Japanese Entertainment News

BEIJING - Japanese actor Takuya Kimura and singer Shizuka Kudo, who married in 2000, are heading for a divorce, website sina.com reported.

The website reported two Japanese weeklies as saying on Wednesday that the two had been on bad terms since the middle of last year. A third party had been fingered as one reason for their alleged falling out.

Kudo has reportedly been seen out with another man. Kimura has also been having disagreements over family matters with Kudo and her mother since her father, who used to be the buffer, died last July.


The reports also said Kudo has been going against her husband's objections to plan a comeback and has been accepting work in commercials.

Rumours of the rocky marriage first emerged on New Year's Day after Kimura was seen crestfallen while rehearsing for the Red-White Song Contest TV show. The couple have two young daughters.

http://www.asiaone.com/st/st_20060113_364535.html

londondolly wrote:BEIJING - Japanese actor Takuya Kimura and singer Shizuka Kudo, who married in 2000, are heading for a divorce, website sina.com reported.

The website reported two Japanese weeklies as saying on Wednesday that the two had been on bad terms since the middle of last year. A third party had been fingered as one reason for their alleged falling out.

Kudo has reportedly been seen out with another man. Kimura has also been having disagreements over family matters with Kudo and her mother since her father, who used to be the buffer, died last July.


The reports also said Kudo has been going against her husband's objections to plan a comeback and has been accepting work in commercials.

Rumours of the rocky marriage first emerged on New Year's Day after Kimura was seen crestfallen while rehearsing for the Red-White Song Contest TV show. The couple have two young daughters.

http://www.asiaone.com/st/st_20060113_364535.html

Am I the only who is happy about their breaking up but sad for their 2 daughters????? :nut: :hehe: :sweat: :beaten:

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

January 13, 2006

Now in its 15th year on Fuji TV, popular animation series "Chibi Maruko-chan" is to be made into a drama. There have been attempts in the past to put real actors and actresses in the famous roles, but producers have never been able to fill Maruko-chan's shoes. But now in 8-year old Morisako Ei, they think they have found the perfect match, with the perfect combination of cuteness and maturity tinged with cynicism. Morisako was chosen at an audition from 500 hopefuls to play Japan's most famous elementary schoolgirl. Her doting grandfather will be played by Moto Fuyuki (54), her father by Takahashi Katsumi (44). The pair have barely a tuft of hair between them and so will be donning wigs for thie roles. Versatile actress Shimizu Michiko will portray Maruko's mother (45), while Ichige Yoshie (55) will play her grandmother. This week the network started production of a two-hour special to be aired in April.

• Celebrity couple Oshio Manabu (27) and Yada Akiko (27) were not too happy to meet the press after their return from the US yesterday. Yada wore a hat that nearly hid her face, while Oshio glared at reporters and berated them when his girlfriend almost tripped. Wearing matching rings and holding hands all the way through the Narita Airport terminal building, they were bombarded with questions about the trip and whether they were now married. When the couple left for Hawaii before Christmas, making no effort to hide their relationship, the media speculated that they were planning to get hitched, possibly on Yada's birthday. They spent the New Year in Los Angeles, where Oshio lived for eight years as a child.

• Singer Fuse Akira (58) is romantically involved with a 48-year old former actress who bears a strong resemblance to his former wife, British Hollywood actress Olivia Hussey (54), according to Friday magazine. He married Hussey, whose film career ended with the marriage, in 1980 and they divorced in 1989.

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

January 16, 2006

The long wait is almost over for Japanese fans of the world's biggest and best band. Irish rockers U2 will bring their Vertigo live show to the Yokohama Nissan Stadium on April 4, their first performance in Japan since 1998. The stadium was the venue for the World Cup final in 2002. Tickets will go on sale here on February 18.

• Singer Gackt is making his move into the Asian market. In an interview before a concert in Seoul at the weekend, his first solo concert outside Japan,he announced plans to tour China, Taiwan and other Asian countries within the year. During the show at the Olympic fencing stadium he impressed 8,000 fans with his Hangul language skills for a full 20 minutes. For the show he brought the entire set and crew from Japan at a cost of about \120 million.

