Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE!

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A preview showing was held for "Death Note - The Last Name" at the Tokyo International Forum. Although star Fujiwara Tatsuya (24) was appearing in a stage production in Osaka and unable to attend, cast members including Matsuyama Kenichi (photo, 21) and Katase Nana (photo, 24) were on stage to greet the audience. The movie is the second in a two-part story, the first having been a big hit following its release in June. The movie has also done extremely well overseas and has drawn attention from Hollywood. It is based on a hugely popular manga series that has sold over 18 million copies.



Another manga-to-anime getting its first public showing yesterday was "Tekkon Kinkreet". The movie, which features Arashi member Ninomiya Kazunari (23) in his first voice role, had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Directed by Michael Arias and based on the popular manga by Matsumoto Taiyo (39), the movie is to get worldwide release through Sony Pictures. It's set for release in Japan on December 23. There are plans to enter it at the Berlin and Cannes film festivals next year.

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1) Kisarazu Cat's Eye - Seaside ByeBye
2) Ai Otsuka - Renai Shashin
3) Orange Range - Sayonara
4) Izumi Hoshi - Sailorfuku to Kikanjuu
5) Kumi Koda - Yume no Uta/Futari de...
6) RIP SLYME - Blow
7) The Alfee - Innocent Love
8) Kirari Tsukishima starring Koharu Kusumi (Morning Musume) - Bararaika
9) Gazette - Regret
10) Ayaka - Mikazuki

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1) Zard - Golden Best ~15th Anniversary~
2) Kobukuro - All Singles Best
3) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Feed Back File
4) The Cro-Magnons - The Cro-Magnons
5) Sarah Brightman - Kagayakeru Diva ~Best of Sarah Brightman~
6) Sadistic Mikaela Band - Narkissos
7) Various Artistes - Blood+ Complete Best
8) Cornelius - Sensuous
9) The Birthday - Rollers Romantics
10) Fumido - Fumido2

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Movie sequel "Death Note - The Last Name" had its world premiere in Hong Kong yesterday. Stars Fujiwara Tatsuya (24), Matsuyama Kenichi (21) and Toda Erika (18) were all there to meet some 20,000 fans who held up red apples and lollipops, mimicking a theme from the movie. The young actors were overwhelmed with the huge turnout and enthusiasm of the fans. The first "Death Note" made over 2.8 billion at home during the summer and is also the most successful ever Japanese movie in Hong Kong. It has attracted the attention of dozens of companies, including Hollywood studios, interested in doing a remake. But Fujiwara doesn't seem too happy with the talk about a Hollywood version of the series, saying he'd rather see the original appear on screens worldwide, conceding only "If they have to do a remake, they could at least do it with the same cast." Fans in Japan and Hong Kong can look forward to the opening on November 3, with screenings also set for several other Asian countries.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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BoA to hold first Christmas concert in Japan


Asian star BoA will hold a live Christmas concert for the first time since her debut in Japan. BoA抯 Christmas concert, entitled 揦-mas Live,

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Originally posted by adikkeluangman_ at 5-11-2006 10:59 AM
BoA to hold first Christmas concert in Japan


Asian star BoA will hold a live Christmas concert for the first time since her debut in J ...

correction: it's Zepp Tokyo

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Actress Takeuchi Yuko (26) is being inundated with new commercial offers. It's probably no coincidence that her impending divorce from playboy kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (34) comes at a time when she is getting back to work. Her management are casting her in the divorce story as the victim (which she very well may be) of Nakamura's womanizing, and a typical working single mother. The couple have a son of just 9 months. Takeuchi is currently appearing in four TV commercials, for which she is thought to have received about 50 million apiece. And given her recent publicity and the fact that it will likely boost her image among women, recent offers for new commercials are likely to make her over 100 million each. A similar phenomenon was seen after the divorces of such stars as singer Amuro Namie and actress Iijima Naoko. The TV wide shows have been showing a video of the making of Takeuchi's new movie "Saidokaa ni Inu" (Dog in the Sidecar), which recently started production and is due for release in autumn 2007.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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November 4, 2006

