Taipei Zoo Pandas Yuan Yuan and Yuanzai Part 2

Via Taipei Zoo October 23, 2013

Earlier this year in August, the Taipei Zoo released the cutest Giant Panda videos ever seen in the history of the internets. These starred momma Yuan Yuan and her then one-month-old cub Yuanzai. These highly emotional short clips went mega viral and were broadcast on many international television news stations and are still quite popular all over the world wide web.

Well, just the other day the Taipei Zoo did it again and has now brought us a very cute behind-the-scenes look at baby Yuanzai as she gets lost after an examination and, literally, stumbles into momma's bamboo grazing grounds:


Note: Due to the recent popularity of this video, playback
may be slower than normal.

"Fukuppy" Fukushima's New Corporate Character

In an effort to alleviate the fear of Fukushima's ongoing nuclear disaster and food safety, the Fukushima Industries Corporation (a refrigerator/freezer manufacturer) has recently unveiled an all-new corporate character named "Fukuppy":



On the introduction page for this character it begins with this question and answer:

Q. Where were you born Fukuppy?

A. I was born in a Fukushima refrigerator.

The character also states that it is not yet a male or female because it is still an egg (with wings). It goes on to explain that it enjoys eating alot of food and is always on patrol and checking out the quality of meat, fish and vegetables in all new refrigerators. Also, to be fair, most likely, the Japanese pronunciation of this new oddity is "FOO-KU-PEA" or 「ふくっぴ」. And perhaps the logic behind this is that by putting a raw egg in one's refrigerator, somehow it will then indicate if any food has become irradiated. Mmmkkaaaayy...

Related:

Japanese Pluto-kun Your Plutonium Friend!

News Documentary on Food Safety in Japan

Korea's Web Damsel Chip-Chan Goes Outside?

Chip Chan as previously seen on her live video webcams.

Via The Kernel September 15, 2013

Recently in second-best Korea it was reported that a young woman was literally "trapped" on the internet inside of her own live video webcams! This damsel-in-distress news quickly made its way to 4chan and then exploded across the Asian internets. Many viewers struggled to interpret her scribbled signs and one time when she remained motionless for hours, several others began to wonder if the web had been trolled by a corpse!

Well, even though it is well known that there are no girls on the internet, it turned out that she is a real, living young Korean woman residing somewhere in Seoul. She has been given the nickname of "Chip-Chan" partly based on her own self-scribed Engrish history as seen on her personal blog entitled "Verichip for criminal destroys me". And in the below video, it does appear that she actually goes outside:

Mmmmkay.... so we have a woman in trouble. She suddenly gets discovered by millions of guys on the web who are now all fully registered members of her fan club base known as "Chippies". Then soon afterwards she seems to either find the way out of her "trap" or she went to sleep in one of her filing cabinets as she has been known to do in the past. Whadayathink? WTF Actual right? Because Korea right? Pr0n site promo right? Incidentally, the local authorities are aware of this woman and they know her real, true identity and address in case anyone is worried.

But probably the most likely outcome is that Chip-Chan is now actually dating some of her very own "Chippies" and no longer is "afraid of sleeping" so to say. Well either way, her live video webcams are still up and running even though she has temporarily disappeared from the spotlight.

See also:

Korean Kids Sing The Ramones

Buy A North Korean Bride Only $50,000!!!

From North Korea: 'Pyongyang Style' by Steve Gong

Vice Japan's "Korean Poo" Show Upsets Koreans

Via 3Yen News Japan September 8, 2013



In a recent Vice Japan episode, investigative reporter Yuka Uchida traveled to Seoul to visit Dr. Lee Chang Soo a traditional Korean medicine doctor in order to try human feces wine or "Ttongsul" (똥술) which has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. According to Uchida, Dr. Soo is one of the last Korean physicians who prescribes and makes Korean Poo wine for his patients.

This episode also includes a visit to the Toilet Culture Park in Suwon. This unusual public garden/museum includes many amusing statues and ancient toilets from centuries ago. It is explained how servants would use these hand-held scoops to collect the King's feces. Once done, the first servant would test the odor and the second servant would also smell it and even eat some of the King's shit in order to get a more accurate health level! This was done despite not knowing exactly what healthy excrement was supposed to taste like. (?) O_O

Next up is Mr. Toilet House. Included here is a collection of mini statues of human beings squatted down in the process of practicing the ancient Korean tradition of outdoor defecation. Three of the statues are reported to be of the Buddha, Eve, and Jesus himself!

