Japan Entertainment News - June 2009
Is Jasmine the Next Big Thing? | June 30, 2009 |
She's often referred to as the next Utada Hikaru, but not much else is known about her. The nationwide media has shown barely a glimpse of young singer Jasmine (20), but her single "Sad to Say" has already topped the digital download charts. It's being reported as the first time an artist has reached No.1 on the charts before making their official debut, which Jasmine did a week later on June 24. The song hasn't even benefited from a TV commercial tie up, and its success has been mostly through online viral marketing and the comparisons with Utada. She also wrote her own songs from the start and did all her pre-debut promotions only on the radio. Jasmine says she considers Utada a big influence but was first inspired to become a singer at the age of 13 after seeing a gospel choir perform at the US military base in Yokota. She dropped out of high school in the tenth grade and passed an audition with Sony Music a year later. She has since performed in clubs and appears every Thursday on the J-Wave radio station. No doubt we'll be hearing a lot more from this young singer.
 Former pinup idol Komukai Minako (24) finished her controversial run at the Rock-za strip theater last night. She gave a tearful press conference on the stage where she removed her clothes four times a day over the last few weeks. She told the audience of about 300, "There were many problems, but thanks to everyone's support I made it to the last day. It's given me a lot of confidence." Arrested last year for drug possession, the invitation to appear as part of the theater's anniversary came as a welcome chance to revive her career. But her former management agency filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop her appearing, saying it was in breach of an agreement not to pose nude or move to the porn industry. There was a lot of "will she, won't she" on June 5, the opening day, and she missed two of the four scheduled shows. As the run came to a close yesterday, some less enthusiastic fans complained that Komukai had put on weight and hadn't developed any finesse as an exotic dancer.
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Avex Brushes Off Scandals | June 29, 2009 |
Major music company Avex held its annual meeting and concert for shareholders at the Saitama Super Arena yesterday. Attendance at the event was 9,679, said to be the biggest ever gathering of shareholders in a Japanese business. Despite being hit by several scandals, the company was able to announce record income of ¥117.8 billion for the financial year which ended in March, the highest since the Avex was founded in 1988. This obviously took some of the heat off company management, who had to deal with questions about recent problems. Regarding the arrest and trial of musician and producer Komuro Tetsuya (50), president Matsuura Masato (44) said that the ¥30 million that Avex paid for his bail bond had been repaid. He said that he personally had paid back the ¥500 million that Komuro had swindled from an investor, plus the roughly ¥150 million in damages and fees. There was no mention of the financial implications of a recent guerrilla marketing event for top artist Hamasaki Ayumi that was held without prior police approval. Matsuura said, "We will be doing our best to educate staff and keep moving forward." Hamasaki is currently on tour and didn't perform after the meeting, but shareholders got to enjoy a concert by ten Avex artists, including Koda Kumi (26), Otsuka Ai (26), Mizutani Yutaka (56) and Blue Man Group. US singer Elliott Yamin (30) was the first foreign artist to perform at the annual show.
Earlier stories:
Komuro Gets Off With Suspended Sentence (May 11, 2009)
Guerrilla Event Lands Avex, Tokyu in Trouble (June 10, 2009)
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Naturally, the Japanese media are giving massive coverage to the death of Michael Jackson at the age of 50 and, to a lesser extent, Farah Fawcett from terminal cancer at the age of 62. Nothing really to add here, except to say that we hope MJ has found the peace that so eluded him in the last 20 years; and thank you to a Charlie's Angel for all those teenage memories. RIP.
Singer Nishikawa Takanori (38, photo) acknowledged yesterday that he and actress Otsuka Chihiro (23, photo left) have split up. Appearing at an event in Tokyo yesterday, he said that he is now single and looking. The two were first reported as a couple in June 2007. Nishikawa, who has performed as TM Revolution and as vocalist for Abingdon Boys School, was previously married to Puffy's Yoshimura Yumi from 1999 to 2002.
• Pinup idol Tashiro Sayaka (23) is expected to need five months to recover from a severed tendon, it was reported yesterday. She suffered the injury during a recent futsal game at Akasaka Sakasu in central Tokyo. She usually plays in goal for a team made up of fellow members of the major Hori Pro talent agency. The diminutive idol, who is also an able hip hop dancer, was dribbling the ball outfield when she twisted her leg and heard something snap. The game was called off and Tashiro was taken to hospital, where she underwent surgery for three hours. She's expected to leave the hospital this weekend and insists she will attend a fan event in Akihabara on Sunday to promote her latest DVD.
