[purrple_lover]

SMAP X SMAP SHOW

SMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 (JST) every Monday. The show's usual rating is higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%.


.: Concept :.

Bistro SMAP

Bistro SMAP, usually the first half of the show, features SMAP members cooking for celebrity guests who are invited to the show (there are usually two guests). SMAP leader, Masahiro Nakai, is the host (or the waiter), and other four members of SMAP are split into two teams. On some special occasions, other member of SMAP become the host so Nakai can be part of the team and cook. Guests are able to order anything they want, then each team will face each other cooking the best meal for the guests. Once the guests have tried out both team's meal, both guests chooses the winner. The winning team receives gifts, or if a kiss on the cheek if the guest is female.


Comedic skits and games

Second half of the show features SMAP members acting in comedic skits, usually a parody of other FujiTV shows, anime or manga, trends, or comedian actings. There are usually other celebrities participating in the skit, and various games in some occasions.


Musical performance

The last section of the show features various musical groups and artists, collaborating with SMAP. SMAP briefly interviews the groups or artists (recorded after they've performed) then sings their song, usually a medley, and sometimes with SMAP's song. Usually when SMAP's new single is close to being released or has released, they sing their own song as a promotion.


SMAP×SMAP official website (Japanese)

credit: wikipedia

[purrple_lover]

Who is SMAP?

SMAP is a Japanese "idol" group, formed by Johnny & Associates. Originally, there were six members in the group; current members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori.

Their musical debut was in 1991. Since then they have released many CDs, three of which have been sold more than a million. Recently, the interval of releasing single CDs is becoming relatively long, approximately once a year. The members of SMAP have also starred in many television variety shows, dramas, commercials, and movies. Their fanbase mostly consists of Japanese women.


.: History :.

SMAP was first formed in 1988, though their début single came in 1991. The letters “SMAP” officially stand for "Sports and Music Assemble People". SMAP originally consisted of the current five members plus Katsuyuki Mori, who left in May 1996 to pursue a career in auto racing.

SMAP was started as an idol group by Johnny & Associates, a talent agency specializing in teenage boys. The SMAP members met each other in 1987 and were called "Skate Boys". They were backup dancers for Hikaru Genji, which was a popular idol group at the time. In 1988, they formed SMAP. Nakai, the oldest, was appointed the group's leader. Their début in 1991, in a time when there weren't many music programs, was not immediately successful. Of all of Johnny's groups, SMAP was the least popular.

In August 1991 a Saint Seiya musical sponsored by Bandai, was shown in the Aoyama theater in Tokyo, Japan. The story recalls the Sanctuary and Poseidon chapter, starring the members of SMAP as the 5 bronze saints and Poseidon.

Since SMAP was so unsuccessful, Nakai asked Johnny's office to let SMAP have a variety program to make people laugh with their unique personalities. The program was called "I Love SMAP" (愛ラブSMAP ai rabu SMAP?, a pun as the first character also means "love"). Through this program, SMAP slowly gained popularity. 1993 was a year of opportunities for SMAP. They had a hit single, and SMAP member Takuya Kimura was in a TV drama called "Asunaro Hakusho", in which he played Osamu Toride, a shy boy. Asunaro was a big hit and Kimura's popularity soared. At the same time, SMAP also provided the opening and ending themes for the anime Hime-chan's Ribbon, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi appeared in multiple episodes as himself doing the voice of a regular character. SMAP also recorded the opening song, "Kimi Iro Omoi", for the anime Akazukin Cha Cha, and this time the youngest member, Shingo Katori, lent his voice for the whole show as the young strong werewolf, Riiya.

After that, SMAP members starred in movies both individually and as a group, and SMAP continued to release new hit singles composed by professionals. Their song "Yozora no Mukou" was mentioned in some Japanese textbooks.

