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news: DORAMA
Amami to star as psychiatrist in TBS drama
Sat, February 2, 2008 (4:54pm EST)
Actress Yuki Amami will take on her first doctor role when she stars in a TBS drama series next season. The show, which is currently untitled, will feature Amami as a 39-year-old, unmarried psychiatrist.
The central focus of the series seems to be the "arafo" generation (an abbreviation of "around forty"). 40 is now considered a turning point in women's lives, especially with regard to marriage, childbirth, and work. The show will depict the joys and sufferings of these women in a comical way.
  
The network plans to start filming early next month. Katsuaki Setoguchi is producing, and the cast includes Naohito Fujiki, Nene Otsuka, and Michitaka Tsutsui. The drama will air on Fridays at 10:00pm, starting in April. |
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news: idol
Kaori Iida gives birth
Sun, February 3, 2008 (5:39am EST)
Ex-Morning Musume member Kaori Iida recently gave birth to her first child, it was announced on Sunday. The baby boy was born on January 22 and initially weighed 3200 grams.
Iida got married on July 7 of last year to Kenji, the vocalist of the now-defunct band 7HOUSE.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
"Impossible love" for Sakai, Natsukawa in Fuji TV drama
Sun, February 3, 2008 (5:14pm EST)
 
Veteran entertainer Masaaki Sakai and actress Yui Natsukawa will co-star in a new Fuji TV drama series currently titled "Muri na Renai." This is Sakai's first starring drama role in 13 years.
The series uses an original screenplay by Yoshikazu Okada. Sakai plays the role of Shogo, a divorced man with one daughter. In his younger days, he was briefly in a band but it quickly broke up, and he took on a job at a record company. At the age of 60, he falls in love with the 35-year-old Kaede (Natsukawa), but her career and values are very different from his own. In addition, Kaede already has an "ikemen" boyfriend (currently being cast).
Sakai commented that the role is very similar to his own life. He has been divorced twice and has two daughters, and is said to be dating a former model 22 years younger than him.
Other cast members include Hiroshi Kamayatsu (also known as Monsieur Kamayatsu), Mari Natsuki, Toshinori Omi, Sayaka Aoki, Sawa Suzuki, and Kei Tanaka. The drama will fill the Tuesday 10:00pm time slot, starting in April.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Kozak Maeda, the 28-year-old vocalist of punk band Gagaga SP, revealed on Sunday that he is getting married this month.
Sources say his partner is a 25-year-old nurse who is currently four months pregnant. They met about two years ago through a mutual friend.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Kumi Koda comment goes "rotten," suspended for month
Sat, February 2, 2008 (4:01pm EST)
Pop star Kumi Koda has found herself in trouble after making a careless remark on a radio show earlier this week. As a result, Koda will be putting all of her activities on hold for the time being.
The comment came on Tuesday night while Koda was hosting "All Night Nippon." The topic of her manager's marriage came up, and Koda was asked about when her manager was planning to have children. She made a seemingly light-hearted reply that "when women turn 35, their amniotic fluid goes rotten, so I'd like them to have a child by 35."
The inaccurate statement sparked a lot of criticism among listeners, particularly on the internet. Koda issued a public apology on Friday through the websites of Nippon Broadcasting System and Avex, but the damage had already been done. Cosmetics firm KOSE has temporarily removed her presence from its Visee site, and promotional events for her new album "Kingdom" have all been canceled. Koda was also scheduled to appear on a Tokyo FM show on Saturday, but she has been replaced by fellow Avex artist Ami Suzuki.
However, some of her television appearances will go on as planned, such as the already-recorded "Koi no Kara Sawagi" on Saturday and "Tetsuko no Heya" on Thursday.
According to Avex, the length of Koda's self-suspension has not yet been decided but is expected to last until the end of this month. Koda has a national tour scheduled to start in April, so she hopes to resume activities in time for rehearsals in mid-March.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Smorgas member Raimon arrested for marijuana
Mon, February 4, 2008 (5:14am EST)
29-year-old musician Raimon Kato was arrested on Sunday afternoon for possession of marijuana, it was learned on Monday. According to police, approximately one gram of the drug was found in a rucksack inside Kato's car, which was parked at his home in Meguro, Tokyo.
Kato was apparently tipped off to the police by a family member. An officer arrived at the scene at took Kato into custody. He has reportedly admitted to owning the drugs, and investigators are currently trying to determine his source.
