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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]
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Ameblo's Blog of the Year 2010: Osamu Mukai, Atsuko Maeda
Wed, December 22, 2010 (9:11am EST)
 
Blogging service Ameblo has announced its Blog of the Year 2010 awards, chosen through an online survey conducted between December 17 and December 20. The winner in the male category was actor Osamu Mukai (28), while the winner in the female category was AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda (19).
Mukai became tremendously popular this year thanks to his role in the drama series "Gegege no Nyoubou," as well as parts in high-profile movies like "BECK" and the upcoming "Paradise Kiss."
Maeda has been popular as one of the top members of AKB48, and her starring role in the drama series "Q10" also drew a lot of attention to her blog.
    
Ameblo also announced the top 10 rising blogs of 2010, and Maeda was #1 on that list as well. Fellow AKB48 members Yuko Oshima, Rino Sashihara, and Tomomi Itano also made the rankings, as did Morning Musume's Reina Tanaka and actress Riisa Naka.
The complete rankings are expected to be published soon.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Sakura Uehara announces plans to remarry
Wed, December 22, 2010 (9:30am EST)
Talento Sakura Uehara (33) announced on Wednesday via her management agency that she plans to get remarried next spring. Her partner is 38-year-old Koji Aoyama, the president of a large corporation that mainly deals with providing construction site equipment.
Uehara confirmed her relationship with Aoyama this past February. The two met during the summer of last year through a friend, and they began seriously dating around January of this year. The two have already started living together. Currently, they have not decided on a date or location for their wedding ceremony.
Uehara was previously married to fashion producer Noriaki Endo from August 2003 to November 2009.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Charts: BUMP OF CHICKEN, Hey! Say! JUMP
Wed, December 22, 2010 (10:58am EST)
Last week, BUMP OF CHICKEN released "COSMONAUT," their sixth album overall and their first in three years. It sold more than 207,000 copies over the week to rank #1 on the sales charts, giving the band their first number-one since album since "Yggdrasil" in 2004.
Sound Horizon's "Marchen" entered the charts at #2, slightly beating out Michael Jackson's posthumous album "Michael." The only other Michael Jackson albums to ever reach the Top 3 in Japan were "Thriller" (#1) in 1984 and "Bad" (#1) in 1987.
On the singles chart, Hey! Say! JUMP took the top spot with "Arigatou ~Sekai no Doko ni Itemo~," selling approximately 151,000 copies. All six of their singles since their debut have been chart-toppers.
Other new singles in the top ten were released by the GazettE (#2), VAMPS (#4), Superfly (#5), Hiroshi Kamiya (#6), the Teni Puri All Stars (#7), DaiKichi (#9), and Plastic Tree (#10).
In DVDs, Namie Amuro sold 95,000 copies of her "PAST < FUTURE tour 2010" release to achieve #1 in the music category. This is her second consecutive #1 music DVD, and her fourth overall.
On the overall DVD charts, however, she was edged out by the "Gintama" movie "Gekijoban Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-hen," selling roughly 96,000 copies. Meanwhile, the limited Blu-ray edition of "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" sold 77,000 copies to top the overall Blu-ray charts.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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EXILE's MATSU joins "Heaven's Flower" cast
Wed, December 22, 2010 (9:39pm EST)
EXILE member MATSU (35) has received his first acting role in a drama series. He is joining the cast of the TBS drama "Heaven's Flower ~The Legend of ARCANA~," which was unveiled last month, starring Umika Kwashima (16).
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Japan in 2060, and Kawashima plays a cold assassin named Ai who is part of a group called "Last Garden." MATSU plays a key role in Ai's development throughout the story, as a mysterious plant doctor named Haru who has a self-imposed mission to travel across the wastelands of Japan. His father, also a plant doctor, was killed when he was a child, and his own life is being targeted as well. The character will reportedly have a "storyteller"-like feel.
MATSU will be credited under his real name, Toshio Matsumoto.
"Heaven's Flower" begins airing on January 14. The cast is already known to include Hirofumi Araki (D-BOYS), Go Ayano, Yoshiko Mita, and Hirotaro Honda.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hiro Mizushima's "Kagerou" sells 351,000 copies in first five days
Wed, December 22, 2010 (10:07pm EST)
Hiro Mizushima's highly anticipated debut novel "KAGEROU" was published on December 15, and Oricon has now released some sales data for the book. In the five days following its release, it sold 351,000 copies, reaching #1 on the weekly book rankings. Oricon started tracking book sales in April 2008, and this is the first time that an author's debut work has been #1 on the book charts (over all categories).
