Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part II]

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Takarazuka's Yamato to graduate
Tue, January 20, 2009 (12:37am EST)



Top star Yuga Yamato has announced that she is leaving the Takarazuka troupe later this year. She is already the fourth top star planning to graduate this year, following Kei Aran, Asuka Tono, and Yuri Shirahane.

Yamato debuted with the revue in 1995 and was previously part of the Moon Troupe, but she transferred to the Cosmos Troupe in 2003 and became its current otokoyaku in February 2007.

Yamato is scheduled to perform in shows throughout February. Her last work with the troupe will be in "Bara ni Furu Ame" and "Amour Sore wa...," which is being performed in Hyogo from April 17 to May 18, and in Tokyo from June 5 to July 5.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Drama Grand Prix: "Ryusei no Kizuna" dominates
Tue, January 20, 2009 (1:46am EST)



Nikkan Sports has revealed the results of its fall 2008 Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix survey. The survey ran between January 6 and January 15, resulting in a total of 5,623 votes. The TBS series "Ryusei no Kizuna" proved to be the clear favorite, winning four of the five categories by very large margins.

Best Drama:

   1. Ryusei no Kizuna - 3610
   2. Atsuhime - 341
   3. Scrap Teacher - 331
   4. Bloody Monday - 316
   5. Innocent Love - 199

Best Actor:

   1. Kazunari Ninomiya (Ryusei no Kizuna) - 3564
   2. Haruma Miura (Bloody Monday) - 604
   3. Yutaka Mizutani (Aibou) - 326
   4. Ryosuke Yamada (Scrap Teacher) - 275
   5. Kiichi Nakai (Kaze no Garden) - 266

Best Actress:

   1. Aoi Miyazaki (Atsuhime) - 2127
   2. Aya Ueto (Celeb to Binbou Taro) - 1009
   3. Maki Horikita (Innocent Love) - 746
   4. Asami Mizukawa (Yume wo Kanaeru Zou) - 594
   5. Kyoka Suzuki (SCANDAL) - 384

Best Supporting Actor:

   1. Ryo Nishikido (Ryusei no Kizuna) - 2485
   2. Tomokazu Miura (Ryusei no Kizuna) - 373
   3. Jun Kaname (Ryusei no Kizuna) - 338
   4. Masato Sakai (Atsuhime) - 237
   5. Ken Ogata (Kaze no Garden) - 215
      Yusuke Kamiji (Scrap Teacher) - 215

Best Supporting Actress:

   1. Erika Toda (Ryusei no Kizuna) - 2916
   2. Maki Horikita (Atsuhime) - 359
   3. Michiko Kichise (Bloody Monday) - 355
   4. Keiko Matsuzaka (Atsuhime) - 290
   5. Ai Kato (Scrap Teacher) - 210

In April, after the winter drama season is over, the annual Drama Grand Prix awards will be decided.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Dante Carver cast in NHK drama series
Tue, January 20, 2009 (3:54am EST)



Foreign talento Dante Carver will be appearing in his first drama series this spring. He has been cast in NHK's adaptation of the Eto Mori novel "Kaze ni Maiagaru Vinyl Sheet," which focuses on the refugee aid organization UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).



The show stars Kazue Fukiishi as a woman working on refugee issues while also dealing with her American boss and ex-husband, played by Chris Peppler. Carver plays one of Fukiishi's co-workers.

Carver has recently been developing a career as an actor, appearing in a couple movies and a drama special. According to Carver, he originally moved to Japan in pursuit of an acting career, which he hopes to someday take to Hollywood.

Filming for the miniseries starts at the end of this month. NHK plans to broadcast the show in its Saturday 9:00pm time slot, beginning on May 30.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Talento Yamamoto Mona (32) finally returned to work yesterday. Ending a forced leave of absence since an affair with a married baseball star was revealed last July, she appeared in her old live radio slot, supporting Ohtake Makoto (59) on his weekday afternoon live radio show on Bunka Housou. She spoke for about 18 minutes at the start of the show and apologized to listeners, fans and those involved. About 100 emails and faxes arrived during the show, with some 80% of them being supportive of Yamamoto. 10% said she shouldn't have been allowed back on the show, while the other 10% were upset about the departure of talento Nakajima Miwako (32), her replacement for the last six months. The radio network initially refused to allow the media in to interview Yamamoto after the show, but her management agency decided to let her talk to reporters. She said she hopes to return to her busy TV schedule as soon as offers of work arrive. She was also clear about one thing - she understands that after two strikes, a third similar scandal would mean the end of her showbiz career. Her previous affairs were with a National Diet politician in and Yomiuri Giants player Nioka Tomohiro (32), who since transferred to the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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The copyright fraud case against music producer Komuro Tetsuya (50) started at the Osaka District Court yesterday. Komuro has made it clear he will not contest the charges, which are likely to land him in prison. He is accused of trying to sell the rights to more than 800 of his songs to a Hyogo prefecture investor for

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Maki Horikita looking for 'Mr X' as ideal spouse

Wednesday 21st January, 05:12 AM JST



TOKYO

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Miki Maya now married
Wed, January 21, 2009 (12:32am EST)



Actress Miki Maya (44) and ballet dancer Kazuhiro Nishijima (37) are now officially married. The couple turned in their marriage registration on December 22.

