Gwen Stefani

Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and occasional actress. Stefani fronts the rock/ska punk band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide.

It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced reggae production into its music, and generally received positive reviews.

Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani's work further into more pop and dance music, and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million.

The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and "The Sweet Escape".

Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.She won the World's Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005. In spite of her age, Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion.

Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She married British grunge musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002; they have a son, Kingston James McGregor, who was born in 2006 and are expecting their second child in August 2008.

EARLY LIFE
Gwen Renée Stefani was born in Fullerton, California and raised in Anaheim, California, and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. Her mother named her after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops' 1968 cover of The Left Banke's 1966 hit song "Walk Away Renée".

Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian American and works as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother, Patti Flynn, is of Irish and Scottish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Her parents were fans of folk music and presented music by Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris to their daughter.

She is the second oldest of four children; she has a younger sister, Jill, a younger brother, Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt but left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Many of the women in Stefani's family were seamstresses, and much of her clothing was made by her or her mother. As a child, Stefani's musical interests consisted of musicals such as The Sound of Music and Evita.

After making a demo tape for her father, she was encouraged to take music lessons to train her "loopy, unpredictable" voice. Stefani made her onstage debut during a talent show at Loara High School, where she sang "I Have Confidence," from The Sound of Music, in a self-made tweed dress inspired by one from the film.

Stefani was on the Loara swim team in an attempt to lose weight. She first worked scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen and later manning the MAC makeup counter of a department store. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton.

SOLO ALBUM
2004-2006 : LOVE. ANGEL. MUSIC. BABY
Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released in November 2004. The album features a large number of collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper and The Neptunes. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as New Wave and electro.

Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. As a result, reviews of the album were mixed, and it was described as "fun as hell but…not exactly rife with subversive social commentary." The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week.

It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, Stefani was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and at the next year's awards, Stefani received five nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

The first single released from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which charted outside the U.S. Top 40, but reached the Top 10 on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby.

"Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou and Michie One, which itself is a cover of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" proved successful on several formats, and reached the UK and U.S. top ten.

L.A.M.B.'s third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first U.S. and second Australian number-one single; it was less successful elsewhere. The song was the first U.S. digital download to sell more than one million copies legally, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, but failed to match its chart success, reaching the top twenty in UK and U.S.

The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed in Lake Como, Italy, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal."Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in early 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy.

2006-2008 : THE SWEET ESCAPE
Stefani's second solo album, The Sweet Escape, was released in December 2006. Stefani recollaborated with Kanal, Perry, and The Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electro/dance music for clubs than its predecessor.[13] Stefani commented that it differed from L.A.M.B. because "I just wasn't inspired to do another album and…I was a lot more relaxed making it."

Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live.
The album received mixed reviews by critics, who found that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel...[but] Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy.

Stefani performing "Wind It Up" in May of 2007."Wind It Up", the album's lead single, was panned by critics for its use of yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music but was moderately successful, reaching the Top 20 in most markets.

The title track was well-received. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. It was an international success and earned Stefani a Grammy nomination. The song is Stefani's most successful song of her solo career. In November 2006, the club single "Yummy" was released as a 3-track maxi promo single and as a 12" vinyl single, both featuring a radio edit, an instrumental and an accapella version of the song.

"4 In The Morning" was released as the album's third single with mediocre success. The album's fourth single was a hybird version of Now That You Got It which featured Damian Marley. The song was a commercial failure and became her first solo single to fail to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Early Winter was released in February 2008 worldwide with initial success on European Charts. To promote the album, Stefani embarked a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour. The tour covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America.

Stefani contributed vocals to her husband Gavin Rossdale's highly anticipated first solo record entitled Wanderlust, however, the track "Some Days" on which Gwen sings was not included on the album.

