Smappies

It's a culmination of things: my otousan and bachaan past away this year (2 months apart). My okaasan past away when I was a child and my step-mother almost 6 years ago. This incident didn't directly involve me so I don't want to say too much about it to respect my family's privacy. Everything is okay for now...it's just that the stress has been getting to me, you know. I feel very helpless sometimes. I wish there was more I could do to help my family out.

I'm so sorry to hear this Nagisa. I know the feeling, my step mother died in August last year. It was so hard having to go through that kind of sadness, esp seeing my dad that sad. But everything is back to normal now. I hope the same for you.

Sorry to go off-topic. Haha, I was serious before when I said that SMAP has helped me through some rough times. That's why I'm spending so much time uploading SMAP onto youtube. If they can bring so much joy into my life than they might be able to help others, too. Gotta spread the love :D

SMAP has always been the best medicine ne...

ongrina82 wrote:


Nagisa, you are going to burn from your pop up dvd? You better not cos I heard from my neighbours that her friend burn from her dvd then when the dvd was returned back to her, the quality and colour of the whole dvd when being played changes...so better not burn your pop up dvd cos it's expensive...

Oh...because of the 3-D effects :doh: Sou ka? I totally forgot about that. That means I won't be able to convert it to an avi file either, huh?

yanie_chan wrote:
(*sigh* your mind is too full of Tsu!! :beatyou:)

i guess i am hehehe... :rofl:

Tsuyoshi is all i breathe now...

LivNagisa wrote:

It's a culmination of things: my otousan and bachaan past away this year (2 months apart). My okaasan past away when I was a child and my step-mother almost 6 years ago. This incident didn't directly involve me so I don't want to say too much about it to respect my family's privacy. Everything is okay for now...it's just that the stress has been getting to me, you know. I feel very helpless sometimes. I wish there was more I could do to help my family out.

Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that, Nagisa.... Stay strong, ne!

Thank you qnuy. I'm sorry to hear about your step-mother, also. It's true...SMAP is the best medicine.

Also, your signature is making me feel very comforted too. Tsuyoshi is giving us both hugs :)

Thank you as well yanie!

I'm sorry to hear about your step-mother, also.

Thank you ^^

Also, your signature is making me feel very comforted too. Tsuyoshi is giving us both hugs :)

Sou desu yo ne ^^

I'm off minna, oyasumi nasai....

SMAP's Kimutaku a different breed of idol


By PHILIP BRASOR
Six years ago this month, the public learned that Japan's most popular male showbiz personality, Takuya Kimura, was set to marry former singing idol Shizuka Kudo, already pregnant with his child at the time.


Takuya Kimura (left) earned gushing plaudits for his role opposite Mitsugoro Bando in "Bushi no Ichibun" (c) LOVE AND HONOR FILM PARTNERS PHOTO

The press wondered how marriage and fatherhood would affect the career of a star who had been voted Japan's sexiest man half dozen years in a row by readers of the weekly fashion magazine an-an, not to mention the fortunes of SMAP, the aging idol boy band he belonged to (and still does).

Though getting married doesn't stunt a male star's prospects as much as a female star's, idols are a different breed since their appeal among members of the opposite sex is directly linked to their availability.

Johnny's Jimusho, the talent agency that keeps a notoriously short lease on the young men in its stable, has actively discouraged reporting of any romantic business involving members of SMAP, Kinki Kids, Tokio and its other artists. It's good business sense.

There were rumors at the time that Johnny's wasn't pleased with the marriage of Kimutaku, as Kimura is nicknamed, but there was nothing they could do about it. A long article in the December issue of Cyzo about the talent agency implies that one of Johnny's managers close to SMAP once threatened to leave the agency to start his own -- and that he would take Kimura with him.

For any other artist, leaving a talent agency without the agency's blessing is career suicide. The talent will be blackballed for years, unable to find work with producers who use the agency.

