Whatever Happened to Ryu Mi-oh?

The name Ryu Mi-oh won't mean anything to those unfamiliar with Korean nude models who were popular from the mid-90s to early 2000s, but those who know who she is/was (a group that will mainly consist of expats in Korea during that time) will surly appreciate this article.

Ryu Mi-oh was one of the ladies featured here in this 2010 piece on the most notable names ever in Korean adult entertainment. She started her career in front of the camera as a nude model. Her voluptuous image not only graced magazines, she was also featured on such things as advertisement posters and nightclub flyers. She first appeared on the scene in the mid-90s, when the Internet was in its formative years. Even so, it's surprising there's so little information about her online (and I say this after searching Korean sites for her), seeing that she was arguably the most popular nude model in Korea when the Internet became commonplace a few years later.

Playboy Playmate Screen Deaths

Few former Playboy Playmates have gone on to have acting careers successful enough to land them starring roles in theatrical release movies. Perhaps it's because being a Playmate has sort of a stigma attached that the girls would have to shake before even being considered for a prominent role in a major film. However, being a former Playmate does have its advantages when it comes to B-Movies and being cast for titillation scenes in larger-budget features.

An excellent case in point is the opening scene of Brian DePalma's 1981 thriller, Blow Out, with Miss April 1979 Missy Cleveland (credited in the film as Amanda Cleveland) as a girl with a terrible scream getting killed in a shower scene in a slasher movie within a slasher movie. Missy herself tragically died August 14, 2001 at the age of 41 from an adverse reaction to prescription medication. Read on to see the aforementioned scene and some other former Playmates being murdered on celluloid.

Whatever Happened to the Texas Cowgirls, Inc.?

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are arguably the most famous cheerleading squad in the NFL and have been since the early 1970s. They debuted in 1960 as a co-ed squad called the "CowBelles & Beaux," and by the late 60s, the Cowboys' then-general manager decided an image makeover for their cheerleaders was needed to boost game attendance. The male cheerleaders were dropped in 1969 and in 1970, the outfits were redesigned. Two years later, another outfit modification was made and that design is pretty much what is worn by the ladies today, save for a few minor alterations over the years.

Besides cheering on the Cowboys on game days, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders make personal appearances at shows and events all over the world. Yours truly has caught some of their abbreviated touring squads during their USO tours of military bases in South Korea and Japan. I could go on at length about the DCC, but this article isn't about them. This is about the Texas Cowgirls, Inc., a long-defunct Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' faction formed by ex-Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Tina Jimenez, that first gained (in)famy in the late 1970s. Above is the (in)famous shot for their poster, that ran in the December 1978 issue of Playboy magazine.

Hooters Girls - Behind the Breasts and Buffalo Wings

(The following is the first entry in which may be a mulit-part series of pieces on my interactions and candid conversations with current and former Hooters Girls ....but I doubt it.)

Hooters was founded in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. According to their website, to date, there are over 430 Hooters franchises in 28 countries. Multiply that by the number of servers (known as Hooters Girls) each franchise has employed over the years, and that's tens of thousands of current and former Hooters Girls with a story to tell.

Over the past few years, I've spoken candidly with several current and former Hooters Girls about their experiences as Hooters Girls and their reasons for working at the popular restaurant chain with the double-entendre name. I'm, in no way, implying that working at Hooters should be equated to working at a strip gentlemens club or go go bar. Hooters is a restaurant patronized by the general public. In fact, some may even consider it family friendly. I've seen entire families with young children come into Hooters and sit down for a meal. The girls even brought coloring placemats and crayons to the tables for the kids. However, you don't see servers like these ladies at Denny's or Applebees.

