Rants and Raves

   Below is just my own personal thought and such about certain things can can deal with Keiko or just me, myself, and I. It's just a small part of IKK that personally belongs to me (Sade ultimate web mistress of IKK!) and if you want to read it feel free! ^_^

HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!!!!   + Jan 6 2007 +                                       

OMG! It's 2007! People, I'm graduating from high school in about 5 months and I'm going to COLLEGE! OMG! lol, wow, it's so sudden! Happy New Years everyone! Thank-you for keeping this site alive! There will be some changes here and there made over this month and next month so don't be surprised if there seems to be a long span between updates. Lol, 'cause there will be. ^_~ This site has become pretty popular. At first, you couldn't even Google IKK, but now you can so that means it's getting hit alot/ Think I'm kidding? Well, since my hit counter was set since February 13, 2006,  this data is a bit off, but this is last year's statistics:

Total Hits: 30,110
Unique Hits: 18,686
Ave. Hits: 171 per day

     Now, considering the fact that IKK is a pretty young site, I'd say that's pretty darn good and all of that is thanks to you fans who spread the word on the site and diligently visit! Thanks so much for making this a pretty good year! Now, regarding content, I would like credit forever and always on whatever is taken, little to nothing has changed in the policies. If you would like to file for a position as a staff member visit the Announcements section of the site for more information. This is the beginning of January and I've had a new comments box since the end of November! People, where is the love? I'd really appreciate some feedback and not just compliments on the site. If you guys could leave comments, questions, suggestions, and compliments I'd really appreciate it. Judging from the amount of visits isn't it safe to say that IKK is getting up there! Lisa, I'm right behind you! (kinda...Nana-Nana has been hit twice as much as IKK O_O literally!) So yeah, show me some love!

   Fan donations are wanted, I'd like to beef up the goodies section but I can't do it without you guys, so send in submissions! Don't be afraid to help out even if you aren't an official staff member! If you see some inaccurate information or you find some information that I don't have up on the site, feel free to e-mail it to me and I'll be sure to give credit! Just let me know how you'd like to be credited (by a screen name or URL?) and I'll be sure to do so. I'll take whatever you guys can dish out, just step in the kitchen! Be sure to look up the proper way to submit stuff, here. I know I promised a new layout for the new year, and it is coming soon, just be patient. I'm having creativity block, that's all. ^_^:; I was supposed to have some more media and scans but *jerks head towards Izzy and Ryuu who seem to have dropped off the face of the earth in the span of one day* you'll just have to wait till the next update. ^_~

  
<3 Sade

THE BLACKLIST

Now, let's get one thing strait, IKK is NOT a basher site but desperate times call for desperate measures. This is my TRYING to save Keiko some face, this site some face, and the REAL fans some face when I glee fully BLACKLIST the Fake-o Keiko "official" myspace. I have nothing but pity for those FOOL enough to fall for SUCH a huge hoax. PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE! After a while I gave up but I was bored for a split second and decided to see the site when I noticed an entry tagged, "Real Me." I HAD to check it out and this is what I read.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Real me..

I hope you understand my english.

I know there are many people who are making fake myspaces but the only reason i made one was to keep in contact with my fans. I notice everytime i search my name a new person name keiko say that they are the real keiko. This disapoints me because some of my fans are sending me messages saying that i am not real. I do not want to lose any of my fans but if this keep on going i am afraid i am going to delete my myspace and people who think the other keiko are the real can go ahead and have fun talking to them. I am tired of telling people i am the real keiko. If they dont believe me i dont know what to tell them anymore.

sorry for the fans out there

Keiko kitagawa

   Now, in the words of my girlfriend, "Bitch, WHAT?! Repeat that again?! WHAT?!" Sorry for the language but this is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever read in my life. FIRST of all Keiko ends her signings with KITAGAWA KEIKO! Anyone with the FAINTEST knowledge of Japanese names should know THAT MUCH! HOW DARE this Fake-o Keiko claim to be the REAL one! This is identity theft! Keiko fans we NEED to stand arms! All of you with myspaces go post a link to Keiko Fake-o's site and Keiko's blog and spread the word that this person is a PRETENDER. Please, add it as a signature or as a small section to your myspace, TAKE CHARGE! This is CLEAR identity theft! Until this bitch puts up a picture saying I'M KEIKO, NO ONE should be on the site and BELIEVE her! Is the world so small that anyone would be dumb enough to post something along the lines of "Please don't shut down your myspace!" or "If others don't believe you're the real Keiko, who cares?" Duh, idiot, how about because he/she/it is NOT.

