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Alodia’s Fantasy: Geek Girl in Charge

One of the keys to a geek idol’s appeal is her uniqueness. People don’t want to see her as just another pretty face, just another cookie-cutter starlet. People want to see what’s going on inside that crazy, quirky, geeky mind of hers. That’s why Japanese cosplay idol Shoko Nakagawa is the blog queen of Japan: people actually want to witness her geeky antics online.

Too many mainstream producers can’t comprehend that. Too many mainstream producers neither understand nor tolerate a geek idol’s geekiness. Too many mainstream producers try to take a geek idol and turn her into something safe, something kosher, something their limited imaginations can handle. It happened to Shoko early in her career, when she was initially cast as just another bikini idol.

Avoiding the Starlet Trap

“Acting like everyone else is boring. If I just can stay true to myself, I know I can do anything.” — Haruhi Suzumiya, Bouken Desho Desho? (English version by Cristina Vee).

By and large, cosplay goddess Alodia Gosiengfiao has managed to avoid the cookie-cutter starlet trap. Her hosting gig with Animax highlights her anime geekiness, even letting her blog about it on Animax’s site. Her endorsement deal with the Japanese online game TinierMe gave her gamer geekiness full expression, even letting her design a completely original game character from scratch. Her ad campaign with Globe Telecom focuses completely on her cosplay geekiness, successfully highlighting that a girl who posts a lot of cosplay pictures could use Globe’s broadband service.

If people want to see a geek idol’s geekiness, then why not give her geekiness full expression? Why not give her complete creative control?

That’s exactly the idea behind Alodia’s new show. Click here to continue reading “Alodia’s Fantasy: Geek Girl in Charge”…

Tila Tequila Concert Assailant Confesses on YouTube

As a general rule, you really shouldn’t brag about your crimes on YouTube — or anywhere else on the Internet, for that matter. Apparently, some people don’t abide by that rule. In 2008, a bunch of teenagers beat up sixteen-year-old Victoria Lindsay and posted a video of the beating on YouTube. Needless to say, they were immediately identified and apprehended.

Skip ahead to 2010. French-Vietnamese singer Tila Tequila, the queen of MySpace, was invited to perform at an Illinois music festival called the Gathering of the Juggalos. For those unfamiliar with Midwest horrorcore and street gangs, “Juggalos” are fans of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. Click here to continue reading “Tila Tequila Concert Assailant Confesses on YouTube”…