Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]

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Matsushita and Ohsugi named Best Formalists

Thursday 28th October, 03:30 AM JST



TOKYO —

Actress and pianist Nao Matsushita, 25, and actor Ren Ohsugi were this week named winners of the 11th annual Best Formalist awards. The annual awards are organized by the Japan Formalwear Association which selects celebrities who look good in formal attire.

Matsushita recently was seen as Mura Nanoe in NHK’s drama series “Gegege no Nyobo,” based on a 2008 autobiography by the wife of “Gegege no Kitaro” horror manga artist Shigeru Mizuki, 87. The story centers on the life of the married couple, told from the perspective of the wife (Matsushita).

By coincidence, Mizuki was one of the recipients named this week for Japan’s top cultural award, the Order of Culture, for “outstanding cultural contributions.”

A beaming Matsushita said, “I want to say congratulations to Mizuki. In playing this role, I’ve come to understand what a great man he is. I hope to see him produce more great works in the future.”

Ohsugi plays her father in the NHK drama.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Sakagami Jiro Hospitalized



Also suffering from health problems is veteran talento Sakagami Jiro (76). He is currently hospitalized in Tochigi Prefecture after injuring his head in a fall at his home on August 13. He previously suffered a stroke while playing golf in 2003, and was left partially paralyzed. His former comedy partner Hagimoto Kinichi (69) broke the news of his friend's condition at a PR event for an upcoming stage show. Sakagami was originally scheduled to appear but it was decided that it was impossible.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Ryo Katsuji stars in drama special "Sayonara, Alma"
Wed, October 27, 2010 (1:01pm EDT)



Ryo Katsuji (24) will star in an NHK drama special titled "Sayonara, Alma: Akagami wo Moratta Inu." The story is based on a novel by Munenori Mizuno, who also authored the novel "Oppai Bare" that was turned into a movie last year starring Haruka Ayase.

"Sayonara, Alma" is based on a true story of a dog named Alma, raised by a young man named Taichi (Katsuji) as a war dog. Alma is dispatched to Manchuria during World War II, and a year later, Taichi is also sent there as a dog trainer.



The rest of the cast includes Riisa Naka (21), Seishiro Kato (9), Mitsuko Kusabue (77), Runa Matsumoto (7), Mariya Nishiuchi (16), Yoshizumi Ishihara (48), and Terumi Azuma (54). The theme song, titled "Samenai Yume," is being sung by Yosui Inoue.

NHK General will broadcast the drama on December 18, while NHK Educational will air it in four parts on December 13-16.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Kie Kitano stars in, sings theme song for mobile drama
Wed, October 27, 2010 (1:30pm EDT)



Actress Kie Kitano (19) is starring in and singing the theme song for a mobile phone drama called "Niji no Mukou e" (subtitled "Seven colors of youth"). The series will begin on November 1 on BeeTV, though a "drama version" of the music video for Kitano's song "Todokanai" already began distribution on Wednesday.

In "Niji no Mukou e," Kitano plays the role of Nanami, a high schooler who has lost contact with the upperclassman she has fallen for. Hoping to see him again, she decides to attend the same college that he went to, leading her to move to Tokyo, where she grows into adulthood.

This drama is the first time that Kitano is singing a theme song. She made her singing debut early this year and has so far released two singles.



One of the drama's cast members is Kazuma Sano (21), who had a brief relationship with Kitano before it was discovered this past summer. That relationship started when they worked together on this drama, which was filmed in the spring.

Other cast members include Yoshihiko Hosoda, Yumi Sugimoto, Fujiko Kojima, Nako Mizusawa, Shogo Sakamoto, and Suguru Matsuzawa. A total of 15 weekly episodes are planned, each about 10 minutes in length.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shin Koda finds new love
Wed, October 27, 2010 (2:40pm EDT)

Enka singer Shin Koda (43) is dating again. On Wednesday, during an event for his new single "Watashi ni Datte," he confirmed that he is in a relationship with a 32-year-old former model.

The woman is said to have been working as a bridal-related model up until March of this year. It appears that she and Koda have known each other for a while, but they began dating around the start of this year. Koda was previously married for 11 years, but he got divorced in August of last year.