In the two and a half years of Oricon's book charts, "KAGEROU" has the 3rd highest first-week sales, behind J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" (1.191 million) and Haruki Murakami's "1Q84 Book 3" (398,000).
"KAGEROU" was chosen as the winner of the 5th Poplar Publishing Grand Prize for Fiction in October, and it was quickly approved for publication. Reports at the start of this month indicated that the book had received more than 400,000 pre-orders, as of two weeks before the release date. Poplar had initially printed 430,000 copies for the launch on December 15, but with many stores selling out that same morning, Poplar placed an order the next day for another 250,000 copies to be printed. As of December 22, 760,000 copies have been printed.
Poplar revealed several days ago that it has already received offers for a movie adaptation of "KAGEROU."
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Wakana Sakai, Seiran Kobayashi play mother and daughter in "Inu no Merry"
Wed, December 22, 2010 (10:44pm EST)
 
Actress Wakana Sakai (30) is starring in a BeeTV mobile drama series called "Inu no Merry ~ Shiawase wo Hakobu Denshoken." Her co-star is child actress Seiran Kobayashi (6), who recently played Yuko Takeuchi's daughter in the TV series "Natsu no Koi wa Nijiiro ni Kagayaku."
Sakai plays Machiko, a single mother who is unable to live with her daughter Yuki (Kobayashi) due to financial reasons. Yuki, who is staying in a child welfare institution, rescues a stray dog (a Shiba Inu) and gives it a home with her and the other children at the institution. As a way of repaying her, the dog takes on the task of carrying a letter from Yuki to her mother.
 
The supporting cast includes Hideko Hara (51), Reina Asami (27), and Hana Kino (62).
BeeTV will begin distributing the series on February 20, with new episodes planned every Tuesday. The series will last a total of 12 episodes, each about 10 minutes in length.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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NHK announces Kouhaku guest judges and special projects
Wed, December 22, 2010 (10:06am EST)
On Wednesday, NHK announced several special segments and projects planned for the upcoming Kouhaku Uta Gassen, as well as the names of the guest judges for the contest.
The 10 guest judges are:
Yusuke Iseya (actor)
Natsumi Iwasaki (variety show writer and author of "Moshidora")
Juri Ueno (actress)
Kinya Kitaoji (actor)
Daisuke Takahashi (figure skater)
Shinobu Terajima (actress)
Yukie Nakama (actress)
Soichi Noguchi (astronaut)
Kanae Minato (author of "Kokuhaku")
Nunoe Mura (wife of mangaka Shigeru Mizuki and subject of the "Gegege no Nyoubou" drama)
One of the special projects is a "Character Kouhaku Uta Gassen," featuring popular characters from the past year. The White Team will be represented by "Yukai Tsukai Kaibutsu-kun" by Kaibutsu-kun (Satoshi Ohno) and "Gegege no Kitaro" by voice actor Kazuo Kumakura and others. The Red Team will be represented by "Dokonoko no Kinoko" from the children's show "Okaasan to Issho," plus a version of the anime song "Alright! HeartCatch PreCure!" sung by Nana Mizuki and AKB48.
Another project will be a gathering of the "Gegege no Nyoubou" family, uniting the drama cast of Nao Matsushita (one of the Kouhaku hosts), Osamu Mukai, Ren Osugi, and Yuko ****gawa.
Another segment will introduce the cast of the current NHK morning drama series "Teppan," led by Miori Takimoto. Sumiko Fuji and Hidekazu Akai will also appear, as well as singer Miyuki Kawanaka, who is one of the performing artists this year for Kouhaku's Red Team.
Several other minor projects were revealed, involving celebrities such as comedian Nezucchi (W Colon), Rakuten Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (appearing with FUNKY MONKEY BABYS), TV personality Kimimaro Ayanokoji, and talento Ai Haruna.
