television

Japanese Stars Take on American Television

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There’s no doubt that American television networks know how to create great shows that appeal to not only domestic audiences, but to viewers overseas as well. They continue to produce some of the top-notch shows in the world, with high budgets that are on par with their cinematic counterparts. I know firsthand that major shows like 24, LOST, and Prison Break have huge fan bases in Japan — the international appeal of these shows is impossible to go unnoticed. An interesting recent development is that several producers have been turning their attention to the Japanese market for actors and actresses with which to inject “new blood” into their shows.

The FOX television series Bones just announced that they are casting singing and acting legend Seiko Matsuda as a Japanese journalist in their fifth season. She’s known as the “Japanese Madonna” and continues to enjoy great success since skyrocketing to fame in the ’80’s as a J-pop idol. I’ve never watched Bones, but this should be interesting.

Matsuda is not the only Japanese star to take on a role on an American television series. One of my favorite Japanese actresses, Yuko Takeuchi starred in an episode of ABC’s new series FlashForward last fall.

Japanese superstar Hiroyuki Sanada appeared on the first episode of the much-anticipated final season of LOST as new character Dogen, and it looks like he will be a regular this season. He is an actor that I truly respect and it’s been exciting to watch his break onto the American movie scene, with great roles in The Last Samurai and Sunshine.

“Sanada Hiroyuki has earned one of the greatest compliments an actor in Japan can receive, “engi-ha,” translated to mean “an actor who can really act.” Not only has he demonstrated his talents on the screens of Japan, but he has also displayed his swift martial arts abilities in America and around the world, in Warner Bros’ film The Last Samurai. In addition to film, Sanada has a rich history of theater acting performing in productions including Romeo and Juliet, Little Shop of Horrors, and Hamlet. He was the first Japanese actor to become a part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and starred in King Lear as the Fool. Sanada has won five Japanese Academy awards for Best Actor, including one for his lead role in Tasogare Seibei (The Twilight Samurai) which nabbed an American Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.” (from UCLA International Institute)

Whether American TV producers are bringing in Japanese talent to capitalize on the Japanese audience or these stars are gaining international recognition, it’s definitely an intriguing trend in American television and I’m curious to see whether or not it is just a temporary thing or if it’s something we will be seeing more of in years to come.

A new installment of LOST is about to air, I’m going to hop off to see what Sanada will bring to the story this episode….

Here’s to Jim and Pam, TV’s Most Adorable Couple

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Last week’s episode of The Office was the one we’ve all been waiting for the past five years. Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly, arguably television’s most adorable couple, finally tied the knot! The much-anticipated wedding celebration was aired as a special hour-long episode, and it wasn’t too over-the-top or outrageous — just the right tone of simplicity that is characteristic of my favorite TV series. Though it was surprisingly low-key for a wedding, it definitely had enough well-scripted lines and mishaps that it could have easily been a season finale, but instead it was a particularly awesome extended episode.

I love Jim and Pam, and have rooted for them since day one, from the very first episode of The Office — remember when Pam was engaged to Roy and Jim secretly loved her from afar? (And by “afar”, it was really just a few feet away, but she was still very much out of his reach.) And just when Pam had broken off the engagement with Roy, Jim had moved to the Stamford branch and had started dating Karen. For years, fans had to deal with the “will-they-or-won’t-they” tension and at times it felt like our favorite couple would never work out. But then everything fell into place, and soon Jim and Pam were engaged and the rest is television history! Jim and Pam are unique in their relationship that, unlike the drama that surrounds a lot of primetime shows, there is the assurance that the two are soulmates and that although there may be the occasional quibble or obstacle (as there is in with any couple), their love is built to last. “There won’t be the spouse who thinks they’re making a mistake, or the ex who comes and tries to break it up,” executive producer Paul Lieberstein says, citing two common examples of TV-wedding drama. Instead, he thinks the show will play as if “you’re going to a friend’s wedding, and they’re a good couple.” The Jim-Pam romance is a healthy one that is a rarity for television these days, and it may be what has carried it through the past five series so successfully. They are simply meant to be together.

This sure fact shone through the wedding episode, despite unforeseen disasters such as Pam’s old-fashioned grandma learning of some unexpected news, and Andy’s ripped scrotum. Jim’s speech during the rehearsal dinner was so touching (before he started the rambling that got him into big trouble), and brought us back to the aforementioned first moments before he and Pam were even together, when he was sure she was the one but all he could do was wait for her. And it was typical sweet Jim behavior when he clipped his tie to cheer Pam up when she was distraught over her ripped veil, and whisked her away to an unknown destination, just minutes before the wedding, leaving the rest of the office and relatives back at the church for an hour or so to wonder what’s going on. The icing on the cake is when Michael gets everyone to re-enact the viral YouTube video of the JK Wedding Entrance Dance (which I mentioned back in July), and hilarity ensues:

It’s during this segment that we see where Jim and Pam had disappeared to during those couple of hours — they’d run off to Niagara Falls to get married on a boat — and it was those little interspersed clips on the boat that made me tear up and cry.

Leave it to The Office to make me double over in laughter and get me choked up with tears, all at the same time.

Glee is my drug.

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Since as early as I can remember, I’ve been head over heels in love with musicals. The first movie my mother bought for me (back in those VHS days when I was still a preschooler) was Mary Poppins, shortly followed by The Sound of Music. As a child, I sat mesmerized alongside my parents as they watched West Side Story, and they became my favorite musical (actually, make that movie) of all time — I watched the VHS over so many times over the years that it eventually wore the tape down. I was heartbroken when a family friend borrowed our copy of My Fair Lady and moved away without ever returning it. Of course, I watched the typical Disney movies that all the other kids were watching, but what really kept me fixated were the musicals. There are still so many musicals that I have yet to see, but my love for them has never faded, and I continue to discover newer ones in recent years, such as The Phantom of the Opera and RENT.

So when I saw the pilot episode of Glee a few months ago, I was blown away. It was like watching a Broadway musical in the form of a TV series. What a great idea! Why hadn’t anyone thought of this sooner?! Just from watching the pilot, I knew it would be my new favorite show. That episode was such a tease, and I waited all summer with bated breath for the series to actually start.

Since its series premiere on September 9th, the show is five episodes in and I’m already addicted. Despite critics’ reviews that the pilot was a “one hit wonder” and that the season does not live up to its initial promise, I think that it’s great so far. Each of the episodes feature at least a couple songs and it’s a pretty big feat when you can combine awesome musical performances with a plot that doesn’t suck. The storyline so far has been pretty engaging — of course, it’s not the gripping type that keeps you on the edge of your seat like LOST or 24, and although the sappy factor comes in once in a while, overall Glee is a good balance of drama, comedy and quirkiness. The musical aspect is definitely the driving factor that keeps me coming back for more, and I’m really impressed with the fact that they can put on such incredible performances of both singing and choreography every episode. It’s quickly joining the ranks of The Office (which has started again!) among my favorite television shows, and for the next few months, you’ll likely find me parked in front of the telly every Wednesday night for my musical fix.