Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]

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X Japan makes U.S. debut at Lollapalooza

Wednesday 11th August, 01:00 AM JST



CHICAGO —

Rock band X Japan made their U.S. debut at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago last Sunday, attracting a crowd of around 20,000 in the summer heat.

The band serenaded the audience with classics such as “Kurenai” and “X” before leader Yoshiki tore up the drums and rampaged around stage at the end of the set.

The band announced that its U.S. tour will start on Sept 25, with Yoshiki saying that “The rocket’s been ignited.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Married life for Ebi-chan is 'sweet'

Wednesday 11th August, 10:00 AM JST



TOKYO —

Model Yuri Ebihara, 30, preached her love of brand bags and the sweeter things in life Tuesday at an opening ceremony for the new Samantha Thavasa Sweets & Travel store located in Haneda airport.

Dressed in the shop’s cabin attendant-like uniform, Ebi-chan, as she is popularly known, said of married life with her new hubby, Rip Slyme’s Ilmari, 35, that “It’s pretty sweet, though not in the way these desserts are.”

The pair, who married in Paris on June 16, reportedly plan to hold a wedding reception in Tokyo at the end of August for friends and business associates.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Tomosaka Rie, Suneohair to Wed       
August 11, 2010



Popular actress Tomosaka Rie (30, photo right) and singer Suneohair (39, photo center) are planning to get married within the year, it was revealed yesterday. The couple have already told friends about their plans, less than a year after they started dating. It would be the second marriage for Tomosaka, who divorced from theatrical producer Kawahara Masahiko (41) at the beginning of 2008 and since has custody of their son (5). Suneohair has previously been married twice to the same woman, with whom he has two children.

Tomosaka made her showbiz debut in a TV commercial for Toyota in 1992. She has gone on to become a regular in TV and movie roles, and won a Golden Arrow best newcomer award for a stage role in 2000. Given name Watanabe Kenji, Suneohair was an independent musician until 2002, when he made his major label debut. He had some stage experience from his college days and first worked on the big screen in 2003. He landed his first starring role in the movie "Aburakusasu no Matsuri," in which he and Tomosaka played a husband and wife and also performed a duet for the ending theme. Filming started last November and the movie is scheduled to open in the late autumn. Suneohair is also known for contributing the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the popular shojo manga "Honey & Clover."

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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CAPE New Writers Award Winners Announced with $8,000 in Prize Money Awarded

August 9, 2010 by J!-ENT

Winners Announced for the 11th Annual New Writers Awards With Presentation at the Japanese American National Museum on August 19, 2010

Los Angeles — (August 9, 2010) — With submissions from the United States and
all over the world (including Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and
Taiwan), the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit arts and entertainment organization, and Fox
Entertainment Group (FOX) proudly announces the winners for the prestigious
11th annual CAPE New Writers Awards.  The CAPE New Writers Awards is
sponsored by FOX with support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Selected winners, in both Screenwriting and Television Writing categories,
will each receive a cash prize of $4,000, Final Draft software, a Staged
Reading of their winning script as well as meetings with prominent
entertainment industry producers and executives.

“One of the greatest challenges for any writer in Hollywood is to get read
by executives, producers, and agents.  This award gives these writers
unparalleled access to Hollywood professionals”, states Steve Tao, president
of CAPE, “The CAPE New Writers Awards is also an opportunity to cultivate
and recognize excellence in the realm of film and television writing by
highly talented writers of Asian and/or Pacific Islander heritage, it is a
pleasure to honor these talented individuals as we herald the new generation
of Asian and Pacific Islanders entering into the world of entertainment.”

The 2010 Winners and Finalists in the categories of Screenwriting and
Television Writing are:

Screenwriting Winner: HOW TO THROW A PARTY IN PAKISTAN by Jaffar Mahmood
1st Runner-Up: HIS & HERS by Mia Riverton
2nd Runner Up: SO I MARRIED A BLACK GUY by Ann N. Truong

Television Writing Winner: ERASISTS by Randall Park
1st Runner-Up: ISA’S RETURN by Leonard Chang
2nd Runner Up: BECOMING KATE by Leonardo Nam & Sarah Drew

This year’s Winners and Finalists will be presented on Thursday; August 19,
2010 at the Japanese American National Museum’s (JANM) National Center for
the Preservation of Democracy, Los Angeles. There will also be a Staged
Reading of last year’s winning scripts for the 2009 CAPE New Writers Awards.
More information can be found at www.capeusa.org.

