Paris By Night 36: The Video was released on June 27, 1996. It has been 11 years since Thuy Nga Productions had came to Houston for the first time. There were many changes during those 11 years but let’s have a little flash back review on the first Paris By Night in Houston, Texas. My reviews on the hosts Hồng Đào – It was Hong Dao’s first time in the podium in Paris By Night before she became a comedian with Quang Minh. Hong Dao looked really young and had mini bangs and stuff. She looked more serious and more different than when she acts in the comedies. Hong Dao had replaced Ky Duyen temporarily because Ky Duyen had a baby which was also used as a joke in Paris By Night 88. Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn – I seriously laughed out loud when I saw Chú Nguyen Ngoc Ngan. He actually looked a lot like his son back then, he looked 22 years younger and he was taller than Hong Dao (possibly he was standing on something lol) but yeah he hasn’t changed a bit! The Show review Hoang Vang – Bao Han, Chau Ngoc and Thanh Ha I already forgot what the song was about lol….. but they looked fine and Bao Han looks sooo young back then with her cute puffy lips! The male dancers were wearing unbuttoned white shirts and they danced lol….. um somehow the trio (chicks) looked like Pussycat dolls lol!. Mai Toc Da Huong – Y Lan Still the queen of dieu. If I remember correctly she wore a green dress and her hair was different and her voice hasn’t changed since Die in your arms tonight – Don Ho I remembered this song lol like all the vampires and all that but I also saw some familiar dancers that still dance in Thuy Nga. I liked those half English and half Vietnamese songs it takes me back to the days were music was great back then. Hoa 10 Gio – Hoang Lan Loved the voice but didn’t pay attention lol Nu Hon Thuong Dau – Hoa Mi She looked way different back then and she has gotten older now. I loved the hair and the black dress her song was good and overall everything was good. Say – Nguyen Hung This song is now in the Thuy Nga Hall of Fame for being such a famous song which was sung in Houston again….. amazing! Nguyen Hung had changed a lot and I love the old PBN back drops and the moonlight and the backdrops. This also was one of the well known songs by Nguyen Hung. Duyen No Cho Troi – Chi Tam and Huong Lan I love this this is similar to a Cai Luong I saw with Vu Luan but anyway Huong Lan’s Central Vietnamese accent is cool and the Tan Co was great but Banh Bong Lan was better! Chiec La Mua Dong – Bao Han This is my favourite song from Bao Han although it is a Chinese song it’s taken in an Indian theme. When I was 7 I would play this song over and over again because this song was so catchy and so sad and so beautiful. After 15 years Bao Han had improved a lot! Toi Yeu Em – Thai Chau Didn’t pay attention lolz Night in White Satin – Phillip Huy I was amazed that Phillip Huy was in Thuy Nga I found this song ok….. but no real review for it Ke Yeu Tham – My Huyen When I was little, I loved My Huyen with every song that she sings and I liked her hair this was memorable because she held a guitar and all that but overall the performance was good. Tinh Lo Tram Nam – Ai Van Nguyen Hung I miss Ai Van but I never would think Nguyen Hung would sing as well because he rarely sings these kinds of songs anymore. Ai Van’s dress was beautiful! Romeo and Juliet – Henry Chuc, Dalena, Fu Man Chu, Pham Long (narrator) Romeo and Juliet is one of the famous stories by William Shakespeare. The act in Pari By Night is really romantic but it contains English Lines and Vietnamese singing which I found quite amusing. Well the scenes include the ball, the balcony scene, the death of Tybalt…. (I think), Juliet’s poison, Romeo commiting suicide (by poison), Juliet waking up and stabs herself. Really sad stuff and really good acting, Dalena, Henry and Fu are fabulous actors and overall this was one of my favourite plays out of the whole show. Duong Di Tron Kiep – The Son Well I liked The Son’s hair back then lol and he was a reverend in this song which is ok but yeah that’s about it. He has changed a lot he’s way better now because not only his voice and looks has changed but his stage presence he has gotten bigger parts these last few PBNs such as the act with Nhu Quynh…. Giang Ma Thuong – Huong Lan Nice song….. my memory has been really fuzzy lately…. One Good Man – Lynda Trang Dai The former single woman turned cowgirl…. The song