Thursday, May 30, 2013

Mystica, IHAW NA!

On the May 29, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment, we saw Tito Bhoy talking to guest celeb none other than the comedienne Mystica. Mystica even teach Tito Bhoy how to...SPLIT!


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The UNLIMITED - Hyobu Kyosuke - Original Soundtrack

The UNLIMITED -Hyobu Kyosuke- Original Soundtrack


Aired in TV Tokyo from January to March 2013, THE UNLIMITED -Hyobu Kyosuke- is a much darker spinoff from the memorable Zettai Karen Children anime series which highlights PANDRA leader Kyosuke Hyobu, his new recruit (unknowingly a spy from USEI) Andy Hinomiya, a mysterious girl named Yugiri, and the rest of PANDRA, travelling across the globe in their camouflaged ship known as the Catastrophe. With returning characters from Zettai Karen Children also featured on this spin-off, the anime series also delves deeper through Kyosuke Hyobu's past, making it one of the most darkest storylines ever told in the Zettai Karen Children franchise.

Welcome everyone to the original soundtrack based on the dark spinoff as seen on TV Tokyo since winter and with Kotaro Nakagawa, who was behind the BGM from the Zettai Karen Children series, at helm, this two-disc compilation features some of the darkest background musics as heard from what is believed to be one of the darkest anime series of the winter.

TRACK LISTINGS:

Disc 1
01 THE UNLIMITED
02 LΛST RESOLUTION (ENGLISH ver. TV EDIT)
03 無限を宿した男~兵部京介のテーマ~
04 危機はそこに
05 忍び寄る影
06 ミッション開始
07 緊迫
08 グラスを片手に
09 束の間の憩い
10 高雅なるワルツ
11 触れ合う心
12 可憐なる少女~ユウギリのテーマ~
13 さまよえる孤独な魂
14 LΛST RESOLUTION (JAPANESE ver. TV EDIT)
15 戦闘開始
16 闇に光る眼
17 解禁!
18 BRIGHTEST LIGHT (TV EDIT)
19 街中にて
20 玉が舞い鳩が飛ぶ
21 天使か悪魔か
22 友よ
23 その瞳に孤独を映して~アンディ・ヒノミヤのテーマ~
24 DARKNESS NIGHT (TV EDIT)

Disc 2
01 軍靴の行進
02 逃げられて誉められて
03 お転婆令嬢
04 BRAND NEW EDEN (TV EDIT)
05 月光の中で
06 今、戦いの幕が開く
07 ADVENT (TV EDIT)
08 ドッグファイト!
09 闇からの呼び声
10 カタストロフ
11 DARKNESS NIGHT Hyoubu arrange ver. (TV EDIT)
12 哀切のバラード
13 空の涯て (TV EDIT)
14 姿を見せた狂気
15 非情なる潜入捜査
16 DARKNESS NIGHT Hinomiya arrange ver. (TV EDIT)
17 歪む運命
18 未来物語 (TV EDIT)
19 刻よ永遠にとまれ
20 別れの時
21 OUTLAWS (#12 TV EDIT)

Let's Do The News! (May 29, 2013)

JC: And now, the news folks and I got word from Chevrolet that the Corvette C7 Stingray, the car that has Gran Turismo exclusivity and making a comeback on Gran Turismo 6 soon. Okay, we now got info that the official specs are quite more than we expected.

(ooohhh)

RH: Okay...mind if I read it?

JC: You're the mommy.

RH: Okay...you know the rumors saying that it was supposed to have 450HP of power and 450lb-ft of torque? Well, the cap has been lifted folks. The LT1 engine for the Corvette Stingray '14 officially churns out...wait for it...wait for it...Ah! 460 horsepower for the power, 465lb-ft for torque, and that's it. They were SAE-certified.

JC: I see.

RH: Such figures made General Motors claiming that the new Corvette Stingray has the most powerful standard engine based on SAE certifications.

JC: Thanks Hammond but no thanks for this car. I still don't like this car a lot. Ever since it made an appearance of GT5, things are spiralling out of control for me. Now, while on the topic on the upcoming race games coming at the end of the year, I assure that the upcoming FM5 for the X1 or XBOX One...(sigh) Why I shorten it to X-1?

(audience laughing)

JC: Anyway, thanks to the McLaren P1, which is going to be the cover car for the game, I can expect high-quality cars to be featured, unlike the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 for the PS3, which will not feature some of the latest supercars but the C7 Corvette's making an appearance here because the C7 Corvette is a Gran Turismo-exclusive car and always will be until the blokes behind the game will change its mind when the time is right.

