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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]
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Sano apologizes for trouble over Kii Kitano staying night at his condo
Saturday 14th August, 03:12 AM JST
Actor Kazuma Sano, 21, posted his first comment on his blog this week since word got out in a July 9 tabloid magazine that actress Kii Kitano, 19, had spent the night at his condo.
In the blog entry, titled “Long time no post!” Sano apologized for causing trouble to fans and thanked them for their warm comments. “I want to work harder to live up to your expectations,” Sano wrote.
Since July 15, Kitano’s blog has featured only an apology which reads: “I apologize sincerely for doing such a frivolous thing. I am sorry for surprising and hurting my fans and I will focus seriously on my work from now on.”
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Pokemon championships being held in Hawaii
Sunday 15th August, 01:14 AM JST
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii —
The Pokemon World Championships are being held on Hawaii’s Big Island this weekend.
Hundreds of players from around the world qualified to play in the Kona championship, which includes competitions in both its trading card and video game versions.
The game originally gained popularity after its creation in 1996.
Since then, it sold more than 200 million video games, spurred a TV show that’s now in its 13th season and produced more than 14 billion trading cards.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Nagoya theater screens 'The Cove' together with film on whaling
Sunday 15th August, 06:28 AM JST
 
NAGOYA —
A mini-theater in Nagoya on Saturday began screening the Oscar-winning U.S. documentary ‘‘The Cove,’’ about a controversial dolphin hunt in Japan, along with ‘‘Whalers and the Sea,’’ a Japanese documentary about whaling.
The 2009 U.S. documentary directed by Louie Psihoyos critically depicts traditional dolphin hunts in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, while the 1998 Japanese documentary by Toshiaki Umekawa shows Japan’s so-called ‘‘research whaling’’ and the lives of whalers and includes a scene in which a former fisherman talks about whaling in Taiji.
‘‘I want people to see the two films created from different perspectives,’’ said Yuji Hirano, manager of the theater, Nagoya Cinematheque.
All 40 seats in the theater were occupied in the first round of screening that began shortly after noon, and there were no protest demonstrations against ‘‘The Cove’’ from groups calling it ‘‘anti-Japanese,’’ which had been seen at previous screenings elsewhere.
‘’‘The Cove’ had many shocking scenes but it made me think, and ‘Whalers and the Sea’ made me feel that whaling is part of Japan’s food culture,’’ said Masaru Naito, 49, who saw the two films. ‘‘I’m glad I was able to see both films.’’
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Asano, Horikita break new ground in film on manga artist Akatsuka
Monday 16th August, 02:22 AM JST
 
TOKYO —
Actor Tadanobu Asano and actress Maki Horikita recently said that they were able to break new ground as comic performers by conquering their embarrassment during shooting of a film on the late legendary manga comic artist Fujio Akatsuka.
‘‘At first I was kind of hesitant but I have totally lost the sense of shame now,’’ said Asano, referring to his struggle to follow Akatsuka’s hilarious behavior in the film ‘‘Korede Iinoda!!’’ (This Is How It Should Be), which depicts the collaboration between the artist and a magazine editor.
Asano, 36, also said it was an honor to play the role as he has been a big fan of Akatsuka, who died in 2008 at age 72 and was a pioneer in the field of so-called gag manga in postwar Japan featuring surreal and slapstick humor.
Horikita, 21, who played the role of the editor, said, ‘‘I just didn’t want to do anything silly like |
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Jessica Michibata shows her form at Levi's promotion
Monday 16th August, 03:30 AM JST
TOKYO —
Model Jessica Michibata, 25, lent her figure to the promotion of a new line of ladies Levi’s Jeans at a pre-release event held in Tokyo recently.
The event was her first public appearance since it was announced she had gotten back together with her English F1 driver beau Jenson Button, 30.
Michibata said of the body-hugging “Levi’s Curve ID” jeans that she’d like to wear the new line every day, and was promptly bombarded by questions like “Would you wear them at the race track?” and “How are things going with Button?”
