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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]
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Manami Konishi denies wedding report
Friday 05th November, 05:19 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Manami Konishi, 32, said this week that she and actor Masaharu Fukuyama, 41, are just acquaintances and denied a report in Josei Seven magazine that they would be getting married.
Konishi made the remarks at an event to light up Tokyo Tower for the Christmas season. “I just worked with him for his radio program,” Konishi said.
Konishi was joined at the light-up event by actor Toru Nakamura, 45, with whom she is starring in the upcoming drama “Yukizuri no machi.” The story revolves around a teacher with a scandalous past, who meets a former student with whom he once had an affair.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Megumi Yasu appointed 'takoyaki' ambassador
Saturday 06th November, 03:00 AM JST
TOKYO —
A theme park developer has appointed TV personality Megumi Yasu, 28, its ambassador of “takoyaki,” a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, baby octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, ponzu, mayonnaise, green laver and bonito shavings.
Yasu attended an event in Odaiba to promote the Takoyaki Museum which opens Saturday. Yasu, known for her love of cooking, tried her hand at making some octopus balls herself after which the gathered press asked her who she would like to have feed them to her. Yasu replied, “Well, since I’m almost 30, so I guess it’s about time I found Mr Right.”
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Japanese Reuters reporter wins award for best documentary
Saturday 06th November, 11:59 AM JST
NEW YORK —
Kyoko Gasha, a TV reporter from Reuters, has won a prestigious award from media professionals for her documentary about Japanese women living in New York.
The documentary called ‘‘Mother’s Way, Daughter’s Choice’’ depicts professional Japanese women who have decided to carve out lives for themselves in Manhattan and the choices they have made along the way, partly reflecting Gasha’s own experiences.
While Gasha, 47, has already received the audience and best cultural documentary awards at this year’s New York International Independent Film Festival for the work, this is her first award from a professional association.
The Newswomen’s Club of New York annually awards outstanding journalists in a number of categories with the winners being selected from a panel of ranking media professionals.
‘‘This (award) is different because it is from the Newswomen’s Club of New York,’’ she told Kyodo News after receiving her award at a ceremony Thursday. ‘‘One of the reasons I made this movie is to show encouragement among human beings and mainly women.’‘
It was particularly meaningful, she said, because it was given by her female peers.
Among other winners honored by the club this year are Gretchen Morgenson of The New York Times, who received the reporter of the year award, and Edith Lederer who won the lifetime achievement award for her career with The Associated Press.
The inception for Gasha’s documentary came about in 2005 after she first contemplated writing a book about the Japanese women portrayed in the film.
As a veteran reporter, who formerly worked for TV Tokyo covering high profile news events, such as the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 1997 Peru hostage crisis, however, she decided to stick with the visual form of storytelling rather than delving into writing.
The 85-minute film explores the ways the women, including single mothers like Gasha herself, reconcile their cultural upbringings with their new lives in the United States.
The movie has hit the international film festival circuit in places like Tunisia, Taiwan, Japan and the United States. Gasha, who attended many of the showings, said it provoked conversations about the women and their struggles with guilt, denial, sacrifice and joy.
Gasha, who moved to new York in the spring of 2001, likened the arduous process of making the film to ‘‘weaving a tapestry’’ from the various ideas she had set out with.
‘‘I love my mother, but I just don’t want to be like her’’ was one theme, she explained, adding that she began the project by questioning why successful women from one of the world’s biggest economies would choose to start their lives over in New York City.
Gasha first presented her work in progress to an audience in New York with the focus solely on stories of other Japanese women. After receiving feedback from the audience, however, she ultimately decided to insert her own story into the finished product.
For Herb Stratton, a student at a tea ceremony class that Gasha teaches and an avid supporter who has been with her on the project from the beginning, the decision was a turning point that made the film richer.
‘‘What struck me most about it was watching the artistic process of her compiling this story and in the course of telling the story of other women she got a clearer sense of her own story and the relationship with her mother and the role she can play in her daughter’s life,’’ he said at the ceremony.
While the story is focused on the Japanese women as they accomplish objectives from running the New York City marathon to succeeding in high powered jobs, it also speaks to larger questions that are universal.