Of course, the girls do have to tolerate a certain amount of leering, sexual innuendos, and flirtation, but many have told me it's a small price to pay in exchange for the gratuities they receive. The tips the girls get at Hooters are much better than what they would get from working as servers at Denny's, Applebees, or even a upper scale restaurant, where the 15%-20% rule is usually followed. Any former or current Hooters girl will tell you that quite often, the amount of the tip will greatly exceed the amount of the check. In addition, the hours and schedules the girls work are more flexible than those at a "regular" restaurant. That's because many of the girls have outside careers they pursue, many in modeling and the performing arts. One for example, "Julie" (photo above, taken in 2010), a tall, Asian-American semi-professional model who worked at the Downtown Phoenix Hooters, enjoyed a sort of celebrity status at her workplace.

More James Girls

Known for photographing outrageously sexy models who look as if they only exist in fantasies, artist and photographer Mike James has an unmistakable style. With the popularity and all the good feedback we've received from the July feature on Mike's gorgeous models, known as the "James Girls," I knew a follow-up was definitely in order.

As with all of Mike's former and current models I've corresponded with, the ladies who gave me their comments for this feature, speak very highly of Mr. James, personally and professionally, as he does of them. The James Girls included in the first article can all be considered current James Girls, as they have all done recent shoots with Mike and plan to again. Just two of the ladies featured in this piece fall into that category. Unfortunately, the others now currently reside in the "Former James Girls" file but there's hope they may again appear before his camera.

The vision in red above is one of Mike's current favorites, Mala Mastroberte, from a very recent shoot entitled "Red Devil." Mala is one of the two ladies in this article who currently models for Mike and graciously responded to my request for her comments on what it's like to work with him. Of course, it goes without saying who all the photo credits in this article go to.

James Girls

Artist and photographer Mike James has been capturing gorgeous ladies with his camera, pen, and sculptures for nearly 20 years. Every image he publishes are just as much illustrations as they are photographs. Featuring out-of-this-world sexy models in outfits that he often creates himself, the ladies' poses and themes range from the outrageous to the the fairly mundane. Of course, seeing ladies looking like this doing everyday tasks such as cooking breakfast or doing the laundry seems inconceivable, which is all part of Mike's unique style.

Also a pioneer in the resin sculpture field, Mike's figurines are considered the finest of their kind. Not mass produced, the characters are his own original creations that he carefully crafts himself, to maintain quality. As for his work with a brush, some of his pin-up girls can be found on video cover art, speedboats, and even a professional lacrosse goalie's helmet.

I recently contacted Mike and asked him if he would tell me a little about some of his lovely models, whom he's dubbed "James Girls," to which he happily obliged. (I can't say the ladies in this article are his favorite models, because all the models he regularly shoots are his favorites, he tells me.) Of course, wanting to hear from the other side of Mike's camera lens, I also asked several of the James Girls what it's like to do a shoot with Mr. James. After hearing their replies, it's no wonder that most of the ladies who did their first shoot with Mike over a decade ago, still pose for him today. Above is one of those ladies, top Hollywood stuntwoman Jasi Lanier, from one of her most recent shoots with Mike, entitled "Caged Legs."

Susan Kiger - Never Before Seen Photos

In response to my piece on whatever happened to former Playboy Playmate and actress Susan Lynn Kiger, I've had several readers post comments and send me messages telling me of times they spent with the lovely Miss January 1977. Some said they had the pleasure of knowing Susan personally, while others shared their recollections of meeting her at promotional events and fan signings during her all-too-brief modeling and acting heyday.

Tony M., a reader who met Susan a little more than a year after her Playmate issue hit the stands, sent me the photo scans you see here. He took the photos during Susan's appearance at the 1978 Sacramento Autorama car show, which is an annual event still held to this day. Tony's also been gracious enough to allow me to publish these photos here, for the first time anywhere.

The Girls of the "Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead" Trilogy

What could be a better piece for Halloween than a feature on the female cast of another zombie splatter movie from Japan? A feature on the the female cast of a zombie splatter movie trilogy* from Japan. Naoyuki Tomomatsu's Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead trilogy, the first part of which was featured at the 2012 Yubari Fantastic Film Festival, is as wonderfully gory and tasteless as the title implies and it should go without saying that the cast is chock-full of JAV (Japanese Adult Video) alumnae.

