Japan Entertainment News - April 2005
SAS to Release 1st New Album in 7 Years | April 28, 2005 |
 Tomorrow is Midori no Hi, (Greenery Day), a national holiday and the begining of Golden Week. Japan Zone entertainment news will be updated periodically until Friday, May 6.
Popular band Southern All Stars are to release their first original album in seven years. The band are currently in the studio recording their 14th album, which is scheduled for release on October 5. They will go on a national tour to promote the album. They also plan to release all their previous 44 singles on CD on June 25, the band's anniversary. In 2003, rock band B'z reissued 10 singles on CD at once and completely took over the Oricon Top 10 chart. It remains to be seen if SAS can beat that, but with 44 CDs coming out at once, it looks likely. Southern's last release was the 2000 compilation "Ballads 3", while their last original release was 1998's "Sakura." they had planned to release a new album last year, but instead put out three singles and did a lot of live work, including benefits for AIDS.
• Former Luna Sea drummer Shinya (35) and talento Ishiguro Aya (26) announced plans for their wedding ceremony yesterday, five years after they got married. They will hold the ceremony in Shimane on May 12, Ishiguro's birthday. The couple have three children.
• NHK director Shima Hiroyuki (39) was arrested on Tuesday for molesting a 16-year old high school girl on a train in Kanagawa Prefecture. He was apprehended by a 17-year old boy from a different high school and handed to police. He has denied the charges. Shima works on the popular late-night English conversation show "Eigo de Shaberanaito."
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Kubosuka's Return | April 27, 2005 |
 Actor Kubozuka Yosuke (photo, 25) is to make his movie return after his horrific near-death experience last year. He will star alongside Hong Kong's No.1 young star Edison Chen (24) and Kuroki Meisa (16) in "Onaji Tsuki wo Miteiru" (Looking at the Same Moon), the new feature by director Fukasaku Kenta (32). Kubozuka will play a doctor at a research hospital. He plans to appear at a PR event for the film, set to be released in November, in Tokyo tomorrow. It will be his first work appearance since the fall from his 9th-floor apartment balcony last June. Rumors that the eccentric actor was on drugs or trying to commit suicide have never been confirmed.
• Actor Hagiwara Kenichi (54) yesterday denied the charges against him on the opening day of his trial for attempted blackmail at the Tokyo District Court. "Shoken" was kicked off a movie project last summer and later allegedly made telephone threats against producers, demanding he be paid and dropping the name of a yakuza organization.
• TV Asahi's "Houdou Station" has proven itself as the country's leading late-night news show. Viewer ratings for Monday night, following the morning's deadly train crash, were at 21% and almost double the 11% recorded by NHK's 10 o'clock news. Traditionally, the country has turned to NHK for reliable coverage of the big news stories. But the public network has suffered severe damage to its reputation over the last year and "Hou-Sute" has recovered the audience loyalty enjoyed by its predecessor "News Station" for over a decade under the anchorage of Kume Hiroshi (60), who quit last year. Monday's big news story also hurt the ratings of Kimura Takuya's latest drama on Fuji TV, though "Engine" still managed a respectable 22.5%.
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Ten in a Row for Ayu | April 26, 2005 |
 Singer Hamasaki Ayumi's 35th single "Step You/Is This Love?" is her tenth in a row to go straight to the top of the Oricon chart. It's her 22nd No.1 single, moving her above 80s idol Nakamori Akina's 21 and into 3rd place overall behind rock group B'z (34) and another 80s idol star Matsuda Seiko (25). All of these artists are still going, though with Seiko and Akina well into middle age, Ayu (26) seems to be the only one with even half a chance of rivalling B'z record. The latest chart toppers are:
- Step You/Is This Love? - Hamasaki Ayumi
- Sakura - Ketsumeishi
- Bokutachi no Yukue - Takahashi Hitomi
- Zenryoku Shonen - Sukima Suichi
- Hoshi no Kagayaki Yo/ Natsu wo Matsu Sail no You ni - Zard
As usual, all of the singles have commercial tie ups. Ayu's latest features on a TV CM for Matsushita's D-Snap Audio digital music player. The Zard single is the latest opening theme for the "Meitantei Conan" anime series on NTV. "Zenryoku Shonen" is the opener for the "Music Fighter" variety show, also on NTV. "Bokutachi no Yukue" opens the latest series of the "Gundam - Seed Destiny" anime series on TBS. "Sakura" is just cashing in on the popularity of the annual cherry blossom season.
