Japan Entertainment News - October 2005
A Princess for a Princess | October 31, 2005 |
 Illusionist Princess Tenko (age unknown) has paid ¥17 million ($150,000) for a pretty ordinary used care. Ordinary except for the fact that it once belonged to John Lennon. The Austin Princess was driven by Lennon in the video for his classic hit "Imagine." Tenko performs around the world and is known for her extreme wealth and lavish lifestyle. Also going under the hammer at the auction in Las Vegas was the white suit Lennon wore on the "Abbey Road" album jacket ($118,000) and a notebook that belonged to Marilyn Monroe ($16,000).
• Popular 80s rock band Anzen Chitai (Safety Zone) are to release their first album in 18 years. The album is actually a previously unreleased recording of a concert they played at the Nippon Budokan in July 1989, when they were at their peak. "Anzen Chitai VI - Live" will go on sale November 9.
• Actress Kinoshita Ayumi (21) met with over 800 fans as she launched her latest photo book at a PR event in Ginza yesterday. "La Dolce" includes many revealing photos of the popular pin-up girl taken during the summer on the southern island of Yakushima, a World Heritage Site. There's even some of her original poetry in the book, for those who want more than just pictures...
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Rare B'z on iTunes | October 28, 2005 |
 Rock unit B'z have tied up with Apple Computer to offer buyers of their upcoming greatest hits album a chance to download rare video footage of the band. "Pleasure II," due for release on November 30, will include a prepaid card for the iTunes music download service in Japan. The card can be used to download one of four videos of live performances, the oldest of which dates back to 1999, when B'z played the Kyoto Kaikan No.1 Hall, a much smaller venue than any they have played in recent years. The most up-to-date of the videos was recorded at their Osaka Dome show just last month.
• Talento Konishi Hiroyuki (46) and his wife Kou (42) are headed for divorce. She is said to have applied to the Tokyo Family Court to initiate the arbitration procedure in September and is seeking ¥5 million in alimony and ¥100,000 per month in child support for each of their two sons until they graduate university. The couple have been married since 1989 but Konishi suddenly walked out on the family in 1998. He has not provided adequate support over the intervening years, leading his wife to start filing for divorce. In February Konishi notified her, through a lawyer, that he was suffering from kidney cancer and she postponed the proceedings. But following a full recovery, he has agreed to attend the arbitration at the end of this month. It will be the first time in almost two years for the couple to meet face to face.
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Shibata's Tragic Secret | October 27, 2005 |
 This week is a time of celebration for actor Shibata Kyohei (photo right, 54), with last weekend's release of the detective movie "Mada Mada Abunai Deka," in which he co-stars with Tachi Hiroshi. But it was revealed just this Monday that Shibata's 20-year old second son died at the end of last year. A university student in Kyushu, he was found dead, apparently of a heart attack, in his apartment in mid-December. Shibata and his wife flew down from Tokyo to identify their son, who suffered from asthma. Shibata started filming the latest movie in the Abunai Deka series, the first in seven years, just three months later. The series has had a cult following since its days as one of the top Tv series of the 1980s. Shibata married a former model, who had a son from an earlier marriage, in 1983. They had a son of their own the following year and a daughter in 1987.
• Troubled rakugo performer Kairakutei Black (52) recently underwent emergency 3-hour surgery following a stroke. He was rushed to a Tokyo hospital complaining of chest pains after he finished a radio show last Friday. The son of an American father and Japanese mother, he has gone through many name changes during his career, including Tachikawa Levchenko and Kairakutei Sex, and took on his latest name in 1992. He recently amassed large debts, which led to his being dismissed by the Tachikawa rakugo school in June and being divorced by his wife. He now lives alone in a small Tokyo apartment without even a bathroom.
• Congratulations to the Chiba Lotte Marines baseball team and their manager Bobby Valentine on winning the Japan Series last night. It's their third title and the first since they won as the Lotte Orions in 1974.
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Bobby's Budding Career | October 26, 2005 |
 Nigerian talento Bobby Ologon (32) is to have his first dramatic role on TV. One of this year's breakthrough TV celebrities, the goofy former K-1 fighter made his acting debut in this year's 16th addition to the "Tsuri Baka Nisshi" movie series. And he'll follow that up next month with a role in the Fuji TV drama series "Abunee Futari - Uranaishi, Ibuki Kei no Jiken File," in which he plays the bodyguard of a fortune teller played by the cross-dressing singer Mikawa Kenichi.
