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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]
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news: actress
Hitomi Kuroki named "Best Mother"
Sun, May 11, 2008 (6:24pm EDT)
On Friday, two days before Mother's Day, the non-profit organization Himawarinokai presented its 1st Best Mother Awards, decided by public vote.
Actress Hitomi Kuroki, who gave birth to a daughter in 1998, was chosen as the winner in the entertainment category. The other winners were Diet member Yuko Obuchi (politics category), Showa Women's University president Mariko Bando (academics category), critic Kazuyo Katsuma (economics category), and culinary researcher Harumi Kurihara (culture category).
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: celebrities
Oguri, Inoue win Hashida Awards
Sun, May 11, 2008 (7:11pm EDT)
 
The presentation ceremony of the 16th Hashida Awards for television took place on Saturday. The newcomer awards, which always receive the most attention, were given this year to actor Shun Oguri and actress Mao Inoue for their performances in drama series such as "Hana Yori Dango 2."
Other acting awards were presented to Tomohiro Sekiguchi, Mitsuko Kusabue, Kiichi Nakai, and the "Aibou" duo Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki. Producer Kan Ishibashi, writers Ryoichi Kimizuka and Eriko Komatsu, and the drama series "Haken no Hinkaku" were also honored. Screenwriter Taichi Yamada was given a special prize.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Sonny Chiba returns as "7-Color Mask"
Sun, May 11, 2008 (5:36am EDT)
Actor Sonny Chiba, who now goes by the stage name JJ Sonny Chiba, is undertaking a revival of the tokusatsu hero "Nanairo Kamen" ("7-Color Mask"). The original show, broadcast from 1959 to 1960 on the network that eventually became TV Asahi, was Chiba's screen debut. He played the title character for the last half of the series, taking over the role from Susumu Namishima.
"Nanairo Kamen" was the creation of writer Kohan Kawauchi, who passed away last month at the age of 88. About a week before his death, he met with Chiba and said he hoped to see the actor take on the role once again. With that encouragement, Chiba has now made up his mind to fulfill Kawauchi's wish, producing and starring in a film version of the series.
The movie starts shooting in July and is projected to be completed by next year, the 50th anniversary of Chiba's career. He expressed his desire to recruit top actors for the film, such as Kamejiro Ichikawa and Masaaki Uchino, both of whom he recently appeared with in the NHK taiga drama "Fuurinkazan."
The film will be privately screened at the "Super Museum - Time Machine" in Otsu, Shiga, a museum of Chiba's prized possessions that opens on May 17. Sankei Sports reports that the collection features 10 billion yen worth of valuables, such as guitars used by Elvis Presley and George Harrison and a gun used in a movie by Steve McQueen.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Singer Izumiya Shigeru (60) is already regretting his decision to give a marathon all-night concert in the autumn. Meeting the press before a show in Tokyo yesterday, his birthday, he wore the red "chanchanko" clothes traditional worn to commemorate the landmark occasion. He joked that he was having second thoughts about the October "60x60" show at Zepp Tokyo in which he has said he will perform 60 songs.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: idol
[J-ENT] Matsuda Seiko to emcee 揂ll Night Nippon擺/b]
JapanToday.com reported, 揜adio broadcaster Nippon Broadcasting System (NBS) on Sunday said singer Seiko Matsuda, 46, will be the MC for its midnight program擜ll Night Nippon |
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news: music chart
Charts: NEWS gets another #1, Madonna still on top
Wed, May 14, 2008 (1:28am EDT)
NEWS was the big winner in the singles chart this week, with "SUMMER TIME" racking up 201,000 in sales to take the #1 seat. This puts them at 9 consecutive chart-toppers since their debut, pushing them past Hikaru Genji (who had 8) but still nowhere close to KinKi Kids (currently at 26).
Aqua Timez's "Niji," which is being used at the "Gokusen 3" theme song, entered at #2 with 55,000 copies sold. "Diamond Crevasse" by May'n earned the #3 spot with close to 43,000. Meanwhile, Shuchishin is still sticking around at #4, falling only slightly after several weeks in 2nd place.
At #5 was SEAMO, and #7 was the Tomoyasu Hotei-KREVA-Seiji Kameda collaboration (The THREE) that provided the theme song for the remake of "The Hidden Fortress." Visual-kei band D made #8 with their major-label debut, and Base Ball Bear barely managed their first Top 10 appearance.
