Leader Ai Takahashi to graduate from Morning Musume this fall
Morning Musume leader Ai Takahashi (24) will graduate from the group and Hello! Project at the end of Morning Musume's fall tour, it has been announced. The news was delivered during the Hello! Project winter concert at Nakano Sun Plaza on Sunday.
Takahashi joined Morning Musume in August 2001 as a 5th generation member, which means that she has the most seniority out of the current members. She has also served as the group's sixth leader since June 2007.
Morning Musume just added four members a week ago with its 9th generation, following the graduation of Eri Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin on December 15. Last summer, at the time it was decided that the three members would graduate, producer Tsunku told Takahashi that she should also think about the timing of her own graduation. As a result, she will continue her duties as leader while the new recruits ease into the group. At the end of Morning Musume's fall tour, she will pass on the role of leader to Risa Niigaki (22).
Takahashi said that she plans to continue her music career, including stage shows and live performances.
macam sedih Ai dah nak graduate, walaupun aku takde la stan Momusu...tapi mmg Ai yg paling talented kat current members...apa2 pun, harapkan karier yg lebih cerah untuk Ai-chan...
Ai Takahashi, Dori Sakurada co-star in "augmented reality" drama
Thu, January 20, 2011 (10:09am EST)
On Thursday, Morning Musume leader Ai Takahashi (24) attended a press conference for a new drama that she will star in. As this was her first time in front of the press since announcing her decision to graduate from Morning Musume, she also spoke about her plans for the future.
Takahashi's drama is part of a project called "Koi Choco," a collaboration between BS-TBS and candy company Morinaga Seika's Carre de Chocolat brand. The project will make use of an "augmented reality" application available on Android phones. When users take a photo of a package of the chocolate, a video clip from the drama will play.
The chocolate comes in four different flavors, and each of the four packages will be linked to a different video. There are two stories, titled "Bittersweet Angel" and "Amadan."
In "Bittersweet Angel," Takahashi will play Ayana, a cafe worker who is clumsy in love, while Dori Sakurada (19) will co-star as a young man named Anju who appears before her, calling himself an angel. The same story will be told from each of their perspectives, with "Ayana no Baai" lasting about 13 minutes in length and "Anju no Baai" lasting about 14 minutes in length.
The two parts of "Bittersweet Angel" will also be broadcast by BS-TBS on Valentine's Day (February 14) at 7:30pm. The drama and a making-of will be included on a DVD to be released on March 30.
"Bittersweet Angel" already became available on Thursday through the Android augmented reality application, along with the two parts of "Amadan," titled "Melodrama-hen" and "Seibugeki-hen." Details about "Amadan" have not been reported.
During the press conference, Takahashi stated that after taking on several acting roles, she has developed an interest in acting and wants to try taking on a variety of roles in the future. She also revealed that she is interested in going overseas, so she also hopes to do some language studies.
Morning Musume to release 45th single & start a tour in March
Morning Musume from Hello! Project will be releasing their 45th single on March 23rd. As of this writing, the title(s) of the song and track list hasn’t been released yet. However, there’s news that there will be five different editions of the single that will be released. One regular edition and four limited editions which comes with a DVD.
The first press of all the editions contains a serial-number card for a draw to win tickets to the release event. This will be the first single to be released as the 9th generation with new four members: Suzuki Kanon, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho and Fukumura Mizuki.
Morning Musume also has announced the Spring Concert Tour dates on their official website. The tour spans from March 19th through May 5th. Tickets will be on sale starting February 5th and they are priced at 6800 YEN, approximately 83.00 USD.
