Japanese Entertainment News

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April 24, 2005

There will be a strong Japanese presence at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. "Umoregi," the latest feature from Oguri Kohei (photo), had both the official selection committee and the Director's Week organizers fighting over it. They agreed to "co-sponsor" it and it will be shown as part of the Director's Week lineup. The title "umoregi" means lignite, a rare fossil wood. Oguri's "Shi no Toge" (The Sting of Death) won the Grand Prix and the International Critic's Award at Cannes in 1990. Also: Kobayashi Masahiro's "Bashing" is entered for the Palme D'Or competition section; "Operetta Tanuki Goten," starring Odagiri Jo and Zhang Ziyi and directed by Suzuki Seijun, will get it's world premiere; "Eli, Eli, Lema, Sabacthani," starring Asano Tadanobu and directed by Aoyama Shinji; and newcomer Uchida Kenji's "Unmei Janai Hito" has been chosen for the Critic's Week. • Singer Go Hiromi (49) certainly knows a thing or two about self promotion. He headed back to his home in New York yesterday after a brief visit that saw him release his first new single in over three years, play a gig at the venue where he made his debut more than 30 years ago, and announce his divorce from Nami (34), his second wife of just four years.

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April 25, 2005

Talento Abiru Yu (18) has made her TV comeback after a couple of months away from the small screen. She caused a huge fuss when she admitted on a late-night variety show in February that she and friends had been involved in stealing on a regular basis from a store. The NTV network also took a lot of heat for airing a show with only the slightest warning that shoplifting was a crime. Abiru appeared yesterday on the TBS morning variety show "Akko ni Omakase," where she apologized but still got a good dressing down from veteran singer and "God-sister" of the showbiz world Wada Akiko. She also appeared on a different show last Tuesday, but there was no mention of the incident. • Actress and former idol singer Minamino Yoko (37) is making her "comeback" as a singer. "Nanno Box," a DVD and CD box set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her debut, includes the newly recorded track "Last Order." her slight and wispy voice is said to have changed little and listening to the track will transport fans back to her heyday in the Heisei era. The box set includes her nine albums as well as various singles, B sides and video clips of her many TV commercials. It goes on sale June 22. • Singer songwriter Yaida Hitomi (26) yesterday recorded her session for MTV "Unplugged" at the Tokyo FM Hall. She is the 4th Japanese to appear on the show, afer Chage & Aska, Utada Hikaru and Hirai Ken.

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April 26, 2005

Singer Hamasaki Ayumi's 35th single "Step You/Is This Love?" is her tenth in a row to go straight to the top of the Oricon chart. It's her 22nd No.1 single, moving her above 80s idol Nakamori Akina's 21 and into 3rd place overall behind rock group B'z (34) and another 80s idol star Matsuda Seiko (25). All of these artists are still going, though with Seiko and Akina well into middle age, Ayu (26) seems to be the only one with even half a chance of rivalling B'z record. The latest chart toppers are:

1. Step You/Is This Love? - Hamasaki Ayumi
2. Sakura - Ketsumeishi
3. Bokutachi no Yukue - Takahashi Hitomi
4. Zenryoku Shonen - Sukima Suichi
5. Hoshi no Kagayaki Yo/ Natsu wo Matsu Sail no You ni - Zard

As usual, all of the singles have commercial tie ups. Ayu's latest features on a TV CM for Matsushita's D-Snap Audio digital music player. The Zard single is the latest opening theme for the "Meitantei Conan" anime series on NTV. "Zenryoku Shonen" is the opener for the "Music Fighter" variety show, also on NTV. "Bokutachi no Yukue" opens the latest series of the "Gundam - Seed Destiny" anime series on TBS. "Sakura" is just cashing in on the popularity of the annual cherry blossom season.

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April 27, 2005

Actor Kubozuka Yosuke (photo, 25) is to make his movie return after his horrific near-death experience last year. He will star alongside Hong Kong's No.1 young star Edison Chen (24) and Kuroki Meisa (16) in "Onaji Tsuki wo Miteiru" (Looking at the Same Moon), the new feature by director Fukasaku Kenta (32). Kubozuka will play a doctor at a research hospital. He plans to appear at a PR event for the film, set to be released in November, in Tokyo tomorrow. It will be his first work appearance since the fall from his 9th-floor apartment balcony last June. Rumors that the eccentric actor was on drugs or trying to commit suicide have never been confirmed.

