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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]
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Post Last Edit by whitedove at 8-10-2010 12:38
Ryu Si-won to marry and become a father
Wed, October 6, 2010 (9:29am EDT)
Korean actor and singer Ryu Si-won (38) is getting married, it was announced on Tuesday. His girlfriend is a 28-year-old woman living in Korea, who is currently pregnant with the couple's first child.
Ryu revealed that he met the woman last year through a friend. He did not provide many details about her, though he mentioned that she is studying dancing. They were originally considering getting married next spring, but they adjusted their plans when they learned that they have a baby on the way.
The two will hold their wedding this month on October 26. The baby is expected to be born next spring.
Ryu got his big break in Japan in 2004 with a hit drama and the release of his album "Yakusoku."
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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First child for Knights' Nobuyuki Tsuchiya
Wed, October 6, 2010 (9:35am EDT)
Comedian Nobuyuki Tsuchiya (31) has just become a father. His agency announced on Wednesday that his wife gave birth to a son on October 5.
Tsuchiya is one half of the popular comedy duo Knights, who have been together since 2001. Tsuchiya got married in March 2009 to a woman he was dating for about three years.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hoff Dylan's Watanababy ties the knot
Wed, October 6, 2010 (10:38am EDT)
Shin Watanabe, the guitarist of rock band Hoff Dylan, revealed in his official blog that he got married earlier this year. He officially tied the knot on March 20, but he just held his wedding on October 2, prompting him to make the announcement.
Watanabe also posted a picture of him and his wife at the wedding, though he partially covered her face to protect her identity.
Watanabe, who turns 42 later this month, is also known by the nickname Watanababy, which he uses for his solo works.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post Last Edit by whitedove at 8-10-2010 12:56
Charts: Ayumi Hamasaki, JUJU
Wed, October 6, 2010 (11:47am EDT)
Just last week, Ayumi Hamasaki tied Seiko Matsuda for most consecutive number-one singles by a female artist. This week, she broke that record with "L," which sold 71,000 copies to become her 25th consecutive chart-topper.
flumpool took #2 on the charts with their "Kimi ni Todoke" theme song, followed by new releases from SID, Spitz, and S/mileage. Shunsuke Kiyokiba had the only other new single in the top ten, taking the #10 spot.
On the album rankings, JUJU's "Request" sold 129,000 copies to easily take #1. This is her first time to top either the albums or singles chart. It is also the first #1 cover album by a female artist since 2003.
KARA came in at #2 with their "KARA BEST 2007-2010," marking the first time that a Korean girl group has placed an album in the top ten. It is also the highest chart position so far among artists that debuted in Japan this year.
Other new releases on the charts this week were from Junichi Inagaki (#5), WEAVER (#6), and Base Ball Bear (#10).
Meanwhile, on the DVD chart, Korean boy band TVXQ occupied half of the top ten in the overall rankings. They simultaneously released "TOHOSHINKI History in JAPAN SPECIAL" and "Zoom Shika Shiranai Tohoshinki DVD," which respectively sold 63,000 and 53,000 copies to capture the #1 and #3 spots. At the same time, fans showed their support and pushed three older releases into the #4 through #6 spots. The last artist to simultaneously put five music DVDs into the top ten was Michael Jackson in 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Namie Amuro, Atsushi Tamura end their relationship
Wed, October 6, 2010 (8:25pm EDT)
 
Namie Amuro (33) and comedian Atsushi Tamura (36) have broken up, it is being reported. A source close to the couple says that they ended their relationship just last month, choosing to separate due to their busy schedules and lack of time together.
In April, Amuro launched a large-scale, 9-month-long nationwide tour, giving her little free time. Tamura, who is part of the popular comedy duo London Boots 1go 2go, has also been busy with his own work, which includes television shows such as "London Hearts" and "Waratte Iitomo!"
Amuro and Tamura first met last summer and soon started dating. Their relationship was discovered early this year, and it was later confirmed by both sides. So far, neither of their agencies have commented on the news of the breakup.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Kou Shibasaki covers Yumi Matsutoya
Wed, October 6, 2010 (8:52pm EDT)
Actress and singer Kou Shibasaki (29) will be doing a cover of Yumi Matsutoya's 1975 hit single "Rouge no Dengon." Shibasaki's version will be used as an insert song in the upcoming movie "Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan," which stars Aya Omasa (19).
 