starts with these girls (dressed in moulin rouge outfits) running out and screaming and the cowboys come out chasing them. Lynda enters the stage in a cowgirl suit and gets a gun and shoots the cowboys she enters the bar prop and the girls run away and one of the male dancers enters topless with white pants (I think) and playing a guitar then Lynda comes in some sexy outfit and sings and the best part must be the chicks lassoing the guys and pulling them… battle of the sexes right there! Gian Thien Ly Da Xa – Thanh Lan I must say this is one of my favourite songs and truly a remarkable performance by Thanh Lan. The background is really creamy and a bench and a post lamp are the props for the stage. Thanh Lan wears a white Ao-Daiish dress with an umbrella. The song is a slow ballad… she starts singing in Vietnamese and when she finished with that version she starts singing in French… a truly remarkable and beautiful performance by Thanh Lan. Tren Da Tinh Yeu – Le Uyen & Phuong Didn’t pay attention Can Thiet – Thanh Ha That song too Nguoi Dep Trong Tranh – Ai Van The Son A really fun song and now I really really miss those musicals I hope they do those again in future Thuy Nga shows…. Well Ai Van is this beautiful woman in the portrait and The Son admires her and then she comes to life WHOA LMAO!!!! Conclusion: A really great recap and a Thuy Nga that brought back memories and truly one of the best. Hong Dao and NNN was great but I still can’t get over how tall and young NNN was. Overall a 9.5/10

1 Litre of Tears

Download the fan sub here : http://silentregrets.com/completed-jdramas/one-litre-of-tears.php This disease… why did it choose me? Note: This is not a Thuy Nga product but a review of one of my favourite dramas ever! ==CONTAINS SPOILERS== The Introduction: 1 Litre of Tears is a Japanese Drama named after a Diary of a girl named Aya Kito (also known as Kifuji) who suffered from Spinocellular Degeneration which causes her brain and the cerebellum to slowly deteriorate until the victim can hardly walk, talk, write and eat. Aya had wrote a diary about her disease and how she could cope with it and stopped when she couldn’t hold a pen. At 25 she passed away and her parents had published her diary which has now sold 1.1 million copies in Japan alone. The cast Erika Sawajiri as Aya Ikeuchi Erika Sawajiri had played Aya Ikeuchi in the drama and I couldn’t believe how well she played Aya. She made the drama seem real because she cries like nearly every episode and her actions seemed so real such as when she walked stiffly like a penguin. She looked cute and young also she actually did look 15 even though she was 19. Ryo Nakishido as Haruto Asou Even though this was a fictional character in the drama Ryo also made the character look real. At first I thought Haruto was a really boring character with no personality but when the drama went on I saw an interesting side of him and reading off youtube saying that he’s hot says it all. Hiroko Yakushimaru as Shioka Ikeuchi Hiroko is a very amazing actress showing every single aspect of a caring and beautiful mother and according to the special preview she had cried when she met Aya Kito’s mother and couldn’t believe that she had met who she’s playing. Her character is a mother who tries to help Aya to be strong even when she had the disease and not give up like one of her quotes “Aya…it’s sad but stay strong. It’ll be fine, because I have enough strength in me,” Takanori Jinnai as Mizuo Ikeuchi In one word HILARIOUS!!! Takanori’s facial reactions are funny and he brings in all of the humour of the drama. He plays a father who is stubborn and really outgoing he dislikes his girls to go out with men at such as young age for example Aya riding a bike with Haruto because she was injured and also when Aya invited Haruto to her house and also Takanori’s crying ROCKS! Riko Narumi as Ako Ikeuchi Riko is one of the not so main to main characters. The first time I saw Riko in the drama I thought she was an average selfish tom-boy with no care in the world and she did become sort of what I have imagined but when the drama progressed she turned into a caring loving sister who would help people achieve their goals by doing them herself. Fujiki Naohito as Hiroshi Mizuno Great acting and I love the doctor (not in a gay way) and I wonder why girls love him even when he’s married and has a kid. I like his acting throughout the whole series especially at episode 1 where he tells