NHK has been hit by yet another financial scandal. It was revealed yesterday that a chief producer had swindled over Y17.6 million in expenses up to April of last year. Ohshita Satoshi (43), in charge of sports programming in Sapporo, claimed expenses for 242 trips between the northern city and Tokyo over a five-year period up to shortly before his transfer to the capital last June. At the time, the national broadcast network was supposed to be cracking down following a revelation the previous year that another producer had pocketed money for fictional programs. NHK has been rocked by a series of scandals over the last few years that have led a growing number of people to refuse to pay their annual subscription fees. Executive Director General of Broadcasting Harada Toyohiko (58) gave a press conference on Monday and apologized for the scandal. There are expected to be calls for Chairman Hashimoto Genichi (photo, 62) to resign. Ohshita had been the No.2 man in the company's sports department and was supposed to be in charge of programming for this summer's World Cup in Germany.
• Crazy Cats, the comic-jazz band that was hugely popular in the 1960s, released their first new single in 20 years today. Singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi (52) wrote the song, "Still Crazy for You", to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Watanabe Productions management agency and performed it at a party last November. The single includes tracks recorded during live performances by now deceased band members such as drummer and band leader Hana Hajime (1930-93). Surviving members Ueki Hitoshi (79, vocals/guitar), Tani Kei (76, trombone), Inuzuka Hiroshi (77, bass) and Sakurai Senri (81, piano) are all still active in showbiz.
• Actress Hosokawa Naomi (31) is pregnant with her second child. She and actor Katsurayama Shingo (34) married in 2002 and had a daughter the following year. Hosokawa won a national beauty contest in 1988 and her baby is due on August 2, the day of this year's contest.
• Another expectant mother, actress Adachi Yumi (24), has her next job lined up already. She will be the voice of the heroine in the upcoming Anpanman anime movie, "Soreike! Anpanman, Inochi no Hoshi no Dorii". Recording begins in June, by which time Adachi will have delivered her first child with comedian Itoda Jun (33). The couple married in September of last year and are expecting their child on April 17.
Last edited by dochira on Tue Apr 25, 2006 2:46 am; edited 1 time in total
Actress Adachi Yumi (24) is a mother, after she gave birth yesterday afternoon to a baby girl at a Tokyo hospital. Her husband, comedian Itoda Jun (33), wasn't present at the birth due to work. The couple married on Adachi's birthday in September of last year. Adachi has already announced her return to work, doing a narration in June for this summer's Anpanman movie.
• Actor/singer Matsudaira Ken (52) and former talento Matsumoto Yuriko (38) held a wedding ceremony and reception at the Akasaka Prince hotel in Tokyo yesterday. About 200 guests joined the couple in their celebration. Choreographer Majima Shigeki, the man behind the Matsuken Samba sensation, led his dance team as part of the entertainment. The new couple actually registered their marriage last October and had their honeymoon at the New Year.
• "Vijuaru-kei" (visual) rock band Pierrot are breaking up. The decision wasn't unanimous - guitarists Aiji and Jun wanted to go solo, while vocalist Nozomu Kirito, bassist Kohta and drummer Takeo wanted the band to continue. The band has been successful - they celebrated their 10th anniversary a year ago, and all 15 singles have made it into the Oricon chart Top 10. Ironically, their farewell recording is titled "Hello", and is due to be released on June 21. Kirito told fans on the official website that he was greatly saddened by the decision. "Taking fans' feelings into consideration, we have discussed this seriously many times. I even thought about giving up my solo work if it would keep the band together, but I couldn't change their minds."
• Also breaking up are popular Fuji TV announcer Takashima Aya (27) and race jockey Take Koshiro (27). "Ayapan" lives in Tokyo and Take, the younger brother of racing legend Take Yutaka, is based at a JRA facility in Shiga Prefecture. The physical distance between them was only increased when Takashima was sent to Turin in February to cover the Winter Olympics. They had been an item for about three years and were said to be on the verge of marriage.
Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (46) has written his first book. The contents of "Dare? - Who Am I?" are based on a diary he kept while filming "Ashita no Kioku" (Tomorrow's Memories), which is due to open on May 13. He is also executive producer of the film, in which he plays a man who develops early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. Following a battle with leukemia that struck at the peak of his career in 1989 and ultimately led to his divorce last year, the last few years have seen a resurgence in both his private life and his career. He got re-married to the actress Minami Kaho (42) last December and has had appearances in a series of Hollywood movies, including "The Last Samurai", "Batman Begins" and "Memoirs of a Geisha". He set out to write the diary as a journey of self discovery. "When I found out I had leukemia, it was almost too much to comprehend and I think I bottled up my feelings of pain and sadness. But slowly over time I began to realize the need to let out those pent up feelings. The desire to make this film came from the deepest recesses of my heart." The publication date of the new book has yet to be announced.
• Freelance announcer Fukuzawa Akira (42) lost 7 kilos when he found out he would be hosting the new TBS health/variety show "Piikan Badi!" (P-kan Body!). "I'm back to the weight I was at when I first joined NTV as an announcer. This show has given me a whole new outlook." The show will be co-hosted by talento and model Rinka (32).
Ichikawa Ebizo (28) is to take kabuki to Europe. The young "prince" of the traditional theater will put on the first ever performance of kabuki at the Opera Garnier theater in Paris next March. This summer, he will perform "Fujimusume" and "Kasane" at the Sadler's Wells theater in London (May 31 - June 11) and the City Theater in Amsterdam (June 15-18). The Paris shows follow the success of a performance there in 2004 to commemorate the former Ichikawa Shinnosuke's succession to become the 11th Ichikawa Ebizo. In that show at the Chaillot Theater he was joined by high school classmate Onoe Kikunosuke (28). Next year, he will perform for a week alongside his father, Ichikawa Danjuro (59), who has been recovering from a recurrence of leukemia. Ebizo will also make his big screen debut this year in "Deguchi no nai Umi", due for release in September. The Opera Garnier theater has been one of the world's most famous homes of opera and ballet since its construction in 1875, and was the inspiration for the famous Phantom of the Opera story.
• Yesterday, singer Mori Masako (47) appeared solo in front of fans for the first time in 20 years. Following her divorce from singer Mori Shinichi last year, the former top idol has decided to resurrect her career and will release a new single, "Barairo no Mirai" (Rose-colored Future) on June 7. She signed copies of her new book "Ashita he" (To Tomorrow) for 100 lucky fans at a bokstore in Ginza yesterday. So many people turned out to catch a glimpse of the star that she had staff put together a makeshift "stage" of two beer crates in front of the bookstore so she could speak to them. It's been an emotional time for Masako, especially with the death of her father last week, and she ended yesterday's event in tears again.
Music chart company Oricon has carried out a survey to find Japan's ideal leader figures. Among junior and senior high school boys, Seattle Mariners star Suzuki Ichiro was the number one choice as an ideal "sempai" (senior member) for their club activities. The choice reflects Ichiro's clear leadership role and enthusiasm in the recent World Baseball Classic, where he led his countrymen to the championship. He was followed in the survey by former tennis player Matsuoka Shuzo, now a regular on TV, and comedian Akashiya Sanma. Strangely enough, comedian Razor Ramon HG (Hard Gay) was the No.4 choice. In 10th place was singer Otsuka Ai, the only female choice. On the other hand, teenage girls made popular comedy duo Oriental Radio their No.1 choice. Other male choices included Kamenashi Kazuya of the pop unit Kat-Tun (#2), Koike Teppei of duo WaT, Ichiro (#5), and Porno Grafitti vocalist Okano Akihito (#9). Female choices were actress Ueto Aya, talento Becky, and sexy singer Koda Kumi.
