Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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Miyavi, melody. married
Thu, March 26, 2009 (3:59am EDT)



Newspapers have just reported that rock musician Miyavi (age unknown) and singer melody. (27) are married. It is also said that melody. is currently pregnant. The couple apparently held a private wedding party, but so far details have not been revealed regarding the date of their marriage or the length of their relationship. Miyavi is expected to make a direct announcement to his fans during a concert in Tokyo on April 5.

melody. retired from singing at the start of this year to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Six people are to be prosecuted for flaming the blog of talento Smiley Kikuchi (37). Four men are accused of libel, while another man and woman are accused of making threats against the minor celebrity. The problem began in April of last year when old Internet rumors resurfaced saying that Kikuchi had been the perpetrator in a murder case. The case dates back to 1989, when a high school girl was kidnapped, confined, raped and finally murdered by a group of youths in Tokyo. Her body was later found in a park, encased in concrete in an oil drum. The case was made into a movie in 2004, bringing it back into the spotlight, though rumors connecting Kikuchi with the case have been circulating on the Web for around ten years. In the latest case, several of the accused wrote hundreds of comments on his blog calling him a murderer and saying that there were many people "out to get" him. Kikuchi's management agency got the police involved earlier this year and the case reached the media in February. Kikuchi started his comedy career back in 1993 but never achieved much fame until he started impersonating popular Korean actor Bae Yong Joon in 2004.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Norika Fujiwara returns to Japan, ready to move on

Thursday 26th March, 10:17 AM JST



OSAKA —

Actress Norika Fujiwara, 37, arrived back in Japan on Wednesday night, appearing before the Japanese public for the first time since news of her divorce from comedian Tomonori Jinnai, 35, made the headlines.

Fujiwara, who had just spent a week in Nairobi, Kenya, engaged in PR work for the Red Cross, was first ambushed by media at Kansai International Airport before flying on to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, where she was swarmed by an even bigger media contingent at around 7.30 p.m.

Wearing dark sunglasses but no longer a wedding ring, Fujiwara appeared upbeat and appealed for continued support of both herself and Jinnai. She fielded questions for about five minutes, saying she did not regret her marriage to Jinnai but instead was appreciative of the time they had together.

Reporters asked what she had to say about Jinnai’s other women, and she shrugged it off saying that it is in the past. When asked if she thought she would marry again, she said: “Yeah! Some day.”

Meanwhile, Jinnai appeared at a press event in Shibuya on Wednesday, held by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department as part of an ongoing campaign against drink driving. The slogan in their latest poster features a woman holding a cup of Japanese sake, and reads: “Don’t give in to temptation.”

Jinnai quipped that the police must have come up with it the day before, when he held a press conference to discuss his divorce and admitted he had yielded to desire. Jinnai said: “But really, I want to say in a loud voice and from the heart, you must resist temptation.”

Piipo-kun, a police mascot, closed the event saying that the message was conveyed well thanks to Jinnai.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Hikaru Utada’s new album doing well in the U.S.

Sunday 29th March, 05:14 AM JST



TOKYO —

Singer and songwriter Hikaru Utada, 26, broke a record for Japanese artists this week when her second album in English - “This is The One” - entered the charts on Apple’s iTunes Music Store at No. 19, the first time an album by a Japanese artist has entered the online store’s rankings in the top 100.

Her album went on sale at the iTunes store last Wednesday, where it finished the day at No. 20 in the general rankings and at No.2 in the pop category, and as of March 27, was ranked No. 19 and No. 3 respectively. The album’s U.S. CD release is scheduled for May, but will be listed on the Billboard 200 chart on April 9, which takes into account CD sales as well as download purchases.

Utada has been promoting the new album heavily in the U.S. over the last month, and it is her second attempt to penetrate the market after her English-language debut album “Exodus” sold just over 50,000 copies in 2004. Her new album has been on sale in Japan since March 14, but PR staff said they will be focusing their efforts in the U.S.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Jero sings at Nat'l Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington

Sunday 29th March, 09:39 PM JST



WASHINGTON —

Popular African-American ‘‘enka’’ singer Jero sang on Saturday in the opening ceremony of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in the U.S. capital. Among the three songs he sang was his hit ‘‘Umiyuki’’ (Ocean Snow), about a heartbroken woman and her unrequited love.

Hundreds of people, including Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki, attended the ceremony held at a museum, enjoying Jero’s performance and other activities. Jero’s previous performance in the United States was a concert last year at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, his hometown.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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'Snake' girl Tatsumi promotes DVDs of 'Anaconda' films

Monday 30th March, 04:00 AM JST

[img]http://www.japantoday.com/images/size/200x/2009/03/snake3.jpg

TOKYO —

Celebrity Natsuko Tatsumi promoted the DVD release in Japan of the U.S. films ‘‘Anaconda 3’’ and ‘‘Anaconda 4’’ at a recent event in Tokyo, with the aid of a 1.3-meter snake around her neck.