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Koda Kumi Sings Opera | June 25, 2009 |
J-pop diva Koda Kumi (26) has taken her first bash at classical music, kind of. She recently recorded a new song that is based on an aria from Handel's Italian opera "Rinaldo." With original Japanese lyrics by Koda, "Alive" is the theme for "Kamui Gaiden," Sai Yoichi's big screen adaptation of the 1960s anime "Ninpu Kamui Gaiden" (Kamui the Ninja). It stars the currently red-hot Matsuyama Kenichi (24, photo) in the title role of a ninja who becomes a fugitive from his former clan. While filming last summer, Sai was listening to a favorite aria, "Lascia ch'io pianga" (Let me Weep), and felt that it captured the theme and atmosphere of the movie. With a melody by Iwashiro Taro (44), who wrote the movie's score, Koda recorded the song over three days at the end of May. It will be released as a single in the autumn. The movie provides yet another high-profile role for Matsuyama, who has made a name for himself in such films as "Death Note," "Detroit Metal City" and the upcoming "Norwegian Wood." The all-star cast of "Kamui..." also includes Koyuki, Ito Hideaki, Sato Koji, and Tsuchiya Anna. The movie is scheduled for theatrical release on September 19.
• Pop group Arashi are to be the first ever artists to play three consecutive shows at the National Stadium. Yesterday's announcement came together with news of the August 19 release of the hits album "All the Best! 1999-2009." The Johnny's Jimusho group are celebrating their 10th anniversary and the album will contain all 26 of their singles (plus 5 double-A sides). Shortly after the album goes on sale, they will play three nights at the National Stadium on August 28-30. Last year Arashi became only the third musical act to perform a solo show there (the others were SMAP in 2005-06 and Dreams Come True in 2007). From the autumn they will embark on a concert tour of Japan's five major domes.
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Celebrity Daughters' Time to Shine | June 24, 2009 |
A couple of celebrity daughters made the news yesterday. The name Akimoto Kozue (above, left) may not ring any bells, but the 21-year-old who made her debut as a model drew plenty of media attention as she is the daughter of sumo legend Chiyonofuji (below, right). Now known as Kokonoe Oyakata, his muscular figure dominated sumo in the 1980s, when he was popularly known as The Wolf, and he is regarded as one of the sport's finest ever yokozuna (grand champion). The media ran through all the sumo metaphors to describe his daughter yesterday as the university senior launched a career of her own. The fashion show event, to promote TV Tokyo's airing of American TV show "The Hills" from next month, was appropriately held at the Roppongi Hills complex in central Tokyo. Akimoto showed no nerves as she took to the catwalk, her waist-length black hair accentuating her slender figure. Like her father, she is above average height but not a towering figure. In January she signed with the LesPros Entertainment agency, which represents such stars as Aragaki Yui and Yoshikawa Hinano.
Meanwhile Kimura Hikari (28, top right) remembers clearly her new fiance's shock when she told him who her late father was. Yokoyama Yasushi (1944-96, above left) was one of the most famous, but also troubled stars of Japanese comedy. He and his partner Nishikawa Kiyoshi (62) created a manzai boom that helped Yoshimoto Kogyo (profile) become one of the most powerful forces in showbiz. Alcohol derailed his career and killed him at the age of 51, but his tragic end didn't stop his daughter from following in his footsteps. Kimura is one half of the manzai duo Sayumi Hikari, and she plans to continue her career after marriage. Her mother died a year ago yesterday and, according to custom, she waited until the first anniversary before getting engaged. She and her fiance, a Buddhist monk (30), held a formal engagement ceremony at her family home in Osaka.
• American pop-punk musician Scott Murphy seems to have found his niche in Japan. The Chicago-based former member of ALLiSTER and The Get Go performed in Tokyo yesterday in support of his latest album of Japanese pop covers "BattleGround." Murphy's previous three cover albums have sold a combined 500,000 copies here and he has toured with some prominent local musicians including members of Ellegarden and Polysics. The new album includes high-energy covers of Ozaki Yutaka's "15 no Yoru" and Makihara Noriyuki's "Donna Toki Nimo." Murphy is scheduled to play at Shibuya Ax on July 21.
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Another Fallen Johnnys Idol | |
Johnny's Jimusho (profile) churns out so many young male idol singers that some are bound to fall through the cracks, usually only seen again in "Where are they now?" features. Well, the current location of Enamoto Yuta (28) is a police holding cell in Sugamo, Tokyo. The former Johnnys Jr. member was recently arrested for fraud, it was revealed yesterday. He has admitted to the charges of claiming unemployment benefit, based on a salary from what turned out to be a fictional company, from the Shibuya public employment exchange. Though he received about ¥600,000 between August and November 2007, Enamoto is thought to have got only about ¥30,000, with the rest going to a man identified as restaurant worker Nishida Itsuki (37). Nishida is one of 15 people arrested since last August for running the scheme for several years in and around Tokyo, netting about ¥47 million from 120 claims. Enamoto joined Johnny's Jimusho in 1994 and appeared in several popular TV shows in the mid-90s, including the long-running high school drama "3-nen B-gumi Kimpachi Sensei." He graduated from Horikoshi High School and Teikyo University. After leaving Johnnys in 2000, he became vocalist of the group Circle and from 2006 got involved in multi-level marketing. The most recent updates to his official website date back to October of last year.
