Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]

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Hiroshi Tamaki, Rosa Kato back together?
Thu, August 26, 2010 (8:19pm EDT)



This week's issue of FRIDAY speculates that actor Hiroshi Tamaki (30) and actress Rosa Kato (25) are dating again, based on new photos of the two. They were first rumored to be an item in the summer of 2007, but they broke up and were each involved in other relationships since then.

In 2007, they were said to be like close family friends, and it looks like they still are. Sometime this month, Kato and a woman who appeared to be her mother visited Tamaki and his family at their home. On a separate occasion in July, Tamaki picked up Kato in his car and they drove back to his house. FRIDAY also took a picture of the pair on a drive date earlier this month.

Although they are said to have broken up three years ago, a friend who knows both of them explained that Kato was still like a younger sister to Tamaki, and the two continued going out for meals together. A different source said that while they are currently dating again, it seems that the topic of marriage has not come up.

Kato's management said that she and Tamaki are good friends, while Tamaki's agency declined to comment.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Film shows Japan-U.S. security from artists' viewpoints

TOKYO —

A documentary film on Japan’s tumultuous postwar history since signing the 1960

security treaty with the United States will be released next month, featuring the works

and first-person accounts of artists and writers looking back on the era.
   
Director Linda Hoaglund, a Japan-born American who describes the bilateral ties under

the treaty as unnatural, said she will be happy if her film ‘‘Anpo’’ can offer people who

watch it ‘‘a chance to think about what kind of future they want to build.’‘
   
It is the first film directed by Hoaglund, who has for years handled English subtitles for

about 200 films, including those directed by Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki.
   
Besides being screened in Tokyo and Yokohama from Sept 18 as well as other Japanese

cities such as Sendai, Osaka and Naha—the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Anpo will

have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which opens next

month.
   
The 89-minute documentary is arriving at cinemas at a sensitive time for the two

countries, with the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station

within Okinawa pitting the Japanese and U.S. governments against the islanders, who

oppose the move.
    “Anpo,” which draws its title from an abbreviated Japanese term for the bilateral

security arrangements, depicts the tumultuous era, in which violent demonstrations

erupted on campuses and elsewhere against the treaty’s revision, mainly through

interviews with artists such as painter Tadanori Yokoo and singer Tokiko Kato and the

introduction of their creations.
   
The film also shows U.S. military bases in Okinawa and Yokosuka as they are today as a

way to showcase the security alliance over the last half century. Okinawa hosts the

bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan and Yokosuka, a port city south of Tokyo, hosts

the U.S. naval force headquarters in Japan.
  
‘‘What kind of relationship have the United States, which dropped atomic bombs (on

Japan), and Japan, which was defeated in the war, built in the postwar era? Present in

making this film was this question of what was happening in the background of my life,’’

said Hoaglund.
   
On the dispute over the relocation of the Futenma base, the director suggested that

Japanese people can decide how they want to settle it. ‘‘It’s up to the Japanese people

to change the current situation,’’ she said.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Mikitty shows her housework skills

Saturday 28th August, 03:30 AM JST



TOKYO —

Actress Miki Fujimoto, 25, appeared at a press event commemorating the 1st

anniversary of the release of Glico’s Calorie Control Ice Cream. The company recently

re-released the best-selling sundae-cup type, which has 80 calories a cup.

Fujimoto, popularly known as Mikitty, put on an apron and did a number of household

chores on stage as a part of the presentation. Fujimoto said she usually does all the

housework herself, including washing over 100 tank tops that are part of her comedian

husband Tomoharu Shoji’s on-stage act.

After five minutes of housework on the stage, the sweat-covered Fujimoto calculated

her calorie loss at just 19.6 calories.

“In the summer, you eat a lot if you aren’t getting a proper nutritional balance. I think I

need to pay attention to my calorie consumption from now on,” she said before turning

her attention to the ice cream. “This ice cream is plenty sweet. At just 80 calories, I

could eat it every day.”

Last month, Fujimoto celebrated her 1st wedding anniversary with comedian Tomoharu

Shoji. “People tell me that one day I’ll get tired of him,” she confided. “But I’m still

having a lot of fun. We have a good relationship.”