“FOX continues its commitment to diversity by sponsoring the CNWA since its
inception and supports CAPE’s dedication to nurturing the talented writers
who have emerged,” states Mitsy Wilson, senior vice president of diversity,
FOX Entertainment Group.

The first Screenwriting Award was given in 1999 and the first Television
Writing Award presented in 2001. Previous winners include Alice Wu for
SAVING FACE, which served as her directorial debut and was produced and
distributed through Sony Pictures Classics; Young Il Kim, whose winning
script HYUNG’S OVERTURE was optioned by producer and CAPE Board of Advisor
member, Teddy Zee (PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS), and last year’s television winner
Aaron Ho, who is now a staff writer on ABC’s hit series COUGAR TOWN.

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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Long live X Japan!

August 10, 2010 by J!-ENT



There’s not much to say since we weren’t at Lollapalooza this year. But as a long time follower of the band and seeing the American audience reaction to the band and to see how the crowd grew over time, it was awesome to see everyone rocking to music and seeing people who have never heard of the band before really getting into them. Please check out the following articles in regards to X Japan’s performance at Lollapalooza: 1, 2, 3, Long live X Japan!



Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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"High School Debut" goes live-action
Tue, August 10, 2010 (12:21pm EDT)



The hit manga series "Koukou Debut" ("High School Debut") by artist Kazune Kawahara will come to life in a movie adaptation, it has been announced. This month's issue of Bessatsu Margaret revealed that a film is in the works, but details such as the cast and release date are still unknown.

The original manga ran in the magazine from 2003 to 2008 and was printed as 13 collected volumes. It tells the story of a young girl named Haruna who was completely absorbed with softball during her middle school days, but now that she is in high school, she decides to completely redo her lifestyle and focus on falling in love. In order to increase her popularity with boys, she convinces a good-looking upperclassman to become her coach. Although he makes her agree to not fall in love with him, she naturally does.

More details about the movie will be announced at a later date.


Source: www.tokyograph.com

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V6's Sakamoto becomes Zorro
Tue, August 10, 2010 (7:53pm EDT)



Masayuki Sakamoto (39) of V6 will take on the starring role in a production of the "Zorro" musical next year. Sakamoto has appeared in stage productions every year since 1992, but this is said to be the first time that he has earned the part through an audition.

The "Zorro" musical was first performed in London in 2008-2009, and the Japanese version will be produced by the same staff. They came to Japan this past January to hold auditions, which reportedly included many famous actors. After hearing Sakamoto's singing, director Christopher Renshaw felt that he was perfect for the part of Zorro.

Sakamoto's part will include scenes of flamenco, flying, and fencing. He has already started physically preparing for the role.

"Zorro" will be performed at Tokyo's Nissay Theatre from January 13 to February 28, 2011.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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MISIA joins top artists for David Foster album
Tue, August 10, 2010 (8:39pm EDT)



Singer MISIA (32) is joining the likes of Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion. Her new song "Life in Harmony" is being produced by famous Canadian music producer David Foster (60), and it will be included on Foster's upcoming compilation album "Love, Again," which goes on sale in Japan on September 15.

This October, Foster is embarking on an Asia tour as a musician, bringing him to Japan for the first time in 16 years. Looking to collaborate with Asian artists during the tour, he chose MISIA for her powerful voice. As a result, they worked together on the song "Life in Harmony," which was already recorded at a Los Angeles studio earlier this month. Although Foster produced the song, MISIA herself wrote the lyrics.

The "Love, Again" album comprises two discs with 34 of Foster's works, including Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" and Madonna's "You'll See." Other artists appearing on the collection include Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Peter Cetera, and Seiko Matsuda.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Kaoru Watanabe takes taiko into uncharted waters

By Dan Grunebaum



TOKYO —

As artistic director of the acclaimed Earth Celebration music festival in 2007, Kaoru Watanabe had gone just about as far as a disciple of the taiko drum could go. The question became: what next?

