Japan Entertainment News - November 2005
A Red Carpet Day | November 30, 2005 |
 The red carpet was rolled out on Tuesday night for the world premiere of "Sayuri." The Hollywood version of the bestselling novel "Memoirs of a Geisha" features scenes at a sumo tournament, so the star-studded event was held at the Tokyo Kokugikan stadium, where tournaments are held three times a year. The Columbia Pictures movie, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Rob Marshall, opens here on December 10. Though it tells the tale of a young Japanese geisha, three of the major female parts are played by Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi (26), in the lead role, and Gong Li (39), as well as Malaysian-born former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh (43). Over 700 reporters turned out to cover the pre-event press conference on Monday. (photo © CNSPhoto)
• A slightly smaller media barrage was waiting for Brad Pitt (41) and Angelina Jolie (30). But the 500 reporters who packed a room at the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel included no members of the foreign press, and local media were also banned from releasing anything outside the country. The two stars of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" were separated on the stage by a producer but exchanged plenty of comments and looks. Sankei Sports reported that Pitt looked a bit less wild than usually and a bit more "fatherlike." But with his characteristic humor, Pitt joked that his co-star was too big-headed and he didn't want to perform with her again! About 1,800 fans turned out for a red carpet event at Roppongi Hills Arena in the evening, though only 600 were lucky enough to get inside.
• Actress Yamamura Momiji (45) was punched in the face while filming at a shrine in Kyoto. The actress was working with 15 crew members, filming an introduction to the shrine for the satellite Kyoto Channel. She was standing in front of the honden (inner sanctuary) when a man next to her suddenly landed a single punch to her left cheek. Staff restrained the man until he was arrested by police. The man admitted the attack but gave no reason, and refused to provide his name or identification.
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True Romance? | November 29, 2005 |
 Arriving at Narita Airport by private jet on Sunday were Hollywood's hottest "couple," Brad Pitt (41) and Angelina Jolie (30). The two, in town to promote "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," walked through the airport lobby with Jolie's two adopted children Zahara (9 months) and Maddox (4). About 200 fans, and 50 reporters were kept in check by 50 additional security staff. The stars, who have yet to acknowledge their relationship or repond to speculation about marriage, gave a press conference yesterday - with foreign media excluded - and attended the movie's premiere last night. The movie opens on December 3.
• Also arriving at Narita, though by regular scheduled flight, was actress Toda Naho (31). Speculation of romance between her and New York Yankees outfielder Matsui Hideki (31) has been in the news again. Toda returned from New York on Sunday and was met at the airport by those busy 50 reporters and questions about love and marriage. While she publicly admitted that she and "Godzilla" are romantically involved, she refused to be drawn on the question of wedding plans. Matsui recently signed a new 4-year, $52-million contract with the Yankees that makes him the best-paid Japanese player in the major leagues.
• And one more arrival. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (26) arrived at Narita Sunday from London, and is here to promote "Sayuri," the Hollywood version of Arthur Golden's bestseller "Memoirs of a Geisha." Directed by Rob Marshall, the movie also features top Japanese stars such as Watanabe Ken, Yakusho Koji and Kudo Yuki (Youki). The movie opens on December 10.
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A Busy Weekend for Kabuki | November 28, 2005 |
 A couple of firsts for kabuki over the weekend. On Friday, UNESCO announced its decision to designate kabuki as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The traditional Japanese theater form dates back to the Edo Period, Japan's renaissance. It joins noh,similarly designated in 2001, and bunraku puppet theater designated in 2003. Kabuki's candidacy still needs to be ratified by a few more countries, but is expected to receive formal protection under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage sometime in 2006. Among those delighted by the news was Sakata Tojuro IV, the first kabuki actor to take that stage name in 231 years. Formally known as Nakamura Ganjiro, the "living national treasure" spoke to the press at Minamiza theater in Kyoto before the annual "kaomise" performances that begin on Wednesday. About 5,000 fans turned out to celebrate his ascension to the new name earlier this month.
