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

April 25, 2007

Former Morning Musume Member Tsuji Nozomi (19, photo left) has a new image. She is now a member of the female trio "Gyaruru", who played their debut show in Ibaraki Prefecture yesterday. The trio have taken on the "gyaru" (gal) look that is for some reason still popular among today's teens. With "ganguro" makeup and an extreme fashion sense, these kind of girls can be seen walking the streets of any center of youth culture, such as Tokyo's Shibuya or Harajuku shopping districts. One of their fashion leaders is Gyaru Sone (21, center), who joins Tsuji and singer Tokito Ami (19, right) in the new trio. Despite her petite figure, Sone is known for her incredible appetite and has won several speed eating contests. Yesterday was her debut as a singer. Tsuji left "Momus" along with Kago Ai (19) in August 2004 to form the duo W. But after being caught smoking underage not once but twice, Kago was finally fired last month. Like Momus, W and many other groups, Gyaruru is the brainchild of producer Tsunku (38), who has them perform the "parapara" style of dancing to their Eurobeat sound. Their debut single, "Boom Boom Mecha Macho" is due for release on June 20.
_________________

Yikes. The picture is scary.

It didn't take long to form a new group.
_________________

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

April 26, 2007

Talento Eguchi Tomomi (39) suffered a nasty accident while filming a TBS variety show yesterday. She was riding a 125cc buggy bike at the Nasu Buggy Park in Tochigi Prefecture when she took a spill, suffering a blow to her lower back and damaging her kidney. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she underwent surgery. She has been told to take two weeks complete bed rest. Eguchi is married to talento Tsumami Edamame (49).

Also yesterday, actor Ichinose Hidekazu (32) broke his right leg while filming a drama series for NHK. The accident happened as he was shooting a scene where he jumped from a six-foot high wall. He has a supporting role in all episodes of "Natsu Kumo Agare", due to air from June 8. But as he has already completed most of his scenes, production is unlikely to be affected.

• Popular actress Fukada Kyoko (24) has been romantically linked with actor Sainei Ryuji (25), according to the latest issue of weekly magazine "Friday". The pair were spotted holding hands while reading magazines in a Tokyo convenience store earlier this month. Sainei plays the Deka Red character on the popular action hero series "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger" and appeared with Fukada on her TV Asahi detective drama series "Fugoh Keiji".

• Actress and former pro wrestler Noumi Kayo (30) has married a member of dance unit PaniCrew. She and Horiuchi Kazuyoshi (32), known as Hori, announced yesterday that they tied the knot on April 15, an auspicious "taian" day in the Shinto calendar. They bare planning a wedding and reception in the autumn. They had been dating for about five years, according to a mutual friend. But as relationships are basically taboo for active wrestlers, they had to keep it under wraps until Noumi retired from the sport in April 2004. With her slender build and good looks, she was a big draw in the wrestling circuit. She has still to make much of a name for herself as an actress as she has appeared mostly in theatrical productions.

• Visual-kei rock band Shazna have made their comeback after seven years. Led by the no longer cross-dressing Izam (34), they performed their new single "Kokoro" at an event in Tokyo yesterday. Izam also talked about his new son, born on April 17. He is married to talento Yoshioka Miho (27).

April 27, 2007

Over 1,000 fans turned out at Pusan airport in South Korea yesterday to welcome SMAP heart throb Kimura Takuya (34, photo left). Though it's this third visit to Korea, he is in Pusan for the first time to film scenes for the movie adaptation of his mega-hit TV drama series "Hero". He held a press conference alongside co-star Lee Byung Hun (36, photo right), who is also hugely popular in Japan. "Hero" was the most successful drama series ever for Fuji TV. It achieved an phenomenal audience rating of over 30% for each of its 11 episodes in 2001, a feat probably only Kimutaku has enough appeal to pull off. A special episode was shown last summer and was again a big hit. Directed by Suzuki Masayuki, the movie is scheduled to open on September 8. The cast also includes the father and daughter combination of kabuki actor Matsumoto Koshiro (64) and actress Matsu Takako (29), as well as comedian Morita "Tamori" Kazuki (61).