So to summarize, we have an "investigative reporter" who said "it was hard to find reliable information online". Also, with no fact checking at all, she claimed that Dr. Soo is "one of the last Korean physicians who prescribes and makes Korean Poo wine for his patients." And, according to the Toilet Culture Park manager, long ago, servants would sniff and taste samples of Korean Kings' excrement even though it was not known what healthy feces should taste like.

Riiiiiiiiiigghhtt!

(Does anyone want to buy a river-front condo inside the DMZ?)

NOPE!


Yuka then gets a call from the good Doctor saying that his bowel movement brew was now ready. Can Yuka drink it? Let's see how that goes:



Well, the broadcast of this episode on Chosun TV stirred up quite a shit storm of negative reactions and anger from some Korean viewers according to Kotaku. Is anyone surprised by that?

See also:

Poop steak, from Japan of course

White is Beautiful: Japanese beauty with bird poop powder

Japanese Bikini Girls Playing in Shit

WTF Japan: TOTO's Toilet Poop Bike

The great Golden Turd of Tokyo

Dennis Rodman To Go Back to North Korea

Via Huff Post Live August 29, 2013

Just pause for a second and realize how incredibly MAGNIFICENT this title is: "Dennis Rodman Headed Back To North Korea". Seriously, with the way world events are now happening, this could turn out to be one of the greatest headlines of all of 2013:

"Dennis Rodman Headed Back To North Korea"

AWESOME!!!

OK, let's break it down some. Back in March of this year, the five-time NBA Champion, seven-time NBA rebound king and NBA Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong Un and the Pirate Bay (temporarily) moved to Pyongyang. And since his first visit, other political events have occurred that could make this next trip a whole lot more meaningful if Rodman can successfully secure the release of Korean/American citizen Kenneth Bae. However, that is one big, huge "if", indeed.

Now, of course, this time around there will be more haters. And they're going to say that Rodman's a "traitor" and a "media whore" et al. And that Vice unethically manipulated and then paid off the DPRK elite etc. Or that the White House is secretly setting up the visit since it is now uninvited blah blah blah. But, maybe the real reason why this wonderful reunion is happening again is very simple and very human: Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un are just good friends.

And is there any better reason than that?

Associated Press/AP news video of Dennis Rodman returning to North Korea on September 3, 2013:



Related:

Vice HBO Documentary "Basketball Diplomacy"

Vice, Rodman, Globetrotters Meet DPRK Players

NKBA Kim Jong Un & Dennis Rodman Video Game

Edward Snowden Short Film From Hong Kong

Via Entertainment Weekly June 30, 2013

Just released about a month ago, here is the very first short film about American surveillance secrets whistle blower Edward Snowden and his controversial Hong Kong international spy debut entitled "Verax":



"Verax" was Snowden's secret codename and it means "truth teller" in Latin.

CREDITS:

Directed and produced by
Jeff Floro 謝夫發露 (Junk Shot)
Edwin Lee 李健恩 (Fallout Media)
Shawn Tse 謝兆龍 (Junk Shot)
Marcus Tsui 崔正傑 (Immortal Peach)

Associate producer
Cassandra Chan (Slate Takes)

Written by
Edwin Lee
Marcus Tsui

See also:

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

Mother & Baby Panda Rejoined @ Taipei Zoo

Just over a month ago, first-time mother panda Yuanyuan gave birth to a beautiful daughter named Yuanzai at the Taipei Zoo. However, Yuanyuan accidentally broke Yuanzai's foot while carrying her. There was some concern that the mother might kill or eat the baby so they had to temporarily separate the two. The zoo's nurses and veterinarians took very good care of the baby panda and on August 12th, mother and baby met for a brief, but very emotional moment.

Then earlier today (Aug 13th) both mother and baby were reunited and Yuanyuan breastfed Yuanzai with no problems. Below is an incredible video of the two coming together again:



See also:

Because China: Panda Bully on China Airways

Chinese Pigs Chasing Chinese Pigs

A Beautiful Birthday Present From Julie Watai

Embiggen

Released earlier today, on her birthday, here is an exceptionally beautiful fine art photograph by Japan's one and only Julie Watai. The model is Hanami-chan and this was taken at the studio of sculptor/designer Kaz Asada in Osaka, Japan.

