Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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LM.C plans to tour Europe next year
Mon, July 7, 2008 (11:05am EDT)



After making a guest appearance at Anime Expo, visual-kei band LM.C held their first U.S. concert on Saturday at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles. An estimated 700 people attended the show, which lasted about two hours.

The group has now stated that they have plans to do a Europe tour next spring. No specific details have been announced yet, but they reportedly have received offers in several countries, including Finland, Germany, Italy, England, and France (possibly at Japan Expo).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi (44) of the popular duo Downtown has a new romantic interest. According to the July 3 issue of women's weekly magazine "Josei Seven," he is now dating half-Korean talento Ihara Rin (25), the weather girl on NTV's morning show "Zoom In! Super."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Less happy news for actress Kato Ai (25) and soccer star Nakata Koji (29). Romance between the actress and the former Japan national team defender was first reported back in April 2004. As recently as the beginning of this year there were rumors of marriage. But sources close to both say they have split up. Kato's agency said simply "She is currently in new York and we have heard no news of a breakup."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Actress Chiaki Kuriyama gets buzz-cut for stage play
Tuesday 08th July, 05:17 AM JST



TOKYO

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Takako Matsu, Anne Suzuki open stage drama
Tuesday 08th July, 10:40 AM JST



TOKYO

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Aya Ueto appears on postage stamps
Tuesday 08th July, 02:24 PM JST



TOKYO

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Ayumi Shigemori bears second son
Tue, July 8, 2008 (1:24am EDT)



36-year-old singer Ayumi Shigemori gave birth to her second child on Monday. She now has two sons.

Shigemori has been married since 2002 and had her first child in 2004. This past January, she announced that she was pregnant again. She plans to resume work in September, returning to NHK's educational show "Quintet."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Life of boxer Daisuke Naito to be dramatized
Tue, July 8, 2008 (2:11am EDT)

Current WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito will have his autobiography turned into a television drama. TBS plans to air the show, titled "Naito Daisuke Monogatari: Ijimerareko no Champion Belt," on July 28. Actor Atsushi Ito will star as Naito.



The drama depicts Naito's life, from being a bullied child in school and being a shut-in after graduation, to deciding to become a pro boxer and working towards his current level of success.

For the role, Ito trained at Naito's gym starting last month. However, Naito made sure not to be at the gym during Ito's practices, and the two finally faced each other in the ring for a practice match. Naturally, Naito won the fight, but the boxer said he was surprised, even saying that Ito is in better shape than himself.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Two Kanjani8 members get solo concerts
Tue, July 8, 2008 (1:35am EDT)



Popular group Kanjani8 performed at the Tokyo Dome on Monday as part of their current nationwide tour. During the show, they announced that members Subaru Shibutani and Tadayoshi Okura will be holding solo concerts later this year.

Shibutani's concerts will take place at the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka on September 4-7, and at the special Johnnys Theater in Odaiba, Tokyo, from September 23 to October 6. Okura's shows will be at the same Odaiba venue from October 10 to October 21.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Arata Furuta back on stage after accident
Wednesday 09th July, 10:52 AM JST



TOKYO

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Softbank mobile's 'Oto-san' dog to release DVD
Wednesday 09th July, 10:54 AM JST



TOKYO

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Matsujun to star in "24 Hour Television" drama
Wed, July 9, 2008 (1:13am EDT)



Arashi member Jun Matsumoto will star in a drama special that is being broadcast as part of NTV's charity program "24 Hour Television." Titled "Myu no Anyo, Papa ni Ageru," the drama will air on August 30.

The drama is based on a true story about a young man (played by Matsumoto) who learns he has a rare illness known as CIDP, which affects the nervous system. He begins to lose the functioning of his limbs, but he is determined to fight the illness with the support of his wife (Karina) and his 2-year-old daughter, Myu-chan.



Matsumoto, along with the rest of Arashi and actress Yukie Nakama, has already been announced as a host for "24 Hour Television," scheduled for August 30-31.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Maki Goto confirmed for a-nation
Wed, July 9, 2008 (1:58am EDT)



Maki Goto's first full performances since transferring to Avex will be at this year's a-nation festival tour. Goto is one of several artists that have been added to the lineup, along with Ataru Nakamura, Hatsune Okumura, and others.

Many popular artists were previously announced for the tour, including Kumi Koda, Ai Otsuka, EXILE, Ami Suzuki, AAA, TVXQ, Namie Amuro, and Ayumi Hamasaki.

This will be Goto's first time at a-nation, as she was signed to Avex's Rhythm Zone label just last month. Currently, she is scheduled for two of the tour dates, Osaka on August 24 and Tokyo on August 31.

Goto already debuted with Avex when she participated in the company's shareholders' meeting on June 22, singing a cover of Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Charts: the light's still GReeeeN
Wed, July 9, 2008 (2:16am EDT)



After topping the albums chart last week, the popular group GReeeeN did a repeat performance, selling 122,000 copies of their second album to keep the #1 spot. They sold about 10,000 more units than ELLEGARDEN's best-of album, which is scheduled to be the band's last release before they formally go on hiatus.

Ringo Shiina ranked #4 with her own new collection, "Watashi to Houden" (85,000 copies). Also in the top ten were Sukima Switch's Takuya Ohashi with his first solo album (at #8) and w-inds. (at #10).