‘‘It is very universal because no one exists without their mothers and that is why I think this film went to all these other countries for festivals,’’ Gasha said.
In addition to Stratton and other friends who came out in full force, her grandmother, 89, her mother, 70, and her daughter, 17, attended as well.
Her daughter, Anna, who had watched her mother working over countless weekends for years, was proud of the recognition she received for her efforts.
‘‘This is a rare opportunity for me to really sit down and appreciate what my mother has done for me,’’ Anna said at the ceremony. ‘‘She has been a great role model for me all of these years.’‘
Gasha said that she intends to keep making documentaries and hopes her next project will incorporate views from four generations of the Gasha women on why Japan’s birth rate has fallen.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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AKB48 to stick to no-dating rule for Christmas
Monday 08th November, 05:52 AM JST
TOKYO —
Popular AKB48 member Yuko Oshima says the all-girls J-pop group will be spending Christmas by themselves in line with the group’s no-dating rule. ‘‘We have a party for the members every Christmas,’’ she said.
The group has a ‘‘no romance’’ rule, a reason for the girls’ party on a day deemed romantic by many youngsters in Japan.
‘‘We often pretend to go on dates with each other,’’ another member, Tomomi Kasai.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Actress Kudo promotes firefighting
Monday 08th November, 06:39 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Ayano Kudo served as an honorary fire station chief during a firefighting drill Sunday in Tokyo.The 14-year-old actress gave a command to firefighters to discharge water in the Tokyo Fire Department drill held by about 100 people under the assumption that fire started at a commercial complex packed with shoppers in Koto Ward.
Kudo is a national beauty girl contest winner who played the main part in the 2010 movie ‘‘Thriller Restaurant.’’
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Kawashima, Yoshikawa promote 'Pocky and Pretz Day'
Tuesday 09th November, 03:46 AM JST
TOKYO —
Thursday is “Pocky and Pretz Day” and to help with the promotion, Ezaki Glico has enlisted 16-year-old Umika Kawashima, who is currently appearing in Pretz ads, and Hinano Yoshikawa, 30, the 1996 winner of the “Pocky Princess” award.
Kawashima is appearing in a special edition, limited run commercial for Pocky this week. Kazuyoshi Saito, 44, performs the theme song for the ad, “Stick to fun! Tonight!”
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Ikimono-gakari to sing for Nissan's remodeled Serena
Tuesday 09th November, 04:58 AM JST
YOKOHAMA —
Japanese pop group Ikimono-gakari will sing a new commercial song for Nissan Motor Co’s remodeled Serena minivan, the Japanese automaker said Monday.
The vehicle, completely remodeled for the first time in about five years, will be put on sale nationwide on Nov 29 at a price ranging from 2,163,000 yen to 2,856,000 yen, it said. Equipped with a new idling stop system and direct-injection engine with continuously variable transmission (CVT), the new Serena provides a fuel efficiency of 15.4 kilometers per liter, Nissan said.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Yuko Ogura to marry next February
Tuesday 09th November, 12:30 PM JST
TOKYO —
TV celebrity and model Yuko Ogura, 27, popularly known as Yukorin, will marry a famous hair stylist early next year.
Ogura, who until late last year claimed to be from an apple-shaped planet called Korin, and Isao Kikuchi—a 40-year-old divorcee who manages the “ing” hair salon in Minami Aoyama where celebrities such as members of aging boy band SMAP go to get their hair cut, announced at a gathering of about 30 friends late last month that they are engaged and getting married in Hawaii next February. The pair have been seeing each other for about two years and are already living together in a Tokyo apartment.
The couple’s relationship came to light in January this year when photos of the first sunrise of the New Year taken at the same place were posted on each of their blogs. Ogura has stated in the past that she wanted to get married before turning 28, and that she wanted “a prince from the planet of Korin to come pick her up in a strawberry horse cart,” believed to have been a reference to Kikuchi.
