Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part III]

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Actress Imura takes on first nude role
Thu, May 7, 2009 (12:35am EDT)



Actress Kumi Imura (25) is starring in a new movie by director Yukiko Mishima titled "Shisei: Nihohi Tsuki no Gotoku." It was revealed this week that the part is also Imura's first nude role.

The movie marks the sixth film adaptation of the Junichiro Tanizaki novel "Shisei" ("The Tattooer"). As the title suggests, a tattooed Imura will be baring her body on screen.

Imura's filmography includes the movies "High Kick Girl!" (2009) and "Satsujin Net" (2004), as well as TV dramas like "Kirakira Kenshui" (2007).

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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12-year-old wins Avex audition
Thu, May 7, 2009 (12:35am EDT)



On Wednesday, the final round of a-motion '09 took place in Shibuya. The audition is an annual competition sponsored jointly by Avex and USEN that has been running since 2005.

This year, the Grand Prix winner was 12-year-old Sakura Kawagoe, a first-year junior high student from Tokyo. She was chosen from a pool of 8,035 contestants that was whittled down to a final group of 8. The panel of 11 judges voted unanimously for Kawagoe, who impressed the audience with her rendition of Ayaka's "Konya mo Hoshi ni Dakarete."

The guests at this year's contest included Nanase Aikawa (34) and Hiroki Maekawa (23). Hiroki, the son of singer Kiyoshi Maekawa (60), was the winner of the first a-motion audition in 2005.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Sengoku Basara" takes to the stage
Thu, May 7, 2009 (1:22am EDT)

The popular Capcom action game "Sengoku Basara" (also known as "Devil Kings") is being adapted to theater. The video game has already had multiple sequels released, in addition to anime and manga adaptations.



The story is set during Japan's Sengoku period and revolves around two warlords, Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura. Masamune will be played by Yuki Kubota, best known as the character of Keigo Atobe in the "Prince of Tennis" musicals. Yukimura will be played by Shinwa Kataoka, who served as Go-On Blue in the recent tokusatsu series "Engine Sentai Go-onger."

Daisuke Nishida of the theatrical troupe AND ENDLESS is writing and directing the "Sengoku Basara" stage adaptation. Performances will be held at Tokyo Dome's Theater G-Rosso from July 3 to July 12.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Nishikawa's "Dear Doctor" to compete at Montreal
Thu, May 7, 2009 (12:38am EDT)

"Dear Doctor," the latest film by director Miwa Nishikawa ("Yureru"), will be in the World Competition category at this year's Montreal World Film Festival. Celebrating its 33rd year, the festival is scheduled to take place from August 27 to September 7.



The film stars popular rakugo artist Tsurube Shofukutei as a doctor who has earned the trust of the locals in his little remote town. One day he suddenly disappears, and as the search for him progresses, an unexpected truth begins to surface. Shofukutei's supporting cast includes Eita as a medical trainee, Kimiko Yo as a nurse, Teruyuki Kagawa as a pharmacist, and Kaoru Yachigusa as one of the doctor's patients.



With "Dear Doctor," Nishikawa is hoping to pick up another win for Japan. Last year, Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito" ("Departures") claimed the grand prize, and Eiji Okuda's "Nagai Sanpo" ("A Long Walk") won the same award in 2006.

This year's festival will also see Yuichi Kimura in the First Films World Competition program, a separate category for first-time directors. He is entering with "Nisesatsu," a story based on a major counterfeiting case around the end of World War II. The movie stars Mitsuko Baisho.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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What do you do with your life if your mother is one of Japan's top actresses and your father is perhaps the country's most recognizable comedian? Enter show business, of course. And so with much fanfare, Imalu (19) made her first public appearance yesterday. The daughter of actress Ohtake Shinobu (51) and comedian Akashiya Sanma (53, profile) actually debuted as a magazine model last month but the media had never been able to use anything other than still photos and soundbites. She spoke to fans at an FM Yokohama event held at the Queen's Square mall, and the appearance of music producer Tago Kunio (35) made it clear that her career will move in that direction, too. She said that she has been taking voice lessons a couple of times a week since last autumn. Her choice of career, common enough for the children of celebrities, has led to a mixed reaction. There has been quite a bit of online criticism, saying the world can do without more so-called "ni-sei," or second generation, celebrities. After finishing junior high school in Japan, Imalu graduated from a high school in Victoria, Canada last June.

Source: www.japan-zone.com

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BON-BON BLANCO taking a break
Fri, May 8, 2009 (3:53am EDT)



The members of girl band BON-BON BLANCO have announced on their official blog that they will be going on hiatus at the end of this month. The group, which debuted in 2002, reportedly broke the news already to their fan club members.