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Comeback "Kids" | April 25, 2005 |
 Talento Abiru Yu (18) has made her TV comeback after a couple of months away from the small screen. She caused a huge fuss when she admitted on a late-night variety show in February that she and friends had been involved in stealing on a regular basis from a store. The NTV network also took a lot of heat for airing a show with only the slightest warning that shoplifting was a crime. Abiru appeared yesterday on the TBS morning variety show "Akko ni Omakase," where she apologized but still got a good dressing down from veteran singer and "God-sister" of the showbiz world Wada Akiko. She also appeared on a different show last Tuesday, but there was no mention of the incident.
• Actress and former idol singer Minamino Yoko (37) is making her "comeback" as a singer. "Nanno Box," a DVD and CD box set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her debut, includes the newly recorded track "Last Order." her slight and wispy voice is said to have changed little and listening to the track will transport fans back to her heyday in the Heisei era. The box set includes her nine albums as well as various singles, B sides and video clips of her many TV commercials. It goes on sale June 22. • Singer songwriter Yaida Hitomi (26) yesterday recorded her session for MTV "Unplugged" at the Tokyo FM Hall. She is the 4th Japanese to appear on the show, afer Chage & Aska, Utada Hikaru and Hirai Ken.
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 There will be a strong Japanese presence at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. "Umoregi," the latest feature from Oguri Kohei (photo), had both the official selection committee and the Director's Week organizers fighting over it. They agreed to "co-sponsor" it and it will be shown as part of the Director's Week lineup. The title "umoregi" means lignite, a rare fossil wood. Oguri's "Shi no Toge" (The Sting of Death) won the Grand Prix and the International Critic's Award at Cannes in 1990. Also: Kobayashi Masahiro's "Bashing" is entered for the Palme d'Or competition section; "Operetta Tanuki Goten," starring Odagiri Jo and Zhang Ziyi and directed by Suzuki Seijun, will get it's world premiere; "Eli, Eli, Lema, Sabacthani," starring Asano Tadanobu and directed by Aoyama Shinji; and newcomer Uchida Kenji's "Unmei Janai Hito" has been chosen for the Critic's Week.
• Singer Go Hiromi (49) certainly knows a thing or two about self promotion. He headed back to his home in New York yesterday after a brief visit that saw him release his first new single in over three years, play a gig at the venue where he made his debut more than 30 years ago, and announce his divorce from Nami (34), his second wife of just four years.
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Paul Maki Leaps to Death | April 23, 2005 |
 Entertainer Pooru (Paul) Maki died early yesterday morning after jumping from the balcony of his Tokyo apartment. He was 63. Police found evidence of his having climbed onto the railings of his 9th-floor Nishi-Shinjuku apartment and are treating the death as a suicide. He is believed to have jumped at around 4:48am and was found by a taxi driver seconds later. He was taken to the nearby Tokyo Medical University Hospital but died about two hours later. The driver said, "I was driving when I heard a thud. His lower body was bleeding very badly and he was already unconscious." Maki had two children but divorced his wife in 2000. He is said to have had a history of depression and recently had been undergoing treatment after seeing his career on the variety circuit dwindle away. He also took an overdose of sleeping pills back in 1983, though he denied that it was a suicide attempt. Real name Hanzawa Kazumichi, he was born into a Hokkaido Buddhist temple family in 1941. He started to study to become a monk at the age of 10, but gave it up at 17 and came to Tokyo. he went through dozens of jobs before becoming a comedian. He achieved fame in the early 1970s with something as simple as a finger snapping routine, which became his trademark. he set up his own theater group in 1979 and also was a regular on the TV variety circuit throughout the 80s and early 90s.
