Japan Entertainment News - April 2006
The Return of the Hero | April 29, 2006 |
 SMAP member Kimura Takuya (33) is to revive the hugely popular dramatic role he played in "Hero". The 2001 show had an average audience rating of 34.4%, the highest ever for a Fuji TV drama series. It was also the first time that all eleven episodes of a public network drama had broken the 30% barrier. It is just one of several solid performances from Kimura that have made him probably the most popular male star in Japan. Fuji announced this week that will be broadcasting a Hero special in July. As for the timing, with a series of recent headline stories featuring public prosecutors investigating high-profile crimes, Fuji decided it was a good time for Kimutaku to revive his role as the rebellious prosecutor Kuriu Kohei. The special will include original cast members such as Matsu Takako (28) and Abe Hiroshi (41), but also add big names like Tsutsumi Shinichi (41) and Nakai Kiichi (44), and rising young star Ayase Haruka (21).
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The T-Backs are Back! | April 28, 2006 |
 One of the popular "sexy groups" of the 90s is to be revived with new young members. The trio will make their debut in May with the song "Cherry Girl", a Japanese euphemism for a virgin. The group is made up of Araki Nozomi (18), Airi (23), and Chiba Miku (18). With their teeniest of mini skirts and "t-back" thongs, the group are said to combine sexiness with the currently popular term "moe". The term is difficult to translate but is close to the English words crush or infatuation. It's often used to describe the feelings that otaku (nerds) have for girls dressed up in maid or anime character costumes.
• Actor Watanabe Ken (46) was presented with the 15th Yodogawa Nagaharu Award yesterday. The award is named after the late movie critic who was a regular presenter of movies on TV for many years until his death in 1998. Watanabe, who recently worked with director Clint Eastwood (75) on the movie "Red Sun, Black Sand" about the WWII battle of Iwojima, said he would like to direct himself someday.
• Actress Sakurai Sachiko (32) has divorced music producer Tanaka Satoshi (43) after two and a half years of marriage. The couple first met in 1990, when Sakurai made her singing debut, and started dating six years later. In a fax sent to the media, the couple said their work schedules had driven them apart but that they will remain friends. They have no children.
• This week, singer/songwriter Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (49) said a final farewell to his father, who died of cancer at the age of 77. A funeral was held on Wednesday for the former police officer at the Honganji temple in Tokyo's Tsukiji district. Nagabuchi read the lyrics of a song he wrote for his father and performed his new release, "Close Your Eyes".
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Kyon-Kyon Goes For Johnnys Toyboy | April 27, 2006 |
 Now this is one showbiz couple that's caught everyone by surprise. According to the latest issue of the weekly magazine Friday, actress Koizumi Kyoko (40) is involved in a secret love affair with Kamenashi Kazuya (20) of the boy band Kat-Tun, who was photographed visiting her Tokyo apartment in her car. The magazine says he now spends about half of every week at her home. The pair have not worked together, and are said to have met through the owner of a bar in the capital. Johnny's Jimusho, which represents Kamenashi, as well as just about every other young male pop star in Japan, has denied that the pair's relationship is romantic. They added that Koizumi is a "dai sempai" (lit. respected superior) who has been offering fashion and other advice. Koizumi was one of the top idol singers of the 1980s, when she gained the nickname Kyon-Kyon, and is now an established actress. She was married for several years to actor Nagase Masatoshi (39), but they divorced in 2004. Kamenashi is one of the most promising among the young crop of Johnny's stars. Kat-Tun recently topped all the charts with their debut single, album and DVD, while Kamenashi last year teamed up with fellow Johnny's member Yamashita Tomohisa as the duo Shuji to Akira, releasing one of the year's best-selling singles. He also appeared in last year's hugely popular NTV drama series "Gokusen".
• Talento Enamoto Kanako (25) is pregnant with her second child, a year after she and retired baseball star Sasaki Kazuhiro (38) had their first. She is expecting the baby in mid-July. Sasaki divorced his wife, a former talento, a year ago and almost immediately married the already pregnant Enamoto.