• Actor Negami Jun died this week at a Tokyo hospital following a stroke. He was 82. A supporting actor on TV and in movies, he was best known as the devoted husband of singer Peggy Hayama (73). They often appeared on variety shows as a couple in the 1960s. Negami made over 100 movies during 20 years with the Daiei movie studio before switching to a long career on TV. He and Hayama married in 1965 and they recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in the hospital.
• Comedian Hotohara Toru (37) of the popular Yoshimoto duo Ameagari Keshitai broke a finger in a recent motorcycle spill. His comedy partner, Miyasako Hiroyuki (35), took his place in the scheduled filming of a mahjong TV show.
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The Queen is Not Dead | October 25, 2005 |
 Rock legends Queen (or what's left of them) arrived in town yesterday. original members Brian May (58) and Roger Taylor (56) were joined by ex-Free vocalist Paul Rodgers (56) for the band's seventh vist, but their first in 20 years. 300 fans turned out at Narita Airport to greet them. They have very fond memories of Japan, having been met by huge crowds on their first visit 30 years ago, just before they returned to the UK and released the earth-shattering hit Bohemian Rhapsody. This time around, they'll play a series of dates starting tomorrow at the Saitama Arena, then Yokohama Arena and Fukuoka and Nagoya Domes.
• The Japan Series is turning into something of a slaughter. The Chiba Lotte Marines have put up double digit runs on the board in all three games so far and the usually formidable Hanshin Tigers batters have failed to show their fans much to hang their hopes on. The first two games were played in Chiba, the opener being the first Japan Series game ever called due to fog. And the TV ratings show that Hanshin fans were glued to their screens hoping their team would return to Kansai with at least one win under their belts - the region's rating for the opening game was a whopping 33.2%. Lotte finished second in the Pacific League and had to go through two rounds of playoffs, beating last year's champion Seibu Lions and then the Softbank Hawks, to advance to the series. They haven't been there in 31 years but are playing like postseason veterans, perhaps thanks to rather than in spite of the postseason games. A lot of the credit also goes to Lotte's popular manager Bobby Valentine, the first to take a team to both the Japan Series and the major league World Series, and on the verge of being the first non-Japanese manager to take his team to the pinnacle of the Japanese game (if you don't count the Taiwanese-born, but Japanese passport holder, Oh Sadaharu). Ironically, the last time Lotte won it all was in 1974, when they were the Lotte Orions, and the team they beat, the Chunichi Dragons, was the first to reach the series managed by a foreigner, Hawaiian native Wally Yonamine.
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Love Lost and Found | October 24, 2005 |
 Romance has bloomed between popular actress Fukada Kyoko (22) and actor Uchida Asahi (23), according to the latest edition of weekly magazine Friday. The two, who are both with the major Hori Pro management agency, were spotted on a date in the upmarket Azabu Juban district of central Tokyo. They were photographed wearing "pair look" fashion and holding hands. "Fuka-kyon" has been spotted dining at the restaurant run by Uchida's family, and Uchida has stayed over at her home, so the romance is hardly a secret. The couple met during filming of the 2000 movie, "Shisha no Gakuensai" (School Festival of the Dead) which marked Fukada's first lead role and in which Uchida made his showbiz debut. Last year, Fukada was romantically linked with comedian Arita Teppei (34) of the duo Cream Stew, though both denied the rumor.
• Veteran actor Yokouchi Tadashi (64) and his wife, former actress Horikoshi Yoko (54), have separated. The women's magazine Fujin Koron says they are close to divorce after Yokouchi left suddenly in July and joined another management agency run by a woman he is allegedly romatically involved with.