(audience laughing)

JM: Whoa there, paps. You're trying to be so grumpy about this car because what this is...is like why the Playstation3 version of THE IDOLM@STER 2 didn't featured the Punkish Gothic DLC costume what the XBOX 360 version had.

JC: Exactly...pretty soon, I shall demonstrate things that the Corvette C7 hate, starting with someone dressing in the not-allowed-for-PS3-version Punkish Gothic costume...

(audience laughing)

JC: Okay, some bad news, folks. Some bad news folks. It's straight from the ISLE OF MAN TT, which riders trying to set their times in one of the most grueling trials on two wheels. I just heard that a Japanese rider by the name of Yoshinari Matsushita, who was representing Tyco Suzuki, Team Mirai, and one who is riding the Hatsune Miku-liveried motorbike...

JM: He's riding a Miku-liveried bike? Can't believe why Hatsune Miku wants to be heavily involved in motorsports since the Super GT...

JC: Yes I know. Word from the press is that he was killed in a tragic crash during a qualifying session at the 2013 Isle of Man TT Races near Great Britain and Ireland. It was very sad and...our thoughts belong to him. God rest his soul...

(applause)

JC: Now, yesterday, over a hundred vintage cars and their drivers were gathered in China for the 5th Peking to Paris expedition.

RH: Peking to Paris?

JC: Peking to Paris. It's a 12,000 kilometre driving adventure where they have 33 days to cross from Peking to Paris, driving through some of the most faraway places in the world. 

JM: Hang on a minute, so the Peking to Paris adventure is where a bunch of vintage cars have 33 days to cross through some of the most remote places in the world. Starting line is in China, then cross through the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, then into Russia before crossing Eastern Europe, heading towards France. How come we never get invited?

JC: Uh...probably because we're going to make some havoc in our journey...

(audience laughing)

JC: I know, it's harsh but I always wanted to travel from Peking to Paris in a vintage car but sadly, we have no further experiences about the perils lurking through the 33-day expedition. We did lots and lots of expeditions during Christmas holidays such as Botswana, Bolivia, Vietnam, India and others but not in this one because we don't think we're capable of going from one country to another by four wheels.

(audience laughing)

JC: Now, Aston Martin launched their updated version of the V12 Vantage. Here it is...

2014 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
(ooohh)

JC: It's called the V12 Vantage S. It's got this new V12 engine, power output is 573PS, 620Nm of torque, top speed of 205mph, equipped with 7-speed flappy-paddle gearbox, and James, I think this is much more better for you to drive this rather than the Vanquish.

JM: Why?

RH: Because it's the "ultimate" Aston Martin ever built! Well, not quite really because the 6-speed MT was been thrown away and replaced by a 7-speed AT, same situation happened to the 911 GT3, which is my favorite Porsche now with a flappy-paddle nonsense...

(audience laughing)

JC: Okay, some news. I found this rather clever article from an American website that they displayed the top ten brands that will soon be disappeared in 2014 because of their poor performance and I got the list so let's find out... (ahem)

1. J.C. Penney
2. Nook
3. Martha Stewart Living
4. LivingSocial
5. Volvo
6. Olympus
7. WNBA
8. Leap Wireless
9. Mitsubishi Motors
10. Road & Track

RH: Wait a minute...WNBA was on the list? Then J.C. Penney? Martha Stewart Living? Mitsubishi Motors? Volvo? What the...

JM: Well, it's actually just prediction of some of the most undervalued brands in America that will soon be leaving the country for good but hey, at least I'd never like shopping at J.C. Penney...

(audience laughing)

JC: Yeah. Actually, J.C. Penney is just one of the most rubbish department stores in America. I prefer Macy's instead because they sold better clothes than them...

(audience laughing)

JC: I nearly got killed myself finding the appropriate clothes to dress myself as Dipper.

(ooohhh)

RH: Dipper who?

JC: You know. Dipper. Dipper Pines. Gravity Falls.

(audience laughing)

RH: Geez... Mine, I'm not a JC Penney fan but I went for Hot Topic for some...well, Adventure Time stuff or Doctor Who stuff.

