Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

whitedove · Post time 18-11-2008 05:57 PM

Akina Nakamori to release folk song album for Christmas
Tuesday 18th November, 05:49 AM JST

TOKYO

whitedove · Post time 18-11-2008 05:59 PM

Kumi Koda takes Nail Queen 2008 Award

November 17, 2008 by J!-ENT

Japanese pop star Kumi Koda (26) added another award to her career and this time its for the title of

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 04:48 PM

Penalty's Wacky now a daddy
Tue, November 18, 2008 (1:04am EST)

36-year-old comedian Wacky, who is one half of the owarai duo Penalty, became a father a few weeks ago. During a television show on Monday, he mentioned that his first son was born on October 25. The child was named Haku.

Wacky has been married since October of last year. His comic partner, Hide, also got married last year and became a father this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 04:50 PM

Sanai Mizugi chooses new image girl
Tue, November 18, 2008 (3:11am EST)

Swimwear maker Sanai Mizugi has chosen its 2009 image girl. On Monday, the company presented 20-year-old model Satoko Miyata, who is currently affiliated with the magazine "mina." Miyata remarked that in the future, she hopes to become an actress like Miho Kanno.

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 04:55 PM

Yuma Ishigaki taken in for drunken violence
Tue, November 18, 2008 (2:36am EST)

Actor Yuma Ishigaki, 26, is in trouble with the law after an incident of violence over the weekend. He was arrested for obstructing a police officer and is being prosecuted for assault. For the moment, he has been released from jail, and on Monday he held a press conference to make a public apology.

According to police reports, Ishigaki had been drinking on Friday night at his home in Setagaya with three of his male friends. They met up with two women and ate out at an izakaya in Kabukicho. They continued drinking until the restaurant closed at 5am, then paid the bill and left.

At that time, Ishigaki noticed that his wallet was missing, so he returned to the restaurant to look for it. During his search, he got into an argument with one of the shop's employees, and Ishigaki hit him twice in the head. Police were notified and they took Ishigaki away. But upon arriving at the police station, Ishigaki continued to struggle, kicking an officer in the lips after falling down. This qualified as the crime of obstructing an officer's performance of his duties, so the actor was immediately arrested.

Ishigaki was released on Monday. During his public apology, he admitted that he was completely drunk and didn't remember anything. For now, he will be under self-suspension from work, while the assault incident at the restaurant is being sent to the prosecutor's office.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 04:56 PM

Actress Shingyoji Kimie (49) attended a PR event yesterday for the publication of her new memoir, "Mezame" (Wake Up). No doubt she hopes sales of the book will help her troubled financial situation. She married musician Oguchi Hiroshi (57) in 1993, but his failed business led to divorce in 2005 and Shingyoji filed for bankruptcy in 2006. "I used to think I was the most unfortunate person in the world," she said. "But writing this book has helped me wake up and start a new life."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 05:07 PM

Johnny's Jimusho idol group Arashi finished their Asia concert tour with two shows in Shanghai over the weekend. It was the first show by a Johnny's group in China, where their CDs are not on sale. But thanks to the Internet (and more than 1,000 visiting Japanese fans) the two 11,000-seat shows were sold out. The tour, which marks the group's 10th anniversary, also took in Tokyo, Taipei and Seoul.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove · Post time 19-11-2008 05:09 PM

TK UPDATE: KEIKO抯 parent抯 restaurant makes Michelin Guide

November 18, 2008 by J!-ENT

Sankei Sports reported that KEIKO抯 (36) parents restaurant made it into the Tokyo compilation of the Michelin Guide 2009. The guide recommends exceptional restaurants worldwide.

KEIKO is the vocalist of globe and the wife of mega music producer Tetsuya Komuro (49) who was arrested two weeks ago for tax fraud.

The article goes on to say that if the restaurant prospers, will it be able to pay off TK抯 debt of Y500,000,000.

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:14 PM

Rie Miyazawa practices how to eat eggs in sexy way
Wednesday 19th November, 04:09 AM JST

TOKYO

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:16 PM

Kitano given honorary award at Greek film festival
Wednesday 19th November, 06:21 AM JST

TOKYO

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:27 PM

Actress Tomoka Kurotani named 'Grapefruit Ambassador'
Wednesday 19th November, 10:43 AM JST

TOKYO

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:29 PM

Mona Yamamoto studying for MBA
Wed, November 19, 2008 (1:50am EST)

Announcer Mona Yamamoto has been out of work again since her second scandal this past July, but she is apparently being productive with her time. It was learned on Tuesday that Yamamoto is currently studying to earn an MBA degree. She is said to be taking courses offered by a graduate school in Tokyo, attending class several times a week.