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Jessica, Jenson Gearing Up for Marriage? | June 23, 2009 |
With British racing driver Jenson Button (29) racing into a commanding lead after eight races of the Formula One season, fashion model Michibata Jessica (24) may have decided she needs to stake her claim now. As Japan Zone reported back in January, the pair have been a romantic item for a few months now. But in recent interviews, Michibata has started talking about a possible proposal should Button manage to win the F1 championship. With six wins out of eight races, he is certainly the current odds-on favorite to take the crown from fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton, possibly well before the last race in Abu Dhabi on November 1. Michibata told one English magazine, "He has told me he wants to get married - he said he is the marrying type. If Jenson wins the title in November we will celebrate a lot and it will be by him getting down on one knee." She added, "I know he is the one for me and he has told me I am the one for him. I hope he means it." Things looked a lot different for both stars last year. Michibata was romantically linked with DJ and musician Ohsawa Shinichi (41) in the summer but they later split up. Button was with the Honda racing team last year, and after the Japanese maker withdrew as sponsor, it was bought out and renamed Brawn GP. Michibata, whose father is half-Argentine, half-Italian, and whose mother is Japanese, has been modeling since she was a child, though the western media has gone a bit overboard in describing her as a "supermodel." She speaks fluent English and Japanese, as well as Spanish and some Italian. In terms of role models, the couple can look to French former F1 racer Jean Alesi (44) and the gorgeous actress Goto Kumiko (34). They married in the mid-90s and now live an idyllic life in France with their four children. Though popular, Alesi only ever won a single F1 race and was never a championship contender.
Earlier story:
The Model and the Speed Racer (Jan 30, 2009)
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Another Million Seller for Greeeen | June 22, 2009 |
The latest release from J-pop group Greeeen has become their second consecutive million-selling album. Universal Music announced at the weekend that "Shio, Kosho" broke the one-million barrier just ten days after it went on sale earlier this month. That's a full week faster than it took DCT's "Do You Dreams Come True?" the year's only other album to reach that level in sales. Greeeen owe some of their success to the theme songs they provided for the popular TBS drama series "Rookies" ("Kiseki," included only on the first edition of the album) and its hit spinoff movie "Rookies - Sotsugyo" ("Haruka"). The group have applied to Guinness World Records to have "Kiseki" recognized as the world's best-selling digital download. To date, the single has been downloaded 5.9 million times.
American talento Billy Blanks (53) and his new bride Tomoko (40) held their wedding ceremony and reception at the Ritz Carlton Osaka on Saturday. Blanks made his name in Japan a couple of years ago thanks to the hugely popular "Billy's Boot Camp" exercise DVDs. He and his American wife divorced last year and at the end of the year he and Tomoko, who had been his interpreter, had a baby daughter. They registered their marriage in January and Blanks has applied for permanent residency status. He plans to open his Billy Blanks International Studio in Osaka next month. During Saturday's reception, a couple were giving a ballroom dancing performance when Blanks took off his tuxedo and turned it into one of his famous Tae Bo aerobic workouts. A 7-time world karate champion, he also changed into his karate gi and split a few tiles and planks for the assembled guests.
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Ozawa, Anne Make a Statuesque Couple | June 19, 2009 |
Actress/model Anne (23, 177cm) and actor Ozawa Yukiyoshi (34, 183cm) are both tall by Japanese standards. But media attention on their romance is just as much about the stature of their parents. Ozawa is the son of world famous conductor Ozawa Seiji (73) and former model Irie Miki (64). He was born in San Francisco but educated in Japan and holds Japanese citizenship. He's built a solid acting career over the last decade. One of his earliest roles in the late '90s was in the TV drama "Saigo no Samurai." There's no connection, but that is the Japanese translation of "Last Samurai," the Hollywood movie that earned an Oscar nomination for Watanabe Ken (49)...who just happens to be Anne's father. She went out of her way to hide the fact when she began modeling for the magazine "Non-no" at the age of 15. But by the time she made her acting debut in 2007, in the Kurosawa Akira tribute drama "Tengoku to Jigoku" (Heaven and Hell), her family background was no longer a secret. It was also on the set of that TV Asahi drama that she first met Ozawa. Recently the two have been seen together regularly at the Tokyo bar-restaurant run by Ozawa's family, according to this week's issue of women's magazine "Josei Seven".
