Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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H&MC reveals new vocalist
Sun, March 15, 2009 (1:25am EDT)



HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR has announced the addition of a new female vocalist. The 21-year-old HALCA, hailing from Okinawa, is filling the gap left by former member Maki. Maki left in October due to her marriage with Masato Nakamura of DREAMS COME TRUE.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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aiko finds new love
Fri, March 13, 2009 (2:38pm EDT)



According to the latest issue of FRIDAY magazine, singer aiko (33) has found a new boyfriend. The man, who appears to be in his 20s, was photographed with aiko on several occasions. The pictures include the pair together in a car, cozily walking together, returning to aiko's apartment at 2am, and dining last Christmas at an expensive yakiniku restaurant.

aiko was previously in a relationship with TOKIO member Taichi Kokubun. They dated for about 8 years, and many thought that marriage was inevitable, but they broke up in 2007.

aiko's agency declined to comment on the reports of her new boyfriend.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Sho Sakurai stars in "The Quiz Show"
Fri, March 13, 2009 (7:07pm EDT)



Arashi's Sho Sakurai has been chosen to star in the NTV drama series "The Quiz Show." The show is a prime time version of last summer's late night drama "The Quiz Show," which starred Jin Katagiri and Shigeyuki Totsugi.

In the new version, Sakurai plays the host of a live TV quiz program. On the show, contestants who achieve 7 correct answers win 10 million yen, and those who get 8 correct answers will have one of their wishes granted by the TV network. But while the questions start off innocently enough, as the game progresses, the questions gradually delve into the contestants' past crimes or indiscretions, presenting them with the dilemma of having to confess their guilt in order to win.

Sakurai's character also has a mysterious past. Before becoming the show's host, an accident had left him in a vegetative state for six years, which also resulted in him losing most of his memories.



The supporting cast includes Kanjani8's Yu Yokoyama as the show's director, Aya Matsuura as a rookie assistant director, and Miki Maya as the producer. Broadcast begins on April 18 in NTV's Saturday 9pm time slot.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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It seems that the music industry hasn't given up on Komuro Tetsuya (50). The second hearing in the copyright fraud trial against the popular musician and producer was held at the Osaka District Court yesterday. He has been accused of fraudulently receiving

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Actor Otsuru Gitan (40) is planning to get remarried within the year, according to the Sankei Sports website. His fiancee is former model and talento Matsuba Reina (27), who also has movies such as "Crows Zero" (2007) on her resume. The pair met through work last December, and Matsuba quit show business at the end of the year. Otsuru has introduced his fiancee to his parents - his father is a playwright, his mother an actress. Matsuba's parents are currently overseas for her father's work. The timing of Otsuru's decision to talk to the media is no doubt linked to the fact that his latest movie project is due to open in theaters on April 4. "Watashi no Naka no 8mm" is his first directorial effort in 14 years. Otsuru has a reputation as a playboy and his philandering ways led to a very public divorce from Japan-based Brazilian singer Marcia (40) in 2004. He said he was happy to hear recent reports of her romance with a dentist.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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JapanFiles.com simultaneous digital release of Morning Musume’s new album &#8220LATINUM 9 DISC”
March 13, 2009 by J!-ENT



March 13, 2009 - JapanFiles.com will release Morning Musume’s new album &#8220LATINUM 9 DISC” for digital download on March 18, 2009, the same day as the Japanese release.

The album will be available at 320 kbps for under $10.00.

Track list:

1. SONGS

2. Resonant blue

3. Ame no furanai hoshide wa aisenai darou

4. Take off is now!

5. Naichau kamo

6. Watashi no miryoku ni kidukanai donkanna hito

7. Gurguru JUMP

8. Mikan

9. Jounetsu no kiss wo hitotsu

10. It’s You

11. Onna ni sachi are

12. Kataomoi no owari ni

13. Kanashimi twilight

Morning Musume will perform at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, CA, held July 2 - 5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Anime Expo Official Website: http://www.anime-expo.org

Links!

Morning Musume on JapanFiles.com - http://www.japanfiles.com/morningmusume

Morning Musume official website - http://www.helloproject.com/artist/01/index.html

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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Televiews - Networks need to think outside the idiot box
March 14, 2009 by J!-ENT

The following is an excerpt from the Wm. Penn’s “Televiews” column on Daily Yomiuri. Penn writes about the TV industry and her feelings during the Spring of 2009:

The major TV networks need to start thinking outside the box. This spring, they have responded to the new economic constraints on the TV industry by cutting back, recycling all-too-familiar plots and adding lots of cheaper, live programming to their lineups.

They need some new tricks.

Hard economic times call for outside-the-box solutions, the kind of cost-cutting magic that can make low-budget operations look more glamorous. In this regard, they could learn from TV Tokyo.