• Actor Hagiwara Kenichi (54) yesterday denied the charges against him on the opening day of his trial for attempted blackmail at the Tokyo District Court. "Shoken" was kicked off a movie project last summer and later allegedly made telephone threats against producers, demanding he be paid and dropping the name of a yakuza organization.

• TV Asahi's "Houdou Station" has proven itself as the country's leading late-night news show. Viewer ratings for Monday night, following the morning's deadly train crash, were at 21% and almost double the 11% recorded by NHK's 10 o'clock news. Traditionally, the country has turned to NHK for reliable coverage of the big news stories. But the public network has suffered severe damage to its reputation over the last year and "Hou-Sute" has recovered the audience loyalty enjoyed by its predecessor "News Station" for over a decade under the anchorage of Kume Hiroshi (60), who quit last year. Monday's big news story also hurt the ratings of Kimura Takuya's latest drama on Fuji TV, though "Engine" still managed a respectable 22.5%.

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April 28, 2005

Popular band Southern All Stars are to release their first original album in seven years. The band are currently in the studio recording their 14th album, which is scheduled for release on October 5. They will go on a national tour to promote the album. They also plan to release all their previous 44 singles on CD on June 25, the band's anniversary. In 2003, rock band B'z reissued 10 singles on CD at once and completely took over the Oricon Top 10 chart. It remains to be seen if SAS can beat that, but with 44 CDs coming out at once, it loks likely. Southern's last release was the 2000 compilation "Ballads 3", while their last original release was 1998's "Sakura." they had planned to release a new album last year, but instead put out three singles and did a lot of live work, including benefits for AIDS.

• Former Luna Sea drummer Maya (35) and talento Ishiguro Aya (26) announced plans for their wedding ceremony yesterday, five years after they got married. They will hold the ceremony in Shimane on May 12, Ishiguro's birthday. The couple have three children.

• NHK director Shima Hiroyuki (39) was arrested on Tuesday for molesting a 16-year old high school girl on a train in Kanagawa Prefecture. He was apprehended by a 17-year old boy from a different high school and handed to police. He has denied the charges. Shima works on the popular late-night English conversation show "Eigo de Shaberanaito."

Southern All Stars and the B'z rock!!! Can't wait to hear SAS's new album.

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May 2, 2005

The latest addition to pop group Morning Musume was announced May 1. Niigata Prefecture native Kusumi Koharu (12) is a 7th grader and was chosen from over 20,000 hopefuls at recent auditions. She will be "presented" to fans at the Momus concert at Nippon Budokan on May 6 and will formally join the group at the Osaka Castle Hall concert on July 10. The Budokan gig will see the "graduation" of Ishikawa Rika.

• Actress Mizuno Maki (photo, 35) has given birth to her first child. She married politician Gotoda Masazumi (35) last year. The bouncing baby boy was born April 30, about two weeks late, in a Tokyo hospital.

• "Astro Kyudan," a popular baseball manga from the 1970s, is to be made into a drama series on TV Asahi. The late-night, 30-minute show will star Hayashi Tsuyoshi (22) as the team founding member, cleanup hitter and ace pitcher Uno Kyuichi, and 'Sonny' Chiba Shinichi (66) as team manager J. Shuuro. The team is made up of nine players all born at 09:09:09 on 9/9/1954 (Showa 29), who take on and beat not only the dominant Yomiuri Giants but also a Major League team.

bmwracer wrote:More entertainment news from Japan-zone.com - Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: :D

May 2, 2005

The latest addition to pop group Morning Musume was announced May 1. Niigata Prefecture native Kusumi Koharu (12) is a 7th grader and was chosen from over 20,000 hopefuls at recent auditions. She will be "presented" to fans at the Momus concert at Nippon Budokan on May 6 and will formally join the group at the Osaka Castle Hall concert on July 10. The Budokan gig will see the "graduation" of Ishikawa Rika.

Another puke-cute imp on the way....

