David Bowie

I chose David Bowie as the 50th person for this blog. When I became interested in music, David Bowie was already a big star. I would say I grew up listening to his music. However, at the time, my own musical interests were not the same as his. So, honestly, I was not a big fan of his until I saw Nagisa Oshima’s film ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’. I was very impressed by him in this film. His extremely handsome face and his reserved manner fascinated me. His character was complemented by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s beautiful theme music. Finally, I want to say I was very glad when I heard that he liked my home town, Kyoto and that he went there many times. I tried to imagine how he spent his time in Kyoto and here is my image. I hope he rests in peace.

Rita Ora

I chose Rita Ora as the 49th person for this blog. Another series of the X factor has started this year as usual. I'm not a big fan of this competition any more, but I still keep watching every week. I especially like to see 'The 6 Chair Challenge' stage. When 6 people are already sitting on these chairs, they look very worried each time another competitor comes on stage. Good news for the new competitor means bad news for the 6 people. For me, watching the 6 people's expressions is more interesting than watching each competitor sing.

Before I researched her on the Internet for this blog, I didn't realise Rita was so young because she looks very confident as a judge on the show. Actually I don't always completely agree with her decisions though.

Nigel Kennedy

I chose Nigel Kennedy as the 48th person for this blog. I became his fan as soon as I saw him on the BBC Proms last year. I was very impressed by his jazz gig. Needless to say, it is not always good for classical musicians to play jazz, however I liked his playing very much.

A year has gone by quickly and Nigel was back on BBC Proms again, this year. I was very glad to see him on TV and I enjoyed his interpretation of the Four Seasons and some jazz tunes as well. Two Saturdays ago, the Proms held its finale and he performed with great success. When I saw him carrying a cup of tea onto the stage, I smiled secretly and thought I must make his portrait, and here it is.

Nicole Scherzinger

I chose Nicole Scherzinger as the 47th person for this blog. The X Factor has come back again this year! It means that a year has already gone by since I posted 'Gary Barlow' to this blog last time. Time flies so quickly. Recently, apart from the news, I haven't watched TV very much, so I haven't had the chance to be inspired to make any new portraits. When I watched the audition programme, I discovered someone who I missed last year. She is so likable! While I observed her, I realised that her expressions change every second, however this is my favourite expression when she is moved to tears.

Gary Barlow

I chose Gary Barlow as the 46th person for this blog. This year my daughter stopped watching the X factor because she says it is “boring”. I understand what she means. I can feel more than ever that the judges are choosing contestants just to gain attention to the programme from audiences and media and not for their talents or ability. I think The X Factor needs a judge who can make harsh but honest comments like Simon Cowell. Maybe Gary Barlow is this person. If he is not there, I think the programme might feel like flat beer.

Gok Wan

 I chose Gok Wan as the 45th person for this blog. I enjoy watching his cooking programme ‘Gok Cook Chinese’ and I really enjoy cooking his recipes.

I always look for the recipes to cook easily and quickly, and preferably those I haven’t eaten before. I think his recipes are exactly what I am looking for. Ma-po tofu with omelet, lamb and cucumber kebabs are very interesting combinations aren’t they?
Some celebrity chefs meals need a little of many kinds of ingredients such as herbs and spices. If you follow these recipes you have to buy all these ingredients just for one meal. After cooking, these leftover ingredients then go off in the fridge. These recipes are much better if you occasionally entertain guests, but they are not for every day meals. It also always takes a long time to cook them even when they advertise that they should only take 30 minutes.

Li Xiang Lan / Yoshiko Yamaguchi

I chose Li Xiang Lan (Chinese name), Yoshiko Yamaguchi (Japanese name) as the 44th person for this blog. She is a China-born Japanese actress and singer. She started her career using her Chinese name in China, so people thought she was actually Chinese nationality for some time.

 I recently watched her biographical TV drama and her film `Ying chun hua` that was made in 1942. I became very interested in her life, especially pre and during war period. In some way her life can not be told without including the war between Japan and China.  

Kelly Rowland

I chose Kelly Rowland as the 43rd person for this blog. The X factor 2011 has come to an end with Little Mix as winners yesterday. I wasn’t as excited this year as I have been in previous years. I don’t know if the reason for this was because of the judges or the contestants. I was very excited in the beginning but after boot camp, I felt like many talented people left. Anyway, I think Kelly’s sparkly character has added a warm feeling to this show.

Annie Lennox

I chose Annie Lennox as the 42nd person for this blog. When I was young, the minute I heard the Eurythmics, I became a huge fan. I remember that I got a very European feeling from her music and her strong voice. When I heard Beyoncé sing Sweet Dreams at the 2011 Glastonbury festival, I realised I hadn’t made her portrait, so here it is!

Steven Tyler

I chose Steven Tyler as the 41st person for this blog. I enjoyed his work as a judge of American Idol that just finished this weekend. For me for 30 years his image has always been that of the hard man, the vocalist of Aerosmith. This time I think I saw his humorous side.

