Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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Shigeaki Kato gets sexual in "Seminar"
Wed, April 15, 2009 (1:36am EDT)



On Tuesday, a press conference for the play "SEMINAR" was held in Tokyo. The production is the first starring stage role for NEWS member Shigeaki Kato (21), who described his character as being addicted to sex.



The play revolves around a special seminar about the powerful Medici family from the Renaissance era. Kato plays an American college student participating in the seminar, who sleeps with multiple women during the course of the story, including another student. The lead female role is being played by actress Natsuki Kato (23). Other cast members include Tomoya Nakamura (22), Aya Tabata (22), and Chikako Kaku (47).

"Seminar" was penned by American writer Lee Kalcheim. The Japanese production will be the play's first in the world. Performances are being held at The Globe Tokyo from May 17 to June 3, followed by a run at Osaka's Theater Drama City from June 9 to June 14.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Charts: Tsuyoshi Domoto's solo project sells big
Wed, April 15, 2009 (2:37am EDT)



KinKi Kids member Tsuyoshi Domoto had a big week on the charts, with his simultaneously released single and album both faring very well against the competition. "Sora ~ Utsukushii Ware no Sora" took #1 on the singles chart with 44,000 in sales, while "Bigaku ~ my beautiful sky" ranked in at #3 on the albums chart with 58,000 in sales. These are his first releases since changing his solo project name to Tsuyoshi.

Behind Tsuyoshi on the singles chart were the latest releases from BREAKERZ and alan, respectively. Also in the top ten were Hideaki Tokunaga (#6), Shion (#8), and Ai Kawashima (#10).



The #1 album of the week was Shonannokaze's "Shonannokaze ~JOKER~," which sold 84,000 copies. At #4, after Tsuyoshi, was Yumi Matsutoya's latest effort, which is her 35th original album to break the top ten. This extends her record among female artists.

Also in the top ten were actress Meisa Kuroki with her debut album "hellcat" (#9) and indie band Kariyushi58 (#10).

Outside the top ten, Ayaka once again drew attention, as her albums continued to climb the rankings. After her marriage announcement two weeks ago, her second album jumped from #278 to #84, and this week it rose to #43. Likewise, her debut album re-entered the charts at #148 last week, and it is now at #72.

Meanwhile, Hikaru Utada's "This Is The One" remained at #1 in foreign albums for the 4th consecutive week, totaling 177,000 in sales so far. Arashi also continued their streak, as "ARASHI AROUND ASIA 2008 in Tokyo" was the #1 overall DVD for the 3rd straight week, which has never been achieved by a music DVD ever since Oricon started tracking DVD sales in April 1999.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Actress Toda says blob-like men 'not bad'

Wednesday 15th April, 02:00 PM JST



TOKYO -

Popular actress Erika Toda confessed Tuesday she has been hooked on the Puyo Puyo video game featuring colored blobs, called Puyo Pop overseas, for 10 years and said Puyo blob-like men were 'not bad.' "I would be sad without the game," Toda, 20, said at a promotional event for the game's latest version 'Puyo Puyo 7' to be released in July. She was designated as a spokesperson to promote it.

Toda also said she played the game for four hours a day when she was young. Her addiction continued even after Toda grew up, and she even grabs a console while she is soaking in the bath, she said. Asked what she thinks of dating a man who is plump and squishy like a Puyo blob, Toda said, "Not bad, I think."

Source: www.japantoday.com

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George Tokoro indifferent about embezzled Y50 million

Thursday 16th April, 04:26 AM JST



TOKYO -

Television personality Tokoro George made an appearance in Tokyo for Asahi TV?s home reform program, 'Daikaizo!! Gekiteki Before-After Season 11' (Ultimate Reform - Dramatic Before & After Season 11). The program, which begins April 26 and will air every Sunday at 7:58 p.m., features regular homes in dire need of fixing up that are reformed by top-class architects and craftsmen.