Filming has recently finished on "Nana 2", the sequel to last year's hit movie based on the popular manga of the same name. Scheduled to open on December 9, it again stars singer Nakashima Mika (22), who shares the top billing this time with up-and-coming starlet Ichikawa Yui (20). Nakashima is the only surviving member of the original cast besides Narimiya Hiroki, which included young stars like Miyazaki Aoi, Matsuda Ryuhei and Matsuyama Kenichi. But director Otani Kentaro is confident it will surpass the more than 4 billion it pulled in at the box office. Despite the recent evening chill during the final shoot by the Arakawa River in Tokyo, Nakashima donned her leather and miniskirt punk look, while Ichikawa was in a summer yukata. Both were in tears when Otani presented them with bouquets to mark the end of filming. The story of female friendship is similar to that of the first movie, about a chance encounter of two girls with the name Nana. Ichikawa started out as a in-up girl and made her movie debut in the 2003 horror hit "Ju-on" (re-made as the Hollywood hit The Grudge). She has also appeared in several TV dramas and released a few pop singles. Nakashima is one of the most popular young female vocalists in Japan. Her debut album True (2002) was a million seller and she's already released 20 singles.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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1) Kisarazu Cat's Eye World Series - Junichi Okada (V6), Sho Sakurai (ARASHI), Takashi Tsukamoto, Ryuta Sato)

2) Flag of our Fathers

3) Nada Sousou - Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masami Nagasawa

4) World Trade Centre

5) Tada, Kimi wo Ai#eru - Hiroshi Tamaki, Misa Uehara

6) Metro ni Notte

7) Black Dahlia

8) Hula Girl

9) Niji no Megami Rainbow Song

10) Tonmakkoru e Youkoso

Note: In BLUE are Japanese movies.

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1) WaT - Ready Go!
2) BoA - Winter Love
3) Kisarazu Cat's Eye - Seaside Byebye
4) Inoue Akira & M.I.H. BAND - Wish
5) The Gazette - Filth in the Beauty
6) Kumi Koda - Yume no Uta/Futari de...
7) Ai Otsuka - Renai Shashin
8) Kreva - The Show
9) CHEMISTRY - Tokage feat. John Legend
10) Orange Range - Sayonara

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1) Ayaka - First Message
2) Kobukuro - All Singles Best
3) Zard - Golden Best ~15th Anniversary~
4) Remioromen - Flash and Gleam
5) Sarah Brightman - Kagayakeru Diva ~Best of Sarah Brightman~
6) Various Artistes - DJ Kaori's InMixii
7) Fergie from Black Eyed Peas - Princess Fergie: The Dutchess
8) Aerosmith - Devil's Got A New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith
9) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Feed Back File
10) Sadistic Mikaela Band - Narkissos

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1) Kisarazu Cat's Eye World Series - Junichi Okada (V6), Sho Sakurai (ARASHI), Takashi Tsukamoto, Ryuta Sato)

2) Flag of our Fathers

3) Nada Sousou - Satoshi Tsumabuki, Masami Nagasawa

4) World Trade Centre

5) Tada, Kimi wo Ai#eru - Hiroshi Tamaki, Misa Uehara

6) Metro ni Notte

7) Black Dahlia

8) Hula Girl

9) Niji no Megami Rainbow Song

10) Tonmakkoru e Youkoso

Note: In BLUE are Japanese movies.

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The showbiz gossip mill went into overdrive this week, as a rift between kabuki actor Shido

Nakamura and actress Yuko Takeuchi that reportedly resulted in Takeuchi sending

Nakamura divorce papers topped the MSN-Mainichi Interactive's entertainment rankings for the

week from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2.

News on the couple appeared ahead of an article on young actress Aoi Miyazaki revealing the

existence of a mystery beau to the audience at a movie screening.

On Nov. 1, the Sports Nippon (Sponichi) daily and other papers reported that Nakamura and

Takeuchi were in danger of getting divorced. Sponichi said Takeuchi had sent sealed divorce papers

to Nakamura sometime before the beginning of this month.