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Queen of Gosukawa | April 26, 2006 |
 Singer Kitade Nana (18) is hoping to create a "gosukawa" boom. The expression is an abbreviation of "gothic kawaii", and combines "kawaii" (cute) with the "gosuloli" fashion that mixes the stark black and white of Gothic with the frills and lace of Lolita girls. The name Nana is pronounced the same as the word for "seven", so Kitade is releasing a new song on every day that has a seven in it over the next four months. The first, "Moonlight Densetsu" is a cover of the Sailor Moon theme song and is due for release on April 27. There will be 13 releases in all up to August 27, though they will only be available as ¥100 "chaku-uta" (songs downloaded to mobile phones). The idea is similar to marketing tactic used by singer Koda Kumi (23), who released a single a week over 12 weeks at the end of last year and saw huge combined sales, while also coining the phrase "erokawa" (erotic kawaii).
• Popular Fuji TV announcer Sasaki Kyoko (33) announced on live TV yesterday that she recently got divorced. The "Tokudane!" morning wide show co-presenter, who married TBS announcer Ikeda Hiroyuki only in May of last year, broke the news on her return from a two-week foreign location shoot. It seems she registered the divorce before she left on April 8. Ikeda is a presenter on the TBS show "Evening Five".
• The band Godiego are to get back together for the first time in seven years. It's been 30 years since they started and they are well past their heyday. They are best known for a couple of theme tunes, the Saiyuki theme "Monkey Magic" and "Ginga Tetsudo 999". Saiyuki has been enjoying a revival with a new updated version doing well on TV this year. Godiego first split in 1985 and there was a brief reunion in 1999.
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Happy Summer Wedding | April 25, 2006 |
 Musician and producer Tsunku (37) is engaged to marry a 25-year old former model. The SharanQ vocalist is also the man behind Morning Musume and the many other spinoff groups spawned by the Hello!Project. He and Kanako, a native of Fukuoka Prefecture, met through a mutual friend last year. They are planning a June wedding, most likely with the Momus hit "Happy Summer Wedding" playing in the background. Tsunku said, "Having met her, I feel I have a new challenge ahead of me. I also have someone to share all my emotions with." SharanQ are also planning to make a comeback this autumn, performing for the first time in five years.
• And returning to the big screen for the first time in five years is singer Hiro (22). The former Speed member will star in "Back Dancers" along with fellow singer Sonin (23), Saeko (19) and Hirayama Aya (22). The movie is scheduled to open in September.
• One of Japan's biggest pop stars and the man behind the legendary anime "Akira" make quite a team. Singer/songwriter Utada Hikaru (23) has teamed up with anime director Otomo Katsuhiro (52) on Nisshin's latest Cup Noodle TV commercial. "This Is Love" is the background to a story of freedom fighters set in the 23rd century. The commercial airs from today, while the song goes on sale as a single on June 14 and will be included in Utada's upcoming 4th original album, "Ultra Blue".
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Weekend Roundup - A First Time for Everything | April 24, 2006 |
 Up till now, the only guys to grace the cover of Marie Claire magazine have been foreign superstars. But on the cover of the June issue is J-pop idol Matsumoto Jun (22). A member of popular Johnny's Jimusho boy band Arashi, "Matsujun" is one of the agency's up and coming stars. On the magazine cover, he is shown in an embrace with a Russian model. Inside, he talks about his ideas of love and romance. In its 24 years, the women's fashion mag has featured several foreign men on the cover, including soccer star David Beckham, but Matsumoto is the first Japanese guy.
• Rock duo Love Psychedelico played their first ever free gig as part of the global Earth Day events on Saturday. The performed eight songs, including a cover of the Beatles' "Help!" which they will release as a single in June. Earth Day events took place in 140 countries worldwide.
• Singer/songwriter Otsuka Ai (23) played her first ever arena concert as part of her ongoing 9-city national tour. She performed 22 songs, including her current hit "Frienger", for 15,000 fans at Yokohama Arena.
• Comedian Gori (33) is to try his hand at movie direction. He will not only take the megaphone but also write and star in "Keiji Bogey", described as a "hard-boiled comedy". The movie will be shown at the Short Short Film Festival 2006 in June. In its eighth year, the event is Asia's biggest for short films. Gori, one half of the comedy duo Garage Sale, is best known for his garish, cross-dressing Gorie character.
