JPop Watch - Sad News As Anime Singer Origa Has Passed Away

It's a sad day for both Taking Over The Universe and JPop Watch as Jpop artist Origa has passed away. It is with heavy hearts that we bring you this news, and we wish the best for her family, friends, and fans.

Origa may have not been a Japanese native, hailing from Russia, but she has been near and dear to the hearts of many of her fans she's made since she her Japanese debut in 1995. She has performed the theme song for all of the installments thus far for the mega-hit anime Ghost In The Shell, and also worked very closely with the production the hit video game Final Fantasy XIII-2, providing vocals on many of the game's key tracks.

Today, anime-focused news site Anime News Network broke the news that the singer passed away after a battle with lung cancer. This news comes just weeks after cast announcements for the live action Ghost In The Shell movie which Origa was assumed to had been involved in. Fans both in Asia and the rest of the world alike are devastated and shocked to hear this news.  She was only 44 years old.

I, along with the rest of the team here at Taking Over The Universe extend positive vibes and a big hug to all of those affected by this tragic loss to the music world.

Real Housewives of New Jersey May Be On Hold Until 2016

That's right. Currently it's just a rumor as there has been no official word from Bravo or the production house yet, but the show may be on hiatus for a while. The reason? Well obviously because it's biggest star is in prison.

Teresa Giudice has recently gone to prison to face her crimes that she committed with her husband. Luckily the judge was understanding and sent her and her husband at separate times to keep her family together. Unfortunately, they are unable to film her exploits in prison for the Real Housewives franchise, which is her main form of income.

I was completely certain that she would be welcomed back to the show in it's eighth season, but if the stories floating around the internet are true, the producers are worried if the show will survive that long. Season six, despite welcoming back fan favorite Dina Manzo, was one of the lowest rated seasons in the shows history. It only came to be popular again when the court case was shown on the air. They are considering putting the show on hold until Teresa is released (early by the way) in February of 2016.

Is this a good idea? I'm not sure. I mean I personally wouldn't watch the show without Teresa. The new trio were rather boring, and the best wives have been gone. Without the crazy antics of Teresa or even Danielle, the show really doesn't stand much of a chance to survive. On the down side, and entire year without the show can cause fans to lose interest, and a year is a long time for their lives to continue on off camera.

We will be watching the net for more information on this story to keep everyone informed.

Willam Recreates Her Hit "Boy Is A Bottom" In Spanish

Yeah. It happened. I mean she has been performing this live for a while, so I guess a video was to be expected. It's a little bit awkward, it's a lotta bit awesome. And maybe in between somewhere it's just OK. Either way, it's here and it's Willam, so I'm gonna fill you in on it.

Prepare for the most obvious statement of the year. Detox and Vicky aren't present. This makes the entire video kind of weird feeling. Yeah, Willam is the sort of mastermind behind the song, but Detox and Vicky Vox really added so much hilarity to the work. Once you get over that one detail, the rest of it is somewhere in between completely genius and a hideous train wreck. I'm still working on where it is.

The video quality took a big step up from the original here. We have a lot of Marco Marco trademarks and a lot of bright and vibrant colors. Although most of the video is on green screen, it is very well done green screen so it really works for the video itself. Although it looks shiny and new, the "plot" of the first video was actually much more entertaining and funny, leaving a lot to be desired in the follow up.

The Spanish was pretty well spoken. It's obvious that she had someone else translate it for her, as her Spanish singing didn't sound very natural. From the basic Espanol I do know, I can say that she did speak rather accurately, and the message of the track does translate efficiently.

Certainly I can't be the one wondering why there's no Alaska and Courtney Act in this, right?

You can grab the song now on iTunes.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 5 Episode 9 [Reveiw]

This week on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills we get to see the kids of the wives... And that's about it. It's a slow episode to calm things down after weeks of drama. I understand they can't all be winners, but with an episode full of nothing, I wonder what happened. But don't let that stop you from reading. No, sir!

