Q & A with Aichan on the radio

By: Zabel

I'm gonna give ya a full translation of Aichan's appearance on the radio show Nack5 Fanky Friday from two days ago. I say full translation although I've shortened/paraphrased parts. The conversation was recorded over the phone and consisted of the host asking yes/no questions where Aichan was to answer yes or no in English. (often accompanied with a cute giggle)

Kobayashi: Is it hard being Morning Musume's leader.
Takahashi: Yes.
K: What kind of things do you have to do?
T: Organize the others, tell them important things. There's not that much to do, but I'm poor at speaking. I trip up when I speak so I have trouble getting across.

K: Since everyone's blood type (personality) is different, is it hard to organize them?
T: No.
K: Are their blood types (personalities) different?
T: They are, but it's not so hard.

K: Your new single is your 42nd. Can you name the titles of all 42?
T: Yes.
K: Do you sing songs from before you joined?
T: We do.
K: Which out of the previous 41 singles is your favorite.
T: I like Do it Now.
K: How about the early era?
T: I like Memory Seishun no Hikari.
K: Each member has her favorites, huh?
T: Yeah, some girls like the bright songs. I like the kind of dark emotional ones.

K: Does producer Tsunku give instruction in fine particulars?
T: Yes.
K: So he does?
T: Like on rhythm, or about speaking in concerts.
K: What does he say to you?
T: In the beginning he instructed me on rhythm a lot. I tended to go too fast. More recently it was about being a leader, and he taught me tsukkomi.
K: Would you say you are more boke than tsukkomi?
T: Neither I guess. Maybe boke.

K: So you like Takaraduka?
T: Yes.
K: Would you want to play the male or female role?
T: If my height wasn't a factor, the male role. Otherwise it would have to be the female role.

K: Are you bad at shopping by yourself?
T: No.
K: Are you the type who buys lots of stuff?
T: Yes.
K: Does shopping relieve stress for you?
T: It does.
K: What is something big you have bought recently?
T: Detergent. I like to buy a lot of it at once.

K: When you were a kid did you participate in Nodo Jiman?
T: Yes.
K: What were you good at singing?
T: Well I was in chorus so I did a lot of singing, and before that I went to karaoke a lot. I sang Nakamori Akina.
K: So you were good at singing.
T: I dunno about that, but I like singing.

K: Would you like to live leisurely in Fukui?
T: Yes.
K: When you are busy you don't get much sleep. Is that so?
T: I get sleep. But the trains in Tokyo come so fast. It's convenient, but in my home town a train comes only once every hour. Sometimes it's nice to live in a place like that where the pace is slow.
K: After you marry or retire, would you want to live in Fukui?
T: Yeah somewhere where it's laid back.

K: Do you often sing Morning Musume songs at karaoke?
T: Yes.
K: Are you best at singing the songs you like best?
T: Yeah, I sing the songs I like, and when I go out with my friends they ask me to sing (MM songs).
K: So your friends are going, "It's the real thing!"
T: Yeah. (laugh)

K: Should an idol need to update a blog every day?
T: No.
K: Do you blog?
T: I don't have one.
K: Do the others?
T: Morning Musume doesn't blog.
K: Because of company policy?
T: Probably. But I'd like to. For a time I did some blogging for a play, and I'd never had that experience before. It was fun.

K: Was it your mom who applied for your audition to Morning Musume?
T: No.
K: Did other members' moms apply for them?
T: I haven't really heard so. I think they applied themselves.

K: Do you pay attention to the charts when you release a single?
T: Yes.

K: Do you like umeshu better than beer?
T: Yes.

K: Because you're the leader, do you quarrel with the staff, etc on behalf of the others?
T: Yes.
K: Have you done so recently?
T: Well, recently, since there's a lot of members and we're girls, it was something along the lines of, "Be careful how you speak to them." If there's something bothering us, I'll tell them this is how we feel.
K: You must feel like you're the leader at such times.
T: Yeah, like if I don't say it, nothing will change.

K: As the leader do you know a lot of members' secrets?
T: No.
K: You don't know?
T: I don't know. I don't really ask them. Well, when giving advice a little, but I don't really know their secrets.
K: Are your own secrets known?
T: No.

K: Do you sing enka?
T: No. I haven't sung enka, but I'd like to try.
K: Do your parents sing enka?
T: My dad likes to sing Shima Uta. But that's not enka.
(cool dad! Shima Uta is a good tune)

K: Marriage is something you don't need to think about for now?
T: Yes.
K: The company probably tells you how you need to be mindful of the fans and things like that, huh?
T: Yeah, being a Morning Musume.
K: When would it be okay to get married?
T: After I graduate, probably any age would be okay.
K: But do you want to be in love? Are you now?
T: No.
K: Is there someone you'd like to be with?
T: Well I'd like to be, and the songs I sing have to do with love, but I'm not thinking of that now.

K: Do you check on other female idol groups?
T: Yes.
K: There's quite a lot of them even in your own company. Are you friends with them, and do you check on them?
T: Well I'm the eldest in Hello! Project and the leader of the whole body, so well, you know, they're my juniors so I notice them.
K: The eldest, huh?
T: 23.
K: When I was a 1st year student in college, a female 4th year student thought of herself as an old lady and I thought that was silly. But do you feel that way?
T: Well yes, I'm the eldest even in Morning Musume, so I get that treatment. It was that way from age 20. So I don't really feel I'm young.
K: In that case, when you graduate you'll become very young again.
T: Is that so? (laugh)

K: Do you go to graduated Morning Musume members for advice?
T: Yes.
K: Is there one of them you're particularly close to?
T: I see Yoshizawa now and then and she gives me advice.

K: Is producer Tsunku a genius?
T: Yes.
K: What impresses you about him?
T: He has all these groups, not just Morning Musume, and makes so many songs. The melody is different each time. It thought it was amazing how he got the idea for Kimagure Princess by looking at his daughter's butt.
K: He has kept making so many songs.
T: He's really great. And not just singles, but songs for albums too. More songs than you can count.
K: Do you feel like you want to become like him?
T: I can't be like him. I can't beat him.