Starting April 6, TV Tokyo’s innovative approach to competing with the major networks’ midday chat shows is to welcome the American sitcom Friends (weekdays, 11:30 a.m.) and the 2008 South Korean drama Beethoven Virus (Mondays and Tuesdays, 12:05 p.m.). For years, TV Tokyo has scrambled to keep up with the major players and, in the process, created some memorable, long-running, low-budget, family-centered shows such as Family Treasure Appraisers, Pochi-Tama and Million Kazoku, the high-stakes hide-and-seek game where contestants can win 1 million yen if they defy detection. If the luck of the leprechauns are on their side, 10 talents hiding out in an appliance store could win up to 10 million yen on the show’s St. Patrick’s Day special (March 17, 7-8:54 p.m.). It’s not likely they will, but it hides a low-budget show behind a more extravagant facade.

The spring TV lineup is overflowing with crime-detection dramas. Are they a cost-cutting measure, or do their better-than-average odds in the ratings competition just make them a more promising return on investment?



Yuki Amami plays a prosecutor in Boss (Fuji,Thursdays, 10 p.m., starting April 16). Naohito Fujiki is a hair stylist-cum-swindler in the suspenseful Seicho Matsumoto crime tale Yako no Kaidan (TV Asahi, Thursdays, 9 p.m.). Fujiki also stars as a soba shop sleuth in NTV’s comedy Ikemen Soba-ya Tantei–Iindaze (Saturdays, 12:50 a.m. from April 4).

Noodles, noodles, noodles. Guess we’ll be seeing even more of these economy-dining TV treats in future. TV Tokyo coined a new term for their low-budget slurping extravaganza King of Ramen Legend special. They called it a “docuMENtary,” a pun on the fact “men” means noodles in Japanese. What a clever, concise, useful term for this extremely annoying genre. I’m adding it to my lexicon.

In a real-life crime tale last week, a TV Asahi news program team went cruising through an urban neighborhood until they found a home that was bugged. In this fascinating case, the perpetrator was a “friend” who broke into the newlyweds’ home, installed listening devices, made his own key and had been dropping in at will for a very long time. He still would be if TV Asahi had not detected him. Now that’s public service television.

The guy admitted his crime on camera and got down on bent knee to offer a half-hearted “dogeza” apology although his head never properly grazed the tatami. The dogeza tactic probably helps keep the nation’s official crime rate down since victims confronted with the tactic often tend to be more forgiving. Refreshingly, this husband decided to call in the police.

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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Space hero Ultra Seven shows up at Tokyo symphony concert
Saturday 14th March, 04:29 AM JST



TOKYO

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Mona Yamamoto happy to talk about relationship
Saturday 14th March, 05:45 AM JST



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Choi Ji-woo denies marriage plan
Sunday 15th March, 04:38 AM JST



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Miss Sophia University is new weather girl for Fuji's 'Mezamashi TV'
Sunday 15th March, 05:42 AM JST



TOKYO

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Third child for Michiyo Nakajima
Mon, March 16, 2009 (12:08am EDT)



Talento Michiyo Nakajima (36) wrote in her blog on Sunday that she gave birth to her third child. The baby boy was born that afternoon, but she mentioned that she was exhausted after close to 12 hours of labor pains.

Nakajima is the wife of Chiba Lotte Marines outfielder Saburo Omura (32). The couple already had one son and one daughter before this child.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yumiko Shaku plays the "Love Game"
Mon, March 16, 2009 (12:09am EDT)



Actress Yumiko Shaku has been given the lead in the upcoming NTV drama series "LOVE GAME." The show is based on the debut novel of TV writer Motoichi Adachi, who is better known for working on the scripts of variety shows like "Odoru! Sanma Goten" and "Kiseki Taiken! Unbelievable." The novel goes on sale at the end of this month.

"LOVE GAME" revolves around a secret game in which the participants can win 100 million yen if they succeed at a love-related task. However, no one has ever succeeded in the game before.

Shaku plays the beautiful but mysterious "dealer" of the game. The challenges she presents to the contestants, who are constantly monitored, include tasks such as "get your wife to sign divorce papers within 8 hours" and "steal your friend's boyfriend within 3 days."



The guests on the show include Shun Shioya and Hiromi Kitagawa in the first episode, and Waka Inoue in the second episode. NTV will broadcast the series on Thursday nights at 11:58pm, starting on April 23.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Platinum Production launches first fan-produced idol group
Mon, March 16, 2009 (1:42am EDT)

Management agency Platinum Production held an event in Akihabara on Sunday to reveal the candidates for its new idol group, which currently goes by the temporary name Pasupo. The group is the first to be "produced by fans," whose votes and comments on the group's blog will influence the selection of the members and their future activities.

The 19 potential members range in age from 14 to 17. One candidate, Ai Negishi (16), commented that they view popular group AKB48 as their rival.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Trouble for X Japan's Heath results in postponed concerts
Sun, March 15, 2009 (4:42am EDT)



The latest setback for reunited rock band X Japan came earlier this week as the group suddenly announced that it is postponing two concerts in Seoul scheduled for March 21 and 22. Reports have surfaced saying that the move was caused by trouble between bassist HEATH and his management agency, which may even result in HEATH leaving the band.