Michibata was all smiles as she avoided answering questions about her relationship with Button.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Softbank 'brother' Carver marries ex-model Matsumoto
Monday 16th August, 09:41 AM JST
TOKYO —
Dante Carver, an American actor who promotes handsets sold by Japanese carrier Softbank Mobile Corp, including Apple Inc’s iPhone, has married former model Akiko Matsumoto, Carver announced on his blog recently.
‘‘Now I can really focus on progressing in my career and find a true, happy and healthy balance in my life…I’m really proud of her,’’ Carver, 33, said in a statement he posted on his blog Friday. Carver and Matsumoto, 23, got married Aug 4, he said.
Carver has gained popularity in Japan appearing in a prizewinning series of TV commercials for Softbank’s cell phones as the older brother of popular actress Aya Ueto in a fictitious family.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Japanese Rock-Electronic duo BOOM BOOM SATELLITES to release album and announce US Tour
August 13, 2010 by J!-ENT
Genre bending Japanese Rock-Electronic duo BOOM BOOM SATELLITES to release best-of album OVER AND OVER – Digital/Disc On Demand: Sept. 14th, In-stores: Oct. 19th, 2010 on Sony Independent Network (SIN) and announce upcoming US tour dates.
Thoroughly re-mastered and re-mixed by the members themselves, OVER AND OVER allows listeners to appreciate it as a completely new album rather than a simple compilation of pre-existing tracks, 6 of which were never before available in America. Featuring 17 tracks that span over 6 Albums and 3 EPs, OVER AND OVER is the duo’s first US released best-of album.
Absorbing both electronic and rock elements, Tokyo’s BOOM BOOM SATELLITES created a completely new and unknown sound; a sound that NME stated was “like The Prodigy fighting Underworld with bloody big sticks.” This sound not only established them as an exciting new band, but also boosted their profile as one of the most distinguished music producers in Japan.
The brain child of Bassist/programmer Masayuki Nakano and guitarist/vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima, BOOM BOOM SATELLITES have been combining distortion-drenched rock and punk guitars, with electronic dance music and heavy jazz elements to constantly evolve and refine their innovative sound over the last decade.
In support of OVER AND OVER, Boom Boom Satellites will be launching their OVER AND OVER US Tour in October 2010. Tour stops will include: Oct. 6th – Philadelphia, Oct. 8th – Albany, Oct. 12th – Delaware, Oct. 13 – DC, Oct. 14th Baltimore, Oct. 16th Connecticut, Oct. 17th – Boston, Oct. 19th – New England, Oct. 21st – NY/CMJ, Oct. 25th – LA, Oct. 27th – San Francisco, Oct. 29th – Portland, Oct. 30th – Seattle, more dates TBA. This will come off the heels of their Japan 2010 Tour which featured them on the main stage of the legendary Fuji Rock Festival, alongside Massive Attack and Atoms For Peace, and above Vampire Weekend and Donavan Frankenreiter. Their bombastic three-piece live show featuring female drummer Yoko Fukuda is not to be missed.
It’s not only music fans who are captivated with their mind blowing live performances, their music has also caught the attention of prominent anime film creators and Hollywood motion picture producers. A number of tracks from the group’s album, Full of Elevating Pleasures, contributed to the soundtrack of the CGI anime film Appleseed. “Easy Action” was included on the soundtrack of the mammoth anime film Vexille. Their tracks “Scatterin’ Monkey” and “4 A Moment of Silence” from their first album Out Loud, were featured in the film The Dark Knight and “Shut Up And Explode” became the opening theme song for the PlayStation Store exclusive and later television anime series Xam’d: Lost Memories.
