The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational is deeply honored when each season guests & performers from all realms within Asian culture fandom request to appear & interact with "the world's most extreme fusion festival". With "Returning Legends", TAKII fans are given more of a reason to rejoice when some of their favorite musicians, industry professionals, & celebs from past seasons of TAKII come back for yet another round of celebratory excellence! It's no secret that "star power" seems to be a heavily-respected component to many other like-minded events & conventions, compelling con-goers to attend just because their favorite personality will be "there". When it comes to TAKII, however, that energy works in reverse & reciprocal order, with guests & performers desiring to attend additional seasons of The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational just as much as our frenzied fans want to see them there once more! Thanks to the following "Returning Legends" for TAKII 8 ~HoliDAYZE~, we'll be able to celebrate this festive season in true "extreme" style:
 

D-chan is a 24 year-old Japanese-mixed male & professional Japanese/Korean vocal musician. He has been singing since he was a lil boy, with his 1st recording being when he was in kindergarten at Manoa Elementary School in Havertown, PA, singing "10 Little Indians" ^_^. Since then, D-chan has moved on to become a major member of all the top vocal groups my academic career had to offer, which he has been successful in as an adult. Among other milestones in his young vocal career, D-chan sang on the opening day of The Kimmel Centre Of The Performing Arts in Philadelphia PA, won various district & region-wide vocal festivals, & aided his vocal groups to gain top honors in vocal adjudications up & down the East Coast. He is also the 1 of the youngest members of the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus & their auditioned group, Brotherly Love, of which he has been a member since 2003. D-chan also has various singles & 2 demo albums ("Watashi Wa..../I Am...." & "Ai no Chikara/The Power Of Love") to his credit, all of which are available for purchase at PDNMZ Shoppe X-Perience. As of 2008-2009, D-chan will have performed multiple times on NBC's "10 Show @ 11am" (as a part of Brotherly Love) in Philadelphia, PA, at T-Mode 2008 in Arlington, VA, the GALA 2008 Festival in Miami, FL, ZonaCon 2009 (a week before TAKII 8) & many other venues & events in multiple capacities, including the innovatively-extreme "TAKII World Tour". Making a lasting influential impression on people around the world, D-chan's emotive 8th season guest performance at TAKII is sure to touch you: mind, body, & soul.

In the Battle Of Gettysburg, military scientists smuggled a previously deceased Burlesque dancer into a lab & worked on her for 150 years. The goal: to create a being who would be too hot to handle.  The result: [Ai] (really known as Carmen Lugo, currently residing in New Jersey)! There are also rumors circulating that she's a 22-year old Hispanic born in New York City, but that's only what the man wants you to believe (LOL). Presently, [Ai] works as a performer, singer, & dance instructor who has experience in multiple interpretations. She is also a former TAKII Show Champion (from TAKII 2 ~Rebirth~) & cosplay masquerade winner. [Ai] is also known for her comedic & artful portrayl of Mie as 1/2 of the J-Pop Retro group, Pink Lady (in both TAKII 4 ~Rhythm D-Generation X-Treme~ & TAKII 5 ~Shin Seiki (Neon Genesis)~). At her most recent TAKII appearance (TAKII 7 ~Simply SINs"ASIAN"al~), she took TAKII fanatics through a candid exploration of what it really means to love & earned everyone's continued adoration & respect as a result. Returning for TAKII 8 ~HoliDAYZE~, she will be 1 of our featured performers for the "Makenai Benefit Concert", promising an exhibition of vocal excellence that is sure to be 1 that no one will forget!

Prior to her involvement with TAKII, Dokudel (known as Alicia Lugo & sister of the infamous [Ai]) started on her path to cosplay greatness by making her 1st cosplay outfit in 1998 & subsequently attending her 1st convention in 2001. Over 80 costumes & countless hours later, Dokudel has realized just how much of a passion cosplaying is in her life & how it can spread so much joy in the lives of others. As a result of her adoration for this artform, she has opened up her own cosplay commission business (Cosplay Forever), volunteered for countless other organizations in a cosplay-related capacity (including Shikkaricon, among others), & hosted cosplay panels at some of the 20+ conventions she has attended over the past 8 years. A young cosplay aficionado in her own right, Dokudel made her 1st waves with The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational at TAKII 2 ~Rebirth~'s Asian Karaoke Idol show, where she took 2nd place. Since then, she has been a dedicated TAKII dealer & has become the fusion festival's unofficial cosplay coordinator & Cosplay Battle Royale hostess with the mostest ^_^. While she is always in transit between her residencies in Virginia & New Jersey, rest assured that she will be at The Rotunda in Philadelphia, PA on November 28th - 29th, 2009 for the Christmas-infused celebration known as TAKII 8 ~HoliDAYZE~!

Residing in Philadelphia, PA, Jeffrey Branch is an Asian Music enthusiast who just so happens to be the most trusted & reliable source of Pink Lady information (as documented by a hardcore fan) in the entire USA! His site, Pink Lady America, has been mentioned in Japan-based magazines, as well as serving for a portion of the inspiration behind "Pink Lady: A Comical Tribute" from TAKII 4, the "Pink Lady & Jeff: Lost Episode" from TAKII 5, & a guest host of our retro-themed gameshows. Since becoming a dedicated fan of Japanese Pop music in the 1970s, Jeffrey has made numerous trips to Japan & other points on the globe in search of his next Pink Lady fix. Jeffrey Branch is a prime example of a TAKII fanatic: someone who is passionate about his love for Asian vocal music & makes every effort to share that same affection with the world. Through his involvement with The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational over the years, he has become not only an honorary Team TAKII Member, but a wonderful friend to Team TAKII Coordinators, as well as his fellow guests/performers. We're extremely honored to have this man grace us with his presence & lovingly look forward to his wacky antics at TAKII 8 ~HoliDAYZE~!