hi-LAR-ious SNL news item about the pop star I love to hate.

Hey Mickey!

I was happy to finally find this video on YouTube -- I actually own it on DVD myself, but since I have a slow home connection this is the only way I can share it with you all.

This cover of Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey!" was the #1 hit of the summer the year I was in Japan. I remember I'd be walking around and I'd hear "Hey Mickey!" playing, and it would take me a second to realize there was something...different...about it. Like...it's in Japanese.

Of course, if you're watching the video the major difference is immediately apparent. But I'll let you discover that for yourselves.

'Tis the season

Here's a link to a collection of photos of kids getting their picture taken with Santa... and the kids are in various states of horror. That Santa is one scary mofo!

Scary Santas

Gallery of the Absurd

I've been looking for a way to feel more cultured while I slyly look at gossip rags and trashy celebrity websites, which most rational people will agree is an almost impossible thing to do. Well, I've finally found the answer to my conundrum. Here it is in all its shining glory: Gallery of the Absurd. I'm sure most of you already know about it (especially if you've been looking at gossip websites any time recently). Truly the best image thus far is the newest one: "The Three Disgraces." But all the images are fabulous (and of great likeness to their subjects).

Feast, my fellow librarian gossip-addicts, for you will be sated.

THE LIBRARIAN? More Like THE ARCHIVIST!

Well our dear HERO returned to the small screen last night, and all I can say is WHAT?

1. The librarian is clearly more of an archivist, with his display of intense passion, intelligence, and game.

2. King Solomon's Mines is a worthless story...saving the world from time traveling Ninja's now that is a story worth telling!

3. A librarian destroy a book? Not bloody likely...but an Archivist...Burn Baby Burn!!

Just in time for Xmas

Check out like.com, a search engine that searches for things by shape. It may have uses beyond shopping; I don't know yet, as I haven't played with this much, but like.com now seems essential to my continued happiness.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

I'm sure you all remember Bonnie Tyler's 1983 worldwide hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", or at least the 1994 Nicki French remake. What you may not remember is the original music video. Actually, I should say "what you may not have seen", because this is the sort of thing that sticks in your mind.

Not quite as good as "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", but definitely memorable -- if only for the chillingly literal interpretation of the line "turn around bright eyes".

Oh yes, and the video also appears to be set at the Neverland School for the Sexual Exploitation of Boys.

And there's a brief scene with ninjas (!) about 1:15 minutes in.