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TIFF Starts Today | October 22, 2005 |
 The 18th Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off today and runs until October 30. As last year, films will be shown at two main venues in the city: the Bunkamura arts complex in Shibuya and the trendy Roppongi Hills. And this year, the festival has a particularly distinct Asian flavor. The opening film is "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles," the latest from celebrated Chinese director Zhang Yimou, while "Rikidozan" - a joint Japanese-South Korean biopic of the famous pro wrestler of Korean descent who was Japan's first real TV icon - will be the festival's closing screening. "Riding Alone..." stars veteran Takakura Ken, as a man who goes to China to meet his estranged and dying son. Director Zhang is head of this year's jury, which will have to choose from a selection of 15 films in the competition category. In addition to the above and a selection of Japanese films, there are 12 from Southeast Asia, up from seven last year. Among the high-profile guests this year are Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, who will hold a discussion event with Japan's animation master Miyazaki Hayao, and Hollywood star Tommy Lee Jones. The Hollywood blockbuster's getting their first exposure in Japan include Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger; "Proof," starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins; Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" with Joaquin Phoenix; and Roman Polanski's version of "Oliver Twist."
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Yu've Been Robbed! | October 21, 2005 |
 Popular model/actress Yamada Yu (21) is paying the price for her new-found fame, ¥4 million to be exact. That's how much she lost in cash and jewellery when her familiy's home in central Tokyo was burglarized last weekend. Nobody was home on Saturday evening when the security alarm went off, notifying local police. They arrived to find a window broken and ¥2 million in cash and the same amount in watches and jewellery missing. Yamada's face is everywhere these days but the fact that she still lives at home and that the cash was all in ¥500 coins suggests that she still has her feet on the ground despite her leap to stardom over the last year.
• Pop duo Chemistry will release a new album on November 16, their first in 21 months. "Fo(u)r" is also their first self-produced studio work. They will play a 5-city tour from next January and ten lucky fans will be invited to meet them backstage at each venue. Member Kawabata Kaname (26) is said to be a big fan of comedy star Laser Ramon Hard Gay, whose catchphrase "Foh-!" may not be the inspiration for the new album title but is likely to be heard on the tour.
• Veteran comedian Miyagi Kenji of the manzai duo W Kenji died at a Tokyo hospital this week of lung cancer. He was 81. His widow Toshiko (58) said he had been in and out of hospital since being diagnosed with terminal cancer last year. "He loved cigarettes and smoked three packs a day. I wasn't able to ask him to quit," she told the press. Together with his late partner Higashi Kenji, Miyagi was a popular comedian in the early 1960s. He continued performing up to November of last year.
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Issei Wins Art Award | October 20, 2005 |
 World-famous fashion designer Miyake Issei (67) was among the winners of this year's 17th Praemium Imperiale prizes. The awards are presented each year by the Japan Art Association. The awards ceremony was held at Meiji Kinenkan hall in central Tokyo, with honorary patrons Prince and Princess Hitachi attending. Each of the five winners received ¥15 million, a diploma and a medal. Miyake won in the sculpture category, as his designs are famous for their use of modern materials and 3-dimensional quality, such as the famous "Pleats Please" brand. The other award recipients included architect Taniguchi Yoshio and pianist Martha Argerich.
• Stevie Wonder is coming to Japan at the end of this month to promote his first new album in ten years. He's also bringing an 11-member band, so there is obviously some serious PR going into the new album, "A Time to Love." Though his music is often used in TV shows and commercials, he will be making his first studio appearance on a TV music show. According to Universal Records, he will arrive at Narita Airport on October 31 and stay in Japan for six days.
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Seagal's Blues | October 19, 2005 |
 Hollywood star Steven Seagal (55) is in town at the moment, promoting not only his latest movie but also a new CD. The actor appeared on the Tokudane wide show this morning, speaking fluent Japanese and doing a pretty good PR job. His latest action film, "Into the Sun" was filmed entirely in Tokyo and Seagal's dialog is almost all in Japanese, and Kansai-ben no less! He is married to a Japanese and has two children working in the entertainment business here as well as his own aikido dojo. But his American roots are there to see in his new CD, a blues album called "Songs From the Crystal Cave." He collaborated on the album with such major names as Stevie Wonder. Asked during the Tokudane show for a comment on Sylvester Stallone's new "Rocky 6" project, Seagal grinned as he said that Sly obviously didn't get much work these days.
• Seattle Mariners star Ichiro has provided plenty of drama in his career, but he is soon to make a dramatic debut of a different kind. He will play himself in a 3-night special of the popular Fuji TV detective series "Furuhata Ninzaburo," which will air over the New Year. In typical Ichiro fashion, he will be trying to pull off the perfect crime. The outfielder is said to be a huge Furuhata fan and has all the DVDs of the series. Since 1994 there have been three series and five specials, with big-name celebrities playing the villain each time (basically a ripoff of the Columbo concept). Star Tamura Masakazu (62) is perhaps one of the most impersonated actors on Japanese TV.