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Yumi's Bad Day | April 21, 2006 |
 Actress Adachi Yumi (24) got a couple of surprises yesterday. One was her mother, 48-year old Adachi Yuri (photo), announcing her book of nude photos, including so called "hair nudes" which show pubic hair. The book, titled "Myself", will go on sale on May 29. The "stage mama", who has been by her daughter's side since she debuted as a child actress, says she didn't inform her of this latest career move. Yumi may have been taken by surprise by that announcement, but the revelation that her husband, comedian Itoda Jun (33), was recently spotted at a hotel with his ex-girlfriend must have come as more of a shock. The story appears in this week's edition of the gossip magazine Friday, which photographed Itoda and a 24-year old actress named only as N entering a hotel on April 3, just nine days before Adachi gave birth to their first child. Itoda's agency released a statement saying his ex-girlfriend had met with him simply to talk and that he had already told his wife about the meeting. But a friend of the couple says that Yumi was more than a little displeased about the whole thing.
• Singer/songwriter Yoriko (21) has been hospitalized due acute abdominal pains. She has been forced to postpone a five-date national tour that was scheduled to start on April 28. She made her debut in 2002, and has a history of cancer from her childhood.
• The work of actor Yakusho Koji (50) will be in competition at cannes yet again this year. "Babel", in which he appears with Brad Pitt (42), has been entered for the Palm D'Or, the main prize at the cannes International Film Festival. It's the fourth time for Yakusho to be in the spotlight at Cannes, following the nomination of "Unagi" (1997), "Yuriika" (2000) and "Akai Hashi no Shita no Nurui Mizu" (2001). The movie will be screened on May 23 and the winner of the Palm D'Or will be announced on the last day of the festival, which runs until May 28.
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Tora-san 10 Years On | April 20, 2006 |
 Ten years after the death of actor Asami Kiyoshi, a recording he made almost 30 years ago is to be re-released. Asami will forever be remembered for his role as Tora-san in the "Otoko wa Tsuraiyo" movie series, the longest running series in the world. The movies had various themes but traveling salesman Tora-san always returned to his shitamachi (dowtown) home. The Asakusa district is the capital's most famous shitamachi and the song "Asakusa Nikki" recalls Tokyo in a bygone age. The 1977 recording has been remastered as a duet between Asami and Kaguyahime member Yamada Panda (59). Asami died in 1996 at the age of 68, having made 48 movies as Tora-san under the direction of Yamada Yoji.
• Talento Fujimori Yuuko (37) is five months pregnant. The former member of sexy group C.C. Girls married the 38-year old president of a TV production company in 2004. She will the first of the group's original members to become a mother.
• Actress Lee Reisen (64) has won her libel case against a magazine publisher. The mother of actor Otsuru Gitan (35), she took the publisher Shufu to Seikatsusha to court for an article that appeared in its Shuukan Josei magazine. The article claimed that a typical bad "yome shuutome" (bride versus mother-in-law) relationship between Lee and singer Marcia (37), led to her son's divorce. Lee sought ¥5.5 million in damages and was awarded &1.1 million by the Tokyo District Court. Otsuru and Marcia split in 2004 following another of his extra-marital affairs, for which he apologized during a live press conference. The Tokyo-born Lee is the daughter of ethnic Koreans and was married to actor Kara Juuro (real name Otsuru Yoshihide) from 1967 to 1988. Marcia (real name Nishiie Kazue Marcia) is a Brazilian of Japanese descent.
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From Bar Host to Superstar | April 19, 2006 |
 The host club boom continues to grow. The world of host clubs has recently given us comedian Hiroshi (34) and actor Shirosaki Jin (28), who is to make his recording debut in June. The latest name to set the ladies swooning is Houzyou Seiji (28), a host at the famous Club Aqua in Osaka, which featured in a recent TV documentary. More than 300 female fans turned up to the launch of his new book, "Ichioku Hoshiika!" (Do You Want 100 Million?). The appeal seems to be that these guys have movie star looks and charisma but fans can meet them anytime, if they fork out the money to visit their club. Club Aqua has pretty intensive training for its hosts, including teaching them speaking techniques using rakugo CDs and having their teeth fixed or even plastic surgery, things that any talent agency will put its prospects through. The industry took a hit earlier this year when some students from one of Osaka's elite universities who also worked as hosts were arrested for extortion.