Manila Luzon Teases New Music Video "Stuck On You"

Manila Luzon is a genius. There. I said it. She is a drag genius. She is a graphic genius. She is also a music genius. I feel like of all the musical RuPaul's Drag Race queens, she really has skyrocketed past the show and developed her own brand. She is continuing said brand with her new ongoing project Eternal Queen, an ode to her lost love Sahara Davenport. Now she's vowed to keep the project going with another single off the album "Stuck On You".

"Stuck On You" is one of the best songs out of Eternal Queen, so I am beyond ecstatic that she chose this to be the next single. The EP was just too massive to only have one single or video. This track follows along in the same vein of "Eternal Queen", this song is very vocal in her feelings toward Sahara. This track is a bit less touching and a bit more extreme, but it still it is very sweet of her.

This single was the clear choice for a second single off of the EP.  It keeps in the theme of the work as a whole that serves as a tribute to her lost lover. I love how Manila is so open with her fans about the struggles in her life, and these two songs are the ultimate culmination of the entire last two years. All of her pain and sorrow have finally turned around and returned to the love that she once had.

In an unusual twist of events, Manila hasn't actually posted any previews of the video, keeping it much more tightly under wraps than her previous projects. All we have so far is the cover of the single (which I assume is from the video), and a lyric video. The video is set to premier January 22 and all of her Fanilas are on edge waiting for any scarps she can give us.

The B-52's Kate Pierson Is Solo And Wants You To Save The Turtles

I have been longing for more music from the B52's. Their 2008 release Funplex was everything I had hoped for, but that has been nearing eight years, and it's about time we got more. Although it's not the full band, vocalist Kate Pierson, the band's red-headed vixen, is solo and about to drop her new album Guitars And Microphones.

This is everything I hoped for and more. If this track is any indication of what the rest of the album is going to be like, sign me up. I will admit I was very worried when I heard Sia was attached to the project, seeing as her music is vastly different from what I was hoping for, but apparently she is some kind of fan of the olden days of B52s because they totally nailed it.

"Bring Your Arms" is the tragic tale of the sea turtles as they have their young fend for themselves on the way to the sea. The song does have it's up moments, most of which come from Kate herself, who is apparently completely insane (in the best way possible).

The album drops February 17, and if you preorder on iTunes now, you get both "Bring Your Arms" and "Mister Sister"

Fifth Harmony Reveals Track List For "Reflection"

I. Couldn't. Be. Any. More. Excited. Rightnow. Oh my GOD! I have been a secret (?) Fifth Harmony mega fan since practically forever, and the wait for a full album from them has been agonizingly long. They finally broke the Billboard charts, and now they are ready to drop their album. And it's about time seeing as it got pushed back over and over. Anyway, look at this picture!

To this day I see it as a national tragedy that we got this hideous cover instead of the original album cover they had chosen. They say that their fans demanded it, but honestly on Twitter I just saw them reveal it, not get that many RTs or whatever, and immediately change it.

Oh well.

Anyway, here's the track listing in all of it's glory.

01. Top Down
02. BO$$
03. Sledgehammer
04. Worth It
05. This Is How I Roll
06. Everlasting Love
07. Like Mariah
08. Them Girls Be Like
09. Reflection
10. Suga Mama
11. We Know
12. Going Nowhere (Deluxe)
13. Body Rock (Deluxe)
14. Brave, Honest, Beautiful

I am so excited to hear some of these. "Like Mariah" sounds like an instant classic, and "This Is How I Roll" has a lot of promise with it as well. We have, however, heard a few of these songs we have heard due to them being performed on their recent tours, most notably "Reflection" which has had a pirated video floating around YouTube (and no, I won't like to it. I'm not about that life). They also released a promotional single for people who preordered the track on iTunes, "Them Girls Be Like."

This only makes me more excited for this release. With two strong singles under their belt already and more than likely another single to come, this album is going to dominate the first half of 2015.

If they release it in the first half.

The new new release date for it is February 3, 2015. Let's pray this one is for real.