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The hottest couple appear on "Dororo" premiere
Arguably the highest profile couple in J-movie world, Kou Shibasaki ("Sinking of Japan") and Satoshi Tsumabuki ("Nada Sousou"), who are also the co-stars of a VFX period drama "Dororo", appeared on the stage for the film's Japan premiere on Nov. 27 in Tokyo. The film is based on a classic manga (comic) by "the father of manga" Osamu Tezuka, and directed by Akihiko Shiota.
Tsumabuki plays the hero Hyakkimaru, and Shibasaki his partner Dororo. In late Muromachi period (16th century), Hyakkimaru's father dedicates his unborn son to 48 yokais (Japanese traditional monsters) for his ambition to conquer Japan, and as a result, Hyakkimaru is born without 48 parts of his body. Hyakkimaru goes out traveling to find his lost body parts. On the course, he meets a daughter of a thief named Dororo, who tries to steal Hyakkimaru's sword, and they eventually become partners. Each time they kill a moster, a part of Hyakkimaru's body is regained.
Shibasaki and Tsumabuki have been reported to be the real-life partners since they both played in a TV drama two years ago ("Orange Days"), and even though nothing has been officially announced, tabloid press has been speculating that they will tie the knot pretty soon.
Tsumabuki said about Shibasaki, "She has so much power of concentration. She did much more than Dororo that I imagined. I really enjoyed doing the film together." And Shibasaki said about the film shooting in New Zealand, "It was my first time to film overseas for such a long time and was a bit concerned, but it turned out to be easier to concentrate."
"Dororo" is scheduled to open in Japan on January 27, 2007.
Source: http://cinematoday.jp/ |
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news: artiste
Actor Osawa Takao (38) and singer/songwriter Hirose Kohmi (40) announced that they have divorced. They had been married since 1999. Hirose began composing at the age of five and while in the U.S. had the same voice training teacher as Michael Jackson. She debuted in 1992 and had a huge hit with the single "Romance no Kamisama" the following year. Osawa started out as a fashion model before switching to acting in 1994. He has appeared in several smash hit movies, including "Sekai no Chushin de, Ai wo Sakebu" (2004), as well as last year's Steven Seagal movie "Into the Sun".
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: artiste
Singer Koda Kumi is officially the talk of Japan. The flamboyant Kyoto native's revealing stage outfits have earned her the label "erokakkoii", a newly-coined phrase that is a mixture of erotic and cool, and certainly haven't hurt her image with both female and male fans. Publishing company Shogakkan chose her to be their Notable Person for 2006 in their annual awards to mark major trends for the year, held this week at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Koda's been around since 2000, but she made her big break last year with the help of a series of chest-revealing, hip-hugging outfits and has managed to consolidate that this year with a slew of hits and eye-catching publicity events. She started off the year by releasing a new single every week for 12 weeks, all of which made it into the charts. She also earned herself an appearance on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen, the New Year's Eve song spectacle.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Top 10 movies weekly ranking (as of 26/11/2006)
1) Death Note the Last Name - Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama, Erika Toda, Takeshi Kaga
2) The Devil who Wears Prada
3) Flag of our Fathers
4) Tegami - Takayuki Yamada, Erika Sawajiri
5) Kisarazu Cat's Eye World Series - Junichi Okada (V6), Sho Sakurai (ARASHI), Ryuta Sato
6) Tomorrow World
7) Soul 3
8) Arigatou
9) Tsubayama Kacchou no Nanoka kan
10) Shichigatsu Nijuuyokka Doori no Christmas
Note: In BLUE are Japanese movies. |
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news: artiste
Ayaka delivers 'First Message'
Steve McClure / Special to The Daily Yomiuri
Instead of name-checking the hippest contemporary acts, Ayaka is one of those artists whose musical influences are unashamedly retro.
The Osaka Prefecture-born singer cites Carole King and the Beatles as her earliest fave acts, which is a bit surprising for someone who's just 18.
"When I heard them for the first time, they didn't feel old at all to me, even though they are from way before I was born," Ayaka said in a recent interview. "This is music that people have been listening to for a long
time. And the artists I like have been influenced by the Beatles and Carole King, too. When I think of the number of artists who have been inspired bythem, I think they're really amazing."
Amazing is the word that came to many people's minds when Ayaka performed five songs at a Warner Music Japan promotional showcase earlier this year. The then unknown singer won over the largely middle-aged audience of
industry and media types with a confident, gutsy performance of King's foot-stompin' soul classic "I Feel the Earth Move," along with four of her own tunes. A major new J-pop talent had clearly arrived.