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Go, Going, Gone | April 22, 2005 |
 Only yesterday we reported on a major divorce story and also the return to the spotlight of singer Go Hiromi (49). Well, it turns out that Go himself is getting divorced. He announced yesterday on his official web site that he and his wife Nami (34) are to split, saying it was a mutually agreed decision. The couple married in November 2000. It was Go's second marriage - he was married to former actress Nitani Yurie from 1987 to 1998. Nami is the daughter of a wealthy New York-based entrepreneur.
• Singer Honda Minako (37), in hospital for acute leukemia, has been transferred from an isolation ward to a regular room. She is currently enjoying a recovery but is still waiting for a bone marrow transplant. • Popular actress Nakama Yukie (25) visited a temple yesterday to pray for the success of next year's taiga drama on NHK. She and actor Kamikawa Takaya (39) will star in the next period drama, set in the Sengoku Jidai (Warring Period). The current taiga, "Yoshitsune," is enjoying a popular run.
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 The divorce of actor Watanabe Ken (45) and his wife Yumiko (43) has finally cleared the courts. Watanabe filed for the divorce in 2001, partly due to the fact that Yumiko had run up huge debts while he battled leukemia and struggled to keep his acting career afloat, but she contested the case all the way to the Tokyo High Court. She also brought up his alleged womanizing, but after almost three and a half years of legal wranglings, she was awarded nothing. Watanabe is currently in the US working on the upcoming movies "Batman Begins" and "Sayuri."
• Actor Kuroda Arthur (44) spoke at a movie PR event yesterday about his recently announced breakup with actress Adachi Yumi (23). "It's as she said (in her press conference). We keep in touch and we're good friends. If she's happy, I'm happy. I have no regrets." Asked about the reason for the split, he said it was "a difference in opinion about the right timing for marriage." • Actress Shiozawa Toki (77) recently underwent cancer surgery for the third time. She had cancer of the tongue when she was 30 and has now had two mastectomies. • Singer Go Hiromi is busy reigniting his career. He joined 100 invited fans at the Tokyo Summerland theme park yesterday for a day of rollercoasters and PR for his first new single since late 2001. "Ai Yori Hayaku" went on sale yesterday.
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"A" Gets an "F" | April 20, 2005 |
 "Engine," the new Monday night Fuji TV drama series starring Kimura Takuya (32), got a flying start off the grid. It is the only drama series in the spring lineup to break the 20% viewer rating barrier, pulling in 25.3%. At the other end of the scale, the new variety show hosted by long-time News Station host Kume Hiroshi (photo, 60) has had a terrible start. Titled "A," the NTV show seeks to use "live" Internet feeds to look at daily life in other Asian countries. But as the show was recorded a month ago, it failed to keep up with the recent problems developing between Japan and neighbors Korea and China. The first show, at 8pm on Sunday, only drew an audience rating of 9.3% despite the fact that the popular Kume was making his comeback after taking a year off.
• It was revealed yesterday that enka couple Mori Shinichi (57) and Masako (46) have already divorced. The media have been reporting on their separation for the last month, but in fact they filed for divorce on March 28. They have both been suffering from health problems, and Shinichi is still hospitalized with hepatitis. He will have custody of their two younger sons, while Masako will have the eldest son. • It was revealed yesterday that comedian Arino Shinya (32) of the duo Yoiko married a - reportedly beautiful - former talento on March 1. He is to give a press conference today.
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 Actor Kashiwabara Takashi (28) is back at work after a break for "self-discipline." He started shooting on the movie "Juusankagetsu" (13 Months), the directorial debut by actor Ikeuchi Hiroyuki (28). The movie had been planned to start at the end of November last year. That date was put back to the New Year, but on December 30, Kashiwabara got into a fight over a parked car and punched the owner, a man in his 40s. He later apologized and shaved his head in the traditional sign of repentance. Ikeuchi said he would wait until his friend was ready to return to work.