The band's last performance was a concert at Tokyo's Studio Cube 326 on May 2. They plan to continue updating their blog and doing other activities as a band until May 31, though there are no more live performances scheduled.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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"Konkatsu!" falls to lowest ratings ever for "Getsu 9" drama
Fri, May 8, 2009 (4:14am EDT)



Viewership numbers for television dramas have been dropping across the board in recent years, but on Thursday they hit a new low for Fuji TV when the ratings for "Konkatsu!" were revealed.

The series, which stars Masahiro Nakai (of SMAP) and Aya Ueto, had its third episode aired on Monday. Ratings in the Kanto region amounted to just 9.4%, marking the worst ever performance for a show in Fuji TV's flagship "Getsu 9" time slot (Monday 9:00pm) since it was established in the late '80s.

Last season's "Voice," which starred Eita, dipped as low as 10.2% in its 9th episode. However, no "Getsu 9" series has fallen to single digits before now.

"Konkatsu!" started out at 16.3% for its premiere but dropped sharply to 11.2% for the second episode. Part of the decline may have resulted from the recent arrest of fellow SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. The group's show "SMAP x SMAP" (which goes on the air right after the "Getsu 9" time slot) also saw a significant drop last week after the arrest, and this past Monday it fell further to 11.2%, its worst ratings so far this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Jun Miura marries bird
Fri, May 8, 2009 (3:43am EDT)



Illustrator Jun Miura (51) and R&B singer-songwriter bird (33) have finally married, it was learned on Thursday. bird's management agency confirmed the news, but said that it did not know when the marriage happened.

The pair first met several years ago through work, and it developed into a relationship. In November 2005, bird announced that she was pregnant, and she gave birth two months later in January 2006. Later that same year, it was publicly discovered that Miura was the child's father, despite him already being married at the time. Miura divorced the following spring.

Miura and bird have been living together for more than two years now. They have previously stated that they had no plans to marry, but they apparently decided to do it after they learned that bird is expecting another child. She is currently in her sixth month of pregnancy.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Moe Oshikiri wants kids before she's 35
Saturday 09th May, 04:00 AM JST



TOKYO

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Norika Fujiwara looking for a man who 'will make an effort'
Saturday 09th May, 04:00 PM JST



HONG KONG

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Fan arrested over murder-suicide threat against singer Kumi Koda

May 9, 2009 by J!-ENT
A J!-ENT Exclusive!



Mainichi Daily News reported:

Tokyo police arrested a man on Friday for posting a death threat on an Internet forum against singer Kumi Koda.

The 31-year-old fan, identified as Yosuke Nozaki from Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, admitted to a charge of intimidation.

揑 was going to kill Ms. Koda and then die myself,

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Survey: Nozomi Tsuji is the ideal mother
Fri, May 8, 2009 (4:37am EDT)

With Mother's Day just around the corner, the research division of company P-NEST surveyed more than a thousand females in junior high and high school about the holiday. The highlight of the survey was the unexpected result of the question, "Which celebrity do you think is the ideal mother?"



The #1 answer was former Morning Musume member Nozomi Tsuji (21), who got married in 2007 and gave birth to a daughter the same year. She received roughly 10% of the votes in the survey, spread almost evenly across the junior high and high school students.

The top five were the same among both groups, but in a slightly different order. The junior high students ranked model Tsubasa Masuwaka (23) at #2, followed by a tie between Miki Maya (45) and Nanako Matsushima (35). Hitomi Kuroki (48) ranked 5th.

On the other hand, high school girls placed Kuroki at #2 and Matsushima at #3. Masuwaka and Maya tied for 4th.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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New H!P unit gets a name: S/mileage
Fri, May 8, 2009 (3:15pm EDT)

Last month, producer Tsunku announced the creation of a new Hello! Project unit. Now, the group has finally been given a name, S/mileage, a combination of the words "smile" and "mileage."

The group consists of Hello! Pro Eggs members Ayaka Wada, Yuka Maeda, Kanon Fukuda, and Saki Ogawa. The first three were previously part of the temporary Shugo Chara Eggs! unit from last year.

Although S/mileage is currently under an indie label, Tsunku plans to have them make their major label debut near the end of this year.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Melon Kinenbi plans 5 rock collaborations
Sat, May 9, 2009 (12:32am EDT)



Now officially graduates of Hello! Project, Melon Kinenbi has announced plans for five upcoming singles, each a rock collaboration. The singles will be available only through their fanclub, at concerts, and at Tower Records stores.

The first single in the lineup is a collaboration with BEAT CRUSADERS. The title has not yet been revealed, but it is scheduled to go on sale June 24. Fans will have a chance to pick it up early on June 19, when Melon Kinenbi holds an event at Shibuya O-EAST.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Michitaka Tsutsui stars in NHK drama
Sat, May 9, 2009 (1:24am EDT)



NHK has announced one of its Saturday night dramas for the summer season. Titled "Saisei no Machi," the show stars actor Michitaka Tsutsui. Rakugo artist Kichiya Katsura has also been recruited for the series, after gaining some public attention through his role in NHK's "Chiritotechin" in 2007-2008.