• Congratulations to baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines, who won the Pacific League playoffs and will be in the Japan Series for the first time in 31 years. Managed by the popular Bobby Valentine, the Marines are a fairly low-profile team but have former MLB star Benny Agbayani. In the Japan Series they will be up against the fanatically supported Hanshin Tigers.
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Glay Singer's Happy Day | October 18, 2005 |
Takuro (34), vocalist of the popular rock band Glay, and his wife, popular model Iwahori Seri (28), are the proud parents of a new baby. The time and date of birth and the sex of the baby were not announced. The couple married in May of last year and held an elaborate wedding reception last March.
• German movie star Bruno Gantz (64) is to star alongside Matsudaira Ken (51) in next year's film "Balto no Gakuen" (Baltic Paradise). The movie is based on the story of how Beethoven's 9th Symphony was first performed in Japan 87 years ago by a group of German prisoners of war in Tokushima Prefecture. The movie, to be directed by Deme Masanobu, is scheduled for release next June. The film is part of the current EU-Japan fest that encourages collaboration and friendship between the two economic and cultural powers, though the recently re-married Matsudaira, who is all smiles while on stage doing his popular Matsuken Samba routine, is a lot less friendly when facing the media.
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Misaki, Issa Romance | October 17, 2005 |
 Japan's hottest actress, Ito Misaki (28), is said to be romantically involved with Da Pump vocalist Issa (26). The two were recently spotted on a date and photographed by the women's weekly magazine Josei Seven. They left a Tokyo restaurant holding hands and took a taxi to an izakaya before ending up at Issa's Tokyo apartment. Ito was spotted leaving early the next morning. The popular and boyishly-handsome Issa has been linked with several young female stars, while the beautiful Ito seems to be ever-present on TV screens in commercials and drama series such as the recent "Densha Otoko."
• Talento Kanda Uno (30) has said that marriage is not yet on the cards for her. She was recently spotted yet again on the arm of a wealthy bachelor by the weekly gossip magazine Friday. The 35-year old heir to the country's largest pachinko business lives at Roppongi Hills, Tokyo's most fashionable address for young entrepreneurs, and is heir to a family fortune of over ¥100 billion. He and Uno have been romantically linked for several years but have always been very coy with the media.
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Southern Kick Off | October 14, 2005 |
 Southern All Stars kicked off their first Japan tour in seven years yesterday in Hiroshima. And it's the biggest tour in their 27-year career - with a set based around their latest album "Killer Street", they'll be playing to about half a million people at 21 shows in 11 cities across the country until New Year's Eve. Some venues will be small, like yesterday's 2,000-seater, but they'll also play five domes, seating 30-50,000. The new album waltzed straight to the top of the latest Oricon charts, making it their 16th No.1, and has already sold about 1.1 million copies. The double album is their first original release since 1998 and was about 3,000 studio hours in the making.
• The popular NHK documentary series "Project X" is to be taken off the air by the end of the year. As part of its efforts to rebuild its tattered image and deal with budget problems, the national broadcaster is revamping its schedule across the board. Over a million people are refusing to pay their annual subscription fee due to an ongoing series of scandals.
• Getting a lot of airtime is promotion for the upcoming wrestling/variety event "Fighting Opera, Hustle Mania 2005." Taking place at the Yokohama Arena on November 3, the event will feature pro wrestler Ogawa Naoya - who has turned "hustle hustle" into one of the most popular phrases of the day - as well as celebrities such as Hard Gay and kyogen actor Izumi Motoya in a new ponytail, and plenty of scantily clad ladies.