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• Talento Abe Mihoko (30) and South Korean soccer player Choi Sung Yong (30) are expecting their first baby. The couple married in 2003 and are currently living in the Korean city of Suwon. Abe has yet to decide whether to have the baby, due in November, in Korea or at home. She will be in Japan later this month to promote a new book of Korean cooking.
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Ichiro the Ideal Leader | April 18, 2006 |
 Music chart company Oricon has carried out a survey to find Japan's ideal leader figures. Among junior and senior high school boys, Seattle Mariners star Suzuki Ichiro was the number one choice as an ideal "sempai" (senior member) for their club activities. The choice reflects Ichiro's clear leadership role and enthusiasm in the recent World Baseball Classic, where he led his countrymen to the championship. He was followed in the survey by former tennis player Matsuoka Shuzo, now a regular on TV, and comedian Akashiya Sanma. Strangely enough, comedian Razor Ramon HG (Hard Gay) was the No.4 choice. In 10th place was singer Otsuka Ai, the only female choice. On the other hand, teenage girls made popular comedy duo Oriental Radio their No.1 choice. Other male choices included Kamenashi Kazuya of the pop unit Kat-Tun (#2), Koike Teppei of duo WaT, Ichiro (#5), and Porno Grafitti vocalist Okano Akihito (#9). Female choices were actress Ueto Aya, talento Becky, and sexy singer Koda Kumi.
• Talento Kubo Keiko (34) is engaged to basketball player Kita Takuya (33), who plays for the Toshiba team in Japan's pro basketball BJ League. Kita was a fan of Kubo's and she first agreed to go on a dinner date with him in 2001 if Toshiba won the league. He is said to have proposed a year ago and they have been living together since. Kubo plans to continue her career after their marriage on May 13.
• Model Akai Saki (19) was on the catwalk at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo yesterday. The daughter of actor and former pro boxer Akai Hidekazu (46), she is a campaign girl for Asahi Kasei's new range of summer bikinis. The tall and slender model is being compared to Yonekura Ryoko and Sato Eriko, who have built on their modeling careers to become successful in showbiz.
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The Phantom of Kabuki? | April 17, 2006 |
 Ichikawa Ebizo (28) is to take kabuki to Europe. The young "prince" of the traditional theater will put on the first ever performance of kabuki at the Opera Garnier theater in Paris next March. This summer, he will perform "Fujimusume" and "Kasane" at the Sadler's Wells theater in London (May 31 - June 11) and the City Theater in Amsterdam (June 15-18). The Paris shows follow the success of a performance there in 2004 to commemorate the former Ichikawa Shinnosuke's succession to become the 11th Ichikawa Ebizo. In that show at the Chaillot Theater he was joined by high school classmate Onoe Kikunosuke (28). Next year, he will perform for a week alongside his father, Ichikawa Danjuro (59), who has been recovering from a recurrence of leukemia. Ebizo will also make his big screen debut this year in "Deguchi no nai Umi", due for release in September. The Opera Garnier theater has been one of the world's most famous homes of opera and ballet since its construction in 1875, and was the inspiration for the famous Phantom of the Opera story.
• Yesterday, singer Mori Masako (47) appeared solo in front of fans for the first time in 20 years. Following her divorce from singer Mori Shinichi last year, the former top idol has decided to resurrect her career and will release a new single, "Barairo no Mirai" (Rose-colored Future) on June 7. She signed copies of her new book "Ashita he" (To Tomorrow) for 100 lucky fans at a bokstore in Ginza yesterday. So many people turned out to catch a glimpse of the star that she had staff put together a makeshift "stage" of two beer crates in front of the bookstore so she could speak to them. It's been an emotional time for Masako, especially with the death of her father last week, and she ended yesterday's event in tears again.
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Ken Puts Pen to Paper | April 14, 2006 |
 Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (46) has written his first book. The contents of "Dare? - Who Am I?" are based on a diary he kept while filming "Ashita no Kioku" (Tomorrow's Memories), which is due to open on May 13. He is also executive producer of the film, in which he plays a man who develops early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. Following a battle with leukemia that struck at the peak of his career in 1989 and ultimately led to his divorce last year, the last few years have seen a resurgence in both his private life and his career. He got re-married to the actress Minami Kaho (42) last December and has had appearances in a series of Hollywood movies, including "The Last Samurai", "Batman Begins" and "Memoirs of a Geisha". He set out to write the diary as a journey of self discovery. "When I found out I had leukemia, it was almost too much to comprehend and I think I bottled up my feelings of pain and sadness. But slowly over time I began to realize the need to let out those pent up feelings. The desire to make this film came from the deepest recesses of my heart." The publication date of the new book has yet to be announced.