• Meanwhile, the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo's Ginza saw young ladies in swimsuits take to its hallowed catwalk for the first time. The Shochiku movie studio held the finals of its Star Gate audition for young actresses. In its 110th year, and from over 10,000 hopefuls, the studio chose 19-year-old student Ebise Hanako (photo), who was also chosen as a winner in the Kyoto Kimono Queen pageant earlier in the year.
• And finally, it was announced Saturday that popular young kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (33) recently became a dad. His wife, actress Takeuchi Yuko (25), gave birth to a baby boy at a Tokyo hospital last Tuesday. The couple married in June.
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Puffy on Parade | November 25, 2005 |
 Pop duo and anime idols Puffy took part in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York yesterday. They are the first Japanese artists to join the annual event. Their parade float was a recreation of the tour bus that appears in the animation series "Hi! Hi! Puffy AmiYumi," and featured giant versions of their cartoon characters. At the end of the route, they performed a song for delighted young female fans.
• Hollywood watch: Brad Pitt continues his feud with the foreign media in Japan. He and Angelina Jolie are due to give a press conference in Tokyo on Monday for their new movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", but have barred any foreign media from attending. It will be the pair's first official public appearance together since off-screen romance was reported between them during the summer. Japanese media will have to sign a document promising not to ask personal questions or distribute their coverage outside the country. Foreign reporters were also kept out of the press conference for "Ocean's Twelve" in January, Pitt's last PR trip and just after he split with Jennifer Aniston.
• And Kiefer Sutherland (38) is in Japan for the first time. He has already featured in a series of TV commercials for Ohtsuka Seiyaku's Calorie Mate drink, based on his Jack Bauer character, but is in town to promote the latest "24 Season IV" DVD release. At a press conference yesterday he said he had jet lag the night before and wandered the streets of Shibuya. "But I've been thinking of doing a documentary in Tokyo so I shot some film," he admitted.
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Mama For a Day | November 24, 2005 |
 Yesterday saw singer Koda Kumi (23), popular in the club scene, become the mama of a different kind of club for a day. It was all part of the promotion for her greatest hits album - she said that if it became a million sller, she'd "open" her own hostess club in the upscale Ginza district. Well, the album has sold 1.4 million copies and Koda already had a day's training from a real Ginza mama. So she got dolled up in a kimono, in contrast to her usual no-bra low-cut style, and arrived at the club by limousine. She had 30 "Koda-musume" lookalikes on hand to cater to the 100 or so music industry types and three fans lucky enough to get a special invite, out of 10,000 who applied. Today she returns to her regular job, but has another marketing stunt up her sleeve. From December 7, she will release a new single every week for 12 weeks. And if the all make the Top 5? "Hmm, maybe take a turn as a pro wrestler?" she wondered.
• Yesterday also saw singer Hajime Chitose (26) make her first appearance since becoming a mother. She was on the Sony Music Online website to promote her newly released single "Katari Tsugu Koto" (Hand-me-downs), her first release in almost two and a half years. It was also her first live Web appearance since she made her debut in 2002.
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A Big Job for Koichi | November 23, 2005 |
 Today is the Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day) national holiday.
With their latest chart topper, Kinki Kids have now had more No.1 albums than any other male idol act. With their 9th album going straight to No.1, they surpassed their Johnny's Jimusho stablemates SMAP and V6 on eight. "H Album-Hand" has sold almost quarter of a million copies in its first week. Meanwhile, member Domoto Koichi (photo, 26) is going to be taking his job even more seriously. As one half of the hugely popular duo - the other half being Domoto Tsuyoshi (no relation) - he has been an idol for over a decade. But Koichi has always been the more serious of the two and now he is being rewarded with a new level of responsibility. From 2007 he will take over the running of an annual stage show at Tokyo's Imperial Theater which, for the seven years up to the 2006 production, has been run by his boss Johnny Kitagawa. Koichi will be responsible for the production, casting, music and creation of the show. "Endless Shock," the 2006 show, will be put on in February and March of next year. Tickets are already extremely hard to come by.