Prince William & Kate Middleton

I chose Prince William & Kate Middleton as the 40th people for this blog. I'm watching their wedding on TV now. This is an exiting moment!

I heard that Japanese prince and princess couldn’t accept their wedding invitation because of the recent disastrous earthquake in the country. What a shame! I made their portrait in a bit of a Japanese style. 

Morecambe & Wise

 I chose Morecambe & Wise as the 39th person for this blog. They are my favourite comedy duo. I think their comedy is very funny because they are also skilled singers, dancers and performers as well as comedians. I sometimes miss the old days when I watched TV with my family in Japan and we were beside ourselves with laughter.  I believe that recent comedies have become more venomous. Nowadays when I watch Morecambe and Wise, I can remember my childhood.

Ellie Goulding

 I chose Ellie Goulding as the 38th person for this blog. My favourite song at this moment is her version of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’. I think her clear voice suits this song perfectly. I hope both Ellie and this optimistic song can cheer up anyone who is going through a hard time.

Rebecca Ferguson

 I chose Rebecca Ferguson as the 37th person for this blog. The X-factor finished on this Sunday. Matt Cardle won, but I made a portrait of Rebecca. I fell in love with her stunning voice which never fails to move people. I bet she will be a real diva in the future.

Ichiro Suzuki

I chose Ichiro Suzuki as the 36th person for this blog. He is a Japanese professional baseball player who plays in the Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners. After I moved to England, I have hardly had chance to watch baseball games on TV. The British national sport, cricket, is a bit closer to the baseball. However I can’t enjoy cricket games as much because I don’t know the rules.

Cheryl Cole

I chose Cheryl Cole as the 35th person for this blog. She is the third judge of the X –factor in my blog (Simon Cowell: 10th, Dannie Minogue: 21st) Everyone in my family are huge fans of this programme. We normally finish our own chores before the programme starts and then we sit glued to the TV. However this year we are not so excited. The reason seems to be that we haven’t yet found our favourite performers to support.

Bruce Forsyth

I chose Bruce Forsyth as the 34th person for this blog. He was born in February 1928. Just watching him in the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, he doesn’t look like an 81 year-old man at all. Wearing smart clothes and moving very lightly, he makes me happy just looking at him, so I think he is a real entertainer.

Audrey Tautou

I chose Audrey Tautou as the 33rd person for this blog. When I made her portrait, I found it difficult to get rid of the image of her film ‘Amelie’. I wanted to make portrait of Audrey Tautou not Amelie. Every time I make portraits of actors and actresses, I feel they fall into two types. One type projects their own characters into their roles. The second type is like a blank canvas waiting to change character depending on their role. I think Audrey is the latter.

Keith Floyd

I chose Keith Floyd as the 32nd person for this blog. Almost 20 years ago when I travelled to Paris for the first time, I was completely taken by French food and I wanted to cook it on my own. I looked for a good recipe book in English there (I can’t read French). Finally I found his book called ‘Floyd on France’ from which I learnt to cook a lot of traditional French food. May he rest in peace.

Zhang Ziyi

I chose Zhang Ziyi as the 31st person for this blog. I like her action packed performances in ‘ C r o u c h i n g   T i g e r ,   H i d d e n   D r a g o n ’ and ‘Hero’, but my favourite is her first film ‘ T h e   R o a d   H o m e ’. In this film, she portrays a quieter, shy but strong willed character using her full range of facial expressions. I was inspired by this film to make her portrait.

Harrison Ford

I chose Harrison Ford as the 30th person for this blog. It was 1981 when the first Indiana Jones film ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ was released and he was in his 30s. When the 4th film ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ was released in 2008, he was in his 60s. Now, as I watch the two films again, I realize that he has gained more grey hair and weight, but his trade mark ‘toughness’ hasn’t changed at all.

Beyoncé Knowles

I chose Beyoncé Knowles as the 29th person for this blog. When I saw her singing ‘Crazy in Love’ in her live stage on TV for the first time, electricity ran through my whole body. Her dynamic performance immediately made me have a crush on her. My daughter, who was still little at the time, was inspired by her the same as me. She kept singing ‘Crazy in Love’ shaking her hips after the performance.

David Beckham

I chose David Beckham as the 28th person for this blog. Recently I have often seen him sitting on the substitute bench of the England national football team, which makes me a little bit sad. To me, he is the captain of the team with number 7 on his back. I hope he will show us his magnificent talent in the 2010 World Cup.

Victoria Beckham

I chose Victoria Beckham as the 27th person for this blog. When she was a member of Spice Girls I thought Victoria was very different to the other members. They looked more energetic and boisterous while Victoria was quiet and still. However, after she became solo I realized she is much livelier and more humorous than I thought. My image of her portrays ‘energy from the bottom of her heart’.

Fabio Capello

I chose Fabio Capello as the 26th person for this blog. He is the current manager of the England national football team. His stern way to manage the team and his deep wrinkles on his face remind me of strong revolutionaries or political leaders, so I made his portrait in more of a Cubo-futurist style. Will he be able to lead England national team to a victory in the 2010 World Cup?