• Korean actress Bae Doo Na (29) was late for a movie PR event in Tokyo yesterday. Her excuse? Her flight from New York was delayed by a volcanic eruption in Russia's Kuril Islands. Bae finally arrived about three hours into the screening and post production press conference for Koreeda Hirokazu's "Kuuki Ningyou" (Air Doll). The movie, shown recently in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes, is an adaptation of Goda Yoshiie's manga about an inflatable doll (Bae) that becomes sentient.
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Romance for Tamaki Hiroshi, Yoshitaka Yuriko | June 18, 2009 |
Romance has blossomed between actor Tamaki Hiroshi (29) and actress Yoshitaka Yuriko (20) according to today's issue of weekly women's magazine "Josei Seven." The pair, who first worked together during the TBS drama series "Love Shuffle" in January, were spotted vacationing together in Aomori Prefecture earlier this month. Tamaki is currently starring in the movie "Manatsu no Orion" (Midsummer Orion), while Yoshitaka is appearing in the Fuji TV series "Shiroi Haru" (White Spring). Management for both stars refused to comment on the relationship, with Tamaki's office saying only, "He's almost 30 so we leave such things to him."
• NHK are always thinking well ahead when it comes to their annual taiga drama series. Yesterday they announced the first details of their 50th yearlong historical drama, to be aired from January 2011. Titled "Gou - Himetachi no Sengoku," it will be based on the life story of Gou, official wife of Tokugawa Hidetada (1579-1632), the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. Gou was related by either blood or marriage to the three key warlords (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu) of that tumultuous period of Japanese history. The series will be scripted by Tabuchi Kumiko, who also wrote last year's taiga "Atsuhime."
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Idol Stalker Arrested for Phone Theft | June 17, 2009 |
In an ongoing case of celebrity stalking, a youth was arrested today for the theft of a mobile phone belonging to a 14-year-old idol singer. The youth has not been named by police as he is a juvenile, but he is described as an unemployed 17-year-old from Saitama city. The object of his attentions is Morimoto Ryutaro, who is the youngest member of the 10-member Johnny's Jimusho group Hey! Say! Jump. The Saitama youth has been a fan of Morimoto's for some time, and last December the singer's parents were so concerned about his behavior that they consulted police. Yesterday Morimoto asked the youth to meet with him in a "family restaurant" in his hometown of Yokohama in an attempt to persuade him to stop the harassment. He told police that after their meeting, at around 11:45pm, the youth ran off with Morimoto's mobile phone. The youth has denied the accusation.
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Yoshiki Brings "Near Panic" to Bookstores | |
X Japan leader Yoshiki continues to draw large crowds as he brought the promotion of his recently published biography to Tokyo yesterday. X Japan is known for the fanaticism of its fans, and over 1,000 of them turned out at the Maruzen bookstore in Marunouchi and the Tsutaya store in Shibuya. The visits had been announced on Yoshiki's mobile website the day before and some fans waited outside stores overnight. In return they got up close and personal with the star and received signed copies of the book and posters. A planned visit to the Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku was called off due to security concerns. The media used the term "near panic" to describe scenes at the two events that were held, but it seems to be standard to hype anything connected with X Japan. Written by Komatsu Narumi and simply titled "Yoshiki/佳樹," the book reveals the kanji for his given name for the first time and includes photos from his childhood. The book has already sold over 200,000 copies (which, while impressive, pales in comparison to sales of the latest Murakami Haruki novel). Yoshiki was accompanied yesterday by Komatsu and publisher Kadokawa Tsuguhiko, who said he hopes to publish Chinese and English translations of the book.
Male fans of popular model Ebihara Yuri (29) will be disheartened to hear that she has acknowledged her romance with musician Ilmari (34). Appearing at a fashion PR event in Tokyo, she made the first public statement about her relationship with the member of hip hop group Rip Slyme. "More than his looks, I was attracted to his personality...but he is handsome!" She said they had only recently started dating. The couple were spotted together last month on a visit to a shinto shrine in Ebihara's home prefecture, Miyazaki, along with her parents. Yesterday's event was her first public appearance since that news appeared in the weekly magazine "Friday." When asked if the visit to the shrine, famous for "tying people together," indicated marriage plans, she blushed and said, "If all goes well." Popularly known as Ebi-chan, she is one of the three top models associated with the magazine CanCam. The other two are also in high-profile relationships - Yamada Yu with actor Oguri Shun and Oshikiri Moe with Yomiuri Giants pitcher Nomaguchi Takahiko.
