Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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Jero to host special radio program
Mon, April 14, 2008 (1:12am EDT)



Jero, the black enka singer who made his impressive debut in February, will host a special radio program on the Nippon Broadcasting System. This will be his first time hosting a radio show.

The 3-hour special is titled "Jero ga Erabu Nippon no Uta."[/b The program will feature a selection of famous enka songs, chosen by Jero, and he will talk about his own memories and experiences with those songs. Comedian Kinichi Hagimoto and rakugoka Taihei Hayashiya will participate as guests.

Nippon Broadcasting System will air the show on April 21 at 6:50pm.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Nice Couple Awards announced
Mon, April 14, 2008 (1:37am EDT)

This year's Nice Couple Awards (given in honor of the Nice Couple Day campaign on April 22) were presented on Saturday.



One of the winning couples was actor Akira Nakao and former actress Shino Ikenami. The two have been married for 30 years.

The other couple to receive the award was WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito and his wife Mayumi.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

BUMP to release B-side collection
Mon, April 14, 2008 (1:55am EDT)



Rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN has announced that they will release a collection of B-sides on June 18, titled "present from you."

The album will contain all 12 of the coupling songs that have appeared on their major label singles, from "Laugh Maker" (on their first single "Diamond") to "Glass Blues" (on their latest single "Mayday"). A new song called "Present" will also be included.

The band will also release a music video DVD on May 14 for their last album, "orbital period," which was released in December.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Gackt's dog promotes environmental concerns
Mon, April 14, 2008 (2:26am EDT)



A dog owned by popular musician Gackt will be making its "character debut" as part of a campaign to promote environmental issues. The project's theme is called "LOVE OUR PLANET."

The dog is a long coat chihuahua called Ener, whose name comes from Gackt's hope that the dog brings energy to everyone. Ener was recently introduced on Gackt's fan club blog, and he quickly gained in popularity.

The project came about last December, when Gackt's other dog Belle passed away. According to the campaign's description, Ener received a message from heaven that "Earth is crying," and now Ener is on a worldwide mission to spread awareness of environmental issues. The overall project, known as "Ener's Big Adventure," will have the dog appear in various media, including anime, a picture book, and a blog.

Ener will also be used as an image character for the Eco Gallery, an event in Hokkaido that runs from June 1 to August 31. The event is connected to the 34th G8 summit, which is being held in Toyako, Hokkaido, on July 7-9.

The website for "Ener's Big Adventure" can be found here.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Hollywood-based actor Watanabe Ken (48) is to be a grandfather. On yesterday's edition of the TV Asahi afternoon talk show "Tetsuko no Heya" his daughter Ann (22) revealed yesterday that her brother Dai (23) got married last month and that he and his wife are expecting a baby in August. The show was actually recorded on March 24, ten days after the couple tied the knot on White Day. Dai has followed in his father's acting footsteps, and made his debut in 2004. In a TV Tokyo period drama he and his father both played the role of samurai Yoshimura Kanichiro at different ages. Dai has finished two movies set to open in August, "Saigo no Soukeisen" and "Dousoukai", and is currently filming an adaptation of the Ichijou Yukari manga "Pride."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Higuchi Munetaka (49), drummer with the legendary heavy metal band Loudness, announced yesterday that he was recently diagnosed with liver cancer. The news appeared on the band's website a week before they are due to start a concert tour of Japan's major cities. Higuchi said he wanted to let fans know and reassure them that was going to fight the disease and return to performing as soon as possible. A replacement drummer for the tour has yet to be announced.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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[JAPAN] Jero performs at pre-game show for Basketball Japan League抯 Rising Fukuoka



Mainichi Daily News reported, 揃lack enka singer Jero put on a pre-game show for the Basketball Japan League抯 Rising Fukuoka before it played its final home court match against the Ryukyu Golden Kings here over the weekend.

whitedove

Anna Tsuchiya to provide voice for Anpanman movie
Tue, April 15, 2008 (1:07am EDT)



Singer and actress Anna Tsuchiya is taking on her second voice acting role in "Soreike! Anpanman: Yosei Rin-Rin no Himitsu," the 20th film in the Anpanman franchise. She will play the heroine, a fairy named Rin-Rin.