There are over a dozen former and current gravure, pink film, and JAV idols who appear in this 2012-2013 three-part splatterfest (some in "blink-and-you'll-miss-her" parts), but the focus here will be on the four ladies in the more prominent roles and a few honorable mentions. The "nurse" at the forefront of all three of the above posters for the films, is the trilogy's main heroine, played by JAV idol Alice (Arisu) Ozawa.

*So far, this is a trilogy. There could be a part 4 in the works and possibly an intent to make this a franchise, but as of this writing, the "Rape Zombie" movie count stands at three.

Kuchisake-onna

The Japanese urban legend of Kuchisake-onna (the Slit-Mouth Woman) was believed to be very real in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture in 1979. In fact, reports back then were given such merit, the police stepped up patrols in the area and parents were warned not to let their children walk the streets unaccompanied by an adult.

Details of Kuchisake-onna's legend vary from source to source but the prevailing tale is that she was the very beautiful wife of a Samurai warrior during Japan's Heian Period (794-1185). When her husband discovered she had been unfaithful to him, he became outraged and slashed her mouth from ear to ear, leaving her horribly disfigured, wearing a permanent gaping and grotesque, evil smile. He then asked her "Who will think you're beautiful now?"

Cherry Poptart

Debuting in 1982, Cherry Poptart was the creation of artist and writer Larry Welz and originally published by San Francisco underground comic publishing giant, Last Gasp Books, who, I'm pleased to state, are still in operation today.

Last Gasp editor-in-chief, Ron Turner, tells me the character Cherry Poptart actually got her beginnings in Bakersfield Kountry Komics. According to Ron, it was after catching her there, that he got Welz and his colleague, artist Larry Sutherland, who were both originally from Bakersfield, where Bakersfield Kountry Komics was published, to "commemorate that lovely San Joaquin Valley shithole."

The title character, described as "blonde, cute, sexy, fun, friendly, and smart," (in addition to always braless, very openly bisexual, and eternally 18) was ranked #82 in the Comic Buyer's Guide's 100 Sexiest Women in Comics.

Shortly after the second issue hit the stands in January of 1985, the Kellog company (the makers of Pop-Tarts® toaster pastries) got wind of the buxom blonde comic cutie, and threatened legal action against Welz and Turner if they continued to use their trademarked name. Because of that, the title of the book was shortened to just Cherry by the third issue and the character's surname changed from "Poptart" to "Popstar." Above is the cover of issue #1. I've seen prices on this one ranging from a few bucks for one in fair condition to well over a grand for one in mint condition.

The Ladies of American Mary

Above is the trailer for Twisted Twins Productions' 2012 thriller, American Mary, which became available on DVD this month. The twins behind TTP are the eerily provocative Jen and Sylvia Soska, who also brought us 2009's Dead Hooker in a Trunk.

American Mary stars Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs. Jason) as a medical student who applies for work as a dancer at a strip club, named the Bourbon a Go Go, to help make ends meet. When a "medical emergency" occurs during Mary's interview, the club owner, knowing that Mary's a med student, offers her five grand on the spot to save the victim's life. Mary does, but sure doesn't seem to appreciate the chance for the hands-on experience because she goes home, gets sick, and tries to shower the ordeal away.

1993 Lakeport Revival Bikini Contestants

Back in 1993, the band I was in at the time, was booked to play a weekend at a club in Lakeport, California, which is about a two hour drive north of San Francisco. While I was up there, I caught a poster advertising the Lakeport Revival Classic Car Show (now defunct), which included a bikini contest, at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Me, being a fan of classic cars and an even bigger fan of bikini contests, decided to go check it out and I made sure to bring my camera along. (35mm, this was the pre-digital age.)

Most of the contestants were from  Northern California (Santa Rosa, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, etc.) and were obviously professional or semi-professional models, with one notable exception, who gave away her amateur status with her less-than-perfect posture. I don't remember who won, or even the names of any contestants, but "Stars and Stripes Girl" here, was the show-stealer who got the biggest response from the crowd once she dropped her white blazer to show her patriotism.