• Talento Kubo Keiko (34) is engaged to basketball player Kita Takuya (33), who plays for the Toshiba team in Japan's pro basketball BJ League. Kita was a fan of Kubo's and she first agreed to go on a dinner date with him in 2001 if Toshiba won the league. He is said to have proposed a year ago and they have been living together since. Kubo plans to continue her career after their marriage on May 13.
• Model Akai Saki (19) was on the catwalk at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo yesterday. The daughter of actor and former pro boxer Akai Hidekazu (46), she is a campaign girl for Asahi Kasei's new range of summer bikinis. The tall and slender model is being compared to Yonekura Ryoko and Sato Eriko, who have built on their modeling careers to become successful in showbiz.
The host club boom continues to grow. The world of host clubs has recently given us comedian Hiroshi (34) and actor Shirosaki Jin (28), who is to make his recording debut in June. The latest name to set the ladies swooning is Houzyou Seiji (28), a host at the famous Club Aqua in Osaka, which featured in a recent TV documentary. More than 300 female fans turned up to the launch of his new book, "Ichioku Hoshiika!" (Do You Want 100 Million?). The appeal seems to be that these guys have movie star looks and charisma but fans can meet them anytime, if they fork out the money to visit their club. Club Aqua has pretty intensive training for its hosts, including teaching them speaking techniques using rakugo CDs and having their teeth fixed or even plastic surgery, things that any talent agency will put its prospects through. The industry took a hit earlier this year when some students from one of Osaka's elite universities who also worked as hosts were arrested for extortion.
• Talento Abe Mihoko (30) and South Korean soccer player Choi Sung Yong (30) are expecting their first baby. The couple married in 2003 and are currently living in the Korean city of Suwon. Abe has yet to decide whether to have the baby, due in November, in Korea or at home. She will be in Japan later this month to promote a new book of Korean cooking.
Ten years after the death of actor Asami Kiyoshi, a recording he made almost 30 years ago is to be re-released. Asami will forever be remembered for his role as Tora-san in the "Otoko wa Tsuraiyo" movie series, the longest running series in the world. The movies had various themes but traveling salesman Tora-san always returned to his shitamachi (dowtown) home. The Asakusa district is the capital's most famous shitamachi and the song "Asakusa Nikki" recalls Tokyo in a bygone age. The 1977 recording has been remastered as a duet between Asami and Kaguyahime member Yamada Panda (59). Asami died in 1996 at the age of 68, having made 48 movies as Tora-san under the direction of Yamada Yoji.
• Talento Fujimori Yuuko (37) is five months pregnant. The former member of sexy group C.C. Girls married the 38-year old president of a TV production company in 2004. She will the first of the group's original members to become a mother.
• Actress Lee Reisen (64) has won her libel case against a magazine publisher. The mother of actor Otsuru Gitan (35), she took the publisher Shufu to Seikatsusha to court for an article that appeared in its Shuukan Josei magazine. The article claimed that a typical bad "yome shuutome" (bride versus mother-in-law) relationship between Lee and singer Marcia (37), led to her son's divorce. Lee sought Y5.5 million in damages and was awarded Y1.1 million by the Tokyo District Court. Otsuru and Marcia split in 2004 following another of his extra-marital affairs, for which he apologized during a live press conference. The Tokyo-born Lee is the daughter of ethnic Koreans and was married to actor Kara Juuro (real name Otsuru Yoshihide) from 1967 to 1988. Marcia (real name Nishiie Kazue Marcia) is a Brazilian of Japanese descent.
