Monthly Archives: November 2006

Actress Hirosue Ryoko is planning to file for divorce from her husband of three years, according to the Josei Seven weekly magazine. It claims she and their young child have moved out of the home she shares with model-turned-designer Okazawa Takahiro (29). Her management agency has completely denied the rumors. The couple married in December 2003 and they had a son, Hiroshi, the following April. Hirosue returned to her career at the end of 2004. She appears in tomorrow’s Fuji TV drama “Tokyo Tower” and her latest movie “Presents” opens on December 9.

• Christmas with Michael Jackson? The troubled superstar (48) hasn’t given up on his Japanese fans and will be in Tokyo on December 19 for a one-off event described as a “Christmas Party”. Tickets come in two colors, 1,400 gold tickets at ¥200,000 apiece, that come with food and drinks; and 200 platinum tickets at a whopping ¥400,000 each, which also include a group photo with the King of Pop, who is not officially scheduled to perform.

• SMAP leader Nakai Masahiro (34) and actress Nakama Yukie (27) are to be the emcees of this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen. An invitation to appear, and particularly as a presenter, on NHK’s annual song spectacle remains one of the biggest honors in Japanese showbiz, despite the fact that the show’s once dominant audience ratings have dropped in recent years. One reason for the decline is thought to be the decision in 2001 to have NHK announcers present the show. Ratings got a boost last year when Nakama, recently chosen as Japan’s most popular female celebrity, co-presented with “Mr. Showbiz” Mino Monta. The ever-popular Nakai will take on the job for the first time since 1998. There were rumors that recently retired baseball star Shinjo Tsuyoshi (34) might get the call, but NHK clearly decided to play it safe. With his huge fan base, he is still likely to get an invite to appear in some capacity. The coming weeks will see official announcements of the show’s lineup.

There seems to be no end to the showbiz wedding rush! The latest big couple are actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and popular comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32). They have yet to make a formal announcement but their agencies have acknowledged their relationship and did not refute the prediction of a wedding early next year published in this week’s issue of women’s weekly magazine “Josei Seven”. The magazine says that Fujiwara and her mother attended a live performance by Jinnai in Tokyo earlier this month. Jinnai later went to Fujiwara’s home in the capital to formally meet her mother. The couple, both from Hyogo Prefecture, started going out just a few months ago after appearing together in the NTV drama “59-me no Propose” in July. Fujiwara is a former Miss Japan and model and stands 3cm taller than her new fiance. She made her acting debut in 1995 and has since appeared in a wide range of TV dramas. She’s also a fan of combat sports and has been an announcer many times for Fuji TV’s popular K-1 broadcasts. Last year she visited Afghanistan and held an exhibition of photos she took in the war-torn country. She has previously been in serious relationships with actor Kato Masaya (43) and Skoop on Somebody vocalist Take (37). Jinnai joined the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency in 1992 and started out as one half of a manzai duo, but found more success as a “pin geinin” or solo comedy act from 1995. He is known as an avid fan of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood (76) met Japanese fans in Tokyo for the first time yesterday. He was at the Nippon Budokan for the world premiere of his latest directorial project, “Letters From Iwo Jima”. He shared the red carpet and later the stage with the movie’s star Watanabe Ken (47) and other Japanese cast members, including Itoh Tsuyoshi (43), Kase Ryo (32) and Ninomiya Kazunari (23), a member of pop group Arashi. It is Eastwood’s fourth time in Japan but the first time he has spoken directly with local fans. The movie tells the story of the infamous Battle of Iwo Jima form the Japanese side, and is a companion piece to the earlier-released “Flags of Our Fathers”.

• There are rumors of romance between retired soccer star Nakata Hidetoshi (29) and model Shirayuki (20). The two recently visited Tahiti together, where they spent a couple of nights at an exclusive resort. Quizzed by the media, Shirayuki said they are still just good friends.