Thank you for this wonderful gift Julie! Happy Birthday! お誕生日おめでとうございます!!

Related:

Earphone Model Yurika Kubo x Julie Watai

New Hardware Girls Photos by Julie Watai

mishmash*Julie Watai Featured on TiVo

Chinese Pigs Chasing Chinese Pigs

Via Metro.co.uk and ITN August 4th 2013

Yes, that headline is correct as a truckload of piglets overturned in Guiyang province in southwest China forcing highway police to chase after the escaped squealing swine. A truly hilarious modern-day episode of The Keystone Cops followed as the speedy piglets continued to evade the slow, dumbfounded police officers trying to apprehend them. Here is a very funny ITN news video of this comic chase scene:



Of course the police finally caught them, but they didn't go away quietly.



Related:

Because China: The Big Blue Ploice Truck

Chinese F.A.P. Police Car Photo

US Reporters Pwn China's Ministry of Hacking

Hamish & Andy 'Ultimate Japanese Wingman'

Last month, Australia's dynamic comedy duo Hamish and Andy filmed some of episode three of their popular TV show "Hamish & Andy's Asia Gap Year" in downtown Shibuya, Tokyo. A segment of that third chapter is entitled "Ultimate Japanese Wingman" in which Hamish tries his best to find a new girlfriend for his buddy Andy. This hilarious skit starts out simple and cute but then snowballs right over the top!





See also:

"Japanese Tour Guide" w/ Tom Green

SNL: J-Pop America Fun Time Now!

Chinese Female Special Forces Photo

Embiggen

Via Xinhua English.news.cn July 30, 2013

Just released earlier today, here is a nice shot from Xinhua English.new's photo essay on the Soldiers of China's female special forces unit. Editor: Fang Yang

Related:

Because China: People's Liberation Army in Action!

Chinese Military Multifunction Shovel Demo Video

Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China

Embiggen

Here is a very beautiful photo of Jiuzhaigou Valley, in Sichuan, China. This is a nature reserve located within the Min mountains near the Tibetan plateau. A vast area of 180,000 acres it features water falls, gorgeous lakes and snowy mountain tops. Jiuzhaigou Valley was registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1997.

See also:

Somewhere in Southern China...

Ascending Mt Hua in China = NOPE!

China China China China China China China

Flawed Fukushima Fruit & Vegetables w/ Radiation

Two-Headed Corn

Via MSN Now July 15, 2013

Recent photos from a Korean website of many irradiated and malformed fruit and vegetables from Fukushima, Japan have gone viral and are now being reported by mainstream news entities. And these are not pretty pictures, indeed:


Deformed Peaches


Hand-Shaped Radish


Giant Cabbages

More photos...

Related:

Fukushima Deformed Baby Rabbit w/ No Ears

News Documentary on Food Safety in Japan

Chinese Police Fire on Tibetan Monks

Via The Guardian July 9, 2013


According to the US-based International Campaign for Tibet, Chinese police opened fire on a group of Tibetan monks that was gathered on a sacred mountain to celebrate the 78th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Two monks were shot in the head and others were seriously injured by the surprise attack that included the use of tear gas. The ICT group is now demanding that the US government pressure the Chinese government into investigating these shootings of unarmed Tibetans. Chinese security officials have used severe methods of crowd control in Tibet in the past, but the use of firearms is rare. Here is an audio recording of this news report from The Guardian:



UPDATE: Via Radio Free Asia

"At least eight Tibetans were injured when Chinese police fired gunshots and used tear gas to disperse about 1,000 monks and nuns who had gathered in a restive county in Sichuan province at the weekend to mark the birthday of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, according to local residents and exile groups."

"They said that policemen also beat some in the crowd and smashed the windows of vehicles used to ferry the monks and nuns to the lower slopes of a mountain regarded as sacred in Tawu (in Chinese, Daofu) county on Saturday to commemorate the Dalai Lama's 78th birthday."

Continued...

See also:

Tibetan Jamphel Yeshi Self Immolates in India

Chinese Convict 'Leaving Fear Behind' Tibetan Producer

Meanwhile in Qingdao, China...