(audience laughing)

RH: Since Underground Toys will be releasing the Captain Jack Harkness figure next month, then the Doctor Who Series 7 figures in July, and then the Doctor Who Companions Set in the autumn of 2013, I sure hope that Hot Topic got that memo. This is the only store where I shop for all things Doctor Who...

JC: Okay, Richard. I agreed with you but aren't you getting bothered by some Adventure Time clothing and accessories, especially the shirt that says "Puncha Yo Buns"?

(audience laughing)

JC: Or even that Princess Bubblegum-inspired nail polish as sold in Hot Topic? Aren't you BOVERRED?

(audience laughing)

RH: Can you please shut your mouth or I'm gonna "Puncha yo buns"...BRANIAC Style!

(audience laughing)

JC: Brainiac? Oh wait, are you going to blow me up?

(audience laughing)

JM: Anyway, while we're letting Richard Hammond doing some BRAINIAC stuff on Clarkson, time to end the news with a little announcement because a couple of years ago, Disney asked the public what is the best Phineas and Ferb song of all time. I know. We watched the whole special where the top 10 Phineas and Ferb songs, most of it were listed to the official soundtrack of the hit TV show, and the best Phineas and Ferb song of all time was Gitchee Gitchee Goo. Anyone had this song stuck in your frontal lobes?

(audience murmuring)

JM: Anyway, Disney was once again back to ask the public for what is the "other" best Phineas and Ferb song of all time. There has been new entries, most were from Summer Belongs to You special and the Disney Channel Original Movie, Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, competing to the number one spot which will be announced on the special episode this June 28 with special appearances by Kelly Osbourne as the host of the countdown. Anyway, we now had the winners for this round of "which is the best P&F song?" polls and these are...

a) There's a Platypus Controlling Me

MATCH UP #1: There's a Platypus Controlling Me vs. AGLET on Disney Video

b) AGLET

MATCH UP #1: There's a Platypus Controlling Me vs. AGLET on Disney Video

c) Summer Belongs to You

MATCH UP #2: Summer Belongs To You vs. Summer (Where Do We Begin?) on Disney Video

d) Summer (Where Do We Begin?)

MATCH UP #2: Summer Belongs to You vs. Summer (Where Do We Begin?) on Disney Video

e) Brand New Best Friend

MATCHUP #3: Brand New Best Friend vs. City of Love on Disney Video

f) City of Love

MATCHUP #3: Brand New Best Friend vs. City of Love on Disney Video

g) I'm Me

MATCH UP #4: I'm Me vs. Everything's Better With Perry on Disney Video

h) Everything's Better with Perry

MATCH UP #4: I'm Me vs. Everything's Better With Perry on Disney Video

Anyway, the polls are open this Friday and you decide which of your favorite song will make it on the next round of which is the best P&F song and the winning song will be showcased on Disney Channel this June 28.

Julia Barretto, IHAW NA!

On May 28, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment, we see Tito Bhoy interviewing rising star Julia Barretto and in here, we're witnessing how Julia got the chance to be in showbiz and how is like to be born from famed celebrities. Whatever that is, she's new to the scene of acting...

Meanwhile, Krissy and Me are back for another hot topics such as...oh well...she's out of time...


Škoda Octavia (Typ 5E)

2014 Skoda Octavia

Now, let's take a look at the brand new Skoda Octavia. Now on its third-generation, you might think that the newly regenerated Octavia would be about as promising as a luxury car three times its pricing but it wasn't. It needs a lot of consideration and determination to figure out what's what about the new Octavia. What to consider about the new look is its design. First of all, it was designed by the same man behind the ultra-fast Bugatti Veyron so you might think this is going to be the "other" Veyron but don't be silly because it isn't. This is just an average midsize car made by Volkswagen...or rather a cousin to the Passat...maybe not.

It's rude to call it the cousin of the Passat but the new model is now built on the brand new MQB variable platform first applied on the Seat Leon, Audi A3, and the VW Golf VII so this new model is 90mm longer and 45mm wider than its predecessor.

2014 Skoda Octavia interior
Which means, that with this new platform, the new Octavia from Skoda sets interior spacing benchmark which is about the equivalent of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Let's just put in other words, okay? I mean, look at this new interior, it's well matured and it's about as comfortable as the E-Class but sadly, I'm referring to the W210 E-Class but still the new Octavia interior feels a bit more generous. Take a look at the seats, it feels perfectly angled and the space on the back is just fine. If this car's went on sale in China, the rear legroom is a plus one for this car because in China, space in the back matters most than everyone. Anyway, forget about that space in the back commotion, let's go back to the basics...