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3 Generations of Kabuki Headbangers | June 16, 2009 |
There's been a little bit of kabuki history being made over at the Kabukiza theater recently. The June Grand Kabuki features the stage debut of young Matsumoto Kintaro, who at four years of age is the youngest ever actor to perform the dramatic "renjishi" (father and son lion dance) that is a highlight of the show. Usually it features a father and son and it is traditionally the first performance by the young actor. To add to the historical significance of Kintaro's debut, his grandfather also joined the act. It was the first time three generations have performed the dance on stage, and after last night's performance they met with reporters. His father, Ichikawa Somegoro VII (36) said, "I have to suppress my deep emotions and tears of pride as a father and keep scolding him till we get to the final curtain call." Grandfather Matsumoto Koshiro IX (66) said, "Twenty-five straight days of doing the keburi must be both physically and mentally tough for him," referring to the kind of kabuki headbanging with the long hair of the lion's mane. On weekdays the young actor goes from his nursery school to the theater. Real name Fujima Itsuki, this production marks his official adoption of the stage name Matsumoto Kintaro IV. The Grand Kabuki runs until June 27 and is part of the farewell to Kabukiza, which is due to be demolished next spring. A new theater is scheduled to open in 2013.
• Management for comedian Uchimura Teruyoshi (44, profile) announced yesterday that his wife recently gave birth to their first child. They have named their baby daughter Kokone. One half of the popular duo Uchan Nanchan, Uchimura was considered one of Japan showbiz's biggest playboys until he married former TV Asahi announcer Tokunaga Yumi (33) in April 2005. She was already married when their romance first became public two years earlier.
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Untimely Deaths for Model, Wrestling Legend | June 15, 2009 |
The weekend saw news of two tragic deaths on the periphery of the showbiz world. It was revealed on Saturday that fashion model Sumire died last week of a brain hemorrhage. A popular model with the young women's fashion magazine "Koakuma Ageha," she was just 21. Unable to reach her last Wednesday, a member of her management agency visited her Tokyo apartment and found her dead. Police are treating it as death from natural causes. Sumire had complained of headaches and poor health on her blog, which she last updated on June 3.
Also on Saturday, pro wrestling legend Misawa Mitsuharu died in a freak ring accident. He was 46. He and his fellow Noah troupe members were on tour in Hiroshima Prefecture, and Misawa was taking part in a tag bout as the evening's main event. He was partnered with Shiozaki Go in a match against Bison Smith and Saito Akitoshi. About 25 minutes into the bout, shortly after 8:30pm, Saito lifted him from behind and threw him in a "back drop" (back suplex) maneuver. Misawa was immediately knocked unconscious and didn't respond to heart massage from fellow wrestlers or the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) device. Paramedics arrived after about 10 minutes and he was rushed to hospital, though he is believed to have died in the ring. Misawa debuted in 1981 and became popular as the second man to wear the famous Tiger Mask. He was one of the best and most popular pro wrestlers throughout the 1990s until a split with All Japan Pro Wrestling led him to go it alone in 2000. Many top names went with him and they formed Pro Wrestling Noah, which became one of the biggest and most highly regarded promotions in the sport. Misawa remained active until his death and was GHC Heavyweight Champion as recently as last year.
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Eguchi Yosuke vs. Kawasaki Z1-R | June 12, 2009 |
Popular actor Eguchi Yosuke (41) took a tumble from his motorbike this week and will need two months to recover from his injuries. Was he out on the wide open highway, or maybe doing some motocross? Nope, he was making a left turn out of a gasoline station. According to a statement yesterday from the Yoyogi police station in central Tokyo, Eguchi was leaving a Shell station on Wednesday evening when he suddenly braked to avoid an oncoming bicycle. He managed to avoid a collision, but bore the weight of his 246kg, 1100cc Kawasaki Z1-R. The cyclist was unhurt, while Eguchi suffered multiple fractures to his left collarbone and ribs. He has been hospitalized and is expected to be immobilized for about three weeks. A police motorcyclist commented on the incident, saying "We do a training maneuver to learn how to fall over with the bike, but it's very frightening. Some people get crushed beneath the bike. Eguchi-san did well to avoid the collision, but it's no surprise he suffered broken bones." The accident causes a serious headache for Fuji TV, as Eguchi is the star of the upcoming medical drama series "Kyumei Byoutou 24-ji," which is heading into its fourth season. The series airs from July 7, so some serious last-minute adjustments are being made to the filming schedule. Eguchi was visited in hospital by his wife, former idol singer Moritaka Chisato (40), and their two children.
• Romance has bloomed between Nochi (20), of the technopop trio Perfume, and Horie Atsushi (30), guitarist and vocalist with rock band Straightener, according to today's issue of weekly gossip magazine "Friday." After drinking with friends, the pair were spotted going back to her apartment. Nocchi, real name Omoto Ayano, and her group made a big breakthrough with last year's hit single "Polyrhythm."