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Tsurube Looks Best in Specs | October 13, 2005 |
 Shofukutei Tsurube (photo, 53) was just one of the celebrities who came out in force yesterday to congratulate actor turned samba singer Matsudaira Ken (51) on his marriage and bask in some of his limelight. Kicking off a nationwide tour in Shizuoka yesterday, Matsuken was beaming as he told fans of his recent marriage to former idol singer Matsumoto Yuriko (37). It's really quite remarkable how his kitsch show, wearing a red and gold lame kimono and singing his "Matsuken Samba II" hit from last year, continues to be so successful. Everybody who had any kind of press conference yesterday took the opportunity to congratulate Matsudaira and his new bride. They included enka singer Yamakawa Yutaka, who's celebrating 25 years in showbiz, and idol singer Matsuura Aya (19), former Morning Musume members Tsuji (18) and Kato Ai (17) and flamboyant flower designer Kariazaki Shogo (47), who were promoting the "Alegria 2" circus show. Another was rakugo (traditional storytelling) star and celebrity Tsurube, who was awarded the "18th Japan Best Megane Dresser Award," given to famous people who look good in glasses, and was also celebrating his 31st wedding anniversary. Other winners of the award this year included foreign minister Machimura Nobutaka (60), model/actress Ishikawa Asami (27), actor Terao Satoshi (58, sunglasses category!) and journalist Torigoe Shuntaro (65), who last week underwent surgery for cancer.
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Matsuken "Goal In"! | October 12, 2005 |
 Actor turned samba singer Matsudaira Ken (51) has got hitched again. Married to the beautiful Daichi Mao (48) until their divorce in January of last year, this time around he's tied the knot with former idol singer Matsumoto Yuriko (37). The two appeared together on the popular TV Asahi samurai show "Abarenbo Shogun" back in 1991 but only started a romance in October of 2004. They registered their marriage yesterday. For many years, Matsudaira was the macho face of the sword-wielding Abarenbo Shogun, a part he played 830 times between 1978 and 2003. But after his divorce from Daichi, he underwent a huge transformation, dressing in gold lame kimono and singing and dancing the samba. The song "Matsuken Samba II" was a huge hit with people of all ages and kept him in the spotlight for the whole year.
(By the way, "goal in" is one of those strange Japanized expressions that sound like English but make no sense. It's used for situations where somone manages to make it across the marriage finishing line.)
• Pop duo Puffy are to work with Cindi Lauper (52) on her new album of self-covers. "The Body Acoustic" marks her 25th anniversary in showbiz and includes collaborations with such established names as Jeff Beck and Sarah McLachlan, so the inclusion of Puffy is quite an honor. Of course, the huge success of their US animation series "Hi! Hi! Puffy AmiYumi" has not harmed their market value. And they are an ideal match for a cover version of Lauper's landmark 1983 hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."
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A Star is Born | October 11, 2005 |
 Later this month 16-year old singer Satomi is to release her debut single under the guidance of the man who brought the world such bands as Oasis, Primal Scream and Teenage Fanclub. Since 1999, British music industry mogul and founder of Creation Records Alan McGee has been running the Poptones label, and the high school student from Yamaguchi Prefecture was the first artist to be released on his new Hiptones R&B imprint, with the 12-inch record "Toxic Love" in June. A label spokesman said the beautiful youngster has all the makings of a major star. The former All-Japan aerobics champion dreamed of becoming a dancer and only sang in public for the first time at a music festival in Cannes in January. She made her UK live debut at the famous Ronnie Scott's club in London in May. Her debut single "Heartbreaker" is due for release in the UK on October 24, though an import version will be available from Tower Records in Japan from tomorrow. Check out a sample on her Japanese label Aozora Records - this girl is going to be BIG.
• Former boy idol turned racing car driver Kondo Masahiko (41) is to release his first new original song in almost eight years. The as-yet unnamed single will be released in December, just ahead of the 25th anniversary of Macchi's show business debut. January 1 will see the release of a boxed set of his 43 singles issued between 1980 and a 2002 self-cover. Largely unknown to younger music fans, his fame in the 1980s was such that the new single will get lots of media attention. In November, it will be used as the opening theme for the Fuji TV show "Friday Entertainment."
• Russian pop duo tATu are pretty much yesterday's news. But they haven't disappeared just yet, and are in fact visiting Japan for the fourth time to promote their new album, "Dangerous and Moving." The young pair made no friends here on their last visit two years ago when they failed to turn up for a live performance on the TV Asahi show "Music Station." They promised not to cancel today's recording of the TBS "Utaban" show scheduled to air on the 27th. Their record label said the pair want to go shopping and clubbing while in Tokyo, but most of all want to eat some good sushi. They are due to attend a fan event at Tokyo's Club Asia tomorrow night.
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Akko Bids Mother Farewell | October 10, 2005 |
 Today is the "Taiiku no Hi" (Sports Day) national holiday.