‘‘The films were so scary that I could not watch them through to the end by myself,’’ Tatsumi told the promotional event. ‘‘But there’s a reptile boom in Japan these days, and I think I could have a snake for myself if it was cute,’’ Tatsumi said, patting the creature.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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KAT-TUN extends Tokyo Dome run to 8 days
Fri, March 27, 2009 (8:10pm EDT)



KAT-TUN has just added six more dates to their upcoming concerts this spring. In January, they announced that they would be performing for a record 7 consecutive days at the Tokyo Dome, but with the extra concerts, they have now upped that number to 8.

Approximately 385,000 tickets were available for the original 7 concerts on May 15-21, but there were reportedly about 850,000 requests for tickets during the pre-order period alone. In response, Johnny's Jimusho has scheduled three additional shows at Tokyo Dome and three at Osaka Dome.

KAT-TUN will now be performing at Tokyo Dome for eight days in a row on May 15-22. They will then travel to Osaka for three concerts on May 29-31, before returning to Tokyo Dome on June 14-15. Together, the 13 concerts will gather an audience of roughly 685,000 fans.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Fukuyama rocks for "Majo Saiban"
Fri, March 27, 2009 (9:41pm EDT)



Masaharu Fukuyama has been chosen to do the theme song of the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Majo Saiban." It has been nearly 4 years since he sang "Tokyo" for the drama series "Slow Dance," which was the last time he handled a drama theme on his own. For "Majo Saiban," he will be providing a rock-flavored tune called "Keshin."



The drama, which stars Toma Ikuta as a juror in a murder trial, premieres on April 25. No release date has been announced yet for Fukuyama's single.

Fukuyama has also revealed that he will hold his first Nippon Budokan concert later this year, in celebration of his 20th anniversary as a singer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Higashino's "Samayou Yaiba" adapted to film
Sat, March 28, 2009 (1:35am EDT)



Another bestselling novel by Keigo Higashino is getting a live-action treatment. "Samayou Yaiba" will be adapted as a theatrical film, directed by Shoichi Mashiko. Actor Akira Terao has been cast as the lead, his first since "The Professor's Beloved Equation" in 2006.



In "Samayou Yaiba," Terao plays the single father of a young girl who is assaulted and killed by two boys, but because the criminals are minors, they avoid severe punishment. Outraged, the father decides to take his own revenge against the boys. The story also involves two policemen, played by Yutaka Takenouchi and Shiro Ito.

Filming took place from the end of November until late January. The movie is set to premiere this fall.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Versailles turns major with "Ascendead Master"
Sat, March 28, 2009 (2:46am EDT)



Visual-kei band Versailles has revealed that they will release their first major-label single through Warner Music Japan in June. The news was announced by the band in Yokohama on Thursday, the opening of their final indies tour.

The single is titled "ASCENDEAD MASTER" and is scheduled to go on sale June 24. The first press edition will have three different versions. Each will come with a bonus DVD that includes a common music video, plus one of three segments of a 15-minute short film inspired by the song.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Mao Inoue, Keiko Kitagawa graduate from Meiji
Sat, March 28, 2009 (4:46am EDT)



Several celebrities attended their university graduation ceremonies this week. Receiving the most attention was "Hana Yori Dango" star Mao Inoue (22), who graduated on Thursday from Meiji University's Department of Literature, where she concentrated on drama and theatre arts.



Actress Keiko Kitagawa (22) also attended the ceremony, held at the Nippon Budokan. She completed her coursework in Meiji University's School of Commerce.



Meanwhile, talento Moe Fukuda (23) also graduated the same day from Yokohama National University, receiving her degree in the International Business division of the Faculty of Business Administration. Fukuda is perhaps best known for her regular role as a weather girl on "Rajikaru."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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One more GReeeeN member passes dentist exam
Sun, March 29, 2009 (2:33am EDT)



GReeeeN members navi (28) and SOH (28) wrote on their personal blogs that they each took the national dentistry exam, and they recently received their results. navi passed the exam, but SOH did not.

All four members of GReeeeN have been studying to become dentists, and they have chosen not to reveal their faces until all four have passed the dentistry exam. HIDE (28) and 92 (27) both passed the test last year.

SOH will attempt the exam again next year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Ichiro again tops image rankings
Sun, March 29, 2009 (3:19am EDT)

Video Research Ltd. has published its latest TV Talento Image ranking, which measures popularity, recognition, and image.



This time, baseball player Ichiro ranked 1st among male celebrities. He was also #1 in the last two rankings. Hidehiko Ishizuka repeated his appearance at #2, while George Tokoro advanced one spot to #3.



In the female rankings, 18-year-old figure skater Mao Asada rose three places to take #1. She was followed by Becky and Sayuri Yoshinaga, who previously ranked #3 and #6, respectively.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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FRIDAY exposes details of Jinnai's affair
Sun, March 29, 2009 (3:53am EDT)



Because of an affair by comedian Tomonori Jinnai (35), he and actress Norika Fujiwara (37) are now divorced. Jinnai admitted the truth on March 26, and the following day, weekly magazine FRIDAY published an article exposing photos and emails related to a woman Jinnai had slept with.