In 1996, SMAP started their own variety program called SMAP×SMAP (also called SmaSma). On SMAP×SMAP, they cook (on a regular section of the show called Bistro Smap), perform in comedy sketches (often parodies of other shows), play games, sing and dance with other musical groups. As "an idol group that does anything", they began starring in a wide variety of programs ranging from live stage to music, dancing, hosting other programs, acting in movies, commercials, etc.

In 2000, NTT East produced two animated and two live-action television commercials for their ISDN service featuring a more updated version of the anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. The live action commercials featured some of the members of SMAP in Gatchaman costumes.

In 2001, Inagaki was involved in a traffic altercation. There were allegations of wrongdoing on his part, and he briefly retreated from the public spotlight. However, the ultimate result of the incident was to put SMAP in the public eye once more. Inagaki has since made a comeback, and starred in a 2004 drama about a fictional Japanese investment banker killed in the events of September 11.

In 2003, SMAP leader Nakai was identified as the highest tax payer of any entertainer in Japan by the Japanese National Tax Bureau. That same year, he was involved in at least four television shows simultaneously, in addition to commercials.

There were speculations that SMAP would disband following Takuya Kimura's announcement of his marriage and Goro Inagaki's traffic altercation in 2001. Although they did not release even a single in 2004, the popularity of SMAP is still strong. This is reflected in the charts, where both their latest album and a recent single (017 SAMPLE BANG! and BANG BANG! バカンス!) topped the respective daily charts just moments after their release, although it did not become the annual top.

In 2008, they will have a 6-day tour at the Tokyo Dome, becoming the Japanese artist(s) to have the most amount of tour at the Dome. They will also release a new album super.modern.artistic.performance (SMAP) on the first day of the tour, September 24, 2008.


.: Members :.

All of the members of SMAP have acted in numerous television dramas, variety programs commercials, and movies, but each also cultivates a distinctive image and personality.

Masahiro Nakai is the eldest and "leader" of the group and has hosted numerous television programs with other experienced hosts except one current program, the most famous of which, being Utaban, which he has co-hosted with comedian Takaaki Ishibashi since the show's beginning in 1996 to this day. He is a notorious bachelor, trickster and poor singer, none of which have prevented him from being one of the currently highest paid tarento in the Japanese entertainment industry. He frequently wears a hat and has long hair, although his look changes frequently. He starred as Eiryo Waga in 2004's "Suna no Utsuwa" alongside Watanabe Ken.

Takuya Kimura has appeared in many high-rating television dramas. After his breakout role in Long Vacation, Kimura became the cover boy for many magazines. In 1994, the so-called Kimutaku (a contraction of Kimura Takuya) phenomenon started to be observed in some media. Kimura was voted Best Jeanist from 1994 to 1999, after which he received his own special category as the magazine's "forever Jeanist". He was voted AnAn's favorite guy, whose survey method practically allows multiple votes. He is still AnAn's favorite guy, having won the vote 14 times consecutively (as of 2007). In 1995, Kimura acted in a movie called, Kimi wo wasurenai. More recent movie credits include Wong Kar Wai's 2046 and Howl's Moving Castle. Many of the dramas he has acted in, such as "HERO" and "Beautiful Life", have received high ratings.

Goro Inagaki is one of the main vocalists of the group. He has his own late-night variety programme called Goro's Bar, and also acts in television dramas as well as occasional stage plays.

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi speaks Korean and is also known as an actor, appearing in "Hotel Venus". He seems to have soft features and to project a "sensitive" image. In 2005, he went to Thailand to learn more about the lives of orphans there, and documented the trip for a television special of SMAP's weekly variety program SMAPXSMAP.

Shingo Katori He is the youngest member of SMAP, but also the tallest. For a while he dyed his hair white, making him stand out in the group. At one point he also had dreadlocks. He has also done anime voice work, most notably the role of Riiya in Akazukin ChaCha. He also received critical acclaim for playing Kondo Isami in NHK's all-star cast Taiga Drama, "Shinsengumi" in 2005, and as Son Goku on the hit television series "Saiyuuki" and it's accompanying feature film in 2006.