Artist: BOOM BOOM SATELLITES
Title: OVER AND OVER
Genre: Rock/Electronic
Label: Sony Independent Network (SIN)
Release Date: Digital – Sept.14th, In-Stores – Oct. 19th, 2010
Marketing: Press, Online, Radio Promotion, and National Tour
OVER AND OVER track listing with accompanying pedigree
1) Kick It Out (from the Japan release ON)*
2) What Goes Round Comes Around (from Exposed)
3) Looking Glass (from Japan release Umbra)*
4) Pill (ON)*
5) Morning After (Exposed)
6) Light My Fire (from Japan release Photon)*
7) Let It All Come Down (Full Of Elevating Pleasures)
40-Forty (Photon)*
9) GIRL (ON)*
10) Moment I Count (Elevating)
11) On The Painted Desert (Out Loud)
12) Intergalactic (Exposed)
13) Soliloquy (Umbra)*
14) Panacea (Umbra)*
15) Stride (Elevating)
16) Easy Action (Exposed)
17) Shut Up And Explode (Exposed)
* Never Released before in America
Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT |
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Former Takarasienne Rea Ranka gives birth
Fri, August 13, 2010 (10:23am EDT)
Actress Rea Ranka (32) has announced that she became a mother last month. According to her agency, the former Takarazuka star gave birth to a daughter on July 19.
Ranka joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1995 and served as an otokoyaku for the Snow Troupe. Since leaving the troupe in 2001, she has appeared in theater and television, as well as a couple of movie roles. Last December, she announced that she had married and was pregnant.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari" lines up 10th series
Fri, August 13, 2010 (10:57am EDT)
TBS's popular, long-running drama "Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari" will be entering its 10th series this fall. It is set to begin on October 14, almost exactly 20 years after the first episode aired (October 11, 1990).
The family drama has been broadcast in year-long series lasting about 50 episodes each. Ratings for the show have always been high, with a peak of 26.6% for the 3rd series in 1996-1997. The 9th series, which aired in 2008-2009, had the show's lowest average, but it was still at 14.1%.
TBS was once well known for its dramas, but it has recently been falling behind its competitors for ratings. Producer Fukuko Ishii stated that she aims to restore the network's numbers with this 10th series. It will air in its usual time slot, Thursdays at 9:00pm.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Big Bang's G-Dragon dating model?
Fri, August 13, 2010 (6:48pm EDT)
 http://a7.vox.com/6a0110166df972860d0123f1848fdf860f-500pi
Sankei Sports reports today that G-DRAGON (21), the leader of Korean group BIG BANG, is in a relationship with ViVi fashion model Kiko Mizuhara (19). According to several sources, the two met in Japan after BIG BANG's major label debut last year.
BIG BANG debuted in Korea in 2006, but they just released their first Japanese single in June 2009. Their popularity continued to grow, earning them the title of Best New Artist at last year's Japan Record Awards. But due to their busy schedules both in Japan and in Korea, it is said that G-DRAGON and Mizuhara have had to deal with a long-distance relationship.
It is not clear how they first met, but it is reported that the other members of BIG BANG and Mizuhara's modeling friends have known about the relationship for some time.
Mizuhara, who is half-American and half-Korean, was born in Texas but was raised in Kobe. She is making her acting debut later this year in the "Norwegian Wood" movie adaptation.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Two QUATTRO members leave
Fri, August 13, 2010 (7:30pm EDT)
Rock band QUATTRO recently lost two of its five members, as bassist Keizo Nakajima and keyboardist Masahiko Sato left the band at the start of August. Frontman Takeshi Iwamoto announced the changes through the group's official website.
Iwamoto assured fans that the band will continue moving forward. For now, they are adding support members to play their upcoming concerts as scheduled. He also revealed that they are currently working on new songs.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Hanasakeru Seishonen" adapted to stage
Fri, August 13, 2010 (7:56pm EDT)
Natsumi Itsuki's popular shojo manga "Hanasakeru Seishonen" is being turned into a theatrical production, set to begin next month. Originally published from 1989 to 1994, the comic tells the story of a young girl named Kajika whose father, the head of a huge conglomerate, makes her select a future husband from a group of beautiful men.
The lead character of Kajika will by played by fashion model AKIRA (22), who is also the vocalist of rock band DISACODE. Yuki Kubota (29) will play Kajika's friend Li-ren, while her suitors include Genki Okawa (22) and Yusuke Hirose (24). The complete cast can be found on the production's official website.
The play will be performed at the Sogetsu Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo, from September 29 to October 6.