K: Are you ignorant about politics and economics?
T: Yes.
K: But are you interested in it?
T: I'm interested, but I joined Morning Musume in junior high school not knowing those things. It would have been nice to have studied them more.
K: But for instance, do you care about like how the highway will become free of charge if they win the election, or like receiving financial aid for giving birth, and things like that?
T: Well I was impressed when the highway toll went to 1000 yen. (laugh)

K: If you have a daughter in the future, would you want her to enter a Morning Musume audition?
T: Yes.
K: You wouldn't want her to stay away?
T: Well, it's tough and stressful, but I know the good things about being Morning Musume. I'd kind of like to see that.

K: Have you ever received an expensive present from a fan?
T: Yes.

K: Is Morning Musume a dream job?
T: Yes.

K: But do you have quarrels with the other members?
T: Yes.

K: Are you the weakest at quarreling?
T: No, I guess.

K: The day after tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Will you give lots of chocolates?
T: Yes.


That's the interview. Did you learn anything new about our Lovely Commander? ^^

Possibly today I should be putting a sub of the recent On-ryu guest appearance (Ai, Risa, Linlin) on the Hello! Online tracker, so keep an eye out for that.

Read more...

May the new year be a Lovely one

By: Zabel

Another great year to be an Aichan fan is under way! What's in store for Lovely? I have no idea, but I'm counting on her getting the lead role in some new play or TV series, as well as presiding over the addition of new musume some time before the year is up. *After* the stock is replenished through another audition, I won't be shocked if she gets the graduation notice. Before another audition, I will be. Koharu's graduation announcement last year was mildly surprising, but Lovely's would have been far more so. I knew she was pretty much safe up through the end of 2009, and possibly through 2010 as well. She's that critical to the group :)

Aichan recently got a supporting role in Mano Eri's new series, Hanbun Esper, looking sharp in OL duds.

Meanwhile Ichigo ichie continues, which is awesome. I wonder if Aichan herself expected to still be doing it this long? She must be feeling more confident about speaking by her lonesome because she hasn't had a guest on in awhile. She often mentions how she likes playing Final Fantasy XIII, a game us North Americans don't get until March. (But that's okay 'cause I am thoroughly addicted to Demon's Souls at present)



On a TV program promoting FFXIII which she appeared on a month or so ago (ファイナルファンタジーＸＩＩＩの世界に迫る), when the topic of previous installments in the series came up, Aichan said that she had played FFX three times including once in English! I guess she must like Final Fantasy. (or just Tidus)

Unrelated to any of that, Aichan was on a let's-learn-about-global-warming type of show a short while back (学べるニューズ). Don't ask me why she was there, but hey, she is lovely when learning about global warming too, can anyone deny? Actually she hardly spoke at all and the little footage there was of her didn't justify the watch unless you happen to be interested in the topic and are crazy fluent in Japanese, but there was this one cute yet embarrassing moment at the beginning...



Host: Why is it that increases in carbon dioxide make the earth warmer?
Aichan: Humans put it out.
Host: Humans put it out, yes. But why does that make the earth warmer?
Aichan: When we put it out, the temperature increases.
Everyone: That's what the question is.
Aichan: Sorry!

On another unrelated note, I gotta say it didn't take long for Gakisan's short cut to grow on me. 30 seconds maybe.

Read more...

No more regular summaries

Yeah, I've run out of steam doing Ichigo ichie for now so I won't be posting weekly summaries. Sorry. HOWEVER I am not quitting blogging completely as I may have Aichan or MM-related stuff to write about from time to time.

P.S. If you want something to blame, blame Little Big Planet as most of my time goes to it :P

P.S.S. An unnamed member of Berryz will be a guest on her show next week.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 10/15

By: Zabel

There is one thing that has not changed in 6 years -- I love Aichan.

Here's a rundown of her show this week.


Ichigo ichie 10/15


- Aichan read the Circle of Magic series in a week, one volume every two days. Then lent it to Mitsui.

- For this concert tour and its rehearsals, Aichan has been sweating literally. They don't turn the air conditioning on during the fall or else the audience is too cold, so it has been hot for the girls, especially the ones wearing hats.

- Aichan's recommendation is Sendai Shirou Monogatari (仙台四郎物語), starring Korokke, and also Fujimoto Miki, who sings two musical numbers. If she thought that Sanma play she talked about last week was long, this one was four and a half hours including breaks. Mitsui, Linlin, and a manager watched with her. The story is about a historical figure, and the spoken accents were hard enough for Aichan to follow, but for Linlin more or less impossible, to say nothing of the impersonations that the lead is famous for.

- A listener recommends Takaraduka's rendition of the opera Aida, by Kimura Shinji who produced Ribon no Kishi the Musical, and Kai Masato who wrote the music. Aichan has seen it but can't remember it.

- Lovely has been listening to a lot of 30H!3 lately.

- Last time she got together with her, Ishikawa Rika asked, "Was I scary?", to which Aichan replied, "Yes, you were scary."

- Aichan doesn't do karaoke often, but recently she went with her sister and mom. She tried to sing BoA featuring Crystal Kay and VERBAL. The three of them (not the Takahashi's) can sing English very well, which makes Aichan want to improve her own English.

- When she was in L.A. it made her happy whenever she saw 3,2,1 Breakin' Out playing on the Anime Expo TV channel.

- In the "Teach me, Aichan" (教えて愛ちゃん) corner Aichan is asked how she relaxes on her days off. She likes to read magazine with aroma burning, but mostly she likes to go out to see plays. If she can't get a ticket for a play, she goes shopping instead.

- English lesson review: "Would you say that more slowly, please?"

- Asked to name something she can boast about, Aichan answers (half-jokingly since it isn't much of a boast) that she has tons of clothes, so many that she can't stuff any more into her sister's closet.

Read more...

Ichigo roundup: 10-1 & 10-8

By: Zabel

I've been feeling better :) Still having some trouble staying motivated, though, and also I started fansubbing again, which is a new demand on my attention. Anyway, here's a selective rundown of the last two Ichigo ichie shows.


Ichigo ichie 10/1


- Aichan has been eating bread in the morning. Ideally, she would eat scrambled eggs, sausage, and yogurt.

- The theme of Kimagure Princess is "butt". Tsunku came up with that when he was looking at his own kid's butt.

- Aichan became a fan of Takaraduka star, Mizu Natsuki, when she saw her cool performance in Hououden (鳳凰伝), a dramatic role in which she dies in a climactic fight scene.

- When a listener recommends Evangelion, Aichan says that her sister and even her father is a fan. Her sister is into boys' anime such as Gundam.

