Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino on Japanese TV
The other day TV viewers in Japan got a treat: Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt appearing on the popular variety show Bistro SMAP. SMAP (which stands for "Sports Music Assemble People" in case you were wondering) is a popular -- what? boy band? post-boy band? they all pushing 40 so let's go with "talent group" -- consisting of five members who sing, dance and do comedy skits, which has been a fixture of the J-POP world since they debuted in 1991. On their TV show, they invite distinguished guests to eat a fabulous gourmet meal cooked by the group members while the guests relax and talk. Both Tarantino and "Burapii" (as he's universally known here) love Japan, and it was interesting to see them in this unique setting, being asked who their favorite directors were or what shops they like to hit while in Tokyo. (Brad is always looking for Totoro and Spirited Away stuff for his kids.) Even before the show began I knew I'd be seeing Japan's "Queen of Subtitles" Natsuko Toda, the woman who translates all the top movies and whose personal schedule can affect Hollywood film release dates. Sure enough, she was there serving as the personal interpreter for Brad.
Catching "Burapii" and Tarantino on TV was fun. Brad didn't slurp his noodles loudly enough.
posted by Peter in Japan at 8:33 PM
4 Comments:
What is making the rounds in the news cycles here is how Obama bowed too low to the Japanese Emperor Akihito(while shaking his hand which looked odd even in the US) a couple days ago.
12:22 PM
Yes, silly for people to get upset. He bowed to show respect, and probably as a reflect as he's the only US president to actually know anything about Japan or spend any time here. He talked about Kamakura in his speech, that was cool, and when he met the Emperor he probably did it without thinking. For it to "mean something" culturally it'd have needed to be a 2-3 second bow, his was just a greeting.
10:58 PM
Also, anyone upset about the bowing really should look at this. That's SAUDI as in, 98% of the 9/11 terorists were Saudi. Jeez...
10:58 PM
I couldn't agree more, Peter. I don't think you're supposed to shake someone's hand when you're bowing, either. I thought it was just a polite gesture and no big deal.
The funny thing, though, is students brought up this Brad Pitt on Bistro SMAP three different times yesterday, including one mention of "Tarantino." Judging from their reaction, Burapii was a big hit.
Also, the girl who mentioned Tarantino said something along the lines of, "He talked... A LOT." Which led me to do my world famous Quentin Tarantino impression where I talked fast about movies with no pauses for about 30 seconds. The giggles that received were worth it.
9:34 AM
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