Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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Masaki Aiba takes "Greenfingers" to the stage
Sun, November 30, 2008 (4:16am EST)



Early next year, Masaki Aiba of Arashi will be starring in a new stage production titled "Greenfingers," adapted from the 2000 movie of the same name that was directed by Joel Hershman. The original film was based on a true story about a group of British prisoners who take up gardening and go on to compete in a major flower show.

Mikijiro Hira, Aiko Ito, and Jundai Yamada will play supporting roles. "Greenfingers" will be performed in Tokyo at the Aoyama Theatre from February 23 to March 10, and in Osaka at the Umeda Arts Theater from March 20 to March 23.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Mahiru Konno marries a pilot
Sun, November 30, 2008 (7:14pm EST)



31-year-old actress Mahiru Konno just got married. On Saturday, she and her husband, an airplane pilot working for JAL, held their wedding at a Tokyo hotel.

The two were classmates in junior high and high school. Years later, after Konno had left the Takarazuka Revue, they met again by chance and struck up a relationship.

Konno said that she plans to continue her acting career.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Former talento Haga Kenji (47) and former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (53) have both been acquitted on charges of fraud and attempted extortion at the Osaka District Court. The two were arrested a year and five months ago on charges of swindling some

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Singer songwriter Shiina Ringo finished off a series of concerts to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her career at the Saitama Super Arena last night. The three shows were her first as a solo artist in five years, during which time she has been performing as the vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. Yesterday's concert featured a 26-song set, including "Kabukicho no Jo" and "Koko de Kisu#e," and a personal slide show narrated by her 7-year-old son. One of the most innovative artists in Japanese music, she also tends toward the eccentric. She went through several costume changes such as the bizarre one shown in the photo. She was supported by 69 musicians - a backing band and full orchestra - and given Shiina's tendency towards sexual innuendo, there may have been some significance to the number of people on stage.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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A sequel has been announced to the big screen hospital drama "Chimu Batisuta no Eikou" (The Glorious Team Batista). The movie was a hit earlier this year and the Fuji TV drama version has also been popular, so producers are obviously keen to ride the wave with the quick release of a second film. It again features the pairing of Abe Hiroshi and Takeuchi Yuko, and they will be tackling the very real issue of Japan's emergency room crisis. Titled "Jeneraru Ruuji no Gaisen" (The Triumphal Return of General Rouge), it started filming in mid-November and is due for release on March 7, 2009. This year alone has seen several cases where patients have died after being turned away time and again by hospitals due to lack of emergency staff. "Batista" was based on the award-winning medical mystery novel of the same name by Kaido Takeru, who still works as a doctor. The sequel is based on the third novel in the series, described as his crowning work.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Haruka Ayase flying high in latest film
Saturday 29th November, 05:47 AM JST



TOKYO

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SHIHO named goodwill ambassador for KDDI au campaign for Yakushima island
Sunday 30th November, 06:42 AM JST



TOKYO

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Shinjo releases new fragrance
Sunday 30th November, 06:46 AM JST



Former Nippon Ham outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo, 36, announced the release of his new fragrance 揕HSF擺/b] this week and also announced he had bought a racehorse. Wearing a black suit, red shoes and a red and black scarf, he said: 揕et抯 drop the formality that accompanies most usual press announcements.

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Maomi Yuki promotes traffic safety in Tokyo
Monday 01st December, 09:09 AM JST



TOKYO

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LOUDNESS drummer Higuchi dies
Mon, December 1, 2008 (12:07am EST)



Munetaka Higuchi, the drummer and leader of heavy metal band LOUDNESS, passed away on Sunday. He was 49.

In April, Higuchi was diagnosed with liver cancer, and the band put its activities on hold while Higuchi underwent treatment. In October, the band's official website reported that his condition had worsened, even after more than half of his liver was removed.

Higuchi was also the drummer of the rock band LAZY, going by the nickname of Davy. The group disbanded in 1981 and Higuchi co-founded LOUDNESS the same year. LAZY reunited in 1998. Higuchi was also active as a producer, handling artists such as Mari Hamada.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Miho Kanno plays detective in new drama
Mon, December 1, 2008 (12:35am EST)



Actress Miho Kanno will take on her first detective role in a drama series next season. She will star in NTV's "Kiina: Fukanou Hanzai Sousakan," in which she plays Kiina Haruse, the capable chief of an investigation unit. One of the show's selling points is that its mysteries are based on difficult real-life cases.



The supporting cast includes Yuta Hiraoka as a rookie cop, Eiko Koike as a colleague, Masao Kusakari as her superior, and Ikki Sawamura as an ace inspector.