Since then, Ayaka has released three well-received singles and completed her first nationwide concert tour last spring. One show from that tour was carried as a live streaming broadcast by Japan's three major
mobile-phone operators, which helped build up the buzz surrounding Ayaka.
On Nov. 1 she released her debut album, appropriately titled First Message. It's one of those rare first albums that doesn't sound like a debut set. Ayaka's self-assured, powerful vocals have none of the tentativeness displayed by many newcomer artists still trying to define their own style. Instead, Ayaka delivers amazingly mature-sounding performances on
tracks like "Real Voice," which demonstrate her impressively wide vocal range and, just as importantly, her ability to get behind the lyrics and convey passion
and depth of feeling as few other J-pop artists can.
The girl, in other words, has got talent. Ayaka's pop-R&B singing style is refreshingly unaffected, with few of the "oh baby"-type cliches that seem obligatory for some singers. The fact that Ayaka has never had formal voice training may explain the fresh appeal of her style.
"The melody and the lyrics sort of draw out my voice and my feelings, and they're sort of poured into the song," she says in a matter-of-fact way.
Ayaka-- she says she prefers to use a single name professionally because of its "strong impact"--decided to set her sights on singing professionally while she was a 14-year-old middle school student.
"I'd always loved singing, and I'd sing along with CDs and go to karaoke, but the school festival was the first time I sang with an audience, on stage," she says, recalling that she sang an a cappella version of Ken
Hirai's "Love, Love, Love."
"And it felt so good, hearing just my voice reverberate around the hall, and having everyone listening to it and watching me," Ayaka says. "And the comments everyone made, telling me 'You did so well,' and 'You're good,'
contributed to my confidence. I wanted to sing in more venues, and have more people listen to me. I wanted to test my singing skills."
Ayaka explains that the album's title refers to the joy of touching people's hearts through music.
"I really wanted to include the word 'message' in the title of my album," she says. "There's a song called 'Message' at the end of the album. It's the first song I wrote. That was when I was 15, in my first year of high
school. The lyrics are about how much I wanted to sing--that's the message. And it captures the feelings I had then, when I just loved music, and enjoyed singing so much.
"Even though I've made my debut, and gone through many things, I don't want to forget that first feeling I had, when singing was such a joy. Because I loved singing, that led me to want to give more, to communicate more to
other people," Ayaka continues with infectious enthusiasm. "I've packed a lot of messages into these 14 songs."
Odds are Japanese music fans will respond positively to Ayaka's musical message. She wears her talent lightly, but she's fast shaping up to be a J-pop heavyweight. |
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Top 10 Singles Weekly from Oricon Charts (as of 4/12/2006)
1) KinKi Kids - Harmony of December
2) Yuzuoda - Christmas no Yakusoku
3) Mr. Children - Shirushi
4) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Aru Machino Gunjyo
5) Nana starring Mika Nakashima - Hitoiro
6) EXILE & Kumi Koda - Won't Belong
7) Dreams Come True - Moshimo Yukinara/Kyou Dake ha
8) Bump of Chicken - Namida no Furusato
9) Hikaru Utada - Boku wa Kuma
10) Takako Matsu - Minna Hitori |
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Top 10 Albums Weekly from Oricon Charts (as of 4/12/2006)
1) Ayumi Hamasaki - Secret
2) Yo Hitoto - BestYo
3) Sukima Switch - Yukaze Blend
4) CHEMISTRY - All the Best
5) RIP SLYME - Epoch
6) Nami Tamaki - Graduation ~Singles~
7) Ayaka - First Message
8) Porno Graffitti - M-Cabi
9) DJ OZMA - I Love Party People
10) Keita Tachibana - Koe |
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BoA carried out and it is to the NHK Kohaku Song Contest participation
BoA came to appear on the end-of-the-year song program "the New Year's Eve song show" of NHK continuously for five years. "Starr of Asia" BoA (SM entertainment affiliation) participates in the end-of-the-year song program "the New Year's Eve song show" which is proud of the highest authority in Japan on December 31, this year. BoA has established record called continuation participation now for five years since 02 years of red-and-white first participation. Moreover, as a South Korean, it participates uniquely this time. NHK announces formally the participant of 06 year and NHK Kohaku Song Contest through an official site at 4:00 p.m. on November 29. BoA released a total of five sheets of four singles and a 4th(s) original album "OUTGROW" in Japan this year, performed tour in the city of 6 and assembled large spectators in 9? November. On the other hand, BoA is due to release 5th albums in Japan on January 17, next year.