• Freelance announcer Fukuzawa Akira (42) lost 7 kilos when he found out he would be hosting the new TBS health/variety show "Piikan Badi!" (P-kan Body!). "I'm back to the weight I was at when I first joined NTV as an announcer. This show has given me a whole new outlook." The show will be co-hosted by talento and model Rinka (32).
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Beginnings and Endings | April 13, 2006 |
 Actress Adachi Yumi (24) is a mother, after she gave birth yesterday afternoon to a baby girl at a Tokyo hospital. Her husband, comedian Itoda Jun (33), wasn't present at the birth due to work. The couple married on Adachi's birthday in September of last year. Adachi has already announced her return to work, doing a narration in June for this summer's Anpanman movie.
• Actor/singer Matsudaira Ken (52) and former talento Matsumoto Yuriko (38) held a wedding ceremony and reception at the Akasaka Prince hotel in Tokyo yesterday. About 200 guests joined the couple in their celebration. Choreographer Majima Shigeki, the man behind the Matsuken Samba sensation, led his dance team as part of the entertainment. The new couple actually registered their marriage last October and had their honeymoon at the New Year.
• "Vijuaru-kei" (visual) rock band Pierrot are breaking up. The decision wasn't unanimous - guitarists Aiji and Jun wanted to go solo, while vocalist Nozomu Kirito, bassist Kohta and drummer Takeo wanted the band to continue. The band has been successful - they celebrated their 10th anniversary a year ago, and all 15 singles have made it into the Oricon chart Top 10. Ironically, their farewell recording is titled "Hello", and is due to be released on June 21. Kirito told fans on the official website that he was greatly saddened by the decision. "Taking fans' feelings into consideration, we have discussed this seriously many times. I even thought about giving up my solo work if it would keep the band together, but I couldn't change their minds."
• Also breaking up are popular Fuji TV announcer Takashima Aya (27) and race jockey Take Koshiro (27). "Ayapan" lives in Tokyo and Take, the younger brother of racing legend Take Yutaka, is based at a JRA facility in Shiga Prefecture. The physical distance between them was only increased when Takashima was sent to Turin in February to cover the Winter Olympics. They had been an item for about three years and were said to be on the verge of marriage.
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Hands in the NHK Till Again | April 12, 2006 |
 NHK has been hit by yet another financial scandal. It was revealed yesterday that a chief producer had swindled over ¥17.6 million in expenses up to April of last year. Ohshita Satoshi (43), in charge of sports programming in Sapporo, claimed expenses for 242 trips between the northern city and Tokyo over a five-year period up to shortly before his transfer to the capital last June. At the time, the national broadcast network was supposed to be cracking down following a revelation the previous year that another producer had pocketed money for fictional programs. NHK has been rocked by a series of scandals over the last few years that have led a growing number of people to refuse to pay their annual subscription fees. Executive Director General of Broadcasting Harada Toyohiko (58) gave a press conference on Monday and apologized for the scandal. There are expected to be calls for Chairman Hashimoto Genichi (photo, 62) to resign. Ohshita had been the No.2 man in the company's sports department and was supposed to be in charge of programming for this summer's World Cup in Germany.
• Crazy Cats, the comic-jazz band that was hugely popular in the 1960s, released their first new single in 20 years today. Singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi (52) wrote the song, "Still Crazy for You", to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Watanabe Productions management agency and performed it at a party last November. The single includes tracks recorded during live performances by now deceased band members such as drummer and band leader Hana Hajime (1930-93). Surviving members Ueki Hitoshi (79, vocals/guitar), Tani Kei (76, trombone), Inuzuka Hiroshi (77, bass) and Sakurai Senri (81, piano) are all still active in showbiz.