Concert Tour Dates:
3/19/11 (Sat) OPEN 13:30 / START 14:30 Harmony Hall Zama Dai-Hall
3/19/11 (Sat) OPEN 17:30 / START 18:30 Harmony Hall Zama Dai-Hall
3/20/11 (Sun) OPEN 13:00 / START 14:00 Harmony Hall Zama Dai-Hall
3/20/11 (Sun) OPEN 17:00 / START 18:00 Harmony Hall Zama Dai-Hall
3/26/11 (Sat) OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Kariya Cultural Center
3/26/11 (Sat) OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00 Kariya Cultural Center
4/03/11 (Sun) OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Omiya Sonic City
4/03/11 (Sun) OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00 Omiya Sonic City
4/09/11 (Sat) OPEN 13:30 / START 14:30 Biwako Hall
4/09/11 (Sat) OPEN 17:00 / START 18:00 Biwako Hall
4/10/11 (Sun) OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Sunport Hall Takamatsu
4/16/11 (Sat) OPEN 16:30 / START 17:30 Morioka Civic Cultural Hall
4/17/11 (Sun) OPEN 14:00 / START 15:00 Sendai Izumity 21
4/17/11 (Sun) OPEN 17:30 / START 18:30 Sendai Izumity 21
4/24/11 (Sun) OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Chukyo University Cultural Civic Center Aurora Hall
4/24/11 (Sun) OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00 Chukyo University Cultural Civic Center Aurora Hall
4/29/11 (Fri) OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Shunanshi Bunkakaikan
4/29/11 (Fri) OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00 Shunanshi Bunkakaikan
4/30/11 (Sat) OPEN 14:00 / START 15:00 Fukuoka Civic Hall
4/30/11 (Sat) OPEN 17:30 / START 18:30 Fukuoka Civic Hall
5/04/11 (Wed)OPEN 14:30 / START 15:30 Fukui Phoenix Plaza
5/04/11 (Wed)OPEN 18:00 / START 19:00 Fukui Phoenix Plaza
5/05/11 (Thu) OPEN 14:00 / START 15:00 Amagasaki Cultural Center Archaic Hall
5/05/11 (Thu) OPEN 17:30 / START 18:30 Amagasaki Cultural Center Archaic Hall
9th Gen. Morning Musume's First Single "Maji Desu Ka Ska!"
Morning Musume’s 45th single “Maji Desu Ka Ska!” (まじですかスカ！) will be released on March 23rd.
On January 2, 2011 at “Hello! Project 2011 WINTER ~Kangei Shinsen Matsuri~”, 9th generation members; Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho and Suzuki Kanon joined Morning Musume. This is the first single since Morning Musume’s new formation. It’s interesting to see what kind of influence these 4 new members will have on the song.
This single will have a regular disc and there will be 4 different versions, the first press limited edition disc will include a DVD. Each first press limited edition DVD will have a different video.
Morning Musume's Ai Takahashi cast in "Dance of the Vampires" musical
Sun, January 23, 2011 (5:48pm EST)
Morning Musume's Ai Takahashi (24) is set to appear in a new production of the musical "Dance of the Vampires" ("Tanz der Vampire"), being performed this coming fall. The musical is Takahashi's first work that has been scheduled for after her graduation from Morning Musume later this year.
The musical, based on the Roman Polanski film "The Fearless Vampire Killers," had its first Japanese production performed in 2006. It appears that Yuichiro Yamaguchi (54) and Kenji Urai (29) are returning in their roles as Graf Von Krolock and Alfred. The heroine Sarah will again be double cast, this time by Takahashi and actress Rina Chinen (29).
"Dance of the Vampires" will be the last production of the year at the Imperial Garden Theater, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The curtain will go up on November 27, and performances will run until December 24.
Morning Musume OG members announce "dream" team, album, 2 tours
Fri, January 28, 2011 (10:48am EST)
Ten of Morning Musume's OG members held an event on Friday to reveal that they have launched a new group called Dream Morning Musume. The participating members are Yuko Nakazawa (37), Kaori Iida (29), Natsumi Abe (29), Kei Yasuda (30), Mari Yaguchi (28), Rika Ishikawa (26), Hitomi Yoshizawa (25), Makoto Ogawa (23), Miki Fujimoto (25), and Koharu Kusumi (18).
Originally, Nozomi Tsuji (23) was also planned to be a part of the group, but she just gave birth to her second child in December so she will be focusing on raising her children for now.
