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

June 8, 2007

Yoko Ono (74) is to make her first ever appearance on a Japanese music show. She will appear on "Bokura No Ongaku" on the Fuji TV network on June 29. She was approached by pop duo Love Psychedelico, who have performed with her at the annual "John Lennon Super Live" concert for the last two years. They will be going to New York later this month to film a segment for the show. They will also perform several songs on the show, including their cover of the Beatles "Help!" and their new single "Freedom". It's included on "Golden Grapefruit", their first new album in three and a half years, and due for release on June 27.


• Model Nakamura Kentaro (24) was arrested yesterday for the use of cocaine. He was questioned by police in Tokyo's Roppongi district last month and urine samples revealed traces of the drug. He was taken into custody at the Azabu police station yesterday but says he has no recollection of using the drug. As reported here, Nakamura and singer Chinen Rina (26) split after just a year and a half of marriage. They have one child.


• Comedian Sakurazuka Yakkun (30) is a ladies' man after all. Though his hugely popular Sukeban Kyouko character wears a schoolgirl's sailor outfit and makes occasional references to liking guys, his first reported romance is with a female hair makeup artist. Real name Saito Yasuo, he is a former member of the boy group Johnny's Jr and was in a manzai duo called Abare Nunchuck. He made his breakthrough last year using the Yakkun name on the NTV comedy show "Enta no Kamisama" and has remained a regular.


• Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ukon (43) revealed this week that he got married for the third time last December. His new wife Akiko (34), who at 170cm is slightly taller than Ukon, is a native of Chiba Prefecture. He said they have been dating for five years, four of which they have lived together.
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First time I've heard an artist in Japan busted for drugs. It's like they don't even have any.

MissMonika wrote:

I hope she gets to global status. I love her!

Me too.
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gaijinmark wrote:

From what I saw in Engine she didn't have much to express before.

She wasn't that great in brother beat either
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Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

June 11, 2007

Self-styled 21st century pop queen Hamasaki Ayumi (28) finished off her \1.8-billion, 16-show Asian tour on Sunday. For the first time, she finished a tour with a concert in her hometown of Fukuoka, playing the Marine Messe convention center. The tour featured Ayu's first solo concerts overseas, including dates in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and was seen by a total of 170,000 fans. Fukuoka fans were the first to hear her new single, "Glitter", due to go on sale July 18. They also got a look at the 15-minute promo film, which was filmed in Hong Kong and features a kiss scene with actor Shawn Yue (25). Never one to hide her ambition to follow in Madonna's shoes, the show also featured Ayu on a crucifix, though the imagery is meaningless for Japanese audiences.

• It seems that former idol singer Kokusho Sayuri (40) is back with her ex-husband, according to the "Shuukan Post" magazine. The two, junior high school classmates in Kagoshima Prefecture, married in 2000. He left behind a massage clinic business to move to Tokyo in 2002 but they broke up in August of 2003. According to the magazine, he took over the running of her management company in July of last year and the two are now living together in an apartment in the Shibaura district of Tokyo.
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[quote="MissMonika"]Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

June 12, 2007

Recently-crowned Miss Universe Mori Riyo (20) has been in the media spotlight since her return to Japan. She arrived at Narita Airport the day before yesterday and was greeted by dozens of reporters. Yesterday, 11 TV cameras and 150 reporters turned out at her press conference at a Tokyo hotel. She wore a black and white dress and a diamond and pearl tiara said to be worth $250,000. As the first Japanese to win the crown in 48 years, she is in huge demand from the media and has already filmed her first commercial endorsement, for aesthetic company TBC, and has been inundated with interviews. When asked if she had changed in her month and a half away from Japan, she said that she hadn't but everything around her in Japan had. Asked what she had missed, she replied talking with her family and miso soup! She comfortably answered questions in English from foreign media, saying that in the future she hopes to follow in her mother's footsteps and open an international dance school. She soon heads back to New York, where she took part in a recent Japan Day event, and her schedule for the coming year includes traveling to some 25 countries and taking part in charity events for causes such as AIDS.