No new releases made the Top 10 on the albums chart, leaving Madonna's "Hard Candy" at #1 for the second week in a row. The last foreign artist to stay on top for two weeks was The Backstreet Boys last November, though the last female to do so was Avril Lavigne in 2004. The rest of the chart looked very similar to last week, particularly with BENNIE K and Perfume still at the #2 and #3 spots, respectively.
Source: www.tokyograph.com
[ Last edited by whitedove at 16-5-2008 05:12 PM ] |
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news: dorama
Mitsuki Takahata to star in afternoon drama
Mon, May 12, 2008 (12:13am EDT)
Young actress Mitsuki Takahata will co-star in a TBS afternoon drama series titled "Natsukoi." Adapted from a mobile phone novel, the story follows a mother and daughter who both meet their first loves again. Takahata plays the role of the daughter, a middle schooler named Natsuki, while talento Chiharu plays the lead role as the mother.
Takahata is also singing the series' theme song, a currently untitled piece written by singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It is scheduled to go on sale July 30.
The drama began shooting last month and premieres on June 30, airing on weekdays at 1:30pm. The story will also be released as a novel in late June.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: comedienne
Harisenbon's Haruka finds romance
Mon, May 12, 2008 (12:14am EDT)
28-year-old Haruka Minowa of the comedy duo Harisenbon is currently in a relationship. Minowa made the revelation on Saturday's broadcast of "Koi no Karasawagi" on NTV, saying that she has been dating someone since half a year ago.
The comedienne did not personally provide any details about her boyfriend, but one source says he's an assistant director at a TV production company.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: singer
Singer Koji Tamaki taking a break for health reasons
Mon, May 12, 2008 (10:32am EDT)
49-year-old singer Koji Tamaki is suspending his activities as a musician due to chronic pancreatitis, according to the latest issue of Josei Jishin.
Due to his poor physical condition, he was hospitalized for a month at the end of last year to undergo tests, which resulted in the diagnosis of his pancreatitis. His management stated that Tamaki will be stopping his work until he recovers.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
"CHANGE" drives for ratings with a free car
Mon, May 12, 2008 (12:10am EDT)
Fuji TV's anticipated drama series "CHANGE" starts this Monday (May 12). While the starring actor Takuya Kimura is already sure to bring in an audience, the network has announced a special publicity campaign to help boost ratings even more.
The campaign is a collaboration with Toyota. First off, Kimura will be appearing in a new commercial for the automobile maker, which begins airing the same day as the drama's premiere. However, the bigger news is that Fuji TV is giving away a car to one lucky viewer. The car is called the "Star Fielder," a one-of-a-kind special edition of the Toyota Corolla Fielder.
To win the car, viewers will have to regularly pay attention to the show. At the end of each episode, a quiz question about the episode will be asked during the preview for the next week. Viewers can then submit their answers at the official website, but only during the half-hour period following each episode. At the end of the whole series, one winner will be chosen from those who answered all of the questions correctly, and he or she will receive the car.
The quiz questions will also reward 50 participants every week with an "eco bag," coming in a different color each time.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: anime movie
Animated "Kitaro" movie gets 6 regional versions
Mon, May 12, 2008 (2:01am EDT)
The animated movie "Gegege no Kitaro: Nihon Bakuretsu!!" (directed by Go Koga) will mark a first in Japanese film history. It is getting a total of 6 different versions, each catering to a specific region in Japan.
One of the changes between versions is the character of Neko Musume, who will have a different appearance according to the area the movie is screened in. For example, in Hokkaido/Tohoku she will resemble a yukinko ("snow sprite"), in the Kinki region she will be a maiko (apprentice geisha), and in Kyushu/Okinawa she will look like a shisa (a lion/dog-like creature). Ideas for the other regions (Kanto/Koshinetsu, Chubu/Hokuriku, Chugoku/Shikoku) are still being discussed, though an Akihabara maid version has been listed as a possibility for the Kanto area.
The overall plot of the film will be constant across all versions, though various scenes will be different. In total, several minutes of animation are expected to change for each version.