• Some similar male bonding can be expected in the upcoming movie "Otoko Tachi no Yamato" (Yamato). Set on the legendary WW2 battleship, it will star Sorimachi Takashi (photo, 32) and kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (31). Filming started Sunday at the Hitachi shipyards in Hiroshima prefecture. The movie is set to open after Golden Week and is timed for the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. • The takeover battle between Internet portal Livedoor and Fuji TV has reached a conclusion, with the winner being Livedoor's aggresive president Horie Takafumi (32). Fuji, Japan's biggest TV network, agreed to pay almost ¥180-billion for the shares in its own group company NBS that had been bought by Livedoor and a 14.6% stake in the young company. The deal is seen as face-saving and damage control, with little real benefit for Fuji's shareholders.
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Yumi, Arthur Split | April 18, 2005 |
 Actress Adachi Yumi (23) has finally admitted a split from actor Kuroda Arthur (44). Rumors of a breakup have followed the pair over the last few months as the age gap and differing views on marriage and work put pressure on their 3-year old relationship. Adachi is said to want to continue to pursue her already nearly 20-year acting career, while the San Fransisco-born Kuroda was keen to get married. The traveled together to California last year in what some saw as an attempt to save a struggling romance. But sources say they didn't seriously decide to split until the end of March. The breakup was mutually agreed and the pair remain friends.
• Enka singer Mori Shinichi (57) is to extend his stay in hospital for treatment of his hepaptitis. He was hospitalized amid a media frenzy over his split with wife and singing partner Masako (46). • A statue of the late Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury was unveiled in Kabukicho yesterday. The 3m statue is to commemorate the upcoming musical "We Will Rock You," which will be staged at the Koma Theater in the Tokyo entertainment district from May. The Japan-only greatest hits album "Jewels" was a smash hit last year for the band that for all intents and purposes broke up following Mercury's death in 1991.
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"Folk Charisma" Dies | April 17, 2005 |
 Folk singer Takata Wataru died of heart failure at a hospital in Hokkaido on Saturday. He was 56. He played his last gig just two weeks ago and his health deteriorated the following day. He was one of the leading figures of the Japanese folk music boom in the 1970s.
• Impressionist Hori (28) married a 27-year old Hokkaido native named only as "A-san" today in Tokyo. He announced his marriage plans yesterday on one of his regular TV slots. The pair met a year and a half ago and have been living together since last year. • About 1,000 fans from across the country turned up without tickets for Saturday's Morning Musume concert to appeal for the return of Yaguchi Mari (22). Yaguchi suddenly quit the group last week after her romance with actor Oguri Shun (22) became public. the concert at the Hachioji Public Hall was delayed by 30 minutes as the group hurried to fill in the gaps left in their song and dance routines by Yaguchi's absence.
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Ninogawa at Kabukiza | April 16, 2005 |
 World renowned theater director Ninogawa Yukio (66) is to take on a kabuki production for the first time. Known for his original and striking interpretations of the works of Shakespeare, he will put on a kabuki version of the Bard's comedy "Twelfth Night" as part of the "Shichigatsu Daikabuki" (July Big Kabuki) at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo's Ginza. The idea came when Ninogawa cast kabuki actor Onoe Kikunosuke (27) in a 2000 production of "Greeks" alongside award-winning actress Terashima Shinobu (32). "Twelfth Night" will also feature the young actor's father, Onoe Kikugoro (62), who has been designated a Living National Treasure.
• Reflecting his huge fan appeal, Kimura Takuya (photo, 32) will appear in a series of TV commercials tied to his starring role in the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Engine." The series starts on Monday, April 18 in the "golden" 9pm slot and is sure to draw good audience ratings. Kimura plays a racing driver, and so his endorsement of the Toyota Fielder car during the ad slots blurs the line between drama and commercial. This is yet another way, like product placement in movies, to integrate commercial messages into "non-commercial" programming. But unlike in some other countries, TV here has never had a rule preventing those appearing in a TV show from also appearing during the ad breaks.
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Yaguchi Dramatically Quits Momus | April 15, 2005 |
 Morning Musume leader Yaguchi Mari (22) dramatically announced yesterday that she is going to quit the hugely successful pop group. The latest issue of the weekly gossip magazine Friday published compromising photos of Yaguchi with actor Oguri Shun (22). She issued a statement yesterday saying she was not fit to lead the group and was quitting immediately and going solo. She became the third member to take on the role of leader just two months ago, after the departure of Iida Kaori. She is of course an adult, but with Momus being an "idol" group, Yaguchi in particular is considered a role model for their many young fans and her behaviour is taken very seriously. She confessed her relationship to her agency the morning after they were spotted by paprazzi, and considered quitting showbusiness altogether. But with her popularity and potential as a growing star, the agency decided to put her on the path to a solo career. Yoshizawa Hitomi (20) will take over as Momus leader.