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Oh, You Sexy Thing! | November 22, 2005 |
 Actor Watanabe Ken (46) has been named to a list of the world's sexiest men. He was included in the "International Men of Sexiness" in the latest edition of the weekly People Magazine. Other notable names include British actor Clive Owen, Aussie country-rocker Keith Urban, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Swiss tennis star Roger Federer. Watanabe is commended for his humility, discipline, simplicity and adaptability. Topping the poll as the "Sexiest Man Alive" was actor Matthew McConaughey.
• The celebs turned out for the opening of a new restaurant in central Tokyo yesterday. Cotton Club, a recreation of the famous New York night spot of the 1920s, officially opens for business in the new Marunouchi Tokia building tonight. But people like Kano Mika (38), musician and Morning Musume producer Tsunku (37), and Rakuten CEO Mikitani Hiroshi (40) got a sneak preview of the venue's food and live jazz.
• Actor Nakamura Shigeyuki (38) revealed on his website yesterday that he has been divorced since last month. He made his debut as a member of the Johnny's Jimusho idol group Eagles in 1983 and has been a second-tier actor since the group broke up in 1985. He married former actress Shirase Megumi in 2000.
• The latest Harry Potter movie opened on over 800 screens here last Saturday and pulled in ¥367 million at the box office on its first day.
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Japan "Popping" Up Round the World | November 21, 2005 |
 Singer Shinohara Tomoe (26) seems to be making something of a comeback. She made a big impact back in the mid-90s with her bubbly personality and outlandish fashion sense, and her single "Ultra Relax" was a big hit in 1997. She disappeared from the music scene over the last few years as she concentrated on theater work, but has been popping up on variety shows again lately. In October she released her first single in five years. This week she's in Paris for a month-long event to promote Japanese pop culture. It was also announced that she will be back in the City of Light next June to take part in a major music festival.
• Meanwhile, the "anime USA" festival was held in Washington DC over the weekend. Pop trio m.o.v.e. were on hand to provide a live rendition of "Dogfight," the theme song to the anime series "Initial D." The 3-day event attracted about 3,500 fans of anime and manga.
• And coming in the opposite direction, it was announced that Bon Jovi will be touring Japan for the 13th time next April. They'll play 6 stadium shows, bringing their total here to 35, a new record for a foreign band. They currently share the record with the Rolling Stones with 29.
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Mino to Breath Life into Kohaku | November 18, 2005 |
 Mino Monta (61) has been named as one of the emcee's for this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen. The song spectacle has been an institution on NHK every New Year's Eve for generations but has seen declining viewer ratings in recent years. The network obviously hopes the man known as "Mister TV" and the King of the Ratings will help reverse the trend. He currently has a total of eight regular weekly shows, three of them live. For Kohaku, he will be accompanied by NHK announcer Yamane Motoyo (57), who is very popular with middle-aged men.
• TV Asahi announcer Takeuchi Emi (28) is seriously involved with a company president, according to the latest issue of weekly magazine Friday. She managed to duck out of a press conference for an upcoming variety show as soon as her romance with Nojiri Yoshitaka (33), president of wedding organizer Take and Give - Needs, was mentioned by a reporter. In 2001, Nojiri became the youngest ever president to take his company onto the Nasdaq Japan stock market.
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Ryoko Loses Father | November 16, 2005 |
 Actress Yonekura Ryoko (30) is in shock after the death of her father. Yonekura Yasumi died yesterday at a Yokohama hospital of lung cancer. He was 57. Yonekura said in a fax statement from her agency Oscar Productions, "I still can't believe it and don't know what to think. My father understood me better than anyone and always supported me as an actress. I just don't have the words to thank him."
• Former sumo star turned TV talento Mainoumi Shuhei (37) is to make an apearance in the Hollywood movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" (titled "Sayuri" in Japan). During his 8-year career, the diminuitive wrestler made up for his lack of height by developing an astonishing range of fighting techniques. His bouts with the man-mountain Konishiki were always a highlight of any sumo tournament. He retired from the sport in 1999. He has since appeared regularly on Tv as a sumo and sports commentator and in occasional dramatic roles. The new movie will have its world premiere on November 29 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium in Tokyo where sumo tournaments are held three times a year.