Kato is a member of the band Smorgas. He is also the second son of the duo Hide & Rossanna, formed by Italian singer Rosanna Zanbon and her late husband Hide Demon in the late 1960s.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
"Wata-Oni" extends to 9th season
Mon, February 4, 2008 (5:47am EST)
The official website of the long-running TBS drama "Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari" reveals that the 9th series will begin its run this April. The show is set to air in its usual time slot, Thursdays at 9:00pm.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Fallout from Kumi Koda comment continues
Mon, February 4, 2008 (4:47pm EST)
Public anger over Kumi Koda's careless comment last week continues to run strong, while networks and advertisers scramble to distance themselves from the singer. It was already announced that cosmetics company KOSE removed her from its website, but several more firms have followed suit.
Kirin has halted its commercials for the chuhai brand Hyoketsu. The drink's website has been closed, as has Honda's ZEST Sports page. Gilette Japan (who was about to start a new campaign with Koda) and Morinaga Seika have also taken similar action.
On Sunday, NTV and Fuji TV aired episodes of "Koi no Karasawagi" and "Shin Domoto Kyodai" that included Koda. Fuji TV said that it received more than 100 complaints from viewers. Meanwhile, TV Asahi has decided to postpone its broadcast of a "Tetsuko no Heya" episode that was scheduled to air this Thursday.
Avex says that Koda is suspending activity at least until the end of this month, though it may last longer, depending on public opinion. It is also not clear yet whether her commercial campaigns will be revived in the future.
Despite the negative press, Koda's newly-released album "Kingdom" managed to take #1 on the charts for its initial week.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Aoi Miyazaki stars in new Kudokan film
Mon, February 4, 2008 (5:16pm EST)
Celebrated screenwriter Kankuro Kudo is working on his next film as a director. Titled "Shonen Meriken Sakku," it will star actress Aoi Miyazaki in her first true comedy role in a movie.
"Shonen Meriken Sakku" is Kudo's first directorial project since "Mayonaka no Yaji-san Kita-san" in 2005. Miyazaki plays an incompetent employee at a record company who is responsible for signing new artists. Through an online video site, she discovers a punk band named Shonen Meriken Sakku and makes a proposal to her boss. She gets assigned to acquire the contract, though in reality she hates punk music.
Miyazaki remarked that she has wanted to work with Kudo for a long time. She is currently involved in production for NHK's taiga drama "Atsuhime," but with the network's consent, filming for the movie will last for about a month starting in mid-March.
"Shonen Meriken Sakku" will be released nationwide by Toei as early as this fall.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: TV show/idols
Arashi to host prime time variety show
Mon, February 4, 2008 (3:38pm EST)
As part of TBS's programming shuffle this spring, the network's Thursday 10:00pm drama time slot is being turned into a variety show slot, occupied by a currently-unnamed show hosted by popular group Arashi.
TBS recently revealed that its Saturday 8:00pm block is switching from variety to drama. The swap of the two time slots is motivated by concerns about falling ratings, and the network hopes that Arashi can provide a much-needed boost.
The Thursday slot has become well-established as a drama block for the station, but ratings have been low in recent years. Dramas in that time slot face direct competition from Fuji TV, which has meanwhile managed to broadcast several hit shows, including "Iryu 2," "Dr. Coto's Clinic 2006," and "Densha Otoko." Other networks also have successful shows airing at the same time: "Downtown DX" (NTV) and "Houdou Station" (TV Asahi). TBS has decided to shift its strategy, focusing more on attracting older teens and twenty-somethings.
Arashi's show is their first time hosting during "golden time" (7pm-10pm). It will apparently deal with social and cultural topics. Producer Saori Hirata is in charge of the program. Broadcast begins in April.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Fans of Kawamura Ryuichi (37) got a rare treat yesterday at the Nippon Budokan, when the Luna Sea vocalist performed a "marathon live" show that included all 71 songs recorded during his ten years as a solo artist. When Kawamura got to song No.65, "Sunset", the 12,000 fans went wild when he was joined on stage by Luna Sea guitarist Inoran (37).