"Saisei no Machi" is set in a fictional city called Namihaya, which is on the brink of economic collapse. Tsutsui plays a local government official, while Katsura plays his childhood friend and the shopkeeper of a cafe.

The series will air in NHK's Saturday 9:00pm time slot, starting on August 29.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Maiko Yamada stars in afternoon drama
Sat, May 9, 2009 (1:53am EDT)



Actress Maiko Yamada will be taking on her first starring role in a drama series next month. The show, described as a "pure love story," is called "Natsu no Himitsu."

In the drama, Yamada plays the role of a woman named Kio, whose wedding ceremony is suddenly interrupted when her husband-to-be gets arrested as a murder suspect. Hoping to prove his innocence, Kio begins investigating around the victim's neighborhood, and there she runs into the man who first discovered the victim's body.



Ryo Segawa and Saburo Shinoda are part of the supporting cast. Metis will sing the drama's theme song, titled "Anata ga Ai wo Kureta Kara."



Fuji TV will broadcast the series on weekdays at 1:30pm. The first episode is scheduled for June 1.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Masayuki Sakamoto plays teacher in "Shonen Jidai"
Sat, May 9, 2009 (2:30am EDT)



V6 member Masayuki Sakamoto has been cast in the Fuji TV drama special "Shonen Jidai," scheduled to air on the afternoon of June 21. This will be his first time playing the part of a teacher.

Sakamoto is a regular in stage plays and on variety shows, but his last appearance in a television drama was a guest role in the 2006 series "Bengoshi no Kuzu."



"Shonen Jidai" is adapted from a novel of the same name by author Yo Ikenaga. The story, set in the Gifu prefecture during the late 1960s, focuses on the growth of a first-year junior high student, played by child actor Ren Kobayashi. Sakamoto has been cast as an art teacher who has a strong influence on the young boy. Also appearing is Eriko Sato, playing an English teacher that the boy is attracted to.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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TBS remakes "Tonari no Shibafu" drama
Sat, May 9, 2009 (3:13am EDT)



The 1976 television drama "Tonari no Shibafu" is getting a remake on TBS this summer. The new series will star Asaka Seto and Pinko Izumi.

The original show was written by screenwriter Sugako Hashida and featured Yoko Yamamoto as a wife battling with her husband's mother, portrayed by the late actress Sadako Sawamura. At the time, the drama became a popular symbol of the common problems between a mother and daughter-in-law.



As expected, the show will be adapted to the present day. Seto will take on the role of the daughter-in-law, with Koji Ookura playing the husband and Izumi playing the mother.

The new "Tonari no Shibafu" has been scheduled for TBS's Wednesday 9:00pm time slot. The show starts on July 1.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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ILMARI, Maho Nonami break up
Sat, May 9, 2009 (3:59am EDT)



Rapper ILMARI (33) and actress Maho Nonami (28) have broken up, it was recently learned. Their relationship lasted roughly five years and they seemed to be headed for marriage, but it appears that they grew apart due to their busy careers.

ILMARI and Nonami first met in 2004 at a party. Later that year, Nonami publicly acknowledged that the two were dating, and in 2007 they began living together. However, they decided to break up this past March, and Nonami has already moved to another home.

ILMARI is known as a member of the hip-hop groups RIP SLYME and TERIYAKI BOYZ. Last year he made his film directing debut with a segment in the short film anthology "R246 Story." Nonami, on the other hand, was the winner of the Toho Cinderella Audition in 1996 and has since then built a successful career as an actress both in film and in television.

Source: www.tokyograph.com

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Oricon: fresh actors to keep an eye on
Sat, May 9, 2009 (5:26pm EDT)

Several weeks ago, Oricon polled a group of 300 high school girls about up-and-coming young actors. The women were asked to identify which "fresh" actors they have been paying close attention to.



#1 was Takeru Sato, who first got his break as the star of "Kamen Rider Den-O." He has recently picked up a few major television roles in dramas such as "Bloody Monday" and "Mei-chan no Shitsuji."

Ranked 2nd was the highly popular Hiro Mizushima, who also appeared in "Mei-chan no Shitsuji." Haruma Miura, the star of "Bloody Monday," was #3.

   1. Takeru Sato
   2. Hiro Mizushima
   3. Haruma Miura
   4. Junpei Mizobata
   5. Masaki Okada
   6. Shohei Miura
   7. Eita
   8. Hiroshi Tamaki
   9. Toma Ikuta (Johnny's Jr)
      Ryosuke Yamada (Hey! Say! JUMP)

Source: www.tokyograph.com