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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]
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news: movie
Kyosuke Yabe to lead "Volleyboys"
Sun, August 24, 2008 (2:25am EDT)
About two weeks ago, it was announced that Hiroyuki Murata's comedy manga "Kogyoaika Volleyboys" is spawning a live-action film. A few more details have now been revealed.
The three protagonists will be played by lead actor Kyosuke Yabe, supported by Minoru Matsumoto and Ryuichi Agawa. Despite their ages, the three are playing high school students.
The film will get a small theatrical release, starting on November 22 in Tokyo.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: TV show/idols
"Haromoni" coming to an end
Sun, August 24, 2008 (2:49am EDT)
Unofficial news surfaced this past week that Morning Musume's show "Haromoni" is being cancelled, and now it has been confirmed by Oricon. The Sunday afternoon show will ends its run on September 28.
The show started out as "Hello! Morning" in April 2000, but in April 2007 it changed its name and was reduced from 54 minutes to 24 minutes. Since then, ratings have continued to decline, resulting in the show being dropped from TV Tokyo's lineup. The program's replacement has not yet been announced.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste/animated movie
tamurapan tapped for "Genius Party"
Sun, August 24, 2008 (3:58am EDT)
Singer-songwriter tamurapan is getting a tie-in with the animated film project "Genius Party Beyond," the sequel to Studio 4癈's "Genius Party" anthology from last year. tamurapan, who was the first Japanese artist to make the leap from MySpace to a major record label, has been appointed to sing the film's ending theme.
tamurapan was reportedly chosen due to one of the project's five directors, Koji Morimoto, coming across her music on MySpace. For the movie, she has put together a tune called "Zero," which will be released as her 2nd official CD single. The release date is not yet known, but "Genius Party Beyond" will hit theaters on October 11.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Mamoru Oshii directing live-action "Kill"
Sat, August 23, 2008 (10:10pm EDT)
Mamoru Oshii is overseeing a new live-action work titled "Kiru ~ KILL." He will be one of four directors participating in the omnibus film, which is said to themed around swordfight scenes set up as if they were the climax of longer dramas.
 
Oshii's segment, called "ASSAULT GIRL2," stars Rinko Kikuchi and Yoko Fujita as two women, dressed oppositely in black and white, silently battling on an open field. Oshii previously worked with Kikuchi when she provided a voice for his latest animated film, "The Sky Crawlers."
Kenta Fukasaku is one of the other directors. The film opens on December 6.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
Southern All Stars brought another chapter of their long career to an emotional close yesterday. They left many of the 70,000 fans in tears after the last of four shows at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, and what could possibly be their last concert performance. Japan's most popular band and in their commemorative 30th year, they said back in May that they'll be taking an open-ended break from 2009. They currently have no official plans to perform again this year, but frontman Kuwata Keisuke made vague reassuring comments suggesting they would return in the future in some form. After a set that included 46 songs and was performed in the rain, Kuwata and his wife, keyboard player Hara Yuko, shed a few tears themselves as they thanked the fans for their many years of support. The band's latest single, "I Am Your Singer," is currently on top of the charts.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: idols
Johnny's Jimusho announced yesterday that SMAP's upcoming nationwide dome tour will start with six nights at Tokyo Dome. The September 24-26 and 28-30 shows will be most ever at the venue by a Japanese artist, beating rockers Glay who played five nights there in 1999. A new album will go on sale on the day of the first show. "Super.Modern.Artistic.Performance" features collaborations with Burt Baccarach and the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am. The group usually tour in the summer but have been busy this year with Olympic-related projects for TBS, including the network's Olympic theme song "Kono Toki, Kitto Yume Ja Nai".
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: artistes
 
A couple of veteran rockers recently announced upcoming visits to this country. The "Godfather of Heavy Metal," Ozzy Osbourne (59), will be here in October for his first Japan show in six and a half years. Fittingly, the October 27 venue will be the venerable Nippon Budokan. And Jackson Browne (59) will have a show in Osaka and two in Tokyo in late November. He turns 60 in October, while Osbourne has his "kanreki" (60th birthday, when Japanese people traditionally wear red) in December.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: actor
Arriving a bit earlier will be Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. He'll be in Tokyo on September 2 to promote "Ironman," the superhero flick that has relaunched his once glittering career. He was last in Japan at the height of that fame in 1993, when he was promoting his Oscar-nominated role in "Chaplin." Clearly, Japan's policy of not allowing convicted drug offenders into the country is a thing of the past.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: idol
Former Morning Musume member Kago Ai releases essay book
August 24, 2008 by KNDY
Former Morning Musume and Hello! Project member Kago Ai (20) has released an essay book. The troubled singer who was fired from her agency back in March 2007, made her return to the entertainment industry in April.
When asked about her smoking (Kago said when she made her return that she would stop but was admitted smoking again not too long after declaring that she was going to stop), Kago told media that it is not that easy to stop.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: dorama
Yukie Nakama to play character aged between 14 and 76 for TV drama
Monday 25th August, 02:12 PM JST
TOKYO |
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news: artistes
Tunnels teams up with DJ OZMA
Mon, August 25, 2008 (1:54am EDT)
 