Via The Telegraph Friday, July 5, 2013

A massive green algae invasion has landed in Qingdao and other seaside areas in Eastern China. The algae is reported to not be toxic to humans or damaging to water quality. But, apparently, it really stinks! Here is a BBC News video on this largest-ever swarm of the harmless "sea lettuce":



See also:

Chinese Army Kills Asian Hornets' Nest With Fire

Shanhaiguan: Where The Great Wall Meets The Sea

US Citizen Kenneth Bae In DPRK Prison

Via CNN July 3, 2013

An American citizen currently being held in a North Korean prison, pleaded for forgiveness and help from the US Government yesterday in an exclusive video from CNN.

In a trial in Pyongyang on April 30, 2013 Pae Jun Ho aka Kenneth Bae was convicted of "hostile acts to bring down its government" and for planning religious activities against the state, according to KCNA. Bae confessed to all of his "crimes" and was given a 15-year sentence of hard labor.

"Although my health is not good, I am being patient and coping well," Bae said. "And I hope that with the help of the North Korean government and the United States, I will be released soon."

A pro North Korean group located in Tokyo, Choson Sinbo, was granted permission to make this interview video which they gave to CNN:



Related:

Premiere of "Camp 14 - Total Control Zone"

Canadian DPRK Documentary "The Defector"

North Korean Concentration Camp Drawings

Earphone Model Yurika Kubo x Julie Watai

embiggen

Just released by Julie Watai, here is a beautiful new photo of Japanese super model/actor/singer Yurika Kubo 久保ユリカ taken at the e☆earphone e☆イヤホン shop in Akihabara.

Visit: Yurika Kubo's Official Website

See also:

Julie Watai w/ Headphones by Dr Dre & e-earphone

New Hardware Girls Photos by Julie Watai

Fairy Tale Antenna x Julie Watai

Meanwhile back on Japanese TV.......

Via I Love Living in Japan June 23, 2013

No, this is not the Godzilla Gaijin aka 'The Pink Guy-Jin':

Nope.


Instead, this is a funny photoshop exaggeration of Japan's beloved former volleyball champion Motoko Obayashi 大林素子.

See also:

Japanese TV Fishing = Tentacle Porn (NSFW)

This is Japanese TV. That is All.

Meanwhile on Japanese TV...

Vice HBO Documentary "Basketball Diplomacy"

The Harlem Globetrotters and kids on a Pyongyang Playground.

Filmed back in February with Dennis Rodman, the Harlem Globetrotters, correspondent Ryan Duffy, and broadcast just last week on HBO, here is the long-awaited Vice documentary "Basketball Diplomacy":



Related:

Vice, Rodman, Globetrotters Meet DPRK Players

Harlem Globetrotters vs DPRK Practice Game

Vice, Rodman, Globetrotters Meet DPRK Players

Last night Vice had their first season finale on HBO with the broadcast of their recent trip to North Korea. If you remember, back in February 2013 Vice correspondent Ryan Duffy and three members of the Harlem Globetrotters became the first American delegation to play together with North Korean athletes in a friendly exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang. The country's young, enigmatic leader Kim Jong Un attended the game with NBA hall-of-famer Dennis Rodman at his side. The game ended in a very diplomatic 110-110 tie and on the next day Duffy and the Globetrotters had a chance to talk directly with the North Korean players during lunch. Here is a part of that conversation:



Related:

Harlem Globetrotters vs DPRK Practice Game

NKBA Kim Jong Un & Dennis Rodman Video Game

New Laowai Film: "This Is Sanlitan" Trailer

Via This Is Sanlitun June 13, 2013

Just a couple weeks ago the official teaser trailer for the upcoming laowai indy comedy film entitled "This Is Sanlitan" was released on youtube. This full-length feature film celebrates both foreigners and local Chinese people living in Sanlitan, Beijing.

