On one level it's always about money, so it's hard not to be a little cynical.
I mean, in Ochanomizu yesterday I saw a big billboard for SMAP's new single, "Be Happy." It said "SMAP for Japan" and "You are not alone." Part of me thinks how nice it is to see pop artists "reaching out" to people in Japan at a time of crisis; another part of me can't get past the adroit salesmanship. Even if the single is purely for charity, the brains behind the billboard are trying to sell an album, not cure everybody's loneliness and misery.....
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