But Kimura is different. He would have no problem finding work and Johnny's would be helpless. In any case, domestic life has not dimmed his popularity, but maybe that's because Johnny's has been as successful in keeping a lid on the particulars of Kimura's family as it has been in stifling reports about Tokio vocalist Tomoya Nagase's rumored romance with a certain superstar J-pop singer or SMAP member Shingo Katori's long-term live-in relationship with a noncelebrity.

Johnny's lets Kimutaku do whatever he wants, and what he wants is to be taken seriously as an actor. This is hardly a breakout ambition, since all idols get plenty of work in TV dramas, movies and on the stage.

Kimutaku is the most sought-after TV actor in Japan. His starring vehicles garner huge ratings, but being a star in a dramatic serial that has been written to take advantage of the star's specific appeal is not necessarily the same as being an actor; which partly explains the recent PR blitz for Kimura's new movie.

In "Bushi no Ichibun" Kimura plays a samurai. Almost everyone in Johnny's has worked at one point or another in NHK's Sunday night historical dramas, but "Bushi no Ichibun" has more to do with the sociology and economics of samurai life than with the genre's action prerogatives.

Kimura's character is a food taster who loses his sight after ingesting some bad shellfish. The movie is a chamber drama that requires emotional nuance, and in terms of accommodating whatever acting skills he possesses to the needs of the ensemble, Kimura does a worthy job.

However, if all you had to go on was the PR, you might think he had accomplished the thespian equivalent of scaling Mount Everest. In a series of TV appearances, Kimura, looking genuinely embarrassed, has had to endure countless gushing testimonials.

When other members of the cast, all veteran actors of stage and screen, showed up on Fuji TV's "SMAP x SMAP," the only variety show that Kimutaku appears on regularly, they spoke not about the movie but about how wonderful Kimura was to work with. The blushing idol was spared having to respond to the love-in since at the time he was busy preparing a meal for his guests.

He wasn't so lucky on the full hour devoted to him by TV Asahi's "SmaStation 6," hosted by Katori and filled with videotaped interviews of a dozen people who have worked with Kimura over the past 18 years.

Yoji Yamada, who directed "Bushi," expressed the gist of the comments (though not their over-the-top tenor) by saying, "He knows how to work in a group." It was Kimura's character that was being honored, not his acting chops.

"Bushi no Ichibun" is already a box-office smash and would have been even without Kimura's PR participation, which seems to be an end in itself. Everything related to Johnny's is based on the power of underestimation: See, he's more than just a sex god. Idols are recruited as children based on their looks, and everything they know is drilled into them.

In the Cyzo article, three of Johnny's former charges talk about how they left the agency and had trouble finding work because they had no real abilities, even though they had sung, danced, and acted while in the company. "When you are in Johnny's," one said, "you don't realize how poor your skills are." SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai often jokes about this, which is why he channels his energies into emcee work. On New Years Eve he will co-host NHK's popular song contest for the third time.

It's a give-and-take situation. World-renowned stage director Yukio Ninagawa uses Johnny's talent in his productions not because they're good actors but to draw audiences, and if the fees they receive are less than what they can make with one 15-second TV commercial, the stage appearances lend the agency prestige. In the end, acting skills are beside the point.

Ironically, this tradeoff sometimes means genuine talent gets overlooked. Here's hoping that Kazunori Ninomiya's performance in Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" is recognized for what it is -- a moving portrayal of a reluctant soldier who will do anything to survive -- and not as another feather in Johnny's cap.

As a member of the boy band Arashi, Ninomiya was raised by the agency, though based on his work in "Letters," it would appear he knows real life. Where did he have time to learn about that?

I forgot who asked about the 1996 SMAPxSMAP episodes (Rina?) but I've finished uploading the first two episodes of SxS (April 15 and 22 1996). I'll upload episodes 3 and 4...maybe up to episode 8 if I have time.

SMAPxSMAP episode 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkpD-1EO5A0

yanie_chan wrote:PARIPIA!!! I looooooooooooooove it!!!!!!!!!!