• Actress Hosokawa Naomi (31) is pregnant with her second child. She and actor Katsurayama Shingo (34) married in 2002 and had a daughter the following year. Hosokawa won a national beauty contest in 1988 and her baby is due on August 2, the day of this year's contest.
• Another expectant mother, actress Adachi Yumi (24), has her next job lined up already. She will be the voice of the heroine in the upcoming Anpanman anime movie, "Soreike! Anpanman, Inochi no Hoshi no Dorii". Recording begins in June, by which time Adachi will have delivered her first child with comedian Itoda Jun (33). The couple married in September of last year and are expecting their child on April 17.
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Tsumabuki Says Go! to Hollywood | April 11, 2006 |
 Actor Tsumabuki Satoshi (25) is to make his Hollywood debut in the latest sequel to "The Fast and The Furious". Known in Japan as "Wild Speed x 3 - Tokyo Drift", the movie is about the local drift racing scene and set almost entirely in the capital. Tsumabuki plays a race starter and spent a week in LA filming several early scenes, though he has only one line - "Go!" The part is said to have been created for the popular young actor, described by director Justin Lin as "unbelievably handsome", after plans for him to have a bigger role fell through. He and former "Seventeen" model Kitagawa Keiko - who has appeared in several Sailor Moon movies - are the only Japanese actors included in the cast list. Incidentally, a quick read of the storyline on the IMDB website raises questions of authenticity (US military officer living in "a cramped apartment in a low-rent section of Tokyo"! If you want to see for yourself, the movie is due to open during the summer.
• Singer/actress Ogawa Noriko (32) revealed at a launch event for her greatest hits album that she suffers from cataplectic deafness. Speaking to fans at the launch of "Golden Best" in Tokyo yesterday, she said she suffered sudden loss of hearing in her right ear in mid-January. She underwent medical tests but the cause remains unknown. The condition is similar to narcolepsy, in which strong emotions can cause sudden muscle weakness and collapse. Ogawa is said to be recovering and has started rehearsals for a stage production due to begin in May.
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Kimuni, Henmi Exchange Vows | April 10, 2006 |
 Actress Henmi Emiri (29) and comedian Kimura Yuichi (43) held their wedding ceremony and reception at a Kyoto hotel yesterday. The "at home" style wedding was attended by about 60 people, and other than immediate family almost everyone was in showbusiness. Hardly surprising as Emiri is the daughter of actor Saigo Teruhiko (59) and singer/talento Henmi Mari (55), who divorced 25 years ago, and "Kimuni" is a veteran of the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency. Emcee for the reception was Yoshimoto member Imada Koji.
• Yoshida Asami (31), the former wife of musician/producer Komuro Tetsuya (47), was admitted to hospital on Saturday, according to her official blog. The website didn't give details, simply saying that her condition was not serious, but adding that an event planned for this Friday has been cancelled. The singer/dancer married Komuro, her musical partner in the duo Kiss Destination, in May 2001. They had a daughter but were already divorced by March 2002.
• In baseball, Hanshin Tigers star Kanemoto Tomoaki played his 904th consecutive full game yesterday, breaking the world record held by Cal Ripken. The player known as "Aniki" started his run while with the Hiroshima Carp and has managed to maintain a batting avergae of over .300 during that time. He has sometimes played through injuries, even going the full nine innings and getting a one-handed hit the day after having his wrist broken by a pitch in 2004.
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Return to the Bubble Days | April 08, 2006 |
 Talento Aota Noriko (38) wants to revive the "bubble" era. The former member of "sexy group" CC Girls is to release her solo debut under the guidance of another "bubbly" star, musician and producer Komuro Tetsuya (47). Komuro has written the song "Jesus" and the whole thing is part of a project based around the TV Asahi variety show "London Hearts". Aota is a regular on the show that features a panel of outspoken women and usually focuses on topics related to sex and romance. Aota hopes to break into the Oricon chart Top 10 and bring back memories of a time when Japan was rolling in money and young women like herself, dressed in mini skirts and waving feather fans, were packing out the mega-discos like Juliannas in Tokyo.
• Popular fashion model Ebihara Yuri (26) is romantically involved with a 30-year old beautician, according to weekly magazine Friday. Though both have been seen visiting the other's home, Ebihara's management agency has denied there is any romance.