First of all, the new Octavia, built in Mlada Boleslav, designed by the man behind the Bugatti Veyron, and available for 334,900 Kč, it is available in two body styles to choose from; the sedan version for those who are feeling a bit upperclassman or a Combi version for the posh mom who spends some time buying something at the groceries.

2014 Skoda Octavia Combi
Either way, they're both offered with a choice of either three petrol engines (1.2, 1.4, 1.8) or two diesel engines (1.6, 2.0) and depending on which engine choice, transmission choices include either a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed double clutch or a 7-speed double clutch transmission. An Octavia with a 1.8L petrol engine has a 0-60mph time of under 7 seconds and a top speed of 143mph so it's not what you called quick but it is somewhat faster than the Volkswagen Passat B7 with that same kind of engine. Hmmm...not bad though...not bad. Not only that, it's lighter than the Passat B7 as well. Bonus!

Anyway, let's not get too bonus-y about the specs because it's now time to find out how well the Octavia is as a driver's car. Well, being a saloon car, it has a lot of concessions for comfort to keep the passengers feel fine as if they were like taking themselves to the prom at their nearest high school in the neighborhood. Surprisingly, on the normal roads, the Octavia's well too comfortable and it's not that bad to drive. It maybe fine on normal roads but on open roads, it's a tad old-fashioned. It maybe not as exciting as a Mercedes but the new Octavia is more than welcomed for those who want to cruise around for some quiet time.

2014 Skoda Octavia
So for my final verdict, the new Skoda Octavia is far enough to become a global midsize car that uses the new platform as applied on the VW Golf. It may not be worth a redeemable saloon car, it may not be quite agile, it may not be exciting to look at, and it may not be a cheaper alternative to uber-luxury saloons from Germany but it has all of the luxury amenities far from being premium and it's a just-size for any driver no matter how tall they are. So, the question is, would you go for this one more than the VW Passat B7? Jury's out...

Photo: Skoda Auto

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Jake Cuenca, IHAW NA!

On the May 27, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment, we saw Tito Bhoy interviewing guest celeb Jake Cuenca. They were talking about his interests in sports, his showbiz career, his modeling, and something else...

Meanwhile, Sunshine Garcia provided three tips before we swim in LAUGH THREE

- Do some stretching to avoid cramps

- To avoid sunburn, apply some sunblock on your body!

- If you can't swim, use a float!!!

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 016-020

For a quick recap, THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS is a social idol-raising game that pits the players as the producer and he/she has over 100 idols to produce. The idea for this social mobile game is to make it to eventually produce a “top idol unit”.

Last year, some of the hundred girls from the CINDERELLA GIRLS social mobile game, with the exception of the main iM@S girls, got a chance to have their own character songs under the CINDERELLA MASTER banner and since April 2012, five Cinderella Girls were selected such as Rin Shibuya, Anzu Futaba, Kanako Mimura, Kaede Takagaki, and Rika Jougasaki. Four months later, the second batch has arrived and these are Ranko Kanzaki, Miku Maekawa, Kirari Moroboshi, Mika Jougasaki, and Uzuki Shimamura. Earlier in January 2013, there has been a third batch added such as Miho Kohinata, Riina Tada, Airi Totoki, Mizuki Kawashima, and Mio Honda.

Now for May 2013, batch number four of THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA M@STER range has arrived and for this batch, we can expect another selection of new and rising idols coming straight from 765 Productions. Say hello to...

016 - Akane Hino (CV: Chinatsu Akasaki)

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 016
Akane Hino

017 - Miria Akagi (CV: Tomoyo Kurosawa)

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 017
Miria Akagi

018 - Nana Abe (CV: Marie Mayake)

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 018
Nana Abe

019 - Minami Nitta (CV: Aya Suzaki)

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 019
Minami Nitta

020 - Sachiko Koshimizu (CV: Ayana Taketatsu)

THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA MASTER 020
Sachiko Koshimizu

They, just like the others, maybe new to the ever-growing 765 Productions but still, it's also jam-packed with new songs straight from them and also an audio drama getting to know more about those newcomers.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Vice Ganda meets Ate Vi

Does it ring a bell? In case you missed it, that May 26, 2013 episode of ABS-CBN's Sunday night talk show, Gandang Gabi Vice, had Vice Ganda guested one of the most respectable actresses in history. That's right, THE STAR FOR ALL SEASONS, Governor Vilma Santos!