Credits: BoAKwon + akimototsubaki@kpopkingdom |
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news: artiste
Man, he's hot
Japanese idol Takuya Kimura makes People magazine's list of international hunks
December 05, 2006
IT took him long enough, but Japan's Sexiest Man Takuya Kimura has finally earned a stamp of approval in the US.
US magazine People, well-known for its annual Sexiest Man Alive special issue, recently featured the Japanese actor-singer and style icon on its website as one of '10 International Males: Hot Around The Globe'.
Listed alongside British pop star Robbie Williams, French footballer Zinedine Zidane and Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, Takuya, 34, is described to American readers as the 'Japanese Mark Wahlberg'.
His appeal? How 'he can laugh at himself'.
And the way he has 'poked fun at his heart-throb image' over the years is apparently sexy.
It is too early to tell if Hollywood fame will follow, but Takuya is definitely in his element these days.
With three new projects - a fast-selling pictorial book, a critically-acclaimed samurai film in which he plays a blind warrior and a drama shot in Shanghai - he is set to hog headlines for weeks to come.
Last month, he was also voted Favourite Man by readers of Japanese fashion magazine An An - for the 13th consecutive year.
One Singaporean fan, who wanted to be known only as Audrey, e-mailed to The New Paper to rave about Takuya's People magazine mention.
She wrote: 'We, the fans in Singapore and all over the world, are very delighted and very proud of him.'
But why did it take so long for Takuya to get noticed in the US, when he is easily one of the most famous Japanese heart-throbs in Asia?
Making his debut in 1988 as one-fifth of boy band SMAP, he has risen to become Japan's top male actor with an unbeatable TV-ratings record.
He is hailed as one of the most versatile leading men in Japan, tackling a variety of roles from romantic hero (Beautiful Life) to unorthodox lawyer (Hero) and revenge-seeking chef (One Hundred Million Stars Falling From The Sky).
HOLLYWOOD ROLE
But his only shot at Hollywood so far is Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's 2046, in which he plays the small role of an android's suave boyfriend.
It was released in US theatres in August last year, but raked in only a lukewarm US$1.44 million ($2.24m), according to Boxofficemojo.com.
This is half the takings of the director's previous film, In The Mood For Love, which grossed US$2.7m in the US, and tiny compared to the US$53m raked in by Zhang Yimou's Hero.
On a personal level, Takuya's poor command of English could turn out to be his biggest entry barrier to the world of English-speaking showbiz.
Japan's monolingual artistes also tend to focus on the lucrative local market, which is the world's second largest economy after America's.
The failed US debut of J-pop stars like Hikaru Utada and Seiko Matsuda may have shaved some enthusiasm off him.
'He has an incredible sense of style. But most of all I respect that he...isn't afraid to be seen as a family man. Now, that's sexy.' - Civil servant Danne Chen, 33, on Takuya Kimura.
More significantly, there is a trend of Asian leading men breaking into Hollywood only after cementing their credibility back home.
Just think Chow Yun Fat, Jackie Chan and Ken Watanabe, all of whom broke into the West only in their mid-40s.
J-pop authority James Kang, marketing director of Play Music which distributes Japanese albums including SMAP's, said: 'There comes a point when (Japanese stars) need to break out of the status they've already achieved, but after so many failed attempts by other Japanese acts, they've also learnt to slowly harness their prowess before making that big leap.
'They'd also need a spectacular blockbuster to push them to the front line, like Memoirs Of A Geisha did for Zhang Ziyi. And being mega stars, they'd not settle for lesser roles.'
For Takuya, that crucial Hollywood breakthrough could just be his new film Love And Honour.
The last of Yoji Yamada's highly-acclaimed samurai trilogy after The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade, it was released in Japan last Friday and is slated to hit theatres worldwide next year.
Already, Takuya has won critical praise for his convincing portrayal of a blind samurai when the film was shown at the recent 19th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Meanwhile, he continues to work his charm on TV, co-hosting weekly variety show SmapxSmap, and recently shooting his new novel-adapted drama, Kare-naru Ichizoku (loosely translated as The Grand Family) in Shanghai. It is slated for telecast in Japan next month.
LASTING POWER
To Japanese fans, Takuya's appeal lies in his lasting power, rare in an industry where fresher faces are churned out relentlessly.