The main character is "Gary" who is played by Carlos Ottery. Gary has come to China seeking his slice of the Chinese economic dream. However, things don't work out so well and he loses his wife and son and all of his money and becomes quite desperate. How he recovers becomes the main plot of the film. Scheduled for release in late 2013, this movie was directed by Robert Ingi Douglas, and stars Carlos Ottery, Ai Wan, Christopher Loton, Hua Gaoxiang and Cromwell Cheung. Here is the funny sneak peak preview:



See also:

2013 DPRK Travelogue by Chrystian Cohen

"Seeking Asian Female" Movie Trailer

"Jiro Dreams of Sushi" Trailer

Meanwhile Sony Pwns Xbox w/ New PS4

Via Polygon Jun 11, 2013

Yesterday at the E3 press conference, basically Sony took over the gaming world with the announcement of the all new Playstation 4 to be sold for $100.00 less than Microsoft's new Xbox One. In addition to that lowball, Sony threw Microsoft a wicked curve with their announcement that the PS4 will support used games.

"When a gamer buys a PS4 disc, they have the rights to use that disc, resell it, lend it to a friend or keep it forever," said CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America Jack Tretton.

To show that they really mean it, or to add insult to injury, Sony released this Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video:



Called strike three. Microsoft is OUT!

See also:

NKBA Kim Jong Un & Dennis Rodman Video Game

Lollipop Chainsaw Video Game Trailers

Trailer: My Girlfriend is The President

'Monster Hunters Unite' Capcom Promo Video

Japan's Play-With-Yourself Toilet Game

The Writing on the Great Wall

As we reported almost two years ago, there has been a mega boom of graffiti and street art exploding throughout China. And as we can see in the above pic, the writing is now on The Great Wall. But what does it mean? Why did they write on the Great Wall?

Looking at it a bit closer, It seems as if this tag was written in some kind of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Perhaps this message is some kind of protest? Maybe. With government land grabs still going on more land riots and revolts keep happening all the time in China. Usually, that kind of unrest happens out in the countryside amongst farmers and other country folk.

So let's look even closer at the above glyphics, and sure enough, we can see just about every character is a farmer or someone working with an animal. So, therefore, it is a very good possibility that this is some kind of protest art. Especially when government officials recently ordered a construction crew to crush a protester to death with a steamroller machine! (WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

NMA TV on Facebook's David Choe

China: The Great Wall of Graffiti

Liu Bolin Sticks To His Guns in NYC

A modern-day "Invisible Man" Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin and his team pulled off another amazing camouflage act in New York at Eli Klein Fine Art earlier this week.

His performance art/live painting show was entitled "Gun Rack 2013". And apparently it took aim at arms control methods throughout the world. Bolin's New York agency also claimed that this work was inspired by a new Chinese law that requires individuals to present identification and registration when buying certain knives.

According to gallery owner Eli Klein "These are all real weapons, not replicas. They were legal to have in the gallery as they were modified to fire blanks. Zachary Bako filmed the entire event and made this short fast forward time lapse video:





Related:

Liu Bolin: China's #1 'Forever Alone' Artist

DPRK Kid's Day "LET'S MILITARY!"

It is now being reported that there was a somewhat large Children's Day celebration at Pyongyang's Mangyongdae Amusement Park on June 2, 2013. This first-time event featured various games, dances and competitions. Children dressed up in traditional Korean clothes while playing together in musical groups and competing together in various playground games. Some children also shot arrows at a target that resembled an American soldier! This event also included children dressed up in cute replica military uniforms. And what Children's Day celebration would not be complete without a full-on miniature rocket launcher in a MILITARY PARADE!!! Check it out:





See also:

CNN: Homeless Kids in DPRK Documentary

Shocking North Korean Kids' Show Photo

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

mishmash*Julie Watai Featured on TiVo

June 2, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

We are very happy and proud to announce that Tokyo's eclectic chiptunes unit known as mishmash*Julie Watai and their short form music video entitled "Go Furby Go" are now featured on TiVo within our Asian Music TV broadcast channel. This marks the first major media push promotion of an associated musical group by our network. "Go Furby Go" is also now playing on our all-new RobPongi.com website and also right here:



mishmash*Julie Watai is Cornelius' long time music programmer Toyoaki Mishima, contemporary artist Julie Watai and producer Masu Hiroshi Masuyama.

Related:

Julie Watai's Furby Toy Video

The All New RobPongi.com Site is Up!

Asian Music TV Now Playing on TiVo

2013 Top Video Sharing Sites List

The All New RobPongi.com Site is Up!