- Aichan has been collecting candles lately. Traditionally she has always collected Takaraduka merchandise.

- Hokushou Kairi, a Takaraduka member who came to see her in Ribon no Kishi, became friendly with her and has given her lots of pictures.

- Aichan watches foreign dramas on TV with the intent to study English. If what's on the channel is dubbed rather than subbed she'll change the channel until she finds one with subtitles.


Ichigo ichie 10/8


- Sanma's advice to Aichan as to how not to stumble when speaking, when the topic was raised by a listener on Youngtown, was to act. Aichan stumbles because she is nervous.

- Aichan went with Sayumi and a manager to see Sanma perform in Warushawa no Hana, a long 3 1/2 hour play without a break. She was impressed with how the dialogue seemed real as if unscripted, and the story had her in tears by the end. When she talked with Sanma afterwards, he asked her, apparently joking, to send a long e-mail of her impressions, and Aichan complied.

- A listener recommends The Nightmare Before Christmas, which she has already seen, and which Ogawa Makoto loves. Aichan likes the song sung by the three little prankster kids.

- Aichan always acquires Halloween goods around Halloween. She still has a pumpkin she got last year.

- On the Morning Musume All Single Coupling Collection, Aichan particularly likes Popcorn Rap, Koi ha Rock & Roll, Wasurerannai, Housekibako, KoiING, Nebou Desu Deeto nanoni, Yowamushi, 3-2-1 Breakin' Out, Akiurara, Subete ha Ai no Chikara. Basically all of them.

- When they were learning Popcorn Rap 5th gen was new and everyone was unfamiliar with their voices, so when Iida heard the part Aichan sang she was like, "Who is that?" Aichan was shocked and worried that her voice may be weird at the time, but now she can laugh at the memory.

- A listener wishes her body was as flexible as Aichan's. Aichan says that since her hip joints are stiff, she puts her feet together to do a stretch that resembles a Yoga pose. ("Yoga Teleport!" lol)

- There will be a new corner on Ichigo ichie, "Teach me, Aichan". She'll be answering questions about herself and other members.

- Aichan re-reads her fan letters in the bath. Recently Aichan was moved by a divorced fan who was cheered up by her singing.

Read more...

Gomen

By: Zabel

I just can't find the will to do Ichigo this week. Not just a problem of will, but I've got other things to do lately, and to make things worse my health has been quite poor ><

I did listen to it. Aichan talks about the new MM single Kimagure Princess, recommends another play Ogawa Makoto starred in, gives advice on how to study English, and talks about how she never thought she would still be in Morning Musume at age 23 (but is glad to still be). If anyone wants to write about the show in more detail, they're welcome to.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 9/17 - Aichan's birthday

By: Zabel

Here's a quickie summary of this week's show.


Ichigo ichie 9/17


As Aichan starts talking about her 23rd birthday she suddenly lets out a super cute scream なんだ～！ They brought her a cake in the studio. She talks about memorable birthdays, and how she paid back Gakisan for surprising her on her own birthday with a surprise on Gakisan's birthday; they hid in the dressing room for her.

Her recommendation today is Shugo Chara, which starred Maeda Yuuka. Also, Fukuda Kanon and Saho Akari, and Aichan has words of praise for the three of them. Yuuka saw Aichan perform in Ojigi de Shape up!, so Aichan thought she would go see Yuuka perform in this musical. Aichan is an anime fan herself, and when a listener recommends the Sailor Moon musical to her, Aichan explains that she has already seen it. Her dad, apparently a fan himself, went to see it with her.

The Morning Musume fall concert tour "Nine Smiles" starts on the 19th. The keywords for this concert, she says, will be "smile" (笑顔) and "happy" (元気). Speaking of smile and happy, the dinner show she recently performed in with Gakisan made her happy. Being that close to the fans, she can see their faces; some are nervous, some are in tears, other are smiling brightly, and others try to avoid eye contact out of embarrassment. Gakisan showed off some big smiles of her own due to the incident of Aichan running around in red tights, which they talked about last week. It had been awhile since Aichan had seen her laugh that hard. Reading fan letters is another thing that makes Aichan happy.

English lesson: "Thanks for inviting me."

In the Tettekete corner today Aichan gives advice on how to overcome nervousness. One thing their manager has told them is to speak in a loud voice. As for Aichan herself, talking makes her more nervous than singing or dancing. For instance, when she must talk about Morning Musume in front of people.

Lastly, Aichan tells how she is the type who can fall asleep on the plane, the bullet train, or anywhere.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 9/10 - Niigaki 3rd guest appearance

By: Zabel

Takahashi Ai's Ichigo Ichie this week is another fun show with Niigaki Risa as a guest.

Ichigo ichie 9/10

Risa makes her entrance speaking in a princely voice words from Cinderella. But both of them have trouble remembering what the name of the prince was; not 'Franz', not 'Crystal', but 'Christopher'. Then Aichan introduces her as Morning Musume sub-leader 'G-A-K-I-san'. Aichan was late to the studio today because of traffic. She caused management a bit of worry because they weren't able to contact her. She had forgotten to bring her cell phone. Risa says she often does.

When Aichan asks Risa what she's into lately, Risa reveals that she has a song stuck in her head which Aichan had playing in the dressing room at the dinner show. It has lyrics that go "Po-po-po-poker face-po-po-poker face". Poker Face by Lady Gaga, Aichan explains. As for Aichan, she's into Korea... They'll leave it at that for now.

On the plane ride to L.A. Aichan watched 17 Again, a story about a man who, wanting to relive his youth, becomes 17 and ends up going to the same high school that his son and daughter go to. Aichan gives a full synopsis of the plot. Forget what I said last week; Aichan has no qualms about spoiling movie plots too it seems. Risa can't help busting out laughing.

Risa: Is it okay to be taking 2 hours? You're telling everything that happens.
Aichan: I have to tell what happens. This...this is the corner where I tell what happens.

So Aichan continues talking on and on about the plot of the movie. It gets to where Risa bangs her microphone in exasperation.

Aichan: ...Then because of that his son gets good at basketball too. So then Mike's wife--Mike is the guy's name...
Risa: I don't care! I haven't seen it.
Aichan: That's why I'm explaining it. So then they dance to the song they used to listen to...
Risa: (laughing) You're the worst!