Singer Wada Akiko (55) yesterday bid a tearful farewell to her mother, who died last week of a brain haemorrhage. The funeral service was held at a temple in Osaka, and was attended by several hundred people, including many celebrities. Others sent their condolences by telegram, including one from Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro. When the background music during the service included Wada's 1996 single "Mother" family, friends and fans alike were all in tears. After the service, Wada struggled through a press conference, and told how her mother had held on until she could reach the hospital. Within ten minutes of her arrival at her mother's bedside, she was gone. She was 85.
• Later this month will see the movie revival of the classic detective series "Abunai Deka." Yesterday, stars Tachi Hiroshi (55) and Shibata Kyouhei (54) appeared in their customary dark shades at a PR event in Yokohama. They arrived, accompanied by Miss Universe Japan Machimoto Eri, in an 22m-long, ¥50-million limousine, to the delight of 2,000 fans. "Mada Mada Abunai Deka" is the first movie in the series for seven years and is set to open on October 22. The movies are based on the hugely popular TV series of the same name that ran from 1986.
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Kimutaku to be a Samurai | October 07, 2005 |
 The Shochiku movie studio announced this week that SMAP star Kimura Takuya (32) is to play the lead in the latest samurai movie by director Yamada Yoji (69). In "Bushi no Ichibun," Kimutaku will have his first period drama role, as Mimura Shinnosuke, a retainer to a feudal lord who loses his sight after tasting poison intended for his master. He loses his job, and his wife seeks the help of a powerful local bureaucrat. But she is raped, leading Shinnosuke to plot his revenge. The movie is Yamada's third samurai flick after many years directing the "Otoko wa Tsurai Yo" series. He received an Academy Award nomination for "Tasogare Seibei" (Twilight Samurai) in 2004, the year he made "Kakushi Ken, Oni no Tsume" (The Samurai's Hidden Sword).
• Actor and model Shoei (31) is engaged to freelance announcer Abe Wakako (31), it was announced yesterday. The athletic Shoei, who became an overnight star several years ago when he appeared on the TBS "Muscle Ranking" TV show, has chosen the Taiiku no Hi (Sports Day, October 10) national holiday to register their marriage. Abe is a 3rd-dan in kendo and also a proficient swimmer and skater. The couple are both busy so the wedding ceremony and reception will have to wait until next year. Shoei has a regular part as a ninja on the long-running period drama series "Mito Komon," while Abe has several regular TV and radio jobs in the the Fukushima Prefecture area. They are said to have first met four years ago on a local TV show but romance didn't bloom until the autumn of last year. They have been living together in Tokyo since June.
• Appearing at a book signing for her latest collection of essays, actress Kuroki Hitomi denied that she and her husband are separated. Wednesday was her 45th birthday, but she still hardly looks a day over 30, which is part of the secret to her huge popularity among people of all ages. She won a literary award in April for an essay on life with her 44-year old ad-man husband and their 7-year old daughter.
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Does Yuji Have Another Hit Up His Sleeve? | October 06, 2005 |
 "Hitmaker" Oda Yuji (37) is to have his first movie starring role since the incredibly successful "Bayside Shakedown 2" in 2003. In "Kencho no Hosi" (Star of City Hall), he will star alongside Shibasaki Kou (24) as an elite bureaucrat. The "human drama with a light comedy touch" is based on a novel by the same name and deals with a currently popular theme - bureaucrats out of touch with the people. The movie is scheduled to open in February 2007.
• The latest group to be launched by Hello! Project, the people that brought you Morning Musume, features four of the most popular idols around. Former Momus members Ishikawa Rika (20), Goto Maki (20), and Abe Natsumi (24) are joined by Matsuura Aya (19) to make up Def Diva. They recently filmed the video for their debut single "Sukisugite Bakamitai," which is due for release on October 19. The video features the four in hot pants, long boots and bared midriffs strutting their stuff to a disco beat, with 30 models from the JJbis fashion magazine as extras.
• Actor and singer Oshio Manabu (27) has announced that he's going to give up acting and focus on his musical career. He plans to quit his management agency at the end of the year and join an indie music label. The announcement came as a big surprise as Oshio has been very popular in TV dramas since his 1997 debut in "Ai, Tokodoki Uso." But it's ben difficult for him to juggle a working schedule that includes acting, performing live and releasing three albums under the artist name Liv. A relationship with popular actress Yada Akiko (26) was revealed in late August and her fan club was disbanded shortly afterwards. This and Oshio's decision to put an end to his own fan club has media speculating that marriage is on the cards.