As I look at these photos now, I notice there doesn't seem to be any real differences between the hair and fashion styles of these ladies vs. those whom would be competing in such contests today. However, I can point out the absence of tattoos and piercings (visible ones, anyway) on these ladies vs. the inked and body jewelry-laden bodies you'd be likely to see in bikini contests these days.

Japanese Female Celebs' Final Acts

There have been many comparisons made between Japanese and Korean cultures. One such comparison is the how changes, pressures, and social stigmas of modern life has effected the two, and who are more prone to commit suicide due to the aforementioned factors. In recent years, several top Korean entertainers have committed suicide when it seemed like they had everything to live for. Money, fame, family, friends. Yet, they still felt like they needed to end it all and checked out at young ages. I wrote this piece on that Korean "cultural phenomenon" back in October of 2008 and have updated it several times since, every time another Korean female celeb has taken her own life.

In the almost four years since I wrote that entry, I've been asked how the celebrity (more specifically female celebrity) suicide rate in Japan compares with that of Korea. I'm, in no way, going to present any analogies or official statistics of this, but since it's news whenever a famous person dies (by whatever means), all it took for me to find out how female celeb suicide rates compare between Korea and Japan, was some Internet research. In short, Korean female celebs have been more prone to take their own lives in recent years (the "trend" beginning in February, 2005 with actress Lee Eun-joo's death) but the suicides of Japanese female celebs started two decades earlier. Also, the Japanese ladies seem to be a bit more creative than their Korean counterparts when it comes to the method to end it all, sometimes employing the use of toxic chemicals while the Koreans overwhelmingly favor hanging as the preferred means.

In my initial search for Japanese female celeb suicides in recent decades, I came up with six names. However, I later found out that one lady, whose cause of death was reported by most sources as heart attack, was actually a suicide, so that made the count seven. Of those names, the suicide of the one who was best-known occurred 26 years ago and the ones since weren't all exactly household names in Japan (as Choi Jin-sil was in Korea). The most recent being gravure idol Miyu Uehara (above), who was found hanged in her apartment on May 12, 2011. She left no note but was apparently unhappy with her chosen career, despite becoming quite popular in her field, and with over 400 television appearances to her credit.

Asian Cheerleaders of the NBA

If you've seen an NBA game at any arena, then you know the high energy routines of the cheerleaders (who are more often called dancers, these days), keep the crowd pumped-up during halftimes and breaks in the action. With the current NBA season now down to the playoffs, some of these ladies may not be returning to the court until later this year but many of them stay busy during the off-season by appearing at promotions, special events, and touring as ambassadors of the cities and teams they represent. One dancer whose season is not yet over is Chicago Luvabulls co-captain Erika, whose team, the Chicago Bulls, are still in the running as of this writing. Erika is a University of Illinois alumna who's in her ninth year with the Luvabulls.

Korean Female Celebs' "Lasts"

As sort of a long belated follow-up to this piece, here are a selection of "lasts" from a few of the Korean female entertainers who took their own lives within the last several years. The above ad for Enprani cosmetics, was the late Lee Eun-ju's last ever TV commercial. Upon news of her suicide, the company immediately stopped running this and print ads featuring her. Enprani cited it was out of respect for her family, but I'm sure it was also because having an actress who committed suicide while she was still under contract with them, as the face of their company, would have been terrible for their public image. The following month, Enprani signed then-little-known actress Park Si-yeon as their new spokesmodel.

Original Hooters Girl, Lynne Austin

Former Playboy Playmate and original Hooters Girl, Lynne Austin probably couldn't care less about getting any more publicity, let alone being featured here, but for a date with all 1's in it, it's appropriate to feature a lady who was the first in her field. So, here's the very first Hooters commercial from 1983 featuring the first Hooters Girl Lynne, explaining how they keep their beer so cold. Definitely a classic.