According to the magazine, Jinnai met the woman in an Osaka bar in July 2007, three months after Jinnai and Fujiwara's marriage. After hitting it off, Jinnai immediately emailed the woman's cell phone, asking her to join him in a hotel room. The woman asked, "Aren't you married?" but Jinnai replied, "Don't worry about it!"

The woman continued to receive emails from Jinnai, and the contents were always a room number and nothing else. The relationship with this woman went on for five months. As evidence of the affair, FRIDAY published some of the emails and photos showing Jinnai lying in the hotel bed.

Although Jinnai has admitted and apologized for his immaturity and weakness, sources say that he had affairs with multiple women. More details of his affairs may come to light in the future.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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FAKE? to play at AnimeNEXT
Mon, March 30, 2009 (3:01am EDT)



Rock band FAKE? has scheduled their first U.S. performance. They have been announced as a musical guest of this year's AnimeNEXT convention, which is being held in New Jersey on June 12-14.

FAKE? was initially formed by Ken Lloyd (Oblivion Dust) and INORAN (Luna Sea) in 2002, but INORAN left the group in 2005. The band now consists of Lloyd and several support members.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Sanma's daughter enters show business
Mon, March 30, 2009 (3:02am EDT)

Imaru, the 19-year-old daughter of divorced talento Sanma Akashiya (53) and actress Shinobu Otake (51), will soon be entering show business under the name IMALU. On April 6, she will begin serving as a radio personality on FM Yokohama, then will make her modeling debut in the magazine Zipper on April 23.

At a height of 150cm, IMALU is one of the magazine's shortest models ever. However, Zipper has a history of using fashionable music artists as models, and IMALU ultimately has her sights set on entering the music world.

IMALU took hip-hop dance lessons during her elementary school days. She studied abroad for high school in Canada, where she became influenced by various types of music. She returned to Japan after graduating last June, and in October she began voic

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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NHK producing "Twin Spica" drama adaptation
Mon, March 30, 2009 (3:00am EDT)



Actress Nanami Sakuraba (16) will be playing the lead in NHK's upcoming drama series "Futatsu no Spica." The show is based on Ko Yaginuma's manga of the same name, also known in English as "Twin Spica." The comic was previously turned into an anime series in 2003, but this will be its first live-action treatment.



The sci-fi series is set in the near future at a space academy, where a group of youngsters are training to become astronauts. Sakuraba plays Asumi Kamogawa, a student whose father is a rocket engineer (Masahiro Takashima). Her mother died due to a injury caused by a fallen rocket, but despite that and her father's objections, she chose to pursue the path of an astronaut.



The show is being produced with the help of JAXA, Japan's national aerospace agency. NHK will broadcast the series on Thursday nights at 8:00pm, starting on June 11. Sakuraba's supporting cast includes Yuichi Nakamura, Shunsuke Daito, Rika Adachi, and Yuko Takayama.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Robot hero Mazinger Z to make comeback as Y2 mil toy

Tuesday 31st March, 03:12 AM JST



TOKYO —

Toy maker Bandai Co will release a 2-million-yen, 60-centimeter-tall version of the popular combat robot Mazinger Z, widely called Tranzor Z overseas, later this year, the company said recently. Bandai said it will start to take orders for the robot called Urban Material Chougokin (superalloy) Mazinger Z via the Internet this fall, commemorating the planned start of a new TV animation series from the company later this year for the first time since the 1970s.

The envisioned toy, to be made from titanium, is a luxury version of a series of superalloy toys Bandai started to sell 35 years ago featuring robot heroes in TV animation programs. The Mazinger series was one of the pioneering TV animation programs in Japan featuring human-maneuvered gigantic robot heroes fighting enemies.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Yukina Kino$hita tries her hand at reporting for fashion show

Tuesday 31st March, 04:07 AM JST



TOKYO —

Model and singer-cum-celebrity Yukina Kino$hita, 21, made her first foray in reporting, for the &#8220asso Sette Collection in Tokyo Collection” held at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi.

The fashion show featured six models who appear in Toyota’s commercials for its new seven-seater compact car – the Passo Sette – and five women in their 30s chosen by lottery from the public. Toyota held the show to promote its new campaign which targets female consumers, with a focus on housewives and mothers.

Kino$hita watched the show from the audience and interviewed a couple of the ladies on stage. She said she was impressed by them, saying: “I want to get married too, at 24, and have kids by 25. All the women here are really beautiful.”

Her report on the event (in Japanese) can be seen at http://tokyocollection.buzzlog.jp until April 28.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Haruna Kawaguchi becomes 13th Rehouse Girl
Tue, March 31, 2009 (1:02am EDT)

Real estate company Mitsui Rehouse has chosen its next "Rehouse Girl." 14-year-old Haruna Kawaguchi, who enters her third year of middle school next month, was chosen from a pool of 500 candidates to be the 13th girl to take on that role.

The Mitsui Rehouse commercials have helped launch the careers of several actresses, including Rie Miyazawa, Chizuru Ikewaki, and Yu Aoi. Kawaguchi's commercials are scheduled to start in early May.

Kawaguchi is currently active as a model for the fashion magazine nicola. She won that magazine's model audition in 2007.

Source: www.tokyograph.com