In a Sponichi article the next day, it was reported that Takeuchi had been disturbed by a date

between Nakamura and actress Saki Takaoka after photos were published in a magazine in

October. A series of scandals involving Nakamura also reportedly involved him ignoring a traffic

light while driving under the influence -- and having actress Aya Okamoto in the car with him at the

time.

Neither Nakamura nor Takeuchi offered direct comments, and their future remains uncertain, but

gossip over the two stars looks likely to continue.




In the second most popular Japanese language entertainment article during the week, young actress

Aoi Miyazaki turned up at a screening of a movie she appears in called "Tada, Kimi wo

Ai#eru" (Heavenly Forest). The movie's Japanese title literally translates as "I just love

you," and when Miyazaki was asked if she was in love she replied, "Yes," stirring speculation as

to the identity of Miyazaki's main squeeze.

Also featured in entertainment news was pinup model Ai Hayami, who won top prize in the "No. 2

Hikaru Nishida" contest. The model gained attention when she appeared in a fairy outfit for the

release of a new DVD. Actress Nao Matsu#a also picked up the hits when she talked in an

interview about her first solo album. (Mainichi)

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Kazunari Ninomiya to star in the lead role in Haikei, Chichiue-sama



Kazunari Ninomiya (23) from the popular group ARASHI, will play the lead role in FujiTV's winter dorama "Haikei Chichiue-sama" (Dear Father) which will be screened on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. The script was written by Sou Kuramoto (71). Kuramoto is known for writing the script for the popular youth dorama from Nitere TV, 'Senryaku Ofukuro-sama' which ran from 1975-77 and which starred Kenichi Hagiwara, now 56. 'Haikei' can be seen as the 'Heisei Version' of 'Senryaku' and it will be a human drama with comedy injected into it.

The stage for Haikei is an established eatery in Tokyo's Kagurazaka. Kagurazaka is the '#amachi on the Yamanote' and the drama is about the everyday life of the people there; the things that they laugh and cry over.

("#amachi: A lower part of town, traditional working class neighbourhood.")

Ninomiya plays a simple apprentice chef Ippei, who works in the restaurant named Saka#a. Kuramoto was taken in by Nino's acting in "Yasashii Jikan" two years ago and this time, wanted him to act in this dorama again.

Ninomiya says enthusiastically, "I am very thankful that I can work with Kuramoto-san to do a sequel to his dorama. I will be very happy if I can, together with my co-stars, produce an interesting piece of work."

In the dorama, the story revolves around the identity of Ippei's father. His mother, Yukino (Reiko Takashima) (42) was a popular geisha in the olden Kagurazaka and brought up Ippei single-handedly.

In Senryaku, the hero of the story was writing letters about what was on his mind to his mother, but his time, in Haikei, the letters are written to the father.

There is this mysterious and beautiful girl, played by Meisa Kuroki (18), which Ippei falls in love with at first sight. Again, Kaoru Yachigura (75) will play the lady boss, the same role she had in Senryaku. Tatsuo Umemiya will play the chef at the restaurant, Yayoko Kishimoto (45) and Tatsumi Takahashi (45) will also be starring in the drama.

adikkeluangman_

BoA Tops Oricon Charts!

With the release of BoA's latest single, Winter Love today, BoA showed much popularity, instantly jumping to second place on the Japanese Single Oricon charts. Upon finishing her 2006 "BoA The Live" Live tours, BoA will be very active in promoting her Winter Love single. We know that BoA can indeed make it to first place once again!