One big highlight is that all of the artists this year are planned to sing together the song "Uta no Chikara," which Joe Hisaishi composed as the "theme song" of last year's Kouhaku Uta Gassen. Last year, the song was also sung by all of the appearing artists.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Arashi, Nao Matsushita to do special performances at Kouhaku Uta Gassen
Thu, December 23, 2010 (6:43am EST)
Yesterday, NHK announced the guest judges and some of the special segments for this year's Kouhaku Uta Gassen. Today, they announced two more segments, involving the hosts Arashi and Nao Matsushita.
Arashi will be in charge of a segment showcasing the "goodness of Japan" through various messages and a new song. The segment will feature pictures of smiling faces in various parts of the country, taken by the five members during special trips to those places. The locations featured include Kanagawa (Sho Sakurai), Tokyo (Masaki Aiba), Hokkaido (Kazunari Ninomiya), Okinawa (Jun Matsumoto), and one secret location (Satoshi Ohno).
Arashi's thoughts and feelings during those trips will be incorporated into a new song, which they will unveil at Kouhaku. Television writer Kundo Koyama wrote the song's lyrics and is in charge of producing the segment.
Matsushita's segment will be a piano performance of Ikimono Gakari's song "Arigatou," which was used as the theme song for her drama series "Gegege no Nyoubou." The segment will also make use of famous scenes from the drama.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hiromi Ito wins 2010 Miss of Miss Campus Queen Contest
Thu, December 23, 2010 (7:17am EST)
The final round of the 2010 Miss of Miss Campus Queen Contest was held in Odaiba, Tokyo, on Thursday. The ten finalists this year were chosen from a field of 58 entries, nearly double the 30 that entered in 2009. From those finalists, the grand prize went to 22-year-old Hiromi Ito, a third-year sociology student at Rikkyo University.
The Miss of Miss Campus Queen Contest is held annually, bringing together the winners of the Miss Campus contests at colleges and universities around the country. This year, the judging panel included talento Ai Haruna (38), actor Shosuke Tanihara (38), and the 2009 grand prize winner Ai Komatsu (22).
The semi-grand prize winner was Yui Makita (19), a first-year child studies student at Shukutoku Junior College. A special judge's prize was given to Yuka Hatashita (19), a first-year literature student at Seikei University.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Fictional idol group Mugen Danshi to release CD
Thu, December 23, 2010 (7:43am EST)
Mugen Danshi, the fictional boy band from the NHK variety and drama series "Shukujo," will be making their actual CD debut next year. On February 16, they will release the double A-side "Infinity Love / Renai Nenrei Mugendai," which features two songs from the show.
In "Shukujo," comedienne Tomochika and actress YOU play two women around the age of forty who have become obsessed with a Korean idol group called Mugen Danshi. The trio consists of Poseidon (Motohiro Ota), Panther (Gong Teyu), and Dragon (Lee Te-Gang). Due to their popularity among the show's viewers, it was decided that they will release an actual CD through record label Avex.
The group has already had an official website open for some time as part of the "Shukujo" website.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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m.o.v.e teams up with Ryuichi Kawamura, Sugizo to provide "Gakudori" theme song
Thu, December 23, 2010 (8:25am EST)
  
Musical group m.o.v.e is collaborating with LUNA SEA members Ryuichi Kawamura and SUGIZO to provide a theme song for the upcoming movie "Gakudori," scheduled to open in theaters in spring 2011. Their song will be called "oveRtaKerS," and will feature Kawamura on vocals and SUGIZO on guitar.
m.o.v.e is well-known for doing several popular anime theme songs, including some for the series "Initial D." Like "Initial D," "Gakudori" focuses on the car racing scene.
"Gakudori" is an abbreviation of "Gakusei Drift," a student-only competition organized by automobile magazine Drift Tengoku. That competition is the central setting for the film, which tells the story of three young students aiming for the top. The three stars are "Kamen Rider Double" actor Minehiro Kinomoto (21), actor Kazuki Kato (26), and fashion model and actress Aoi Miura (20).
  
The "oveRtaKerS" song has not been given a release date yet.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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LUNA SEA bassist J to celebrate 14th anniversary with 5-day event
Thu, December 23, 2010 (8:45am EST)
LUNA SEA bassist J has announced a 5-day event at Shibuya AX for next spring to celebrate the 14th anniversary of his solo career, since 14 is said to be his lucky number. This will be the 4th time that he has held a 5-day event at that location, but this one promises to be even more special.