"Hanasakeru Seishonen" was also turned into an anime series last year.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Chika Arakawa stars in Bodrov's "Yakuza Girl"
Fri, August 13, 2010 (10:04pm EDT)
11-year-old actress Chika Arakawa will already make her international film debut in an action comedy from director Sergei Bodrov, titled "Yakuza Girl." The movie's trailer was posted last week, but more details have now been reported.
This is not the first time that Bodrov has worked with Japanese cast members. His 2007 film "Mongol" starred Tadanobu Asano (36) as a young Genghis Khan. This time, Bodrov is working not just with Arakawa, but also with Tak Sakaguchi (35) and other Japanese stars.
 
For "Yakuza Girl," Arakawa landed the part in an audition last summer. She plays the granddaughter of a yakuza boss (Naomasa Musaka) who sends her to Italy to keep her away from a gang war. However, the plane makes a stopover in Russia, where the gang's enemies try to kidnap her, but she escapes and flees alone to a small town.
Arakawa has been in show business since 2003, but her first acting roles came in 2007. She has appeared in dramas such as "Uta no Oniisan" and in films such as "The Shock Labyrinth." "Yakuza Girl" is considered her first starring role.
Filming took place over two months last fall in Ukraine. Because most of her lines are in Russian, Arakawa studied the language for a month before that, and it is said that she learned enough to get through daily life during her short time there. She also mentioned that the movie was the first time that she traveled overseas.
"Yakuza Girl" has been specially selected as the opening film at next month's Vladivostok International Film Festival (September 11-17).
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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AKB48 members transform into manga characters
Sat, August 14, 2010 (11:20pm EDT)
Powerhouse idol group AKB48 is continuing their crossover into the manga world with two projects that will both depict AKB48 members in comic form. One, titled "AKB49 ~Renai Kinshi Jourei~," will run in Weekly Shonen Magazine, while the other, titled "Uzarino," will run in Weekly Young Jump.
"AKB49" will be about AKB48 itself, told from the point of view of a fictional heroine who passes the group's kenkyuusei audition. Actual members of the group, including Yuko Oshima (21) and Atsuko Maeda (19), will make appearances as characters in the manga. The series will be drawn by relatively new artist Reiji Miyajima, who wrote the manga "Suzuki no Shiten" (which also appeared in Weekly Shonen Magazine). "AKB49" will first appear in next week's issue (on sale August 25).
The other project, "Uzarino," will be in a 4-panel format, with Rino Sashihara (17) as the main character, along with appearances by other members of AKB48. The manga appears to be separate from Sashihara's solo manga project that was announced last month. This one will be drawn by Madoka Matsuura, best known for "Uhha! Harlem Gakuseiryo." Serialization begins on September 8.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Noumi, Horiuchi become parents
Sat, August 14, 2010 (11:40pm EDT)
Actress and former pro wrestler Kayo Noumi (34) gave birth to her first child on Saturday. Noumi wrote on her blog that the baby boy was born at around 5:45pm and weighed 3,444 grams. She also revealed that the birth took a total of 37 hours.
Noumi has been married since April 2007 to Kazuyoshi Horiuchi (35), part of the dance group PaniCrew.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Snowboarder Domu Narita to enter show business with 1,000 blog posts
Sun, August 15, 2010 (12:23am EDT)
Olympic snowboarder Domu Narita (24) is looking to make his way into show business. He has just signed a contract with Osaka-based talent agency Realm Inc., and his first project as a talento will apparently be an attempt to set a record by writing 1,000 blog posts in a single day.
Narita competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, finishing in 36th place. He is currently training to earn another chance to compete at the Olympics in 2014 at Sochi, but in the meantime he also wants to build a show business career. In January, Narita was introduced to Realm Inc. and he eventually signed with the company. He stated that he has interest in all aspects of entertainment, from music to acting to comedy.
Realm Inc. is looking to build some publicity for Narita with the blog project. Currently, Iwate-based talento Fujipon (31) holds the record with 271 posts in one day, followed by pop idol Shoko Nakagawa (25) at 231 posts. Narita will ambitiously aim to set the bar much higher at 1,000.