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My favorite combi!!! Goro mess up Shingo's hair!!! So cuuuute~~!! It's the first time I see, Goro acting like a big brother to Shingo! Kyaaa.........!

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OMG!!!! KISS HIM ALREADY!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????

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GORO SHOKKU~~~!!!!! Kawaii souuu......Goro-chan... ^o^

I'll wait patiently until the time comes, when Shingo is willing to kiss him sincerely from the bottom of his heart... LOL!

OMG! OMG! YES! I'm so glad you screencapped this! I wouldn't have the patience! But during the 2nd osaka show I went to , Shingo grabbed onto Goro and gave him this huge long kiss. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE. DIED! And then the 3rd show I went to, Shingo gave Goro a soft little kiss, where Kimura stood on the sidelines and rolled his eyes. LOLZ! But those screencaps are the BEST. Thank you for sharing!!!!!

yanie_chan wrote:YOSSSHHHHHH!!!! I've watched the Pop Up DVD twice, ALL!!

Haha...sorry, guys. Me and Qnuy didn't come here for 2-3 days, coz we want to avoid the spoilers. Though the DVDs were already in our hands, we couldn't watch it right away, since we planned to watch it together with another 40 Smappies in a Cinema Room we rent on Sunday yesterday, with a BIG screen! We made a pact not to watch the DVD until the day come, and so we will be watching it for the first time, as the other Smappies!^^

This is the BIG screen we watched the POP UP dvd on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/yanie/popup_bigscreen.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/yanie/popup_bigscreen2.jpg

And the atmosphere was HECTIC and FULL of SCREEEAAAMMZZ!!! LOL! If I'm not mistaken, Qnuy ran to the screen and kissed it twice!!! Mwahahahaa....!!! Of course, on Tsuyoshi's closeup! :naughty:g

First off that is just so COOL that you were able to do this! I WOULD KILL for some to plan this, wait, I WOULD plan it but I doubt anyone would come! But anyway, SMAP needs to see this; that this is what their all about, bringing people together! I just sooooo floored at the idea of a big screen! THAT IS JUST SO COOL.

Ok. I'm jealous. ^_^;;;;


I litereally laugh out loud that you guys would go to the screen and kiss it! WAH! I would do the same! But then I would stand up and cover Kimura's solo because it's sooooooooo boring, but I might get things thrown at me! But gah! Just the idea of it all, is so awesome. Do you know all those SMAP fans in real life, I mean all those SMAP fans live close to each other? How did planning go about? Did anyone from freebird go to this?

gah, so many questions!~

yanie_chan wrote:I'm back!!! I'm here!^0^

Oh yeah...I forgot to mention...

Seems like Nakai-Tsuyoshi bond alot in this year's concert ne...haha!!! They put their arms around each other so many times!!

And the part I love the most is when they were going to bow to the audience after singing Egao no Genki, Tsu was already running to the right side....and Nakai scold him, telling him to go back, stand beside him!! haha.....so cute!

I was wondering why Nakai was giving Tsuyoshi a glare, I need to rewatch that bit. Tsuyoshi was really active and hyper and just overall ALL OVER THE PLACE in this concert! Totally tsu!love!

Arg.. That is an old news oredi.. So dun believe that..

hide_hikaru_minako wrote:i just saw a disturbing news again..
people claim that takuya is 163cm! they say he;s lying about his height.. and he is not 176cm.. how can that be..?
do u guys believe? then the rest of smap members are lying abt their height too?

Ah.. Souka? Nakai pick Kimura's card? I watch the sxs episode and the concert last night so dun have time to play that.. I should try to lose all until the last one.. Hehe.. :beaten:

Oooha minna san!

yanie_chan wrote:

Heeee.......Nakai is more handsome than Kimura?? Hontou? I'm not a Kimura-ichiban. And he was ONCE my goban...even when he was my goban, I do think he's the MOST HANDSOME member in SMAP!!^^ But I guess, it really depends on each of our own tastes ne...