• TBS "News no Mori" presenter Ogura Hiroko (30) married former J-Leaguer Mizuuchi Takeshi (32). The couple met in the summer of 2003, while Ogura was working as a sports announcer on the "News 23" show. Mizuuchi started as a forward for the Urawa Reds in the inaugural J-League season and retired in 1997. He now works as a sportscaster on the Fuji TV show "Suporuto."
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Puffy AmiYumi to Tour US West Coast | April 14, 2005 |
 Before today's news, a shameless plug. Remember the British pop star Leo Sayer? He was huge in the 1970s. Well, on his official web site he says this about Japan Zone - "Fascinated by Japanese culture? I am, and if you are too then this is the place." (end shameless plug)
Pop duo Puffy, known in the US as Puffy AmiYumi, will be touring again from the end of this month till May. They kick off their latest tour, "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi ROCK SHOW*** GO WEST!!" supported by Sneaker 2 Bombs, on April 22nd in Portland, Oregon and the tour will continue through May 2nd. The duo, Yoshimura Yumi (30) and Ohnuki Ami (31), became pop icons in the late 1990s with a string of hits started by their 1996 debut "Asia No Junshin" and even their own variety show, "Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa Puffy." Last year, they launched a hit cartoon/live show on the US Cartoon Network, "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi." For more details on tour venues, dates and tickets (as well as ringtones, wallpaper, IM icons), check their website: www.puffyamiyumi.com.
• Talent agency Oscar Pro presented its new stars of the future yesterday. Hoping to enjoy the same huge popularity as other young female pro golfers is high school student Umeda Kisa (16), while Maekawa Yasuyuki (31) is the first male actor with the agency. Also on parade were Taiwanese actress Lin Chiling (30) and pin-up girl Otomo Minami (23). The event is held every spring and has launched such names as Yonekura Ryoko (29), Kikukawa Rei (27) and Ueto Aya (19).
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Visiting Stars | April 13, 2005 |
 Hollywood star Keanu Reeves (40), in town to promote his latest movie "Constantine" which opens on April 16, complained at a PR event yesterday that he wasn't able to enjoy the local sights. Co-star Rachel Weiss (34) said she'd been to see Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market, while director Francis Laurence (34) had been to see the fading cherry blossoms. Reeves, on the other hand, had been stuck in his hotel doing PR work. But it's his 7th trip, so no doubt he's seen plenty of Japan.
• Also yesterday afternoon, across town, Hong Kong star Andy Lau (photo, 43) gave a packed press conference to promote his new movie "Infernal Affair 3." The original in the action series is to be re-made in Hollywood, with Leanardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.
• The funeral was held yesterday for producer Izukuri Yoshimi, who died Sunday at the age of 71. He was famous for such hugely popular TBS shows as "8-ji Da Yo! Zennin Shugo" and "Quiz Derby." The former starred comedy troupe the Drifters and was an institution. • Former Takarazuka star Saijo Mie (28) is engaged to nihon buyoka (traditional Japanese dancer) Hanayanagi Noriyuki (35). The actress will retire following their planned July wedding.
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Influential Miyazaki | April 12, 2005 |
 Anime film director Miyazaki Hayao (64) is one of just two Japanese to make Time magazine's latest list of the world's "most influential people," published on Sunday. Miyazaki was inluded in the category of "Artists and Entertainers," while Toyota vice president Katsuaki Watanabe, who will take over as company president in June, is among the "Builders and Titans." Miyazaki is one of the few Japanese to have won an Oscar - he won for the best animated feature in 2003 with "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" (Spirited Away). The film also took the Golden Bear award in the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.