• Comedian Udo Suzuki (36) is to give a press conference on April 16 with his sidekick Amano Hiroyuki (36) and is expected to talk about his wedding plans. It was recently revealed that he is living with a woman in her 20s who works as a sommelier. Suzuki and Amano go by the name Kyaeen and are regulars on the variety show circuit.
• Shinobu (26) is to leave popular group Da Pump. In February of last year he caused a traffic accident while drunk and has been "on probation" since. He has spent the last year at his home in Okinawa and plans to go solo and perform more Okinawan music. The remaining three members will continue as Da Pump and make their official announcement to fans at an event at the end of the month.
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That "Ara" Moment | April 07, 2006 |
 Korean star Choi Ji Woo (30) revealed a bit more of herself than she planned yesterday. The actress, hugely popular here following the success of several drama series, is known to Japanese fans as the "Queen of Tears". She is in Tokyo to promote the movie "Renri no Eda" and appeared at the local premiere with co-star Cho Han Sun (24). As she left the stage, her shawl slipped off her shoulders revealing her bare back. One Japanese word to express mild surprise in such a situation is "ara!". Which leads neatly into...
• Beating out almost 40,000 hopefuls in an audition for an upcoming movie was 19-year old Korean high schooler Ara (16). She will star alongside Sorimachi Takashi (32) in the joint Japan-Mongolia production of a biopic about Genghis Khan. The project has a budget of over ¥3 billion, huge for an Asian movie. Producer Kadokawa Haruki (64) said, "Altogether we've seen over 100,000 auditions and this girl is the most outstanding of all, male or female. She has an incredible aura and will be a big star." Ara is already a proven talent in her home country, having starred in a recent drama series. She speaks almost no Japanese but promised to master it by the time the movie starts filming in three months.
• Talento Brother Tom (50) was rushed to hospital yesterday following a heart attack. He was preparing for a concert in Tokyo on Wednesday when he started suffering severe chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital. He is expected to undergo observation for the next 10-14 days. He appears on four regular weekly TV shows.
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Teriyaki Boyz at the MTV Awards | April 06, 2006 |
 The Teriyaki Boyz are making their move. They will be the first hip hop group to represent Japan at the MTV Asia Awards, held this year in Bangkok on May 6. The unit, led by A Bathing Ape fashion producer Nigo (35), follow in the footsteps of J-pop princesses like Hamasaki Ayumi (27) and Amuro Namie (28). The Boyz originally planned to start their world assault in Europe, but have decided to conquer Asia first. On April 1, Nigo drew 2,000 young people to the opening of his first BAPE store in Hong Kong, where the album "Beef or Chicken" was released on March 22. Releases in Taiwan and South Korea are due later this month. Europe is still on the cards, with a club-oriented 12-inch set for release this month, the single "Heart Breaker" in May and the album in June. The group also has had several invitations to play at summer festivals. All of this is expected to be followed by an attempt on the US market, where they played a few gigs last year.
• W-inds vocalist Tachibana Keita (20) had to pull out of a planned live radio performance by the popular hip hop/dance trio in Osaka yesterday due to health problems. The event went ahead with members Ogata Ryuichi (20) and Chiba Ryohei (21). Keita is said to have come down with a fever after a recent series of fan events in Tokyo.
• Baseball News - Hanshin Tigers player Kanemoto Tomoaki played his 900th consecutive full game yesterday. That puts him just four games short of the record held by Cal Ripken, who played 8,243 consecutive innings between 1982 and 1987 on the way to playing an astonishing 2,131 consecutive games. Playing against his old team, the Hiroshima Carp, "Aniki" marked the occasion with a home run in the 4th inning. Meanwhile, Yomiuri Giants pitcher Kudo Kimiyasu became the oldest player in franchise history yesterday, and got a win to boot. One month shy of his 43rd birthday, he pitched seven innings in a 9-2 win over the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium. He passed current Chunichi Dragons manager Ochiai Hiromichi as the oldest player to take to the field in a Giants uniform. With career win No. 213, he moved in a tie for 17th.