• Toshiba EMI is to release 14 songs penned by the late John Lennon as ringtones. It is the first time in the world for the music of a former Beatle to be used due to complicated copyright issues. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono (72), says she thinks her husband would have approved. "John always loved new technology. I think this will open new doors for many people to find his music." The first two songs to be released will be "Imagine" and "So This is Christmas."
• British funk band Jamiroquai are in Japan for their 7th tour, the first in three years. They opened the tour last night at the Nippon Budokan, where they played a 17-song set, including old hits and tracks from their latest album "Dynamite," for 8,000 fans. They play another gig there tonight before moving to Osaka for two more shows.
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Sazae Tops Weekly Ratings | November 15, 2005 |
 The latest weekly TV ratings for the Kanto area, Oct. 31 - Nov. 6 (provided by Video Research):
1. Sazae-san (animation, Fuji TV) - 21.5%
2. Drama Complex, Hotaru no Haka (drama, NTV) - 21.2%
3. Shoten (rakugo comedy, NTV) - 20.7%
4. SMAP x SMAP (variety, Fuji TV) - 20.7%
5. Friday Drama, Hana Yori Dango (drama, TBS) - 20.5%
Sazae-san and Shoten are both long-running family favorites. Drama Complex is a new concept in what for 24 years was the Tuesday Suspense Theater time slot. The new 2-hour show plans to feature a wide variety of types of drama, comedy and action. The first feature starred Matsushima Nanako in an adaptation of the novel "Hotaru no Haka" (Grave of the Fireflies), which was earlier an anime hit for Miyazaki Hayao's Studio Ghibli. The Drama Complex theme music was written by guitarist Hotei Tomoyasu, his first composition for a TV show. Smap members continue to enjoy healthy ratings for most of the shows they are involved in, though only SMAP x SMAP, which features all five of them, made the Top 30.
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Morning Musuko? | November 14, 2005 |
 Singer and music producer Tsunku (37) has suggested that he might start a male version of the hugely succesful Morning Musume. Speaking at an event in his hometown of Higashi Osaka, he hinted that the group would only be open to good-looking and talented guys from the local area. The event was actually to promote a new image song for the city written by Tsunku, and the idea for a new boy idol group may or may not have been an ad lib. We'll have to wait and see.
• Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt (41) and Angeline Jolie (30) will be in town at the end of the month. They'll be here to promote the movie that brought them together romantically in real life, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which opens here on December 3. No doubt the world's media will be in tow, watching for more signs of impending marriage between the two. As it will be their first official public appearance together since the finalization of Pitt's divorce from Jennifer Aniston, some are even hoping that the trip will be used to make the big announcement.
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50 of the Best From Nabe Pro | November 11, 2005 |
 The Watanabe productions talent agency held a huge party yesterday to celebrate its 50th anniversary. "NabePro" as it's known has produced some of the biggest stars of the postwar era, including the comedy/musical legends Crazy Cats and Drifters and singer Matsutoya Yumi (photo). A total of 2,500 people attended the party, with dozens of stars on stage at any given time.
• Big things are expected from singer-songwriter Ayaka. The 17-year old high school student's singing ability has pundits comparing with Utada Hikaru and Mariah Carey, no less. She made an appearance at an event to showcase new Warner Music artists at the Tokyo International Forum and gave a preview of her debut single, "I Believe." The single, not due for release till next February, is to be the theme song for the highly anticipated TBS drama series "Rinbukyoku." The series will pair hugely popular South Korean star Choi Ji Woo (30) and local heart throb Takenouchi Yutaka (34).
• Popular singer Uehara Takako (21) and Johnny's Jimusho star Akanishi Jin (21) were spotted on a date recently. The two were recently photographed in a romantic clinch outside a Chinese restaurant by the weekly gossip magazine Friday. But according to a Johnny's spokesperson, they have since broken up. Uehara became a teenage star as a member of the idol pop group Speed, while Akanishi is one of the six young singers who make up Kat-Tun.