But Aichan has no intention of stopping until she reaches the very end. The Ainote corner is so much fun when Aichan has a guest whose patience she can obliviously test XD They conclude.

Risa: But now, everyone watch this...what was it?...this 17 Again. It'd be best if people watched it.
Aichan: Yes, please watch it.
Risa: It'd be best if they watched it.
Aichan: Yes. Then they ought to understand what I've said.
Risa: (mumbling) They ought to.

At last Aichan involves Risa by asking her to recommend something, and she picks the Japanese equivalent of Disney & Pixar's Up, which she really liked. Aichan agrees to go see it with her. Risa admits that she is the annoying type who while watching a movie or play sometimes doesn't get what's going on, so she asks the person sitting next to her--Aichan--who answers with "something", not shifting her gaze from the screen.

They talk about the Takahashi Niigaki premium dinner show. A listener who was there thinks it would be great if they released a DVD or CD of the event. Ai and Risa and even Risa's mom were thinking the same thing, and it seems management did film them. Another listener writes that it was neat to see Aichan helping Risa along where Risa was the one who was nervous, not having performed at a dinner show before, and Risa confirms this. When they talked casually about doing it again, Aichan had already decided for herself which songs they will sing next time XD Also, Risa got a big laugh out of seeing Aichan running around in red tights in the dressing room.　

Now the Tettekete advice corner... A listener working at a bread shop seeks advice on creating an original bread or cake. Aichan says how about a combination of maple syrup and strawberries. Risa says how about something with the taste of edamame (枝豆).

The second question is from Aichan herself to Risa. What would be a good autumn theme for Morning Musume? Risa would like to fans to get to know those interesting personality features each member of MM has that we don't get to see just by looking at the covers of their singles.

The English phrase is "Thanks for coming." While teaching this, Aichan twice mistakenly says "Thanks for waiting".

Risa teaches the Korean phrase "ggakka juseyo" (깎아 주세요), meaning "Discount please." She used it much during the 3-day vacation in Korea that the two of them recently took together. They had a fun time there. Did lots of walking. Shopping, no doubt. Next time they go to Korea they'd like it to be more leisurely.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 9/3 - Good for the throat

By: Zabel

Takahashi Ai's wonderful weekly web talk show.


Ichigo ichie 9/3


As with last week, Aichan opens her show with a little poetry. Then asks us "What's new?" She takes a call from a listener whose face gets red when nervous, and even worse when someone points it out. Aichan says the thing to do is run away XD

Aichan gives her impressions of the Broadway musical Spelling Bee, starring Fujii Takashi and Niiduma Seiko. She saw it together with Aika and Koharu. As the name suggests, the story is about a spelling bee contest, and they even get some audience members involved; Koharu was hoping (out loud) that she would get called up. Aichan describes the characters and the climax. I think Aichan is not bashful about spoiling endings when talking about plays and musicals, which most of her fans are unlikely to have the opportunity to see. (she refused to spoil much about Harry Potter last week)

Fall is said to be a tough season for choosing one's fashion, and Aichan agrees. She wore a salopette (overalls) that she bought two years ago for the first time. She also loves her sheepskin boots, and one-piece shirts. Colors...Aichan wore black a lot when she was new in Morning Musume despite being told she was too young for black. She branched out and enjoyed wearing other colors, but is now wanting to return to black.

The English lesson is a follow-up to last week's "What's up?". "Not much. And you?"

A listener who is unable to eat sesame asks Aichan for advice on how to overcome foods you just can't seem to eat. Aichan likes sesame oil with boiled komatsuna and suggests that the listener try it. She reaches for the liver when she goes out for yakiniku since it is supposed to be good for the throat, although she isn't crazy about the taste. Fujimoto Miki loves it. Miki would devour a plateful of liver when they went out to yakiniku after a concert. As for a food that Aichan has overcome, she discovered she can enjoy the taste of yuzu.

The sub-leader will be a guest next week :)

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 8/27 - Hello! Champuru

By: Zabel

A brief summary of this week's show.


Ichigo ichie 8/27


Aichan likes to eat lotus root candy (れんこん飴), which is good for the throat, and rusk, which she recently ate with her curry.

Having just finished reading the Harry Potter series, she went to see Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. To Aichan, Hermione has become a beautiful lady, Ron has become muscular, and she particularly enjoyed a confrontation between Harry and Draco Malfoy.

A listener asks Aichan how she watches Takaraduka. Now when she watches Takaraduka she studies their acting, but to the listener she recommends just taking in the magnificence of it; the aura the top stars convey, the clothes they wear, how they enter the stage.

She reports on the summer H!P Concert. Aichan says it was good for Morning Musume to have a feeling of rivalry between Berryz and the others. It had been awhile since High King performed Cinderella Complex so it took her time to remember how. They also sung Diamonds, a cover of a song by the classic girl rock group Princess Princess. And Aichan's mom loves the song which Aichan covered as a solo, Yamaguchi Momoe's Cosmos. She worked hard to prepare for it, Tsunku guiding her on details as fine as which angle at which to hold the microphone. The song is sung at a difficult low pitch, so she was relieved when fans complimented her on it at the handshake event afterwards. Unlike the dance songs MM performs, a song like Yamaguchi's calls for more subtle motion; the expression on your face, the movement of your hand. Aichan thinks she could do better if she had more time. Her satisfaction with the concert was 70%.

English phrase... "What's new?" Her English teacher begins lessons by asking her this.

In the Tettekete corner she gives advice on gymnastics, which can be scary if you're just learning how. There was a time when she was trying to learn backwards somersaults. Also, back in elementary school she took a bad fall playing on the horizontal bar (I think) and needed five stiches below her lip.

Aichan recently changed her hair black, and then brown again. It seems she has been told that brown is better on her, but she is aware that there are fans who prefer her hair black.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 8/20 - Summer fun

By: Zabel

I can't remember if this has been announced on the show yet, but an Ichigo ichie DVD will go on sale! So that explains why there have been cameras in the studio.


Ichigo ichie 8/20


On August 22nd and 30th, Morning Musume presents Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa Premium Summer Dinner Show! Aichan has done dinner shows with Yasuda, Yaguchi, and Nakazawa in the past, but this is the first time with a 5th gen member, so she thinks it will be different.

