and then

I have to apologize for being the idiot that scheduled 19 credit hours spring quarter. Time isn’t on my side, and news updates will be posted in bulk like this until I (possibly) “recruit” someone to help me.

Ayu recently kicked off her Tour of Secret and completed her first ever concert overseas! It was an all out media frenzy in Taiwan, and the Official concert blog has been updated with a fantastic collection of video and images. In addition, fansite Divine Ayu has accumulated a nice collection of translated news coverage.

Speaking of Secret, both the Secret and (miss)understood earned Ayu another (two!) Gold Disc Award(s). She was one of only two artists to have two albums in the top 10 this year (the other being Koda Kumi). All things considered, she’s staying on top in 2007.

Vogue Nippon’s website is currently featuring a behind the scenes look at Ayu’s photoshoot for iconic designer Dior! See its AYUxDior Addict Modern Reflections to read the report and watch exclusive video of the shoot.

Finally a brand new single has been announced for July! Exact details are unknown, but it’s got something to do with this.

Ayu’s official site has been updated with a new layout and two brand new mirrors: one in English and one in Chinese. The new versions don’t cover all aspects of the original site (the Japanese version is the only one with the fanclub and schedule links), they do have translations of her special comments.

A BEST 2 has gone on to conquer the global charts, taking the top two spots and individually selling double the number of units of its closest competitor.

Kind of redundant, but the weekly Oricon Style chart has been updated with Ayu’s latest.

Not surprisingly, A BEST 2 -WHITE- landed the number one spot and A BEST 2 -BLACK- fell in behind it, effectively bumping last week’s number one album (the fabulous Shiina Ringo and Saito Neko creation) all the way back to number three.

Congrats Ayu!

Although the weekly rankings have not yet been posted, Ayu’s A BEST 2 -BLACK- and A BEST 2 -WHITE- are already among the best selling albums of 2007, A BEST 2 -WHITE- just barely inching out A BEST 2 -BLACK- with 475000 units (as opposed to 470000).

This huge accomplishment has helped Ayu break yet another sales record, making her the first female artist in nearly 37 years to have the number one and number two albums. The last woman to do this was Fuji Keiko with her 1970 LPs “Woman’s Blues” and “Shinjuku Woman/Fuji Keiko’s Ballad” (rough translations).

Ayu responded in a humble message on Oricon, thanking her fans and staff for their support. She also explained that she has been busy with her Asia tour that kicks off this week but is still very honored to have reached such a milestone. She’s certainly secured her spot in pop culture history!

Read the complete article at Oricon Style.

Ayu’s latest video “part of Me” is MTV Japan’s buzzAsia video for the month of March! It will be aired continuously throughout the month.

Although they’ve flipped back and forth, at least one of Ayu’s A BEST 2 albums has held the top spot on the Daily Oricon Style charts since its release (the other has held a respectable second). Although it’s a toss up as to which A BEST 2 comes out on top for the week, it’s safe to say Ayu will maintain her reign.