• Takahashi Hiro, former vocalist of the 80s band Tulip died at a Tokyo hospital on November 4 of multiple organ failure, it was reported yesterday. He was 41.
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Adachi, Itoda to Exchange Vows | November 10, 2005 |
 Actress Adachi Yumi (24) and comedian Itoda Jun (32) are to hold their wedding ceremony and reception on Saturday. According to a friend of the couple, they will hold their ceremony in a chapel with family only, and have invited about 150 showbiz friends to join them at their reception at a seafront restaurant. Adachi, who is four months pregnant, chose the restaurant as she has held fan events there in the past. The couple registered their marriage on September 14, after going out for just 5 months. Itoda is one half of the manzai duo Speed Wagon, while Adachi has been a star since she was a young child.
• Hugely popular actress Nakama Yukie (26) has been named as the most "Utsukushii Genki Hito" (beautiful and vibrant person) for 2005. The award was given by the less than glamourous Japan Society of Vegetable Oil Makers and is just one of many silly PR awards given every year. Nakama topped the poll thanks to her appearances in several upbeat TV drama series. She was followed in the poll by fellow actresses Kuroki Hitomi (up from 5th last year), Yamaguchi Tomoko and Amami Yuki, and pro golfer Miyazato Ai. the poll was run on the society's website and 2,100 women voted.
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Puffy on Parade | November 09, 2005 |
 Pop duo Puffy are to be the first Japanese to appear in the New York Thanksgivings Day Parade. The duo have become very popular in the US thanks to the Cartoon Network series "Hi! Hi! PuffyYumiAmi" and recently played their most successful concert tour there. The parade has been running since 1924 and is watched by about 2.5 million people in New York and another 50 million on live TV. Yoshimura Yumi (30) said, "I don't know what to expect until we 're actually there, but I'm nervous about it already!"
• The funeral service was held last night for the late pop singer Honda Minako, who died of leukemia last weekend at the age of 38. About 1,200 people - family, friends and fellow showbiz celebrities - paid their last respects, while 1,500 fans said a tearful farewell outside the crematorium in Saitama Prefecture.
• Winners of the 2005 "Best Smile of the Year Awards" are actress Ueto Aya (20) and champion race jockey Take Yutaka (36). The awards are sponsored by chewing gum maker Lotte.
• Folk music duo Billy Ban Ban have applied to the Guinness Book of Records - they reckon they are the world's longest-running sibling duo. The brothers, Sugawara Takashi (61) and Sugawara Susumu (58), made their debut in 1969 with "Shiroi Buranko" (White Swing) and have released a new single today to mark their 36th year in showbiz. Their gentle melodies are often featured as background music in TV commercials, and the new single "Kimi no Uta" (Your Song) is their 8th to be used in an ad for the iichiko brand of sake since 1988. The duo took their name from the cowboy outlaw Billy the Kid.
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Moe's Moment | November 08, 2005 |
 Actress Yamaguchi Moe (28) was beaming as she proudly showed off her engagement ring yesterday. She and IT company president Ozeki Shigeo (31) got hitched on Sunday, Ozeki's birthday. Yamaguchi flashed her 3-carat diamond ring and showed her usual ditzy character during a packed press conference. She didn't give a clear answer when asked if she plans to quit showbiz. But her new hubbie, as one of the wealthiest and most prominent of the high-profile IT entrepreneurs, certainly won't be needing to send her out to work.
• Pop singer and musical performer Honda Minako died of acute myelocytic leukemia on Sunday, according to her family. She was 38. She was diagnosed as suffering from leukemia in January and went public with her fight against the disease, while being hospitalized several times.
Honda had repeatedly been hospitalized in the final months of her life. She had a string of hits between the mid-1980s and early 90s. She then took to the stage, playing the lead in "Miss Saigon," which became her signature role. Her funeral will be held Wednesday in Saitama Prefecture.