.: Music :.

SMAP has released over thirty singles, and three of them, "Yozora no mukou" (夜空ノムコウ "Beyond the Night Sky"), "Lion Heart", and "Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana" (世界に一つだけの花 "A Flower Unlike Any Other in the World"), have sold more than two million copies each.

Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana became SMAP's best selling single and also for the year of 2003

"A Flower Unlike Any Other in the World" was very popular in Japan more than a year after its release in 2003 and sold over two million copies. It was the only single selling over a million copies that year, a year that saw CD sales declining due to the Japanese economic slump. This song was selected as the Space Shuttle Discovery crew wake-up call in August 2005, on STS-114 Flight Day 13.

The song is about individuality, and since it became a hit fame during the lead up to and aftermath of the 2003 Iraq war, some seemed to perceive it as a plea for peace. The song made it to No. 1 on the Oricon 2003 Yearly Singles Top 100. A line from the end and beginning of the song, "NO.1 にならなくてもいい　もともと特別な Only one", roughly translated, "You don't have to become the best. You're special to begin with, the one and only (you)", was made reference to on some occasions. The music and lyrics of the song were created by Noriyuki Makihara, a popular Japanese singer and songwriter.

Although SMAP did not release a new song in 2004, it held the #1 spot for the first few weeks into the year and finished the year on the #11 spot. SMAP was invited to perform in Kouhaku that year, but they refused for the second time since 2001 because all the individual members had so many commitments that year, such as movies and dramas, that they wanted to rest. In retrospect, 2004 was a year that did not have a single million-selling CD.

"Arigatou" (ありがとう "Thank You") was SMAP's 40th single, and was released on Oct 11th,2006. It is an expression of thanks in honor of the 15th anniversary of SMAP's debut.


.: Acting :.

Their variety program SMAP×SMAP shows several types of entertainments ranging from cooking, comedy, and games to singing and dancing, often with celebrity guests, including celebrities like Ayumi Hamasaki, Michael Jackson, Will Smith, Utada Hikaru, David Beckham, Tom Cruise, The Backstreet Boys, Paris Hilton, Matt Damon, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sheryl Crow, Richard Gere, Avril Lavigne, and Kwon Sang Woo, though most guests are Japanese tarento ("talents").

At the beginning of 2004, Kimura and Kusanagi each starred in a drama show ("PRIDE" and "Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi" or "The Way We Live", respectively) both the high-rating dramas of the season. Inagaki sang the song for "Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi". (Initially, the fact that Inagaki was singing the song was kept a secret, but after numerous fans called Fuji TV, it was revealed to the public.)

Film "Yomigaeri" starring Kusanagi was considered to be a hit in 2003.


.: Other projects :.

Besides singing and acting, the group also manages to be active in numerous other forms of media fields as well.

Besides their weekly variety show SMAP×SMAP, the individual members are also currently regulars/hosts on the following shows:

Masahiro Nakai:
Waratte Iitomo! Zoukangou (Sunday, 10:00~11:45)
Black Variety (Sunday, 22:30~22:56)
Waratte Iitomo! (Tuesday, 12:00~13:00)
The! Sekai Gyouten News (Wednesday, 21:00~21:54)
Utaban (Thursday, 19:54~20:54)
Nakai Masahiro no Kinyoubi no Sma-tachi e (Friday, 21:00~21:54)

Goro Inagaki:
Goro's Bar (Thursday, 24:25~24:55)
Wasurebumi (Sunday, 5:45~6:00)

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi:
Waratte Iitomo! Zoukangou (Sunday, 10:00~11:45)
Pussuma (Tuesday, 23:15~24:10)
Waratte Iitomo! (Thursday, 12:00~13:00)
Bokura no Ongaku 3 (Narrator; Thursday, 23:30~23:58)
Chonan Kan 2 (Thursday, 25:25~25:40)

