      
|
|
|
Japan Zone Entertainment News
• Veteran rakugo-ka Katsura Beichou (82) has been hospitalized with a broken lumbar vertebrae. He suffered the injury from a fall on a staircase after a performance at the Torii Hall theater in Osaka on May 3. But it was several days before he saw a doctor about his recurring back pain, and he is expected to remain in hospital for about a month. He says he plans to make a full recovery for the formal succession of his son Katsura Kobeichou (49) to the stage name Yonedanji in October. As a veteran of the traditional comic storytelling theater, Beichou is designated as a living national treasure, someone whose individual skills are deemed essential to their art. • Hip hop/dance trio W-inds were among the performers at a rare concert held at the prime minister's official residence. The show was held in honor of visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, who attended with Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, and to promote friendship between the youth of both countries. Other performers included Chinese singer Jane Zhang (23), local duo Kiroro and dancer/talento Papaya Suzuki. W-inds performed at two official events in China last year, as well as playing shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan. • Nanao Aika (29), a field reporter for NTV's "News Zero" show, revealed on her blog yesterday that she married a political journalist (31) at the end of March. The two are both graduates of the prestigious Tokyo University and met again last year while Nanao was working on location. They plan to hold a wedding and reception in the summer. The daughter of a diplomat, Nanao was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in the U.S., Switzerland and South Korea. • More coy is actress Maya Miki (44). The former top Takarazuka star said at the launch of her new book yesterday that she is romantically involved with someone. She refused to reveal any more but said they had no plans to marry within the year. Interesting story? Then add it to your favorite social site:
• In his trial for robbery and assault, former idol singer Goto Yuuki (21) pleaded guilty yesterday to most charges. The younger brother of former Morning Musume member Goto Maki (22), he and members of his teenage gang were arrested last year for stealing materials from a construction site and assaulting a security guard. At the second hearing at the Tokyo District Court, he admitted to several cases of theft but said that another member of the group was responsible for the assault. • Yamaguchi Tatsuya (36) is a father. Less than two months after getting married, the member of Johnny's Jimusho idol group Tokio had the day off on Tuesday and was at the hospital when his wife gave birth to a baby boy a few weeks earlier than expected. Yamaguchi announced his marriage to the former model at a concert in early March. Interesting story? Then add it to your favorite social site:
• A red-faced Sylvester Stallone (61) is in Japan promoting his latest Rambo movie. The Hollywood star was red-faced but happy as he greeted the 50 or so fans who greeted him at 3am at Narita Airport. During the 11-hour flight on a privately chartered Gulf Stream jet, the actor indulged in two steak meals and plenty of booze. He's due to meet with reporters today and attend the movie's Japan premiere tomorrow. • Madonna (49) has her first No.1 album on the combined Oricon chart in 18 years. Sales of "Hard Candy" have been helped by heavy airp@lay for the single "Four Minutes" and the fact that the track "Miles Away" is the theme for the highly anticipated Fuji TV drama series "Change." Meanwhile Aoyama Teruma's "Soba ni Irune" has become the biggest-selling single of the year. It's been in the Oricon Top 10 for 12 weeks and has sold over 420,000 copies. It was used as the spring campaign song by NTT for its DoCoMo mobile phone service, and has been downloaded more than 6 million times. • British singer Leona Lewis (23) paid her first visit to Japan at the weekend. Her album "Spirit" and the single "Bleeding Love" have been smash hits in the U.K. and the U.S., and the album has sold 150,000 copies here. Appearing on a live radio show on Saturday, she said she loved the warmth of the Japanese fans and that she planned to spend her day off shopping in Harajuku. • A Golden Week roundup of pregnancy announcements: singer UA (36) told the audience at the 9Alive concert on Sunday that she's expecting her second child. She had a son with actor Murakami Ryo (34) in 1997, but they divorced in August 2006; actress Itaya Yuka (32) said on her regular slot as an announcer on the NTV show "News Zero" last night that she is taking maternity leave as of today. She is expecting her first child at the beginning of June. She married stylist Furuta Hirohiko (40) in February 2007; and NTV announcer Mori Fumi (34) said on Monday that she is four months pregnant with her first child. The former Miss Japan married a staff member from the afternoon show "Za Waido" in 2002. Interesting story? Then add it to your favorite social site: |
Prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence for disgraced actor Haga Kenji (46) at the Osaka District Court yesterday. In the ongoing trial that 
Actor Oguri Shun (25) and actress-model Yamada Yu (23) are the latest young power couple. Though management for both stars refuse to acknowledge their relationship as anything more than good friends, it is widely believed that they are serious. They first worked together on the Japanese dubbing of U.S. animated movie "Surf's Up" last October. And in January they appeared together in the NTV drama series "Binbomen," which was Oguri's first starring role. Both ended romantic relationships last year, Oguri with model Tanaka Miho (25) and Yamada with actor Itoh Hideaki (31).
Up-and-coming American enka singer Jero (26) has his first TV commercial contract. From May 21 he will appear in commercials for Kirin's Fire Cafe Zero canned coffee. The singer made his debut in February and will release a cover album of enka classics in June.
Japan's most famous techno trio have teamed up with a trio of international movie directors for the omnibus movie "Tokyo!" The members of HASYMO - Hosono Haruomi (60), Sakamoto Ryuichi (56) and Takahashi Yukihiro (55) - are better known as the pioneering 80s band Yellow Magic Orchestra. They wrote the instrumental "Tokyo Town Pages" between them, mixing in station platform announcements and other sounds familiar to anyone who has been to Tokyo. The song, which features as the movie's ending theme, will be released as a double-A side single with the TBS "News23" theme "The City of Light" on August 6. The trio were chosen for the movie for a variety of reasons, among them being that they are all Tokyo natives, and the fact that their number matches the number of directors - Frenchmen Leos Carax (47) and Michel Gondry (44), and Korean Bong Joon-ho (38). The movie is to have its world premiere later this month in the "Un Certain Regard" category at the Cannes International Film Festival. Among the cast members are Kase Ryo, Kagawa Teruyuki and Aoi Yuu.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Like the Japan Zone? -- Vote
for us in the Topsites Japan Rankings
Home | Cultural Japan | Modern Japan | New to Japan | Japan Omnibus | Japan Forum | Japan Gallery | Japan Store | Japan Chat |