Tamura Masakazu may be 63 but he can pull the chicks! Or at least so we’re expected to believe in “Last Love”, in which he wins the heart of the gorgeous – and much younger – Ito Misaki (29). The pair were on location in New York recently filming scenes in Central Park. Tamura, the biggest name in TV dramas and perhaps best known for his role as the Colombo-like detective Furuhata Ninzaburo, spent several months mastering the saxophone for the movie. He plays a NY-based jazz musician who loses his wife and gives up his career to return home to Japan. The Big Apple is a familiar location for Tamura, who starred in the 1988 Fuji TV drama series “New York Love Story”, and revived that role for a special in 2004. Those dramas were directed by Fujita Akiji and produced by Nakayama Kazuki, who have teamed up again for this latest movie project. The son of screen legend Bando Tsumasaburo (1901-53) and known for never needing more than one take, Tamura made most of his 40-plus movies in the 1960s and early 70s. But “Last Love” is his first movie since 1993 and only his third in the last 27 years. “I’ve done a fair bit of TV comedy in recent years, but it’s been a long time since I did a serious love story,” he said. “It’s true that I’ve been on the run from the movie business. I’ve become worried about how I look on the big screen, and on TV I don’t have to meet the audience.”

• Matsuda Ryuhei (23) is to take over a drama role originally meant for troubled kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (34). Nakamura stood down from the NHK drama “Hagetaka” following recent scandals and rumors of a divorce from actress Takeuchi Yuko (26). Matsuda is the son of the late screen legend Matsuda Yusaku and has worked mostly in movies. This will be his first major role in a TV drama series.

• Three male announcers with Asahi Housou in Osaka have been punished for sexual harrassment in three separate cases. Two of the employees were suspended for three months while one received a reprimand. The revelation comes after similar cases at NTV in September and Fuji TV last month.

The wedding rush continues. The latest showbiz couple to announce their marriage is actress Yada Akiko (27) and actor/singer Oshio Manabu (28), who registered their marriage at a Tokyo city office yesterday. Oshio, who sings under the name Liv, made the first announcement on his official fan club website immediately afterwards. Yada’s management agency, who anticipated the usual speculation by saying that she is not pregnant, then sent a fax to the media. The couple started going out after co-starring in last year’s TBS drama “Yume de Aimashou”. Last December the media speculated whether their New Year trip to Hawaii and California was to get married in the sun (including that trip, they have been to Hawaii three times already). The couple, seeming pretty annoyed by the attention, made no attempt to hide their relationship but refused to speak to reporters. Even now that they’ve tied the knot, they have no intention of holding a press conference and there are no plans for a wedding ceremony. Yada has been working a lot less since their romance became public and has not done any TV work since the “Top Caster” drama series in the summer. Oshio has put his acting career on hold and is said to be working on an album as Liv.

• Comedian Murata Nagisa was found dead of a brain haemorrhage at his Tokyo home on Sunday. He was just 35. A member of the popular comedy duo Folk Dance DE Narukozaka in the 1990s, he went solo in 1999. Last year he formed the manzai duo Hana Engine. They were returning from a regional radio show last Friday when Murata complained to his partner that he was feeling unwell. When he failed to answer his cell phone the following day, his agency contacted the caretaker at his apartment building, who found him face down in his futon.

• Shinjo Tsuyoshi (34) has his first job since retiring as a champion baseball player – he’s set to appear on next Monday’s edition of the popular SMAPxSMAP variety show. Ever stylish, Shinjo is likely to draw as much attention to his choice of fashion as much as anything else.

14-year old Ishibashi Anna is the newest idol on the block. She was chosen from over 38,000 hopefuls at the 31st Hori Pro Scout Caravan, an annual event held to find the young female stars of the future. She joins a long list of celebrities who have made their debuts this way with the major Hori Pro talent agency, including Sakakibara Ikue (47), Imori Miyuki (38), Fukuda Kyoko (24) and more recently Ishihara Satomi (19). Hori Pro describe Ishibashi as being the brightest hope of the last few years and having a “perfect face”, and say they plan to turn her into a top actress. Still a second-year student at a public junior high school in her native Fukouka Prefecture, she won a trophy, ¥1 million in cash and a trip to New Caledonia. But more importantly, she has a major role in next February’s TV Asahi drama series “Shissou Holiday”.

• Kanda Uno (31) is clearly an old-fashioned girl at heart. At a press conference this morning to formally announce her engagement to business tycoon Nishimura Takuro (36), she told how she and her fiance had held the traditional “yuinou” or ceremonial exchange of nine engagement gifts. Dressed in a gorgeous red furisode (long-sleeved) kimono and gold obi, she also showed off her new 5-carat diamond engagement ring to the media at a posh Italian restaurant in downtown Tokyo.