Shingo Katori:
Waratte Iitomo! (Monday, 12:00~13:00)
Waratte Iitomo! Zoukangou (Sunday, 10:00~11:45)
Tokujou! Tensei Shingo (Sunday, 16:25~16:55)
UraSma6 (Saturday, 22:57~23:00)
SmaSTATION-6 (Saturday, 23:00~23:54)

Takuya Kimura:
Takuya Kimura is not currently a regular on any show besides SMAPxSMAP. However, he regularly hosts What's Up Smap (WuS), a weekly radio programme for a local radio station in Tokyo (Friday nights) and guests from time to time in his co-members shows, such as Pussuma, UraSma and SmaSTATION. Even though all other members of SMAP appear regularly on Waratte Iitomo!, Kimura never appears on the show unless there is a drama or film that he is starring in, and he is promoting it on the show as a guest.

In 2003, three of the books ranked in the year's best selling 10 books were released by SMAP: Kimura's "First Essay(Kaihou-ku "open area")", Katori's "English Berabera", and also Katori's "Diet Shingo".

In 2002, the group released a soft drink called "Drink! SMAP" in order to promote a CD of the same name.

SMAP was also chosen to be official spokespersons for Square-Enix's popular Dragon Quest series of role-playing video games.

credit: wikipedia

[shinn]

ooo SMAPXSMAP!!
i used to watch it ever wek when I was in Japan =]
it was hilarious xDDD

ooo.. that guy from sapuri! o.o!

[broken.wings]

I only like watching the bistro part. lol.

[cRoSsTaGe]

I didn't know that you have a forum for SMAPXSMAP programme. I like the show very much, its funny.

[mugendai]

i havent seen much soompi threads about japanese variety shows so lets start with smasma!
SMAP×SMAP is an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it airs from 22:00 to 22:54 (JST) every Monday. The show's usual rating is higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. (wiki)

which part of the show is everyone's favorite? Bistro, skits, games, perfs?
the skit part i'd say is more funny if you are familiar with japanese entertainment and such because a lot of SMAP's skits involve parody of them.

personally i love the new characters skits.
especially KIMURA'S GAL CHARACTER, SHINOBU!!

Last week's SMAP
- EXILE on bistro, awesomeness and incredibly funny
- Kimura's skit, crossdressing Kimura is always fun to watch
- Goro's skit, parody of Edo Harumi. SOO FUNNY!! perfect imitation of her! XD
- Sonomama perf

lets discuss!

[squallie]

Ohh my gosh, I LOVE this show. Especially when it features foreign artists, it's absolutely hilarious! I love Kimura Takuya, especially when he crossdresses as a woman. He's such a versatile actor. Bistro SMAP is always the best!

[vic_taebin]

i had a "SMAP" moment last summer when i used to watch clips from youtube, but most of them got taken down. =\
I remembered there was an episode of the best moments of bistro smap where shingo would imitate celebrities on the show. I would have to say that the funniest one he did was Will Smith. He's freakin hilarious!

[zashibear]

I enjoy this show very much. SMAP is very funny. And they do different stuff on the show. NIce.

[purrple_lover]

SMAP to embark on nationwide tour

TOKYO — Pop group SMAP will start a nationwide tour in September, the organizer said Monday. The tour will kick off with six concerts at Tokyo Dome, starting Sept 24. Other venues will be announced shortly, organizers said, adding they expect 330,000 fans to attend the Tokyo concerts.

SMAP will also release a new album titled “super. modern. artistic. Performance” on the first day of the tour. In an official comment, singer Takuya Kimura said, “We haven’t had direct communications with our fans for a long time. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. The tour is something like a party that we should enjoy now, and I hope everybody will enjoy it with us.”

credit: japantoday


>>> Same News, below


SMAP schedules 6 shows at Tokyo Dome

SMAP has announced a nationwide tour starting in late September, kicking off with a historic series of 6 performances at the Tokyo Dome. No other Japanese artist has performed that many times at the Dome in a single tour. The only musicians who have surpassed that mark are The Rolling Stones (10 shows) and Michael Jackson (9 shows).