   I'm working on my own myspace right now so you better believe I'm going to have a section dedicated to this matter. People bitch about the pirating but at least I'm not pretending to be the star we adore so much. Visit forums, other Keiko/PGSM related sites, LJs, ect. and take a stand NOW!

HAPPY B-DAY IKK!

And one year later, look how far we've come! Let me say my thanks:

To: Izzy- Thank-you for being the first person to step up to the plate to help IKK become what is is today. Do you remember the PM you sent me? When you volunteered to be magazine scanner I felt as though my life was saved! You offered helpful criticism on EVERY aspect of the site and even though it sometimes drove me crazy, I thank you for it from the bottom of my heart. Before you, I knew nothing of templates, I might still be creating every aspect of the site by hand just like with version 1! O_O. And when my computer crashed, you refused to let me mope. For all your money, hard work, and time THANK-YOU SO MUCH for making IKK such an awesome site. Ahoy matey! Let us pirate together for a long, long time! ^_^

To: Karyuudan- Aw buddy! I knew you were worth trusting when I noticed how well you conducted yourself in Shingetsu and T-L.net forums. Your Keiko savvy-ness caught my eye and I've never turned away since. I'm glad I made you an admin in the forums because you have exercised the utmost patience and diligence that I have ever seen in a person and I greatly appreciate it. And the CSS! Oh, I'd DIE without that CSS! For my translator and media gatherer you have yet to fail me and I don't expect it at all! You and Izzy--- both of your level headedness has kept me from going nuts, from the bottom of my heart--thank-you! Yay, Fire Dragon BLAST! Behold the king of Keikonites! ^_~

To: Molly, Elly, and the much hated Serecindra- Thanks Sere, for being such an online meanie! It led me to the talented Elly who led me to the generous Molly who is hosting IKK! Thank-you, Molly, for all of your patience with all my FTP problems and lack of html knowledge, you took me in and helped me lift IKK off of the ground. And still, without fail you continue to help this site in the shadows! Thank-you SO MUCH! Without you, IKK wouldn't even exist.

To: Sawai Fan and BEEF- for a morally twisted, but wildly entertaining guy I sure owe a CRAP LOAD of thanks to you, SF, for all your translation work! You have a life, but STILL manage to help translate even the most BORING of Keiko articles, without fail! Things started off shaky between us but at least we agree more, ne? Lol, thank-you for being the nonconformist you are, maid outfits and cat suits are SO in! LMAO. And BEEF, without you, I wouldn't know Keiko as much as I do. Those blog translations done by you and Ryuu and dchart REALLY brought Keiko down to a level we can ALL learn to love and understand her more. THANK-YOU BOTH! With the too of you, "fans need no translation" (catch my drift?! LMAO)

To: OCster and Hama_Chisaki- Both of your graphic talent has made me wildly jealous enough to actually improve mine so what do you guys think?! For our long up to date PMs, An, you are a joy to chat with! And Hama-Chi, so NICE! The two of you never change, together we will love j-pop/rock/hip-hop, ect. ect., ect., music  forever and ever!

To: Lisa- Ya know, the only reason IKK exists is because I was SO jealous at how awesome T-L.net was? Jealousy does me good, ne? You are my inspiration! Every time I add a new section I think, "How does Lisa do it?" and visit T-L.net or NANA-NANA for more help (hence the side menu for the rebirth edition). Thanks for just being so flippin' cool, you have NO idea how much you are loved! Just don't stay in the spotlight too much, for all the scans and media that make up both of your sites, you have quite a bounty over your head. XD

TO: ALL THE FANS-  YOU ROCK! All of you are just SO AWESOME! Thanks for all of your support and kind words and information that I can use to add to the site. It means SO MUCH to me when people outside of America who can't speak good English struggle to tell me how much they love Keiko and how much they appreciate this site. Your nice e-mails and kind words keep this site alive just as much as Keiko.

To: Keiko Kitagawa- This site has tripled in size in the past few month because you won't stop being so darn AWESOME! Lol, thank-you for being the wonderful actress you are and keep up the good work. This site is behind you 100% of the way!