The new unit will hold a spring concert tour, titled "Dream Morning Musume Concert Tour 2011: Haru no Mai ~Sotsugyousei DE Saikessei~." The tour will start on April 23 in Aichi and continue for a total of 16 concerts in 7 locations, including Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, Kanagawa, and Hiroshima.
They have a second, longer tour planned for the fall, with a similar "Aki no Mai" title. That one will take them to 20 venues for a total of 40 concerts.
Dream Morning Musume will release their first album on April 20, titled "DoriMusu 1." The album's track list will mainly consist of remakes of Morning Musume songs, but 2 new songs are also planned.
Tanaka Reina reveals her role in “Vampire Stories” movie (Updated)
Posted on April 9, 2011 by tokyograph
Morning Musume member Tanaka Reina revealed in a blog post on Saturday night that she is appearing in a movie scheduled for release this summer. The project, which consists of two movies called “Vampire Stories: BROTHERS” and “Vampire Stories: CHASERS,” features a cast that includes Kato Kazuki, Yanagishita Tomo (D-BOYS), Suzuki Airi (C-ute), Baba Toru, and Makita Tetsuya (D-BOYS).
The blog post indicated that Kato, Yanagishita, and Suzuki will be the main cast of the “BROTHERS” half, while Baba, Makita, and Tanaka will be the main cast of the “CHASERS” half.
Tanaka provided some details about the “CHASERS” plot. Baba plays the protagonist Shu, enjoying a barbecue at a riverbed with his friends. He decides to try confessing his hidden feelings to Hisako (Tanaka), but it ends in failure. At that point, the two are suddenly attacked. Shu awakens in a cabin, where a man called Asagi (Makita) reveals a shocking truth: Shu has become a vampire, and he has seven days to defeat Ai, the one who attacked him, before he becomes enslaved.
Tanaka posted the news at midnight when the date changed to April 10, which also marks the one-year anniversary of her blog.
Meanwhile, Eiga.com has provided some details about the “BROTHERS” movie, which will have Yanagishita as the lead as the descendant of a vampire. Yanagishita’s character awakens to being a vampire when he turns 20, but he is conflicted about his fate and tries to hold on to his life as a human. His older brother, played by Kato, is a cool and cruel vampire, but he also has a strong love for his brother. Suzuki will play Yanagishita’s younger sister, though she has no blood relation to him.
Visual-kei band Versailles will provide the theme song for the movies. Vocalist KAMIJO was also in charge as music producer for the films.
Morning Musume to launch weekly Ustream show “UstreaMusume” (Updated)
Posted on April 11, 2011 by tokyograph
Starting on Wednesday, April 13, Morning Musume is launching a regular program on video streaming site Ustream. The show, titled “UstreaMusume,” will air every Wednesday night at 8:00pm. According to the Ustream channel, the program lasts for one hour.
The participating members are the four new 9th generation members – Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho, Fukumura Mizuki, and Suzuki Kanon – plus the group’s next leader, Niigaki Risa.
The show’s Ustream channel can be found at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ustreamusume. A special email address has been created for the show ([email protected]), so that fans can send messages to the members and suggestions for the program.
Morning Musume taking applications for 10th generation audition
Posted on May 8, 2011 by tokyograph
It has only been four months since idol group Morning Musume added four new members as part of its 9th generation, but the group unexpectedly announced on Sunday that it is already preparing for its 10th generation audition.
During their concert at the Nakano Sun Plaza, current leader Takahashi Ai (24) introduced a video message from producer Tsunku (42). In it, he stated that he is looking to recruit girls who will “energize Japan with their smiles.” The 10th generation audition is being titled “Genki Jirushi” (“mark of liveliness”) to reflect that goal.
The audition requirements state that applicants must be between the ages of 10 and 17 as of April 1st of this year. The deadline for applications is June 13. More information about the audition will be posted on a special website.
Post time 4-1-2011 12:14 PM
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