The group will also be releasing their first album in two years, titled "super.modern.artistic.performance." It will go on sale on September 24, the same day their tour starts. The 19-track album will include arrangements in various genres such as jazz and classical, and overseas artists like Burt Bacharach and Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am are collaborating on it.

source: tokyograph


*~*~*

SMAP New Single[2008.08.13]

Kono Toki, Kitto Yume ja Nai


click here to buy from HMV Japan

click here to buy from cdjapan

click here to buy from yesasia.com

Format:CDS
Number of Discs:1
This version issued: 2008-08-13
Label:Victor Entertainment

Track Listing and Sample
01 この瞬間(とき)､きっと夢じゃない
02 Two Of Us
03 この瞬間(とき)､きっと夢じゃない(Back Track)
04 Two Of Us(Back Track)

[LIL_5tar_87]

i love this show..its funny...their parodies are funny..and the bistro part is fun to watch...they can COOK!!!hahah

[cybercaptain]

A Smasma thread. Was this always here? o__o Anyway...

Did you guys catch the Sex and the City parody last month? Totally epic. XD;;

[froska]

does anyone know any sites were i can download smap episodes besides d addics

[Maia-chan]

does anyone know any sites were i can download smap episodes besides d addics

Try:

community.livejournal.com/smapxmedia
community.livejournal.com/smapxsmap

You have to join them, I think.

[purrple_lover]

cybercaptain: hahaha the Sex and the City parody was hilarious, i pity Goro hehehe

froska: you can also go to my SMAP FOR U forum to dwld them, i just recently updates the latest smasma...click on my siggie

SMAPXSMAP 040808 LOVE AWARDS Review


I absolutely love any SMASMA Love Awards Episode cuz they recaps all the best, funny moments as well as behind the scenes clip hahaha....In this episode, they 'rewind back' the Victoria Beckham, Kusanagi went to see Ronaldhino, the spiderman thingy, gosh lots more and basically i cant just stop laughing watching this one-hour pack laughter show hehehe....and in the end, based on the clips shown and audience votes, the loser has to do a 'batsu game' or 'punishment game' which will be decided by the winner hehehehe....guess who lose and who wins?

[purrple_lover]

SMAPXSMAP 110808 Review


The Bistro Guests this time were actor, Toshiaki Kurosawa and actress, Rie Miyazawa. Personally, i like the acting style of Toshiaki-san, he is one of the top actor in Japan besides that he is really good in making people laugh --- he is a very spontaneous comedian. Definitely got to love him hehehe.

There was also the snooker game segment with guest stars, Cameron Diaz & Ashton Kuchter who came to promote their movie 'What Happen in Vegas'...Cameron had came to SMASMA before as the Bistro guest and she likes the 'noodle cuisine' she had last time. The loser in the 'snooker game' will have to follow the winner's instruction, Cameron said if she won she wanted to eat the noodle again, but did she and Ashton win the game? or SMAP win?...Got to watch for yourself.

In the music segment, SMAP promoted their Olympic-theme single title 'Kono Toki, Kitto Yume ja Nai'. Some extra, is the ad showed during the show, i never enjoy watching a long ad as much as i watch SMAP show or any japanese for that matter cuz there are always hot japanese idols in the cf and esp during SMASMA, the majority would be KimuTaku's CF, which is total spazzing cuz he is just pure sexy hehehehe....sori im a KimuTaku hardcore.

[cocoa]

Ooh, I better find the Sex and the City parody. I loved it when Goro and Shingo did a parody of Galileo, and Goro played Goroleo. Hilarity.

[michtiu_888]

aww! ive been looking for this shows videos with english subs.. does anyone know where i can watch most of it with subs?