Koda currently lives with his two children, ages 11 and 8. The children apparently get along well with Koda's new girlfriend, who comes to the house to watch over them when Koda is busy. The possibility of remarriage appears to be likely, and Koda told the press that he will make an announcement if that time comes.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Akiko Yada's first starring drama role in five years
Wed, October 27, 2010 (9:05pm EDT)



Actress Akiko Yada (31) has finally landed her first starring role in a drama series since 2005, though it is headed for mobile phones rather than television sets. Titled "Sora ni Ichiban Chikai Shiawase," it is the next in line of LISMO's mobile dramas, aimed at user of au phones.

The drama's subtitle indicates that it is "another story" related to the movie "Gene Waltz," which was adapted from a novel by medical mystery writer Takeru Kaido ("Team Batista no Eikou"). Starring Miho Kanno (33), the film was first announced in November 2009, and it will finally be released in theaters on February 5, 2011.

Since the film revolves around an obstetrics and gynecology department, Yada will be taking on the role of an expectant mother for the drama, who loses her child shortly after its birth. This will be her first time filming a childbirth scene, though Yada already has experience as a mother in real life. She gave birth to a son in November 2007 with her former husband, Manabu Oshio (32).



The drama is written and directed by Koto Nagata, best known for the movie "Little DJ." The cast features TEAM NACS' Ken Yasuda as Yada's husband, and fellow TEAM NACS member Shigeyuki Totsugi will make a guest appearance.

Five episodes will be released, starting on December 3 and finishing before the theatrical premiere of "Gene Waltz."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Akina Nakamori hospitalized since last month
Wed, October 27, 2010 (8:43pm EDT)



It was just reported yesterday that singer Akina Nakamori (45) suddenly canceled her dinner shows scheduled for December, due to health reasons. It has now been learned Nakamori is currently in the hospital receiving treatment for her condition.

A source close to Nakamori says that her immune system has weakened due to overwork and fatigue. Although it is not life-threatening, another source says that it is still serious. Nakamori has apparently been pushing herself to work despite her condition since the start of this year, leading to her sudden hospitalization in late September.

Nakamori's management office and her record label have discussed the situation and decided that the singer will be taking an indefinite break from work. As a result, the dinner shows were canceled. Production on a new album scheduled for the end of January has also been stopped.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Charts: Kanjani8, NYC, SNSD
Wed, October 27, 2010 (2:04pm EDT)



On this week's sales charts, Kanjani8's album "8UPPERS" ranked #1 with just over 231,000 copies sold. This is their third consecutive number-one album. Two remastered Beatles albums entered the charts at #3 and #4, while Golden Circle of Friends, ORANGE RANGE, and Takeshi Tsuruno occupied the #8 to #10 slots.



On the singles chart, another Johnny's Jimusho group, NYC, led the way with their "Yoku Asobi Yoku Manabe." The song sold close to 93,000 copies, giving them their second consecutive number-one.

The bigger story, however, was Korean group SNSD reaching #2 with the Japanese version of their song "Gee" (66,000 copies). They are just the second foreign female group to enter the Top 3 of the singles chart. The only other group to do it was The Nolans, thirty years ago in 1980.

The other new singles in the top ten were from The ROOTLESS (#3), Maaya Sakamoto (#5), ClariS (#7), Sphere (#8), and The Cro-Magnons (#9).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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AKB48 sets first-day single sales record: 568,000
Wed, October 27, 2010 (11:33am EDT)



It was announced earlier this week that AKB48's new single "Beginner" was shipping more than 1 million copies for its release on Wednesday, and that decision now seems well justified. In its first day in stores, "Beginner" sold more than 568,000 copies. According to The Natsu Style, this is the highest first-day sales figure for a single since Oricon began announcing daily sales data.

In comparison, Arashi's single "Monster" previously set this year's record for opening-week sales at 543,000. "Beginner" has already surpassed that in one day, and is positioned to possibly overtake Arashi's "Troublemaker" as the best-selling single of the year (currently 699,000 copies).

Just two months ago, AKB48 set their own personal record for first-week single sales at 527,000 copies with "Heavy Rotation."

