Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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b]Aya Ueto wants 5 kids but only one pregnancy

Monday 16th March, 05:10 AM JST



TOKYO

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Junichi Ishida wears socks for 1st time in 20 years

Tuesday 17th March, 04:00 AM JST



TOKYO

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Major manga comic weeklies 'Magazine,' 'Sunday' mark 50th anniversary

Tuesday 17th March, 04:26 AM JST

TOKYO

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Naomi Kawashima introduces new drama 'Egoist'

Tuesday 17th March, 09:16 AM JST



TOKYO

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Aki Hoshino throws her support behind Ichiro

Tuesday 17th March, 10:00 AM JST



TOKYO

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More kids for Kiroro
Tue, March 17, 2009 (11:32am EDT)



Both members of pop duo Kiroro had joyous news to announce on Tuesday. Their agency revealed that keyboardist Ayano Kinjo gave birth to her second child on Saturday, while also announcing that vocalist Chiharu Tamashiro is pregnant with her third child.

Kinjo previously gave birth to a daughter in 2005. This time she had a son, who is said to be healthy despite being born about two weeks early.

Tamashiro has a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. She is expected to give birth in October.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Haga Kenji (47) had better enjoy his freedom while he can. The former talento and renowned playboy no doubt thought he was home free last November when he was acquitted on charges of fraud and attempted extortion. The not guilty verdict - a rarity in the Japanese court system - at the Osaka District Court came after Haga and former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (54) had been held in detention for almost a year and a half. A key element in securing that verdict was the testimony of a former dentist and friend of Haga. But doubts surfaced about the reliability of his testimony when prosecutors questioned that man and searched his home in January. And yesterday they finally arrested him, which means the chances are high that Haga and Watanabe will find themselves in the courtroom again in the near future. If they end up in an appeal trial, the pair will be again facing possible prison sentences of up to eight years.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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1st Japan-China joint TV cartoon to be aired in China

Wednesday 18th March, 05:35 AM JST



TOKYO

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JapanTimes spotlights Morning Musume with interview (in English)

March 17, 2009 by J!-ENT



In a recent article/interview on JapanTimes, the interview is with Morning Musume leader Ai Takashi, sub-leader Risa Niigaki and one of the Chinese members of the group Linlin (along with manager Kouichi Nishikata).

Here is an excerpt from Robert Michael Poole抯 article in regards to Morning Musume抯 expansion to China and the US.

Morning Musume抯 move into China has been seen as the next logical step for the group. However, all has not gone according to plan.

揟he attempt to launch Morning Musume into China hasn抰 gone very well,

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Sakamoto starts production on Zatoichi The Last
Jason Gray in Tokyo
17 Mar 2009 12:39



Japanese director Junji Sakamoto has started shooting Zatoichi The Last, starring SMAP member Shingo Katori in the lead role of the famed blind swordsman, for Japan's Sedic International and Toho Studios.

Toho has announced a 2010 release for the film which has secured investment from Celluloid Dreams. The French sales agent also handled word sales for Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi in 2003.

The story follows blind masseur and master swordsman Zatoichi after he has sheathed his sword for good, attempting to settle into a quiet life with his wife. During the journey to her hometown he's provoked back into battle.

Katori is best known as the youngest member of singing and TV entertainment troupe SMAP. His previous feature film roles include hits Monkey Magic (2007) and Suite Dreams (2006).

Sakamoto's recent films have included Toei crime film Chameleon and controversial Thai-set drama Children Of The Dark. Zatoichi marks his first foray into period action.

Based on a character created by novelist Kan Shimozawa and embodied by late legendary actor Shintaro Katsu, Zatoichi spawned 26 feature films and 100 television episodes between 1962 and 1989.

The franchise has seen at least two recent reinventions

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Model Rina Sakurai stars on the big screen
Wed, March 18, 2009 (1:07am EDT)



Popular fashion model Rina Sakurai (25) has landed her first role in a movie, and in fact she has been chosen to play the lead. She will star in "Butterfly," directed by Yukichi Otsuka.



In the film, Sakurai plays a young woman who moves from Osaka to Tokyo and begins working as a bar hostess while she pursues her dreams. Her rival is played by gravure idol Atsumi Ishihara.

The movie is scheduled to open in theaters this fall.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Charts: KAT-TUN reaches 10
Wed, March 18, 2009 (2:10am EDT)



Last month, KAT-TUN sold their 9th consecutive #1 single with "ONE DROP." This week, they extended that streak to 10 with "RESCUE," selling 323,000 copies. They are now tied with NEWS for the second-longest streak starting with a debut single, but they are both still far behind KinKi Kids, who have 28 consecutive chart-toppers.

Popular male idol Yusuke Kamiji also had a strong showing on the charts, taking #2 with 219,000 copies of his first solo single, "Himawari." TVXQ came in at #3, followed by GReeeeN. VAMPS, Berryz Koubou, and Ryu Si-won also made the top ten.



Meanwhile, Remioromen's "Remio Best" topped the album charts at 281,000 in sales, forcing RADWIMPS to settle for second place despite selling 213,000 copies of their new album.

Hikaru Utada's "This Is The One" ranked in at #3, one spot ahead of Aqua Timez. The Gospellers and CHEMISTRY both made the bottom half of the top ten with their latest albums.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Mezamashi TV" announcers to release CD
Wed, March 18, 2009 (2:44am EDT)



Popular Fuji TV announcers Aya Takashima and Minako Nakano, who both appear on the morning show "Mezamashi TV," are set to make their CD debut next month. The duo will appropriately be named Early Morning.

Their debut song is composed by Kenji Fukui, a veteran announcer at Fuji TV, and the three of them together wrote the lyrics. The technopop tune is titled "Oitekebori no Thirty," and it is now being used as the ending theme of the late-night variety show "Announcer Bang!"