Their engagement was first reported last July. They met in 2002 when they co-starred in the play "Stardust in Shanghai," though their romance didn't begin until 2007 when they met again. Nishijima proposed last March.

The pair reportedly plan to hold a wedding ceremony in April at a shrine in Tokyo.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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54th Shogakukan Manga Awards
Wed, January 21, 2009 (1:49am EST)



The winners of the 54th Shogakukan Manga Awards have been revealed. Yu Yabuuchi's "Naisho no Tsubomi" took the children's category, while Shinichi Ishizuka's "Gaku: Minna no Yama" won the general category.



Mitsuru Adachi's "Cross Game" took top honors in the boys' category, and Kanoko Sakurakoji's "Black Bird" won the girls' category.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Masami Nagasawa versus the paranormal
Wed, January 21, 2009 (3:25am EST)



Masami Nagasawa will star in a movie being released next year, titled "Magare! Spoon." Directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro, the piece is said to be Nagasawa's first time in a situation comedy.

The movie is reworked from a musical piece called "Fuyu no Uri Geller," which was written by popular playwright Makoto Ueda of the theatrical troupe Europe Kikaku. Nagasawa plays a clumsy assistant director of a TV variety show that deals with the paranormal. As it turns out, some of the men around her are hiding their own psychic powers.

Filming is already in progress and is expected to finish at the end of January. Theatrical release is scheduled for next winter.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Kumi Koda goes "faraway" for "Subaru"
Wed, January 21, 2009 (2:52am EST)



Kumi Koda has been chosen to sing the theme song of Chi-Ngai Lee's upcoming manga-to-film adaptation "Subaru." The song, titled "faraway," is a slow ballad with lyrics written by Koda herself.



Based on Masahito Soda's manga of the same name, the movie revolves around a young woman training to become a ballerina, played by lead actress Meisa Kuroki. With director Lee and producer Bill Kong hailing from Hong Kong, the film has developed into an international affair. Besides "faraway," the soundtrack features music from a few Korean artists: "Bolero" by TVXQ (who also have a cameo appearance), "Eat You Up" by BoA, and "Sukoshi de Ii Kara" by girl group Tenjo Chiki.

"Subaru" is scheduled to open on March 20 in Japan and other Asian countries. Koda's song will be released as a single on March 4.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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KAT-TUN's Ueda becomes Romeo
Wed, January 21, 2009 (3:43am EST)



A press conference was held on Tuesday for the upcoming theatrical production of "Romeo and Juliet," which will be the first starring stage role for KAT-TUN's Tatsuya Ueda. As far as Johnny's artists go, Ueda will be the second to take on the role of Romeo, after Noriyuki Higashiyama did it in 2004.



His Juliet will be played by Ryoko Kobayashi, who recently gained attention for her role in the drama series "Maou." Other cast members include actor Jun Hasegawa and Shoon Yama$hita.



Performances will be held at The Globe Tokyo from March 3 to March 29, followed by a run at Osaka's Sankei Hall Breeze from April 2 to April 5.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Charts: Junko Akimoto becomes oldest chart-topper
Wed, January 21, 2009 (2:08am EST)



Junko Akimoto's "Ai no Mama de," which has been steadily climbing the charts since the end of last year, finally made it to the top this week. With 35,000 copies sold, Akimoto barely managed #1 to become the oldest artist to top the charts, at 61 years and 7 months. The previous record holder was Kazumasa Oda, whose "Kokoro" ranked #1 in August 2007, when he was 59 years and 11 months old.

Aside from Akimoto, the rest of the top ten singles were all new releases, starting with Aqua Timez, SID, AAA, and Mai Satoda. The bottom half consisted of BUCK-TICK, tacica, STRAIGHTENER, monobright, and a Schadaraparr-Kaela Kimura collaboration.



On the album charts, the "Code Geass Complete Best" compilation took #1, selling just over 50,000 copies. Maaya Sakamoto made #3 with her latest. MAY'S and alice nine. also debuted in the top ten, picking up the #6 and #7 spots, respectively.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Korean western front-runner at Asian Film Awards

Thursday 22nd January, 03:58 AM JST

HONG KONG

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Namie Amuro shines in the bathtub for new hair-care commercials

Thursday 22nd January, 04:13 AM JST



TOKYO

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"Nodame" mangaka suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome
Thu, January 22, 2009 (1:09am EST)



Mangaka Tomoko Ninomiya, best known for the "Nodame Cantabile" series, revealed on her blog that she currently has carpal tunnel syndrome. As a result, Ninomiya is extending the hiatus on "Nodame Cantabile."

