We're staying in and watching the Kohaku. Which, yes, is ghastly, but we're watching it for the over-the-top, whole alternate class of weird that we had to invent new terminology, production numbers. So far, the opening number was pretty bland, but—
At the moment the cross-dressing enka singer is doing his thing and he does not disappoint. There must be 50 pounds of beadwork on his headdress. He has a huge skirt of parachute cloth which is also being rippled (and worn!) by a dozen girl dancers. Priscilla Queen of the Desert can barely dream of aspiring to this, and that's on her best days. For the first time, I wish I had a digital video recorder so I could YouTube some of these. Words fail.
Still, we're going to have to break out the champagne soon if we're going to get through this. There are a lot of enka singers between the big showstoppers. Oz has already accused BoA of "totally Milli Vanilli-ing." I said, "No! Not on the Kohaku! NHK would never have lip-synching."
We also came up with an idea for an Internet quiz: What Japanese folkloric creature are you? Tengu? Fox lady? Tanuki? Kappa? Too bad we have no follow through.
210 words | December 31, 2006 10:49 PM | Real true story