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Comedy's Minowa Returns After TB Scare | June 11, 2009 |
Yoshimoto (profile) comedienne Minowa Haruka (29, photo right) is getting back to work this weekend after her recent medical scare. One half of the manzai duo Harisenbon, she is never the most healthy looking person at the best of times and this is often used in her comedy. But things became more serious when she was hospitalized with tuberculosis in early April. As the disease is highly contagious, Yoshimoto and the TV networks went into a bit of a panic over whether she might have passed it on to her co-workers or TV studio audiences. As it turned out, the problem had been contained, but Minowa remained in hospital until May 29. She has since been resting at home and will return to work on Sunday, when she will rejoin the lineup of a TBS variety show.
• Model Fujii Lena (24) yesterday acknowledged her romantic relationship with musician Issa (30). Appearing at a PR event for her bridal fashion brand L et Lena, the so-called "charisma model" giggled happily as she answered questions from reporters. Photos of the couple were published in last week's issue of weekly gossip magazine "Josei Seven." Issa, of the dance pop group Da Pump, has previously been linked with actress Shibasaki Kou (27) and talento Abiru Yu (22). Asked for a comment, management for Issa simply said, "He's an adult so we leave his private life up to him."
• Also acknowledging their relationship this week were young talento Kinoshita Yukina (21) and not so young but popular comedian Fujimoto Toshifumi (38). "Fujimon," as he's popularly known, is one half of the manzai duo Fujiwara. Kinoshita has played on her bad girl past and straight-talking style to build her fan base.
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Guerrilla Event Lands Avex, Tokyu in Trouble | June 10, 2009 |
Police investigators today visited the offices of Avex Entertainment and Tokyu Malls Development over a guerrilla marketing event in Shibuya in April. The appearance by J-pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi (30) in front of the popular 109 department store in central Shibuya, announced in advance only to those involved and a small number of Hamasaki's fans, was to launch her autobiography and the "Next Level" album. She visited three CD stores in Shibuya before her arrival at 109 around 3pm. She didn't sing and was on stage for only about three minutes, but the crowd quickly grew to about 8,000 people and caused traffic jams. About 70 security personnel worked to a possible crowd panic and no injuries were reported. The legal problem is that organizers did not apply for official police approval for the event and could face charges under the Road Traffic Act. A similar publicity stunt in Shibuya pulled by singer Go Hiromi (53) in 1999 led to six people being prosecuted.
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Katori Shingo Off to Broadway | June 09, 2009 |
SMAP member Katori Shingo (32, photo left) is to make his return to the stage - on Broadway no less. Well, actually off Broadway, but the local media has been reporting it as the first time for an original Japanese stage production to play New York's famous theater district. Katori will star in the musical comedy "Talk Like Singing," written and produced by the prolific Mitani Koki (47, photo right). The supporting cast includes Kabira Jay (46), whose mother is American, and Horiuchi Keiko (38), a veteran of such musicals as "Cats" and "West Side Story." The musical director is Konishi Yasuharu (50), a former member of the J-pop pioneers Pizzicato Five, who wrote and produced Katori's million-selling single "Shingo Mama no Oha Rock" in 2000. The production is scheduled for 13 shows, November 12-22 at the 850-seat Skirball Center, New York University. Japanese audiences will have to wait until next year to see the show at home. Katori last acted on stage 12 years ago, but in the meantime he has appeared in a slew of big-budget movies and TV dramas as the five members of SMAP have ascended into the ranks of Japan's most marketable celebrities. He has worked with Mitani several times before, including the NHK taiga drama "Shinsengumi."
• Management for Tomizawa Takeshi (35) yesterday announced that the comedian got hitched back in April. They described his new bride as a 30-year old ippanjin native of Tokyo. Tomizawa is the boke half of manzai duo Sandwichman, who made their big breakthrough when they won a comedy Grand Prix event in 2007. His comic partner Date Mikio (34) recently announced that he is engaged to marry freelance TV announcer Kumagai Maiko (38) in July.
• Young singer Aoyama Teruma (21) has recorded the theme song for the Japanese release of the movie "Hachiko: A Dog's Story." "Wasurenai yo" will be heard at theaters across the country from June 13. Directed by the renowned Lasse Hallstrom and starring Richard Gere and Joan Allen, the movie is a Hollywood adaptation of one of the most famous stories in contemporary Japan. It tells of a professor who brings his Akita dog with him when he moves to prewar Tokyo. The strong bond between the two continues even after death, with the faithful dog waiting for the return of his master outside Shibuya station every evening for ten years. Today a famous statue stands in that same spot and it has become a popular meeting place. The story has been adapted several times for both the big and small screen in Japan, and the new movie will be released here as "Hachi, Yakusoku no Inu."
