all hail! Captain Fingers – the Rit (jp)…..Anri
who ?…oh!!! a pop star…

I’ll be the first to admit that my Japanese friends are about 10 times cooler than I’ll ever be, but I constantly have to educate them on little things, like trying to speak like a black American, listening to Tupac etc. just isn’t cool.

If you think it’s bad in Japan, you should see what gets dumped on China. I went there in 2000 and it was like the Michael Jackson BAD album was the latest thing. It was fun for me because I’m a fan of the late 80s, but I did kind of feel bad for them.

Danny–Thanks for adding your points and that article. The subject is more complex with this additional information, and therefore more interesting.

Ghoti–Yes, that is Miss Jackson, wearing what my Japanese grandmother would point out is totally age-inappropriate. And, yes, I dragged out the stereotypes, but I thought it was pertinent and potentially interesting for everyone here (otherwise you might think I’m completely vapid if I keep posting about bags and manicures).

You don’t often hear someone out and out state one of the underlying assumptions as to why all these Hollywood types go to Japan in the first place, and I thought Lainey’s comments would give us something to discuss.

“But I’d rather talk about the Ventures.
Those guys were as influential as the Beatles musically, but would be lucky to get a gig on a street corner in the US. The Japanese, on the other hand, appreciate talent and actually support them. Does it make the Japanese foolish that the Ventures are no longer popular in America? The same is true of many jazz musicians.

An entertainer’s value is ultimately measured by only Americans?”

In answer to your last question, absolutely not. Of course I don’t believe that. And it’s very true what you say about jazz musicians, for example. I know of many a happy jazz fan who has left Japan absolutely delighted to have found records (CDs) long believed to be out of print. I may even have had some in my own suitcase a time or two . . .

Music, though, is the international language. A nation where Britney Spears http://japundit.com/archives/2006/10/27/3939/#commentsand Justin Timberlake are top sellers can hardly be cited as having superior taste.” – ghoti

Word. It really has less to do with taste and more to do with marketing and hype. Being ‘uncool’ in America doesn’t make it ‘bad’, as the author of the article seems to assume. There is certainly a tone of snobbery in her postulation that the Japanese are childish
and even stupid for still enjoying the things the superior Westerns (or those growing up like one like herself) deem oh so passé.

I also can’t count how many times I have heard the same argument about how ‘immature’ Asian women are for liking cutesy things, for living with their parents at the age of 28, etc. Yes, judge them with Western standards because they are the only right ones. As if it proves ANYTHING.

The article also says: As recently as 2000, it was common for celebrities to negotiate contracts that kept commercials they made out of view in the United States. Many celebrities saw the TV spots as potentially harmful to their reputations back home, much the way Bill Murray’s character in “Lost in Translation” avoided making domestic ads.

AND: Widespread Internet access, however, has made it hard to limit ads to one country, and dozens of foreign commercials starring actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Jennifer Aniston have found their way online in recent years.

So the east/west thing is changing dramatically because of the Internet and blogs like this one….

Twaaaannnngggg. . .

But I’d rather talk about the Ventures.
Those guys were as influential as the Beatles musically, but would be lucky to get a gig on a street corner in the US. The Japanese, on the other hand, appreciate talent and actually support them. Does it make the Japanese foolish that the Ventures are no longer popular in America? The same is true of many jazz musicians.

An entertainer’s value is ultimately measured by only Americans?

On the flip side, Hollywood has been international for a while, which partly explains the glut of crappy movies. Not that other countries don’t have taste, but a movie that is tailored to appeal to all cultures has to be stripped to the lowest common denominator. Good films are usually culturally specific.

Music, though, is the international language. A nation where Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are top sellers can hardly be cited as having superior taste.

So far as Janet Jackson (this is her picture, right?), flopping out a middle-aged tit at the superbowl is about as desparate a career-move as one could make. A close second is dressing up in a kimono for your press conference.