J has invited several guest artists to perform: a flood of circle; avengers in sci-fi; Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas; MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS; Northern19; Nothing's Carved In Stone; Pay money To my Pain; The Telephones; and Zioooubachi.
The event will take place on May 5-9, 2011.
Last month, J announced that he is releasing a self-cover album titled "FOURTEEN -the best of ignitions-" on January 26, also in celebration of his 14th anniversary.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Pink's songs to appear in Fuji TV's "Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta"
Thu, December 23, 2010 (9:13am EST)
 
Several songs by popular American singer Pink (P!nk) will be used in Fuji TV's next Monday night drama series "Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta," which stars Erika Toda and Haruma Miura. The songs are mostly from the Japanese edition of Pink's compilation album "Greatest Hits... So Far!!!" that was released on December 15.
A total of 9 songs are planned to be used, including the new song "kungfuin' Perfect." The others are "Stupid Girls," "Who Knew," "Dear Mr. President," "Funhouse," "I'm Not Dead," "Long Way To Happy," "Nobody Knows," and "Runaway."
"Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta" premieres in January 2011.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Oricon 2010 Rankings (DVD/BD): Michael Jackson sells a million
Thu, December 23, 2010 (10:35am EST)
Oricon has continued to reveal its sales rankings for 2010, announcing the Top 50 DVDs and the Top 10 BDs of the year. The top-selling DVD was Michael Jackson's "THIS IS IT," which sold approximately 803,000 copies of the Deluxe Collector's Edition. Adding in the sales from the regular Collector's Edition (322,000) and the limited Memorial DVD Box (10,000), "THIS IS IT" was the only DVD release of the year to sell more than 1 million copies. To top it off, the Blu-ray version sold 357,000 copies to rank #2 on the BD chart.
"THIS IS IT" is Jackson's first video release to ever be #1 for the year. This also marks the first time that a documentary DVD has been the biggest seller of the year.
On the BD rankings, 2010 was a big year for animated works, which occupied 6 of the top 10 spots. At the top of the list was "Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance" at 450,000 units sold.
Top 50 DVDs:
Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT (Deluxe Collector's Edition) - Michael Jackson - 802,656
ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5x10 - Arashi - 786,303
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance - 373,820
Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT (Collector's Edition) - Michael Jackson - 322,373
EXILE LIVE TOUR 2010 FANTASY - EXILE - 315,053
Avatar - 306,901
5x10 All the BEST! CLIPS 1999-2009 - Arashi - 228,444
KAT-TUN LIVE Break the Records - KAT-TUN - 198,672
2012 (Standard Edition) - 193,698
Alice in Wonderland - 185,298
TOHOSHINKI VIDEO CLIP COLLECTION -THE ONE- - Tohoshinki - 177,496
One Piece Film: Strong World (DVD 10th Anniversary LIMITED EDITION) - 168,555
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 168,016
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Special Collector's Edition) - 166,783
We are SMAP! 2010 CONCERT DVD - SMAP - 163,796
Up - 162,050
Mr.Children DOME TOUR 2009 ~SUPERMARKET FANTASY~ IN TOKYO DOME - Mr.Children - 157,391
Mr.Children / Split The Difference - Mr.Children - 150,560
Saigo no Yakusoku - Arashi - 149,190
COUNTDOWN LIVE 2009-2010 in Kyocera Dome Osaka - Kanjani8 - 148,809
EXH SPECIAL EXILE ATSUSHI PREMIUM LIVE SOLO - EXILE ATSUSHI - 147,523
THANKSGIVING LIVE IN DOME - JUNSU/JEJUNG/YUCHUN - 139,594
Nogashita Sakanatachi ~Single Video Collection~ - AKB48 - 129,942
Summer Wars - 127,832
B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic" at TOKYO DOME - B'z - 127,378
KinKi Kids concert tour J - KinKi Kids - 116,758
The Fast and the Furious 4 - 110,465
Toy Story (Special Edition) - 107,672
Hey! Say! 2010 TEN JUMP - Hey! Say! JUMP - 106,492
Iron Man (Deluxe Collector's Edition) - 103,190
Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest - Michael Jackson - 101,713
Toy Story 2 (Special Edition) - 93,859