In addition to Shibasaki's cover of "Rouge no Dengon," she will also provide the movie's theme song "Sayonarabu" (a combination of "sayonara" and "love"), which she wrote herself. Both songs are planned for digital release at the end of this year.
The movie, announced in May, is an adaptation of a light novel about a strange tale involving two childhood friends. Omasa's co-star is actor Shota Sometani (18).
Both Shibasaki and Omasa are signed with Stardust Promotion, which factored into the selection of Shibasaki for the movie's music. However, since her debut, Omasa has also been frequently compared to the more experienced actress. In fact, it was reported that the film's staff had wanted to cast someone similar to Shibasaki, and they ended up unanimously choosing Omasa.
"Usotsuki Mi-kun to Kowareta Ma-chan" opens in theaters on January 22, 2011.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Toma Ikuta, Yui Ichikawa secretly dating?
Wed, October 6, 2010 (10:14am EDT)
 
Sports Hochi has a possible scoop with news today that actor Toma Ikuta (25) and actress Yui Ichikawa (24) may be in a relationship. According to the report, the two have been secretly dating for the past five years.
A source close to Ikuta and Ichikawa says they initially met through a mutual friend and began dating nearly five years ago. Both of them entered show business in their early teens, so they are said to have become friends due to their common goals. That friendship apparently grew into love. One other source says that they broke up at one point, but their similar values and their strong bond brought them back together again.
So far, the two have never acted together. To prevent any negative effects on their work, they have only revealed their relationship to close friends and have made sure to never be seen together on dates.
When asked about the couple, Ikuta's management stated that it had not heard anything. Ichikawa's agency also said that it was unaware of a relationship.
Both Ikuta and Ichikawa are at critical points in their careers at the moment. Ikuta has been taking on a series of major roles, including the movies "Ningen Shikkaku" and "Genji Monogatari." Ichikawa, who started her career primarily as an idol, has been transitioning towards more serious acting and finally got her first starring television role this summer in NHK's "Katsura Chizuru Shinsatsu Nichiroku."
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Tom Cruise goes with the flow
By Chris Betros
TOKYO —
No Hollywood movie star gets a bigger reception in Japan than Tom Cruise – even if he is only in the country for 14 hours. The 48-year-old star cultivates his fans here better than any other actor. In the past, he has taken his fans on chartered plane and shinkansen rides.
Last week, he didn’t have as much time to spend in Japan, so 800 fans were specially invited to a red carpet premiere of his new movie, “Knight and Day,” in which he co-stars with Cameron Diaz. Cruise arrived at Haneda at 7:30 a.m., joined Diaz for the evening premiere at Roppongi Hills Arena, which was broadcast live to theaters in Shibuya and Shinjuku, and then spent an hour chatting with fans (including former yokozuna Asashoryu), before heading back out to Haneda for a trip back to Prague where he is filming “Mission: Impossible 4.”
“There is something special about coming to Japan,” gushed Cruise who has been here 14 times for 14 movies. “I’ve always had a great relationship with this country and fan support is something that I have never taken for granted.” Diaz, also a regular visitor to Japan, said she has loved Japan ever since she spent six months in Tokyo working as a model when she was 18.
In “Knight and Day,” a kinetic spy film directed by James Mangold (“Walk the Line”), Cruise plays a spy on the run, pursued by his agency who believe he is a rogue agent, and by arms dealers who think he has the world’s first self-renewing energy source. Along the way, he bumps into an auto mechanic (Diaz) and the two of them go globetrotting on the lam together.
“Knight and Day” reunites Cruise and Diaz, 38, who last starred together in the 2001 film “Vanilla Sky.”
“It was great working with Cameron again,” said Cruise. “At least, in this movie, she wasn’t trying to kill me.” For her part, Diaz had plenty of praise for Cruise. “There is no one better to work with than Tom,” she said. “He does his own stunts and he made sure we all had a blast on the set, and I think that when you see the film, it will be evident what a good time we all had.”
Cruise, who still retains his boyish good looks, said that after he made the serious World War II film “Valkyrie” two years ago, he wanted to make something light that audiences could just go along and have a good time watching. “I’m proud of ‘Valkyrie,’ but this film has a lot more it in – there is action, comedy and romance.”
Cruise hasn’t been afraid to go against type – most noticeably as Les Grossman, the vulgar movie producer in the 2008 film “Tropic Thunder.” He reprised the character to perform onstage with Jennifer Lopez at the MTV Movie Awards in June.
“Now it’s back to action with ‘M 4,’ which will be out in December 2011, and I promise you all that I’ll stay longer next time I come,” Cruise said.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Kaori Manabe, Higashios turn out for Audi
Friday 08th October, 03:10 AM JST
TOKYO —
TV celebrity Kaori Manabe, who is embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with her talent management agency, said this week that it was going smoothly. “We’re making slow but steady progress,” Manabe said at a commemorative event in Yoyogi marking the anniversary of the launch of the iconic Audi R8 Spyder. She was joined by baseball commentator Osamu Higashio and his pro golfer daughter Riko Higashio.
As Manabe stood in front of the legendary luxury sports car, somebody asked her about relationships. “I think they should be intensely passionate,” said Manabe. When asked if there was currently a special someone in her life, she replied mysteriously, “I wonder. Even I’m not entirely sure.”
As the Higashios stood in front of the 20 million yen car, a reporter asked if they were thinking of buying one themselves. “Convertibles don’t really suit dad,” Riko said. When asked if she and husband Junichi Ishida were considering parenthood, Riko replied, “For now I’d like to concentrate on golf.”
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Sayonara Oyabun
October 08, 2010
Former baseball star and manager Osawa Keiji died Thursday from cancer of the gall bladder at a Tokyo hospital. He was 78. His 10-year playing career was pent mainly with the Nankai Hawks (now the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) - where he won the Japan Series in 1959 and 1964 - and the final year was with the Tokyo Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines). After retirement he coached and managed at Lotte before two stints as manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, with whom he won just one Pacific League pennant.
While his playing and managing career stats were hardly stellar, he was outspoken and widely respected, earning him the nickname "oyabun" (boss). This image (usually of a yakuza boss) was enhanced by the fact that for his TV appearances he usually dressed in a kimono. The TBS network said his final appearance was on September 19. On October 3, his "Sunday Morning" co-host Sekiguchi Hiroshi read out a letter from Osawa apologizing for his failure to appear due to poor health. He also applauded his old team the Hawks for their recent Pacific League championship. His grand-daughter, talento Osawa Akane (25) and comedian Gekidan Hitori (33, photo right) presented him with his first great-grandchild on September 3.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Tackey & Tsubasa announce new single
Thu, October 7, 2010 (10:19am EDT)
Tackey & Tsubasa have made good on their promise that they will release a new single together by the end of this year. Some details have been revealed about "Ai wa Takaramono," which will be their first single in roughly two and a half years.
"Ai wa Takaramono" will be released on November 24, shortly after their concert tour that runs from October 10 to November 7. That tour is taking them to Nagoya, Kobe, and Yokohama for a total of 9 shows.
The regular edition of "Ai wa Takaramono" will come with two other songs and karaoke versions of all three tracks. The two limited editions will reportedly come with only one other song, but one edition will include a DVD with a music video and off shot video for "Ai wa Takaramono," while the other will have a documentary video of the tour.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Kiroro's Kinjo expecting third child
Thu, October 7, 2010 (10:58am EDT)
Ayano Kinjo (33), the keyboardist of the duo Kiroro, is an expectant mother once again. Her agency announced that she is in her fourth month of pregnancy, with the baby due in early April.
This will be Kinjo's third child, tying her with Kiroro vocalist Chiharu Tamashiro (33). Kinjo's first two children were born in 2005 and 2009, while Tamashiro gave birth to her children in 2006, 2007, and 2009.
Both members of Kiroro have been busy as mothers, but they have only managed to release a couple singles in the past few years, with the last one being "Minna Anata wo Aishiteru" in March 2009. They stated that it will still be a little longer before they have a chance to sing together as Kiroro again, but Tamashiro hinted at the possibility of solo activity.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Maki Horikita receives Gold Dream Award
Thu, October 7, 2010 (11:22am EDT)
The Gold Dream Award 2010 was presented on Thursday. This is the third year for the promotional award, which is given to celebrities who "shine beautifully like gold." In the culture and entertainment category, the recipient was actress Maki Horikita, who just turned 22 the day before.
The award's other recipient was child actor Tatsuomi Hamada (10), who won in the "golden egg" category. Hamada has recently been gaining attention for his roles in "Ryomaden" and other television dramas.
The Gold Dream Award is part of the Tokyo Gold Week event, which is organized by an industry association known as the World Gold Council. The first winners of the award were newscaster Mao Kobayashi and sax player Saori Yano in 2008, followed by actress Mikako Tabe and child actor Seishiro Kato in 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Sayaka Akimoto, Sae Miyazawa star in "Double Heroine" project
Thu, October 7, 2010 (12:38pm EDT)
 
