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[Kagome]

Ayumi Hamasaki Going Deaf

Pushing 30, rivals circling, and now deaf in one ear: it's tough at the top for Ayu

Pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki confirmed earlier this month what her nastier critics have been saying about her tone for years -- she's deaf, at least in her left ear. And Sunday Mainichi (1/27) says the 29-year-old superstar's ailment isn't being helped by her increasing isolation in the music world.

Hamasaki used a special member's only blog she writes to reveal she'd lost her hearing.

"Actually, last year I had a hearing test that revealed my left ear doesn't work at all, and the doctor said there's no operation that can fix it," Sunday Mainichi quotes the songstress writing to her fans.

Hamasaki has actually known for years that her hearing was going bung, and has twice postponed national tours because of it.

Nonetheless, now her secret is out in the open, Hamasaki is determined to forge ahead with her plans to tour the country from April, but the disclosure of her deafness has also opened another can of worms for her.

"I read everything she wrote on her blog and it seems she kept the news all to herself, not telling her relatives or staff," entertainment beat journalist Yuji Watanabe says. "I think rather than the deafness itself, the bigger problem (for Hamasaki) is why she kept such a problem held so tightly in her heart."

Hamasaki has long known it's lonely at the top. She has almost single-handedly kept her record company Avex at the apex of the Japanese music world, but realized as the company's queen bee she can't afford to have a public perception of weakness. She only told two people of her hearing problems -- Tomoya Nagase, the boy band Tokio member and her longtime ex-boyfriend, and Mika Noguchi, the president of panty manufacturer Peach John.
Sunday Mainichi 01/27
Sunday Mainichi 01/27

Hamasaki's career is also not as sturdy as it once was. During her 10 years on the scene, her every album has come out at No. 1 on the charts in the week that it was released. But "Guilty," her latest offering that came out on New Year's Day, only reached No. 2, giving greater credence to suggestions that younger, flashier singers such as Kumi Koda and others of her ilk are about to usurp Hamasaki's title.

As for Hamasaki's actual condition, otological expert Tetsuro Ogata suspects she may have Meniere's disease.

"She's got either sudden deafness or Meniere's disease. Her hearing has become progressively worse over a number of examinations, so I think it's probably more likely to be Meniere's," Ogata tells Sunday Mainichi, noting that sudden deafness arises out of the blue and can be caused by such things as viruses or stress, while the condition also believed to have affected Beethoven starts with hearing difficulties and dizziness before progressing to hearing loss.

[Kagome]

China's economic boom mean iPods and leather jackets for Tokyo's homeless

It’s a good time to be homeless in Japan, Tokyo Sports (Feb 27) finds. Why? Because of this summer’s Beijing Olympics.

What’s the connection? The Olympics are feeding a Chinese building boom. The building boom has created a demand for metal. The price of metal is surging. Among the beneficiaries are collectors of metal trash — aluminum cans and so forth. This is a prime occupation of Japanese homeless people. We’re seeing in consequence, Tokyo Sports alleges, a dramatic rise in “iPod homeless.”

“Around Shinjuku and Shibuya stations,” the tabloid claims, “you see homeless people with ratty clothes, matted hair — and iPods. An Apple iPod can run anywhere from 5,800 yen to 50,000 yen — plus the music you have to buy for it.” Not a poor man’s toy, ordinarily, but is anything ordinary these days?

It’s not just iPods. Check out some of the stylish leather jackets sported by these same homeless. The phenomenon seems to give a whole new meaning to the word prosperity. “I go round to the apartment buildings early in the morning on days when metal trash is being picked up,” explains a homeless man based around Shimbashi Station. “I can collect 1,000-odd cans, roughly 20 kg, that way. Or I ride around Kawasaki on my bicycle and in a few days, I’ve got 10,000 yen worth.”

A steel company executive explains: “There’s a factory in Kawasaki that takes in aluminum cans collected by homeless people. They go around on their bikes with garbage bags full of cans — maybe 75 kg, which the factory will buy for 13,000 yen. Two years ago, it wouldn’t have been worth more than 5,000 yen. Some 800 people a day converge on that factory with their cans.”

The Olympics may be the most visible symbol of China’s meteoric rise, but it’s by no means all that’s going on there of significance to Japanese homeless. An expanding Chinese middle class wants more cars, more and better bicycles, even more soft drinks, all requiring aluminum.

Until recently, China had enough aluminum of its own. Suddenly that is no longer true. Last year saw the first imports, and since then, the price has roughly doubled. It just goes to show what an impact economic developments overseas can have on the street here at home.

“Thanks to China’s aluminum demand,” concludes Tokyo Sports, “homeless people in Japan are leading richer lives.”

[Kagome]

Versailles - Debut Album Release



The descendants of the rose have returned to enchant you! Following the mega hit mini-album "Lyrical Sympathy," Versailles have now releaseed their debut full-length album "Noble."