• Another prominent director, Koreeda Hirokazu (42) has announced the star of his next project. "Hana Yorimo Naho" will have boy band V6 member Okada Shunichi (24) in the lead role. It will be the first period drama for Koreeda, whose film "Dare Mo Shiranai" (nobody Knows) was acclaimed at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
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 Popular duo Yuzu will release their first greatest hits album - actually two albums - in June. Since their indie-label debut in 1997, the pop pair have amassed single and album sales of over 8 million. The two albums are "Home," which will cover the period between 1997 and 2000, and "Going" will bring fans up to date and include some new songs. The duo will also play to 130,000 fans at the outdoor Nissan Stadium in their hometown of Yokohama over two nights at the end of July.
• Comedy star Aoki Sayaka (photo, 32) is better known for her acid tongue than her looks. But her latest project is a new racy photo book, "Ou Voyez Vous?" (What Are You Looking At?), shot on location in tropical Okinawa. Though she has done some pin up photos in the dim and dark past, she rode to fame on last year's o-warai (comedy) wave. She's usually seen giving her variety show co-stars a good verbal dressing down. But this time, she's the one doing the undressing, though not all the way. "Maybe next time...," she said.
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Big Business Shakeups | April 10, 2005 |
 Some big news among the giants of the electronics and entertainment industry. Sony has completed its takeover of the famous Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) Hollywood movie studio for $3 billion. Sony Pictures will take over MGM's library of about 4,000 movies and 10,000 TV shows, adding to their existing catalog of some 3,500 movies and 35,000 TV shows. Meanwhile Sanyo Electric, the third-largest manufacturer of electronic goods, has appointed a female former TV journalist and a young heir to hopefully reverse a serious decline in revenue. The company hopes former World Business satellite presenter Nonaka Tomoyo (photo, 50) can help turn things around as CEO. A spokesman said outright that the appointment was partly meant to "shock" Sanyo employees. Iue Toshimasa, grandson of the company founder, was promoted from Vice President to COO. At 42, he is the youngest person ever to run the company.
• Heavy metal band Loudness played a rooftop gig in Tokyo at the weekend and announced plans to tour overseas for the first time in 18 years. With their 25th anniversary coming up next year, the band are putting themselves back on the map and pushing the English version of their latest album "Racing". They'll kick off a European tour in Germany in July.
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Director Nomura Dies | April 09, 2005 |
 Multiple award-winning movie director Nomura Yoshitaro died from pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. He was 81. He is remembered for a filmography that was as broad as it was long and included drama, tragedy, thrillers and samrai epics. His most famous film is perhaps "Suna no Utsuwa" (The Castle of Sand, 1974), which won an award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Born in 1919 in Kyoto, he studied art at Keio University and joined the Shochiku movie company after graduation in 1941. He was an assistant director to Kurosawa Akira on his 1951 film "Hakuchi" (The Idiot) and won a Blue Ribbon award as best new director the following year. Two movies in 1978, "Jiken" (The Incident) and "Kichiku" (The Demon) won him a special award from the Cultural Affairs ministry. In 1985, "Kikkenna Onnatachi" (Dangerous Women) was the first Japanese movie adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel.
• Horror director Nakata Hideo (43) gave a press conference yesterday to talk about the US release of his movie "The Ring 2." The movie made No.1 in the US box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $36 million. It is scheduled to open in Japan on June 18. Nakata also confirmed that the deal for him to remake the Thai horror flick "The Eye" has been finalized. The film is being produced by Tom Cruise, and Sanada Hiroyuki is said to be interested in starring. The pair appeared together in "The Last Samurai" and Sanada also starred in Nakata's first "Ringu" movie.
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Songwriter Nakayama Dies | April 08, 2005 |
Enka songwriter Nakayama Daizaburo died yesterday of cancer at a Tokyo hospital. He was 64. He made his writing debut as a 3rd-year student at Hosei University and achieved fame in 1987 with his song "Yuusuge no Koi", which was a hit for Mori Shinichi and won him a Japan Songwriter's Award. The following year, his song "Jinsei Iroiro" was an award-winning hit for Shimakura Chiyoko. His stellar record continued in 1996, when Tendo Yoshimi had a million-selling hit with "Chindo Monogatari." • Actress Ikuta Etsuko (57) admitted on a wide show yesterday afternoon that she got married on Wednesday. Her new husband is a year younger and a divorcee. It's Ikuta's first marriage.