Support the Cause! [Nana-Nana.net] +9/1/06+

The Asian culture is by far one of my most favorite cultures to delve into and study, even a bit more than my Nigerian one! But like every part of society there are some dark sides. I've seen and read about many of them myself when I had to right a paper on Japanese traditions/ society and how they affect their youth of today. I've read about the bullying, the pressure, the "lost generation" of teens who isolate themselves from society, the raise in plastic surgery to look more "American" than Asian, and  the former depletion of Japan's feudal ways (see The Last Samurai) . Asia boasts one of the biggest leading porno industries in the world. Unfortunately the governments lack of control or rather lack of common sense to step up and prevent the exploitation of its women is outrageous. The attacks on CELEBRITIES in which tabloids have accepted completely illegally takes photos and use slanderous headlines that often lead to tarnished reputations are outrageous.

   It is appalling but we can help! Read the article below, put up by Lisa from Nana-Nana.net,  and see what YOU can do to stop this from happening Keiko  or any other Asian star!
____________________________________________

Filmed & Exploited
Help and Support Gillian Chung!

I know the following does not relate to "NANA," but I feel that it is a very strong issue that should be made aware of by every Asian entertainment fan. NANA-NANA.net is going to join the AsianFanatics band wagon by supporting this issue. Please read and find out how you can help.

Anyone who has recently picked up a Chinese newspaper, by now have knowledge of a scandal that is rocking the entertainment world in Hong Kong: Semi-nude photos of singer/actress Gillian Chung (of TWINS) appeared on the cover of a Chinese tabloid, with headlines that she was changing her clothes in public. This is highly controversial for five reasons:

1.) These photos were taken when Gillian was changing in a PRIVATE and LOCKED dressing room, after performing a concert in Malaysia. An intruder had snuck in and installed a hidden camera with full conspiracy in snapping these pictures. The pictures were taken without permission and is HIGHLY ILLEGAL!!!

2.) The photos were then published in a tabloid, under the headlines that Gillian was changing in public. So not only did these perverts violate the complete privacy of the girl, they were publishing FALSE accusations with full intent of defaming and hurting her. Gillian had always obtained a very wholesome image, never wearing any type of overly revealing outfits, and have always had the target market of kids and teens. That false headliner was a slap in the face.

3.) The person who took the pictures, not only is NOT being punished by the law, but has sold the pictures to a tabloid and made a ton of cash from doing so.

4.) This sick magazine (Easy Finder Magazine) had full knowledge that these pictures were illegally obtained, but decided to publish the photos anyway, profiting on the emotional and very public breakdown of Gillian Chung, her family, her friends, and her fans.

5.) What is appalling, is that everyone who has heard of this situation knows that it is a atrocity and a attack against any morality known in any country; And yet, the Hong Kong government will not step in to do something about this, because there is no law that prevents this.

This is not the first time something as disgusting as this has happened. Actress Carina Lau was kidnapped and raped many years ago by gang members. The gang members who did the deed filmed her rape, and are selling the DVD on the streets in Hong Kong! But WHY is the government not stepping in to do something about this?

Disgusting crimes like these do not just happen in Hong Kong. They happen in many other Asian countries as well. For example, Japanese actress Ai Kato (Umizaru II) found herself to be a very humiliated victim, when someone secretly filmed her bathing in a private hot-spring resort in 2003. It wasn't long before the photos were published in a magazine, and the footage sold on internet porn sites world wide. And what about the young girls of Morning Musume? A demented sicko installed a camera in their toilet and filmed them using the restroom. That footage ended up on DVD and are sold underground as well. But what is the government doing to punish these criminals who are profiting off of illegal activities...?

The lack of any government support not only put Asian movie stars in vulnerable situations, it also leaves any Asian girl to be unprotected as well. If a young girl was riding on a train, and someone slipped their cellphone underneath her skirt to snap pictures; this person can put the pictures on porn sites or magazines, and the girl would be powerless to prosecute this criminal.

We all know that snapping pictures or even FILMING these acts are inexcusable, unethical, immoral, and sick. But publishing and making money off of it too?! Why is the world even putting up with this? These insane paparazzis cross the line because they think we enjoy seeing these girls in such a vulnerable state. WE DON'T!!! THAT-- itself is an insult to the public and to the fans, for these sick paparazzis to even THINK that we are as demented as they are. Its time that we stand up for these girls and for ourselves too!

Hong Kong's government has announced that if there are 10,000 official complaints logged, then they will step in and take action. If 10,000 complaints are sent in, then the criminals (sick photographer and sick magazine included) in Gillian's case will finally be punished. This affects not only one female star, but a whole society's ethics in general. Hong Kong is one of Asia's largest entertainment outlets. If they can successfully prosecute the sickos in this case, then it will lead to a very good example for other Asian countries to follow in. As a person, you can do something about it. It will take only 1 email and 1 minute of your time to do this. Please fill out the form and send the complaint in. The last time that AsianFanatics checked, there are less than 1000 complaints logged. Every email counts and you don't have to be in Hong Kong to do this. Protect this from happening to your favorite idol, and any other girl in Asia. As corny and as cheesy as this sounds, if we stand up together, we can all accomplish something great.