A listener asks Aichan to repeat the weekly English phrases 3 times and Aichan will comply. Aichan was on Pakkun and Makkun's show a little while back. (Pakkun and Makkun are a comedy duo consisting of an American and a Japanese) Pakkun spent time in Fukui so was able to talk with Aichan about it. Both of them of course speak English as well as Japanese, and Aichan got the feeling that if she spent time around them her English would improve.

For the Ainote corner Aichan recommends Ijintachi tono Natsu, a book made into a play and also into a movie; Aichan saw the play. It's a drama with both romance and horror elements. Aichan talks for a LONG time about it, describing the plot complete with spoilers. Why'd ya haveta ruin it for us, Aichan? :D She receives a listener recommendation for Takaraduka's Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney).

If Aichan had a week off in the summer she would like to spend it in Bali (she said the same in a recent Ameba Studio talk appearance). She especially likes a dish there similar to Japanese noodles, and watermelon juice. She has summer memories of doing radio calisthenics, trying to wake up her sister in the morning, putting off doing homework, playing with friends at the pool (but not swimming in it), and getting tanned from the sun.

English lesson: "See you later". As promised, Aichan repeats the phrase three times -- first slowly, then at normal speed, then together with the listeners.

In the Tettekete corner she takes a question about weight training and dieting. Aichan does stretches when she gets out of the bath. Also something called 'cockroach exercises' which she learned from her grandmother. She follows advice she heard that if your feet are tired it's good to elevate them as you sleep. She also learned from Iida Kaori to do the kind of situps in which your legs do the work rather than your upper body. It's tougher than regular situps, she says, but you can continue it every day.

Lastly, a listener ask whether it is better or not to wear make-up. Aichan is very clear on the matter -- no make up is better!

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 8/13 - Mitsui guest appearance

By: Zabel

Mitsui Aika joins Takahashi Ai on this week's web broadcast.


Ichigo ichie 8/13


Aichan was the type who would wait until the last moment to do her summer schoolwork.

Aichan times Aika as she talks freely for one minute. Aika talks about having had a fight with her mom, and her (Aika's) tone of voice as she quarreled.

For the Ainote corner, Lovely recommends the love comedy Gossip Girl, which was recently brought over to Japan. She says that the drama is somewhat different than the books it is based on. But she is studying English with it :) She liked a certain phrase from it so much that she wrote in her diary that day -- "Do you know love me?" (should be "You know you love me") Aika wants her to tell this story at a concert.

Aika has been watching a television drama called Ghost, which is scary but also funny. Aichan says that her mom watches it too, and many other foreign dramas as well (such as Charmed and Prison Break). Aichan says that if Mitsui likes Ghost she might also enjoy Tru Calling, and explains the premise of the show.

They talk about concert tours. Mitsui says that she became stronger in spirit from the spring tour in which she sung a solo. During that tour each song was assigned a 'leader' and Mitsui was in charge of Resonant Blue. Aichan was glad when Mitsui told her she needed to fix a part (fix how Aichan was singing or dancing it).

At the concert in L.A. they were happy to see people not only from America, but from Japan, Australia, Europe, and all over. Aika especially liked meeting people at the autograph session. They remember seeing female fans in tears. Also people cosplaying as them (Morning Musume).

For the upcoming fall tour "Nine smiles" Mitsui would like to perform not just cool songs, but songs such as 3,2,1 Breaking Out with which they can show everyone their nice smiles.

They next answer a Tettekete question about how difficult it is to sleep in a hotel with an unfamiliar pillow. In fact, the last place they stayed at had hard beds, and several musume had trouble sleeping. Aichan had four pillows and she used them all together! As for Mitsui, she likes to sleep with a folded towel instead of a pillow. Aichan says that placing a towel under your neck and facing upwards is a good way to sleep. But normally she (Aichan) sleeps with a thin pillow.

Mitsui would like Aichan to invite her to see more plays. Aichan: "Then please call me Aichan". It seems they've both still been calling each other by last names.

English lesson: "Have a nice day". She learned from Ogawa that this is an often-used phrase.

Lastly, Aichan asks Mitsui to offer to the listeners a massage tip.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 8/6 - Linlin guest appearance

By: Zabel

The second public recording of Ichigo ichie is held, and Linlin is a guest. Linlin provides anxiety relief for Aichan, and comic relief for all of us.


Ichigo ichie 8/6


Aichan goes shopping alone when she needs a change of pace. Things are on sale now, she tells us, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Linlin is introduced and the initial topic is the new Minimoni Lin now leads. Aichan repeats to Lin what she said about Lin appearing big besides the even smaller girls in Minimoni, and for a moment Lin refers to herself as 'dekamoni' ('dekai' meaning 'huge'). Most of the time Lin would like to be taller, but when she is among her fellow Minimoni she wishes she could compress herself.

She asks Aichan what is most important in leading, and Aichan says such is a question she has wondered herself. In the beginning when she took on the role of leader, Nakazawa and others advised her to just lead in her own way. She talks about naturally learning to look after the girls she leads. Lin: "That was a great speech, but you tripped up there in the middle." Lin makes a point of notifying Aichan every time she trips on words during the show. Chinese directness, I guess.

Ai asks Lin to say something about Nanchatte Ren'ai, so Lin tells everyone that if they sing the song at the part where the word 'hamburger' appears in the lyrics, they should eat a hamburger while singing it.

Ainote... Today Aichan recommends Me and My Girl, originally a Broadway musical, starring Amami Miyuki and Asano Kayo, which she saw at the Imperial Theater around the time she was studying for her own role in Ribon no Kishi. On a quasi-related topic, we learn that Linlin gets a funny feeling in her stomach when she is about to cry (watching a sad play), and seems surprised that she is the only one. Lin recommends One Piece the Movie: The Miracle Winter Cherry Blossom.

For the remainder of the show they read messages and questions from the audience. Some interesting bits:

- Lin went home practicing the "imi naku konetari" rap line from Nanchatte Ren'ai out loud, to peoples' amusement.

- As for Aichan, she worked hard on the "honmono ni" line at the very end, to peoples' annoyance.

- Lin learns that 'maemuki' (前向き) means 'positive'. Literally it means to look forward, which allows Lin to make the pun.

- Aichan asserts again that she is a rain woman, and takes responsibility for her first photoshoot, the first gokkies photoshoot, and her first concert all having been rained on.

- The outfit Aichan wore for the Mr. Moonlight performance of the complete singles collection was very heavy.