Credits: BoA's House - www.boashouse.com
Image Capture: BoA's House - www.boashouse.com
Source: Oricon - www.oricon.co.jp

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Actress Konishi Manami (28) has landed her first leading role in a TV drama. She will play a young medical resident in January's TBS series "Kirakira Kenshui" (Sparkling Resident), a comedy based on a popular blog that receives over 30,000 views per day. Konishi's romantic interest will be played by singer Wentz Eiji (21) in his first major role. Wentz, whose father is American but who speaks hardly any English, is one half of the popular pop duo WaT.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Sequel movie "Death Note - The Last Name" had the best opening weekend of any domestic movie this year. In the three days since it opened in theaters on November 3, it pulled in 1.2 billion at the box office and was seen by almost a million people. As it was a three-day holiday weekend, the figures are not an exact comparison, but Studio Ghibli's latest anime release "Gedo Senki" (Tales From Earthsea) made about 950 million in its first three days in July. Death Note stars Fujiwara Tatsuya (24) and Matsuyama Kenichi (21) were in Tokyo's Shibuya CinePalace yesterday to greet fans who helped raise the total audience above the one million barrier. Distributors Warner Entertainment Japan say they expect the two movies to make them a total of over 10 billion. Revenue will also get a boost from a Death Note tribute album, due to be released on December 20 and featuring artists such as Orange Range who are fans of the original manga series.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

adikkeluangman_

[BoA Gives Coming-of-Age Concert In Tokyo]



Singer BoA gave a concert November 5 in Tokyo to mark her 20th birthday.

Japanese dailies reported November 6 that BoA抯 concert drew some 2,700 fans who congratulated her on her birthday.

Prior to the concert, BoA said to a group of journalists that she wants to become a "magnanimous woman." Japanese singer Aya Matsuura wrote jokingly in her congratulatory message to BoA that she can finally take her out for drinks. In response, BoA wrote she would like to visit some vintage bar, and also wants to fall in love.

At the concert, male duo M-flo congratulated BoA by pouring champagne into a 180-cm tower made of 55 glasses.

BoA sang 18 songs, including 揥inter Love,

adikkeluangman_

BoA Top's Oricon Charts!

With the end of her live tours and the official start of the promotion for her Winter Love single, BoA has topped the Japanese Oricon Charts! The indescribeable feeling you get when you listen to each word of Winter Love, like a snowflake fluttering down and melting one at a time, BoA has once again made it up to the top of the Japanese music industry! If you want to see for yourself, go to http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/d/


Credits: BoA's House - www.boashouse.com
IMG Capture: BoA's House - www.boashouse.com
Source: Oricon - www.oricon.co.jp

katt

Oshio, Yada Hitched



The wedding rush continues. The latest showbiz couple to announce their marriage is actress Yada Akiko (27) and actor/singer Oshio Manabu (28), who registered their marriage at a Tokyo city office yesterday. Oshio, who sings under the name Liv, made the first announcement on his official fan club website immediately afterwards. Yada's management agency, who anticipated the usual speculation by saying that she is not pregnant, then sent a fax to the media. The couple started going out after co-starring in last year's TBS drama "Yume de Aimashou". Last December the media speculated whether their New Year trip to Hawaii and California was to get married in the sun (including that trip, they have been to Hawaii three times already). The couple, seeming pretty annoyed by the attention, made no attempt to hide their relationship but refused to speak to reporters. Even now that they've tied the knot, they have no intention of holding a press conference and there are no plans for a wedding ceremony. Yada has been working a lot less since their romance became public and has not done any TV work since the "Top Caster" drama series in the summer. Oshio has put his acting career on hold and is said to be working on an album as Liv.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Actress Norika Fujiwara to tie the knot with comedian Tomonori Jinnai

Norika Fujiwara  Tomonori Jinnai

Popular celebrity and actress Norika Fujiwara is set to marry 32-year-old comedian Tomonori Jinnai, it was learned Wednesday.

The agency to which 35-year-old Fujiwara belongs said that her relationship with Jinnai began while they acted together on the drama "59-banme no Puropozu" (59th Proposal), which was broadcast on NTV in July.

The date of the wedding has not yet been decided.

Fujiwara is known for a wide range of activities, such as serving as a goodwill ambassador during the 2002 soccer World Cup hosted by Japan and South Korea, and holding a photograph exhibition for the benefit of children in Afghanistan. (Mainichi)

Source: Mainichi Daily News
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/en ... a00m0et027000c.html