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Gallery for Elvis Presley fans opens in Fukuoka

Sunday 29th August, 04:05 AM JST



FUKUOKA —

A gallery for Elvis Presley fans recently opened in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, exhibiting his

records, posters and other memorabilia. Salon Elvis, displaying more than 1,000 items,

including a rare stuffed animal of a dog that Presley gave to music critic Reiko Yukawa,

is dedicated to the legendary U.S. rock icon known as “The King.”

“This is a place where you can listen to Elvis music and chill out. I hope people will drop

by,” operator Shinichi Takeda said. The gallery will be open through September 2011.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Tokyo International Film Festival to commemorate Bruce Lee’s 70th anniversary

Monday 30th August, 03:00 AM JST



TOKYO —

The 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) will commemorate Bruce Lee, the king

of Asian action movies, with a showing of selected movies as part of the festival’s Winds

of Asia Middle-East section.

This special tribute entitled “The 70th Anniversary: Bruce Lee to the Future,” will screen

Bruce Lee’s most successful film “Enter the Dragon,” and his last film, “Game of Death”

(the rare version that was distributed in Japan in 1978), as well as exciting Asian films

that pay homage to Bruce Lee, who continues to inspire filmmakers around the world

more than 30 years after his death.

The 23rd TIFF will be held from Oct 23-31 at Roppongi Hills and other venues in Tokyo.

Source: www.japantoday.com

whitedove

Wedding Party for Ebi-chan, Ilmari



Popular model Ebihara Yuri (30) and Rip Slyme member Ilmari (35) held a wedding party

in central Tokyo yesterday. The couple tied the knot last December and held their

wedding ceremony in Paris in June. Yesterday's event was attended by about 200

people, including a host of celbrities including actor Sakai Masaaki (64) and singer Bonnie

Pink (37), who gave a surpise performance of "A Perfect Sky" that reduced the bride to

tears. Ebi-chan showed off her own wedding dress design, decorated with no less than

6,000 Swarovski crystals. She joked how her new nickname would have to be Ogi-chan

- her Helsinki-born, half-Finnish husband's full name is Ogiwara Ilmari Keisuke.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Puppet Master Dies at 85



Pioneering puppet animator Kawamoto Kihachiro died of pneumonia on August 23, it was

reported yesterday. He was 85. He started out with the Toei movie studio but went

freelance in 1950, and a few years later was part of the group that created Japan's first

puppet animation, based on a Kirin Beer mascot character. In the 1960s, he traveled

extensively in eastern Europe and studied under the Czech master Jiri Trnka. In his later

years, Kawamoto was the creator of such popular NHK shows as "Sangokushi" (1982-84)

and "Heike Monogatari" (1993-95). His last work was an adaptation of the novel "Shisha

no Sho" (Book of the Dead) in 2005. In 2007 a museum celebrating his work was opened

in the city of Iida, Nagano Prefecture.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Haruna Ai Finishes 85km Charity Run       
August 30, 2010



The TV highlight of the weekend was the 33rd annual edition of NTV's 24-hour telethon,

"24-jikan Terebi - Ai wa Chikyu wo Suku." And as usual, the main event was a long-

distance run by a celebrity. This year, "new half" talento Haruna Ai (38) became the first

transsexual to take on the challenge. She was reduced to tears when her father was

surprise guest on Saturday night, and again when she was welcomed by her mother at

the Nippon Budokan on Sunday having completed the 85km run in 25 hours 40 minutes.

The gruelling run its toll not only on the knees but also on Haruna's makeup, and she

arrived looking a lot more like the Onishi Kenji she was originally named.

Johnny's Jimusho group Tokio were the first to host the show for a third time, having

last done the job back in 2003.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

Another Johnny's star was in pain over the weekend. Ueda Tatsuya (26) of the group

KAT-TUN broke the big toe of his left foot during a concert in Taipei, Taiwan on Friday.

But he still performed a second show on Saturday and flew back to do a solo concert in

Hiroshima last night.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

whitedove

Kahara Tomomi Hits Bottom, Again       
August 30, 2010



Troubled singer Kahara Tomomi (36, photo left) has had another...health episode.

Currently on an extended break from her career, she was taken to a Tokyo hospital in

the early hours of Sunday morning after a suspected drug overdose. Kahara got in the

back of a taxi near the Kabukicho entertainment district of Tokyo around 1am on Sunday

but was unable to tell the taxi driver where she wanted to go. As he was unable to

wake her up, the driver called the police for help. They found she had a temperature

and called for an ambulance to take her to a nearby hospital. She didn't appear to have

been drinking.