- Aichan's number one goal, in case there is any fan alive who doesn't yet know, is to master English.

- Linlin's number one goal is to be able to play guitar while singing.

- Aichan feels she is not good with people older than her, but has no problem with people younger than her.

- Lin says cup ramen is the one dish she can cook.

- Aichan loves to put shisohijiki (a dried seaweed seasoning) in her rice.

As the segment concludes, Lin's capacity to express herself in Japanese fails her.

Linlin: This corner is like...really, like...there's a lot of good...like, the advice is...it's like 'shinriisha'.
Aichan: 'shinriisha'?
Linlin: Um, how do you say. Heart...um.
Aichan: You wanted to say...
Linlin: Um, sorry. Um, I can't get it across. Don't worry about it.
(audience laughter)
Aichan: I wanna know after you've said that much!
Linlin: I've reached the limits of my Japanese.
(audience laughter)
Aichan: If you remember, please say it!

Lin has finally been calling Aichan 'Aichan' rather than 'Takahashi-san' or 'Ai nee-san'. At Aichan's request she teaches a Chinese phrase, "wǒ è le", meaning "I'm hungry".

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 7/30 - Tanaka guest appearance

By: Zabel

Hmm, I've been putting these under the 'radio' tag despite the fact that Ichigo has never been broadcast on the radio. Oh well.

Tanaka Reina is a guest on this public recording of Ichigo ichie. Midway through, former Momusu leader Iida Kaori makes a surprise appearance.

Ichigo ichie 7/30

おちょきんしねま～！says Aichan in her customary Fukui voice to open the recording. (edit: means "Sit down!") She tells us that she is more nervous doing this show than a concert. But Reina says she feels out of place herself being among so many Aichan fans.

Aichan asks Reina about a time when she was nervous, and Reina responds with a story about performing her debut song Shabondama. Reina sings the opening line of this song, but it so happened that Reina wasn't there when the lights undimmed and the music began! She had put her pants on backwards and was told to go hurry and fix it. When she came back she had to look for her microphone. Yet she sung her part and apparently nobody was able to tell that anything had been wrong. Aichan could tell though--she was assigned to sing the next line! She thought Reina was cool for being able to carry on like that. Reina herself was afraid to go back to the dressing room afterwards for fear of being chewed out. She was grateful when Yoshizawa talked to her and encouraged her.

They speak about Nanchatte Ren'ai and Reina has trouble pronouncing 'rounyakunannyo' (老若男女) meaning "men and women, old and young".

At about this time Aichan receives a big surprise when Iida Kaori shows up suddenly! The three of them chat about H!P and things. Iida wants to help the girls with problems they might have, including offering Ear Art Therapy (don't ask me). Iida says it is sad how the girls often greet her in passing but are too nervous to talk more than that. Aichan confirms that the younger members get nervous in the presence of their seniors, and even Aichan herself gets nervous. Iida says they ought to have a surprise guest such as herself show up at their concerts.

After Iida leaves, Aichan gives her Ainote recommendation -- Red Cliff and Red Cliff II, which she saw on the airplane to Los Angeles. Reina has seen them as well, and the two of them chat at length.

Reina's recommendation is Twilight. She liked it so much that she wants to date a vampire, notwithstanding all the trouble that would be.

Aichan: It was that attractive to you?
Reina: Yeah, sinking those fangs in.
(audience laughter)
Reina: I've got them too, in fact.
(Aichan silent)
Reina: Double teeth.
Aichan: Oh, double teeth.
Reina: Since I've got them on both sides I used to think I was Dracula.
(audience laughter)
Aichan: I don't think so!
Reina: But I got better. But I left Fukuoka and came to Tokyo in the middle of treatment, so now I'm really halfway better.

From there they take questions from the listeners. The first one seeks advice on how to fight off sleepiness, reminding them of Eri. Aichan suggests watching videos nonstop, or eating something spicy. Reina suggests having a friend pinch you.

What is Aichan's small extravagance? She bought five pairs of shoes in Los Angeles: two pairs of boots, two pairs of beach sandals, and one pair of slippers. Reina stuffed her suitcase full of souvenirs. They both bought lots in L.A. because the dollar is weak compared to the yen (at least that's the excuse Aichan gives).

Next two questions are from listeners asking how to keep cool during the summer. Aichan suggests using ice packs, and eating ginger.

To a request to hear a monomane (imitation) that the girls like to do, Reina stands up and does the 'zugudanzunbungun' dance. Then she gets an embarrassed Aichan to do it with her. Reina also does an imitation of Aika's motherly voice, trying to imitate how her tone changes from a high pitch to a low pitch.

Lastly, Aichan asks Reina which member she thinks has been weird lately. Reina picks Koharu, who has demonstrated an amusing pronunciation of "kansai-ben" when the members are pretending to speak it.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 7/23 - More on L.A.

By: Zabel

Ahoy, Strawberry Mates. Here's another installment of Takahashi Ai's Ichigo ichie.


Ichigo ichie 7/23

Rehearsing for the Hello! Project concert, what strikes Aichan is how much stuff there is! Bags, jerseys, shoes, and belongings of the entire membership of H!P. She gets to observe relationships between Musume and other H!P members that she hadn't known about. For instance, she learned that Mitsui Aika and Hagiwara Mai are friends.

Aichan is very happy to see Minimoni revived, having lots of memories of having been a Minimoni herself. Linlin, a small girl in any other environment, appears huge when lined up together with the even smaller girls who comprise the new Minimoni.

For the Ainote recommendation Ai talks about Juno, a story about a pregnant 16-year-old. Aichan tries to explain how the lead character was very cute without being very cute.

Aichan has more to tell about her trip to Los Angeles. She wishes she had brought more than one parka because it was colder than she imagined. Her schedule was not super-busy, and there was some time for shopping, although not as much as she would prefer. Any time alone she had was spent in her hotel room and all the rest of the time she was with the other members. It was surprising to hear her own group's songs playing on the Anime Expo TV channel! She also watched the Disney channel some.

Although she loves them both, Aichan feels more familiarity with Los Angeles than with New York. If she had to say which, L.A. is more like Fukui and New York is more like Tokyo.