Despite suffering a slight dent in popularity in 2000 due to his shotgun wedding to singer Shizuka Kudo, who is two years older than him, he soon regained his foothold with a more mature fatherly image.
The couple have since weathered numerous divorce rumours and become the proud parents of two girls - Kokomi, 5, and Mitsuki, 3.
Librarian Rie Maeda, 26, who is a fan of the actor, said: 'Kimutaku (Takuya's nickname) has a sexy aura about him and he has screen presence. He makes fun of himself and even seems to enjoy dressing up as a woman.
'Above all, he is someone whom we can relate to. We admire him because we feel close to him, and he often voices opinions we agree with.'
Singaporean fans agreed Takuya's perennial screen appeal and fashion sense have withstood the test of time and marriage.
Civil servant Danne Chen, 33, said: 'He's going into his 30s looking really good. He has an incredible sense of style - he can carry off even the most ridiculous-looking hairstyle or clothes.
'But most of all, I respect that he married an older woman, has two kids and isn't afraid to be seen as a family man. Now, that's sexy.'
Added student Jasmine Tan, 20: '(Takuya) is the epitome of pop culture. He represents all the things that girls love in a man, such as sentimentalism, for example.'
- Additional reporting by Stefanie Conceicao
Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/ |
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news: movie
Bond bested by blind warrior in box office
'Love' beats 'Casino' in Japan
By MARK SCHILLING
TOKYO -- A blind samurai beat James Bond to top the Japanese box office last weekend.
Helmer Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi ni Ichibun), earned Y436 million ($3.8 million) beating fellow opener "Casino Royale" $3.4 million.
Take was well up on the first weekend gross recorded by "The Hidden Blade," the second pic in Yamada's samurai trilogy, which finished its run with $7.9 million.
"Love and Honor" star Takuya Kimura is a member of the pop group SMAP and a TV megastar for more than a decade. He is helping to draw younger femme fans who would ordinarily never turn up for a samurai drama.
Distributor Shochiku predicts that "Love and Honor" will hit the Y5 billion ($43.5 million) mark, which would make it Yamada's biggest hit in a career that includes the 48 entries in the "Tora-san" series, itself a Guinness Book record.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: artiste
Ayumi Hamasaki Sings for "Confession of Pain"
CRIENGLISH.com
Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki wrote the lyrics and sang the theme song "Secret" in English for the Hong Kong film "Confession of Pain."
The song will be released on radio and TV stations across China.
The superstar is expected to attend the movie's grand premiere in Hong Kong in December.
Hong Kong singer Denise Ho is invited to sing the Mandarin version of the song. |
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news: movie
Takuya Kimura's mega-hit TV drama to be filmized
The star of the recent hit "Love and Honor", Takuya Kimura, has been known for "King of J-drama". All the TV dramas that he starred became huge hits, and the biggest of them was Fuji TV's "HERO" in 2001. Kimura played a maverick prosecutor who pursues the truth in his own way, and the drama got the average rating of 34.3%, the highest among all Fuji dramas historically. A special one-time drama was also aired in July 2006, which also got 30.9% rating.
Fuji's hit-maker producer Chihiro Kameyama has been thinking of making it into a movie for 3-4 years, and finally decided to go ahead recently. The feature version's screenplay is currently written, and the same main cast, including Takako Matsu, Nene Otsuka, Hiroshi Abe and Masanobu Katsumura, are supposed to appear. Fuji is hoping the repeat of "Bayside Shakedown" pattern, the strong drama-movie combination with the same cast, with successful sequels and spin-offs.
The film's release is scheduled in September, 2007.
Source: SANSPO |
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news: artistes
TV has some new drama queens
Masami Nagasawa, 19, Maki Horikita, 18, Erika Sawajiri, 20, Juri Ueno, 20, and Haruka Ayase, 21, are some of the young actresses that are taking over the TV screen at the moment. The common denominator for these relatively new faces is freshness, according to TV columnist Sumire Koizumi.