It's so nice to have one of the most respectable actresses for over fifty years getting along with Vice Ganda especially when Vice Ganda does everything to mess up with Ate Vi for numerous reasons...

Oh! And Senator-elect Grace Poe! She was also on the show as well!

F1 2013 Monaco GP

Ugh, another random week, another incident-filled Formula One round of the year and this time, it's the Monaco that adds drama to the race...and my back hurts a lot looking over the shrill excitement this race has offered. In an unexpected way, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg snags a victory in this race, leaving both Red Bull Racing drivers a 2-3 finish. What a twist!

PRESS RELEASE:

Race - brilliant Rosberg wins amid Monaco drama 26 May 2013
         
Nico Rosberg put in a superb performance on Sunday afternoon to become the only son of a Monaco Grand Prix winner to repeat the feat, matching his father Keke's 1983 victory.

Rosberg led throughout in his Mercedes after starting from pole position, and withstood pressure not just from team mate Lewis Hamilton and later the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, but also a red flag stoppage and two separate safety-car incidents.

Rosberg and Hamilton led away as the fast-starting Red Bulls found themselves with nowhere to go by the Ste Devote corner. For 30 laps the Silver Arrows held sway, but that lap Ferrari's Felipe Massa repeated his Saturday morning crash approaching the same corner and was kept by the side of the track for a while to recover from the impact. Unlike his FP3 shunt, a car problem rather than driver error was subsequently diagnosed as the cause.

Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, and the duelling McLarens of Jenson Button and Sergio Perez had run in fifth to eighth positions from the start and all of them, plus Webber and then Vettel, had pitted when the incident occurred. But Mercedes had to bring in Rosberg and Hamilton together, the latter losing time as a result. 

That delay was enough to drop Hamilton to fourth behind the Red Bulls, and he stayed there as the leading four positions remained the same to the end of what Webber described as a 'controlled aggression' race.

Just as Hamilton was getting his second wind and really giving Webber a hard time, another incident occurred on the 45th lap. Pastor Maldonado, who had already collided at the start with Giedo van der Garde's Caterham, collided with Max Chilton. The Marussia rookie failed to see him as he moved back on to the line for the Tabac corner after the chicane and as the two cars made contact the Williams was momentarily launched before crashing almost head-on into the protective Tecpro wall. 

The race was red-flagged until the debris was cleared up, and resumed on the 48th lap. Fortunately Maldonado was unharmed, and Chilton subsequently received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision.

Perez pushed hard to overtake Button and then Alonso, before Lotus's Romain Grosjean ran into the back of Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso on the exit to the tunnel, and their heavy collision threw more debris all over the track and necessitated another safety-car deployment. The incident is under investigation by the Monaco stewards.

When the racing resumed on the 67th lap, Perez homed in on Raikkonen whose Lotus had lost water during the slow running. Behind them, Force India's Adrian Sutil had overtaken Alonso and Button as Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne and Force India's Paul di Resta closed in. 

Perez tried to pass Raikkonen down the inside at the chicane on the 69th lap but they touched as the Finn took his line. Raikkonen had to pit with a puncture as a result but later sped back up to claim the final point. He is, however, under investigation for speeding under the safety car. After moving to fifth Perez eventually had to retire with left-front suspension damage after clouting the chicane barrier during his unsuccessful manoeuvre.

That left Button to follow Sutil home, after he passed Alonso as the traffic backed up at Rascasse on the 70th lap. Vergne and Di Resta hounded Alonso to the flag, the Frenchman taking a well-deserved eighth and Di Resta a brilliant ninth after starting way down in 17th. Further back, behind the recovered Raikkonen, Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg just headed Williams' Valtteri Bottas and team mate Esteban Gutierrez to take 11th.

Chilton recovered after his drive-through penalty and a stop for fresh rubber to grab 14th place from Caterham's Van der Garde. Other retirements were Jules Bianchi, whose Marussia was damaged in his team mate's incident with Maldonado, and Charles Pic whose Caterham caught fire early on.

The result puts Vettel further ahead in the world championship chase with 107 points to Raikkonen's 86. Alonso's 78, Hamilton's 62, Webber's 57 and Rosberg's 47. In the constructors' stakes, Red Bull have 164 to Ferrari's 123, Lotus's 112 and Mercedes' 109, with Force India on 44 from McLaren's 37.