The show will air on Wednesdays at 10:00pm, starting in January.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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32nd Hochi Film Awards: Takita, Tsutsumi, Koizumi
Mon, December 1, 2008 (2:11am EST)



On Thursday, the winners of the 33rd Hochi Film Awards were announced. This year, director Yojiro Takita's acclaimed film "Okuribito" (also known as "Departures") took the prize for Best Picture. The movie, which earned the top prize at the Montreal World Film Festival in September, stars Masahiro Motoki and Ryoko Hirosue in a story about a man adjusting to his new job of preparing bodies for coffins.



Shinichi Tsutsumi was named Best Actor for starring in Masato Harada's "Climber's High" and playing the antagonist in "Yougisha x no Kenshin." Kyoko Koizumi earned the nod for Best Actress with lead roles in Isshin Inudo's "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu" and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata."



Best Supporting Actor went to Masato Sakai, who appeared in "Climber's High," "After School," and "Jersey no Futari." Kirin Kiki received Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hirokazu Koreeda's "Aruitemo Aruitemo."



The title of Best Newcomer was given to Ayane Nagabuchi, the daughter of singer Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi. She made her film debut in Kiyoshi Sasabe's "Sanbongi Nougyou Koukou, Bajutsubu," which opened in October.

Ryosuke Hashiguchi ("Gururi no Koto") won Best Director. Best Foreign Film was awarded to "The Dark Knight."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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The eagerly awaited annual awards season is underway. Yesterday saw the announcement of the Shingo-Ryukogo Taisho, awards given for the new and trendy words and phrases that best represent the last year. Comedienne Edo Harumi (photo right), who was one of the biggest breakthrough names of 2008, was a winner for her "Goo!" catchphrase. The other main prize was awarded to actress Amami Yuki (41, photo left), whose TBS spring drama series launched the word "arafo," an abbreviation of the show's title "Around Forty." She was on hand to accept the award, but Edo was nowhere to be seen and had to phone in her acceptance speech. Speaking to reporters after she arrived several hours late, she said, "I didn't expect to win so I had work scheduled for this afternoon." Other winners included softball pitching ace Ueno Yukiko (photo center), whose 413 pitches in three consecutive games helped Japan win the gold at the Beijing Olympics.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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The final nominees and winners of this year's Record Taisho awards were announced in Tokyo yesterday. Twelve artists were named for the best song, five for the best newcomer, with the overall winners to be announced during a live TBS broadcast on December 30. The award for best vocal performance went to popular Osaka enka singer Nakamura Mitsuko (58), while Amuro Namie (31) took the prize for top album with "Best Fiction."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Singer Ohshima Yuko (20) of the young idol group AKB48 has been hospitalized with acute appendicitis, it as revealed yesterday. She admitted herself to a Tokyo hospital on November 29 and underwent surgery. An actress since she was a child, she has the longest showbiz career of the many members of AKB48, which she joined in 2006. A veteran of dozens of TV dramas and commercials, she still makes regular appearances on TV variety shows. She was booked to do four TV shows on the day she was hospitalized.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Announcer Takacho Keisuke (24) quit the TV Tokyo network yesterday. A returnee from the U.S., he attended the prestigious Waseda University, where he was also an active lacrosse player. Sources say he had hoped to put his English language skills to good use and work in an international environment. But in comparison to the more numerous female announcers, such opportunities didn't come his way. He is said to be planning to work for a consulting company.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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American opera singer John Ken Nuzzo arrested for stimulant possession



American opera singer John Ken Nuzzo was arrested on suspicion of stimulant possession late last month, police have revealed.

The 42-year-old tenor and resident of Tokyo's Ota-ku stands accused of violating the Stimulants Control Law.

Police, following an anonymous tip, found Nuzzo carrying about 0.7 grams of stimulants on a street in Tokyo's Shinagawa-ku at around 6 p.m. on Thursday. Nuzzo has admitted to the allegations.

According to his official Web site, Nuzzo was born to an Italian-American father and Japanese mother. He started singing while studying in the United States, and made his debut with the Vienna State Opera in 2000. He also took part in NHK's year-end grand song contest in 2002 and 2004.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081201p2a00m0na011000c.html

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China blocks Taiwan film with Japan's colonial rule as theme
Tuesday 02nd December, 02:06 AM JST

HONG KONG

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Britney Spears to visit Japan this month
Tuesday 02nd December, 04:56 AM JST



TOKYO

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Hey! Say! JUMP gets manga-fied
Tue, December 2, 2008 (12:04am EST)



The popular boy band Hey! Say! JUMP will soon have its own manga series running in Shogakukan's Ciao magazine. The comic, titled "Waiwai Hey! Say! JUMP," will be drawn by Keiko Notoyama.

The manga will begin serialization in the magazine's February issue, which goes on sale December 29. It will appear along with a special photo feature and a message to the readers.

Source: www.tokyograph.com