It has also been reported that after she has her next child, Stefani will work on a new studio album with No Doubt.Gwen is a distant cousin of Madonna: “Before ending up in Anaheim, my grandpa first moved to Detroit from Rome. And my dad’s mom’s younger sister’s husband’s mother is a Ciccone.”(wikipedia)

BoA - Korea Singer

Name: Kwon Boa

Nickname: Kkamshi (a name given to people with dark/tan skin)

Birthday: November 5, 1986

Place of Birth: Kyung Gi DoCurrent

Residence: Chung Dam Dong

Family: Parents, 2 brothers, and one sister (BoA is the youngest)

Height: 160cm

Weight: 42kgR

Religion: Catholic

Childhood Dream: SingerFavorite

Genre of Music: Dance and R&B

Favorite Singer: Whitney Houston

As a Student: A normal Korean girl leading a straightforward lifePros and Cons of Her

Personality: She's every energetic and affirmative, but her thoughts are very complicated

Habits and Routines: She turns up music very loudly and always stretches before rehearsing.

Superstition: If her ssang kka pul (double eyelid) comes out, the things she has to do that day won't work out well

Hobbies: Watching movies, listening to music loud and singing along, speaking Japanese and English, cross stitching, dancing, reading magazines and doing imitations

Stress Reliever: Turning on music very loudly and dancing

What She Thinks Are Her Attractive Points: Eyes, nose, and lipsWhat Kind of Boyfriend

She Would Like: Tall, skinny, light color face, cute, is into hip-hop, and has double eyelids

Most Important Possession: Her cat, SaraFavorite Proverb: Work hard toward your goals

The Story of BoA's Birth

SM's idea three years ago was to begin to make a huge star who would represent Asia. Their plan was to make a star who would use the Korean music industry as a stepping stone into Asia, and then into the world, in order to spread Korea's prestige abroad.

At that time, the mainstream of the entertainment world was taken over by 13~16 year old female idol stars. The Japanese representative of an idol group, SPEED, was also composed of s around 15 years of age. With that point given, it was obvious that it would be most favorable for our country to put out a [young] who would go abroad.

Also, SM figured that they needed at least 2~3 years in order to completely finish the casting and training of this future stars, so they concentrated first on casting. hey asked all of the candidates they met at national contests and talent shows, and even those who came to the studio to audition, if they had a younger sibling. And if they did, they went as far as to call those siblings in for auditioning. Through this never-ending effort to find their future star, the jewel that they found was BoA.

At that time, BoA's older brother had come to the studio for an audition. The answer to the question "Do you have a younger sibling" was the one and only 5th grader named BoA. At the time, she was 11 years old. BoA has trained ever since that young age for this day. The fact that she sang at the audition that she had through her older brother was what guided her into becoming a future star.

The dancing and singing that the young elementary student did at the audition showed plenty of potential to be a star. BoA's talent and passion, and her skills, although not yet fine tuned, were extraordinary in spite of her young age. The company did however worry about how well she could do at such a young age, but they couldn't just let this opportunity pass them by.

As soon as SM found BoA, they quickly met with her parents to persuade them into permitting her training. BoA also showed her parents her strong interest in making her dream of becoming a singer come true. But in the beginning, her parents strongly opposed. Her brothers understood why their parents opposed this decision so strongly; BoA was bringing home very high grades, and they just wanted her to keep studying, not become a singer.

But the company who had already found BoA's talents could not let go of her so easily. In the end, SM was able to persuade her parents with the certainty of her success, and BoA gained the opportunity of a lifetime to live out her dreams. (http://groups.msn.com/boabeatofangel)

Cosmode Magazine

COStume MODE Magazine (COSMODE) is a Japanese-language magazine about cosplay. Each issue contains color images of cosplayers from conventions and various events.

It also includes information and hints on costume construction, hair styling, makeup and other cosplay-related tips. In 2008, COSMODE Online, a digitalized English version of COSMODE
magazine, was created in response to the growing cosplay culture.

Meiji Shrine

Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya-Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. When Emperor Meiji died in 1912 and Empress Shōken in 1914, the Japanese people wished to pay their respects to the two influential Japanese figures. It was for this reason that Meiji Shrine was constructed and their souls enshrined on November 1, 1920.

After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location. Construction began in 1915, and the shrine was built in the traditional Nagarezukuri style and is made up primarily of Japanese cypress and copper. It was formally dedicated in 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926.

The original building was destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II. The present iteration of the shrine was funded through a public fund raising effort and completed in October, 1958.

Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 700,000 square-meters (about 175 acres). This area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.