A slight cloud hangs over Mercedes' triumph, however, as prior to the race Red Bull and Ferrari lodged a protest concerning a three-day Pirelli tyre test which Mercedes took part in following the Spanish Grand Prix.

Source: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2013/5/14606.html

Well, with all that behind us, the next race is on Canada this June 9, 2013. It's going to be one of the most exciting F1 races in the summer, I can tell...

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Doctor Who The Caves Of Androzani Soundtrack

Doctor Who The Caves Of Androzani Soundtrack

While in observance of the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson) this month, because we do have The Doctors Revisited special from January to November, tackling different Doctors and the famed stories, there's a good treat for Classic Whovians everywhere because the soundtrack based on the Fifth Doctor's journey titled THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI has arrived and this is the first time release for the music from this seminal 1984 Doctor Who episode where the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson) regenerates into the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker). Oh wait, this whole CAVES OF ANDROZANI adventure is going to be part of the Doctor Who Regenerations DVD Box Set, right? Anyway, this was known to be the best adventure in the classic Who series according to a 2009 survey from Doctor Who Magazine.

 Anyway, Roger Limb started his job at the BBC as a studio manager progressing to an announcer before joining the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. He's behind seven stories before Androzani and this gave him a chance to use new musical know-hows to create subliminal background musics in this adventure.

This is the first time it was released in a series of archives from Silva Screen to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary and it's jam-packed with 35 tracks, which will make listeners relive one of the most memorable adventures in the history of classic Who. Sometimes retro never felt so cool with this one...

TRACK LISTINGS:

1. Doctor Who (Opening Theme)
2. Androzani Minor
3. Gun-Runners
4. Morgus And Chellak
5. Death Sentence
6. Sharaz Jek
7. Death Under The Red Cloth
8. Androids
9. Next Time It'll Be For Real
10. Nobody LIves For Ever
11. Spectrox
12. Salateen
13. Exile
14. Clever Little Android
15. Two Kilos, What A Deal
16. The Magma Beast
17. Blind Fools
18. Tear His Arms Out
19. Stage Three
20. Geostationary Orbit
21. The Girl Will Be Alone
22. Peri Abducted
23. Vertical Descent Pattern
24. It Could Have Been Worse
25. Do You Think I'm Mad?
26. The Doctor Pursued
27. Mud Burst
28. Morgus And Stotz
29. Face Off
30. Morgus Kaput
31. Not Beaten Yet
32. Milk Of The Queen Bat
33. Return To The TARDIS
34. Is This Death?
35. Doctor Who (Closing Theme)

Available at: http://www.bbcshop.com/soundtracks/doctor-who-the-caves-of-androzani-soundtrack/invt/silcd1370

Gran Turismo 5: ZZ versus Garaiya

In the not too distant past, most of the JDM sportscar attracted too much attention in the prying eyes of speedo boys worldwide such as the Silvia, the Supra, the Skyline, the Civic, any JDM car you mention, but however, there was one kind of car that you never heard about unless you are a Gran Turismo fan and this one is rather different from the JDM cars I mentioned earlier...

What is this strange-looking car?

Seriously, what is that?!

What this is is called the Tommykaira but this is the ZZ sportscar. The Tommykaira ZZ, a sportscar that remains synonymous to the world of Gran Turismo.

If you're new here, you'd probably never heard of Tommykaira before. It's a Japanese tuning firm situated in the Kansai region. It was named after two former racing drivers Yoshikazu Tomita and Kikuo Kaira. Tomita Dram Factory, its parent firm, founded in 1968 and in the summer of 1995, after spending years of tuning some of the finest JDM cars such as the Skyline and the March, the ZZ was born and it was their first original handmade car that started from scratch.

The Tommykaira ZZ comes with a bathtub shaped chassis, which composed of aluminum monocoque with steel-tube frames. They learned that idea from racing cars, you know. Anyway, with all that lightweight bodywork, the ZZ was powered by a tuned version of the engine as expected from a Nissan Silvia. Yep, it's an SR20 engine which produces 178HP of power and 141.7ft-lb of torque. 0-100kph takes under five seconds and top speed is about 140mph. It's not what you called quick because this is not the kind of car you would bring it in a game of Top Trumps but don't be fooled because what I can feel it is one of the best handling Japanese cars ever made in the past because despite being not too quick, this car has good handling.

Handle with care, dude!