• Tegoshi Yuya (18), a member of popular Johnny's boy band News, has passed the entrance examination for the prestigious Waseda University. he announced the good news at a PR event for his first movie lead role in "Shissou". Tegoshi is one of eight Johnny's stars to get into university, and the second to enter Waseda. He said he hopes to be able to play for the school's soccer club.

• Former Yomiuri Giants star Motoki Daisuke (34) has become a father. It was announced yesterday that his wife, former talento Ohgami Izumi (36), gave birth to their first son last week.

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

January 17, 2006

Japan's "Mr. Television" is back on the air. Emcee Mino Monta (61) made his comeback to the small screen yesterday and looked as good as ever, after two weeks in hospital following back surgery. He tried to remain cheerful during a press conference immediately before he was released from hospital on Friday, but broke down in tears several times. But he made light of the whole ordeal in typically upbeat fashion during his live TBS morning show "Mino Monta no Asa Zuba!" and NTV afternoon show "Omikiri Terebi", where he dispenses lifestyle advice and listens to the trials and tribulations of housewives across the country. He says he has no plans to cut back on his intensive schedule of eight weekly shows that includes several hours of live TV every day.

• Pop duo Puffy have been named as Friendship Ambassadors to the US. The announcement was made in Yokohama yesterday as part of the government's Visit Japan Campaign. Ohnuki Ami (32) and Yoshimura Yumi (30) are celebrating their 10th anniversary in the business this year, and have developed a big following in America, thanks to the success of their animation show "Hi! Hi! Puffy-AmiYumi" on the Cartoon Network.

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

January 17, 2006

Japan's "Mr. Television" is back on the air. Emcee Mino Monta (61) made his comeback to the small screen yesterday and looked as good as ever, after two weeks in hospital following back surgery. He tried to remain cheerful during a press conference immediately before he was released from hospital on Friday, but broke down in tears several times. But he made light of the whole ordeal in typically upbeat fashion during his live TBS morning show "Mino Monta no Asa Zuba!" and NTV afternoon show "Omikiri Terebi", where he dispenses lifestyle advice and listens to the trials and tribulations of housewives across the country. He says he has no plans to cut back on his intensive schedule of eight weekly shows that includes several hours of live TV every day.

• Pop duo Puffy have been named as Friendship Ambassadors to the US. The announcement was made in Yokohama yesterday as part of the government's Visit Japan Campaign. Ohnuki Ami (32) and Yoshimura Yumi (30) are celebrating their 10th anniversary in the business this year, and have developed a big following in America, thanks to the success of their animation show "Hi! Hi! Puffy-AmiYumi" on the Cartoon Network.

dayem puffy is everywhere now....cartoon show...concert tour, macy's day thanksgiving parade..this is the most successful act in america in recent memory

Tu_triky wrote:this is the most successful act in american in recent memory

That seems rather disconcerting, ne? ;)

bmwracer wrote:
That seems rather disconcerting, ne? ;)

just amazed, that's all...even hikaru utada's release in america didn't generate much buzz for her as far as getting her name out there....

puffy ami yumi has certainly made a footprint here, albeit a small one...i've seen them live once...they're cute.

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

January 18, 2006

Popular comedian Aoki Sayaka (32) revealed yesterday that she has broken up with her boyfriend, named only as "Koji." The 29-year old is said to have returned to his family home of Ishigakijima island in Okinawa last September following the sudden death of his father. He and Aoki continued a long-distance relationship but at the end of last year decided to call it a day. The couple first started going out in 2004, when "Koji" was a part-time worker in a takoyaki restaurant and Aoki was on the verge of a breakthrough in her career. In the autumn of 2004, she visited his Ishigakijima home and secretly filmed her meeting with his parents for the variety show "London Hearts."

• "Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sayuri), the Rob Marshall-directed movie based on the Arthur Golden bestseller, picked up a Golden Globe for Best Original Score, the fourth for composer John Williams. Nominated leading actress Zhang Ziyi failed to pick up an award. The movie also stars Watanabe Ken (46), who won a Golden Globe in 2003 for his role in "The Last Samurai."