[purrple_lover]

Ooh, I better find the Sex and the City parody. I loved it when Goro and Shingo did a parody of Galileo, and Goro played Goroleo. Hilarity.

if u r looking for it, can head over my SMAP FOR U forum, click on my siggie. its the smasma 180808 which i make the review below

aww! ive been looking for this shows videos with english subs.. does anyone know where i can watch most of it with subs?

there are some smasma episode with english sub which my SMAP Fansub Team make earlier. but the fansub now has been abandon hehehe cuz everyone is bz...u can try dwld the previous sub episode at my forum, click on the SMAP banner at my siggie

SMAPXSMAP 180808 Review


The bistro guest this time are Matsura Aya and her 'alter ego' Haruna Ai(well not actualli an alter ego but the person became popular cuz she imitate Aya-chan). It was hilarious esp wen they chose who wins, for those of you who know the 'rules' of the bistro, you should know what happen wen female guests chose the winner, right?....it was funny wen Haruna-chan wanted to kiss Kimura cuz Shingo doesnt like her to kiss his Kimura(hehehe i love the Kimura-Shingo coupling, basically Shingo is pretty close to his Kimura and almost in everything he wanted to be like Kimura)...

Also this is the episode wer SMAP did the Sex & the City Parody, SMASMA lovers definitely got to see this. It surely crack you.

The music segment guest was Tube, seriously no idea who the group is but if they are invited to SMAP show means that they are VIP in the ent biz cuz SMAP dun jus invite artists to their show

[purrple_lover]

SMAPXSMAP 250808 Review


A quick one, the bistro guest is the Japan Olympic swimmer..frankly speaking, i dun spazz much when sportsmen/sporstwomen come to SMASMA Bistro, tho im a fan of most of them hehehe....i just have a thing for entertainers coming as guests on SMASMA Bistro cuz most of them have work together and they will spill juicy news about the boys hehehe...

There is a bowling segment, well if its SMAP, there are bound to have it the SMAP way meaning that the bowling game was modified(very creative producers)

The music segment is always the best tho there is no guest artist this time, but SMAP sang their single hehehe ---MAJOR SMAP SPAZZ!!

*~*~*

Smap 018 - super.modern.artistic.performance[2008.09.24]



click here to buy from HMV Japan

click here to buy from cdjapan
cdjapan description
Eighteenth album release from SMAP featuring the hit tune "Sonomama," "Kono Toki Kitto Yume Jya Nai," "Mermaid" and other songs produced and written by will.i.am, Burt Bacharach, and more.

click here to buy from yesasia.com
yesasia.com review
Smap returns with their first full-length album in over two years. Their 18th album super.modern.artistic.performance sees the group taking on new musical elements including jazz and classical music. In addition, they also invited well-known Western artists like Burt Bacharach and will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas for their new recordings. The band's most recent No. 1 singles Sonomama and Kono Toki, Kitto Yume jyanai are among the album's highlights. super.modern.artistic.performance gets everybody ready for the upcoming SMAP 2008 super.modern.artistic.performance tour starting in the end of September.

Format: CD
Number of discs (or other units): 2
Release Date: 2008/09/24
Item weight: 700 g
Label: Victor Entertainment

Track Listing and Samples
Disc 1
1. Theme of 019 super.modern.artistic.performance
2. Kono Toki, Kitto Yume Jya Nai
3. Jazz
4. Love loser
5. Anata no Tame ni Dekiru Koto
6. Keep on
7. Mermaid
8. Hitotsu Dake no Ai ~ Ave Maria
9. Hajimari no Uta
10. Kokoro Pazuru Rizumu
11. Sonomama
12. Last Smile
13. Still U
14. Dou ka Todoki Masu You ni

Disc 2
1. Miyamini coopera ga Tsukutta Uta
2. Style
3. Life Walker
4. Soudesu!
5. Here Is Your Hit