Watanabe answered in two ways. The first was to move to New York and launch the Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center. The second was to create a series of “Resonance” events, which explore the possibilities of the taiko as a launchpad for cross-disciplinary improvisations with all manner of musicians, performers and artists.

“This project started as a one-off performance, an offshoot of Earth Celebration really,” Watanabe explains by email from New York. “But when it was over, everyone kept saying we should do this again.”

The first Resonance saw Watanabe directing a cast that included the stunningly adept New York-based tap dancer Tamango; vocalist Mio Matsuda, an interpreter of the languorous Portuguese ballad style known as fado; and artist D.H. Rosen, who created a stage set of ceramic objects that Tamango rhythmically demolished. With additional contributions from avant-garde cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto and live calligrapher Koji Kakinuma, the event was a case study in how to pull off a performance involving wildly different styles of music and art.

Watanabe avoided the crossover cliché of taiko-meets-electric guitar or shakuhachi-meets-techno-beats by choosing an unconventional cast and then giving it latitude to create something new.

“The number one lesson I learned is to pick your partners well,” he says. “I like to create interesting combinations of players who can improvise with each other in a way that both challenges them and provides an opportunity to express themselves fully. Then, manipulating tension and drama through the sequencing of these encounters, I try to create an abstract narrative that keeps the audience swept up in the ebb and flow [from when] the first note is sounded till the lights go up.”

What are the risks of free-form improvisation with so many artists? “The more people there are, the more each individual has to know when to step up and make something happen and when to lay back,” he says. “One of my jobs as artistic director is to provide guidance as to when those times may be.”

After a two-year break, Watanabe returned last year with “Resonance II: Echology,” which brought on avant-garde percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and powerful taiko player Yuu Ishizuka. Like the first Resonance, it was a shifting kaleidoscope of percussion of different strains, music and art, all of which “resonated” back and forth across several stages set up in the open box of Nishi-Azabu performance space SuperDeluxe.

The upcoming Resonance, subtitled “Reflections,” gets its premiere at Earth Celebration on Sado Island before moving to Tokyo and Kyoto. The core cast of Watanabe, Tamango, Matsuda and Rosen will be joined by Kiyohiko Semba of the Semba School of traditional Japanese music, fellow Kodo alumni and taiko virtuoso Ryutaro Kaneko, acoustic bassist Jyoji Sawada and calligrapher Kakinuma.

“I think the fact that we are coming into our third gathering is really significant,” explains Watanabe. “But ‘Reflections’ isn’t meant to mark the end of the journey; instead, it’s an opportunity to think about how far we’ve come and where we are going. It takes so much energy and serendipity to bring all of these artists from across the world to gather in one place, and I think everyone knows how special that is. So the idea of ‘Reflections’ is to remind us to take pause and celebrate the process.”

For Watanabe—the son of musicians in the St Louis Symphony Orchestra—Resonance also represents the natural next step in his evolution from American flute prodigy to an apprenticeship with Kodo and on to his current role as taiko apostle in New York.

Watanabe says that in America, where he’ll be teaching a course on taiko this year at Princeton University, the Japanese drumming scene is a mixed bag. “There is a lot of great taiko going on—with groups and individuals that are community- and fun-oriented—and that don’t take themselves too seriously and strive to improve. There is plenty of bad taiko as well, always done by those who take themselves way too seriously. I try not to pay them much mind—nor be one of them!”

“Resonance” will be performed Aug 28 at 8 p.m. at SuperDeluxe in Nishi-Azabu. Tel: 03-5412-0515. Tickets are 4,000 yen in advance and 4,500 yen at the door.

For “Earth Celebration,” taiko supergroup Kodo invites Corsican vocal ensemble A Filetta for their annual festival. Aug 20-22, various times & prices. Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture. Tel: 0259-81-4100.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Norwegian wins grand prix at Hiroshima animation festival

Thursday 12th August, 04:13 AM JST

HIROSHIMA —

A Norwegian woman won the top prize at the 13th International Animation Festival in Hiroshima on Wednesday. Anita Killi won the grand prix for her ‘‘Angry Man’’ and said she was happy the audience appreciated her work.
   