When asked about his ex-manager, who embezzled around 50 million yen from the actor last July, Tokoro was upbeat, commenting, "It's really nothing to me. I tend to focus on the good things in life and wouldn't have remembered if someone hadn't mentioned it." He joked, "That's pocket change!"

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Tokyo Disneyland launches Monsters, Inc ride

Thursday 16th April, 04:30 AM JST

CHIBA -

Tokyo Disneyland on Wednesday started up a new ride based on Walt Disney Pictures' computer animation blockbuster 'Monsters, Inc,' produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Hundreds of visitors queued to catch a four-minute ride at the opening of the attraction called 'Monsters, Inc Ride and Go Seek!', the first new ride to open in five years at the popular Tokyo Bay area theme park.

A tram takes visitors through the world of the monsters who in the plot of the 2001 movie generate power in their city, Monstropolis, from the screams of scared children, but later harness their laughter instead.

Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic, said: "Monsters, Inc is an attraction fully reflecting Disney?s ample imagination. We surely hope that this will be the number one attraction."

The attraction, located in the park's Tomorrow Land, is the park's first to open since it introduced 'Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters' in 2004 based on another Disney-Pixar animated movie, 'Toy Story.'

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Ami Suzuki cast in "Blood Brothers" musical
Wed, April 15, 2009 (11:25am EDT)



The official website of singer Ami Suzuki (27) has announced that she will appear in the musical "Blood Brothers," which starts in August. It has been about a year and a half since her performance in Avex's "Kokoro no Kakera." This will be just her second stint in a theatrical production.

First performed in 1983, the musical is about twin brothers Mickey and Eddie, who are separated at birth but eventually meet again and fall in love with the same woman, Linda. Suzuki will play the role of Linda. The twins have been double-casted, with Shinji Takeda and Masaaki Fujioka playing the role of Mickey, while Kohki Okada and Mario Tashiro are playing Eddie.

The musical will be performed at Tokyo's Theatre Creation in Hibiya from August 7 to September 27. Advance ticket sales start on July 4.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Ai Kago joins Akina Minami as "Ju-on" star
Wed, April 15, 2009 (11:37am EDT)



It was announced last week that idol Akina Minami (19) is starring in a new "Ju-on" film, titled "Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo." On Wednesday, a press conference was held, revealing more details about the franchise's future.

Since "Ju-on" is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its start as a direct-to-video film, there will actually be two new "Ju-on" films, being released simultaneously. One is the aforementioned "Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo," while the other is titled "Ju-on: Kuroi Shoujo." The latter will star ex-Morning Musume member Ai Kago (21).

Both films are being released on June 27. A "Ju-on" video game is also scheduled to follow in the summer.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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MAKIDAI gets a kiss scene
Thu, April 16, 2009 (2:34am EDT)



MAKIDAI, of the popular group EXILE, is starring in a new movie called "Byakuya," directed by Masahiro Kobayashi ("Ai no Yokan").



Shot in Lyons, France, the love story revolves around a man and woman who have a chance encounter overseas. MAKIDAI plays a solitary young backpacker, while Michiko Kichise co-stars as an office worker who travels to France in hopes of reuniting with her ex-boyfriend.

"Byakuya" is expected to see a nationwide release by the end of this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Singer alan moves into modeling
Thu, April 16, 2009 (2:38am EDT)



Singer alan (21) has just become an exclusive model for fashion magazine AneCan. She will start appearing in the magazine this spring.

The young singer of Tibetan descent is said to be the first music artist to become an exclusive model for AneCan. With her cute appearance and boyish personality, she has received a lot of attention from the fashion world, even before she made her major label debut in Japan in 2007.

alan's 10th single, "Kuon no Kawa," is being used as the theme song of the movie "Red Cliff: Part II." Released last week, the single ranked 3rd on the charts. This is the highest ranking so far by an artist from China, surpassing Faye Wong's 1999 hit "Eyes On Me" (#9).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shiina does new "Minna no Uta" song
Thu, April 16, 2009 (3:00am EDT)



Singer-songwriter Ringo Shiina (30) has just put together a new song for the NHK program "Minna no Uta." This will be her second song written for the show, after "Ringo no Uta" in 2003.