XXX Large Size

May 31, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

We are very happy and proud to announce that the all-new RobPongi.com site is now up and running hot! It's all HTML5 valid and CSS3 valid as well. The interface is fully optimized for video render and playback on the iPhone and Android cell phones as well as the iPad and some recent video game machines! It features a super user friendly design based on the "Right Now WP Full Video, Image with Audio" template by elite designer Renkli Beyaz. It also supports mp3 playback as well as youtube, vimeo and playback from many other video sharing websites. Viewers can navigate by "drawing" on the screen! In the footer is a nice thumbnail photo scroll bar from which one can navigate very easily. It also has some other optional functions including a screen color picker and a google map contact verification form which we hope to soon enable. So come on down!



Related:

Asian Music TV Now Playing on TiVo

2013 Top Video Sharing Sites List

New Gin No Sara TV Commercial

A couple days ago, KreativMagazin a Hungarian Kreatív marketing and communication magazine, released a very entertaining new Japanese TV commercial entitled "Japanese Advertising's Best Kept Secrets". At first, it appears to be what it is titled as, but then we find out...



Well known for years by it's many funny and brilliant TV commercials, Gin No Sara is a nationwide sushi delivery company that has 365 stores all over Japan. The above is actually a compilation of several new TV commercials for this company. You can see all the short ones only in Japanese at Gin No Sara CM. For more info please visit their official Japanese website.



See also:

WTF Japanese Milk Commercial #2

Tommy Lee Jones Acts Like a Boss for Suntory

Harlem Globetrotters vs DPRK Practice Game

The Harlem Globetrotters shake hands with the North Koreans.

Just released earlier today by KCNA and URI Tours, here is exclusive footage of a recent scrimmage game between some members of the Harlem Globetrotters and a North Korean professional team. This took place when Dennis Rodman visited BFF Kim Jong Un back in March. This one hour and twenty minute plus game starts out somewhat tense but as play goes on the players relax more and just play a friendly practice game. The Harlem Globetrotters' players were Bull Bullard, Buckets Blakes and rookie sensation Moose Weekes. The Globetrotters were split amongst the North Korean players. So get some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the game which starts around 9:30:



If they game starts to drag on somewhat, check out this recently released short Korean TV News video of Dennis Rodman and Harlem Globetrotters Sightseeing in North Korea:



Related:

NKBA Kim Jong Un & Dennis Rodman Video Game

People's Daily: Kim Jong Un "Sexiest Man Alive"

North Korean Harlem Shake Video

CNN: Homeless Kids in DPRK Documentary

Via CNN May 13, 2013

In a long overdue change of format, CNN recently released a short documentary on homeless children in the DPRK entitled "Orphaned and Homeless in North Korea". This very short but powerful docudrama features two students who were abandoned by their parents many years ago in "The Hermit Kingdom". The first is Yoon Hee a 19-year-old escapee who found a foster home in South Korea. The other is an anonymous young man who feels fortunate to receive the South Korean government's support and education. Both are students at the Hangyeore School a special school for children and teenagers from North Korea.

Principal Gwok Jong Moon summarized the situation for many young escapees: "Although freedom was given to them in South Korea, severe [academic] competition, delayed development, educational disparity and discrimination makes it extremely difficult for them to adjust properly. So we provide those students education through special programs, emotional and psychological treatments, and social and cultural adaptation skills."



This documentary is only four and a half minutes in duration, but it is one of the first, or possibly the first feature released by CNN on this very important subject. Hopefully, there will be more like this released by more mass media entities in the near future. "Orphaned and Homeless in North Korea" was produced by Nick Scott and narrated by Jonathan Binder. It was translated by Jin Kang, Sindy Kang, Sarah Kim, Annie Sunin Lee and InHee Yoo.

See also:

Shocking Undercover North Korean News Video

Premiere of "Camp 14 - Total Control Zone"

Canadian DPRK Documentary "The Defector"

"Psy"-Borg Pretender Sighted at Cannes

Via Gawker May 22, 2013

In a funny scene that could have been an outtake from Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" film, a clever "Psy"-Borg pretender was recently spotted at the Cannes Film Festival. Somehow this unidentified man fooled everyone at the world's largest movie grand prix into believing that he was the world famous Psy (a.k.a. Park Jae-sang) the singer/songwriter from South Korea. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the look alike imposter had been spotted at parties and with celebrities who all wanted to take pictures with the web's 'horse-dance guy' all over the seaside resort town.