AKB48 members Sayaka Akimoto (22) and Sae Miyazawa (19) are starring in a new project by multimedia creator Ouji Hiroi ("Sakura Wars"). Titled "Double Heroine," the project is starting out as a radio drama and as a manga, which is being drawn by "Boys Be" mangaka Hiroyuki Tamakoshi.
Hiroi previously produced the AKB48 musical "Infinity," in which Akimoto and Miyazawa both performed. Hiroi apparently recognized their acting potential, so he chose them for this new project. He is ultimately aiming to turn "Double Heroine" into a musical.
"Double Heroine" is a detective drama set in a near-future Tokyo. Akimoto plays Rachel Kinoshita, a detective assigned to a newly established drug division, while Miyazawa plays her partner, a rookie named Asuka Mizutani.
The music for the radio drama is being written by Hiroi and composed by Kohei Tanaka, who worked together before on the "Sakura Wars" franchise. The show began airing on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting on October 7.
Tamakoshi's manga version is starting in the December issue of Monthly Shonen Rival, set to go on sale on November 4.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Kameda brothers appear in TV drama together
Thu, October 7, 2010 (8:42pm EDT)
http://www.boxingheaven.com/Kameda.Koki(2%20Aug%202006)(v).jpg  
Professional boxers Koki Kameda (24), Daiki Kameda (21), and Tomoki Kameda (19) are making their first appearance together in a television drama, along with their younger sister Himeki (11). They were cast in the jidaigeki drama "Sengoku Shippuden Futari no Gunshi," which is scheduled to air on January 2, 2011.
"Sengoku Shippuden Futari no Gunshi" was announced in July as TV Tokyo's next "Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki," now an annual tradition. The 7-hour-long drama stars Katsunori Takahashi as the military leader Kuroda Yoshitaka, Toshiyuki Nishida as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Koji Yamamoto as Takenaka Shigeharu.
  