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Clint Meets Shintaro | April 07, 2005 |
 Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood (74) was in town yesterday to meet with Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro (72). Eastwood's first visit to Japan in 43 years was to do groundwork for his upcoming movie for Dreamworks about Iwo Jima. "Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima" will focus on the famous scene where six US marines raised the stars and stripes on the island following one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific war. The southern island, though 1,200km away, is part of Tokyo and under Ishihara's jurisdiction. Eastwood reassured the governor that he would respect the feelings of the Japanese people for what many consider hallowed ground.
• Speaking of WW2 movies, much-hyped submarine drama "Lorelei" looks to have become the big box office success it was expected to be. After just over a month in theaters, it has cleared ¥2 billion, overtaking the ¥1.8 billion brought in by Hollywood flick "U-571" in 2000. Its planned run was until the middle of this month, but that will now be extended. Toho say they have signed contracts for the film to show in Thailand and five European countries and are in negotiations that will bring that number up to about 30. The movie is based on a novel by Fukui Harutoshi and is set at the end of the war. Versatile actor Yakusho Koji plays the submarine captain. The CD single of the haunting theme song, "Mozart's Lullaby" by 16-year old New Zealand phenom Hayley, has sold over 100,000 copies.
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Nagura, Marina to Wed | April 06, 2005 |
 The big news today was the engagement announcement of comedian Nagura Jun (36) and talento Watanabe Marina (34). They plan to give an official announcement on the TV Asahi variety show "Zenigata Kintaro" this evening. Nagura is the leader of the comedy trio Neptune, who have established themselves on the variety circuit over the last few years. Watanabe is the former member #36 of legendary idol group O-nyanko Club. She is the last member of the group (an 80s version of Morning Musume) to get married. The couple first met while working together on the "Zenigata Kintaro" variety show in 2002 and have been serious since last summer. Both have been in serious relationships and on the verge of marriage before. Nagura went out with former talento Yoshino Kimika for five years and Watanabe was seriously involved with musician Ozawa Kenji.
• Another romance revealed this week is between V6 member Inohara Yoshihiko (28) and actress Seto Asaka (28). Inohara admitted the relationship at a book signing in Tokyo. The Johnny's Jimusho star said they started dating last Christmas. • It was revealed today that comedian Shinagawa Hiroshi (32) of the popular duo Shinagawa Shoji will be prosecuted for a traffic accident in Tokyo last Sunday afternoon. The car he was driving hit a scooter, causing minor head injuries to the 62-year old male rider.
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New US Manga/Anime Giant | April 05, 2005 |
 A new powerhouse was born in the US manga/anime market this week as VIZ and ShoPro Entertainment, both North American-based companies specializing in Japanese content, announced a merger yesterday. The new company, VIZ Media, will specialize in manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. The manga lineup includes such titles as Shonen Jump nad Shojo Beat. VIZ Media, based in San Francisco, is owned by three major players in Japanese manga and animation: Shueisha (40%), Shogakukan (40%) and Shogakukan Production Co. (20%).
• Yokohama Bay Stars closer Sasaki Kazuhiro (37) anounced yesterday that he divorced his wife Kaori (37) on March 18 and is now sharing his ¥300 million Setagaya home with actress Enamoto Kanako (24). The magazine Flash has suggested Enamoto may be pregnant. The former Seattle Mariners star says that he and his wife started to drift apart after he made his move the the Major Leagues in 2000. He will have custody of their two children. "Daimajin" gave up a sayonara home run in his first appearance this season on Saturday. • Japan Zone reported just yesterday on the current popularity of fashion models. Well, yesterday one of those models, 21-year old Karina (21), gave the first ever Japanese product launch held on a jet. Lotte spent an estimated ¥10 million to take the model/actress and about 100 media for a 90-minute flight from Haneda Airport, around northern Japan and back again to promote Coolish, its new ice cream product. TV commercials featuring Karina go on air today.