Shioka to come to the hospital to get the results…. It was scary when I first heard it…. Credits to Oonishi Asae as Asumi Oikawa Just watching her in the drama made me want to watch the movie which stars as Asae as Aya Kito. Asae’s acting made her stand out more than Erika in some cases such as speaking slowly and also watering the garden. At first I thought Asae was a real patient with the disease because of the way she acted and she’s very pretty as well. Why do beautiful people (at heart) get diseases? Favourite Scenes (using Character names): In no particular order Mizuo Ikeuchi’s first face-to-face meeting with Haruto Description: Ako walks in the living/dinner room and tells her father that Aya brought a boy into the house. Mizuo does his alarmed facial recation and goes to the Tofu room. Aya and Asou enter and greet, Ako thought that Asou is Aya’s boyfriend and then Mizuo says “Asou…. I’m Aya’s father,” in some sort of haunted/darth vader voice and that Asou whispers to Aya saying that he’s scary. Aya then tells her father that Haruto was the guy who helped her on the exam and then Mizuo does the facial impressions again making it sound that Asou had done something wrong. Review: Funny, my neice right beside me started laughing when she saw this scene so yea! Ako and Hiroki: One of my favourite scenes Description: when the guys from the football team mock Aya’s walking Ako pushes one of the boys over (as he went to far) and says He’s not qualified to play soccer because of the lack of sportsmanship Ako turns to Hiroki and asks why isn’t he standing up for her and Hiroki yells out that he doesn’t have a choice. Ako is furious and pulls Hiroki back home. Ako then admits that Aya is amazing, Aya overhears while Shioka and Mizuo surround Ako and Hiroki. Ako then says if she had Aya’s disease she wouldn’t leave the house because she’s not brave enough. Ako rushes upstairs to get a football top with Hiro (or Hiroki) sewn on the top in Red. She shows it to Hiro and then says that Aya had used her own bed time to sew this for Hiroki. Hiroki feels the pain that Ako and Aya both feel and starts to cry. Review: This scene is one of my favourite scenes, not only we see Ako turning over a new leaf but we also see Ako’s actress really acting in her biggest scene. Hiroki’s actor……*shrugs* his crying is hilarious though!!!! ^_^ Haruto and Aya in the rain…. At the zoo: Description: Aya stands in the rain really cold and shivering some one knocks Aya over (accidently) and Aya drops her gift (to the senpai) she gets it and stands up. Haruto then enters the scene and puts the umbrella over her. Aya looks and sees Haruto she is surprised and Haruto says that the Senpai is not coming. Aya smiles and then says that she knew that he wasn’t coming and later in the conversation Aya cries asking to make a time machine so she’ll return to the past and she cries….. yeah Review: Love it It shows the relationship is growing and it makes a very important entry in Aya’s diary! The phone scene Description: Aya’s father is worried about Aya at the disability school and waits for Aya to call him then Ako suggests that he should call Aya…. Lack of commonsense there Mizuo-san….LMAO. Mizuo then picks up the receiver and says “I will be the first person to call Aya,” he dials and back at the disability hospital Aya picks up her cell phone while Asumi watches her. And who was calling her? HARUTO! After a lil conversation Haruto then talks about Aya’s father… back at the Ikeuchi home Mizuo is confused and asks who would call her in a time like this. Ako then says that it would be Haruto. Mizuo screams out “WHAT!” then he turns to Shioka and suggested that she shouldn’t have bought Aya a cell phone. Shioka then makes an excuse to go to the shower…. LMAO Review: …………….. LMAO!!! That scene was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing! ==SPOILERS END== Um…. Recommendations: I super ultra highly recommend this drama to anyone who loves heavy dramas, life stories, life, girls, love or basically drama because you will absolutely vote for this as one of your favourite dramas ever. There’s a possibility that you WILL cry and there is a possibility that you won’t cry but cry at heart when you watch the drama. Oh and also buy the Diary if you can read Japanese or you can simply read the English here www.xanga.com/onelitre http://diaryofaya.blogspot.com/ My rating: A 10/10! The best drama of 2005 and the best work by Erika Sawajiri!!