Next time she would like to be able to speak English with more people. She spoke a little with the coordinators and learned a lot. She would like for herself and for the other members to be able to speak and understand slightly more difficult English than what they can now. Notwithstanding Koharu having said, "I sort of got the hang of English this time." That was only a first step, Aichan says. Then she teaches listeners the phrase "I'm sorry. I'm not sure."

Tettekete corner... Aichan gives advice on how to talk to a person with a very different personality than yourself. Try telling them directly that you want to talk with them more.

Lastly, a listener who studied abroad in England has for Aichan what he says is the perfect English present--the English phrase "Take it easy." Aichan has heard the phrase used in Final Fantasy but hadn't known what it meant.

Next week is a public recording of Ichigo ichie.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 7/16 pt 2 - Michishige guest appearance

By: Zabel

Takahashi Ai and Michishige Sayumi continue their discussion about traveling to L.A. to perform at Anime Expo.


Ichigo ichie 7/16 continued


Ai asks Sayumi how she would rate their first performance in America. Sayu gives it a 90, and she explains the reason for deducting 10 points. During rehearsal she was told that her English was weak, so she spent time practicing with Eri to the point where her pronunciation was so good that she wondered if maybe she had been raised overseas. But when the time came to deliver her MC lines at the concert, her English came out weak after all.

Aichan rates it 100 points! She usually rates concerts 70, but everyone gave it their best for their first performance in America. Sayu remarks on how well Aichan spoke English. Aichan says she was memorizing the script every day in the bath. Since the topic she had to speak on (warming) was so important she wanted to be sure she spoke precisely.

The two of them note how the atmosphere is different from when they perform in Japan. For instance, the 'oooh's and 'aaah's they hear from the audience when a song is starting. They thought the city of Los Angeles was pretty and cool in a retro kind of way.

Sayu talks about an incident on the plane ride over when she spilled the entire contents of maple syrup onto her T-shirt, the blanket, and into her bag. She's glad she was sitting next to Mitsui who helped her with the mess while Kamei, one seat over, was like "Whatcha up to?" as she went on eating her in-flight meal.

Another Kamei story. Sayu is accustomed to seeing Eri's messy rooms...or so she thought. When they go to Hawaii she usually shares a room with Eri, and cleans up after her. On this trip they each had their own room. One time when Eri called Sayu over, Sayu received a big shock upon entered Eri's room. The place was in such a state of disorder that it was like someone had lived there for 10 years. Sayu tried opening the bathroom door but shut it immediately. Aichan doesn't have trouble picturing the scene Sayu describes, and tells Sayu to give Eri a spanking. But it's all good if that's what's comfortable for Eri...as long as Sayu isn't sharing a room with her.

Asked where she would like to go to perform a concert if she had the chance, Sayu answers that she'd like to go to France. The fact is, Sayu used to believe she was half-French. Why? Because her mom told her so. In elementary school the conversation came up with older kids, and when Sayu asked her mom again, her mom told her again that she (her mom) was French XD So Sayu believed that she was half-French. It was through a classmate of her older brother that she learned the truth.

In place of the Tettekete corner, they talk about Sayu's past week when she turned 20. Besides rehearsing for the Hello! Project concert, Sayu has been recording for a TV entertainment show where guests say bad things about each other. She was too tired that day to think about her birthday, so it wasn't until the next day when the musume members gave her gifts that she thought about having turned 20. She's gonna try to stop biting her nails by buying a nail clipper when her nails get long, reasoning that it is when you have just bought a new nail clipper that you're most inclined to use it.

The English phrase today "What's a mess!" (should be "What a mess!") makes them think of Eri.

Aichan asks Sayu to give advice to people who are bad at math (multiplication specifically). She says do your drills. Sayu has been enjoying learning simultaneous equations.

In closing, Aichan says that she was more nervous having Sayu as a guest that any of the guests she has had so far because Sayu is such a good talker.

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 7/16 pt 1 - Michishige guest appearance

By: Zabel

Here's an Ichigo I've been looking forward to ever since Aichan started having guests on the show--AiSayu! They talk about their experience in Los Angeles, celebrate Sayumi's 20th birthday, and tell funny anecdotes about Kamei. It's another long one so I'll be doing two segments.


Ichigo ichie 7/16

Aichan's summer goal is to be careful because she seems to think her skin is becoming dark. Sayumi would like to become an 'unstandardized woman'.

Aichan: Unstandard...season?
Sayu: No. Um, Aichan you're tripping on words right from the start.
Aichan: It's true.
Sayu: Probably 5 minutes can't go by without you tripping up around 5 times.
Aichan: No, it's 'cause I'm nervous.
Sayu: You're kidding!
Aichan: Really.
Sayu: Really?
Aichan: Yes, whenever I have a guest on I get nervous and trip.
Sayu: Is that so? But even when you're not nervous you trip.
Aichan: Oh, is that so. (sheepish laughter)

That's the standardized Aichan, Sayumi says, but what she means by a standardized Sayumi is that she relies on established gags doing concert MC's or on her radio show, such as saying "All right, today I'm cute too!" She would like to become less predictable.

Aichan wishes Sayu a happy birthday and presents her with a gift from Ichigo ichie, something delicious with strawberries in it. They tell how Eri surprised not just Sayu but everyone for Sayumi's birthday. They were finishing a photo shoot when suddenly the lights went out. Eri was more talkative than usual, and kept assuring them that it'll be okay. In the end she brought out a cake. It was a surprise birthday present, but Eri wasn't very good at it, Sayumi says. As for Aichan, she got Sayumi pink chocolate-shaped speakers and earphones. She went shopping with Gaki, and it took her an hour and a half to decide on what to buy for Sayumi.

Sayu: Really? I'm so happy. That means you were thinking about me for an hour and a half.
Aichan: Well, I was also shopping for myself. (laugh)
Sayu: Ohhh, so that's how it was.

About Nanchatte Ren'ai, Sayumi says to pay attention to how you can distinctly hear each member's voice.

For her recommendation today, Aichan pushes the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In this installment in the series, a certain character dies which made Aichan cry when she read it in the book. Aichan says that the author herself was depressed about killing off this character, which was moving to read about in the afterword. Sayumi likes reading afterwords. When she is in a bookstore and doesn't know what book to get, she decides which books are interesting by reading the afterwords. Aichan says that Sayumi reads a lot and is always lending books to the other members. She especially likes mysteries. Aichan, by the way, is on the 6th book in the Harry Potter series, which Sayumi, who has read some of the series, hadn't even heard of.