• Good news for fans who haven't been able to get tickets to see popular rock band L'Arc En Ciel. They announced yesterday that they have 6 different releases coming up before the end of the year. Starting with their next single, "My Heart Draws a Dream", on August 29 they will releases three singles, a new album and two live DVDs over a 5-month period. The group revealed the news as they opened their nationwide hall tour at the Yokosuka Arts Theatre. Though they could easily sell out a stadium tour, vocalist Hyde said the band decided they wanted to perform with less distance from their fans. Yesterday 2,000 of those fans enjoyed a 21-song set that included no less than nine new songs. L'Arc have been one of the outstanding bands in the J-Rock scene for most of their 16-year history.
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MissMonika wrote:

Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: June 11, 2007 Self-styled 21st century pop queen Hamasaki Ayumi (28) finished off her \1.8-billion, 16-show Asian tour on Sunday. For the first time, she finished a tour with a concert in her hometown of Fukuoka, playing the Marine Messe convention center. The tour featured Ayu's first solo concerts overseas, including dates in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and was seen by a total of 170,000 fans. Fukuoka fans were the first to hear her new single, "Glitter", due to go on sale July 18. They also got a look at the 15-minute promo film, which was filmed in Hong Kong and features a kiss scene with actor Shawn Yue (25). Never one to hide her ambition to follow in Madonna's shoes, the show also featured Ayu on a crucifix, though the imagery is meaningless for Japanese audiences.

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

June 13, 2007

Talento Kanda Uno (32) announced yesterday the date for her wedding with pachinko mogul Nishimura Takuro (37). The couple will hold a wedding ceremony at Meiji Jingu shrine followed by a reception at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on October 8. The date is a taian day, the most auspicious day for weddings in the traditional Shinto calendar. True to her recent image as a fashion designer, Uno said the wedding will also be a fashion show featuring her own "Scena D'uno" brand of wedding dresses. Because of the need for a catwalk, she has had to reduce the number of invited guests from 1,000 to around 720. She said she had done all the research and planning for the event herself, from the food to the table decorations. Her good friend, singer Mikawa Kenichi (61), will perform the ballad "Ai no Sanka" (A Hymn to Love). According to a hotel spokesperson, even a regular wedding in the massive "Tsuru-no-Ma" banquet room would cost no less than \5 million. But Kanda has never been one to settle for less than the most expensive of anything. So she'll be reaching well into Nishimura's deep pockets for this event of a lifetime.

• Less happy news for actress Mihara Junko (42). She and talento Happy Happy (38), who formerly went by the name Koala, have for several years been the stereotypical "madly in love" showbiz couple. But now it seems their marriage is on the rocks and they are talking about divorce. It seems the main reason is his extra-marital affairs earlier this year while she was away from home on long theatrical runs. The two married in November 2001, just months after Mihara divorced a racing driver. A former top idol singer, Mihara herself was a racer from 1987 to 1999.

• Actor Enari Kazuki (22), famous for his cleaner than clean image, has sued two newspaper for publishing articles suggesting he frequented sex parlors. The "Nikkan Gendai" and "Naigai Times" published the stories in early April. Enari's management agency sued them for libel and claimed \22 million in compensation, saying there was no truth in the stories and they seriously damaged his image.
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MissMonika wrote:

Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: June 13, 2007 Talento Kanda Uno (32) announced yesterday the date for her wedding with pachinko mogul Nishimura Takuro (37). The couple will hold a wedding ceremony at Meiji Jingu shrine followed by a reception at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on October 8. The date is a taian day, the most auspicious day for weddings in the traditional Shinto calendar. True to her recent image as a fashion designer, Uno said the wedding will also be a fashion show featuring her own "Scena D'uno" brand of wedding dresses. Because of the need for a catwalk, she has had to reduce the number of invited guests from 1,000 to around 720. She said she had done all the research and planning for the event herself, from the food to the table decorations. Her good friend, singer Mikawa Kenichi (61), will perform the ballad "Ai no Sanka" (A Hymn to Love). According to a hotel spokesperson, even a regular wedding in the massive "Tsuru-no-Ma" banquet room would cost no less than \5 million. But Kanda has never been one to settle for less than the most expensive of anything. So she'll be reaching well into Nishimura's deep pockets for this event of a lifetime.

That remained me of one of the side plots in Medaka.

MissMonika wrote:

She and talento Happy Happy (38), who formerly went by the name Koala

Who is his manager, and why do they select such stupid names??

Anime Dad wrote:

Who is his manager, and why do they select such stupid names??

LOL.

The have a bin full of English words on Post-Its and they just reach in and grab a couple to come up with a name.