Meanwhile, YUI led the singles chart with 83,000 copies of "SUMMER SONG." At #2 was the debut single "LOVE ADDICT" from VAMPS, the new project formed by hyde of L'Arc~en~Ciel and KAZ of Oblivion Dust. It sold 65,000 copies.

A collaboration between mihimaru GT and SOFFet entered the charts at #7, and the latest single by RSP came in right behind it at #8.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Hideaki Ito to face off against Kenichi Matsuyama in "Kamui"
Wed, July 9, 2008 (1:38am EDT)



Actor Hideaki Ito has been cast as a movie villain for the first time in his career. He was chosen to appear in the film version of Sanpei Shirato's manga "The Legend of Kamui," which recently resumed filming after a series of setbacks.



The action film, starring Kenichi Matsuyama and directed by Yoichi Sai, was delayed for a few months after lead actress Rinko Kikuchi was injured. At one point, the movie was almost dropped completely, but it eventually got back on track with actress Koyuki replacing Kikuchi.

In the film, Ito plays the head of a group of shark exterminators that arrive in the fishing village where the swordsman Kamui (Matsuyama) has ended up. Ito and his gang offer to help Kamui and the villagers to get rid of a shark infestation, but he also sets a trap for Kamui, leading to a violent showdown.

Other cast members have been revealed: Koichi Sato, Kaoru Kobayashi, Suzuka Ohgo, Sei Ashina, Anna Tsuchiya, and Hong Kong actor Ekin Cheng. Filming had originally been scheduled to wrap up in February, but is now projected to finish in September. Release is planned for summer 2009.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Takako Matsu, Tadanobu Asano star in Dazai adaptation
Wed, July 9, 2008 (2:43am EDT)



Takako Matsu has been given her first starring role in a feature-length film, tentatively titled "Viyon no Tsuma" ("Villon's Wife"). Based on the story of the same name by Osamu Dazai, the movie will open in theaters during the fall of 2009, a hundred years after Dazai's birth.



The story is set in the postwar era of Japan. Matsu plays Sachi, the wife of a writer (Tadanobu Asano). Despite her husband's unfaithfulness, abuse, and debt from drinking too much alcohol, Sachi displays a strong will to live and is determined to find meaning in her life.

Screenwriter Yozo Tanaka is said to have worked on the script for five years. Director Kichitaro Negishi and producer Chihiro Kameyama will be in charge of the project, which is set to start filming in September.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Aibou" spinoff in the works
Thu, July 10, 2008 (1:06am EDT)

The popular detective drama "Aibou" is getting a spinoff movie. The news comes only a couple months after the first film opened in theaters, though it has been so successful that it is still currently playing on screens nationwide. Titled "Kanshiki: Yonezawa Mamoru no Jikenbo," the spinoff revolves around supporting actor Seiji Rokkaku rather than the drama's leads, Yutaka Mizutani and Yasufumi Terawaki. This is Rokkaku's first starring role.



Rokkaku plays the forensic analyst Mamoru Yonezawa, a role that started out with only two lines of dialogue back when "Aibou" first aired in 2000. Over the years, he has arguably become the most popular supporting character in the drama, based on popularity polls, an appearance in a Lipovitan D commercial, and a novel published in April that is serving as the basis for the spinoff. As the main character, he will be teaming up with a detective played by actor Masato Hagiwara, who is making his first appearance in the "Aibou" universe.

The project is being directed by Yasuharu Hasebe, better known as the pioneer of the "violent pink" genre of the 1970s. The movie began filming on July 3 and is scheduled to finish early next month. TV Asahi and Toei hope to release the film next spring.

Meanwhile, "Aibou" continues to bring in audiences across Japan. As of Sunday, the film has taken in close to 4.4 billion yen, making it the #1 picture for the first half of 2008.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Arashi provides another Olympic theme song
Thu, July 10, 2008 (1:45am EDT)



With Sho Sakurai having been appointed as the main caster for NTV's broadcast of the Olympic Games, it comes as no surprise that Arashi has been chosen to provide the theme song for the network's Olympic coverage. This will actually be their second Olympic song, as "Hero" was used by NTV for the 2004 Games in Athens.

Their new tune is titled "Kaze no Mukou e" and will be released on August 20.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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X Japan reschedules Paris show for November
Thu, July 10, 2008 (12:35am EDT)



The reunited rock band X Japan announced on Wednesday that it has rescheduled its Paris concert, which was originally set for July 5 before Yoshiki's health forced the group to suspend their plans. The new date is November 22, and the show will be held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy.

The Paris concert will be the start of their "world tour," with the New York and Taiwan concerts expected to take place after that. An additional show is also being planned for Korea.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Naohito Fujiki rocked by reports of affair
Thu, July 10, 2008 (1:30am EDT)



The reputation of actor/singer Naohito Fujiki has taken a serious blow due to allegations of an affair. Fujiki, 35, has been married since December 2005 and had his first child one year later. But now an article in the latest issue of Shukan Bunshun says that he's been fooling around.

According to the magazine, Fujiki's lover is a cabaret club hostess in her late twenties. They apparently met last October while Fujiki was on tour. The woman says they hit it off immediately, and they carried on their affair. After learning that she was pregnant a month later, she says she was urged by Fujiki to have an abortion, and was even given several million yen.

When asked about the matter, Fujiki's agency said they were unable to comment for now due to the absence of his manager.

Source: www.tokyograph.com