Leah DizonAs predicted here back in January, Leah Dizon's career in Japan is steamrolling ahead. The 21-year-old American pin-up girl/singer performed her first solo concert last night at O-East in Shibuya, one of the most popular districts for Tokyo's youth. The 90-minute set included 16 songs, several sexy outfits and minimal chat, though her Japanese skills have noticeably improved over the last year. Cosplay is a big part of her act, and yesterday's concert ended with her wearing the yellow cap, pleated miniskirt and backpack of a typical Japanese elementary school student. She only came to Japan for the first time in 2006 but already had a fan base here, largely from the cosplay photos she posted on her blog. 2006 saw the release of a best-selling photo book and Dizon's self-promotion included a home-made video of her singing an Amuro Namie hit. The whole thing went so smoothly that some started to ask whether she was really a Japanese after all. The half French-American, half Chinese-Philippina was born in Las Vegas and raised in Los Angeles. She made her official recording debut in February and has released three singles and an album. Sources say she has a good chance of being invited to appear on NHK's "Kohaku Uta Gassen" on New Year's Eve and maybe even being named Best Newcomer at the Japan Record Awards. Named after the Star Wars character Princess Leah, she is often referred to as the "gravurekai no kurofune" or "Black Ship of the Pin-up World", a reference to the Black Ships of Admiral William Perry that helped end Japan's centuries of isolation in the mid-1850s.
she can't even sing . did people really listen to her in her concert or did they just focus on her 'guns'?
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this one, was kind of surprising. well, at least to me...
Shinohara Ryoko Pregnant After All
November 07, 2007
Shinohara RyokoA couple of celebrity pregnancies were revealed yesterday. Popular actress Shinohara Ryoko (34, photo left) and her husband, stage actor Ichimura Masachika (58), are expecting their first child next spring. They've been married since December 2005. Shinohara said at a PR event back in early September that she had put on weight, in an effort to head off any questions about a possible pregnancy. As she was wearing high heels at the time, the media fell for her ruse. She has been in a couple of hits this year: the movie "Unfair" and the NTV drama series "Haken no Hinkaku".
Meanwhile, TV Asahi announcer Ishii Kiwa (29, photo right) is also four months pregnant. She married Shimada Toru, president of the Rakuten Eagles baseball team, in July and they held a wedding ceremony last month. Ishii quit her regular post on the "Yajiuma Plus" morning show in September and has since been making occasional appearances on other news shows. She says she plans to continue working after becoming a mother. Shimada is once-divorced and has a daughter from his first marriage.
• Fuji TV is making a drama version of the popular girl's manga "Hachimitsu to Kurobaa" (Honey and Clover). Already adapted as a hit anime and movie and known by the nickname "hachikuro", the series will air on Tuesday nights from January 8. The beautiful 15-year-old Narumi Riko has been selected to play the lead role of an art college freshman, while her love interest will be played by Johnny's Jr. member Ikuta Toma (23).
• Silly Award Update: talento Mika Mifune (25) was named the winner of this year's Best Hair Award yesterday. The prize, given by the All Japan Beauty Shop Owner's Federation, is awarded to the celebrity judged to have...well, the best hair. Mifune turned up for the award ceremony sporting the rockabilly, or "regent" hairstyle that her musician husband, Takahashi Joji (49), is famous for. She is the daughter of the late screen legend Mifune Toshiro.
• Comedian Hayakawa Nobuyuki (27), better known as Nobu of the comedy duo Chidori, is engaged to be married next spring. His fiancee is a 27-year-old Osaka resident and apparel company employee. The couple have been dating since they were in high school.
Gackt Honors Gundam Creator
for those who don't know what Gackt looks like: no he's not the gundam or the old dude, he's the michael jackson. but he's not a pedophile (yet)
November 06, 2007
Japanese starSinger and actor Gackt is to release a full album of songs from the hugely popular "Kidou Senshi Gundam" (Mobile Suit Gundam) anime series. He chose yesterday to make the announcement in honor of the 66th birthday of Gundam director Tomino Yoshiyuki. A longtime fan of the series (he's even said to have memorized most of the lines by the main characters), Gackt has recorded songs for the trilogy of "Kidou Senshi Z Gundam" movies released over the last couple of years. In addition to those five tracks, the album "0079-0088" will include three covers of tunes from the original 1981-82 "Kidou Senshi Gundam" movie series ("Suna no Jujika", "Ai Senshi", and "Meguriai"). The album is scheduled to go on sale December 19 and a DVD box set of the original series will be released on December 21, and are sure to be big sellers over Christmas. Fans who can't wait can get a sneak preview of Gackt's version of "Ai Senshi" on Fuji TV's "Hey! Hey! Hey!" music show on November 12.
• Dreams Come True member Nakamura Masato (49) announced on his blog yesterday that their new album will be released a week later than planned. "And I Love You" was scheduled for an early-December release but everything was put on hold following the September 26 death of Sueda Ken, common-law husband of vocalist Yoshida Miwa (42). The new release date is December 12. The album includes the song "Moshimo Kumo Nara", for which Sueda filmed the duo's promo video in New York last year. DCT were scheduled to make TV appearances in support of the album, but the timing of Yoshida's return to work is still undecided.