================================

To : Newspaper Registration Section, Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority
Report of Public Complaint on Obscene / Indecent Articles

Please see the notes on how to return this Form
Complaint Hotline: (852)-26767676

Date: (dd/mm/yy)
Name of Complaint: ? Mr. ? Mrs ? Miss
Correspondence Address:
Phone Contact 1 / Contact 2:
Fax:
Email Address:
Detail of Complaint: (Please provide details, :including nature of article, :location and the like)

Signature: ______________________________________

======================================

Email the form to: nrs@tela.gov.hk

You can even print out the form, fill it out, scan it back in, and email it to them. The form is located here.

PLEASE HELP!!!

For more information, go here:
[ YOUTUBE: Gillian Crying Her Eyes Out || News Article 1 || Article 2 ]

Stupid Girl  + 3/17/06 +

Has anyone heard Pink's new song? Here are the lyrics, read them well and you will see where I'm going with this one.

Stupid girl, stupid girls, stupid girls
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

Go to Fred Segal, you'll find them there
Laughing loud so all the little people stare
Looking for a daddy to pay for the champagne
(Drop a name)
What happened to the dreams of a girl president
She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
They travel in packs of two or three
With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
Oh where, oh where could they be?

Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

(Break it down now)
Disease's growing, it's epidemic
I'm scared that there ain't a cure
The world believes it and I'm going crazy
I cannot take any more
I'm so glad that I'll never fit in
That will never be me
Outcasts and girls with ambition
That's what I wanna see
Disasters all around
World despaired
Their only concern
Will they **** up my hair

Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

[Interlude]
Oh my god you guys, I totally had more that 300 calories
That was so not sexy, no
Good one, can I borrow that?
[Vomits]
I WILL BE SKINNY

(Do ya thing, do ya thing, do ya thing)
(I like this, like this, like this)
Pretty will you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Pretty would you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!

Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, stupid girl!

Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
What a paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl

   And she's right. Whether Pink wrote the song or not, she's singin' it and making a statement. It IS an epidemic and I don't think there is a cure. For a while back when PGSM successor Ayaka Komatsu release her racy photo book, Summer Date, there was a lot of controversy. For those of you who don't know, photo books are little promotional tools full of photos (duh! lol) of a Japanese 'idol.' Majority of the time, they are done by females  posing in bathing suits or elegant high fashion clothing with a certain theme. They are almost always released with a corresponding DVD.

   Recent issues have rekindled the debate and here is why Ayaka is helping AND hurting her reputation. Boys may not understand but a HUGE issue with girls today is RESPECT. Not just respect for themselves but gaining respect from others. Some might argue the case of sexual freedom. It is a feminist thing I believe (and I have nothing against it). Sex IS NOT IMMORAL. However, it is the content at which it is presented that separates the sultry from the slutty. Porn, no matter how "popular" it is, WOULD NOT be shown at a public theater. They have adult theaters for this, ne?

   Ayaka's photo books are sexy, yes, but also slutty. I'm not going to lie, there some pictures she's taken where I am wowed by her beauty. But then you turn the page and you're like "eww!" Would you show that to your family? The "eww!" most often cancels out the "wow!" because bad things stick in people's minds. In my personal opinion, Ayaka needs to find a new hobby because her photo books are so cliché it bores the hell out of me. Maybe she'll realize that and pose naked? *sighs* Ayaka is a beautiful girl making bad decisions.

    Nowadays beauty is almost certainly attached to sex. It's like, if you are not baring too much skin, you are not attractive. Who the hell came up with that idea? It is not the issue of being a virgin. I am one PROUD virgin but that does not make me naive to sex-- I can fill in the blanks. Being a virgin does not make me dumb, it shows that I have more self control that about half the teens in my country. Pregnant Teen Mother does not run this website, thank-you very much. And I'm not knocking those mothers because I admire their bravery and hard work in keeping their child. Excuse ME for choosing to wait.