Versailles is a new band formed in March 2007 by former LAREINE vocalist KAMIJO, SULFURIC ACID guitarist HIZAKI, and Hizaki grace project bassist Jasmine You. Later joined by former Aikaryu guitarist TERU and former Sugar Trip drummer YUKI, Versailles quickly began an aesthetic revolution in the visual rock scene thanks to their blend of classic metal and visual rock influences. Achieving international hit status through their mini-album and DVD, in November they launched their first concert tour of Japan. From there the band began performing concerts in five European countries including Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, and Spain. This May Versailles performed at X Japan member hide's memorial concert before setting off for various one-man live shows in Shibuya, and the anime event "A-Kon" in the United States.

The new album "Noble" includes a new take on break-through hit "The Revenant Choir," limited edition single "A Noble was Born in Chaos," and more for a full vampires' chronicle. This limited edition release includes bonus DVD with music video.

[Rohan531]

this is one of my favorite  japanese musics i am a fan of that Band so you rock.,

_________________
blanchard grinding

[Kagome]

MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2009: the results!



The annual MTV ceremony awarding prizes to the best music videos of the year was held on Saturday May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena. Namie Amuro and Coldplay, who were both nominee three times, were the center of attention. But what are the results?.

Here is the list of the winners for the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2009 (the winner's name is in bold):

■   Best Male Video
o Motohiro Hata - FOREVER SONG
o KANYE WEST - HEARTLESS
+ KREVA - Akasatanahamayarawawon
o Ne-Yo - Closer
o USHER - Love in This Club feat. YOUNG JEEZY

■   Best Female Video
+ Namie Amuro - NEW LOOK
o Thelma Aoyama - Nando mo
o BEYONCE - If I Were a Boy
o Britney Spears - WOMANIZER
o Hikaru Utada - Prisoner Of Love

■   Best Group Video
+ EXILE - Ti Amo (Chapter2)
o FRANZ FERDINAND - Ulysses
o THE KILLERS - Human
o Shounannokaze - Koi Shigure
o Touhoushinki - MIROTIC

■   Best New Artist Video
o Duffy - Mercy
o Miho Fukuhara - CHANGE
o KATY PERRY - I Kissed a Girl
o GIRL NEXT DOOR - Guuzen no Kakuritsu
+ KIMAGUREN - LIFE

■   Best Video Of The Year
o Namie Amuro - NEW LOOK
o Britney Spears - Womanizer
o COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
+ EXILE - Ti Amo (Chapter2)
o SOUTHERN ALL STARS - I AM YOUR SINGER

■   Best Rock Video
o 9mm Parabellum Bullet - Living Dying Message
o ACIDMAN - I STAND FREE
o FALL OUT BOY - I don't care
o FRANZ FERDINAND - Ulysses
+ MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - Tsume Tsume Tsume

■   Best Pop Video
o Ikimono-gakari - Kimagure ROMANTIC
+ KATY PERRY - I Kissed a Girl
o LILY ALLEN - The Fear
o Perfume - Dream Fighter
o RIP SLYME - Taiyou to Bikini

■   Best R&B Video
o AKON - Right Now (NaNaNa)
+ Namie Amuro - Sexy Girl
o JUJU feat. Spontania - Sunao ni Naretara
o Miliyah Katou - 19 Memories
o Ne-Yo - Miss Independent

■   Best Hip Hop Video
o KANYE WEST - Heartless
o KREVA - Akasatanahamayarawawon
o LIL WAYNE - Lollipop feat.STATIC
+ TERIYAKI BOYZ® - ZOCK ON! feat.Pharrell & Busta Rhymes
o TI - Live Your Life feat. RIHANNA

■   Best Reggae Video
+ HAN-KUN - HOTTER THAN HOT
o KARDINAL OFFISHALL - Dangerous feat. AKON
o MIGHTY JAM ROCK - U.P.STAR
o NATTY - Cold Town
o RYO the SKYWALKER - EVER GREEN

■   Best Dance Video
o THE BPA - Toe Jam feat. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL
o DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP - Thou Shalt Always Kill
o KRAAK & SMAAK - Squeeze Me feat. BEN WESTBEECH
+ TOWA TEI - Mind Wall feat. Miho Hatori
o UKAWANIMATION! - Wakusei no Portrait 5 Oku Man Gaso

■   Best Video from a Film
o AI - Okuribito
o JACK WHITE & ALICIA KEYS - Another Way to Die
o MADONNA - 4 Minutes feat. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & TIMBALAND
o monobright - Ano Toumeikan to Shounen
+ REMIOROMEN - Yume no Tsubomi

■   Best Collaboration Video
o MADONNA - 4 Minutes feat. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & TIMBALAND
+ NELLY and FERGIE - Party People
o Kaela Kimura + Scha Dara Parr - Hey! Hey! Alright
o TI - Live Your Life feat. RIHANNA
o Anna Tsuchiya feat.AI - Crazy World

■   Best album of the year
o ayaka - Okaeri / SING TO THE SKY
o COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida / VIVA LA VIDA OR DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS
+ Mr.Children - ESORA / SUPERMARKET FANTASY
o Ne-Yo - Closer / YEAR OF THE GENTLEMAN
o Hikaru Utada - HEART STATION / HEART STATION

■   Best Karaoke! Song
o Aqua Timez - Niji
o COLDPLAY - Viva La Vida
o FUNKY MONKEY BABYS - Kibou no Uta
+ KIMAGUREN - LIFE
o MARIAH CAREY - TOUCH MY BODY