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Glay Rock the Boat | June 08, 2009 |
J-rock band Glay (profile) performed a last-minute free concert for thousands of fans in Yokohama yesterday. With the temperature rising to a balmy 27 degrees, 15,000 fans gathered at Nipponmaru Memorial Park and enjoyed the strange juxtaposition of a rock band and an old sailing ship. The port of Yokohama is currently celebrating the 150th anniversary of its opening, and it's 15 years since Glay debuted. Those numbers probably have as much to do with the reported head count as accuracy. Glay are also scheduled to play two shows at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama in mid-August, with a combined audience of 150,000. Yesterday's show, the band's first free live concert in five years, was only announced at 8am. They performed five songs, including "I Am XXX" from their new album, "The Great Vacation Vol.1" to be released on Wednesday. The Nipponmaru, launched in 1930, was used as a training vessel until its retirement in 1984.
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B'z Dive Back into Action | June 05, 2009 |
Japan's rock supergroup B'z (profile) have been named to the lineup for this year's 10th SummerSonic festival. The 3-day event is scheduled for August 7-9, with over 100 local and international artists performing at two venues in Tokyo (actually Chiba) and Osaka Prefectures. The lineup had until this week included a "special guest from Japan" and that turns out to be B'z. The duo will take the stage before headliners Linkin Park in Tokyo on August 8 and Osaka on August 9. B'z performed at the event for the first time in 2007, but the festival will be their first, and probably only, live appearance this year after they toured last year to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They usually sell out their shows very quickly, so the there will undoubtedly be increased demand for the remaining SummerSonic tickets. B'z are scheduled to release the new single "Dive" on August 5, though it's already airing in the current TV commercial for the Suzuki Swift car. Other major acts in the SummerSonic lineup include: My Chemical Romance, Nine Inch Nails, Hoobastank, Beyonce and Ne-Yo; local names like Dragon Ash and Boom Boom Satellites; blasts from the past include Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Specials and Sonic Youth.
SummerSonic website: http://www.summersonic.com
• Fuji TV announcer Shimada Ayaka (35) is engaged to marry a publishing entrepreneur this summer. The couple are said to have met in 2007 and are planning a wedding in July. Shimada majored in Russian at Jochi (Sophia) University and joined the Fuji network in 1998. She is a presenter on the "FNN Speak" afternoon news show. Kondo Masazumi Robert (44) was born in San Francisco and raised in the U.K. and Japan. He obtained an MBA from Cornell University and worked briefly for the The Industrial Bank of Japan before forming his own company, Resonance, in 1998. The company published the car & bike magazine "ahead."
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Nezumi Sempai Bows Out | June 04, 2009 |
Singer Nezumi Sempai (36) has decided that one year in the limelight is about all he can take. He held a press conference yesterday and told reporters that he plans to retire from showbiz by the end of the year. "Show business is tough, a lot tougher than I imagined," he said. "And I really haven't made that much money from it." With his distinctive punch perm hair and sunglasses that make him look like a typical yakuza, he had a breakthrough last year when his debut single "Roppongi, Giroppon" topped the enka carts and sold over 100,000 copies. But he has failed to follow up on that success and has become the epitome of the "ippatsuya" or one-hit wonder. Before last year's success he went through about a dozen career changes, including acting in and directing porn movies. But now that he has a young daughter, he said "I won't be going back to that. From tomorrow, I'm going to go to Hello Work," referring to the nationwide employment service centers. Before he bows out, he does have one more single on the way. "Okane" (Money) is scheduled for release on June 16 and he will perform a one-night-only concert in Tokyo on June 21.
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Court Orders Idol to Keep Clothes On | June 03, 2009 |
The Tokyo District Court has ruled that taking your clothes off in public is not the best way to get your life together after a drug arrest (no, this isn't a revival of the Kusanagi Tsuyoshi story). Komukai Minako (24) is a former teen pin-up idol whose career went off the rails in the last few years. She was arrested in January after a prolonged investigation of her use of stimulant drugs, and she was handed a suspended prison sentence in February. For someone well-used to appearing scantily dressed in public, her next move came as little surprise - she announced last month that she would strip at the famous Asakusa Rock-za theater in Tokyo's shitamachi district. But this week it was revealed that her former management agency, who cut her loose last September calling her unreliable and her behavior erratic, petitioned the court to forbid her appearance, scheduled for this Friday. They said she had agreed back in September not to pose for nude photos or make porn videos.
Earlier stories:
The Fall of the Bikini Model (Jan 26, 2009)
• Douchin Yoshikuni (30) of the J-pop duo Chemistry is a father yet again. He announced the news on the duo's official fan website that his wife, model and former talento Atsuko, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on June 1. The couple have been married since June 2004 and already have two boys.