Owarai duo Tunnels is pairing up with DJ OZMA to form a temporary group. The project was announced on Thursday's episode of "Tunnels no Minasan no Okage De$hita."
The unit's name has not yet been decided, but they confirmed that they will release a CD through Avex. They also have lined up a tie-in with a Lotte chewing gum product, and they will appear in a commercial alongside actress Masami Nagasawa starting at the end of September.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: comics
Madhouse to reimagine Marvel superheroes
Mon, August 25, 2008 (2:19am EDT)
A New York Times article has reported that comic book publisher Marvel Entertainment is collaborating with animation studio Madhouse to create four separate anime series that are based on Marvel superheroes but re-imagined for the Japanese market. The shows are scheduled to air in Spring 2010, and there are also plans for comic versions.
It is not yet clear which franchises are being adapted, though it was hinted that "Iron Man" will be one of them. In the past, several comic book characters have already been transformed into manga, including adaptations of "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" by Ryoichi Ikegami.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Atsushi Ito to star in "Team Batista" drama series
Mon, August 25, 2008 (12:47am EDT)
"Team Batista no Eikou," the best-selling novel that was turned into a live-action film starring Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Abe, is now getting a television adaptation. The drama series will air on Fuji TV this fall, with Atsushi Ito playing the lead.
The story, which won the Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! Awards in 2005, centers around a hospital with a skilled team of doctors known for their success with the Batista procedure, a type of heart surgery. After a series of failed operations that resulted in death, an internal investigation begins, led by a doctor named Taguchi and an eccentric government official.
In the original novel, Taguchi was a male character, but Yuko Takeuchi played it as a female character in the movie version. For the drama, Taguchi is a man, and Atsushi Ito has been given the role. Toru Nakamura is replacing Hiroshi Abe as the government official.
Rising R&B artist Thelma Aoyama will be doing her first drama theme song for "Team Batista."
The show will air in Fuji TV's Tuesday 10:00pm time slot, starting on October 14.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
"Donju" gets a cast
Tue, August 26, 2008 (1:25am EDT)
"Donju," the directorial debut of Hideaki Hosono, had its main cast revealed on Monday. Based on a suspense-comedy Donju by Kankuro Kudo, the movie was first revealed in July, but at the time only lead actor Tadanobu Asano was announced.
    
Asano's supporting cast includes Yoko Maki (as the female lead), Kazuki Kitamura, Yusuke Santamaria, Yoko Minamino, and Aimi Satsukawa.
"Donju" is slated for a 2009 release.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Alisa Mizuki to star in "OL Nippon"
Tue, August 26, 2008 (1:45am EDT)
Talento Alisa Mizuki has been given her 20th starring role in a drama series. In NTV's "OL Nippon," she will play a resourceful OL working in the general affairs department of a long-standing firm.
The script is being handled by Miho Nakazono, who has written several female-led hits, including "Haken no Hinkaku" and "Yamato Nadeshiko." Mizuki's character is described as an ordinary office worker, single and in her early thirties. However, she hates to lose, which drives her to do her job well.
Some of the filming is taking place in China, as Mizuki's character trains a group of Chinese workers as part of her company's outsourcing plans.
"OL Nippon" will run in NTV's Wednesday 10:00pm time slot, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: event
Japan's Elite Model Look representative chosen
Tue, August 26, 2008 (2:29am EDT)
Japan has chosen its representative for the 2008 Elite Model Look international competition, which is scheduled to be held in China this October. 19-year-old Yui Hara, a 2nd-year junior college student from Kagoshima, won the Grand Prix in the model division of Japan's finals, earning her the right to compete in China. She emerged as the winner from a pool of about 3,000 hopefuls.
The entertainment division of the competition found its winner in 12-year-old Risa Kamiya, an Okinawan idol currently in her first year of junior high. Kamiya, who has been attending dance school for four years, said she wants to be a singer like fellow Okinawan Namie Amuro, but also hopes to be active as an actress and TV talento.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
ORESKABAND plans U.S. release
Tue, August 26, 2008 (2:46am EDT)
Ska group ORESKABAND is planning to release their American debut album next spring. The band has reportedly accepted an offer from indie label Side One Dummy Records, though they are signed with Sony in Japan.
Earlier this month, the six-girl group finished playing on all 46 stops of the Vans Warped Tour. They also performed at Wizard World Chicago in June.
On October 22 in Japan, ORESKABAND will simultaneously release a Warped Tour documentary DVD and a mini-album titled "What a Wonderful World! vol. 1." According to their official site, a second mini-album is due in February 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Yuzu's Kitagawa to play Horikita's love interest
Tue, August 26, 2008 (2:03am EDT)
 
The male lead has been revealed for the Fuji TV drama series "Innocent Love," which stars popular actress Maki Horikita. Rather than casting a popular young actor for the role, the network has chosen Yujin Kitagawa, the 31-year-old leader of folk duo Yuzu.
The drama is described as a "Cinderella story," with Horikita playing Kanon, a pitiful woman who eventually finds love with a pianist named Junya (Kitagawa). Junya's character is cheerful and innocent on the surface, but his heart is full of painful sorrow.
Kitagawa actually started out his entertainment career as an actor, before Yuzu got their big break. He appeared in multiple dramas, such as "Meitantei Hoken#su no Obasan" in 1997, and he even starred in the 1996 horror film "All Night Long 3: Saishusho." However, he has been focused on music since Yuzu made their debut in 1997.
"Innocent Love" is filling Fuji TV's Monday 9:00pm time slot this fall.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 25-8-2008 05:47 PM