The idea was proposed by production staff as a special project for the 40th anniversary of the "Gegege no Kitaro" anime series. Fuji TV's current incarnation of the anime will also be part of the project starting in September, with different spirits from all over Japan facing off against spirits from other countries. Through a voting process on the show's website, fans will be able to decide which ones make their appearance, and the whole ensemble will unite for the first time in the movie, which opens in December.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
The Victor Entertainment record company has described as "pure conjecture" the recent newspaper story claiming that rock band Southern All Stars are on the verge of breaking up. Tokyo Sports said in an article published yesterday that the hugely popular band, led by charismatic singer Kuwata Keisuke, were planning to split next year after their 30th anniversary concert tour. Victor said they will make an official statement on May 19.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: music
"Heart Station", the latest album from Utada Hikaru (25) is another million seller. Each of her six albums released to date have broken the mark, and her total album sales are over 20 million. Digital downloads of "Prisoner of Love," the theme tune for Fuji TV's drama "Last Friends," and other tracks from the new album have already reached 15 million.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: celebrities
[J-ENT] Anna Tsuchiya and Sakaguchi Kenji promote Quicksilver
 
JapanToday.com reported, 揝inger-actress Anna Tsuchiya, 24, and actor Kenji Sakaguchi, 32, on Monday attended an event to promote sports brand 換uick Silver擺/b] surfing gear in Tokyo. Tsuchiya, who has a 3-year-old son, was asked what she thought of actress Ryoko Shinohara, 34, who has just given birth to a baby boy. 揃oys are good because they are active. You can learn many things from having a son. I hope she enjoys child-raising. |
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news: idol
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[J-ENT] KAT-TUN抯 Akanishi Jin to do voice work dub for Japanese release of 揝peed Racer |
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news: dorama SP
Miss Universe Japan runner-up plays Akiko Wada in drama special
Tue, May 13, 2008 (1:02am EDT)
Akiko Wada's singing career turns 40 this year, and to commemorate the occasion, Fuji TV has announced a drama special titled "Wada Akiko Monogatari" that will illustrate her life. The role of Wada is being played by 26-year-old Akiko Chubachi, who was the second runner-up in the 2007 Miss Universe Japan competition.
The drama is adapted from Wada's 1993 autobiography "5-nenme no High Heels." The script is being handled by Masaki Fukasawa, who has had writing credits on popular dramas such as "Aibou" and "Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo." It will cover Wada's life from her youth up until her winning of the Japan Record Award with the 1972 single "Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata."
Chubachi was chosen for the role partly because of her height, as she is just as tall as Wada at 173cm. Sankei Sports has a picture of her here, along with an imitation of the original "Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata" cover.
Filming is scheduled to begin soon and is projected to finish in time for broadcast sometime next month. Other cast members include Pinko Izumi and Masachika Ichimura.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Wada will perform her first overseas concert at the Apollo Theater in New York this September.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
Bespa Kumamero in Mexico
Tue, May 13, 2008 (1:20am EDT)
JapanFiles sent out a short press release on Saturday to announce that techno group Bespa Kumamero will be performing on July 5-6 at Animex 2008 in Monterrey, Mexico.
Bespa Kumamero made their U.S. debut at Houston's Anime Matsuri this past March.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: manga
32nd Kodansha Manga Award winners
Tue, May 13, 2008 (2:01am EDT)
The winners of the 32nd Kodansha Manga Award have been announced. Peach-Pit's "Shugo Chara!" won in the children's category. In the shonen category, Motoyuki Tanaka's "Saikyo! Toritsu Aoizaka Koko Yakyubu" claimed the prize, while Karuho Shiina won the shojo category with "Kimi ni Todoke." Masayuki Ishikawa's "Moyashimon" took the general category.
Each award comes with 1 million yen in prize money. The presentation ceremony will take place on June 20.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Tetsuji Tamayama gets a romantic role
Tue, May 13, 2008 (2:28am EDT)
Actor Tetsuji Tamayama is starring in a movie called "Kafuu wo Machiwabite," directed by Yasutomo Nakai. Tamayama has previously been cast in a range of films, from the comical "Gyakkyo Nine" to the action flick "Freesia." He also co-starred with Ryoko Hirosue in the short love story "Presents ~Aikagi~," but "Kafuu" marks his first time starring in a feature-length romance movie.
The story, set in a small town on Okinawa, is based on a novel by Maha Harada, who is also known for being the sister of writer Munenori Harada. The book won the 1st Japan Love Story Award in 2005. Tamayama's love interest is played by model Maiko, who co-stars with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi in Katsuhito Ishii's "Yama no Anata ~Tokuichi no Koi~" (in theaters on May 24).
"Kafuu" was filmed from late March to late April in Okinawa. The movie aims to evoke the image of the Showa era, so it was reportedly recorded in analog rather than digital. The completed film will be released in spring 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 15-5-2008 12:41 PM
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