"Me and [Psy] at the @Chopard party in #Cannes!!" tweeted a starstruck Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, Skyfall).

But then the real Psy had this to say: "Seems like there's another ME at cannes," the singer tweeted from Singapore. "Say Hi to him."

Related:

Two Japanese Films at Cannes Film Festival

mishmash*Julie Watai "Electromotive romances"

Just released earlier today by mishmash*Julie Watai here is their fifth single "Electromotive romances":



mishmash*Julie Watai is Cornelius' long time music programmer Mr. T. Mishima, contemporary artist Julie Watai and producer Masu Hiroshi Masuyama. "Electromotive romances" was composed by Benkei with video by TDKKKM and illustrations by Hiroyuki Takahashi. This song will be available on iTunes and Amazon on May 27th.

Related:

mishmash＊Julie Watai Release "Go Furby Go"

mishmash＊Julie Watai 1st Album Release

Julie Watai & Toyoaki Mishima Photo

Two Japanese Films at Cannes Film Festival

Via Asahi Shinbun May 19, 2013

Of the 20 films vying for this year's coveted Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, two of them are popular Japanese full-length features. One is about a very difficult family situation and the other is an exciting cop thriller by Takashi Miike.

In Shield of Straw / "Wara no Tate" 藁の楯 leading man Tatsuya Fujiwara plays a cold-blooded killer named Kiyomaru Kunihide who murders the granddaughter of a very powerful political figure (Tsutomu Yamazaki). A few weeks after the murder, Kiyomaru realizes that the politician has offered one billion yen (approximately $9.7 million dollars) to anyone who kills him.

Fearing for his life, he turns himself into the Fukuoka Police and then is to be transferred to Tokyo by five elite security police. But along the way they keep running into groups of citizens and other police who want to get the reward and get revenge! Also one of the security police starts to question the morality of protecting such a vile criminal. Below is the Japanese trailer, but you don't need to understand Japanese to enjoy this exciting preview:



A light favorite for this year's top prize, "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son)" stars Masaharu Fukuyama as the hard-working husband Ryota and his faithful wife Midori played by Machiko Ono.



Their idyllic family life is suddenly turned upside down when the hospital where their son was born admits that Keita was switched at birth and is not their biological son. The couple is then faced with a difficult "nature vs nurture" decision in either swapping the boy they have raised and loved for six years for their real biological son or keep him. Ryota and Midori then meet the couple, played by Yoko Maki and Lily Franky, who have raised their real son and the film unfolds into humor and humanity. A powerful soft family drama competing against many violent films including the above, "Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Like Father, Like Son)" is director Kore-eda Hirokazu's fourth film to compete at Cannes.

"I wanted to create this total upheaval in the morality of the main character," Kore-eda told journalists. "I wanted to create a real shock in his mind."

Here is the official trailer with English subtitles:



The winners of the world's largest film festival will be announced on May 26th.

See also:

Beat Takeshi Kitano's "Outrage Beyond"

Trailer for Jackie Chan's "Chinese Zodiac" Movie

Japanese Girls "Soccer Ball Juggling" Videos

Apparently Japan's JLeague soccer association is getting somewhat desperate for more herbivorous men to actually "go outside" and at least pretend to become beer guzzling, teriyaki eating carnivorous soccer fans again. Why else would they have Konami produce three (3) videos of some cute Japanese girls engaged in "soccer ball juggling"??? Oh and some genius decided to add a miniature GoPro video camera inside the soccer ball in order to produce some cute and enticing close ups of the soccer girls' body parts (see above ninja shot).



Also Konami is running a Football All Stars 2013 Campaign that, among other things, will be giving away single tickets that will be good for 101 seats at some JLeague games!



Yes that's right! Now all these grass eating men will be able to bring 100 of their best friends to a JLeague soccer game.

Rrriiiiiiiggghht.....

Obviously, someone forgot to mention that most modern-day Japanese herbivores actually don't have any friends.



See also:

Japan's Horse Racing Dating Game

Japan's Forever Alone Virtual Girlfriend Dating

Japan's Play-With-Yourself Toilet Game