This 700,000 square-meter forest (about 175 acres) is visited by many people both as a spiritual home of the people and as a recreation and relaxation area in the center of Tokyo.The shrine itself is comprised of two major areas.

The Naien is the inner precinct, which is centered on the shrine buildings and includes a treasure museum that houses articles of the Emperor and Empress. The treasure museum is built in the Azekurazukuri style.

The Gaien is the outer precinct, which includes the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery that houses a collection of 80 large murals illustrative of the events in the lives of the Emperor and his consort. It also includes a variety of sports facilities, including the National Stadium, and is seen as the center of Japanese sports. It also includes the Meiji Memorial Hall, which was originally used for governmental meetings, including discussions surrounding the drafting of the Meiji Constitution in the late 19th century. Today it is used for Shinto weddings.

Omotesando

Omotesando is an avenue, subway station and neighbourhood in Tokyo stretching from Harajuku station, the foot of the famous Takeshita Street, to Aoyama-dori where Omotesando station can be found.

Zelkova trees line both sides of the avenue. Around 100,000 cars drive down the main street daily which serves as the main approach to Meiji Shrine.

It is known as an upscale shopping area featuring several international brand outlets, ranging from Louis Vuitton and Gucci to the more affordable Gap (clothing retailer), The Body Shop, Zara, and others.

Omotesando is also home to the famous Japanese toy store Kiddyland, a well known and extremely trendy shopping center geared primarily toward young women Laforet, Oriental Bazaar, and Gold's Gym.

It is sometimes referred to as "Tokyo's Champs-Élysées." Its latest development, Omotesando Hills, opened in 2006.
Omotesando's side streets feature a range of trendy cafes, bars, and restaurants, as well as boutique stores specialising in everything from handbags to postcards to vintage glass bottles.

Takeshita Street

Takeshita Street is a pedestrian-only street lined with fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants in Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan. Stores on Takeshita Street include major chains such as The Body Shop, but most of the businesses are small independent shops that carry an array of styles.

The shops on this street are often a bellwether for broader fads, and some are known as "antenna shops," which manufacturers seed with prototypes for test-marketing. Takeshita Street was a reliable place to go and purchase fake Japanese and American street brand goods from the early 1990s to 2004.

Since 2004, a stronger metropolitan government stance on counterfeit merchandise has led to a decrease of such items being available to the public. Located directly across from the exit of JR Harajuku Station, Takeshita Street is very popular with young teenagers, particularly those visiting Tokyo on school trips, or local young people shopping for small "cute" goods at weekends.

Takeshita Dori Street is Harajuku's main attraction is the Takeshita Dori Street, a narrow and busy pedestrian street featuring various small stores. Here you can find some of Japan and mainly Tokyo's up and coming Gothic type of Teen Fashion.

The street (alley is a better word, as no cars are allowed down this long narrow road) for the younger generation, used to be a quiet humble place about 20 years ago. Nowadays this street is crowded with many young people, especially students.

Takeshita Dori is made up of a wide variety of interesting and cute (targeting teenage girls) stores. This area is a window shopper's paradise.

Yoyogi Park

Yoyogi Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. What is now Yoyogi Park was the site of the first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan, on December 19, 1910, by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, following which it became an army parade ground.

During the postwar occupation, it was the site of the Washington Heights residence for U.S. officers. It later was selected as the site for the 1964 Summer Olympics, and the distinctive Olympic buildings designed by Kenzo Tange are still nearby. In 1967, it was made into a city park.

Today, the park is a popular hangout, especially on Sundays, when it is used as a gathering place for people to play music, practice martial arts, etc. The park has a bike path, and bicycle rentals are available.

As a consequence of Japan's long recession, there are several large, but quiet and orderly, homeless camps around the park's periphery. Recently, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced plans to build a stadium -- with room for 100,000 -- in Yoyogi Park in order to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Yoyogi Park has a fenced dog run, one of the few areas in Tokyo where dogs are allowed to be off leash. The dog run is located towards the western side of the park, inside the bicycle path, east of the parking lot at the western edge of the park. The dog run's ground is covered in wood chips, and the run is divided into two sections and contains a few benches.