Suiyou Dou Deshou "Nihon Zenkoku Ehagaki no Tabi," "Chef Oizumi Shanai de Christmas Party," "Tohoku Nihaku Mikka Ikijigoku Tour" - Takayuki Suzui, Yo Oizumi, Ken Yasuda - 89,608
Suiyou Dou Deshou: Quiz Shiken ni Deru Dou Deshou: Shikoku Hachijuhakkasho: Tsuri Baka Taiketsu Hyoujou Wakasagi Tsuri Taiketsu - Takayuki Suzui, Yo Oizumi, Ken Yasuda - 88,925
ayumi hamasaki ARENA TOUR 2009 A ~NEXT LEVEL~ - Ayumi Hamasaki - 86,398
Perfume Second Tour 2009 "Chokkaku Nitouhen Sankakkei TOUR" - Perfume - 86,196
Transporter 3: Unlimited - 85,675
ARASHI AROUND ASIA 2008 in TOKYO - Arashi - 85,453
Shoujo Jidai Tourai ~Rainichi Kinenban~ New Beginning of Girls' Generation - Shoujo Jidai - 83,678
One Piece Film: Strong World - 81,380
ROOKIES -Sotsugyou- - 80,648
Tonari no Totoro - 79,384
FUKUYAMA MASAHARU 20th ANNIVERSARY WE'RE BROS. TOUR 2009 Michishirube - Masaharu Fukuyama - 77,326
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Special Edition) - 76,450
Terminator Salvation (Collector's Edition) - 75,847
Fukuyama Natsu no Daisougyou Matsuri: Inasayama - Masaharu Fukuyama - 75,162
MTV Unplugged ayaka - Ayaka - 74,378
SMAP Ganbarimasu!! 2010 10-jikan Choukanzenban - SMAP - 74,176
2nd LIVE TOUR~Five in the Black - Tohoshinki - 74,111
Gokusen THE MOVIE - 73,761
Top 10 BDs (approximate sales):
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance - 450,000
Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT - Michael Jackson - 357,000
Avatar (Blu-ray & DVD Set) - 221,000
Toy Story 3 (DVD + Blu-ray Set, DVD Case) - 152,000
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn 1 - 106,000
Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray + DVD Set, Blu-ray Case) - 101,000
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn 2 - 99,000
Sherlock Holmes (Blu-ray & DVD Set) - 89,000
District 9 (Blu-ray & DVD Set) - 85,000
One Piece Film: Strong World (Blu-ray 10th Anniversary LIMITED EDITION) - 83,000
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Miyuki Torii stars in live-action "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan"
Thu, December 23, 2010 (8:04pm EST)
Yukari Takinami's 4-panel manga "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan" is being turned into a live-action drama series next year. The show will star comedian Miyuki Torii (29) in her first lead TV role.
Torii plays the titular character, a woman known as Ekoda-chan who spends her days working odd jobs, from clerk to telephone appointer to nude model to cabaret club hostess. Ekoda-chan has a habit of being in the nude at home, and she possesses a lax attitude when it comes to matters of the opposite sex. She is always at odds with the "birds of prey," a name she uses to refer to women who constantly try to attract men.
Although the manga normally runs in Kodansha's seinen magazine Afternoon, strips have also found popularity in various women's magazines.
The supporting cast includes Junko Emoto and Tomoharu Hasegawa. Torii will be singing the show's theme song under the Ekoda-chan name, with lyrics written by the original mangaka.
NTV plans to broadcast the series on Tuesday nights at 1:29am, beginning on January 11.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Masahiro Nakai to host "CDTV Special! Toshikoshi Premier Live"
Thu, December 23, 2010 (7:29pm EST)
SMAP's Masahiro Nakai (38) has been chosen to host the music show "CDTV Special! Toshikoshi Premier Live 2010-2011." This is Nakai's first time hosting the annual "Premier Live."
This year's highlights include SMAP's first performance on the show with a hit medley, Ikimono Gakari with a medley of their own, and AKB48 member Tomomi Itano performing her debut solo song.
The "Premier Live" will start at 11:45pm on December 31 and last until 5:00am on January 1.
The partial list of the artists performing includes:
aiko
Ikimono Gakari
AKB48
EXILE
Meisa Kuroki
Kumi Koda
Kobukuro
JUJU
SMAP
Kana Nishino
Perfume
Ayumi Hamasaki
Becky
Yusuke
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Osamu Mukai spends the night with co-actress
Thu, December 23, 2010 (6:58pm EST)
Rising actor Osamu Mukai (28) has found his way into gossip magazine FRIDAY this week. The latest issue reports that he spent the night with actress Kotono Tsubaki (25) at his Tokyo apartment earlier this month.