• Just two days after we reported on the new musical direction for Tsuji Nozomi (19) she has been laid low by an acute stomach ulcer. The former Morning Musume member has been ordered to take at least 10 days rest and has had to step down from her role in a theatrical production due to open on May 4. Her role will be covered alternately by Momus graduate Ishikawa Rika (22) and current group leader Yoshizawa Hitomi (22), who is due to leave the group on May 6. The perky Tsuji has clearly been under a lot of stress recently. She has been in rehearsals not only for the stage musical but also to lead the recently launched pop trio Gyaruru. That group came about after Kago Ai (19), her partner in the duo W, was fired from the Hello! Project for repeated underage smoking.

• Canadian singer Avril Lavigne (22) has released a Japanese version of her hit "Girlfriend", No.1 on the latest U.S. chart. Currently touring in Japan, she held a PR event yesterday to promote her new album, "Best Damn Thing". She revealed that the Japanese version is available from today as a "chaku-uta", for download to mobile phones. The event was followed by a "secret" live performance.
_________________

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

April 30, 2007

Yoshimoto comedian Nakata Kausu (57) is paying the price for his yakuza connections. NHK has shelved two episodes of a variety show and Yoshimoto have replaced him as an emcee for the final day of "Live Stand '07" a major comedy event that finishes today. Given the current climate following a series of incidents involving members of major crime syndicates, including last week's murder of the mayor of Nagasaki, a recent magazine article on Nakata's friendship with a gang boss has seriously damaged his reputation. The always conservative NHK is wary of attracting any negative publicity and is unlikely to invite him to appear on any more shows. At least not shows like "Variety Seikatsu Shouhyakka", that takes a comic look at everyday legal issues. Nakata made his debut in 1969 as one half of the manzai duo Nakata Kausu-Botan. Though a lot more popular in the Kansai region than in Tokyo, they are an established act and have won several comedy awards over the years.

• A former host of the above variety show is veteran comedian Nishikawa Kiyoshi (60), who is now a grandfather for the fifth time. His daughter Kanako (32), also a TV talento, recently gave birth to her first child. Kiyoshi, his wife Helen (60) and their daughter introduced the baby to the press for the first time yesterday. Kanako is married to pastry chef Hayashi Shigekazu (53).

• Newscaster Kotani Maoko (42) has remarried, to the president of auctioneer Sotheby's Japan. The former JAL flight attendant became popular as a newscaster on the TV Asahi show "News Station" in the 90's. Since 1998 she has been the main newscaster on TV Tokyo's "World Business Satellite". She was previously married from 1993 to 2001.

May 1, 2007

Okay, it's finally time for me to stop ragging on Morning Musume. The girl group with the ever-changing lineup has achieved yet another milestone, selling more singles than the legendary idol duo Pink Lady. Their latest single, "Kanashimi Twilight" has entered the latest Oricon chart at No.2 and so far has sold over 50,000 copies. Not exactly a huge number yet, but enough to put their total single sales at 11.085 million over the last ten years and finally beat the long-standing record of Pink Lady. Including total singles sales, they now hold five records for a female group. The others are: the most No.1's (10), the most Top 10 hits (33), the most consecutive years with a No.1 (6) and the most consecutive years with a Top 10 (10).

The only thing keeping them from another No.1 this week is the latest from Johnny's duo Kinki Kids, who have a phenomenal record of their own. "Brand New Song" is the 25th single since they debuted and every one of them has gone to No.1, a feat that got them into the Guinness Book of Records. At No.1 in the album chart is Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne (22), who played an unannounced "guerrilla live" show in front of Shinjuku station on Saturday.
_________________

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

May 2, 2007

Comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi (43) is off to a good start as a movie director. His directorial debut "Dai Nihonjin" isn't due for release until June 2 but it has been invited to this month's 60th Cannes International Film Festival. According to distributor Phantom Film, it will air during Director's Week and will be eligible for the Camera d'Or prize for best first feature film. The festival will be held from May 16-27 and Matsumoto is planning to attend. In keeping with his multi-talented reputation (he has written several best-selling books), Matsumoto also stars in the movie and co-wrote the screenplay. Though details about the movie are being kept under wraps, the debut feature will inevitably be compared with the work of Kitano "Beat" Takeshi (60). Especially as his latest, "Kantoku Banzai", is scheduled to open on the same day as "Dai Nihonjin". Also one of Japan's top comedians, Takeshi turned to the world of movies some years ago and has garnered worldwide acclaim for his varied body of work. He may well be in Cannes this year as he is Japan's representative in a compilation movie of 3-minute segments by 35 of the world's top directors.