2 of the new Momusu members are from China. looks like they ran out of girls who can act 'virgin' without secretly dating someone and getting pregnant in Japan...
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Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

June 14, 2007

Singer Matsuda Seiko (45) is to make her first TV drama appearance in two years. Matsuda took part in filming of the Fuji TV drama "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e" in a Tokyo suburban location yesterday. Based on a hugely popular girl's manga of the same name about a boarding school for handsome boys, the drama will air on Tuesday nights from July 3. Matsuda plays the school principal, while the main roles are students Sano Izumi (played by Oguri Shun,22), Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki, 18) and Nakatsu Shuuichi (Ikuta Touma, 22). Mizuki is a student returnee from the U.S. who falls for Sano and dresses as a boy to be close to him, while Nakatsu falls for Mizuki without realizing she is a girl (it all sounds a bit like that Blur song "Girls & Boys"!). The story ran in the "Hana to Yume" manga from 1996 to 2004, and as a separate 23-volume series it sold over 13 million copies. A TV drama adaptation became the biggest Mandarin-language hit of 2006 in Taiwan.

June 15, 2007

TV Asahi announcer Ishii Kiwa (29) is engaged to marry the owner of a pro baseball team. She and Rakuten Golden Eagles president Shimada Toru (42) announced yesterday that they will register their marriage on the auspicious date of July 7 (07/07/07) and hold a wedding ceremony in October. TV Asahi and the Rakuten headquarters are both located in the Roppongi Hills complex in central Tokyo. The couple were introduced last year through a mutual friend. Ishii joined "TeleAsa" in 2000 after graduating from Ferris University, and is currently a presenter on the early morning show "Yajiuma Plus". Shimada, a graduate of Tokai University, has worked for companies such as Recruit and became a director of major IT company Rakuten in 2004. A divorcee, he has a daughter in elementary school.

• It was revealed yesterday that R&B singer Ueda Masaki (57) and his saxophone player wife Asa Chika (47) have been divorced since last year. The two married in December 1988 and often collaborated on musical projects. But they separated last summer and were officially divorced in October. The cause is thought to be related to Ueda's religious beliefs. The news came out (coincidentally?) just as he is releasing a new album.
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Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

June 18, 2007

Members of popular Johnny's Jimusho boy band NEWS announced yesterday that the group are scheduled to perform their first overseas concerts. They will play two shows at the Taipei Arena in Taiwan on October 6-7. The announcement came from two members of the group, the "TegoMasu" duo of Tegoshi Yuya (19) and Masuda Takuhisa (20), who were presenters on Taiwan's biggest music awards show and played a surprise 3-song show yesterday at the Taipei youth mecca of Ximending. About 1,000 fans turned out to meet the pop duo at the airport last Friday, an indication of their solid fan base on the island. NEWS reached No.1 on the Taiwanese chart with their album "Touch" in 2005, and in April they topped the charts again with their single "Hoshi wo Mezashite".

• Yesterday an NTV production director was arrested for drug use. Saegusa Mikinao (33) was detained at the weekend at the Shibuya police station on suspicion of using amphetamines. He was caught shoplifting on Saturday evening and a urine test turned up traces of the drug. As always seems to be reported in these cases, the news included a statement from the suspect saying "I bought the drugs from a foreigner." It is the third criminal case this year involving an NTV employee.

• Murakami Tetsuya (36), the sunglass-wearing leader of the 5-member vocal group Gospellers, revealed on their official website yesterday that he is married. He said he and his wife held a wedding ceremony at the Asakusa Jinja shrine on June 15.

• TBS announcer Aoki Yuko (24) admitted on the live "Sunday Japon" yesterday that she is dating a former assistant director on the show. The two were photographed by one of the weekly gossip magazines, and the show's emcees, comedy duo Bakusho Mondai, were quite happy to put her on the spot.

June 19, 2007

Former Morning Musume member Konno Asami (20) is rejoining the Hello! Project fold. She quit Momus in July of last year to pursue her dream of studying at Keio University. Last December she passed the entrance exam for the Environment and Information Studies department of the prestigious school and started studying at the Fujisawa campus in April. But she announced yesterday that she is to rejoin the Gatas Brilhantes H.P. futsal team as goalkeeper and will take part in the upcoming CD debut by ten of its members. Including other former Momus members such as Yoshizawa Hitomi (22) and Ishikawa Rika (22), the group will release "Narihajimeta Koi no Bell" on August 22. The single is also the theme tune for Cirque du Soleil's circus show "Dralion". The combination of pop idols and futsal may seem a strange one, but it has been a marketing success and Gatas is one of the strongest teams. Though she says her priority is her college studies, Konno wants to enjoy both worlds as much as possible. She will also join the Hello! Project nationwide tour starting in Nagoya on July 15.