Tsubaki has a supporting role in the movie "Bokutachi wa Sekai wo Kaeru Koto ga Dekinai," which is Mukai's first film as the lead actor. It appears that the pair became close while working on the movie.
One night in early December, Mukai was seen wearing a face mask as he left his apartment. He drove away in his car to apparently pick up Tsubaki, and they returned to his apartment past 11:00pm at night. They entered the apartment building separately, then left separately the next morning after 9:00am.
Mukai's management agency confirmed that the two met but denied that they are dating. A representative claims that Tsubaki had met with Mukai that day to ask for some advice.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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3D screen boom voted Japan's top entertainment news item in 2010
Saturday 25th December, 07:00 AM JST
TOKYO —
A boom in 3D screens ranked first in the list of 10 major domestic entertainment news stories of 2010, according to Kyodo News selections released Friday.
The following are the top 10 domestic entertainment news stories of 2010.
(1) 3D boom
The success of the American science fiction film ‘‘Avatar’’ in Japan led to a string of three-dimensional hit movies and the launch of 3D television programs.
(2) ‘GeGeGe’ TV drama
‘‘GeGeGe no Nyobo’’ (Wife of GeGeGe Cartoonist), a TV drama series aired by public broadcaster NHK, garnered a devoted following. The phrase ‘‘GeGeGe no’’ was selected as Japan’s top buzzword of 2010.
(3) Cancellation of live sumo coverage
NHK skipped live television coverage of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July as a total of 10 wrestlers in the top makuuchi and juryo divisions were suspended from the tournament, and ozeki Kotomitsuki was banned for life, for illegal gambling on professional baseball games.
(4) AKB48, S Korean ‘Girls’ Generation’
The popularity of all-girl Japanese pop idol group AKB48 went into overdrive, while South Korean girl-group Girls’ Generation wowed Tokyo when they debuted in August.
(5) Actresses Terajima, Fukatsu win awards
Shinobu Terajima won the best actress award in the Berlin International Film Festival in February for her role in director Koji Wakamatsu’s ‘‘Caterpillar,’’ a war movie, while Eri Fukatsu received the best actress award at the Montreal World Film Festival in Canada in September for her performance in the Japanese film ‘‘Akunin’’ (Villain), directed by Lee Sang Il.
(6) Kabukiza closes
The curtain fell for the last time on the venerable Kabukiza theater in Tokyo’s Ginza district in April, making way for the construction of a new theater for the traditional Japanese drama form. Meanwhile, in November, kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo sustained injuries in a bar brawl and has been suspended indefinitely from performing.
(7) Death of dramatists Inoue, Tsuka
Two leading dramatists—Hisashi Inoue and Kohei Tsuka—died from lung cancer in April and July, respectively.
(8) Journalists, columnist gain popularity as TV personalities
Journalist Akira Ikegami, war photographer Yoichi Watanabe and columnist Matsuko Delax, who dresses up as a woman, were a hit with TV viewers.
(9) Conductor Ozawa, musician Kuwata suspend performances
Maestro Seiji Ozawa and pop musician Keisuke Kuwata both underwent operations for esophageal cancer, forcing them to suspend their musical activities.
(10) Successor to Rakugo name Ensho still undecided
Who will assume the Sanyutei Ensho name—one of the most prestigious names in Rakugo comic storyteller—has yet to be decided. Three storytellers—Sanyutei Enjo, Sanyutei Horaku and Sanyutei Enso—aspire to succeed to the name.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Shokotan to voice Rapunzel in Disney's 'Tangled'
Sunday 26th December, 05:27 AM JST
TOKYO —
Pop idol Shoko Nakagawa, known by her nickname Shokotan, will provide the Japanese voice for the main character Rapunzel in the Disney animated film “Tangled.”
‘‘I began collecting Rapunzel figures from America and grew my hair to my waist,’’ Nakagawa said expressing her excitement about playing the role during a press conference.
The 3D animation is based on the fairy tale of Rapunzel, a girl with 21-meter-long hair who has been locked up in a mysterious tower for 18 years. The movie will be released in Japan in March.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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