Meanwhile, ‘‘Divers in the Rain,’’ produced by Priit Parn and Olga Parn, both from Estonia, won the Hiroshima award, which is given to an animation thought to best reflect the festival’s theme of love and peace. A total of 57 works were shown at this year’s festival out of 1,937 entries from 58 countries and regions.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Norika Fujiwara gets in the saddle for NHK drama

Thursday 12th August, 06:00 AM JST



TOKYO —

Actress Norika Fujiwara, 39, will star in the upcoming NHK drama “Chance,” which tells the story of a working woman at a securities firm who gets wrapped up in the races and the plight of one particular horse.

When asked what it was like having a horse as a co-star, Fujiwara smiled, “I started riding lessons recently and now I can see why they’re so beautiful. It was the first time I’ve ever ridden a thoroughbred.”

Actor Ken Utsui, 78, who plays the role of a chef, has been riding horses for the past 50 years. He said he understands the way the animals think, and boasted that “I’m the only in Japan who could play this role. No one can handle a horse better than I can.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

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VIZ CINEMA CELEBRATES AKIRA KUROSAWA SAMURAI CLASSICS IN SPECIAL AUGUST FILM SERIES

August 11, 2010 by J!-ENT

Bay Area Theatre Presents A Rare Opportunity To Screen 6 Of The Visionary Director’s Most Iconic Films

San Francisco, CA, August 11, 2010 – VIZ Cinema and NEW PEOPLE are proud to present Kurosawa On Sword Battles – Samurai Saga Volume 2, a new film series opening on August 20th marking the centennial birth of Japan’s most beloved film director – Akira Kurosawa – and celebrating nearly half a century of big screen samurai action and drama. General Admission Tickets: $10:00; No discounts apply.


Screening times and more details are available at: www.vizcinema.com.

Seven Samurai, August 20th – 22nd

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1954, 207min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

One of the most beloved films of all time, Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three-hour ride, featuring legendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, seamlessly weaves philosophy, entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action into a rich, evocative, and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.

Rashamon, August 21st – 25th

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1950, 88min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to explore the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.

Yojimbo, August 23rd – August 28th and also August 31st

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1961, 110min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.

Sanjuro, August 25th – August 30th

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1962, 96min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

Toshiro Mifune again swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa’s tightly paced, beautifully composed drama. In this companion piece to Yojimbo, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan’s betrayer, and in the process turns their image of a “proper” samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character’s return is a masterpiece in its own right.

Throne of Blood, August 28h – September 2nd

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1957, 109min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

One of the most celebrated screen adaptations of Shakespeare into film, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood reimagines Macbeth in feudal Japan. Starring the director’s longtime collaborator Toshiro Mifune and the legendary Isuzu Yamada as his ruthless wife, the film tells of a valiant warrior’s savage rise to power and his ignominious fall. With Throne of Blood, Kurosawa fused one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies with the formal elements of Japanese Noh theater to make a Macbeth that is all his own – a classic tale of ambition and duplicity set against a ghostly landscape of fog and inescapable doom.


The Hidden Fortress, August 28h – September 2nd

(Directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1958, 139min, 35mm, Japanese with English Subtitles)

A general and a princess must dodge enemy clans while smuggling the royal treasure out of hostile territory with two bumbling, conniving peasants at their sides; it’s a spirited adventure that only Akira Kurosawa could create. Acknowledged as a primary influence on George Lucas’sStar Wars, The Hidden Fortress delivers Kurosawa’s inimitably deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action and humanist compassion on an epic scale. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark motion picture in a stunning, newly restored Tohoscope edition.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com.

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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August 12, 2010



In an effort to boost the sagging audience rankings of its morning drama slot, NHK took everyone by surprise by naming established actress Inoue Mao (23, photo left) as the star of next year's 50th anniversary series. "Ohisama" will air at 8am on Mondays through Saturdays from March 28, 2011. It is set in the Nagano Prefecture towns of Matsumoto and Azumino, and tells the story of a teacher who becomes a maker of soba (buckwheat noodles). The original script is by Okada Yoshikazu (51, photo right), who also wrote one of the more popular morning dramas, "Churasan," in 2001.