• Livedoor CEO Horie Takafumi won't be such a presence on TV for a while, not on the variety show circuit anyway. The high-flying IT entrepreneur and his company are under investigation for various shady deals including cooking the books to hide losses and boost their stock price. The usually ebullient "Horiemon" gave a rather sheepish early morning press conference on Monday, where he nervously tried to reassure investors and the public that business would go on as usual while he and Livedoor cooperated with the investigation. A visibly exhausted Horie continued to answer reporters' questions while members of his staff tried to drag him away. The scandal has knocked the stuffing out of not only Livedoor's stock price but also, with the company being a flagship for the recovering IT industry, the Nikkei Stock Average as a whole. The index has dropped nearly 1,000 points in the last two days.

bmwracer wrote:
• "Memoirs of a Geisha" (Sayuri), the Rob Marshall-directed movie based on the Arthur Golden bestseller, picked up a Golden Globe for Best Original Score, the fourth for composer John Williams. Nominated leading actress Zhang Ziyi failed to pick up an award. The movie also stars Watanabe Ken (46), who won a Golden Globe in 2003 for his role in "The Last Samurai."

john williams should have thrown in the imperial march piece from star wars and maybe memoirs would have been more memorable.

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

January 19, 2006

Popular comedian Daita Hikaru (30) announced yesterday that she got married on Monday. According to the Yoshimoto agancy, her new husband is a 30-year TV company employee. Daita revealed the romance last November on her personal blog. She also announced the wedding online, mentioning that Monday was a "butsmetsu" day in the Buddhist calendar, considered the worst kind of day for important events and something the vast majority of Japanese people will avoid. She said it had been the only day they were both free, adding that the atmosphere at the city office had been tense and weird. Daita is known for her "Dou demo ii desu yo" stand up routine (which, to be honest, is not very funny).

• Regular readers will have seen stories about the many silly awards that they give out here. Well the latest one is the "Best Jersey-ist Award," which goes to the celebrities who are considered to look best in a "jersey," or tracksuit top. The inaugural winners of this award are young talento Wakatsuki Chinatsu (21) and actor Narimiya Hiroki (23). Honorable mentions went to others including soccer player Miyamoto Tsuneyasu (28), K-1 fighter Musashi (33), and idol singers Ishikawa Rika (21), Yoshizawa Hitomi (20) and Fujimoto Miki (20).

^ That's it. I going to Japan and wearing only fuzzy slippers and wait for my "Best Fuzziest" award. :rofl:

dochira wrote:^ That's it. I going to Japan and wearing only fuzzy slippers and wait for my "Best Fuzziest" award. :rofl:

if the slippers are made of chinchilla fur you might win...otherwise don't waste the money on the plane ride :)

dochira wrote:^ That's it. I going to Japan and wearing only fuzzy slippers and wait for my "Best Fuzziest" award. :rofl:

But that won't top my gal's "Best Jeanist" award. :nut: :beaten:

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

January 20, 2006

Actress Kimura Yoshino (29) donned a striking red kimono yesterday at the famous Sensoji temple, a popular tourist spot in downtown Asakusa. She was dressed up to take part in an event to encourage foreign tourists to visit Japan, in her role as an "amabassador" for the government's ongoing "Yokoso!" campaign. The current event, "Yokoso! Japan Weeks 2006" will take place from January 20 to February 20. She and Transport Minister Kitagawa Kazuo joined visiting Chinese and Korean students in making origami cranes. The "Yokoso!" campaign aims to increase the number of foreign visitors to 10 million a year by 2010. How come they've never contacted Japan Zone!

• TV executives are trying to distance themselves from the ongoing Livedoor scandal, as the investigation of financial irregularities by the IT company continues. Fuji TV chairman Hieda Hisashi (68) was especially critical of Livedoor CEO Horie Takafumi (33) in a press conference yesterday. The two companies were locked in a battle for control of the Nippon Housou radio station for two months last spring. That battle resulted in Fuji buying a large amount of Livedoor stock, whose value has plummeted in the last few days. Also criticizing Horiemon and his company's practices was TV Tokyo president Sugaya Sadahiko (67). He said that his company had cancelled a tie up with Livedoor on an online shopping site.