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Stay Away From the Gun! | June 02, 2009 |
Just how strict is Japan when it comes to firearms? Talento Harada Noburo (57) recently found out, and he and TV producers are currently the subject of a police investigation. Their crime? Allowing Harada to simply hold a hunting rifle during a live broadcast on a local TV network show without having first obtained official permission. Harada was visiting a hunting club in the town of Yogocho for the January 17 edition of the "Tokimeki Saga's" show when one of the members handed him the rifle. Harada is not a registered gun owner and the law states that permission must first be obtained from the prefectural public safety commission. In accordance with the Swords and Firearms Control Law, Saga prefectural police are investigating he incident, produced by the local Biwako Housou. Police have questioned Harada and carried out a search of the company's premises and are thought likely to file charges. Biwako spokesman Ito Akihiko said, "We were unaware that we were breaking the law. We are cooperating fully with the investigation." Harada, on his second marriage to a former Nikkatsu porn actress, is a former member of the folk duo Anonenone. Top J-pop producer Komuro Tetsuya, who himself recently endured a serious run in with the criminal justice system, was once a backing musician for the duo.
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Arashi Storm Oricon Charts Yet Again | |
The success of Arashi's latest single shows that they are the hottest Johnny's Jimusho (profile) act these days. It's no surprise that their 26th single, "Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon-Kimi Wa Muteki," entered the Oricon chart at No.1, the group's 15th consecutive chart topper since February 2004. But it has also sold over half a million copies in its first week, as did their previous release "Believe/Kumori Nochi Kaisei" in March. The last artist to manage those numbers twice in a row was the hugely popular Southern All Stars vocalist Kuwata Keisuke (profile) in 2001. Arashi debuted in 1999 and their popularity has been broadened by their appearances on variety shows, dramas and major movies.
Former Judy and Mary vocalist Yuki (37, photo left) announced on her website yesterday that she recently gave birth to her third son. Yuki and Magokoroburazazu member Yo-King (41) have been married since 2000. Their first child died of SIDS before he was a year old. They had another boy in 2006. Meanwhile, producer and actor Noda Hideki (photo right) has become a father for the first time at the age of 53. He and his former actress wife Yoko (28) married in December 2005.
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X Japan, Koda Kumi In Concert | June 01, 2009 |
What do J-pop and J-rock have in common? The answer seems to be wedding dresses...Rock band X Japan finally gave their Taiwanese fans what they'd been waiting for on Saturday night, playing their long overdue first concert on the island. The Taipei show was rescheduled twice, last August and again in February due to the health problems of drummer and band leader Yoshiki. He showed his appreciation to the legions of faithful X fans by wearing a wedding dress on stage, something he hasn't done since 1991. The band then launched into their anthem "X," with the 20,000 fans joining them in the X Jump that has been said to cause a mini earth tremor. The ¥350-million show also featured a drum performance from Yoshiki on a moving platform 20m high, and a 12m-high YoshiKitty, an inflatable collaboration with the iconic Hello Kitty character. Once again, the late guitarist Hide appeared throughout the show on the 1200-inch wide screen. Newly added guitarist Sugizo performed overseas with the band for the first time.
Yesterday, Yoshiki announced that the band have received an offer to perform on the opening night of next year's World Expo in Shanghai. The expo will be the biggest ever, with 230 countries and regions expected to participate and the target for the number of visitors set at 70 million (the current record is the 64 million who attended the 1970 Osaka World Expo). Plans are also progressing for a show at the 80,000-seat Olympic "Bird's Nest" stadium in Beijing, which is said to be awaiting the final stamp of approval. Yoshiki also said that he expects shows in France and the U.S. to be finalized this month.
J-pop diva Koda Kumi (26) pulled out all the stops for 15,000 fans at her concert last night at the National Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo. She went through nine costume changes that had a combined cost of ¥80 million. As well as her usual sexy outfits, she wore a white wedding dress and a towering "illumination dress." In homage to enka singer Kobayashi Sachiko, who wears a hugely extravagant dress every New Year's Eve for the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" show, it was 12 meters high and featured 10,000 lights. Amongst the 24-song set, Koda performed songs from her upcoming maxi single "3 Splash," due for release on July 8. She was joined on stage for one night only by U.S. hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. Koda and vocalist Fergie collaborated last summer on the single "That Aint Cool."
• It was announced yesterday that SMAP's Katori Shingo (32) is to take on an iconic manga role. He has been named to play the lead in the first ever TV drama adaptation of the manga "Kochira Katsushikaku Kamearikoenmae Hasshutsujo," commonly known as KochiKame. The manga has sold over 130 million copies since it first appeared in the Shuukan Shonen Jump magazine in 1976. Set in a downtown police station, it revolves around the bumbling adventures of chief patrol officer Ryotsu Kankichi, a man strong enough to survive falls from Tokyo Tower and a speeding shinkansen (bullet train)! The drama will air on TBS on Saturday nights from August, taking over the same time slot currently occupied by fellow SMAP member Kimura Takuya in "Mr. Brain."
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