Kahara was involved in an almost identical incident last year and it was reported at the

time that she had taken an overdose of prescribed tranquilizers. This time, though she

had the same pills in her possession, she insisted to police she hadn't taken any

medication. The incident comes about a month after she was taken into protective

police custody when she was found walking the streets of Tokyo in a half-comatose

state. These are just the latest in a series of what could be categorized as "cries for

help" that have marked the long decline of a once-successful J-pop career.

Kahara was one of the most successful acts in the stable of producer Komuro Tetsuya

(51, photo right) in the mid-1990s, with a series of chart-topping singles and albums.

The two became romantically involved but there were rumors of drugs and other

problems, and when their relationship ended, so did Kahara's success. Suicide attempts

followed and she became a poster girl for how the ruthless J-pop industry spits out its

fallen idols. She tried in recent years to make a comeback and was visible in the media

on and off, but sales have only been a tiny fraction of what she achieved in her heyday.

She was fired by her talent agency in June 2007 after repeated personal problems.

Komuro's arrest and trial for fraud in 2008 is also said to have had a major impact on

Kahara's mental state.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Rika Ishikawa of HANGRY & ANGRY to appear at NYAF

August 28, 2010 by J!-ENT



Rika Ishikawa, who portrays “Angry” in the h. NAOTO-based Japanese pop duo Hangry &

Angry, will make a special appearance at NYAF on Saturday October 9. At the event,

Ishikawa will attend the fashion show and a panel discussion with Hangry & Angry

character designer Gashicon about the Hangry & Angry clothing line.

New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology will include h,NAOTO and “Hangry & Angry”

in the “Japan Fashion Now” event running from September 17, 2010 through January 8,

2011, which will feature a Hangry & Angry window display on New York’s famous 7th

Avenue.

Information:
New York Anime Festival (NYAF)

http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYAF/Guests/

FIT “Japan Fashion Now”

http://www.fitnyc.edu/8726.asp

Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT

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Takumi Saito leads drama based on "Ryu ga Gotoku" video game
Fri, August 27, 2010 (9:40am EDT)



The hit video game series "Ryu ga Gotoku" (released in English as "Yakuza") is getting a

live-action drama adaptation of its newest installment, "Kurohyou: Ryu ga Gotoku

Shinshou," which is being released for the PlayStation Portable on September 22. The

show will star actor Takumi Saito (29).

The video game series, which started out on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, is a mix of

action and adventure set in the yakuza world. "Kurohyou" will be the franchise's first

game for a handheld console, and it was decided that it would be accompanied by the

franchise's first drama series. However, the games have already had two live-action

works - one was released directly to DVD, while the other was the feature film "Ryu ga

Gotoku: Gekijoban" directed by Takashi Miike.



Saito plays the main character in the drama, who is also the protagonist of the new

game. Takuya Ishida (23) and Hideo Ishiguro (21) play his junior and his close friend,

respectively. The cast also features retired kickboxer Masato (31) in his first regular

drama role and actor Koichi Iwaki (59), who also provided a voice for the game. Rock

band RIZE will do the show's theme song, titled "MUPPET."

The 11-episode series will begin airing on TBS and MBS on October 5, in both networks'

1:25am time slot (1:55am for the first episode on TBS). In conjunction with the

broadcast, exclusive images will be available for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP through

the PlayStation Store. A manga version of the story has also been announced, starting

on September 18 in Weekly Young Magazine.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

TV Asahi to end "Yajiuma Plus"
Fri, August 27, 2010 (10:09am EDT)

TV Asahi plans to discontinue its morning news show "Yajiuma Plus," it has been learned.

It will be replaced by another news show at the start of October.

"Yajiuma Plus" has been running since 2002, airing on weekday mornings (5:25-8:00am)

and on Saturdays (6:30-8:00am). The show became popular for introducing top articles

from newspapers, but ratings have recently declined to about 4-5%.

Details of the new show are expected to be announced soon.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Kyoka Suzuki, Kyoko Fukada star in "Second Virgin"
Fri, August 27, 2010 (10:14pm EDT)



NHK has announced the broadcast of a drama series titled "Second Virgin," starring

Kyoka Suzuki (42) and Kyoko Fukada (27). Actor Hiroki Hasegawa (33) will play the male

lead.