     Where have all the smart people gone? Ladies, in some of your attempts to be "equal" with men, you have done nothing but allow yourselves to be tighter in the bonds of a "desperate housewife" pleasing them with every inch of skin you fail to cover on your body. It's okay to be sexy but it is NOT okay to walk around like you don't know any better. People hardly take Ayaka seriously anymore. Not even her "fans," even THEY have run out of excuses. In Japan, some even make fun of her. Some of her photo book images link to PORN sites! WTF! The good old saying of "its her life" and "mind your own business" will NOT change my opinion or make me shut my mouth. I have every right to state what I don't like and in that same frame of mind respect others that do like it.

    Am I calling Ayaka a slut? Heavens no, I don't know her sex life. Luckily I have an open mind for such things, but what about others? How can someone look at her pictures and think "What a respectable girl!" That's it, you just can't and the interesting thing about being a web mistress is your connection to people from all over the world. And did you know the main complaint I get about Ayaka is the content of her photo books? She's pretty yes, but her photo books tend to attract none but the opposite sex. It MAKES her look DIRTY even though there is a chance she may not be at all! She is ruining herself and may not even want to!

     Would I like her more if she DIDN'T do photo books? Probably not. I never did think Ayaka could act or sing so as rude as it sounds she might not have anything going for her but her body. The only place I loved Ayaka the most is when she was modeling for CANDY and sadly the magazine has been canceled. Ayaka could be the most intelligent person in the world. But I'd never even guess that. Would you? Right now, she is looking like a "stupid girl" are you? At the same time, people need to STOP connecting her with the role of Minako and understand that she is a HUMAN BEING! Minako is a thought up character for goodness sake! PGSM is OVER, stop making them one and the same because they're not. Some say Ayaka is growing up. She most certainly is, but let me know when growing up means showing much too much as far as "sex appeal' goes.
 

For the love of Keiko +  3/ 2/06 +

    I admire Keiko for her talent and the fact that she is REAL. It is so hard to think that of girls who prance around with a bikini and striking sexual poses all the time (*ahem* Ayaka my dear I speak of you though I still love ya ^_~). You kinda start to think that's how they walk around ALL the time! ^_^

    She is brave, expressing her feelings to so many people about the hardships of being in a foreign country, ESPECIALLY one like America. I bet she must cry herself to sleep sometimes because it is no fun not understanding many things. I know, I cried when I couldn't understand what my teacher was saying in my advanced Spanish class! lol, she taught the lessons in SPANISH! ahhhhhhh! But eventually I was able to understand more than ever through THAT hard way than if I was babied into that culture, which is probably the same for Keiko. She is brave, going to another country and living basically by herself and going to school there is TOUGH. Even if you're surrounded by the same race, they are AMERICANIZED, and even though Japan is not that odd, you have to admit, America is in a league of its own

    My greatest fear for her is that she would experience racism. People like to ignore that fact that it is still around but I would die if someone called her "chink" or "jap" because she probably wouldn't know what that meant. Ignorance is bliss, ne? but to a certain extent. If I was to find out from someone more knowledgeable of American culture that I spent my whole experience there being called a derogatory word I would cry. To this day, when I want to consider I career I am told that certain levels of different careers would be hard to break into not just because I'm a woman but because I'm black. And it hurts, it really does. I've been discriminated against for the color of my skin, not just by some really ignorant white people but by some really ignorant black people. It is a part of me that I've learned to live with as an American.

   Have you ever read "Yell-OH Girls!" by Vicki Nam? She explained what it was like being an Asian-American the best with "My culture is defined by the hyphen that bridges and separates the Asian from American." My friend Karlee (known by the Japanese side of her family as Hideko) is Japanese and Black and she used to be teased because of the shape of her eyes. She didn't quite fit in with the "black" people because her skin was so light and her eyes were weird shaped. But she also didn't quite fit in with the "jap" girls because her skin was too dark. She was estranged with the Japanese culture and that made it hard for her to fully embrace the American one---which really isn't much of a culture at all. I would like to say I want Keiko's experience in America to be a fantasy but in the back of my mind I'm dreading the day she will run into someone who makes her believe that Americans are--in short---assholes. Not that I think she's that shallow or anything. ^_~

   I put my time and effort into making IKK great because Keiko is great. As a model, as an actress, and most important of all (as shown in her blog) as a person. I want people to see that too, NOT because she is beautiful, NOT because they have fallen madly in love with her, BUT because she is a person who is working hard with WORTH WHILE talents and doing a pretty darn good job at it don't you think? ^_~ So please, on behalf of Karyuudan, BEEF, and me, REFRAIN from attacking Keiko's blog with notes about how much you love her. Flattering as it may seem, it is kinda stalker-ish and I think chick has enough stress on her mind with school and the movie. IF I, Karyuudan or BEEF, find this warning not being heeded, I WILL TAKE DOWN THE TRANSLATIONS ON HER BLOG. No and, if, or buts! So please everyone, be considerate and admire her greatness from afar. ^_^