• Talento Iijima Ai (34) has cancelled appearances on several of her five regular weekly shows with what is described as “a cold”. It may be just a coincidence that the popular former porn star revealed on her blog at the weekend that she was once swindled out of a considerable sum of money by her management. She didn’t reveal the amount or other details, though she did mention the figure of ¥100 million. Sources say the incident dates back about two years.

It seems that Kanda Uno (31) is finally about to tie the knot. The media have been hounding her for years about her marriage intentions with a string of boyfriends, but the former ballet dancer has always been coy. The daughter of a bureaucrat, she has long had the reputation as being an expensive girlfriend who enjoys the high life, and so it’s only fitting that her latest partner is extremely wealthy. Nishimura Takuro (36) is the CEO of the Nittaku group of leisure companies that includes pachinko and real estate businesses and has annual sales of over ¥200 billion. Kanda herself has proven to be a shrewd businesswoman, milking her celebrity for all its worth in starting up her own fashion business. She built a ¥500 million home in Tokyo on her earnings from an original pantyhose line. She recently put on a fashion show her range of wedding dresses and no doubt will soon be wearing one of her own designs up the aisle. She is scheduled to give a press conference at a fashionable Italian restaurant in Akasaka on November 13 and, as Kanda’s and Nishimura’s families recently met formally at a Tokyo hotel, an official wedding announcement is a given. Sources say that, unlike with many celebrity wedding announcements (including Kanada’s good friend Umemiya Anna, now divorced) no babies are on the way yet. As Kanda has another big project keeping her busy till the end of the year, a wedding ceremony next spring – possibly on her birthday on March 28 – is most likely.

• Murata Koichi, a leading illustrator with Studio Ghibli, died at a Mitaka hospital on November 7. He was 67. Real name Kiyo Teru and from Niigata prefecture, he worked on many anime projects with directors Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao.

Here we go again! The latest showbiz couple to announce a shotgun wedding are popular pin-up girl Yoshioka Miho (26) and singer Izam (34). It seems that Yoshioka is three months pregnant, which may at least put to rest any doubts people have about Izam’s sexual orientation. The once cross-dressing singer of visual-kei rock group Shazna failed to convince many people with his brief marriage to talento Yoshikawa Hinano (26). They got hitched in September 1999, but it lasted only seven months. With their relationship regarded as no more than a publicity stunt, the couple were ridiculed as “playing house”. And though Izam and Yoshioka are said to have been dating for a year, the engagement comes at a time when Shazna are reforming. So this marriage is likely to be viewed as suspiciously as the first. Izam (real name Hine Yoshikazu) has shed the girly image (as in the photo above) and made his debut as a movie director this summer. Yoshioka started as a race queen at the age of 20 and made a breakthrough with the catchphrase “kakete miho” in a TV commercial for hair restoration maker Aderans. She is considered the original “iyashi-kei” idol. She and Izam are still living separately and are said to be looking for a new home in Tokyo. They plan to have a wedding ceremony next year.

• This year’s Best Smile awards go to actress Kuroki Hitomi (46) and Olympic champion hammer thrower Murofushi Koji (32). Sponsored by the Japan Dental Association, the award ceremony was held yesterday, November 8, which when written 11-8 can be read “ii ha” or “good teeth” in Japanese. Naruhodo…

• Actress Konishi Manami (28) has landed her first leading role in a TV drama. She will play a young medical resident in January’s TBS series “Kirakira Kenshui” (Sparkling Resident), a comedy based on a popular blog that receives over 30,000 views per day. Konishi’s romantic interest will be played by singer Wentz Eiji (21) in his first major role. Wentz, whose father is American but who speaks hardly any English, is one half of the popular pop duo WaT.

The Best Formalists for this year are actress Yonekura Ryoko (31) and Italian model and man about town Girolamo Panzetta (44). Naturally enough, both turned up at the ceremony to give out the awards, sponsored by the Japan Formal Wear Association, in suitably formal attire. Panzetta wore a tuxedo, while Yonekura was stunning as always in a cream-colored backless dress and ¥12 million-worth of Tiffany jewelery. Asked if she had any comment about the romance between her former boyfriend, kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (28) and talento Sato Eriko (24), Yonekura said, “Not really. I’m envious, I guess. I’ll do my best, too!” Panzetta is regarded as the pioneer of the “choi-waru” look, describing middle-aged guys who like to look a “little bit bad”.