At a press conference yesterday, the media were visibly taken by surprise when the leading actress's name was announced. But Inoue herself admitted to having been bowled over by her choice for a morning drama role, something she had dreamed of since she was a girl. "It's seen as a gateway to stardom for young actors and the auditions are very competitive. I had half given up that my name would ever be called, so I was very surprised," she said. She added that she had watched the 2007 series "Chiritotechin" without missing a single episode. "I thought it seemed like a tough job. Portraying the life of one person for such a long time, it must need both physical and mental strength."

The NHK morning drama slot is usually reserved as a vehicle to launch the career of a promising young actress, such as Tanaka Miri and Konishi Miho. During the 1960s to 80s, the morning drama slot enjoyed solid audience ratings of 30-40%, but that has fallen to around 10% in recent years. The current series, "Gegegeg no Nyobo" had the worst ever ratings for an opening episode, and though it has since been doing reasonably well, it rarely breaks the 20% barrier.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Charts: Arashi, SMAP
Wed, August 11, 2010 (10:28am EDT)



Johnny's Jimusho once again dominated the music sales charts this past week as expected, with Arashi's "Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" achieving the #1 album and SMAP's "This is love" achieving the #1 single.

"Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" sold 731,000 copies, becoming the group's 8th consecutive number-one album and setting their personal record for best first-week sales of an original album. (It fell slightly short of the 753,000 copies sold by their best album last year.) In addition, "Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" is already the best-selling album so far this year.

The other new albums in the top ten were from RIP SLYME (#2), Tamio Okuda (#4), Shonannokaze (#5), and cosMo feat. Miku Hatsune (#6).



SMAP's 45th single, "This is love," sold 276,000 copies. This is their first one to break the quarter-million mark in the first week since their 2003 hit "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana," which eventually sold more than 2 million copies. "This is love" also ties them again with B'z for the record of most consecutive years with a Top 10 single (20) and gives them the record for most consecutive Top 10 singles for a group (45).

Meanwhile, the new "K-On!!" theme songs took the #2 and #3 spots. Ikimono Gakari's latest single was #4, followed in order by new releases from Kana Nishino, No Sleeves, Idoling!!!, and FUNKY MONKEY BABYS. Shinsengumi Lien also made the top ten in the final spot (#10).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Charts: Arashi, SMAP
Wed, August 11, 2010 (10:28am EDT)



Johnny's Jimusho once again dominated the music sales charts this past week as expected, with Arashi's "Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" achieving the #1 album and SMAP's "This is love" achieving the #1 single.

"Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" sold 731,000 copies, becoming the group's 8th consecutive number-one album and setting their personal record for best first-week sales of an original album. (It fell slightly short of the 753,000 copies sold by their best album last year.) In addition, "Boku no Miteiru Fuukei" is already the best-selling album so far this year.

The other new albums in the top ten were from RIP SLYME (#2), Tamio Okuda (#4), Shonannokaze (#5), and cosMo feat. Miku Hatsune (#6).



SMAP's 45th single, "This is love," sold 276,000 copies. This is their first one to break the quarter-million mark in the first week since their 2003 hit "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana," which eventually sold more than 2 million copies. "This is love" also ties them again with B'z for the record of most consecutive years with a Top 10 single (20) and gives them the record for most consecutive Top 10 singles for a group (45).

Meanwhile, the new "K-On!!" theme songs took the #2 and #3 spots. Ikimono Gakari's latest single was #4, followed in order by new releases from Kana Nishino, No Sleeves, Idoling!!!, and FUNKY MONKEY BABYS. Shinsengumi Lien also made the top ten in the final spot (#10).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Cowcow's Kenji Tada marries
Wed, August 11, 2010 (11:15am EDT)



Comedian Kenji Tada (36) of the duo COWCOW announced on Wednesday that he is no longer single. On July 7, he registered his marriage with a woman named Kunika, who is 12 years younger than him.

The pair met two years ago. Kunika, who has been a fan of Tada for a long time, went to one of his performances and was able to catch his attention. Tada passed on his phone number via a staff member, and the two soon began dating. About a year ago, they started living together, and Tada proposed earlier this year in time for Tanabata (generally celebrated on July 7).