Matsumoto said at a press conference in January, when asked to describe his movie, "I definitely don't think it's the kind of work that will be winning prizes at Cannes!" But Cannes artistic director Olivier Pere described it as a "comedy masterpiece" that takes a totally unique approach to mixing fantasy and documentary, adding that he'd already watched it four times!

"Spiderman 3" opened in theaters across the country yesterday, several days before the rest of the world. Costumed fans formed lines up to 150m long for the morning show at theaters in Tokyo, proving that the huge PR for the movie is paying off. Distributor Sony Pictures said that some 400,000 people saw the movie on the opening day, well above the number for the first two installments in the series. At that pace the movie looks set to meet their box-office target of \10 billion. In 2005, "The Da Vinci Code" was seen by 930,000 people in the first week, making over \9 billion. Yesterday was officially a regular work day but many people have taken Tuesday and Wednesday off to have a full 9-day Golden Week holiday. Audiences were boosted by the fact that discount tickets were available yesterday, the first day of the month and so "Movie Day", and today, as Wednesdays are "Ladies Day".

• Freelance announcer Nagai Minako (41) revealed yesterday that she gave birth to her second child in February. She married Hori Kazutomo (41), president of IT group Cybird in 2001 and they had their first child that year. Nagai plans to appear at a Mother's Day even in Yokohama on May 13.
_________________

MissMonika wrote:

• Popular actress Fukada Kyoko (24) has been romantically linked with actor Sainei Ryuji (25), according to the latest issue of weekly magazine "Friday". The pair were spotted holding hands while reading magazines in a Tokyo convenience store earlier this month.

I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to see her debut as stay at home mom.

I'd love to know how they managed to read a magazine while holding hands.
_________________

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

May 3, 2007

The Yomiuri Giants slump continues. Despite the fact that they are having a good season so far and are top of the Central League, the audience rating for their televised night games in April was the worst ever. At 10.8% in the Kanto region, it was well below last year's record low of 12.6%. Ironically, the bad news came on the same day that the Kyojin, as they are known in Japanese, won their milestone 5,000th game. The 5-3, 11-inning win over the Chunichi Dragons at Nagoya Dome also saw the first ever save as a pro for ace pitcher Uehara Koji. The Giants' first ever win came on July 3, 1936.

• Singer Aikawa Nanase (32) is pregnant again. She revealed yesterday on her official website that she is currently 6 months pregnant with her second child. She is currently in recording and says she will go ahead with her annual July 7 concert. With her name including the kanji for the number seven (nana), she chose that date for a show to commemorate her 10th year in showbiz in 2005. The band put together for that event included former X Japan guitarist Pata, former Luna Sea drummer Shinya, and former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman. Aikawa married in February 2001 and had a baby boy the following September.
_________________

Yikes. Looks like she's going to give birth on stage.
_________________

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

May 7, 2007

Yoshizawa Hitomi (22) made her final appearance last night as leader of Morning Musume. She characteristically shed no tears as the group finished their spring tour an afternoon and evening show in front of 30,000 fans at the Saitama Super Arena. Fans also got their first proper look at the group's two new Chinese members, JunJun (19) and LinLin (16). The fourth member to take on the role of leader, "Yossui" leaves after seven years and one month with the group, the longest run of any member. She suffered tragedy in January when her younger brother Hirota died in a traffic accident at the age of 16, just days after she had announced her planned "graduation" from the group. She performed as scheduled at the Osaka Dome four days later, refusing to shed any public tears. Her toughness is a vital part of her success, and she will be straight into her next job this weekend, filling in for former member Tsuji Nozomi (19), whose poor health forced her to drop out of a stage musical.

• Actor Kitamura Kazuo died yesterday of lung failure. He was 80. He had been hospitalized last month following a mild stroke and developed pneumonia. He is survived by his wife Kikuko, actress daughter Yuri (36), and son Yukiya (33), a stage actor. One of the major names in Japanese theater, he also appeared in TV dramas and movies, including Kurosawa Akira's "Tengoku to Jigoku" (Heaven and Hell) and "Nippon Konchuki" (The Insect Woman), directed by his old friend Imamura Shohei. He last appeared on stage in 2004 and last winter he filmed scenes for the yet to be finished movie "Beauty".

