2 weeks ago
Parisian CheeseMuzak - from Japan
I found a CD by Kunitaka Watanabe recently and thought I'd share his music with the group. Rather than the Cheese-tastic Parisiana of 'L'escargot Aventure' I've chosen to get this ABBA cover stuck in your heads, mainly because I have that same boxed set that's sitting behind him on the piano in this video >: )
Japanophile Music Geekery Uber Alles
I'm still not sure if Kid 606 is actually from Caracas, but he is most certainly geekier than me. Check out the covers to some if his releases at Discogs.
P.S. I LOL very hard at "Songs About Fucking Steve Albini" :D
It's Millerite Time!
Judgement Day is apparently scheduled for May 21. Full details in my latest blog post.
Coffee for REAL Men
Ferget yer half-caf lattes. This should be coffee you could float a half dollar with. Or a spent rifle shell.
TokyoPop's Bubble Bursts
TokyoPOP has thrown in the towel.
TokyoPOP shuts down it U.S. operations on May 1st. Who's next?
Bonus round:
Can anybody name any artist who broke through with a TokyoPOP book? Or for that matter a TokyoPOP book that broke through? Because I'm drawing a blank. The books published by Dark Horse had more cultural relevance in my opinion.
This wouldn't happen here...
Japanese citizens turning in cash washing ashore after the tsunami.
Now, why can't I link any of the stories? @_@
EDIT: with an old school URL
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375606/Japanese-citizens-turning-cash-tsunami-zone-peoples-life-savings-wash-up.html
Now, why can't I link any of the stories? @_@
EDIT: with an old school URL
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375606/Japanese-citizens-turning-cash-tsunami-zone-peoples-life-savings-wash-up.html
Tekkaman
A while back, I'd gotten my hands on some decent, English subbed (Malaysian DVDs, I believe) 宇宙の騎士テッカマン (Space Knight Tekkaman). I don't watch much anime, anymore, but I still have that hankering to watch some 70's and 80's stuff I'd never really gotten a chance to see. Finally sat down to watch them this last weekend...what a terrible, yet awesome show. Got to love it when the lead character is basically a bigot, and hates all "aliens", and the enemies have elite "Space Ninja". Plus, the hero crawls into the groin of a robot (Pegas) in order to become Tekkaman. Great stuff. On a side note, Spring and anime/anime con season always gets me a little wistful, thinking back to the old con days....I've tried to go to the local (Sakuracon), but without my PG peeps, these things have really passed me by.
Closing
Transformation
Craptastic Sub
A really kickass Italian cosplay
DISH > Blockbuster
Dish Network is acquiring the assets of Blockbuster Video. Interesting. Only one active Blockbuster near me, the rest are gone or busy selling -- likewise, the big book stores are going bye-bye.
Interesting times.
Interesting times.
Navarre: finis FUNI
Navarre Corporation1. Gen Fukunaga sells FUNI to Navarre for $142 million in 2005
Monday April 4, 2011, 5:54 pm EDT
Navarre Corporation today announced that it has sold FUNimation Entertainment for $24 million in an all cash transaction. Purchasers in the transaction are a group of entities that were newly formed by an investment group that includes Gen Fukunaga, FUNimation Entertainment's chief executive officer, as a minority stakeholder. In connection with the sale, the Company has entered into an agreement to act as FUNimation Entertainment's exclusive distributor in the United States on a continuing basis, and will also act as FUNimation Entertainment's logistics and fulfillment services provider.
MOAR
2. ???
3. Gen Fukunaga buys FUNI back from Navarre for $24 million in 2011
= ($118 million) PROFIT!
THAT'S SHOWBIZ, FOLKS!
Porky's: Gone to Fast Food Heaven
This won't mean much to folks who've never visited the "Twin Towns", but it's a bit of a bummer to me. It served as the focal point of a thriving 'car culture' for generations, and with Drive-In theaters long-gone, I wonder what's left for this culture and its people? Volts, LEAFs, Priuses and Light Rail have far less appeal, but perhaps there's a bright side that I'm somehow missing for all these trees. I'll definitely miss all the colorful neon (the sign was fixed in recent years), and even the gaggle of on-lookers and slow-driving "Classic Cars!" Yet another sign of the passing of an era which by all accounts was greater than the ones I've somehow managed to live through.
Read more here; I'm gonna spin Neon Lights and kick my nostalgia...