Anticipation is building that Ogura, a regular on Wednesday’s broadcast of “DON!” on Nippon TV, will make an announcement on the show regarding the marriage and a possible pregnancy.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Kana Kurashina plays against type in a new miniseries
By Sarah Cortina
TOKYO —
When we arrive for our interview with actress Kana Kurashina early on a Monday morning, we’re ushered up to the second floor of a cute, cluttered Hawaiian cafe—a refreshing change from the usual bare-walled conference rooms. The restaurant, tucked away in the backstreets of Sumida-ku, serves as one of the locations for the drama-comedy “Ojiichan wa 25-sai” (“My Grandfather Is 25 Years Old”). Peeking over the director’s shoulder, we look on as Kurashina, 22, films a scene downstairs before popping up to join us for the interview.
The rising star is just one of the big names in the eight-part original miniseries, a Rip Van Winkle tale about a young man named Minoru (Tatsuya Fujiwara of “Battle Royale” fame) who goes missing in the mountains of Iwate in 1964. Forty-six years later, his body is discovered encased in a block of ice—yet he’s not only miraculously alive, he’s still just 25 years old. Newly resurrected, Minoru goes to live with his son (Katsumi Takahashi)—now a middle-aged salaryman—and must deal with a whole host of surprising sociological and technological developments, from hikikomori to keitai. Kurashina plays his granddaughter, Mai, a gyaru who doesn’t have much use for her father except to make fun of him and hit him up for cash.
“The show has a very comedic touch, but it’s also about how the family begins to grow closer together when the grandfather returns,” Kurashina explains. “These days, the world is a brutal place, you know? I see so many frightening things on the news. In this story, you have the grandfather and grandkids, father and daughter, all clashing with each other and saying what’s on their minds. And that brings them closer as a family. This story makes you realize how much that’s lacking today.”
Kurashina says she’s personally “very close” with her own family. In fact, her childhood in Kumamoto with four younger siblings was not so different from the Showa-era ideal presented in “Ojiichan.”
“In the past, I think people were much closer. If you did something bad, your parents would give you a smack and a scolding—but nowadays that’s considered abuse. Back then, neighbors would greet each other. Now, most of us don’t even know what our neighbors look like.”
Fans of Kurashina’s previous buttoned-down roles will have a tough time recognizing her as the gaudy Mai. Off-camera, she speaks in a soft voice, her words slow and thoughtful. “It was never about ‘I want to be a star!’” she says. “I was living a normal life in Kumamoto, but I realized I wanted to have an adventure.” So in 2005, Kurashina entered the SMA Teen’s Audition, an annual talent search sponsored by Sony Music. She took top honors and debuted the following year.
One of Kurashina’s first jobs after moving to Tokyo in 2006 was in “Erin ga Chosen,” an NHK World educational program aimed at helping foreigners learn Japanese. But she admits that her Kyushu roots—namely the accent she hadn’t yet learned to mask—posed some difficulties. “I was supposed to be helping foreigners learn Japanese, but I felt like I was the one being taught all the time,” she says with a laugh. “We were trying to teach people Japanese, yet a native speaker would probably think, ‘That’s not natural at all.’ It was sort of a struggle.”
Kurashina’s big break came with the NHK morning drama “Welkame” in 2009. A leading role in the annual “asadora” (morning drama) is one of the juiciest gigs for young actors—yet also one of the roughest. The show runs for half a year, meaning that the cast and crew are on location for months on end. “I was cooped up in a hotel the whole time, so that was pretty hard,” Kurashina admits. “Also, the directors were constantly changing. Each director has his own personality, and each of them had his own vision of [the heroine], Nami-chan. It was hard to put all that together.”
Now that she’s coming into her own as an actress, Kurashina says she’s simply enjoying the ride. When we ask about her dreams for the future, she lets on that she doesn’t really have any. “I can say something like, ‘I want to be in a jidaigeki [period drama], but the kind of dream where you stand proudly and say, ‘This is my dream!’… I haven’t been able to find that yet. And maybe that’s a little bit sad.”
She pauses, then flashes a smile. “There are just too many different things I want to try.”
“Ojiichan wa 25-sai” airs on TBS from 11:50 p.m.-12:20 a.m., Nov 15-18 and Nov 22-25.