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Charisma Models | April 04, 2005 |
 With advertisers focusing more and more on the young female market, fashion magazine models are the hot item these days. Three of the current top "charisma" models are Hasegawa Jun (18), Karina (21) and Ota Ari (22). Almost a thousand fans turned out to see them at a PR event yesterday. The three are appearing together in the current TV commercial for cosmetic company Shiseido's Kesho Wakusei (Cosmetic Planet). Hasegawa, born in New Hampshire and raised in Hawaii, is currently dating Makidai (29), actor and member of the top-selling pop group Exile. She has been the cover girl for 25 Ans (Vingt Cinq Ans) for the last year. Karina, chosen as the 2002 Fuji TV Visual Queen of the Year, has been building a career as an actress, and has three small film roles under her 58cm belt. Ota is one of several models to have made their name in the magazine JJ.
• Actor Zushi Takao died at a Tokyo hospital. He was 58. He is best known for smaller roles in "Ran" (1985) and "Madadayo" (1993), both directed by the legendary Kurosawa Akira. His younger brother Yoshitaka is also an actor.
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Choco Propels 175R Sales | April 03, 2005 |
 Japan Zone reported a few days back on the latest idea for marketing CDs, with the release of the new 175R (Inago Rider) single coupled with a KitKat chocolate bar. The product is only on sale in convenience stores and supermarkets, not at regular music stores. But in its first week the single/snack has sold over 300,000 copies. Because of its unorthodox sales route, the single hasn't been included in the official oricon chart, but the current No.1 single, Arashi's "Sakura Sake" sold just 120,000 copies. Also, Arashi's single retails for ¥1,680 while 175R's "Grafitti" is just ¥315, including the KitKat! Other snack makers have sold CDs with their products, but always oldies or established hits. The success of the latest tieup may be due to its novelty value, but it may also signal a new way to combat declining CD sales.
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Musume Power | April 02, 2005 |
 Pop group Morning Musume performed their hit "The ManPower" before yesterday's baseball game between Rakuten Eagles and Seibu Lions. The Eagles won their opening home game at Miyagi Stadium, taking no less than 16 runs from last year's Japan Series champions, after losing four on the road.
• Young kabuki actor Nakamura Shichinosuke (photo, 21) made his first stage appearance in two months at the Kabukiza theater yesterday. The occasion was the ongoing series of performances to celebrate his father's succession to the stage name Nakamura Kanzaburo (49). The son was involved in a drunken punchup with a policeman on January 30. He joined his brother Kantaro (23), father and other cast members on stage to greet the audience, who responded with warm applause. • Comedian and former politician Nishikawa Kiyoshi (58) was in tears of joy as his eldest daughter Kanako (30) married pastry chef Hayashi Shigekazu (51) at an Osaka hotel yesterday. He said, "I've been crying for the last three days. I thought the tank must be empty by now..." Hayashi is a department head of a cookery school.
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Toko-chan to Wed | April 01, 2005 |
 Actress and singer Fujita Tomoko (photo, 39) is engaged to marry accordion player Kuwayama Tetsuya (32). Fujita is best known for her role on the long-running TBS TV drama "Wataru Sekken wa Oni Bakari," on which she has appeared since it began in 1990. The couple met four years ago, when Kuwayama was a backing musician for Fujita, and they have been romantically involved for two years. Last summer he appeared with her on the Fuji TV "Quiz Millionaire" show, but no one knew about their relationship.
• TV Tokyo is to start airing "Oh-gui" shows again, three years after one viewer died copying the show. The shows feature people eating as much and as quickly as possible to win a prize. They were all the rage a few years ago until an Aichi prefecture junior high school student died during a bread-eating contest at school in 2002. The new show, which will start with a special on April 11, will have a doctor on hand and will go for volume, not speed. A TV Tokyo spokesperson said, "We decided to put the show back on the air after we were overwhelmed with requests from viewers." • Mori Shinichi (57) and his wife Masako (46) have cancelled three scheduled shows following yesterday's announcement of their marital split (see yesterday's story). The "joint concerts" were planned for later this month in Omiya and Sagami-Ono and in Niigata in June.
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