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire + 11/23/05 +

      Geeky as it may see to be for some people, I Sade, went to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The funny thing about this adventure is that I made it my freakin' life mission to make sure I get to see it on the premier day. But of course, in order to accomplish that, I had quite a few obstacles to over come. Lol, one in particular happened to be my daddy. I love him, I really do, but our family is Christian so that means no witchcraft which in turn frowns upon Harry Potter. NOW, it's not like I'm going to run around screaming 'Avada Kadabra' so who freakin' cares?! My daddy did. So I had to BEG like on my knees for him to let me go. I said "If you let me go this time I'll never ask again." He laughed. It was a outright lie but hey, I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm a  Harry Potter fan. You wouldn't catch me waiting in line just to buy a copy of the books (though I've read them all ^_^) you wouldn't catch me dressing up as any of the characters, and  I will never say Daniel Radcliff is cute. But I do like the whole creative concept of Harry Potter and the morals it can provide. And let's not ignore the fact that it's got the whole world of kids turning up a frenzy of its pages so they can read it. I wasn't exactly as fond of the fourth book as I was the fifth and especially the sixth but I felt that I had to see the movie and I wasn't remotely disappointed either.

      So I called up my girls and we arrived at the theater before the big rush and got our tickets. Problem was, we had a good 40 minutes until the movie began so we decided to kill time by walking across the street to our mall and paying a visit to Mr. Bulky's to buy some candy. Bad mistake. We arrived about 10 minutes before the movie started and yet the theater was PACKED! To top that off, we went to the wrong theater and ended up missing the first 2 seconds of the actually movie. Lol, we had to sit all the way in the front to the far right side of the theater so we were breakin' our necks to properly see the screen. It was crazy! But funnily enough, it didn't really spoil the movie for me. The CG animation was much better and with that big screen in front of you you couldn't help but feel like you were really at Hogwarts! Immediately, because I read the book, I automatically recognized scenes from the story, taken out scenes, and intertwined scenes. Ron's new found ......ummm....fondness for the opposite sex if hilarious. His dance scene with Professor Mc Gonagal (sp?) will be burned in my memory forever! >_< The teen angst here is super evident with nervousness of the Yule Ball (Fred asking Angelina was PRICELESS!) and top that off with Harry being entered into the super dangerous Triwizard Tournament against his will and you're in for quite a journey. The two schools that join the fun (Beaubaton and Durmstrang) had their own little personalities that just added to the dazzle of the movie. From the snooty Fleur, well swooned over Cedric, or the wordless Viktor--these people just added to the color of the Triwizard Tournament. For all its sharp cuts and sucky transitions the movie wasn't all that bad and was kinda frightening. From the dragon fight to the battle with Lord Voldemort, I honestly found myself with my jaw dropping a couple of times. I'm thinkin', OMG, Harry is all grown up! Lol.

      So the PG-13 rating finally makes sense. But this violence is necessary the story is only gonna get more engaging. I find it super foolish of them for not including a couple of things from the fourth book that are very important later on in the Harry Potter storyline. For starters the absense of Winky, though not relevant, would have provided a good laugh. I LOVE how they portrayed Rita Skeeter for this movie, HOWEVER, they failed to really show just how much of a meddler she really was. That's where they skip out on Hagrid secret giant heritage (that is clear in the next book) and Rita's unregistered animagus activity (that is also clear in the next book). Both of these things are something that would be difficult to ignore for the creation of the fifth movie. Anyway, jumping all over the place  I'd have to say that the set design for this movie is breath taking. The Yule Ball just blew me away and Hermione's dress was gorgeous! Okay, now moving on to the special effects for the movie, the maze was frightening. I actually jumped in some of the scenes and God help me when Lord Voldemort was reborn. Shivers ran up my spine as Wormtail said the spell and as though from the beginning of a baby fetus, a disgustingly, evil, snake like creature is born. The make-up is unbelievable. I was actually scared! Whoever played Lord Voldemort, congratulations on a job well done. I felt the evil deep in my bones. And how, oh how, can we forget the tongue flicking Mad-Eye Moody? Or Mr. Barty Crouch Jr. who PRETENDED to be Moody. *shivers* And Harry's trip in the Pensive? Will the journey ever end? Shame Harry Potter will eventually have to finish but until then, I'll be enjoying every freakin' second of it. The ending.....just....ended, so that sucks and I was hoping to see more of Malfoy but I was disappointed. *sighs* And then there is that issue of time. Harry Potter of the Goblet of Fire was pushing 3 hours. Now, with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix soon to follow, good luck trying to fit everything in. SO MUCH happens in that book! And how will they even BEGIN Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?! I'm tired of thinking about this. Lol, my head is hurting. So I'm just gonna wrap up my random thoughts with: If you haven't gone to see it, see it. ^_^