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Sakamoto Fuyumi Makes "International" Debut
November 05, 2010
Enka singer Sakamoto Fuyumi (43) chose a couple of stars of yesteryear for her first collaboration with overseas artists. In Tokyo yesterday she joined former Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin (50) and 80s pop queen Debbie Gibson (40), who were in town to promote a pair of cover albums of Japanese songs. Martin has a long affinity with Japan - Mr. Big put out three albums under the name "Raw Like Sushi" - and this week he released the third of his "Mr. Vocalist" albums. The albums consist of cover versions of hit ballads by Japanese female singers. He and Sakamoto did an English/Japanese duet of her 2009 hit "Mata Kimini Koishiteru." Gibson was brought in to give it a different angle, releasing the first "Ms. Vocalist" album.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Yamato Creator Drowns
November 08, 2010
Nishizaki Yoshinobu (photo top left), the producer who brought one of Japan's most popular mangas to the TV screen, has died in an apparent drowning. He was 75. The classic 1974 science fiction anime "Uchusenkan Yamato" (Space Cruiser Yamato) is one of the most famous works of Matsumoto Leiji (72, bottom left), but he shares writing credit with Nishizaki, who originally conceived the project in 1973. There were many sequels and spinoffs and the two men fought over legal ownership and credits for years. The matter was taken to court, but the two reached an amicable settlement in 2003. That wasn't Nishizaki's only trouble with the law - he was arrested several times for possession of drugs and firearms, serving almost three years in prison. Nishizaki's most recent anime work, "Uchusenkan Yamato - Fukkatsu Hen" (Yamato Rebirth), was delayed for some time by his imprisonment and further legal conflict before finally hitting theaters in December 2009. A new live action movie, "Space Battleship Yamato," starring Kimura Takuya and Kuroki Meisa, is due for release on December 1.
Nishizaki's untimely end came while he was sailing with an 8-man crew on the 485-tonne research ship "Yamato" of the coast of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands. His body was found in the water on Sunday afternoon. He was wearing a wetsuit and is thought to have fallen overboard.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Manabe Quits Blogosphere
Talento Manabe Kaori (30) has quit the online forum that over the last few years established her as "Queen of the Japanese Blogosphere." She started the blog, "Manabe Kaori no Kokodake no Hanashi" on Nifty's Cocolog service in June 2004. Her plain way of speaking and unique point of view quickly drew in a large fan base. A collection of entries was published in paperback form in 2005 and became a bestseller. The blog now carries a brief message saying that it was taken offline on October 31. Archived entries are no longer viewable.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Masahiro Nakai returns as chef in "Aji Ichimonme" special
Thu, November 4, 2010 (7:38pm EDT)
The popular drama series "Aji Ichimonme" is returning to television for another special episode, 12 years after the last one. SMAP's Masahiro Nakai (38) will reprise his role as a chef striving to become a master.
Based on an award-winning manga by Zenta Abe and Yoshimi Kurata, the drama was Nakai's first lead role in a television series. It aired on TV Asahi in 1995, then was followed by a second series in 1996. Two special episodes were broadcast in 1997 and 1998.
Several cast members are returning with Nakai, including Nenji Kobayashi, Kirin Kiki, Takashi Naito, Kumiko Okae, Yoko Nogiwa, and Shingo Yanagisawa. In addition, new faces such as Yusuke Yamamoto and Shihori Kanjiya will be making guest appearances.
The special is expected to air next spring on TV Asahi.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Shoko Nakagawa, Ayako Imoto lead new unit "Moomoos"
Thu, November 4, 2010 (8:22pm EDT)
 
Idol Shoko Nakagawa (25) and talento Ayako Imoto (24) are at the center of a newly formed unit called Moomoos. Dressed up in cow costumes, the five members of the group appear in a new commercial for Nescafe Excella, set to begin airing nationwide on November 8. They will also sing the commercial's song, with Nakagawa and Imoto in charge of the main vocals.
 
The other members of Moomoos are actress and idol Asami Abe (25), Idoling!!! member Kaede Hashimoto (13), and Kurumi Takahashi (13), who won a major audition held by Watanabe Entertainment last summer. Incidentally, all of the members besides Imoto were born in the year of the Ox (according to the Chinese zodiac).
The commercial's song does not yet have a CD release planned, but that will depend on its popularity.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Aya Hirano tweets about her tumor
Thu, November 4, 2010 (9:43pm EDT)
On November 2, voice actress and singer Aya Hirano (23) revealed on her Twitter account that she has a tumor in her pituitary gland (also known as a pituitary adenoma). Although such tumors are fairly common, they are often harmless and go undiagnosed. In some cases, such as Hirano's, they may cause symptoms due to pressure on the optic nerve.