• An armed man forced his way into the Akasaka management office of Kawashima Naomi (46) on June 13 demanding to see the popular actress. The man, described as 46 years old and unemployed, wielded a box cutter and threatened agency staff. But he was soon taken into police custody and no one was injured. Kawashima was not in the office at the time.
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Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture:

June 20 2007

The media are speculating about the meaning of today's planned press conference by comedian Yabe Hiroyuki (35, photo left). All the tabloids put the story on their front pages, as the straight man of popular comedy duo Ninety Nine revealed he had some news to announce about his private life. He has often referred to his long-term relationship with a former model he calls Hitomi-chan. So the media's first assumption was that it would be a wedding announcement. But this morning, most are speculating that it's more likely the couple have split up. We'll have to wait and see what he has to say to reporters during today's recording of the show "Mecha Mecha Iketeru". All of the show's regular cast members, including Yabe's comedy partner Okamura Takashi (36, photo right), are said to be taking part in the press conference.

• One comedian who is definitely married to a former model is Kajiwara Yuuta (26) of the duo King Kong. He and the 21-year-old recently tied the knot, and they are both to make an appearance on tonight's edition of the Fuji TV show "Haneru no Tobira". Kajiwara was briefly married in 2003-04 to a woman who nursed him through an illness that forced him put his comedy career on hold.

• Public broadcaster NHK has been hit by yet another scandal. This time it is the arrest of an employee under the law related to child prostitution and pornography. Emoto Eigen (34) was arrested May 31 and fined \500,000 by the Tokyo Summary Court for corrupting a minor after he was found to have paid a 16-year-old high school girl for sex last October. NHK announced that he was to be officially dismissed as of June 26. Emoto joined the network in 1998 as a director, and worked on such shows as "Salaryman Neo". He switched to the network's educational channel last summer.

• Talento Yamaguchi Moe (30) announced on her blog yesterday that she gave birth to her first child at a Tokyo hospital on Monday. She and IT company president Ozeki Shigeo (32) married in November 2005.

June 21, 2007

It turns out the media speculation was right. At a press conference yesterday held at a central Tokyo hotel by comedian Yabe Hiroyuki (35, photo left), he announced that his 15-year relationship with a former model he refers to as Hitomi-chan (31) was over. He said he had proposed to her over dinner last month, but she had turned him down. Providing emotional support - and plenty of digs - at yesterday's event was Okamura Takashi (36, photo right) his partner in the comedy duo Ninety Nine and the rest of the regulars from the Fuji TV variety show "Mecha Mecha Iketeru". The show has a history of announcing major personal stories, such as marriages, breakups and babies, of its cast members. Asked the reason for the split, Yabe said that he had taken the relationship too lightly. "If I had been ready to get married sooner, this wouldn't have happened." Though many views yesterday's event as little more than a successful publicity stunt, and there were plenty of jokes, Yabe's heartbreak was clearly visible and genuine.

• Someone who did manage to get married recently is actress Miyazaki Aoi (21). She and actor Takaoka Sousuke (25) tied the knot after a 7-year relationship that began when she was still a junior high student. But at the time, she was already an established model and child actress, visiting the Cannes Film Festival following her acclaimed role in the 2000 movie "Eureka". She starred in the 2006 NHK morning drama series "Junjo Kirari" and the movie "Nana", while Takaoka starred in the successful 2004 movie "Pacchigi!"

• American pop singer Christina Aguilera (26) performed for 10,000 fans at the venerable Nippon Budokan in Tokyo yesterday. With a stage show that included 20 backing dancers, a circus troupe and a carousel, she went through a dozen costume changes. She finishes off her brief Japan tour with another show at the venue tonight.
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okay this is freakin interestin:

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

Utada, Ozma Lay Down Naruto, Evangelion Tracks

June 29, 2007

Two big J-pop names are to provide the theme tunes to anime features this summer. "Beautiful World", the upcoming single from Utada Hikaru (24), will be the signature tune for the latest "Evangelion" movie adaptation. Director Anno Hideaki (47) is a big Hikki fan, and he approached the singer directly about taking part in the project. The single is due for release on August 29 and the movie opens on September 1. Meanwhile, "Naruto" fan DJ Ozma jumped at the chance to lay down a track for "Naruto - Shippuden", the latest movie version of the popular TV Tokyo anime series. "Lie, Lie, Lie" will be in stores on August 1, and the movie opens on August 4.