Suzuki plays a divorced producer in publishing who meets a man 17 years younger than

her (Hasegawa) and begins having an affair with him. Fukada plays Hasegawa's wife.

The series will air on Tuesday nights at 10:00pm, beginning on October 12. It has also

been announced that the theme song will be Kumi Koda's "Anata Dake ga," which goes

on sale as a double A-side single with "Suki de, Suki de, Suki de" on September 22.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Joe Odagiri, Ken Watanabe play teacher and student in drama special
Sun, August 29, 2010 (1:54am EDT)



On October 11, TBS will broadcast a drama special titled "Hei no Naka no Chuugakkou,"

starring Joe Odagiri (34). The story is a human drama scripted by veteran writer Makiko

Uchidate, filmed in an actual prison.

The story is set in the Asahimachi Junior High School, the only junior high school in

Japan inside a prison. The school provides education to prisoners of all ages who were

unable to receive the regular compulsory education. Odagiri plays the main character as

a teacher in the school, and the show focuses on his interactions with the various

students, which include Ken Watanabe (50) as a former steeplejack serving 15 years for

two murders, Seiji Chihara (40), Hideji Otaki (85), and Shota Sometani (17).



The drama was shot at the real location, within the Matsumoto Juvenile Prison in

Matsumoto, Nagano. This is said to be the first television drama filmed within actual

prison walls.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Gravure idols form new group KNU23
Sun, August 29, 2010 (2:44am EDT)

A team of gravure idols has just launched a new unit called KNU23, the latest attempt

to ride AKB48's wave of popularity. The group held their debut event on Saturday at a

studio in Tokyo, announcing that they plan to hold live performances and release CDs in

addition to their gravure work.

The "KNU" in the group's name is said to have two meanings. One is an abbreviation of

"keep natural under," while the other is the more obvious reference to the word

"kyonyuu" ("huge breasts"), as all of the members are reported as having G cups or

larger.

The unit's structure has a school theme, with the initial members being called the "1st

year" and being divided into "Class P" and "Class X." The group plans to have its own

"senbatsu" (election) process to decide on 5-8 members to serve as the "student

council," and future auditions will be referred to as "entrance ceremonies."

KNU23 currently has 16 members. The student council consists of leader Rina Maruyama

(20), Hikari Kusunoki (18), Megumi Suzumoto (20), Hina Ueda (22), Rena Ueda (21),

Marina Yamasaki (22), and Kana Hojo (21).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Seia Yasuda wins Horipro Talent Scout Caravan
Sun, August 29, 2010 (6:16am EDT)

The 35th Horipro Talent Scout Caravan completed its final round on Sunday. This year's

grand prize winner, overcoming more than 24,000 entrants, is 14-year-old Seia Yasuda,

a second-year junior high student from the Akita prefecture.

Yasuda's special skills are said to be tap dance and hip-hop dance, but she hopes to

become an actress and a model. She has stated that she admires Kyoko Fukada (27),

who won the same competition in 1996.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Morning Musume transforms into Muten Musume for sushi tie-in
Sun, August 29, 2010 (2:16am EDT)



A new song by idol group Morning Musume has been revealed as a promotional tie-in with the Kansai-based kaiten sushi chain Muten Kura-Zushi. The tune, called "Appare Kaiten Zushi!," has been playing in the chain's stores since August 13, and many customers have been curiously asking about it.

The sushi-themed song is actually sung by the group "Muten Musume," which is now officially confirmed to be all eight current members of Morning Musume. A CD release has been scheduled for October 27.

The project started at the beginning of this year, when Muten Kura-Zushi requested a song from producer Tsunku (41). Tsunku agreed, and he chose Morning Musume to perform it. Each of the members was also turned into an illustrated character (see image gallery), and animated versions will appear on the Muten Kura-Zushi website, as well as in karaoke clips.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Masaru Nagai, Noriko Nakagoshi in rumored relationship
Sun, August 29, 2010 (3:07am EDT)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_grK74n ... /jERT01cAEE8/s400/Cópia+de+250px-Masaru_Nagai.jpg


Nikkan Sports reports that actor Masaru Nagai (32) and actress Noriko Nakagoshi (30) are in a serious relationship, based on information from people close to the two. The pair apparently started dating after appearing together in the "Salaryman Kintaro 2" drama series that aired between January and March of this year.