• Also sporting the Tiffany look yesterday was actress Koyuki (29), who was the official guest at the opening of this year’s illuminations at Roppongi Hills. In a flowing pink dress and wearing Tiffany bling of diamond ring, necklace and bracelet worth ¥100 million, she pushed the button to light up the 400m of illuminated trees. Also at the event were model Oshikiri Moe (26) and actor Nagai Masaru (28).

• Comedian Shimizu Kyoichi died last Saturday at his home in Osaka from a blood clot in his lung. He was just 41. A former member of the Yoshimoto manzai duo Pinokkio, he recently had been appearing in Yoshimoto’s theater revues.

• Talento Wakatsuki Chinatsu (22) recently underwent checks at a hospital after suffering from stress and exhaustion. The popular young celebrity appears on six regular TV shows and two more on the radio. She had to suddenly cancel her recording of two Fuji TV horse-racing shows last weekend. She is expected to return soon for the busy year-end recording rush.

Sequel movie “Death Note – The Last Name” had the best opening weekend of any domestic movie this year. In the three days since it opened in theaters on November 3, it pulled in ¥1.2 billion at the box office and was seen by almost a million people. As it was a three-day holiday weekend, the figures are not an exact comparison, but Studio Ghibli’s latest anime release “Gedo Senki” (Tales From Earthsea) made about ¥950 million in its first three days in July. Death Note stars Fujiwara Tatsuya (photo right, 24) and Matsuyama Kenichi (photo left, 21) were in Tokyo’s Shibuya CinePalace yesterday to greet fans who helped raise the total audience above the one million barrier. Distributors Warner Entertainment Japan say they expect the two movies to make them a total of over ¥10 billion. Revenue will also get a boost from a Death Note tribute album, due to be released on December 20 and featuring artists such as Orange Range who are fans of the original manga series. Read our Death Note feature article.

• Actress Sudo Risa (30) is the latest to announce a “shotgun wedding”. Her management agency faxed the media yesterday saying that she registered her marriage on November 5, an auspicious “tai-an” day in the traditional Japanese calendar. She is expecting a baby next February. There was no info about her new husband except to say that the couple met about six years ago. A friend of the actress say they started dating in 2004. A stage and TV veteran of 20 years, Sudo recently appeared in the theatrical production “Jailbreakers”, staring Tokio’s Matsuoka Masahiro (29). She has appeared in popular TV drama series including “Yamato Nadeshiko” and “Densha Otoko”.

Veteran rakugoka, led by Katsura Utamaro (70), had them rolling in the aisles last week, not in Tokyo or Osaka but in New York. The host of long-running NTV entertainment show “Shoten” and three others put on a performance of the traditional Japanese comedy in their own language for a full house of about 280 at the Japan Society in Manhattan. Thanks to his storytelling skill and with a little help from English subtitles on a screen behind him, Utamaru had the audience of Japanese and locals in stitches as he regaled them for 30 minutes with his story “Shirimochi”. “There were some foreign audience members who were laughing the whole time. It was great!”, he enthused. He was supported by Sanshotei Yumetaro (58), Sanshotei Charaku (64) and Hayashiya Imamaru (64). Rakugoka rely on just two props, a folding fan and a towel, as they sit seiza-style on a cushion and give their well-honed renditions of stories that often go back generations. Utamaru will visit Mexico next May with fellow performer Sanyutei Rakutaro (56), and in November he has a show scheduled in India.

• Former sumo Yokozuna Musashimaru (35) is to make his Hollywood debut in next year’s movie “Ocean’s 13” with George Clooney (45) and Brad Pitt (41). It is the first time for a member of the Sumo Council to appear in a movie. He and fellow former Grand Champion Akebono recently filmed a scene where they play themselves in their sumo heyday, fighting in a sumo basho (tournament) in Las Vegas. “It was fun,” said the Samao-born oyakata (stablemaster).

• Multiple Grammy award winner John Legend (27) will play his first ever Japan dates next January. Supporting his recently released second album, “Once Again”, he wil play Osaka’s Nanba Hatch (Jan. 10), Tokyo International Forum (Jan. 11) and Nagoya Diamond Hall (Jan. 13).