• Talento Shimizu Kuniaki is a father for the fourth time at the age of 57. He married his manager, Keiko (34), in January and she gave birth to a son on Sunday. Shimizu was married to talento Shimizu Kuuko from 1976 to 1982 (she died in 1991) and to a woman 14 years his junior from 1984 to 2003, with whom he had three daughters. He and Keiko plan to hold a wedding ceremony near their Lake Kawaguchi home on December 1.
• Fans of Carole King (65) had to wait 17 years to get a second chance to see her perform in Japan. She headlined the first show by "Three Great American Voices", along with Mary J. Blige (36) and Fergie (32), at the Osaka Castle Hall last night. 8,000 fans of all ages were treated to a 3-hour show of hits old and new. The trio play the same venue tonight before heading to Saitama Super Arena on the 10th and Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on the 12-13th.
Watanabe Dai Follows in Ken's Footsteps
November 05, 2007
Kikoku no SenjoYoung actor Watanabe Dai (23) seems to be making a name for himself in movies set in and around WWII. The son of Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (48), who starred in Clint Eastwood's gritty WWII movie "Letters From Iwo Jima," he has his second movie leading role in "Saigo no Soukeisen", a college baseball movie set in 1943. It tells of a final send-off game between students of Waseda and Keio Universities before they head off to war. The project, directed by Kouyama Seijirou started filming in Nagano Prefecture last month and will being distributed by the independent Cine Qua Non, the company behind recent hits "Hula Girl", "Pacchigi!" and "Nobody Knows". Watanabe made his acting debut in 2002 and had his first leading role just last July in Miyazaka Takeshi's "Kikoku no Senjo" (poster above), set in postwar Hiroshima. has also appeared in the 2005 blockbuster "Otoko no Yamato", about Japan's most famous WWII battleship, and this summer's "Ora wa, Kimi no Tame ni Koso Shini ni Iku", about young kamikaze pilots and written by Tokyo governor Ishihara Shintaro.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:40 am Post subject:
Oricon: nice teeth...unlike Sawajiri's
Thu, November 8, 2007 (6:48pm EST)
While the Best Smile of the Year awards were handed out on Thursday, Oricon published the results of a survey asking 1,000 men and women which celebrities they think have nice teeth.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo was the overwhelming favorite in the men's category. The next closest were Mikihisa Azuma, Masaharu Fukuyama, Kenji Sakaguchi, Mocomichi Hayami, Yuji Oda, Gackt, Koichi Domoto, Masaru Nagai, and Sanma Akashiya.
Meanwhile, Yukie Nakama's teeth topped the women's category, coming out ahead of #2 Juri Ueno and #3 Nanako Matsushima. The rest of the top ten were Aya Ueto, Masami Nagasawa (who won the Best Smile of the Year award), Saki Takaoka, Ayumi Hamasaki, Yui Aragaki, Masami Hisamoto, and Yu Yamada.
Sawajiri hovered near the bottom. Her well-known canine overgrowth was found to compliment her various bad wigs in the eyes of those who harbored a love for strange overbites. In fact her fangs were highly admired by those otaku who were serious fans of Blood +
Oricon: nice teeth...unlike Sawajiri's
Thu, November 8, 2007 (6:48pm EST)
While the Best Smile of the Year awards were handed out on Thursday, Oricon published the results of a survey asking 1,000 men and women which celebrities they think have nice teeth.
Tsuyoshi Shinjo was the overwhelming favorite in the men's category. The next closest were Mikihisa Azuma, Masaharu Fukuyama, Kenji Sakaguchi, Mocomichi Hayami, Yuji Oda, Gackt, Koichi Domoto, Masaru Nagai, and Sanma Akashiya.
Meanwhile, Yukie Nakama's teeth topped the women's category, coming out ahead of #2 Juri Ueno and #3 Nanako Matsushima. The rest of the top ten were Aya Ueto, Masami Nagasawa (who won the Best Smile of the Year award), Saki Takaoka, Ayumi Hamasaki, Yui Aragaki, Masami Hisamoto, and Yu Yamada.
Sawajiri hovered near the bottom. Her well-known canine overgrowth was found to compliment her various bad wigs in the eyes of those who harbored a love for strange overbites. In fact her fangs were highly admired by those otaku who were serious fans of Blood +
Source: Oricon | Comments (0)
LOL.
I didn't think they were mutually exclusive, but how can you have the best smile, yet not have the best teetn?
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12121 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
Meanwhile, Yukie Nakama's teeth topped the women's category, coming out ahead of #2 Juri Ueno and #3 Nanako Matsushima. The rest of the top ten were Aya Ueto, Masami Nagasawa (who won the Best Smile of the Year award), Saki Takaoka, Ayumi Hamasaki, Yui Aragaki, Masami Hisamoto, and Yu Yamada.
BULLSHIT!!! Sachie Hara has one of the best smiles in the world, never mind Japan (wish I had a better picture)
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:23 pm Post subject:
gaijinmark wrote:
How does Hamasaki get in? We're talking REAL teeth, not plastic!!!
You lie if you don't desire, those yellowed jewels.....i find their golden hue to be the treasure of all japan...and useful in opening cans of tomato paste.
Joined: 19 Jun 2006 Posts: 11363 Location: �I�[�X�g�����A Country:
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
You lie if you don't desire, those yellowed jewels.....i find their golden hue to be the treasure of all japan...and useful in opening cans of tomato paste.
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LOL
. did people really listen to her in her concert or did they just focus on her 'guns'?