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Is She Coming This Time? | April 05, 2006 |
 Saying that she wants to turn the whole world into one big dancefloor, Madonna (47) announced in New York on Monday that she plans to bring her Confessions Tour to Japan. No venues or dates have been announced, but would probably be Tokyo and Osaka and no earlier than mid-September. While she performed a few songs during a visit to Tokyo last December to promote the album "Confessions on a Dancefloor", she hasn't played an actual concert here for 13 years. The problem is that when announcing both of her previous two world tours, Madonna has mentioned Japan but the shows never actually happened. The reason is thought to be that she demands too much money. Tickets for the upcoming Los Angeles gig have sold out even though they were priced at over ¥40,000, a lot more than even top artists demand here. Tickets for the recently postponed U2 gig were priced at ¥10-15,000. Warner Music Japan has said that Monday's announcement, though mentioning Japan, does not make shows here "official".
• It was revealed yesterday that recently divorced talento Sonomama Higashi (48) and actress Kato Kazuko (48) will appear together on an upcoming edition of Fuji TV's "Quiz $Millionaire". They had already agreed to appear on the April 20 show, which was recorded on Monday, before their split in February. Reportedly Higashi - whose decision to return to his hometown and pursue a career in politics led to Kato's filing for divorce - tried to convince his ex that they should get back together but was rebuffed.
• NHK's latest morning drama serial has got off to a very bad start. According to Video Research, the ratings in the Kanto region for the first episode of "Junjou Kirari" only reached 17.7%, better only than last year's "Faito". In the Kansai region, the 14.6% rating is the worst ever for the slot. The pre-WWII story features popular young actress Miyazaki Aoi (20) as the heroine, and the series has a strong cast that includes Miura Tomokazu and Takeshita Keiko as her father and mother.
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Utada Back on the Road | April 04, 2006 |
 Singer Utada Hikaru (23) is to go on her first national tour in six years. Starting July 1 in Sendai, she will play 22 shows in 11 cities on the Utada United 2006 tour. The undoubtedly sold out venues will seat a total of about 190,000 fans. Hundreds of thousands of others will have to make do with her new album, "Ultra Blue", due out on June 14. Towards the end of her first national tour as a teenager in 2000, Utada suffered health problems and had to cancel one show. She has been busy on many fronts over the last few years - she went to the US to study at Columbia University, had minimal success in the US market using the artist name Utada two years ago, and debuted in Europe last year. She is now a married woman, getting hitched to photographer Kiritani Kazuaki in 2002, and will be bringing a lot of new experiences to the stage this summer.
• Tommy Lee Jones is the latest Hollywood star to take to the Japanese TV commercial market. He appears in the new CM for Suntory's Boss Rainbow Mountain Blend canned coffee. Jones plays an alien on a scouting mission to Earth who visits a gyudon (beef bowl) restaurant and very convincingly has trouble eating with chopsticks. He reports home on the stupidity of people and the beauty of the sunrise.
• Goofy comedian Udo Suzuki (36) of the duo Kyaeen finally has his first romance. The women's weekly magazine Josei Jishin reported that he is living with a sommelier in her 20s who is said to look like the singer BoA. Udo says he has met her parents and that they plan to marry within the year.
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Birth of a "Celedol" | April 03, 2006 |
 Fashion model Marie (18) is to make her official showbiz debut this month. She will present the new "Oxala!" show on the Space Shower TV channel. The daughter of a Canadian entrepreneur and Japanese mother, she is also the grand-daughter of a late French movie producer and judge at the Cannes Film Festival. Her family have five homes around the world and her father, whose company makes oil for racing cars, has his own private helicopter and cruiser. Her "celeb" status has led the media to dub her a "celedol", a combination of celebrity and idol. A regular in the fashion magazine ViVi, Marie is one of several models to make the shift to the small screen in the last few years.
• Former Yoshimoto comedian Matsumoto Ryusuke died from a brain haemorrhage on April 1 at an Osaka hospital. He was 49. He collapsed at his home on March 22 and had been in a coma since. The former partner of Shimada Shinsuke, who has become one of Japan's most successful TV personalities, Matsumoto's career had been on the skids for many years. (see our earlier story)
• Rock band SharanQ are to go on the road again after a break of more than five years. They will perform live on a spring special edition of "Hey! Hey! Hey!" on Fuji TV tonight and have announced plans for a national tour starting in Osaka in October. Vocalist Tsunku is the man behind the Hello! Project and its massive success with Morning Musume.
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