Susan Boyle On Kouhaku: Japan's 60th White Vs. Red


Kouhaku is NHK's way to end the year for all of us here in Nippon, all 120 million plus, with their fancy makeup, bad huge haircuts, gorgeous silly suits and outrageously flamboyant kimonos too.

The "red" team or akagumi (赤組, 紅組) is composed of female artists while the "white" team or shirogumi (白組) is all male.

What we call red can be written both as 赤 aka and the more chrimsom 紅 kou, thus the name.

Tonight is the 60th anniversary of this show, since 1951, when it was only on radio. A live show, nothing ever goes wrong, and there are hundreds of people to make sure that is always the case. While your grandmother enjoys the enka or uncle sings along to the pop, they make sure you can enjoy the latest best-selling bands like Churu-chuw or Flumpool. The additional fun includes nostalgic flashbacks with artists who haven't done so well lately, just to remind you of the つらい tsurai (hard times) and a Heal The World tribute to Michael Jackson.

Japan's Kouhaku, the insipration for the Eurovision Song Contest, which started in 1956?

South Korean, Russian, American and even one Latvian, Laima Vaikule, and a few others from other countries have been invited to this special New Years Eve show.

This year, the theme was 歌の力 uta no chikara （the power of song) and they even invited Susan Boyle from Scotland, who made such a splash at Britain's Got Talent.

Well done, Susan, I loved your "Hope I can return the compliment" comment, that was from the heart.

イギリス・スコットランド出身・今年４８歳の歌姫・スーザン・ボイルが、紅白に出演します。
今年４月、イギリスの人気オーディション番組「ブリテンズ・ゴット・タレント」に出場。その美しく澄んだ歌声で会場を圧倒し、またインターネットの動画サ イトを通して、その歌唱シーンに世界中で３億回以上のアクセスがあったという、スーザン・ボイル。まさに、歌が持つ力で夢をつかみ、世界中を感動で包みこ みました。

そんな彼女の歌が、大晦日の夜、日本の「紅白歌合戦」の舞台・ＮＨＫホールに響き渡ります。

Enjoy 2010, Gott Nytt År.

Update: NHK has already been busy this morning and gotten the clip from 12 hours ago removed from YouTube. Here is a clip from UK television with her Britan's Got Talent performances.

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