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
Victor Records and the music industry are expecting big things from rock band Otona Moodo (translates as Adult Mode, but we'll just call them Otona Mode). The band have three indie-label albums and several TV commercial tie-ups under their belt, but make their major-label debut tomorrow with the release of the single "Kaze ni Natte". Their label are backing them up with major radio exposure - 32 networks nationwide will have the song as a "power play" this month. The band's five members, who come from places as far apart as Hokkaido, Kanagawa and Aichi prefectures, met while at music college in Tokyo in 2004. They started performing mainly in the hip district of Shimo-Kitazawa and released their debut single in February 2006. More recently they worked on "Sora", the debut album by up-and-coming idol Aragaki Yui (19). The coming week will see them perform in-store events at Tower Records in Tokyo and Osaka and a gig at the Liquid Room in Ebisu on February 25. The growth of their fan base has been helped by the boyish good looks of vocalist Takahashi Keita (22) and their melodic musical stylings, which have drawn comparisons to an early Mr. Children.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: artiste
Another release with big expectations is the first album in two and a half years from Utada Hikaru (25). "Heart Station" is not out until March 19, but media were given a look at the album cover this week. It features a photo that is a bit more natural than Hikki's usual look and was taken during a 4-hour studio session last Christmas Eve. Now in her mid-20s and a divorcee, she has clearly grown up. Her most recent release, last year's single "Flavor of Life", was downloaded some 7.5 million times, as a "chaku-uta" for mobile phones among other things. The first single from the new album, "Heart Station/Stay Gold", will be her 20th and goes on sale February 20.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: music chart
Charts: Koda on top despite controversy
Wed, February 6, 2008 (4:09am EST)
Kumi Koda had the best selling album of the week despite the problems caused by her "rotten womb" comment. "Kingdom" moved over 420,000 copies to easily take the #1 spot.
CHEMISTRY's "Face to Face" ranked 3rd with 45,000 in sales. Elephant Kashimashi (#7) and Yui Horie (#8) also had new releases in the top 10.
On the singles chart, Shoko Nakagawa sold 26,000 copies of "snow tears," but it landed one spot short of the top. #1 was taken instead by Thelma Aoyama's "Soba ni Iru ne," which sold 47,000 copies, a slight drop from last week.
mihimaru GT, Ikimono Gakari, Stephanie, and the pillows also entered the charts at #6 through #9.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Ito, Uchino star in disaster flick "252"
Wed, February 6, 2008 (5:33am EST)
 
Hideaki Ito and Masaaki Uchino are co-starring in a disaster film titled "252: Seizonsha Ari," directed by Nobuo Mizuta ("Maiko Haaaan!!!").
A series of earthquakes causes the biggest typhoon in history to hit Japan, submerging areas of Tokyo. From one underground mall in Shinbashi, a rescue squad receives a distress code of "252," signaling that there are survivors in need of help.
The code is sent by a former rescue squad officer (Ito) who is trapped in the mall along with his daughter. The signal is picked up by his older brother (Uchino), who currently commands the rescue team.
Filming already took place between October and December. To make the rescue scenes more realistic, producers worked together with the Tokyo Fire Department. Both actors also spent more than a week at the fire department's training facility. Ito has some additional experience for the part, as he played a rescue diver in the hit "Umizaru" series.
"252" is scheduled to open in theaters on December 6.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes/movie
mihimaru GT does "Shaolin Girl" theme
Wed, February 6, 2008 (5:09pm EST)
mihimaru GT is providing the theme song for the Stephen Chow-produced "Shaolin Girl," which stars Kou Shibasaki. The song's title is "Girigiri HERO." No release date has been announced yet.
"Shaolin Girl" is scheduled to open during Golden Week.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama SP
TBS also announces Tokyo bombing drama
Thu, February 7, 2008 (4:45am EST)
Last month, NTV announced a drama special set during the Tokyo bombings of World War II. Now, TBS has also revealed its own drama special dealing with the same period, though it will have a different focus.
Like the NTV production, this drama is tentatively titled "Tokyo Daikushu." Toru Nakamura plays the role of the late Koyo Ishikawa, a policeman assigned to photograph the destruction caused by the air raids. He was later ordered to turn over the film to the GHQ, but he steadfastly refused. Only 33 of his photos have survived to this day.
For this drama, approximately 80 survivors have been interviewed in attempt to realistically depict the circumstances of the bombings.
TBS plans to air the show on March 10, a week before NTV's two-night special.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 6-2-2008 02:44 PM