• Former actor Achiwa Shinsuke was found dead at a waterfall in Kagoshima Prefecture several days ago, according to a statement yesterday from the production company he ran. Police are investigating the death as a possible suicide. The ex-husband of actress Takigawa Yumi (56), he was best known for his role in the "Ultra Seven" action hero TV series. He suffered two strokes in recent years and had been in poor health since. His daughter is talento Takigawa Hanako (18).

• Comedian Hata Youku (31), better known as the Guitar Samurai, announced yesterday that he is engaged to be married. The relationship with the 33-year-old named only as "A-ko" started when he was 20. It wasn't until 2004 that Hata made his name as one of the breakthrough as one of the faces of the comedy boom. Now that he has established himself, he finally felt ready to propose, which he did in March. The couple are planning to register their marriage later this month. The surge in popularity enjoyed by young comedians in the last few years has seen a number of them marry models and actresses. But some have stayed true to the "regular" women who supported them in leaner times. In addition to Hata, there's Takeyama Takanori (36), Matsumoto Kouta (27) and Neko Hiroshi (29).

• Talento and pin-up girl Kumakiri Asami (26) has admitted that she is in a relationship with Yokohama Bay Stars pitcher Nasuno Takumi (24). A fan of the rival Hanshin Tigers team, she has taken some stick for the fact that Nasuno has said he hates the often fanatical Hanshin fans.

May 8, 2007

The truth is out about Tsuji Nozomi (19). It turns out that the reason the former Morning Musume member recently dropped out of a planned stage musical is that she is two months pregnant and planning to get married. She and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) started dating last year and visited each other's family homes at the end of the year. The diminutive Tsuji, who debuted with Morning Musume in 2000 at the age of 12, was always one of the group's most popular members. After she "graduated" from the group in 2004, she formed the duo "W" with Kago Ai (19), only to see that go down in flames when Kago was fired from the Hello! Project in April. Tsuji was swiftly named to lead a new trio called Gyaruru just two weeks ago, but was diagnosed with an acute stomach ulcer days later. Given the news of her pregnancy, it's likely she is also suffering from morning sickness and will most likely soon be on maternity leave so the future of Gyaruru is unclear. Of the more than two dozen girls who've been members of Morning Musume over the last ten years Tsuji will be just the third to get married. Sugiura made his break in 2001 playing the lead role in the "Ultraman Cosmos" action hero series on TBS. In 2002 he and his younger brother Takao made their singing debut as the duo Ex. Bold. His latest project is the movie "Zero Kara no Kaze", scheduled for release in December.

• Happy news too for talento couple Fujii Takashi (35) and Otoha (26). The couple, who married in July 2005, are expecting their first baby in November. Fujii is best known for his character Matthew Minami, who appeared in the Hollywood movie "Lost in Translation".

• "Spiderman 3" is off to a flying start. It broke the \3 billion barrier at the box office in just six days since it opened on May 1, a new record for a Hollywood movie. It's been seen by over 2.5 million people, way more than the 800,000 who have been to see "Babel", which opened three days earlier.

----------------------------------

Ok, seriously, what's up with these Morning Musume girls? *shakes head*
_________________

MissMonika wrote:

Ok, seriously, what's up with these Morning Musume girls? *shakes head*

It's the clothes they wear: screws them up psychologically.

... and I thought my life was f'ed up.

I've heard on mainichi shinbun, that she met her boyfriend through Mari Yaguchi, and She got kicked out for having a boyfriend. Looks like they got sick of the young innocent virgin act...

She kind of fit well into her new group, cause IIRC, cogals tends to sleep around a lot.
_________________

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

May 9, 2007

Rock singer-songwriter Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (50) is planning a comeback to the big screen after eight years. Movie director Fukusaku Kenta (34) was among the big names attending a PR event yesterday to launch Nagabuchi's first album in four years, "Come On Stand Up!" The pair decided it was time to put some much-needed "macho" back into Japanese movies. "They say the Japanese movie industry is healthy these days, but it's all weepies and comedy," said Fukusaku. "The male action movies my father loved so much are dying out. I want to make use of Nagabuchi-san's physique and make a real fight movie." Their relationship goes back to the 1988 TBS drama "Tombo", directed by Kenta's father, the late Fukusaku Kinji (1930-2003). With the wiry, "junky" look of his younger days, Nagabuchi won rave reviews for his starring role as the yakuza Ogawa Eiji. These days he's a lot more buffed and hangs out with such fighters as K-1 star Kohiruimaki Takayuki (29) and sumo grand champion Asashoryu (26), both in attendance at yesterday's event. Fukusaku Kinji directed such violent classics as "Jingi Naki Tatakai" (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) and "Battle Royale", but his death in 2003 forced his son take over at the helm of "Battle Royale II". No details of the latest movie project are available but it will be Nagabuchi's first movie role since the "Tombo" follow-up "Eiji" in 1999.