Whispering Corridors - Female Ghosts of the Korean Cinema

Specifically chosen for the Halloween article, the most popular Korean horror film anthology to date is undoubtedly the "girls high school ghost" series, known in English as Whispering Corridors 1-5. Although they share a common theme and all-female casts, the films in this series are not linked to one and other in terms of a continuing storyline or recurring characters.

Above is the poster for the 1998 original featuring star Kim Gyu-ri, who plays an artistically gifted student who's welcomed to her senior year at Jookran Girls High School by the sight of a particularly mean teacher hanging in the schoolyard. This film is considered by many to have marked the beginning of when Korean horror films would finally take their place alongside their Japanese and Hong Kong-produced counterparts as some of the best of the genre to emerge from Asia. However, unlike their counterparts in other Asian countries, Korean horror filmmakers don't rely heavily on extreme splatter, tongue-n-cheek gags, and sophomoric titillation with casts made up of former or current porn queens. (Not that I'm knocking all of that ....just saying.)

(Note: All of the actresses mentioned in this article were at least 18 at the time they appeared in these movies.)

The Girls of Attack Girls Swim Team vs. The Undead

Carrying on in the spirit of the Halloween season, here are the ladies of another Japanese horror-comedy, the 2007 gorefest Attack Girls Swim Team vs. The Undead (aka The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers and Undead Pool). The poster at left features star and former JAV idol (of course) Sasa Handa at center with the chainsaw, which is misleading because she wasn't the one who used a chain saw in this movie. Anyway, to the left of Sasa is her fellow JAV veteran and co-star Yuria Hidaka, who is also given plenty of room to shine (if not swim) in this movie.

In a nutshell (since this isn't a really review of the movie as it is a feature on the ladies who appear in it); an inoculation that's supposed to prevent a virus that's going around the school, turns those that get the shot into flesh-eating zombies. However, the members of the swim team aren't affected and it's later discovered that the chlorine in the pool seems to make them immune to the effects of the tainted vaccine. So, we have the swim team vs. the undead. If you have a collection of Japanese gore movies with gratuitous female nudity, this one is definitely worth adding to it. That is, if you don't already have it.

The Girls of the Horny House of Horror

The 2010 comedy-splatterfest Horny House of Horor is another low budget gem from Japan that's full of spurting blood, cheap titillation, and lowbrow humor. But what really makes this one a must-have, is that the entire female cast is composed of JAV alumnae. What more could you expect or want from director Jun Tsugita (Mutant Girls Squad), and splatter master Yoshihiro Nishimiru? The latter of whom was also responsible for most of the blood and gore in the films mentioned in this entry.

Gracing the film's poster at right, are (left to right) Mint Suzuki, Saori Hara (known as "Mai Nanami" in her pre-AV days), and Asami Sugiura (credited in the movie as just "Asami"). The ladies play a trio of castrating cuties employed at the Shogun Massage Parlor, a "fashion health" establishment, which is actually (as the Japanese title implies) a fashion hell establishment for the men who patronize it. Highly recommended if you like a lot of blood with your comedy and with your T&A.

Asian Bond Girls

If you're an avid fan of James Bond movies, then you know what the unofficial qualifications are to be dubbed a "Bond Girl." If you need a definition, I'll quote this one given by Robert Caplen, from his book Shaken & Stirred: The Feminism of James Bond:

A Bond girl is a character (or the actress portraying a character) who is a love interest of James Bond in a novel, film, or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, or Holly Goodhead, and are considered "ubiquitous symbol(s) of glamour and sophistication."

Bearing that in mind, we know that not every lady who has appeared in a Bond film meets the criteria for being a Bond Girl, and to date, there are only three Asian ladies who do. One being veteran Hong Kong action starlet, Michelle Yeoh (pictured above) who played "Wai Lin" in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. Most Bond aficionados would consider Michelle the most prominent Asian Bond Girl of all and Life magazine named Yeoh/Wai Lin the 11th best Bond Girl of all time. Whenever I see her as Wai Lin, the hauntingly erotic voice of Sheryl Crow singing the film's title song goes through my head. The best Bond film title song ever, in this writer's opinion. You'll here it after the jump.