Depending on how much sleep he gets, Narita may need to update at a rate of more than one post per minute. His strategy involves taking pictures on the street with passers-by in Osaka, which he will use one at a time for his blog updates. So far, he has already collected 400 pictures.
Narita plans to start the challenge on August 21 (at midnight of the day before).
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yuriko Yoshitaka wears wedding dress for next movie
Sat, August 14, 2010 (10:31pm EDT)
Yuriko Yoshitaka's (22) next lead movie role will be in director Koji Maeda's "Konzen Tokkyuu," scheduled for release next spring. The film is a comedy about a young woman with multiple boyfriends, trying to find the right one to marry.
Yoshitaka last starred on the big screen in Yukio Ninagawa's "Snakes and Earrings" two years ago. That role, which included nude scenes, earned her multiple awards and helped establish her as a promising young actress.
"Konzen Tokkyuu" started out as an original drama for mobile service LISMO. Last September, Yoshitaka starred in four episodes, portraying the main character Chie at the age of 17. Next January, another short series will have her playing Chie at the age of 21. Then, in the movie version, Yoshitaka will play the same character at the age of 24.
In the movie, Chie is dating five different men. When she begins thinking about marriage and evaluating her relationships, she narrows the list down in search of the right man. The five boyfriends, each with different personalities, will be played by Ryo Kase (35), SAKEROCK's trombone player Kenta Hamano (29), Takaaki Enoki (54), Munetaka Aoki (30), and Takuya Yoshimura (20).
   
Other cast members include Anne (24) and Anna Ishibashi (18). The film's theme song will be "Dancing Babe," performed by rock band monobright.
 
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Kazunari Ninomiya to star in Fuji TV drama
Sat, August 14, 2010 (9:28pm EDT)
 
Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya (27) is confirmed to be starring in a new drama series this fall. Titled "Freeter, Ie wo Kau," the show will feature Ninomiya as a part-time worker trying to get his life back together for the sake of his family. Karina (26) will play the female lead.
The show is Ninomiya's first starring role in a drama series since the 2008 "Ryusei no Kizuna." As an actor, he has recently been focused on filming for his upcoming movies "Ooku" and "GANTZ." In contrast with those spectacular big screen roles, his character in this home drama will be a "freeter" (a term used to describe young people without full time employment, not counting students and homemakers).
The story is based on a book of the same name by Hiro Arikawa, published last year. The story revolves around a young man named Seiji Take (Ninomiya), who quits his job after three months. With no dreams, no savings, and a poor relationship with his family, he becomes a hikikomori (shut-in) in his own room. However, after his mother falls ill with depression, he ends up having to take on a part-time job at a construction site. Because of that, he soon decides to work towards rebuilding his life: "Even though I'm just a freeter, I'm going to buy a house for the sake of my family."
One of the people he meets at the construction site is Manami Chiba (Karina), who graduated from a top-class university and joined a well-known general contracting firm. Manami, proud to be working as an on-site supervisor, is the complete opposite of Seiji. But while their personalities clash at first, they gradually come to understand each other.
Filming already started earlier this month. The show will air on Fuji TV on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Oshima not yet confident as AKB48's No. 1 girl
Tuesday 17th August, 03:56 AM JST
TOKYO —
AKB48’s Yuko Oshima, who was picked in June as the most popular member of the all-girl pop group, said recently that she has yet to feel confident she has fitted into the role as Atsuko Maeda’s successor. ‘‘Well, I haven’t got used to it yet,’’ Oshima said, after being asked how she feels about finding herself in the group’s center position during a promotional event for their new TV commercial, which Maeda also took part in.
Oshima called on fans to observe the quality of the animated characters in the commercial featuring the likenesses of Oshima, Maeda and 19 other leading members of the group to promote a series of Puccho candies. ‘‘The characters really look like us and they’re so pretty…or the characters look even prettier,’’ Oshima said.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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![[MBC/Netflix 2024] DOUBT - Han Suk Kyu, Chae Won Bin, Han Ye Ri ~ 11 October 2024](https://uf.cari.com.my/forumx/mforum/block/f0/f06011dc76c706b67eb2cb605c116387.jpg)