Believe me yanie - Nakai is more more handsome than Takuya, but other people couldn't realize it because they've been "lost" in the sexiest Takuya :hehe: :hehe: If not, why Nakai always being second after Takuya?

yanie_chan wrote:
Its odd, that I found a Kimura-ichiban who said to me, "I AM a Kimura-ichiban... But I admit Shingo is the MOST HANDSOME one in SMAP,". I went, "heee?? Majide??". LOL! Bimyouuuu~~

Even I'm a huge fan of Shingo-chan..I can't admit the thing that said he is HANDSOME! Coz for me, he is not handsome at all. He is just..~~~(think for a while) cute ne~~the cutiest one in SMAP. Takuya must having bad dream last night before making statement like that :hehe:

qnuy wrote:

Hehe...glad you like it Elaine :mrgreen:

hai qnuy~~its been a long time haven't seen you here! How is your exam?

P/S - Your sig is great! :good:

Ohayou minna,

Man...this morning i felt like a zombie...due to the fact that i finish watching POP UP DVD very late last night. Just have a few words to say about it...

NAKAI - He was soooooooo energetic eventhough he hurt his leg..and he performed just as good as anyone else there. For a moment i totally forgot he actually hurt his leg...what a great attempt and what a great leader....his solo was just so SEXY!!

Goro - He look so genki ne...but then i didnt see much of him doing anything outstanding....

Shingo - He WAS SO DAMN SEXY!! i never knew shingo can be so so so sexy.....i love his wet hair look...OMG i just died when i saw him...and the numerous times he gave kisses to the fans...*sigh* i wish i was there!

Tsuyoshi - i really thought he was drunk ne...he was talking and shouting so much to the fans!! But above all the members, i think on this DVD he shine the most

Takuya - Ahhh...the love of my life.......in the DVD, he did not seem so energetic as the previous concerts....but his looks and aura...omg...i can love him another million years from now on...

Lucky-san - i just have to say...those lucky-san that got to go up there and dance with smap...they dont even know how lucky they are!!!!! The gurls was just standing there....maybe they freeze when they are around smap...given the chance i am on that stage, ill dance like a crazy fool with smap and hug them till they die.....

Which means, i really need to save up and go to the concert next year!!!

Here's the link to:

Natsu no Kaze wo Wasure Yuku Youni

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jyvnwr

Enjoy!

Carol_hunnee wrote:Ohayou minna,


Shingo - He WAS SO DAMN SEXY!! i never knew shingo can be so so so sexy.....i love his wet hair look...OMG i just died when i saw him...and the numerous times he gave kisses to the fans...*sigh* i wish i was there!

Thats teh different between us :mrgreen: I hate the way he is in this concert. :shakehead: Sexy but not my taste at all..Sorry my dear Shingo

Tu_triky wrote:SMAP's Kimutaku a different breed of idol


By PHILIP BRASOR
Six years ago this month, the public learned that Japan's most popular male showbiz personality, Takuya Kimura, was set to marry former singing idol Shizuka Kudo, already pregnant with his child at the time.


Takuya Kimura (left) earned gushing plaudits for his role opposite Mitsugoro Bando in "Bushi no Ichibun" (c) LOVE AND HONOR FILM PARTNERS PHOTO

The press wondered how marriage and fatherhood would affect the career of a star who had been voted Japan's sexiest man half dozen years in a row by readers of the weekly fashion magazine an-an, not to mention the fortunes of SMAP, the aging idol boy band he belonged to (and still does).

Though getting married doesn't stunt a male star's prospects as much as a female star's, idols are a different breed since their appeal among members of the opposite sex is directly linked to their availability.

Johnny's Jimusho, the talent agency that keeps a notoriously short lease on the young men in its stable, has actively discouraged reporting of any romantic business involving members of SMAP, Kinki Kids, Tokio and its other artists. It's good business sense.

There were rumors at the time that Johnny's wasn't pleased with the marriage of Kimutaku, as Kimura is nicknamed, but there was nothing they could do about it. A long article in the December issue of Cyzo about the talent agency implies that one of Johnny's managers close to SMAP once threatened to leave the agency to start his own -- and that he would take Kimura with him.