Actress Adachi Yumi (24) got a couple of surprises yesterday. One was her mother, 48-year old Adachi Yuri (photo), announcing her book of nude photos, including so called "hair nudes" which show pubic hair. (dochira's note: how bizarre, how bizarre) The book, titled "Myself", will go on sale on May 29. The "stage mama", who has been by her daughter's side since she debuted as a child actress, says she didn't inform her of this latest career move. Yumi may have been taken by surprise by that announcement, but the revelation that her husband, comedian Itoda Jun (33), was recently spotted at a hotel with his ex-girlfriend must have come as more of a shock. The story appears in this week's edition of the gossip magazine Friday, which photographed Itoda and a 24-year old actress named only as N entering a hotel on April 3, just nine days before Adachi gave birth to their first child. Itoda's agency released a statement saying his ex-girlfriend had met with him simply to talk and that he had already told his wife about the meeting. But a friend of the couple says that Yumi was more than a little displeased about the whole thing.
• Singer/songwriter Yoriko (21) has been hospitalized due acute abdominal pains. She has been forced to postpone a five-date national tour that was scheduled to start on April 28. She made her debut in 2002, and has a history of cancer from her childhood.
• The work of actor Yakusho Koji (50) will be in competition at cannes yet again this year. "Babel", in which he appears with Brad Pitt (42), has been entered for the Palm D'Or, the main prize at the cannes International Film Festival. It's the fourth time for Yakusho to be in the spotlight at Cannes, following the nomination of "Unagi" (1997), "Yuriika" (2000) and "Akai Hashi no Shita no Nurui Mizu" (2001). The movie will be screened on May 23 and the winner of the Palm D'Or will be announced on the last day of the festival, which runs until May 28.
Up till now, the only guys to grace the cover of Marie Claire magazine have been foreign superstars. But on the cover of the June issue is J-pop idol Matsumoto Jun (22). A member of popular Johnny's Jimusho boy band Arashi, "Matsujun" is one of the agency's up and coming stars. On the magazine cover, he is shown in an embrace with a Russian model. Inside, he talks about his ideas of love and romance. In its 24 years, the women's fashion mag has featured several foreign men on the cover, including soccer star David Beckham, but Matsumoto is the first Japanese guy.
• Rock duo Love Psychedelico played their first ever free gig as part of the global Earth Day events on Saturday. The performed eight songs, including a cover of the Beatles' "Help!" which they will release as a single in June. Earth Day events took place in 140 countries worldwide.
• Singer/songwriter Otsuka Ai (23) played her first ever arena concert as part of her ongoing 9-city national tour. She performed 22 songs, including her current hit "Frienger", for 15,000 fans at Yokohama Arena.
• Comedian Gori (33) is to try his hand at movie direction. He will not only take the megaphone but also write and star in "Keiji Bogey", described as a "hard-boiled comedy". The movie will be shown at the Short Short Film Festival 2006 in June. In its eighth year, the event is Asia's biggest for short films. Gori, one half of the comedy duo Garage Sale, is best known for his garish, cross-dressing Gorie character.
Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 9573 Location: �o�J�i�_ Country:
Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:22 am Post subject:
Got one:
Producer of Morning Musume to marry source
Tsunku, a member of the popular Sharan Q group and the producer of the famous Morning Musume female troupe, will get married in June, he said on his homepage.
The 37-year-old Tsunku will marry a 25-year-old woman he began dating last August. Tsunku proposed to her in January. "She is a splendid girl who can ease my stress. I want to start a new life full of originality," Tsunku said in a movie available on his home page. (Mainichi)
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 7:26 am Post subject:
tabana wrote:
Got one:
Producer of Morning Musume to marry source
Tsunku, a member of the popular Sharan Q group and the producer of the famous Morning Musume female troupe, will get married in June, he said on his homepage.
The 37-year-old Tsunku will marry a 25-year-old woman he began dating last August. Tsunku proposed to her in January. "She is a splendid girl who can ease my stress. I want to start a new life full of originality," Tsunku said in a movie available on his home page. (Mainichi)
April 24, 2006
"i will start a new life with a young tenderoni almost half my age...ah, it's good to be rich even though i'm ugly." --Tsunku
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that is as scary as it is hilarious! good work! 