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

January 22, 2006

Horiemon and Hinano a couple? It turns out that under-attack Livedoor CEO Horie Takafumi (33) and actress Yoshikawa Hinano (26) spent the New Year holiday on the tropical island of Palau. They were in a group of eleven that traveled to the tropical paradise on Horie's \3 billion private jet. The IT entrepreneur is hardly in the mood to discuss the nature of the relationship, with the investigation of his company's financial mischief having rocked the business world. In 1999, the ditzy Yoshikawa was briefly married to Izam, the cross-dressing vocalist of visual rock band Shazna, but the couple split after just 7 months. She is hardly the type Horie wants to be connected with as he seeks to re-build his reputation as an honest and serious business tycoon. Japan Zone says: Horiemon, stop the variety show appearances, drop the showbiz girlfriends and stick to making money. (No, we don't own any Livedoor stock!)

• Actress Ito Yuko says she and comedian Watabe Ken are doing fine but have no plans for marriage. She was asked about their relationship at a PR event for the new horror movie, "Akuma no Sumu Ie" (House of the Devil), a re-make of the 1979 hit.

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

January 23, 2006

Fuji TV is to air a four-night series of dramas next month featuring some of the hottest young female talent. All playing roles quite different from their images, the actresses will portray the hopes and struggles of today's young female Japanese. The first episode will air on February 27 and feature Ueto Aya (20) as an office worker who dreams of the glamourous life and works nights as a hostess. Horikita Maki (17) stars on night two, as a girl who makes money from men in online chatrooms. Personal favorite Yamada Yu (photo, 21) plays an aspiring actress who works as a "cabaret club" hostess. In the final episode Ueno Juri (19), who made her name in the movie "Swing Girls," plays a pachinko parlour worker who has no luck with men. The four episodes, under the omnibus title "Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshi-tachi" (Angels With Broken Wings), are based on stories by writer Yoshi, who is known as an author of online fiction.

• Popular voice actress Mizuki Nana celebrated her 26th birthday at the Nippon Budokan on Saturday. Despite the record snowfall in the capital, 8500 dedicated fans turned out for the show. Mizuki is particularly popular among the "akibakei" set, who frequent the Tokyo "otaku" mecca of Akihabara. She has released over a dozen singles and her voice has featured in many more anime and computer games.

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

January 23, 2006

Fuji TV is to air a four-night series of dramas next month featuring some of the hottest young female talent. All playing roles quite different from their images, the actresses will portray the hopes and struggles of today's young female Japanese. The first episode will air on February 27 and feature Ueto Aya (20) as an office worker who dreams of the glamourous life and works nights as a hostess. Horikita Maki (17) stars on night two, as a girl who makes money from men in online chatrooms. Personal favorite Yamada Yu (photo, 21) plays an aspiring actress who works as a "cabaret club" hostess. In the final episode Ueno Juri (19), who made her name in the movie "Swing Girls," plays a pachinko parlour worker who has no luck with men. The four episodes, under the omnibus title "Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshi-tachi" (Angels With Broken Wings), are based on stories by writer Yoshi, who is known as an author of online fiction.

• Popular voice actress Mizuki Nana celebrated her 26th birthday at the Nippon Budokan on Saturday. Despite the record snowfall in the capital, 8500 dedicated fans turned out for the show. Mizuki is particularly popular among the "akibakei" set, who frequent the Tokyo "otaku" mecca of Akihabara. She has released over a dozen singles and her voice has featured in many more anime and computer games.

^^ and 'Puffs is just all smiles.. :mrgreen:

littlemissfab wrote:^^ and 'Puffs is just all smiles.. :mrgreen:

Why do you say that? :headscratch:

bmwracer wrote:
Why do you say that? :headscratch:

that's what i was wondering...i didn't see the name ryoko yonekura in bold or anything.