For any other artist, leaving a talent agency without the agency's blessing is career suicide. The talent will be blackballed for years, unable to find work with producers who use the agency.

But Kimura is different. He would have no problem finding work and Johnny's would be helpless. In any case, domestic life has not dimmed his popularity, but maybe that's because Johnny's has been as successful in keeping a lid on the particulars of Kimura's family as it has been in stifling reports about Tokio vocalist Tomoya Nagase's rumored romance with a certain superstar J-pop singer or SMAP member Shingo Katori's long-term live-in relationship with a noncelebrity.

Johnny's lets Kimutaku do whatever he wants, and what he wants is to be taken seriously as an actor. This is hardly a breakout ambition, since all idols get plenty of work in TV dramas, movies and on the stage.

Kimutaku is the most sought-after TV actor in Japan. His starring vehicles garner huge ratings, but being a star in a dramatic serial that has been written to take advantage of the star's specific appeal is not necessarily the same as being an actor; which partly explains the recent PR blitz for Kimura's new movie.

In "Bushi no Ichibun" Kimura plays a samurai. Almost everyone in Johnny's has worked at one point or another in NHK's Sunday night historical dramas, but "Bushi no Ichibun" has more to do with the sociology and economics of samurai life than with the genre's action prerogatives.

Kimura's character is a food taster who loses his sight after ingesting some bad shellfish. The movie is a chamber drama that requires emotional nuance, and in terms of accommodating whatever acting skills he possesses to the needs of the ensemble, Kimura does a worthy job.

However, if all you had to go on was the PR, you might think he had accomplished the thespian equivalent of scaling Mount Everest. In a series of TV appearances, Kimura, looking genuinely embarrassed, has had to endure countless gushing testimonials.

When other members of the cast, all veteran actors of stage and screen, showed up on Fuji TV's "SMAP x SMAP," the only variety show that Kimutaku appears on regularly, they spoke not about the movie but about how wonderful Kimura was to work with. The blushing idol was spared having to respond to the love-in since at the time he was busy preparing a meal for his guests.

He wasn't so lucky on the full hour devoted to him by TV Asahi's "SmaStation 6," hosted by Katori and filled with videotaped interviews of a dozen people who have worked with Kimura over the past 18 years.

Yoji Yamada, who directed "Bushi," expressed the gist of the comments (though not their over-the-top tenor) by saying, "He knows how to work in a group." It was Kimura's character that was being honored, not his acting chops.

"Bushi no Ichibun" is already a box-office smash and would have been even without Kimura's PR participation, which seems to be an end in itself. Everything related to Johnny's is based on the power of underestimation: See, he's more than just a sex god. Idols are recruited as children based on their looks, and everything they know is drilled into them.

In the Cyzo article, three of Johnny's former charges talk about how they left the agency and had trouble finding work because they had no real abilities, even though they had sung, danced, and acted while in the company. "When you are in Johnny's," one said, "you don't realize how poor your skills are." SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai often jokes about this, which is why he channels his energies into emcee work. On New Years Eve he will co-host NHK's popular song contest for the third time.

It's a give-and-take situation. World-renowned stage director Yukio Ninagawa uses Johnny's talent in his productions not because they're good actors but to draw audiences, and if the fees they receive are less than what they can make with one 15-second TV commercial, the stage appearances lend the agency prestige. In the end, acting skills are beside the point.

Ironically, this tradeoff sometimes means genuine talent gets overlooked. Here's hoping that Kazunori Ninomiya's performance in Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" is recognized for what it is -- a moving portrayal of a reluctant soldier who will do anything to survive -- and not as another feather in Johnny's cap.

As a member of the boy band Arashi, Ninomiya was raised by the agency, though based on his work in "Letters," it would appear he knows real life. Where did he have time to learn about that?

thanks for sharing this piece of article!!:D