Ninomiya has been on break from work since October due to her pregnancy. In November, she said she experienced pain in her shoulder and arm after the child's birth. She continued to have difficulty writing, and later that month, she was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Gakky's next single includes Monpachi cover
Thu, January 22, 2009 (2:29am EST)



Some details are now available about Yui Aragaki's third single, "piece," which goes on sale February 25.

The title track is written by singer-songwriter Minako Kawae and arranged by Motoki Matsuoka. Matsuoka also handled her previous song "heavenly days," which became a hit after it was used in the movie "Koizora."

The B-sides on the single are "Sparkle," with lyrics written by Aragaki, and "Anata ni," a cover of the famous song by MONGOL800.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Announcer Zenba acknowledges second divorce
Thu, January 22, 2009 (2:56am EST)



Takako Zenba (33), a caster on TBS's "NEWS23," got her second divorce a little more than a year ago, it was reported on Thursday. According to Shukan Shincho, she separated from her last husband after only two years of marriage.

In May 2001, Zenba married a salaryman whom she had been dating since college, but they divorced in February 2003. Then in October 2005, she married a Sony employee, and she left NHK a few months later to live with her husband in London, where he worked. However, she returned to Japan alone after she was appointed as a regular on "NEWS23" in September 2006. Her husband later returned to Japan as well, but they ended up divorcing at the end of 2007.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Mainichi Film Awards: "Okuribito" takes top prize
Thu, January 22, 2009 (2:20am EST)



The winners of the 63rd Mainichi Film Awards were announced on Wednesday. This year's Grand Prize was taken by Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito," continuing its trophy-winning streak.

The awards will be presented on February 4. The winners are as follows:

    * Grand Prize: Okuribito (directed by Yojiro Takita)
    * Best Film: Gururi no Koto (directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi)
    * Best Foreign Film: The Dark Knight
    * Best Actor: Hiroshi Abe (Aoi Tori, Aruitemo Aruitemo)
    * Best Actress: Eiko Koike (Seppun)
    * Best Supporting Actor: Masato Sakai (After School, Climber's High, Jersey no Futari)
    * Best Supporting Actress: Keiko Matsuzaka (Hotaru no Haka)
    * Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award: Haruma Miura (Naoko), Riisa Naka (Junkissa Isobe)
    * Kinuyo Tanaka Award: Kimiko Yo
    * Best Director: Koji Wakamatsu (United Red Army)
    * Best Screenplay: Ryosuke Hashiguchi (Gururi no Koto)
    * Best Cinematography: Tomohiko Tsuji (United Red Army)
    * Best Art Direction: Kyoko Yauchi (Nishi no Majo ga Shinda)
    * Best Music: Taro Iwashiro (Yami no Kodomotachi)
    * Best Sound: Satoshi Ozaki (Okuribito)
    * Technical Award: Towako Kuwajima, Takayuki Masuo, Shinji Tsuchiya, Masahide Yanagawase (visual effects in Pako to Mahou no Ehon)
    * Best Animated Film: The Sky Crawlers (directed by Mamoru Oshii)
    * Noburo Ofuji Award: Gake no Ue no Ponyo, for Hayao Miyazaki's creative expression
    * Best Documentary: Hana wa Doko e Itta (directed by Masako Sakata)
    * Fan Award (Domestic Film): Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai
    * Fan Award (Foreign Film): Red Cliff: Part I
    * Special awards: director Kon Ichikawa, actor Ken Ogata, cinematographer Hiroshi Kusuda

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Okuribito," "Tsumiki no Ie" nominated for Academy Awards
Thu, January 22, 2009 (11:19am EST)



The nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced on Thursday. Two Japanese films made the list: Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito" ("Departures") is in the running for Foreign Language Film, while Kunio Kato's "Tsumiki no Ie" ("La Maison en Petits Cubes") is competing for Animated Short Film.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for February 22.

Source: www.tokyograph.com


WAH TAHNIAH MOVIE JEPUN!

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Popular Johnny's Jimusho idol group KAT-TUN are to become the first artists to play seven straight nights at the Tokyo Dome. The concerts will be during the baseball season, so they had to fit into the schedule of the Yomiuri Giants who are based at the venue. With four days of preparations and rehearsals, the venue will be taken over for 11 days. The seven shows, on May 15-21, will feature a different theme each night, probably in the hope that repeat attendance will help shift the 385,000 tickets. The one-week run will extend the record of four consecutive nights held by Sting (in 1988) and KAT-TUN themselves. The six-member group are all in their early 20s and age-wise they are one step behind fellow Johnny's artists Arashi.

Source: www.japan-zone.com