The Kameda brothers and their sister will play merchants, all making their television drama debuts. Himeki barely entered show business this year as a fashion model.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Rip Slyme fans to select songs for "Bad Times" collection
Thu, October 7, 2010 (8:56pm EDT)
Hip-hop group RIP SLYME has announced the release of a coupling best album on December 1, titled "BAD TIMES." This is a follow-up to their best album "GOOD TIMES," released this past August.
"BAD TIMES" will consist of 2 CDs with a total of 32 songs. The RIP SLYME members selected 21 coupling songs from their singles that have not yet been released on albums. 10 more will be songs from albums, chosen by fan votes, while the last one will be a new remix by Yoshinori Sunahara called "Good Times (Bad Times remix)."
"Good Times (Bad Times remix)" has been chosen as the theme song for the Japanese release of the 3D animated film "Despicable Me," opening on October 29.
For the 10 fan-selected songs, RIP SLYME has chosen 30 candidates, and fans will be able to vote through YouTube and Twitter from October 11 to October 17. The top ten songs will be added to the album.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Shosuke Tanihara plays detective in "Tantei Club"
Thu, October 7, 2010 (9:13pm EDT)
 
Shosuke Tanihara (38) is taking on the role of a sleuth for the first time in Fuji TV's drama special "Higashino Keigo Special: Tantei Club." The female lead will be played by Nao Matsushita (25).
As the title suggests, the story is adapted from Keigo Higashino's mystery novel "Tantei Club." Tanihara's character normally seems quiet and refined, but his energy and behavior suddenly change when he ponders a problem.
This is the fourth time that Tanihara and Matsushita have acted together, with the last one being the 2008 drama "Ryokiteki na Kanojo." This drama may give them the opportunity to continue working together, as the staff are aiming to make it a series.
Fuji TV will air the drama on October 22.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"Shogun" actress Yoko Shimada to make AV debut?
Thu, October 7, 2010 (12:07pm EDT)
Actress Yoko Shimada (57) will soon make her AV debut, it is being reported. She already finished recording her first release this summer, and it will be released under the label MUTEKI, which specializes in celebrities.
Shimada's career peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, during which she appeared in many television shows and movies. She is perhaps best known for the 1980 American television miniseries "Shogun," in which she starred alongside Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune. That role earned her a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series.
One source close to Shimada claims that the primary reason for her AV debut is financial. She apparently had accumulated a debt of more than 200 million yen at one point and even now is still facing trouble with her taxes. Another source has heard that Shimada is getting a 30 million yen guarantee for the video. Another rumor being spread is that her souring relationship with her husband also led to the decision to enter the adult industry.
Shimada once released a nude photobook in 1992, which reportedly sold 500,000 copies.
The release date for Shimada's video has not yet been announced.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yu Shirota, Misako Yasuda no longer dating
Thu, October 7, 2010 (8:09pm EDT)
 
Actor Yu Shirota (24) and talento Misako Yasuda (28) have broken up, ending their two-year relationship. A source who knows them well revealed that they have grown apart due to their busy careers, and that they have been close to separation multiple times before.
Shirota starred in the 2007 movie "Arakure Knight," and Yasuda played his girlfriend. About a year and a half later, they started dating. Their relationship was discovered in January 2009, and they both personally confirmed it.
It is not known exactly when they ended their relationship.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yinling of Joytoy speaks about baby
Saturday 09th October, 02:59 AM JST
TOKYO —
Yinling of Joytoy, a Japan-based entertainer from Taiwan, spoke about her baby born in July as she attended a marine environment awareness event with actor Shota Sato in Tokyo’s Daiba seaside area in early October.
‘‘He will soon be 3 months old. I am now able to recognize what he is crying about. He cries most when he is hungry,’’ Yinling, 34, said during a talk show at the Odaiba Eco-Aqua event.
Yinling, honorifically called Yinling-sama, has worked as a singer, actress, wrestling fighter and sexy photo model. She married in 2008.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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