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Chinopan Pheromones Do the Trick | October 05, 2005 |
 Fans of popular Fuji TV "pheremone announcer" Chino Shio (28) got some bad news this week - on October 1, "Chinopan" got engaged to a very eligible bachelor. The lucky guy is the 38-year old grandson of former prime minister Fukuda Takeo. An employee of a foreign securities firm, the former Keio University football star has a reported annual salary of over ¥50 million. The couple met at a dinner party two years ago and have been going out since. Chino joined Fuji TV in April, 2000 and is just one of the network's many popular female announcers to find a rich and/or famous husband. She learned classic ballet for many years and her "charm point" is her long legs.
• Journalist and TV presenter Torigoe Shuntaro (65) has been hospitalized with rectal cancer. He made the announcement by telephone on the TV Asahi live morning show "Super Morning," on which he's a regular guest. He said he hadn't been too shocked by the discovery during a routine checkup, citing the example of actor Watari Tetsuya (63), who successfully fought the same disease in the early 1990s and still has a busy career. Displaying his usual fighting spirit, Torigoe hopes to be back on the show by October 24.
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It's Over for Action Star, Golfer | October 04, 2005 |
 The 3-year relationship between actor Kane Kosugi (photo, 30) and pro golfer Higashio Riko (29) has come to an end. A sports newspaper revealed the other day that the couple split up during the summer, having decided to each follow their own dreams. Unlike many celebrity couples, they had been very open about their relationship, often appearing together in public. They were considered an ideal match - Kosugi was born and raised in the US, while the bilingual Higashio graduated from the University of Florida - and marriage was thought to be inevitable. But both have had increasingly busy schedules as a result of their success. Kosugi has become a regular on TV, especially in the Lipovitan D commercials, but is pursuing the same Hollywood career that his father, ninja-movie star Sho Kosugi, realized. He will make his Hollywood debut in the upcoming movie "DOA," which will also feature popular model Devon Aoki. Meanwhile Higashio, daughter of baseball star and former Seibu Lions manager Higashio Osamu, has moved to the US and is playing on the LPGA tour.
• Singer Koda Kumi (22) said she would open a nightclub in downtown Tokyo for one night if her greatest hits album sold a million copies. Well the album "Best - First Thinds" has reached No.1 in the Oricon charts, is set to sell a million copies and Koda's dream will come true. After her national tour finishes in mid-November, she will rent a club in Ginza for one night and will be "mama" to a crew of "cool & sexy" Koda lookalikes. Entry will be decided by lottery. meanwhile, another 22-year old is top of the singles chart. Utada Hikaru's 14th single, "Be My Last" is her first chart-topper for almost a year and a half.
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Death Threats in Online Feud | October 03, 2005 |
 The feud between record label Avex and members of 2Channel, Japan's most popular BBS, has escalated to the level of death threats. Avex has been cashing in on the wildly successful song "Koi no Maiahii" by East European group O-Zone. Part of the song's huge success has been an amateur Flash animation featuring a cat singing along in Japanese to the song (except the lyrics are actually Rumanian!) which became an underground hit largely thanks to 2Channel. Board members named the cat Monaa and consider it to be their own mascot. They are furious that Avex is making money from it, selling merchandising and even trying to patent their slight variation of the cat character, which they named Noma-neko. Last week one 2Channel poster threatened online to kill Avex employees with a knife as they left work, while at the weekend, another threatened to set fire to the home of Avex president Matsuura Masato (41) and "barbeque" his family. The company is not taking the threats lightly and has brought in the police. Yesterday, several hundred "2Channel-ers" gathered near Shibuya and Harajuku stations and handed out thousands of leaflets to passers-by.
• "Hi! Hi! Puffy AmiYumi," the US animation featuring the popular Japanese pop duo, is to be shown on TV Tokyo. The show was a surpise hit on the Cartoon Network, especially among pre-teen girls, and Puffy fans at home have been keen to get a look. It will feature as a twice-a-week, 7-minute segment, with a new Japanese voice-over, on the "OhaStar" early morning kids show starting from this Thursday.
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