• Rocky Wada (53), a popular TV and radio personality in Hokkaido, has been arrested for paying for corrupting a minor. Police say that last summer he met a high school girl, who was 15 at the time, through a "deaikei" mobile website. He arranged to meet her at a hotel in Tomakomai City and paid her \15,000 for sex. Following his arrest in Sapporo yesterday, he said he has no memory of the incident. Real name Wada Norio, he is the host of two long-running shows based around his knowledge of western rock music. Both TV Hokkaido and FM North Wave are planning to cancel his shows.

May 10, 2007

Japan Academy Award-winning movie "Ashita no Kioku" (Memories of Tomorrow) is set to open in the U.S. later this month. Despite his long career, Watanabe Ken (47) made his debut as a leading man in the movie and he was also executive producer of the project. Since it opened in Japan in May of last year, he has been jetting round the world promoting it to foreign buyers with the same passion he showed during the domestic promotion campaign. As he is based in Hollywood these days, a U.S. release was his main priority. His recent work on Hollywood productions, most recently Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima", and his appearance as a presenter on the Oscars have opened a lot of doors for him. The story of "Ashita..." is about a successful middle-aged marketing executive and his wife as they struggle to deal with his early-onset Alzheimers, a theme that resonates beyond national borders. There's also fact that, despite lacking the support of a TV network that is behind most Japanese movies, the feature made a solid \2.2 billion at the box office and received five Japan Academy Award nominations. Watanabe won for the first time as best actor. It opens on 120 screens today in South Korea, and in New York on May 18. It will be in theaters in Los Angeles from June 8 and in San Francisco from July 13.

• Music producer Kobayashi Takeshi (47) is on the verge of divorcing singer Akko, vocalist of his J-pop group My Little Lover, and looks set to marry singer Hitoto Yo (31). It was an affair with Hitoto, exposed in the weekly gossip magazine "Friday" in January, that brought an end to Kobayashi's 11-year marriage. He and Akko, together with guitarist Fujii Kenji (38), formed My Little Lover in 1995. They married the following year and have two children. Fujii left the group in 2002, and it became Akko's solo project last November. She kicked off a nationwide tour on May 7, with Kobayashi in attendance.

May 11, 2007

Japanese-Taiwanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi (33) joined director John Woo (61) in Beijing yesterday to promote the troubled movie "The Battle of Red Cliff". With a \9-billion ($75 million) budget, making it the biggest independent film ever, and the first of two episodes to be released before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the movie has drawn huge interest. But Woo has had a ton of trouble with his casting. Chow Yun-Fat was the biggest name on the bill but left just three days after shooting started last month, citing lack of preparation time. His role as Zhao Yun, a general of the Kingdom of Shu, was given to Hu Jun; Watanabe Ken was cast as Cao Cao, the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty, but was dropped following protests over a Japanese actor playing a Chinese historical figure; and Tony Leung rejected his original role and was lured back with Chow's part; Taiwan-born Kaneshiro was brought in to replace Leung in the role of Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist of the Kingdom of Shu. The movie is based on the greatest battle described in the "sangokushi", or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the great Chinese historical novel written in the 14th century. As the battle of Red Cliff is said to have involved over a million soldiers, Woo has set up several units to film various scenes. Sangokushi is the Japanese reading of the Chinese classic, and has spawned a series of hugely popular manga, anime and computer games. Asked about his late arrival to the project, Kaneshiro said "I've been a big fan of the manga and game versions since I was small, so I know the story." He is certainly no stranger to Chinese historical epics, having just finished "The Warlords" with Jet Li and Andy Lau.