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Norika forever

Friday 29th October, 06:00 AM JST

By Chris Betros



TOKYO —

If Norika Fujiwara ever has a business card made, it’ll be a challenge to put all her titles on it. In the past year alone, Fujiwara, 39, has been a voice actor for “Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter,” reported from Sumatra for NHK’s Save the Future program, taken part in the Biodiversity Summit, COP10, in Nagoya, modeled at a fashion show for Miss Ashida, appeared in numerous TV variety and sports programs, attended charity events, performed in stage musicals, promoted beauty products and extolled the virtues of kiwifruit in her capacity as the “2010 Zespri Kiwifruit Image Character.”

Looking much younger than her age, Fujiwara was luminous at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival, where she walked the green carpet with Shrek. In the series’ 4th film, which opens in Japan on Dec 12, Fujiwara voices the character of Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz in the original versions).

“I’ve been doing Fiona’s voice for nine years, and she’s a part of me now. She is a strong-willed woman, and I have always tried to reflect that. It has allowed me to experience many things around the world. This is going to be the final movie in the series, so I didn’t hold anything back. The feedback from preview audiences in Japan has been so moving that I cried. One fan said this was the first one she’d seen and that she was going to rent the other three and watch them all together.”

Born in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Fujiwara has been in show business since being crowned Miss Japan in 1992 and modeling for CanCam magazine. She has kept busy ever since with TV appearances, commercials, hosting music television programs, reporting on the Athens Olympics and authoring two best-selling books, “Fujiwara Shugi” and “Norika Body.” Most recently, she added stage musicals to her repertoire, with “The Drowsy Chaperone,” followed by “Cabaret,” and next March, she will appear in a nationwide tour of the musical, “Marguerite,” from the producers of the Broadway hit, “Les Miserables.”

In between her theater and TV work, Fujiwara is frequently in demand as a spokeswoman. Since summer, she has been traveling around Japan and Asia as a kiwifruit ambassador. “Kiwifruit is very healthy and enhances the beauty of women,” she said. In the TV commercials, Fujiwara holds two green and gold types of kiwifruit, jumps on trampolines and goes into the water. The commercials were filmed in New Zealand where Fujiwara said she enjoyed picking the fruit herself. “I always want to be a golden girl,” she said, recommending a special drink made of kiwifruit, spinach, pear and amino collagen – blended in a mixer. “You know what the enemy of a successful diet is? Oneself,” she said. “There’s a lot of really delicious food here, but it’s important to conquer your impulses and stick to your diet.”

Fujiwara has always been a darling of the Japanese media who have kept their distance since her March 2009 divorce from Osaka-based comedian Tomonori Jinnai whom she married in a high-profile ceremony in Kobe in February 2007. She said she hopes to fall in love again. “Of course, I’d like to always be in love. Women in love have a special glow.”  

Meanwhile, Fujiwara said she is finding self-fulfillment with her involvement in various charity and ecological activities. Over the past few years, she has created a photography exhibition for charity, with photos she personally took of children in Afghanistan, set up the The Norika Fujiwara Fund to aid children’s education worldwide, founded girls’ primary schools in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and Cambodia, worked as a PR envoy for the Japan Red Cross, and traveled to Tuvalu.

Looking ahead, Fujiwara said that she is not daunted by turning 40 next year. “Even when I get older, I don’t want to lose my curiosity to take on new challenges in my work and personal life,” she said.

Source: www.japantoday.com

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Romance for Sato Yuuki, Tanaka Reina       
October 29, 2010



Romance has blossomed for actress Tanaka Reina (30) and actor Sato Yuuki (26), according to today's issue of weekly magazine "Friday." The couple, who worked together last year on an NHK drama, were recently spotted riding Sato's motorcycle and leaving his Tokyo apartment hand in hand. But both actors will have a hard time finding time for romance in their mutually busy schedules.