I admit, I fear them... they're cute, just way too cute, it's unnatural... there must be a MoMus cloning facility somewhere.

kitakaze wrote:Another puke-cute imp on the way....

:hehe: :lol: LOL.... Imp. LOL :lol: :hehe:

More entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: :D

May 4, 2005

Actress Harada Tomoyo (37) announced yesterday on her official web site that she married illustrator Ed Tsuwaki (38) on May 1. The two met in just October of last year and are said to have hit it off straight away. Harada, who has made three movies already this year, plans to continue her acting and singing career. Ed is a successful illustrator who has worked particularly on women's magazines such as Vogue. He also has his own fashion brand, nakEd Bunch.

• Former Takarazuka star Kawai Minako (35) underwent surgery Monday for injuries she suffered in last week's train crash in Amagasaki. Kawai was standing in the third carriage of the train and suffered multiple fractures in both legs. She was a member of the famous theater troupe from 1987 to 1998.

• Popular actress Kuroki Hitomi (44) was overwhelmingly chosen as the "Coolest Mother" in a poll by fountain pen maker Waterman ahead of Mother's Day on May 8. Kuroki easily topped the poll across all age groups. Second was singer and actress Kudo Shizuka, wife of heart throb Kimura Takuya. In third was actress Matsushima Nanako.

bmwracer wrote:
• Popular actress Kuroki Hitomi (44) was overwhelmingly chosen as the "Coolest Mother" in a poll by fountain pen maker Waterman ahead of Mother's Day on May 8. Kuroki easily topped the poll across all age groups. Second was singer and actress Kudo Shizuka, wife of heart throb Kimura Takuya. In third was actress Matsushima Nanako.

I would have placed Matsushima ahead of Kudo, but that's just me. It could be the KimuTaku factor. And it would be neck to neck between Matsushima and Kuroki for number 1.

bmwracer wrote:More entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: :D

May 4, 2005

• Former Takarazuka star Kawai Minako (35) underwent surgery Monday for injuries she suffered in last week's train crash in Amagasaki. Kawai was standing in the third carriage of the train and suffered multiple fractures in both legs. She was a member of the famous theater troupe from 1987 to 1998.

I remember seeing an early 90's movie on the Takarazuka in my Class and Gender in Modern Asia class. I wonder if she was one of the stars showed in that.

kitakaze wrote:I remember seeing an early 90's movie on the Takarazuka in my Class and Gender in Modern Asia class. I wonder if she was one of the stars showed in that.

There was a Takarazuka TV (?) drama made a couple of years ago with a buncha stars: Fujiwara Norika, Yonekura Ryoko, to name a few. :)

No English subs, though. :puppydog:

bmwracer wrote:
There was a Takarazuka TV (?) drama made a couple of years ago with a buncha stars: Fujiwara Norika, Yonekura Ryoko, to name a few. :)

No English subs, though. :puppydog:

Wow, that would have been really interesting :).

kitakaze wrote:Wow, that would have been really interesting :).

I've got a tape of the first half (?) of the TV-movie, but I never got the second half... Nuts.

Evetually, I'll transfer it to DVD. Interested, even though it's incomplete?

Maybe, although seeing something incomplete always drives me nuts. You should see me tearing my hair out because the last two Ghost in the Shell DVDs haven't come out yet.

kitakaze wrote:You should see me tearing my hair out

And that's what probably exposed your third eye, ne? :hehe:

Heard a lot about Ghost in the Shell, but never checked it out... :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
And that's what probably exposed your third eye, ne? :hehe:

Heard a lot about Ghost in the Shell, but never checked it out... :sweat:

Yep :lol:. I've been trying to close it, but it doesn't seem to work.

I'd recommend any of the Ghost in the Shell incarnations, especially if you're someone that normally doesn't watch anime. It's got a maturity and philosophical weight that a lot don't.

kitakaze wrote:Yep :lol:. I've been trying to close it, but it doesn't seem to work.

Must be tough buying sunglasses. :hehe: :hehe: :hehe:

I'd recommend any of the Ghost in the Shell incarnations, especially if you're someone that normally doesn't watch anime. It's got a maturity and philosophical weight that a lot don't.

Alrighty then. I'm puttin' it on my Amazon wish list, along with the books you recommended...