Tsuchiya previously voiced Lindsay Lohan's character in the Japanese dub of "Herbie: Fully Loaded."

The "Anpanman" movie opens in theaters on July 12.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Another volleyball song for Hey! Say! JUMP
Tue, April 15, 2008 (1:19am EDT)



The Johnny's group Hey! Say! JUMP has been tapped for yet another volleyball support song.

"Dreams come true" will be the group's 2nd single, to be released on May 21. They will sing the song as special supporters for the Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament, which takes place in Tokyo from May 17 to May 25. The event is being covered by TBS and Fuji TV.

Hey! Say! JUMP previously sang songs for the 2007 Volleyball World Cup and last month's National High School Volleyball Tournament.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

LOUDNESS drummer diagnosed with cancer
Tue, April 15, 2008 (1:34am EDT)



Heavy metal band LOUDNESS announced on its website on Monday that 49-year-old drummer Munetaka Higuchi has been diagnosed with liver cancer. The growth was first noticed during a regular medical exam last month, and a follow-up exam last week identified it as cancer.

Higuchi is undergoing immediate treatment and will be unable to participate in the band's upcoming tour that starts on the 22nd, though he assured his fans that he will eventually return to playing. His replacement for the tour has not yet been decided.

LOUDNESS became the first Japanese heavy metal band to release an album in the U.S. during the latter half of the 1980s, and they even appeared in the Billboard Top 100.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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First "Death Note" film to screen in more than 300 U.S. theaters
Tue, April 15, 2008 (1:50am EDT)



Viz Pictures has sent out a press release announcing that it will bring the first live-action "Death Note" film to more than 300 U.S. theaters next month.

The movie (reportedly the dubbed version) is being presented in high-definition through National CineMedia's NCM Fathom division on May 20 and 21. The screenings will also include a "specially produced 20-minute feature on how the manga translates to live action as well as the first-ever interview with Director Shusuke Kaneko."

Subscribers of the Shonen Jump e-mail newsletter will be allowed to buy advance tickets from April 18 to 20, while general public ticket sales start on April 21. A list of participating theaters is available at the movie's website.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

L'Arc opens official MySpace page
Tue, April 15, 2008 (2:03am EDT)



Rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel opened their official MySpace page on the 11th, geared towards their international fans. The site launched in time for their 10-concert international tour that starts this weekend, taking them to Shanghai, Taipei, Paris, Seoul, and Hong Kong.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Taiji serves as music director on Dynamite Tommy film
Tue, April 15, 2008 (2:18am EDT)



Former X Japan member TAIJI is taking on the role of music director for a movie called "Attitude." The film, first announced last May, is the directorial debut of musician Dynamite Tommy (formerly the vocalist of COLOR).

TAIJI was part of X Japan until 1992 and later was involved in several other bands, including Cloud Nine.

"Attitude" offers a look at rock music from the '70s to the '90s, featuring appearances by artists such as Shigeru Nakano (Anarchy), BY-SEXUAL, ANGIE, ARB, and Michiro Endo. The film will see limited release across Japan, starting on July 19.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Chiyoko Asami stars in "Shaolin Girl" parody
Tue, April 15, 2008 (10:34am EDT)



67-year-old talento Chiyoko Asami is starring in her first film, titled "Shaolin Baba," directed by Kotaro Terauchi ("Boys Love," "Tonari no 801-chan").

The movie is a parody of the Kou Shibasaki-starring action flick "Shaolin Girl" that opens on April 26. In "Shaolin Baba," Asami plays an elderly martial arts master. Nao Nagasawa and comedian Sentaro also appear.

Asami is perhaps best known for her recurring role on the variety show "Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!," where she plays an elderly woman that the cast members are sometimes forced to kiss.