• Several cast members of the latest Harry Potter movie are scheduled to visit Japan this month. The fourth in the movie series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" had its world premiere in London on Sunday. It opens here on November 26, and Emma Watson (15), Rupert Grint (17) and Katie Lang (18) will be arriving a week before for a fan event and preview screening. Lang, of Chinese descent and raised in Scotland, is making her movie debut as Harry's first love interest. The series, like the books on which it is based, is hugely popular here but has seen declining box office returns. The first movie pulled in ¥20.3 billion, the second ¥17.3 billion and the latest made a mere ¥13.5 billion. Producers are probably just aiming to break the ¥10-billion mark this time, but optimistically say they expect ¥15 billion.
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Takeshi Leaves Movie-goers Speechless | November 07, 2005 |
 Actor/director Kitano "Beat" Takeshi (58) expressed satisfaction at the bemused faces of people who had just watched the opening of his latest movie. Kitano has said that he wants "Takeshis'" to confuse people and that he doesn't care whether it loses money. The story, which features Kitano playing himself and another identical character and is jumbled and non-linear to say the least, seemed to achieve its first aim, but full houses in the 153 cinemas nationwide where it opened yesterday attest to the popularity of the man many consider Japan's greatest living director. Kitano is of course originally a vaudeville and comedy star and continually cracks jokes even about his more serious work. But he doesn't seem to aiming for laughs when he says that his latest feature is just something he's been wanting to get out of his system for over a decade. Having achieved both critical and box-office success, most recently with 2003's "Zatoichi," he felt the time was right to put this project on celluloid.
• All-female theatrical troupe Takarazuka set out for Korea yesterday. They will put on a series of three performances of their most famous production, "The Rose of Versailles" in Seoul, as part of the 40th anniversary of normalization of relations with Japan. It is the 24th Takarazuka overseas tour but the first to Japan's closest neighbor, and it will be the first chance for foreign audiences to see "Rose...". Kozuki Wataru will play the role of Swedish nobleman Count Axel Fersen, who had an adulterous affair with the tragic French queen Marie Antoinette.
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Hard Gay is Public Enemy No.1 | November 05, 2005 |
 Comedian Razor Ramon HG (Hard Gay) has shot to the top of the charts. The chart, that is, of the TV personalities parents most definitely don't want their kids watching. The perennial favorites, such as Yoshimoto comedians London Boots and Downtown and cartoon tyke Crayon Shin-chan, are still despised as much as ever. But Yoshimoto member and former wrestler Hard Gay has really made a big impact over the last few months, with his trademark aviator sunglasses, black leather hot pants, pelvic thrusting and cry of "Foooh!" This week, his lesser-known comedy partner Razor Ramon RG made a rare appearance at the launch of HG's first book, entitled simply "HG." Not to be outdone by his over-the-top sidekick, RG stripped down to a skimpy red fundoshi (thong) and the pair pranced around for the media. But back to the rankings - the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun polled 1,000 of its readers, and HG came out on top with 434 votes, easily beating London Boots at 253 and Downtown at 143. Also in the Top 10 was fortune teller and writer Hosoki Kazuko (whose book sales have earned her a place in the Guinness Book of Records). Her mix of arrogant preaching and grandmotherly advice seems to make her equally loved and hated by viewers.
Asked about specific programs they hate, readers chose "London Hearts," followed by "Crayon Shin-chan" and "Kisu Dake ja Iya," which features comedian Shimada Shinsuke chatting with young couples who are breaking up, having affairs or other sordid stuff. Shinsuke himself made the unpopular Top 10, no doubt partly due to last year's assault on a female colleague that led to his tearful apology on live TV.
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Gackt's Fantasy Come True | November 04, 2005 |
 Popular singer Gackt has not only recorded two songs for the latest video game from Square Enix, but he also appears as a new character in "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII." Gackt recorded both the theme song, "Redemption," and "Longing," which is incorporated into the Sony PlayStation2 game. "It's amazing how fast the CG technology is these days," he said. "I really enjoyed filming this." The game will go on sale on January 26 and retail for ¥8,190.
• Maeda Ken (34) has come out. Not that it was any big secret that the comedian, whose most popular image is his impersonation of teen idol singer Matsuura Aya, is gay. But he made his first public announcement yesterday at a PR event for his new book. Dressed as a female doctor, complete with a pink wig, Maeda explained how his book looks at five types of men and analyses how to hook them.