Tanaka is currently in Kyoto filming the movie "Genji Monogatari" while fitting in her regular job as presenter on the NHK show "Top Runner." She first made a breakthrough in 1998, appearing in TV commercials for the soft drink Natchan, and won a best newcomer Japan Academy Award the same year for her first starring role in "Gambatte Ikimashoi." She won the best actress award for "Hatsukoi" in 2000. Meanwhile, Sato is currently working on two TV dramas to be aired next month, Fuji TV's "Strawberry Night" and NTV's "Face-Maker." He made his acting debut in the 2005 season of the drama "Gokusen." His fan base grew the following year when he landed a supporting role in the TV Asahi action hero show "Kamen Rider Kabuto." In 2008 he got his first starring role in Fuji TV's "Shiro to Kuro" under the new stage name of Sato Tomohito. This year he changed to a new management agency and went back to using his real name.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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NTV's Miyazaki-ana Takes Medical Leave

The latest TV personality to take a break from work due to health problems is NTV announcer Miyazaki Nobuko (31), a presenter on the 4am show "Oha! 4 News Live." She stepped down from four TV shows in June 2009 to undergo treatment for TMJ syndrome, chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint, which connects the jawbone to the skull. She returned to work in April but started having health issues again at the end of September.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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Tsunku's third child on the way
Thu, October 28, 2010 (10:49am EDT)



Musician and producer Tsunku (41) announced on his official blog that he and his wife are expecting a third child early next spring. He revealed that his wife is currently five months pregnant and they have not yet learned whether it will be a boy or a girl.

Tsunku got married in June 2006 to a former model. In April 2008, she gave birth to fraternal twins, one boy and one girl.

In addition to the happy news, Tsunku is also celebrating his 42nd birthday on Friday, October 29.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Visual-kei band ViViD goes major
Thu, October 28, 2010 (11:34am EDT)



The popular visual-kei band ViViD has signed with major label Epic Records Japan (owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan) and will release their next single, titled "Yume ~Mugen no Kanata e~," on January 19.

ViViD formed in March 2009 and quickly gained a following. Their released their first single "Take-off" in July 2009, and it debuted at #2 on the indies chart. Since then, their sales rankings have improved with every release. Their 4th single, "PRECIOUS," reached #15 on the overall single rankings this past July.

ViViD consists of vocalist Shin, guitarist Reno, guitarist Ryoga, bassist Iv, and drummer Ko-ki. Each of them had been a member in multiple bands before joining ViViD.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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AKB48's "Beginner" PV tops Recochoku charts
Thu, October 28, 2010 (12:37pm EDT)



On Wednesday, AKB48's new single "Beginner" hit store shelves, shattering previous records with a total of more than 568,000 copies sold in the first day. The next day, the song's music video was released on Recochoku, and it had similarly impressive sales. According to Recochoku, its first-day downloads were roughly triple the amount of their previous single, "Heavy Rotation."

The music video, which was directed by Tetsuya Nakashima ("Kokuhaku", "Kamikaze Girls"), depicts the members of AKB48 as characters in a virtual game, though it sparked much controversy due to its potentially disturbing scenes of violence. Although it was shown in its original form at one of AKB48's events, a different version had to be released for television and for the single's bonus DVD.

However, it was decided that the original video would be available on Recochoku for a limited time, and strong interest led to the overwhelming first-day sales numbers. This gives AKB48 their 6th consecutive #1 on Recochoku's daily video clip chart, which extends their existing record for "most consecutive number-ones" on that chart.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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3 Akira Kurosawa scripts discovered
Thu, October 28, 2010 (1:20pm EDT)



It was announced on Thursday that three scripts involving legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) were recently discovered. These very valuable findings were written during Kurosawa's early career, before he became internationally famous.

One of the scripts is for a movie titled "Kanokemaru no Hitobito" and was discovered at the Shinobu Hashimoto Memorial Hall in Ichikawa, Hyogo. Based on an idea by Kurosawa, it was actually written by screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who went on to work with Kurosawa on several films, including "Rashomon." "Kanokemaru no Hitobito" was actually planned to made into a film in 1951 starring Toshiro Mifune, but production was halted before it was completed. The story involves the sailors on an old transport ship who overcome stormy weather.

A second film script was for the 1946 movie "Asu wo Tsukuru Hitobito," which was a project by Toho's labor union. It was a collaborative work involving multiple directors, but Kurosawa had stated during his lifetime that he could not acknowledge it as his own work.

