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
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:
"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:
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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"
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
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
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
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
Photo courtesy of Udo Artists News.
Last night Germany's legendary electronic music group Kraftwerk performed their sixth of eight shows at Tokyo's Akasaka Blitz. Their setlist included their eighth studio album "Computer World" which was first released in May 1981. Many believe this to be Kraftwerk's peak period. Kraftwerk is one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. Below is a video from last night's performance of their 1974 worldwide hit "Autobahn":
Video courtesy of Peter Jacobs.
Related:
Kraftwerk Live in Tokyo @ NO NUKES