During a press conference for a stage play earlier this month, Nakagoshi denied one tabloid's claim that she is dating Sanma Akashiya (55). At the same time, she hinted that she is in a relationship with someone else, and that person now seems to be Nagai, according to the new rumor.

Nakagoshi had appeared as a guest in two episodes of "Salaryman Kintaro 2." This was the first time that she worked with Nagai, and in interviews, both of them spoke highly of each other. Sources say that they often had meals together, and around springtime their relationship had progressed to romance. It is also said that marriage may not be far off.

Nagai was previously dating Ryoko Hirosue (30), but they broke up at the start of this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

whitedove

Jazz icon Kazumi Watanabe plays role of elder statesman

By Dan Grunebaum



TOKYO —

It’s a stifling midsummer day in Tokyo, but as Kazumi Watanabe settles into a conference room at the Tokyo International Forum, he looks every bit the composed jazz elder statesman.

Unruffled in a casual suit with a guitar at hand, Watanabe reminisces about a career that encompasses four decades of jazz. He’s released albums of bop and fusion, worked with everyone from Jaco Pastorius to Yellow Magic Orchestra, and even come within a literal whisper of joining Miles Davis’ band. Current endeavors include an acoustic project called Guitar Renaissance, electric outings under the moniker Jazz Impressions, and orchestral work with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. And then there’s the upcoming reunion of his seminal group, To Chi Ka, for this year’s Tokyo Jazz.

Does he ever worry about spreading himself too thin? “Sometimes,” the 56-year-old answers softly. “There are so many different kinds of guitar—electric, acoustic, and the different varieties within these categories. That allows for a lot of freedom of expression, but it’s impossible to do all of them well. So yes, it is a bit dangerous.”

Watanabe got his start in the ’70s, a time when electric fusion was dividing the jazz world into opposing camps. “People said fusion wasn’t jazz,” the Tokyo native recalls, “but I was coming from a rock background, so it was a perfect entry point into jazz for me.”

This was a fertile time for Japanese jazz. Western artists had begun to tour the country regularly, and radio stations like NHK and FEN gave the music heavy airplay. Inspired by what they heard, a new generation of Japanese performers began to put the country on the world jazz map.

Watanabe first made his mark via two albums: Kylyn, recorded with YMO’s Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1979, and To Chi Ka in 1980, featuring heavyweight Americans like vibraphone player Mike Mainieri and bassist Marcus Miller. “It was a big seller in Japan, coming out just after I’d played with YMO,” he says of the latter. “I last played Tokyo Jazz in 2003, and this year people asked me to get To Chi Ka together again. Some of the songs will have new arrangements, and I’m planning to write fresh material too.”

A few years after his collaboration with Sakamoto, Watanabe almost had the chance to play with Davis. “I met him in ’84,” he recalls. “I was recording in New York and went to 7th Ave South club to a session. Miles was there—he was looking for guitarists and invited me—but with his whisper of a voice, I ended up missing the opportunity. I sort of understood that he had invited me to record, but he didn’t specify when or where, so I was at a loss about what to do. But friends knew where he was recording, so if I had just gone there, it’s likely I would have gotten to play with him.”

Watanabe hopes that the freewheeling atmosphere with which Davis alum Herbie Hancock launched Tokyo Jazz will continue after Hancock’s departure as director. “Herbie’s music has always been very future-oriented—that’s what he brought to Tokyo Jazz, and it suited futuristic Tokyo perfectly,” he says. “Tokyo Jazz is a place where musicians can meet, not just where bands appear one after another. Herbie created a fantastic mood through unusual pairings. I hope it can continue to have that quality.”

For this year’s festival, Watanabe will be part of the “Jazz Stream” program on the final night, which is an attempt to trace the evolution of jazz in a single evening. He explains that one reason for reviving To Chi Ka is to bequeath the music to a new generation.

“It’s difficult for young people to discover jazz,” he says. “Our role as musicians is to deliver it to them, which is one reason I wanted to bring back To Chi Ka: to look at the evolution of jazz, and also bring something new, to show how it continues to change. The idea is to make young people part of jazz’s continuing evolution—that’s the job of us ojisan.”

“Tokyo Jazz 2010”

Three-day fest featuring Jazz Crusaders, Ron Carter, Roberta Flack and many more. Sept 3-5, various times, 6,500-8,5000 yen (per performance. Tokyo International Forum Hall A, Yurakucho.

This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).

Source: www.japantoday.com