揟heir background is not modelling like Norika Fujiwara, Makiko Esumi and Ryoko Yonekura, |
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news: artiste
Young singer Teshima Aoi (19) made her live debut at the Ghibli Museum yesterday. The teen, who was chosen to sing the title song and voice the heroine's role for Studio Ghibli's summer hit "Gedo Senki" (Tales from Earthsea), was accompanied on piano by Taniyama Hiroko, who wrote the song, "Teru no Uta". The single sold about 300,000 copies. Teshima was clearly nervous as she performed 11 songs before a small audience of 120 at the museum in western Tokyo. When the movie's director, Miyazaki Goro (39), shared the stage with her, Taniyama joked that it was like an omiai, or arranged wedding meeting. The son of anime legend Miyazaki Hayao (65), Goro took over the reins from his father for the first time to bring this project to the big screen. Inevitably compared to his father's work, the movie got mixed reviews and the box office failed to reach the initial target of 10 billion yen. The movie has been shown in East Asia and is set for release in some 50 countries worldwide. Under contract terms, it will not appear on U.S. TV until 2009.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Top 10 Singles Weekly from Oricon Charts (as of 11/12/2006)
1) KAT-TUN - Bokura no Machi de
2) EXILE - Everything
3) Kumi Koda - Cherry Girl/Unmei
4) WaT - Bokura no LOVE STORY
5) Abingdon Boys School - Innocent Sorrow
6) Mr. Children - Shirushi
7) KinKi Kids - Harmony of December
8) Yuzuoda - Christmas no Yakusoku
9) EXILE & Kumi Koda - Won't Be Long
10) Dragon Ash - Yume de Aetara |
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Top 10 Albums Weekly from Oricon Charts (as of 11/12/2006)
1) Masaharu Fukuyama - 5nen Mono
2) Orange Range - Orange Range
3) Ayumi Hamasaki - Secret
4) Yo Hitoto - BestYo
5) Radwimps - 4~Okazu no Gohan~
6) Aqua Timez - Kaze wo Atsumete
7) Sukima Switch - Yukaze Blend
8) CHEMISTRY - All the Best
9) OFF COURSE - I(AI) ~All Time Best~
10) Nodame Orchestra etc - [Nodame Orchetra] Live |
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Unofficial Top 20 Oricon Year-End Music-DVD Sales (2005/12/05~2006/12/18)
1) 473,405 - "Real Face Film" KAT-TUN: 2006/03/22
2) 287,212 - "SMAP to Iichatta!SMAP SAMPLE TOUR 2005" SMAP: 2005/12/14
3) 203,491 - "Ketsu no Ana ~Shukyuhen~" Ketsumeishi: 2006/03/08
4) 200,466 - "Pop Up! SMAP LIVE! Omottayori Tonjaima#a! Tour" SMAP: 2006/12/06
5) 173,510 - "DREAM BOYS KAT-TUN vs Kanjani8" 2006/06/28
6) 166,263 - "MR.CHILDREN DOME TOUR 2005 "I?U" ~FINAL IN TOKYO DOME~" Mr.Children: 2006/05/10
7) 162,056 - "secret ~FIRST CLASS LIMITED LIVE~" Koda Kumi: 2005/09/21 (Total: 322,371)
8) 139,933 - "Spirits!!" Kanjani8: 2005/11/23
9) 130,191 - "FILMOGRAPHY 2001-2005" Namie Amuro: 2005/12/07
10) 130,155 - "Heat Up!" Kanjani8: 2006/09/06
11) 126,715 - "KAT-TUN Live Kaizokuban" KAT-TUN: 2005/05/03 (Total: 387,331)
12) 122,783 - "LIVE TOUR 2005 ~PERFECT LIVE"ASIA"~" EXILE: 2006/03/29
13) 112,860 - "LOVE COOK Tour 2006" Otsuka Ai: 2006/07/26
14) 109,707 - "LIVE TOUR 2005~first things~deluxe edition~" Koda Kumi: 2006/09/13
15) 95,846 - "LIVE musiQ ~from LIVE TOUR 005 "musiQ"at MAKUHARI MESSE 2005.04.01~" ORANGE RANGE: 2005/12/21
16) 94,981 - "Endless SHOCK" Koichi Dohmoto: 2006/02/15
17) 92,249 - "ZARD Le Portfolio 1991-2006" ZARD: 2006/10/25
18) 85,786 - "Puppet Show Guild" BUMP OF CHICKEN: 2006/09/20
19) 82,681 - "Space of Hip-Pop-namie amuro tour 2005-" Namie Amuro: 2006/03/15
20) 79,868 - "Doggy Bags" ELLEGARDEN: 2006/08/09 |
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Post time 1-12-2006 01:07 PM
Author
![[tvN/Netflix 2024] QUEEN OF TEARS - Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, Park Sung Hoon](https://uf.cari.com.my/forumx/mforum/block/f6/f613b76788751ed27a22bff90355c844.jpg)