The third script was for the radio drama "Youki na Koujou," which Kurosawa wrote while he was still working as an assistant director. It was broadcast by NHK in August 1942, and the work was later stored in Waseda University's Tsubochi Memorial Theatre Museum.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Osamu Mukai to make theater debut in "The Shape of Things"
Thu, October 28, 2010 (2:01pm EDT)



Popular actor Osamu Mukai (28) is ready to make his theater debut in a production of Neil LaBute's "The Shape of Things," directed by Daisuke Miura ("Boys on the Run"). Besides Mukai, the play's cast will consist of Minami, Yukie Kawamura, and Ryotaro Yonemura (who belongs to the acting troupe that Miura is in charge of).

Mukai recently got his big break in the drama series "Gegege no Nyoubou," but his schedule has been very busy since the end of last year. So far this year, he has also appeared in "Hotaru no Hikari 2" and the "BECK" movie. His upcoming works include the movies "Paradise Kiss" (which just finished filming) and "Bokutachi wa Sekai wo Kaeru Koto ga Dekinai," as well as next year's taiga drama "Gou ~Himetachi no Sengoku~."

Despite his schedule, Mukai was chosen to lead "The Shape of Things." First performed in London in 2001, the romantic comedy revolves around four students at a university in the American Midwest. Mukai plays Adam, who can't confess his feelings for Jenny (Kawamura), especially since she's already involved with his good friend Phillip (Yonemura). However, he meets and begins dating the beautiful art student Evelyn (Minami), who gives him suggestions on how to improve his appearance and lifestyle. After Adam undergoes many changes, it is ultimately revealed that Evelyn's intentions were not what they seemed to be.

The original cast for the play, and its subsequent film adaptation, featured Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Mol, and Frederick Weller.

"The Shape of Things" will be performed next year in Tokyo on February 10-24. After that, it will begin touring around the country on March 5 for 15 more performances in Ibaraki, Mito, Niigata, Osaka, Hiroshima, Oita, and Fukuoka.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Mayo Suzukaze divorced since last year
Thu, October 28, 2010 (2:18pm EDT)



Actress and ex-Takarazuka top star Mayo Suzukaze (50) has already divorced, it has been learned. In August of last year, it was reported that she was headed for a breakup, but she had successfully avoiding speaking on that subject ever since.

Suzukaze married former rugby player Kiyoshi Imaizumi (43) in 2004. According to the reports from last year, she began living separately from Imaizumi when she started having an affair with a younger actor who worked with her in the musical "Elizabeth." At the time, her agency confirmed that the couple was discussing divorce.

Although there was no news of the divorce after that, someone close to the situation recently revealed that they actually broke off the marriage sometime last year, apparently in autumn. The source also stated that Suzukaze does not have to pay any consolation money to Imaizumi.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Eita, Kaela Kimura become parents
Thu, October 28, 2010 (10:24am EDT)



Actor Eita (27) and singer Kaela Kimura (26) announced on Thursday that they are now parents. Kimura recently gave birth to their first son, though they did not say exactly when it happened.

In their messages on their official websites, they both described the boy as being healthy. Kimura said, "This very small, very strong child will bring a lot to the two of us. He's precious, precious, precious. I'm now looking forward a lot more to our future from now on."

Eita remarked, "It's to be expected, but the boy resembles Kaela and me. When I look at him, I'm filled with various emotions, and I can feel the magnitude of his existence."

Eita and Kimura officially got married on September 1, after surprising everyone in June when they announced their engagement and Kimura's pregnancy.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Shiki troupe to return to stage in Fukuoka from April in 'Wicked'

Saturday 30th October, 04:46 AM JST

FUKUOKA —

Shiki Theatre Co is set to return to the stage in Fukuoka with the musical ‘‘Wicked’’ starting next April after financial difficulties forced the leading Japanese troupe to close down its exclusive theater in the city in May.

Norio Sasaki, vice chairman of the musical troupe, told a promotional event, ‘‘We are aiming for tickets to be sold out’’ for the five-month run of Shiki’s first performance of the popular Broadway musical in the southwestern Japan city.

Sasaki also expressed hope that the launch of full shinkansen bullet train services between Fukuoka and Kagoshima next March will encourage more people to come and see Shiki’s performances at Canal City Theater.

The musical, about two girls who become witches, will be performed at the troupe’s new theater, renamed after renovations to Shiki’s old Fukuoka City Theater, which will open next month in Hakata Ward.

Source: www.japantoday.com