• Popular actor Tsukamoto Takashi (24) is the latest young star to announce a shotgun wedding. His fiancee is a 31-year-old office worker who he met in the autumn of 2003. They started dating in May 2005, found out she was pregnant in February,and got engaged on April 14. Meanwhile, former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (19) and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) held a press conference yesterday to talk about their wedding plans. Sugiura said he proposed on March 10 though it wasn't until a week or so ago that Tsuji discovered she was pregnant. They plan to marry on her 20th birthday but have no plans for a ceremony this year.
_________________

MissMonika wrote:

Popular actor Tsukamoto Takashi (24) is the latest young star to announce a shotgun wedding. His fiancee is a 31-year-old office worker who he met in the autumn of 2003. They started dating in May 2005, found out she was pregnant in February,and got engaged on April 14.

whaaatt??!!

well at least he's gonna take responsibility, not like what i've heard about the fruityboy Yamada Takayuki
_________________

monta wrote:

whaaatt??!! well at least he's gonna take responsibility, not like what i've heard about the fruityboy Yamada Takayuki

LOL.

Is it me or nobody knows about the pill or basic contraception in Japan?
_________________

tabana wrote:

Is it me or nobody knows about the pill or basic contraception in Japan?

i thought they sell 'em like mars bars. vending machines? japanese people are confident in their self control??? so many AVs prooves it
_________________

That must be it. They must be using the calendar thing.
_________________

[quote="MissMonika"]Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

May 16, 2007

A popular afternoon "wide show" is the latest casualty of the shake up at Nippon Terebi. In September "Za Waido" (The Wide; Mon-Fri, 1:55-3:50pm), hosted by Kusano Hitoshi (63) and Mori Fumi (33), is to end its 15-year run as the mainstay of NTV's afternoon schedule. Popularly known as Nittere, NTV was king of the audience rankings for ten straight years up to 2003. It held the top spot for "golden time" (7-10pm), "prime time" (7-11pm) and all day (6am-12am) rankings. But since it dropped to second behind Fuji TV in 2004, it has been making major changes to its lineup. Last year it dropped the news show "NNN Kyou no Dekigoto" after 52 years, replacing it with "News Zero". "Za Waido" first came on the air in 1993 and was unusual at the time for the fact that it didn't start on the hour, now common practice for news and info shows. It is co-produced by NTV and Yomiuri TV, but the latter has decided to pull out and NTV felt they couldn't afford to continue financing the show alone. It's still doing well in its 2-hour mid-afternoon time slot, but TV Asahi's re-runs of popular drama series is top of the rankings. It's likely that NTV will be looking to re-jig both that slot and the hour following it that it currently fills with a drama re-run.

• Actress Yonekura Ryoko has been chosen as Miss Lily 2007. Sponsored by the The Netherlands International Flower Bulb Center, the award is given each year to the woman who looks best holding a bunch of lilies. Of course, reporters were more interested in asking her about rumors that she has rekindled her romance with kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (29). She insisted that since their breakup at the end of 2005 they are just good friends, despite the fact that she flew all the way to Paris in March to watch him perform. Since their split Ebizo has been linked with actresses Sato Eriko and Takaoka Saki and a current, unnamed girlfriend.

May 17, 2007

Former pin-up girl Aota Noriko (39) is one of the celebrities labeled "make-inu" in Japanese showbiz, a phrase that literally means "loser dog" and is given to female celebs thought incapable of getting married. But following the revelation yesterday that she's been married and divorced, her reputation is probably worse than ever. It turns out she married a 38-year-old restaurant owner in 2004 at a time when her career was going nowhere. She told no one but family and close friends, not even her fellow former members of the popular 90s "sexy group" C.C. Girls. But her career took a strange twist shortly after her marriage. She was one of several women, including actress Sugita Kaori (42), former porn star Iijima Ai (34) and model Rinka (33), who were panelists on the new hit TV Asahi variety show "London Hearts". Hosted by comedy duo London Boots, the key to the show's success was its focus on the loser status of these and other female celebrities, most of them on the wrong side of 30. They ranked each other on things like who the public would say would make the worst girlfriend, marriage or sex partner. The success of the show and her new image as "Bubble Aota", someone psychologically stuck in the bubble economy years of the early 1990s, led to more TV appearances. As her public persona became more and more divorced from her private reality, her husband filed for an actual divorce in 2005. But they remain close and have talked about possibly getting remarried once their lifestyles have settled down.

May 18, 2007

At the age of 46, comedienne Hisamoto Masami may have found love at last, according to today's issue of the weekly gossip magazine "Friday". The article says that a handsome company heir, named only as "A-san" and said to be in his early 30s, spends several nights a week at Hisamoto's Tokyo apartment. In a press release from her management agency she said, "He's a good friend. I may be buck-toothed but I'm also a woman, so I'm gonna go on a date now and then. Korekara mo Yorochikubiii!". The last part is one of her famous nipple puns! Known for her often crude humor and a veteran of the Wahaha Honpo comedy troupe, Hisamoto often ranks among Japan's most popular TV celebrities. A-san is the third generation heir to his family's business and is said to resemble a "macho version of soccer star Miura Kazu".