Paradise Kiss + 11/21/05 +

     If you haven't heard of Paradise Kiss you are missing out on one of Ai Yazawa's most beautiful coming of age stories. Paradise Kiss is a spin off of Ai Yazawa's Neighborhood Story (G...M....something in Japanese, lol) which followed the life of Mikako and her dream to launch her own fashion label called Happy Berry.

   Paradise Kiss takes places years later, through Yukari Hayasaka, a rather boring kind of girl whose world in turned upside down the day she runs into Arashi on her way home from school. Arashi is just one of the 4 man team of the Paradise Kiss (or Para-Kiss for short) fashion label. He is followed closely behind by the transsexual Isabela (in his arms she faints) and later Miwako (Mikako's baby sister who calls Yukari, Caroline). This of course is leaving out the oddest of them all, George, who beautifully defies the laws of the shoujo manga hero by being sarcastic and cynical.

 I loved the pictures featured for Paradise Kiss on Lisa's Nana-Nana (based on Ai Yazawa's newest manga turned movie, Nana) site, so I snatched up the background for one and voila, version 2 of IKK! If you haven't read Paradise Kiss, fly out to your nearest bookstore of buy it. Likewise for Yazawa's manga Nana which is currently featured in Shojo Beat.

So in conclusion? Ai Yazawa must-reads: Paradise Kiss, Nana, AND...ready?...Princess Ai. Lol, okay, she didn't draw or right the story BUT she DOES do character designs and you can see her flavor in all of Princess Ai's costumes. ^_^ Ahhhhh, and for those who are wondering, to the left is a model posing as Yukari! They did a good job! If Yukari was to come to life I imagine she really would look something like this model.








 

The DeRANGeD  + 11/11/05 +

     I am not such an easy person to surprise. Honestly, I'm not. Shock is new to my vocabulary, I normally brace myself to expect the worse. So much that when the worse actually HAPPENS, I'm like, alright whatever. But in this situation I just didn't expect it.

     Okay, now everything that ever involved dance, I was good at. Bustin' a move was like farting, lol, it just came naturally. Even when I was little, dancing to Reggae and Calypso everyone used to tell my parents to put me into dance school. The issue with this is that, at those times, my parents were already separating and my daddy was only a few years fresh out of Africa and money was tough. There was no way I could go to a dance school no matter how good I was. And so, years later, most of my talent has come from music videos and off the top of my head. But I've never been to a school for it and beyond praise dance at church, I've never been on an actual team. So you can probably measure my excitement when I found out my school was starting a hip-hop dance team. I was like, wha--?

     And so, me and my girls rolled in deep for the dance rehearsals. They had a choreographer and an actual dance team come out and teach us some really hot moves. But I'm not gonna lie, it was tough stuff. They were askin' us to do moves it what seemed like a span of 5 seconds, it was crazy! I stumbled over the steps sometimes, but when I got home I worked on perfecting the dance and keeping my moves tight so by the time we learned the second half of it, I was doing real well. But being that I am the take charge type, people who had trouble with it, I gave up part of my lunch period to help. Everyday in between, I invited friends over and we danced till we couldn't stand up no more, it was crazy. I had trouble with my freestyle because the song that we were dancing to (*Shake by the Yin Yang Twins*) had a ridiculous opening. But I looked up some moves from a couple of BoA music videos and combined them into what I had worked on.

      So the day of the actual try-out, my stomach was in knots, they added a couple of last minute evaluations. The coaches asked us to to do toe touches (unfair because former cheerleaders clearly had the advantage) and forward kicks (unfair because cheerleaders AND people who took dance classes had an advantage) but I believe I did fairly well on that. We were divided into groups of 3's and 4's. I was in group 2 but we ended up going first. *sighs* so they divided the gym in half and I was really nervous. But as soon as the music started, the butterflies left and I did my thing. I was so sure I did so well, the coaches all gave me a nice smile, and I nailed all of the moves. Some of my friends were crying because they messed up and they swore they wouldn't make it but, me the good sport, comforted them never even suspecting that I wouldn't make the team. And why not? I kicked ass at dancing. And this is me not being cocky about it or anything, it's just always been something I was good at.