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Purple Ribbon Medal Winners | November 03, 2005 |
 Today is the Culture Day (Bunka no Hi) national holiday.
• Among the 19 winners of this autumn's Purple Ribbon Medal are actor Watari Tetsuya (63) and actress Ootori Ran (59). The medals are awarded by the government twice annually to those who excel in the arts, academia and sports. The always humble Watari expressed his pride and also embarrassment at receiving the award, saying he owed his success to the staff and fellow cast members of his many movies and TV dramas. He also mentioned his indebtedness to the late Ishihara Yujiro, whose management agency he now runs. Ootori dedicated her award to her mother, who is currently in hospital. Other recipients included composer Miki Takashi and lyricist Araki Toyohisa.
• It was revealed this week that actress Henmi Mari (55) recently divorced her second husband. She divorced the 41-year jewellery designer on October 28, bringing an end to their 4-year marriage. According to the husband, Henmi told him in early October that she wanted him out of their home. He returned home to pick up his belongings and found a divorce application waiting for him. He put his seal on it in mid-October. Henmi's daughter from her first marriage is popular actress Henmi Emiri (28).
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Katsunori's Passion for Teaching | November 02, 2005 |
 Popular actor Takahashi Katsunori (40) is to team up with busty actress Inoue Waka (25) in the latest school drama on TBS. In the series, as yet untitled but sceduled to air on Thursday nights from January, Takahashi will play a passionate school teacher who goes up against the ice-cool school board chairwoman, played by 'Wakapai.' Takahashi is best known for his equally passionate acting in the role of Salaryman Kintaro, adapted from the successful manga of the same name. Inoue has managed to get beyond her pin-up girl image and establish herself on the variety show circuit, though she is still strongly associated with her TV commercials for credit company Promise.
• Ditzy actress Yamaguchi Moe (28) and Ozeki Shigeo (30), the president of IT company Zeel, are to get married this weekend. Sunday is Ozeki's birthday and they are expected to register their marriage on that day. they have no plans for a wedding ceremony or reception, and will make an official statement on November 7. The couple met in the spring of last year when Moe did a report on Ozeki's high-flying lifestyle for the TBS variety show "Sekai Bari-bari Value." Ozeki runs an online cosmetics business and a restaurant in Tokyo and has an annual salary of several hundred million yen.
• Johnny's Jimusho group V6 have been busy celebrating the 10th anniversary of their showbiz debut. Currently third in line in the Johnny's hierarchy behind SMAP and Tokio, the group played a series of three concerts at the Yoyogi Gymnasium where they made their debut in October 1995. Their new album "musicmind" entered the Oricon charts at No.1 on October 31.
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Sexy Songstresses on Stage | November 01, 2005 |
Sexy divas from the US and Japan are teaming up for an MTV live performance in December. Ashley Simpson (21) and local girl Koda Kumi (photo, 22) will perform at the "Cool MTV Christmas 2005" at Pacifico Yokohama on December 16. Simpson's latest album is No.1 on the US Billboard Chart, while Koda's broke through this year - her 'greatest hits' album "Best - First Things" was released in September and has sold over 1.2 million copies. The flamboyant Koda will not want to lose out in the glam stakes and is sure to be showing off her trademark low-cut, no-bra look.
• Taking the honors at the Tokyo International Film Festival was local production "Yuki ni Negau Koto" (What the Snow Brings). The festival closed on Sunday and the talk of the town was the Negishi Kichitaro-directed film, which took not only the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, but also Best Actor (Sato Koji), Best Director and Audience Choice awards. It tells of a failed businessman who returns from Tokyo to his hometown in Hokkaido and the world of horseracing. Meanwhile the Special Jury Prize went to "Conversations With Other Women," and the Best Actress Award was shared by British actress Helena Bonham Carter for her role in the same film and Jin Ya-gin in the Chinese feature "You and Me." the award for Best Artistic Contribution went to another Chinese film, the strangely named "Loach is Fish Too."
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