"Shaolin Baba" begins playing in theaters in late May.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

BENNIE K offers free "Dreamland" ringtone
Tue, April 15, 2008 (10:35am EDT)



BENNIE K are celebrating the release of their first best album, "BEST OF THE BESTEST" (on sale April 23), by making their hit song "Dreamland" available for free as a ringtone in Japan. The tune will be available through sites such as Recochoku between the 16th and the 30th of this month.

"Dreamland" was released in 2005 and debuted at #2 on the Oricon charts. It stayed in the Top 10 for seven straight weeks, selling more than 500,000 copies.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

"Ghost in the Shell" to go 3-D
Tue, April 15, 2008 (10:26am EDT)



Variety reports that DreamWorks has acquired rights to Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk manga "Ghost in the Shell" and is aiming to adapt it as a 3-D live-action film.

The comic was originally published in 1989 and spawned two additional manga series, three animated films, and two television series. The second film, "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence," was brought to the U.S. by DreamWorks.

Universal and Sony reportedly also sought the movie rights, but Steven Spielberg ultimately won out. He said, "'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."

Seaside Entertainment's Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Steven Paul are producing. Jamie Moss is handling the script. No production dates have been revealed yet.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Fictional Japanese-American assassin John Rain is coming to the big screen. Shiina Kippei (43) is to star in a mostly Japanese-language adaptation of "Rain Fall," the first book in the John Rain series by thriller writer Barry Eisler. Rain, an ex-US Special Forces hit man who "may not be a good man, but he's good at what he does" finds himself protecting the daughter of one of his victims against assassination by the CIA. Though some fans initially speculated that he might play the lead, British star Gary Oldman (50) has been named to play Rain's CIA nemesis William Holtzer. Max Mannix is both writing the script and directing. Shiina, an established though hardly high-profile actor, has appeared in over 30 movies including "Shinobi" (2005) and "Sakuran" (2007). Perhaps appropriately for his latest role, he is from the famous ninja city of Iga in Mie Prefecture (more trivially, he starred in a 2007 stage version of the Tom Cruise movie "Rain Man"). In 2003, he married actress Yamamoto Mirai (33), his co-star in the TV drama "Blackout" and daughter of the famous fashion designer Yamamoto Kansai (64). He also works as a movie producer, using his real name Iwaki Masayoshi.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

Takahashi Yuya (28), the son of actress Mita Yoshiko (66) will serve an 18-month prison sentence for a third drug-related offense. His lawyer had appealed the January sentence, saying the defendant needed to undergo rehabilitation, but the appeal was withdrawn earlier this month as his condition has improved. Takahashi was arrested for the third time last November after taking "kakuseizai" (stimulant drugs) in the toilet of a Tokyo convenience store.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

Fuji TV and the Shochiku movie studio are betting that the next hit to be born from a "keitai shosetsu," or novel written on a mobile phone, is "Akai Ito" (Red Thread). The title comes from the myth (originally from China) that couples who are destined to be together are joined by an invisible red thread. In this case, the soulmates are junior high school students Mei and Atsushi, who must overcome drugs, rape and attempted suicide in order to be together. The love story was an online hit in 2006 and later published as a series of five books which sold 1.8 million copies. Now it is to be made into a TV drama series which will air during the winter season and closely tied into a theatrical release. The plot will intertwine between the two, reaching a finale with the conclusion of the TV series. Unlike other recent drama/movie hits such as "Densha Otoko" or "Sekai no Chuushinde, Ai wo Sakebu," this project will feature the same cast and staff members. The theme song for both will be performed by up-and-coming Okinawan indie band HY.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

U.S. rock bands Huey Lewis & the News and Chicago are performing a series of joint concerts across Japan this month. They kicked off in Hiroshima on Monday and will play shows in Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo, where local guitarist Hotei Tomoyasu is due to appear as a guest. And Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli (49) performed the first of two concerts at the Tokyo International Forum last night. It's his second visit to Japan and the first since 2000.

Source: www.japan-zone.com