On Friday, the band announced on its website that the two Korean shows have been postponed. They further announced that ticket sales for the upcoming Tokyo Dome shows on May 2-3 have been postponed as well. Tickets were originally scheduled to go on sale Saturday.

The same day, newspapers began reporting that there was trouble between HEATH and his agency, stemming from the bassist's desire to go independent. According to more recent reports, the postponements resulted from difficulties in negotiations for the upcoming shows between that agency and the management committee handling the upcoming shows. That committee had been established as a common organization for the reunited band's activities, since the individual members are normally managed by different agencies.

One source said that there is a possibility that HEATH will leave the band. Someone from the committee stated that this is just a "recharging period" until the conflicts are settled. Furthermore, the committee emphasized that even if HEATH were to leave the band, the band would not break up.

The fate of the postponed concerts is still undecided, but for the time being, tickets are being refunded. The members issued an apology to their fans for all of the trouble.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shiina does new solo single for "Smile"
Mon, March 16, 2009 (12:53am EDT)



Ringo Shiina is back with her first solo single in roughly five years. Titled "Ariamaru Tomi," the song will go on sale May 27, which is the anniversary of her debut single "Koufukuron" back in 1998.



"Ariamaru Tomi" is being used as the theme song for the TBS drama "Smile," starring Jun Matsumoto and Yui Aragaki. The series begins on April 17.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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On Saturday, hip hop trio Funky Monkey Babys were the first Japanese artists to perform an in-store live show in China. The group, known to fans as Fun-Mon, pulled in a crowd of 3,000 at the Aeon Jusco mall in the city of Qingdao (famous as the home of Tsingtao beer). "The crowd had like a big question mark hanging over them at the start," said MC Funky Kato (30). The show began with an intro from DJ Chemical (26), who took the stage dressed in a table tennis outfit. Complete with a racket, he did a quick parody of popular young player Fukuhara Ai, who has based herself in China, and that seemed to have the right effect on the audience. The group then played a short set of four songs, including their latest release "Sakura." In between numbers, Kato chatted with the audience showing off the bit of Chinese he learned recently. The show in China was an extension of their touring at home, playing in dozens of Aeon-run malls across Japan. In their third year, it may not sound like they've hit the big time. But they saw their third album enter the Oricon charts at No.1 earlier this month, and they have a couple of nights lined up at the Nippon Budokan in mid-June. MC Monkichi (30) said, "At regular live shows, the audience comes for the music. But at in-store events we're playing to shoppers who aren't expecting a show, and this has really helped up hone our act."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Nippon Television (NTV) president Kubo Shintaro (64) announced his resignation yesterday - twice. The announcement came as he sought to take responsibility for the broadcast of a fabricated news story last year, but he clearly thought he could keep the whole thing low profile. Only one reporter from each network was admitted to the late-afternoon press conference and no cameras were allowed. Kubo made the briefest of apologies and said his resignation was explanation enough. This led to scuffles between NTV staff and reporters from other networks, who gathered in the lobby of the NTV headquarters. Eventually another press conference, with cameras allowed, was hastily arranged at 7pm. The TV program in question was the Sunday evening show "Shinsou Houdou Bankisha!", whose title translates roughly as "truthful journalist." Last November the show featured a construction company executive who claimed that the Gifu Prefectural government was operating a secret slush fund. An investigation by the regional government showed that the claims were fabricated and representatives from NTV apologized last month. Kubo said yesterday, "This matter was caused by a serious negligence in our supervisory procedure. I want to take the blame for failing to supervise" the TV program. Denying claims that the program had been deliberately fabricated or the executive paid for his interview, Kubo said, "Our reporting wasn't to blame. We were simply deceived." The executive was arrested earlier this month over the incident. Kubo has come under fire since NTV reported its first semi-annual losses in 37 years last September. The network also failed to secure broadcast rights to the ongoing World Baseball Classic. The Japanese team is coached by Hara Tatsunori, who also manages the NTV affiliated Yomiuri Giants. Kubo will stay on as an adviser to NTV, while current chairman Hosokawa Noritada (68) will take on the additional role of network president.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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It has been announced that SMAP member Katori Shingo (32) is to be the last person to take on the mantle of Zatoichi on the big screen. The role of the blind swordsman will always be most closely associated with the legendary Katsu Shintaro (1931-97), though a Kitano Takeshi revival in 2003 was well received. Katsu portrayed the fictional hero in 26 movies and over 100 TV dramas. Katori knows he has very big shoes to fill and has spent the last ten months honing his swordsmanship. Filming began on Sunday under the directorship of Sakamoto Junji (50) and the movie is expected to open next year. Producer Nakazawa Toshiaki, who holds the film rights to the character, has said that this will be his last on-screen incarnation.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Magician Mr Maric reveals hip hop singer Luna is his daughter

Monday 16th March, 04:55 AM JST



TOKYO