• Director Kawase Naomi (37) is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the third time, as her movie "Magori no Mori" is the only Japanese entry in the competition section. She was a guest, along with her 3-year-old son, at a reception for the Japan Contents Festival held yesterday. Kawase won the Camera d'Or award for best directorial debut with "Moe no Suzaku" in 1997 and had "Sharasojyu" in competition in 2003. As this year is the 60th anniversary of the festival, she says she doesn't get much attention because a lot of big names are in town. But she reckons her latest feature is in with a chance of taking the Palm d'Or.

• Troubled enka singer Mori Shinichi (59) brought the curtain down for the final time on his "Jagaimo no Kai" charity concert yesterday. He started the annual event 23 years ago when he married idol singer Mori Masako (48). But a battle with hepatitis, a messy divorce and an artistic dispute that prevents him from performing some of his greatest hits have led him to call it a day. Not that he's retiring - he gave the first performance of his latest single, "Jinsei Hitasura", set for release on May 23. More than 20 acts were on hand yesterday to lend their support, as was Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.
_________________

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

May 21, 2007

Actress Shiozawa Toki died of cancer at a Tokyo hospital late Thursday night. She was 79. She had been battling the disease for most of her adult life since she was first discovered to have tongue cancer at the age of 30. She was at the peak of her popularity on the variety show circuit in 1984 when she was found to have breast cancer. She underwent a second mastectomy in 2004. In April 2006 she underwent surgery for the fourth time but the cancer had spread throughout her body. She was released from hospital in November but her health deteriorated again in February and she was re-admitted. She made her movie debut with the major Toei studio shortly after WWII and had her first and only starring role in 1954. With her outlandish hairstyles and glasses and crude humor, she shot to fame 30 years later on the Fuji TV afternoon talk show "Itadakimasu".

• Romance has blossomed between actress Kimura Yoshino (31) and actor Iseya Yuusuke (30). The pair worked together last September on the upcoming Miike Takashi movie "Sukiyaki Western Jango". They spent more than a month filming in a remote mountain location in Yamagata Prefecture and started dating after their return to Tokyo. They have recently been spotted shopping together for interior goods. It is the first reported romance for Kimura since her debut in 1996. Iseya was previously linked with actress Hirosue Ryoko in 1999 and with Yoshikawa Hinano in 2003.

• Movie director Kumai Kei (76) was taken to hospital on Friday after a newspaper delivery man discovered him unconscious outside his Tokyo home. He recovered consciousness later and is said to have suffered a stroke.

May 22, 2007

Some of Japan's biggest stars are at Cannes this week. Kitano "Beat" Takeshi (60) is there as one of the 35 directors who took part in a compilation movie to celebrate the Film Festival's 60th anniversary. Takeshi's 3-minute comedy segment, the second in "To Each His Own Cinema", was well received. The short will be shown with Takeshi's upcoming new feature, "Kantoku Banzai", set to open on June 2. True to form, he turned up at the red carpet event wearing a traditional hakama and a silly "chonmage" wig. "In 60 years probably no one has done anything as stupid as that. Next I'd like wear a hakama to the Oscars, and when my name is called take it off and show my arse! If I get an honorary Oscar at the age of 90, I'll probably soil myself and cause real mayhem." Fellow comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi was visibly nervous at the first ever screening of "Dai Nipponjin", his debut as a movie director. But the unique comedy got a standing ovation on Saturday night from the audience of 800, and it has already had distribution offers from ten countries. Also on Saturday night, two members of pop group SMAP were giving a party to promote their respective movies. Kimura Takuya (34) is plugging "Hero", the latest spinoff from a hugely successful Fuji TV drama series. Bandmate Katori Shingo (30) is promoting the movie adaptation of his recent TV version of "Saiyuki" (Journey to the West, also known as Monkey). The party drew about 800 guests from some 12 countries.
_________________

MissMonika wrote:

Kimura Takuya (34) is plugging "Hero", the latest spinoff from a hugely successful Fuji TV drama series.

Gehh, did you see that clown outfit Kimutaku was wearing at Cannes??

He desperately needs a fashion consultant or needs a new one.