Yukina Kinoshita introduces 'Ugly Betty' DVD

Friday 05th September, 05:46 AM JST

TOKYO —

Celebrity Yukina Kinoshita, 20, this week appeared at a promotional event for the DVD release of the American TV drama “Ugly Betty.”

Kinoshita said, “I watched the DVD together with my best friend (singer) Teruma Aoyama who understands English. She told me that ‘ugly’ means ‘not cool.’ I was lucky to have her.”

Latest 15 of 20 Total Comments Show All

Dogdog at 09:24 AM JST - 5th September

she can quickly move onto being in cheap av flicks

Does this really happen or is this an urban myth?

It must be quite scarey for the talento to go from being on TV, to go being on your back and getting porked by some ugly (in Japanese AV flics, there nearly always ugly, to give the desperate audience the hope that if he can get laid, so can I) middle aged Japanese guy.
soldave at 09:41 AM JST - 5th September

It's rarely the case, although sometimes happens. Usually they advertise a JAV actress as someone who was on TV when she actually made a handful of appearances standing in for someone on some regional news programme before dropping out of that scene.

But some are using JAV as a stepping stone to the tarento circuit. Ai Iijima come to mind, and as Maria Ozawa's JAV lifetime seems to be slowly winding up with some uncensored releases, she is also trying to make the move to more mainstream work.
timeon at 09:44 AM JST - 5th September

Pukey, the fact that you know some news makes you clever?! but I do agree with the rest of you about the talents of this tarento
jerseyboy at 10:25 AM JST - 5th September

thepro and soldave...So true. Unfortunately in Japan, dumb sells. I just hope that the Japanese papers are not reporting her friend's translation of the word "ugly". But, it really doesn't matter. J-folks don't really care about the storyline of American movies/TV shows. Most of the time they just watch them because it is cool, or to see the fashions. Superficial thrives.
DenshaDeGO at 01:10 PM JST - 5th September

being dumb is hip now. hopefully this trend will die soon

You've obviously never taught in the public school system. Finding someone with even half a brain these days is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Pukey2 at 08:36 PM JST - 5th September

TIMEON:

Pukey, the fact that you know some news makes you clever?!

When did I say that? If you think that it's quite normal for the average Japanese adult (and you) to NOT know that the PM has just resigned, then that's your perogative. But don't drag me and others down to your level. Otherwise, get off your high horse.

Frankly, I find it quite worrying that someone who has not been locked up for days or who has not had their heads buried in the sand to not know this news. But then again, it doesn't surprise me that such a ミーハー is or acting stupid.
aedfed at 10:44 PM JST - 5th September

Never could figure out why that show was called "Ugly Betty." Frumpy Betty, yes, but ugly, no. I guess it's typical of Hollywood that they can't even find an ugly person to play an ugly person.
lipscombe at 11:58 PM JST - 5th September

I guess it's typical of Hollywood that they can't even find an ugly person to play an ugly person.

but how could an genuinely ugly person pull off the ugly duckling/cinderella scene which must surely be the payoff in this pile of keeeraaap? better to get a pretty attractive bit of skirt, brush her eyebrows upwards and give her some specs. then all the ugly birds who watch this rubbish can feel a glimmer of hope too hahaha
stanoue at 12:50 PM JST - 6th September

"Ugly" does not mean "not cool"!! That's like saying you want a cool boy with a nice hip. Blah. I wish they wouldn't use ad hoc talento to promote things like this - at least give her a dark wig not a blond one, Betty is hispanic sheesh
Nessie at 03:04 PM JST - 6th September

NHK is doing a spinoff yarase documentary "Ugly Yeti."
smithinjapan at 10:06 PM JST - 6th September

I suppose for a language that combines the word 'handsome' with 'cool' (and in fact, cannot understand the separate words in English), the leap from 'ugly' to it meaning 'uncool' is no big stretch of the imagination.

In Japan, ugly people simply aren't cool... that's it.

Anyway, her friend may understand English, but clearly she does so at an infant's level.
smithinjapan at 10:07 PM JST - 6th September

Anyway, 'Ugly Betty' has been on Japanese TV (or at least Japanese cable) for at least 2 years. Of course, that's the original version (is it Spanish or Italian?), which explains why no one would know what it was until American TV declared it as its own.
borscht at 12:34 AM JST - 7th September

It's Spanish. And the actress that played Ugly Betty was a far sight less beautiful than the American version. In the American version one is left wondering why she is called ugly. Not that the Spanish actress wasn't great - just she fit the part better than the American Betty.
akaguma at 02:06 AM JST - 7th September

she told me that 'ugliness' had nothing to do with selling yourself for the sake of your agency's profit margin
Nessie at 09:59 AM JST - 7th September

Becky was busy.