A source close to Yamamoto said that the announcer is still aiming to return to work.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:35 PM

AKB48 expands with "adult" concerts, HKT group
Wed, November 19, 2008 (2:37am EST)

Successful idol group AKB48 is further expanding its operations. The first new project will start next spring as the group launches a new series of shows at its Akihabara theater. Every Saturday at 10pm will be "Saturday Night 48," based on an "adult idol" concept.

The "Saturday Night 48" shows will be restricted to fans who are 18 years or older, and the performers will also be chosen from AKB48's 18-and-over members. Producer Yasushi Akimoto hopes to differentiate the shows from normal live events, with one highlight being the use of sexier outfits instead of AKB48's typical uniforms.

In addition to the new concerts, Akimoto revealed that a new sister group is in the works. Earlier this year, SKE48 was launched in the Sakae ward of Nagoya. The next target is the Hakata ward of Fukuoka, which will be the home of the similarly named HKT48. Akimoto is planning to eventually launch additional branches in Osaka and Sapporo.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:36 PM

Mizushima, Eikura team up for "Mei-chan no #suji" adaptation
Wed, November 19, 2008 (12:54am EST)

The ongoing manga series "Mei-chan no $hitsuji" is being adapted as a live-action TV series on Fuji TV next season. Young actors Hiro Mizushima and Nana Eikura will co-star in the romantic comedy.

The original comic by Riko Miyagi, also known as "Mei-chan's Butler," is currently serialized in the Shueisha magazine Margaret. The story revolves around a young woman named Mei (Eikura) who finally finds the "butler of her dreams" (Mizushima), whom she has been searching for since a past encounter. Takeru Sato will play Mizushima's younger brother.

Fuji TV will air the show on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, starting in January.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove · Post time 20-11-2008 05:43 PM

The classic 1970 WWII movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!" is to be released on DVD including scenes cut from the original U.S. release. One of the biggest ever productions of its time, the $120-million movie was a joint Hollywood-Japan project and for the first two years of production it was directed by Kurosawa Akira and Richard Fleischer. After Kurosawa stepped down, the Japanese side was taken over by Fukasaku Kinji, who saw it through to completion. With a cast that included Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, Yamamura So and Mihashi Tatsuya, it's a dramatization of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor told from both sides. The title is the code that was used by the Japanese to indicate that they had achieved complete surprise. By coincidence, the Tora of the title is also the name of one of Japanese cinema's best loved movie characters. So it was fitting that actor Atsumi Kiyoshi, best known for his Tora-san role, had a part in the movie, but his comic scenes with Matsuyama Eitaro were cut from the U.S. release. Though the film was a big hit in Japan, it flopped at the U.S. box office and was slammed by critics like Roger Ebert. Its strength was in the action scenes and its almost perfect documentary accuracy, and over the years it has earned more respect from critics. The new DVD collector's box set has three disks and includes documentary and behind-the-scenes footage. It goes on sale December 8 for

ct_subang · Post time 21-11-2008 11:34 AM

woohoo!!

ini bakal meletopssss

whitedove · Post time 21-11-2008 05:05 PM

hihihi masuk list!

whitedove · Post time 21-11-2008 05:08 PM

Charts: YUI's B-sides a big hit
Wed, November 19, 2008 (1:37am EST)

Last week, singer-songwriter YUI released her B-side best album "MY SHORT STORIES." The collection sold a total of 174,000 copies to take #1 for the week. Mr.Children had a B-side album top the charts in May 2007, but the only female artist to previously achieve that was Seiko Matsuda in 1984. "MY SHORT STORIES" also marks YUI's third consecutive number-one album.

Three other female singers entered the top ten: Beyonce (#3), Christina Aguilera (#5), and Enya (#6). Dir en grey managed to make #4 with their new album, while The Birthday edged into the #10 spot.

On the singles chart, Dreams Come True took #1 with 46,000 copies of their latest, "Tsuretette Tsuretette." While the group now has 11 number-one singles, this is their first since becoming a duo in 2002. Their last chart-topper came 9 years and 10 months ago, which sets a record for the longest gap between number-ones by a group.

Right behind Dreams Come True were The GazetteE and the reunited girl band SPEED. The rest of the top ten included ORANGE RANGE, Mika Nakashima, Mai Satoda, Buono!, and The Gospellers.

Source: www.tokyograph.com