• A wake was held at a branch of the Anrakuji temple in Tokyo last night for actor-comedian Tani Kanichi, who died of a brain aneurism on June 25. He was 74. Real name Nishimura Masaaki, as an actor he was best known for the late-1950s TV superhero series "Gekko Kamen". He was also the only surviving member of Three Pockets, a vaudeville comedy trio that also included legendary "Tora-san" actor Atsumi Kiyoshi (1928-1996) and Seki Keiroku (1928-2006). A funeral is being held this morning.


• It's been a while since we reported on any J-Leaguers here. But now we have a reason, as national team defender Nakata Koji (27) is romantically involved with actress Kato Ai (24). Though Nakata played French team Marseilles in 2005 and transferred to Basel in the Swiss league in 2006, the couple have been dating for three years. Currently in the off season, he was recently spotted with Kato on a dinner date in Tokyo. Their management agencies refused to comment on the story.


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DJ Ozma??? . the kid's are gonna freak out knowing the fact that their fave ninja movie has a nude-dancing DJ singing the soundtrack.
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monta wrote:

okay this is freakin interestin: Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: Utada, Ozma Lay Down Naruto, Evangelion Tracks June 29, 2007 Two big J-pop names are to provide the theme tunes to anime features this summer. "Beautiful World", the upcoming single from Utada Hikaru (24), will be the signature tune for the latest "Evangelion" movie adaptation. Director Anno Hideaki (47) is a big Hikki fan, and he approached the singer directly about taking part in the project. The single is due for release on August 29 and the movie opens on September 1. Meanwhile, "Naruto" fan DJ Ozma jumped at the chance to lay down a track for "Naruto - Shippuden", the latest movie version of the popular TV Tokyo anime series. "Lie, Lie, Lie" will be in stores on August 1, and the movie opens on August 4. • A wake was held at a branch of the Anrakuji temple in Tokyo last night for actor-comedian Tani Kanichi, who died of a brain aneurism on June 25. He was 74. Real name Nishimura Masaaki, as an actor he was best known for the late-1950s TV superhero series "Gekko Kamen". He was also the only surviving member of Three Pockets, a vaudeville comedy trio that also included legendary "Tora-san" actor Atsumi Kiyoshi (1928-1996) and Seki Keiroku (1928-2006). A funeral is being held this morning. • It's been a while since we reported on any J-Leaguers here. But now we have a reason, as national team defender Nakata Koji (27) is romantically involved with actress Kato Ai (24). Though Nakata played French team Marseilles in 2005 and transferred to Basel in the Swiss league in 2006, the couple have been dating for three years. Currently in the off season, he was recently spotted with Kato on a dinner date in Tokyo. Their management agencies refused to comment on the story. ------------------------ DJ Ozma??? . the kid's are gonna freak out knowing the fact that their fave ninja movie has a nude-dancing DJ singing the soundtrack.

Scary
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No more pregnant Momusu girls. It's been almost a month. Are they wearing chastity belts now?
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MissMonika wrote:

Entertainment news from Japan-zone.com-Your Guide to Japan and Japanese Culture: June 7, 2007 Singer-songwriter Ayaka (19) is being touted as the J-pop who just might go global. Yesterday she became the first Japanese artist to have a video released as a world premiere through the iTunes Store. And she is in good company, being just the third artist overall, after Justin Timberlake and Bjork. The video for her upcoming 5th single, "Jewelry Day" (on sale from July 4), was released in ten countries worldwide, including the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany. And her million-selling debut album, "First Message", is to be distributed in 22 countries at once, a record for a Japanese artist. Ayaka's star quality was clear right from her February 2006 debut single, "I Believe", which reached No.3 on the Oricon chart and sold a quarter of a million copies. The chart-topping success of her 4th single "Mikazuki" brought exposure overseas too, being shown across the continent on MTV Asia. She is currrently in the middle of a nationwide tour, and told fans about her iTunes breakthrough during a concert this week in Kanazawa. ------------------ I hope she gets to global status. I love her!

wow! this is great! im a big fan of hers!!
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tabana wrote:

No more pregnant Momusu girls. It's been almost a month. Are they wearing chastity belts now?

Maybe they finally got wise to this important rubber derivative - the condom.

I hope so. It's less creepy.
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