The revelation started when Hirano casually mentioned that her doctor has advised her not to consume spicy foods, cold foods, and alcohol. She then noted that she has had migraines since about 10 years ago when she was in junior high, and her pituitary tumor was discovered at that time. Although she considered getting surgery during junior high, she decided against it because she was told it could cause damage to her nose (since pituitary gland surgery is done through the nose). More importantly, she said the surgery could have affected her voice, and she had just started working as a voice actress at the time.
The tumor is not malignant, but due to the pressure on the optic nerve, Hirano occasionally experiences loss of vision or difficulty in speaking. However, she said she is fine, and that she has gotten used to the condition and knows how to cope with it. She also visits the hospital almost every year to have it checked. Laser surgery is now an option, but she does not plan to have it done since the condition is not urgent.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Aoi to put Ayabie on hiatus, continue solo work
Fri, November 5, 2010 (9:38am EDT)
Aoi, the vocalist of visual-kei band Ayabie, announced that the band is going on indefinite hiatus by the end of this year. Currently, he is the only member of the band, as the other four members suddenly left in August to form their own group, which they named AYABIE.
Aoi explained that he is unable to sing as Ayabie by himself. He stated that he considered officially disbanding, but since the other members started performing as AYABIE, he felt that he still wants to sing as Ayabie, so he is simply going on hiatus for now. He indicated that he hopes to someday resume activities with the other members.
Before the hiatus, he still has a concert scheduled for December 24 in Shibuya, and he revealed that he will be singing past songs by Ayabie. He will also continue his solo work as "Aoi from Ayabie," especially since his second single, "Surrender Love," is being released on November 24.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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GO!GO!7188's Yuu restarting Chirinuruwowaka
Fri, November 5, 2010 (10:06am EDT)
Last month, it was announced that GO!GO!7188 bassist Akko is expecting her first child, so the band members are focusing on their solo projects for now. It is now known that vocalist and guitarist Yuu is reviving her band Chirinuruwowaka, and a new album is already planned for next spring.
Yuu formed Chirinuruwowaka in 2005 with three other members, and they released their first and only album that same year. However, the band has been inactive since 2007. The group's guitarist left sometime after that, but a new guitarist was added this past January. They apparently resumed activities in September.
On December 1, Chirinuruwowaka will go on tour to seven cities, starting in Shibuya and ending in Nagoya on December 16. Then next spring, they plan to release a brand new album.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Mayumi Sada gives birth to second child
Fri, November 5, 2010 (10:31am EDT)
Actress and model Mayumi Sada (33) is now a mother of two. On Thursday afternoon, she gave birth to her second daughter.
Sada has been married to a non-celebrity (36) since October 2008. She gave birth to their first daughter in April 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Keiko Kitagawa stars as criminal profiler in "LADY"
Fri, November 5, 2010 (7:56pm EDT)
Keiko Kitagawa (24) is set to star in a new drama series on TBS, which will be her first time as the sole lead in a prime time show. The drama is tentatively titled "LADY ~Saigo no Profiling~" and will feature Kitagawa as a former FBI agent.
"LADY" focuses on a team of profilers in the CPS, a fictional police division that deals with analyzing criminal behavior. Kitagawa plays the part of Shoko, a gifted profiler who returns to Japan after working with the FBI in the United States. Her character is described as a "crime maniac," as she is overly knowledgeable about past crimes, while also being unskilled in matters of romance.
   
Tae Kimura (39) will play the chief profiler in the CPS, and other profilers will be played by Yuta Hiraoka (26), Jun Kaname (29), and Risa Sudo (34). Yusuke Santamaria (39) has been cast as a police detective, while Yukiyoshi Ozawa (36) plays another detective who is always at odds with the CPS.
 
As this is a new kind of role for Kitagawa, she has reportedly been preparing by watching the American drama "Criminal Minds" and reading books on profiling.
Each episode is said to be one complete case. The show will air on Fridays at 10:00pm, starting in January 2011.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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