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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GLAY rocks for "Blood: The Last Vampire"
Wed, March 18, 2009 (1:38am EDT)



Rock band GLAY has written the theme song for the Hong Kong-France collaborative live-action film "Blood: The Last Vampire" (titled "Last Blood" in Japan), which is based on the well-known animated film of the same name. The band was appointed to the task by producer Bill Kong.

The title of the song is "I am xxx." It will be used in the Asian releases of the film, which will start with 11 countries on May 29, including Japan, China, and Taiwan. GLAY hopes to also have their music used in the film's European and American releases.

GLAY leader TAKURO (37) commented, "Different from the past GLAY music, the song has a heavy and dark sound. We created it to match the image of the cries from the heart of the movie's heroine, who possesses a sad fate." The film features Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun ("My Sassy Girl," "Windstruck") and Japanese actress Koyuki.



GLAY's single will be released on May 25.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Just two years ago they were billed as one of the "super couples" of Japanese showbiz, but it looks like Fujiwara Norika (37) and Jinnai Tomonori (35) have come to the end of the road. According to the Sports Hochi website, the couple have both stamped their seals on divorce papers and it's just a matter of days before they make the decision legal. Fujiwara is currently visiting Kenya in her role as a Red Cross ambassador. Their relationship is said to have taken a turn for the worse last autumn. Up until that time Jinnai had been commuting several times a week between their home in Tokyo and a TV studio in Osaka for the live morning show "Narutomo!" It was speculated that he quit the show in September so he could spend more time with his wife. But Jinnai is said to have been the one to obtain the divorce papers. Fujiwara made up her mind to add her seal when a stage production came to a close at the end of last month. From the start there were those who said theirs was a mismatched marriage, referred to in Japanese as "kakusakon." A former Miss Japan, Fujiwara is a successful actress and one of the business's biggest earners with a string of commercial contracts, regular TV and stage roles, and also active in charitable causes. Jinnai has established himself as a TV regular over the last few years but is still mainly seen as a "pin-geinin" or solo comedian. They held their elaborate traditional wedding on February 17, 2007 at the Ikutajinja shrine in Fujiwara's hometown of Kobe, with hundreds of reporters and thousands of fans craning for a glimpse outside. They invited 600 guests to the Hotel Okura the following April for a wedding reception that cost over

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Happier news it seems for another comedian-actress couple. A significant age difference doesn't seem to prevented romance from blossoming between talento Imada Koji (43) and actress Kato Rosa (23). The two were recently spotted out on a date, with photos appearing today in the latest issue of weekly magazine "Friday." A former comedian, Imada is one of the most established names with the major Yoshimoto Kogyo agency, who declined to comment on the story. He is a regular on the variety show circuit, often acting as emcee. Kato has seen her career take off in the last couple of years, landing commercial contracts and a string of leading roles on TV and the big screen. She and Imada first worked together on the NTV drama "Africa no Tsume" in 2004.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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British rockers Oasis kicked off their latest Japan tour in Nagoya last night. They played a set of 20 songs, including their upcoming release "Falling Down," for 8,000 fans at the Nihon Gaishi Hall. The new single, set for release in May, is to be their first anime tie up. It will be used as the theme song for the new Fuji TV series "Higashi no Eden," which airs from April 9. The band will also make their first live appearance on Japanese TV on a 3-hour special edition of TV Asahi's "Music Station" on March 27.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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JapanFiles.com releases over 150 Hello! Project albums/singles

March 17, 2009 by J!-ENT



March 18, 2009 - Japanfiles.com announces an expanded partnership with Up Front Works and Hello! Project.

http://www.japanfiles.com/spotlight/hello-project

Fans of Hello! Project can directly support their favorite past/present Hello! Project artists with 320 kbps downloads of over 150 albums and singles from:

Morning Musume?
Aya Matsuura
Berryz Koubou
癈-ute
Country Musume?
GAM
Melon Kinenbi
Natsumi Abe
Ongaku Gatas
Pucchi Moni
Yuko Nakazawa



JapanFiles.com is releasing the new Morning Musume?album 揚LATINUM 9 DISC

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Celebrities introduce their dogs at Japan premiere of 'Marley & Me'

Wednesday 18th March, 03:41 PM JST



TOKYO —

Celebrities brought their pet dogs along to the Japan premiere of the new film “Marley & Me” in Tokyo this week.

Uno Kanda, 33, who appeared at the event with her Yorkshire Terrier, said, “I decided to marry my husband because my dog gets along with him.” Dewi Sukarno, 69, who has 11 dogs at home, said, “I start every day with the same routine—cleaning dog poop every morning.”

TV personalities Becky, 25, Naoko Ken, 55, and Takatoshi Kaneko, 31, also brought their canine friends.

The film will be released nationwide from March 27.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Kabuki performer Nakamura Kantaro introduces film 'Zen' in New York

Wednesday 18th March, 11:00 PM JST



NEW YORK —

Kabuki performer and actor Nakamura Kantaro introduced his film, “Zen,” Tuesday in front of a packed crowd at a theater where the movie made its first and only New York showing. “‘Zen’ is a very subtle movie,” Nakamura told audience members. “In the days where we are going for easy entertainment, I was wondering whether people would come and see the film.”

The movie is the 27-year-old’s second film and first debut in a starring role as Dogen, a 13th century Buddhist monk who went to China to study Buddhism before returning to Japan. Nakamura’s family lineage in Kabuki dates back to the 17th century but he has ventured out to act in Japanese television dramas over the years. In his only U.S. visit to promote the film, the Tuesday screening was Nakamura’s first return to New York City since 2007, when joined his father’s Kabuki troupe, Heisei Nakamura-za.

Source: www.japantoday.com