Because it's all so light and weighs less than a ton, this car loves corners. This, I believed to be somewhat Japan's answer to British lightweights because it feels like a British lightweights thanks to the fact that it doesn't have concession of comfort and convenience for the driver in mind. This car is all about being hardcore and sharp enough to slice down corners like a ninja.

This ZZ though isn't just an ordinary ZZ. It's the S version. The ZZ-S is a highly tuned model which comes with an uprated SR20 engine which produces under the two-hundred horsepower mark and with under 700 kg of weight, it's sharper as well. You can enjoy cutting through the corners when you want it and there are endless possibilities to get yourself hurt if you driving around like an ascot.

The ZZ-S is always a corner-happy
hoodlum

Sadly though, the Tommykaira ZZ is extinct and as of now, there are very rare chances to see one approaching in the roads unless if you were in Japan. Anyway, in the noughties, Japan has another boutique sportscar which some say has the same traits as the ZZ but I'm not so sure...
The metamorphosis begins

The metamorphosis continues

A transformation completed

Meet the Garaiya

This is the ASL Garaiya, it's a lightweight sportscar, which is the same as the Tommykaira ZZ, but more importantly, it's a different breed.

Now, Autobacs, one of Japan's notable car parts/service store chain, had a dream to create their own dream machine, one that comes with a quality of an exotic car with the usability for everyday drivers. They enlisted Kikuo Kaira from Tommykaira to establish ASL or Autobacs Sportscar Laboratory and then launched this Garaiya project at the 2002 Tokyo Auto Salon. in Winter 2002. Anyway, about this futuristic-looking sportscar, it comes with the same engine that you would expect on the Nissan Primera compact sedan but with added variable valve timing which produces at the two-hundred horsepower mark and 151.8lb-ft of torque, sending the power to the rear wheels by a 6-speed manual gearbox. It is however it weighs a hundred kilograms heavier more than the ZZ-S, the way it handles is a bit different but I wonder what if I can pit the Garaiya against the ZZ-S...

Two Japanese lightweights!

To find out, I pit the Garaiya against the ZZ-S for a drag race but anyway let's remember, while both of these cars produced the same 200HP output, the Garaiya is a hundred kilos heavier than the Garaiya. As the drag race starts, the Garaiya launched through the lead, leaving the ZZ-S in the dust...

Garaiya eats the ZZ-S for lunch!

...and then in the braking section...

Both hit the brakes but the Garaiya stopped faster!

...the Garaiya has better brakes than the ZZ-S. So, the Garaiya kicked the ZZ-S...twice. One by drag, one by braking. But what about going round the Top Gear Test Track, I asked Stig to handle these cars and then, there's the result...

1:27.890 - ZZ
1:27.966 - Garaiya

Enjoy your day at the UK!

So, based on the lap times, both the Garaiya and the ZZ-S are stalemates after all. Although they maybe different, they both share the same connections between these two and that's about two unknown Japanese lightweights that does very well on track days. It's ashamed that neither of these two roam around in real life but still, they're still synonymous to the Gran Turismo franchise, I can tell. The ZZ-S was designed have a perfect sence of humor while the Garaiya is all about being a sensible one. No matter what, those Japanese lightweights are trying hard to capture the views of car enthusiasts, if there are any...

Just let it go where its heart desires...

What's in our Car Town garage today? (May 26, 2013)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

1987 Buick GNX

In 1984, the cult classic Buick Grand National was launched as a high-performance model of the Regal coupe which was produced in a limited-production run. But when production for the Grand National ended in 1987, General Motors launched a final model called the GNX, which is known to be the Grand National that ends all Grand Nationals. This car was produced by ASC/McLaren, a company with a wide reputation for turbo tuning, who had built a factory in Los Angeles.

1987 Buick GNX

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Drawing one of its experience from Hyundai's motorsport activities, especially its heavy involvement with Rhys Millen, the Veloster Turbo has the same personalities as the standard model, especially the signature three-door design, but comes with a unique exterior design and a 2.0L turbocharged direct injection engine which produces a wide powerband.

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo

2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP650-4 Roadster

Another one of the special edition Murcielago models which signals the end of Lamborghini's flagship V12 powerhouse, the LP650-4 Roadster is an improved version of the LP640 Roadster. The 6.5L V12 engine that powers it produces 10HP more than the standard model, does 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds, and a top speed of 205mph. For added exclusivity, this model is limited to 50 units worldwide and you can't have one because all of them are sold out.

2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP650-4 Roadster