      You can imagine my shock then, when I came to school the next day, my name was no where to be found on the list. But even before that, my chicken head girl friend, Nicole was like, "Yeah I did see your name (pointing to me) but I saw yours (pointing to my friends Ashley). I was like "Damn can I get there and see for myself? WTF!" So when I finally made it to the list I was so deep in shock that I stood still for like a whole minute, wanting to cry but the tears didn't come out. I read the list over and over again, trying to figure out why my name wasn't there or if there was some sort of mistake. And that was a first thing in the morning type thing too. I stalked off to my locker and when my friends (all of whom made the team *sighs* to add insult to injury) tried to comfort me, I brushed their hands away and FINALLY burst into tears.

     I got my books  and ran back to the list of names, hoping my name would magically appear. But it didn't. I calmed down some and read the list to see who made it. Some girls who made it in deserved it, they were really good. Others, didn't even come to the rehearsals, they just tried out on a whim and got in. Some were people I actually helped perfect the dance, others didn't have a dancing bug in them and even looked shocked when they found they made the list. One girl in particular, who was by far one of the worst made the team. Then I cried and cried and good lord I don't think I ever shed so many tears! I ran to my first period class and cried for 10 minutes strait. My teacher gave me a pass to go to the bathroom but instead I went to the nurse's office and asked to go home. I had only been in school for about 40 minutes by the time I was leaving ---THANK-GOD it was a 4 day break for this week.

      Right before I left, one of my friends (who didn't try out) was like "Hey! I know you made the team! You did right?" I didn't even have words, my eyes welled up again and I shook my head no and she said "What?! That's bullshit." And I agreed. I went home and cried all morning, moped around and cursed the coaches for not letting me be on the team in every curse word I could think of. See now, that whole day, I was supposed to be working on IKK, lol. Anyway, I e-mailed my mother at work and here's is what she sent me back (spelling errors and everything. why? because my mom is cool like that) ^_^ :

"Sorry you did`nt make the team, but that is the way things work out some times.
Maybe it was not meant to be ,try out the next time or for some thing else.
Remember you are not going to get into every thing you try for, make this a learning exsperiance for you.
Stop crying like you have and get out of the shock and hold your head up high and don`t let them see how sad you are because you will be look at as a saw loser also you must be able too keep you emotion under control at all times which is very hard to do, when you are so hurt."

Love Mom

     Lol, my mommy has always been a sucky speller. She spells the way she talks (which is with an island accent...she's dominican -not the republic-) so if you don't understand, she's telling me basically not to be a sore loser. Now that I think about it, that's EXACTLY what I was being. A sore ass loser. Really sore. I was being mean and crying like a loser and that is just what I get, ne? A 4 pound gain from sitting on my fat butt all day eating ice cream and moping around. And so, I've decided to take this lose in stride and keep it movin'. It still hurts like crazy and I'm gonna feel a little sting when I see my friends perform and feel like I should be with them. It's only natural, you know? But since it's not gonna be that way, I'm just gonna learn from this experience.

     And that's where DeRANGeD comes in. I've always been good at drawing manga and writing stories. I have a whole bunch of that stuff. One day I'm going to create my own personal site and you guys can see my work. In combination with the Asian culture (I'm currently reading Yell-Oh Girls! by Vickie Nam) and hip-hop music, I'm writing a manga called DeRANGeD. Or, I'm in the process of. This story is the only one I've created that actually takes place in Japan. It follows the life of a shy young girl constantly under the shadow of her mother and father's expectations. One day, while staying out too long for cram school, exhausted, she gets off at the wrong subway station and ends up in Harajuku. Strictly forbidden to be there, she panics and misses the next train out, in looking for a payphone, she is distracted by a hip-hop store. She wanders inside the store looking for help but no one is to be seen, then on the TV screens in the store, BoA's Kwon's Moto comes on and she finds herself dancing to the song and bustin' out in moves she never thought she could do. She's walked in on by another girl (a worker at the store) who sees her potential and invites her to become apart of her dance crew, DeRANGeD.

     Pretty good for thinking this off the top of my head, ne? Of course I'll have to add more stuff in between to have the story flow more and have it make sense, and I've been itching to enter Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga....... See how art imitates life? ^_^ So the moral of this Rant and Rave is, "Don't be a sore loser."