I know I've been missing out on a lot of Japanese entertainment news but I saw this yesterday and I knew I had to talk about it. On August 8, actress/singer Chieko Kawabe filed for marriage with television producer Masato Ochi. Now, this normally wouldn't be a big deal. However, Kawabe is 21 and Ochi is double her age at 42. My jaw dropped at this news. I've watched Kawabe when she was Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon stage musicals; I watched her when she was Naru in the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon drama; I enjoy her music immensely and have been awaiting more from her. And now she married a man twice her age. Well, I still wish her happiness and I hope that there isn't something (read: pregnancy) that forced her into the marriage.

Generally, I don't play a lot of console games. However, I really loved playing the Karaoke Revolution series on our PS2 and my husband loves the Guitar Hero series. So when we first heard about Rock Band, we knew we had to have it. My husband and my daughter went to the midnight release Monday night/Tuesday morning in order to be fully prepared for some Tuesday morning jamming. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, I'll try to explain it a bit. You and up to three friends play different instruments to form the perfect rock band. The game comes with a drum set, a guitar and a microphone. The guitar controller from Guitar Hero can be used to fill in for the bass. You don't have to physically be with your friends to play either. The game has online capabilities so, for example, my husband and I can play with our friends who live in Mississippi.

I got to play a bit last night. As I already said, I like karaoke games. Immediately I was dubbed the singer of our band, which is fine with me! My husband took the guitar part. (My five-year old daughter wanted to play the drums with us but she'll have to wait until she practices some more.) Together, we toured a couple of different cities and performed a bunch of songs. I absolutely love this game. The songs are kickass, the controllers are easy to use and it's just a really fun time.

After a few band performances, my husband took a World of Warcraft break. I decided to give the drums a try. Under normal circumstances, I'm not very coordinated. That's why I don't play the guitar in any musical games. Most of the games leave me frustrated and unwilling to learn how to use the controllers properly. While it was a little difficult starting the drums due to my inability to move my feet and my hands at the same time, I still found it to be extremely enjoyable. I actually want to practice more so I can be a real Rock Band drummer!

If you really love music or have always dreamed of being in a rock band, this would be the perfect game for you. Yes, it is on the expensive side but I think the game is worth the high price tag.