Sayumi is not a big filmgoer, but she recommends Titanic and The Green Mile.

Then the promised backstage recording in L.A. after the concert at Anime Expo is played, which includes Eri spilling her food, Risa praising Aichan's use of English, and "Hello! My name is Koharu Kusumi. Nice to meet you. I like umeboshi." After the recording, they talk about L.A. and Sayumi has some amusing stories to tell.

To be continued.

Read more...

Iiza Ee-Day 7/13

By: Zabel

Last week Aichan went around to random places in Fukui to sample food. This week the theme is 'yumeoibito" (夢追い人) or people chasing dreams, drawn of course from Morning Musume's recent hit single Shouganai Yumeoibito. Aichan gets to meet various people in Fukui who are following their own dreams.



In the vicinity of Fukui station, Aichan visits a new shop on its opening day, part of the "Challenge Shop" project. It is the 'Cherry Forest' and the proprietor is a woman who calls herself 'Cherry', which she can get away with because the character for 'cherry blossom' is actually in her name (桜里). She sells custom-made trinkets. Aichan becomes her first customer.

At Echizen, she makes a surprise visit to Tamamura Akiko, a person who was featured on a television show two months ago, for which Aichan did the narration. Aichan had wanted to meet her in person.　She shows Aichan how to make Echizen paper (越前和紙).



Then at a gym the host tells Aichan that she has something in common with the woman she is about to meet -- they both have 'Ai' for a first name. But the similarities end there. Takei Ai is the world bronze medalist in power lifting. Aichan participates in a curious muscle traning exercise that I'm not gonna attempt to describe. Somewhere along the way she changed into a blue shirt with a skull on it. Afterwards, Takei, who wants to become an action actress, asks advice from Aichan about acting.



The host wraps up with a hint that he was trying to impress Aichan just a little bit as they went around to all those places. Aichan roars in laughter, but says that her mom thinks the host is cool. Here and in other segments of the show, the Fukui dialect flies fast and hard!

Finally she returns to Tokyo to unveil gifts from the people she visited, together with two musume associates.



(in English)
Ai: Hello everyone! I am Ai.
Lin: I am Linlin.
Sayu: I am sorry. (?!)

We can always count on Sayu for a laugh, can we not? Don't forget to check in this weekend when I'll be writing about this week's Ichigo. Sayumi will be a guest so it should be lots of fun!

Read more...

Ichigo ichie 7/9 - MM's 40th single

By: Zabel

Another day to learn more about the lovely creature called Takahashi Ai.


Ichigo ichie 7/9


Aichan really does like the ocean. It's just that when she was young she almost drowned, so her body reacts against it.

Today she gives her thoughts on Morning Musume's 40th single, Nanchatte Ren'ai. The song includes a rap part in the style of Do it Now! that Junlin get to do. The gist of the lyrics is that love can be painful even when it is fake. She says that there are people who find this song more mature than Shouganai Yumeoibito. The single will be released 8/12.

For the Ainote corner, Aichan talks about Matsutoya Yumi's concert tour 2009 "Transit", which she saw with her manager. It included a disappearing act, a story, travel-like atmosphere, amusing MC segments. Aichan had the chance to talk with her afterwards. It was a learning experience to see such a performance.

Ai talks about her own upcoming H!P concert, about how new units will be announced, and new Eggs introduced. She wants the new members to know the awesomeness of MM, Berryz, and C-ute.

The English lesson is "You can find it in the house". (Useful for when you want to know where otaku can be found)

A listener asks how to improve one's singing. Aichan says listen over and over to a song you like and try to imitate the vocalist. Aichan would try to imitate Tsunku's singing when he taught her.

Another listener is exhausted being in a school club and wants advice on how to get rid of the tiredness. Aichan can relate, having been in a very demanding choir--it was always the last club to go home, and was active even during summer vacation. She would cope by going out to play after the club finished its morning activities each sunday. (she mentions taking print clubs as one of the things she did for fun)　Her strategy these days is to jump in the bathtub. No matter how late she gets home, she must have her bath.

Lastly, Aichan talks about how great Gaki-san is at calming Koharu down XD

Michishige Sayumi is the guest next week!!

Read more...

Iiza Ee-Day 7/6

By: Zabel

Aichan returns to her birthplace of Fukui to appear on this recent program, and if appearances can be believed (which they usually can when it comes to Lovely), she has a great time!

Driving up in a 'taxi', as the host calls it, she is introduced in front of Fukui TV and its staff. The host asks her if she recognizes a certain man. It was the man who answered her telephone call when she was seeking information on how to apply for the audition which ultimately got her into Morning Musume, the deadline for which she was barely able to meet. The host also returns to her an engraving set thingie she had used in middle school which her sister had used after her and forgotten at school. Her teacher had been waiting all this time to return it to her.



From there they go around to different places in Fukui sampling food and fun. First stop is to the famous restaurant Yoroppaken where sauce katsudon originated. It's a dish she has been missing since living in Tokyo. When she tries to order katsudon in Tokyo they put eggs in it and she's like, this ain't what I wanted.



The next stop is to Satsukigase where crackers are made. She is given the opportunity to go in the factory, make a few herself, and eat the fruits of her labor. Satsukigase is home of the product 'ai' which we've heard Aichan talk about before. Ai eating ai may sound like self-cannibalism, but she quite likes them. Aichan is surprised to learn that on the day after a concert at which she had introduced ai, the product was all sold out at the Fukui market!



Then she visits a couple who runs a fresh juice vendor to have watermelon juice made. The man upon seeing Aichan says, "Is she the real thing?" (You better believe it, lucky fellow!) She is asked to pick a watermelon that she thinks looks tasty, and does so by banging on it to listen to the sound.



Finally, Aichan is made to enter a room where three old school buddies are waiting to surprise her! Aichan is taken completely by surprise, and looks genuinely ecstatic to see them.

Host: You guys probably know Aichan better than anyone does.
Aichan: They do.
Host: What do you usually call her?
Friends: 'Takahashi'.
Host: So you call her Takahashi! What was Aichan like in elementary and middle school?
Friends: She was cute.
Aichan: You're lying!
Friends: We'd do weird things together.
Host: Let's hear about those weird things.
Friends: Is it okay to say?
Host: For an idol it might be saying too much.



There's more next week!

Read more...