Tada and his wife plan to hold a private wedding reception on October 10.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Takayuki Yamada plays loan shark in "Ushijima-kun" drama series
Wed, August 11, 2010 (7:11pm EDT)



Actor Takayuki Yamada (26) has not had a lead role in a television drama since 2006, but that will change this fall. He has been cast as the star of TBS's "Yamikin Ushijima-kun" ("Ushijima the Loan Shark"), based on Shohei Manabe's manga of the same name. News of the adaptation was first revealed earlier this week, though no cast details were announced at the time.

Yamada will take on a fierce look as he plays Ushijima, the head of a ruthless black market lending operation, which charges as much as 50% interest every ten days. Although he is the central character, the series focuses on the stories of the loan borrowers who have to deal with their debt problems.



Yamada's supporting cast includes Nana Katase (28) as a new employee at Ushijima's company, a character new to the drama version. Kyosuke Yabe (36) and Hiromi Sakimoto (23) will also appear, as well as adult film stars Miyuki Yokoyama (20), Risa Kasumi (26), and Jessica Kizaki (21).

TBS plans to air the series late at night, but the day and time are still unknown. The first episode is scheduled for October.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Utada’s blog receives 1 million views in 24 hours

Friday 13th August, 01:00 AM JST



TOKYO —

Singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada, 27, announced on her official blog at 8 p.m. last Monday that she will suspend her musical activities for an indefinite period starting next year. Within the next 24 hours, access to her blog surpassed 1 million views.  

There has been a lot of online speculation about why Utada had decided to take a break. Writing on her blog on Wednesday, the singer denied retiring, and claimed that her decision was not based on marriage plans or sickness. Although she has not decided how long her hiatus will be, she promised her return with the words “I will come back more mature.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Masaru Nagai becomes the "Face Maker"
Thu, August 12, 2010 (8:25pm EDT)



Actor Masaru Nagai (32) is taking on the role of a doctor in a new drama series from NTV. The show, titled "FACE MAKER," is a suspenseful story about an expert plastic surgeon and the lives of the people he works on.

Nagai plays Shun Kirishima, a skilled doctor whose nickname is "Face Maker." In each episode, patients come to him seeking to change their lives, and he grants them that wish with a new face. However, instead of taking payment in cash, he keeps their previous faces. This results in chaos when each of them encounters someone with their former face.

An open audition will be held for the part of Kirishima's female assistant, and Nagai himself will participate in the judging process. No other cast members have been announced yet.

"FACE MAKER" will air on Thursday nights at 11:58pm, starting on October 7.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Fuji TV brings back "Ainori"
Thu, August 12, 2010 (8:02pm EDT)

Fuji TV's hit show "Renai Kansatsu Variety Ainori" (commonly known as just "Ainori") is finally making its return. To the disappointment of its fans, the show ended in March 2009 after almost ten years on the air, but Fuji TV has decided to bring it back due to popular demand.

The show brings together seven single men and women, and they travel around the world, mainly by riding in the "love wagon" (a pink van). As they experience new places and things, they each work towards their ultimate goal of finding love with one of the other participants. They can confess their feelings when they feel they have found the right person, resulting in the end of their trip - if the other person accepts, the two return to Japan together, but if the other person refuses, the confessor returns alone. After each confession, the leaving participants are replaced with new ones.

Despite airing in an 11:00pm time slot, the show averaged 15.3% ratings, with a peak of 20.4% for an episode in February 2002. The show visited a total of 92 different countries and successfully formed 44 couples, 8 of which later got married. Even after the show's end, the official website was getting millions of pageviews. Last December, Fuji TV aired a reunion special on its pay channel Fuji TV ONE, and the viewer response led them to decide on a bringing the show back.

The new series, titled "Renai Kansatsu Variety Ainori 2," will air every other Saturday, starting on December 25 of this year. Although the original show aired on Fuji TV, the new one will be on Fuji TV TWO. It has also been announced that the show's format this time will not have any emcees (it was last hosted by Masami Hisamoto, Koji Imada, and Eiji Wentz).

Fuji TV is currently taking applications for interested participants.

Source: www.tokyograph.com