The tune, which will be used on the show in June and July, is titled "Futaribocchi Jikan." With her own son in elementary school, Shiina said that she aimed to create a song that both parents and children could sing, like a new "do-re-mi." She also explained that she wanted a rhythm that would make people want to dance, forgetting about worries such as the ongoing global recession.

As announced last month, Shiina is releasing her first solo single in about five years, titled "Ariamaru Tomi," on May 27. That song is being used as the theme of the TBS drama series "Smile."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Naoto Takenaka starts an "oyaji band"
Thu, April 16, 2009 (4:18am EDT)



Actor Naoto Takenaka (53) will be the star of the upcoming fall movie "Bokura no Wonderful Days," directed by Yoshiko Hoshida. Takenaka plays the vocalist for an "oyaji" ("old man") band.

The idea for the movie came from Takenaka, who first developed it several years ago. The story centers around a salaryman (Takenaka) who has supported his family for a long time, but mistakenly thinks that he has fallen ill with cancer. As a result, he decides to reunite the band he once had with his old friends.

Their band, called Coelacanths, consists of five members, played by a group of actors averaging 53.4 years old. Aside from Takenaka as the vocalist, the members include Shin Takuma (52) on guitar, Satoru Saito (55) on keyboard, Junichi Inagaki (55) on drums, and Yasunori Danta (52) on bass. Their main song in the movie, "Bokura no Tabi," was created by Takenaka's good friend Tamio Okuda (43). The song is scheduled for a CD release near the movie's opening.

Danta jokingly said, "I didn't know playing music with a band would be this fun. Maybe I should quit acting and become a musician."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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YMO to officially reunite in Japan
Thu, April 16, 2009 (4:40am EDT)



On Wednesday, media sources confirmed that Japanese techno group YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) is reuniting again. Consisting of Ryuichi Sakamoto (57), Haruomi Hosono (61), and Yukihiro Takahashi (56), YMO broke up in 1983, but they've decided to play at Tokyo's Yumenoshima Stadium for the outdoor concert event World Happiness on August 9, 2009.

In Japan, YMO has reunited multiple times under different names: "xYMO" in 1993, "HAS" ("Human Audio Sponge") in 2004, and "HASYMO" in 2007. For the global concert event Live Earth in 2007, YMO played under their original name, but the event was aimed primarily at a world audience. However, in June 2008 they performed at an event in London, invited by British trip-hop group Massive Attack. From that, the trio decided to officially reunite as YMO in Japan once again. It has been 26 years since their initial breakup, so expectations will likely be high for YMO's future plans.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Yuichi Kimura dating younger actress
Thu, April 16, 2009 (1:08am EDT)



Comedian Yuichi Kimura (46) is reportedly dating an actress 18 years younger than him. This week's issue of Josei Seven claims that he is in a relationship with model Ryo Nishikata (28), who made her acting debut in "Nisesatsu," Kimura's first film as a director.

"Nisesatsu" opened in theaters on April 11. Naturally, Kimura and Nishikata both attended a stage greeting on opening day, and after the event, Kimura headed to a bar with some friends, where he met up with Nishikata.

Later on, past 2am in the morning, the pair were seen entering Kimura's apartment. Nishikata didn't leave the apartment until close to 3pm in the afternoon, though Kimura had already left for work in the morning. Nishikata did some shopping for food at a nearby store and returned to the apartment using a spare key.

A representative for Kimura at his agency Yoshimoto Kogyo declined to comment on his private affairs. Nishikata's agency also offered no comment.

Kimura has already been married three times. His last marriage was with talento Emiri Henmi (32), whom he divorced in April 2008 after only two years.

Nishikata was previously working as a wall plasterer before she broke into show business a few years ago. She has mainly been active as a model, appearing in commercials and music videos.

Source: www.tokyograph.com