Monthly Archives: December 2006

Is this the end of Gorie and the gang? The once hugely popular Fuji TV comedy show “One Night Rock ‘n’ Roll” is coming to an end due to falling ratings. The show started out in a late-night slot in October 2000 as “Ebunai Thursday”, and its popularity earned it a shift to 10pm on Wednesdays a year later. After six years, it will come to an end with next week’s edition. The show’s team is centered around three popular Yoshimoto comedy duos, Ame Agari Kesshitai, DonDokoDon and Garage Sale, who have created a string of memorable characters. By far the most recognizable and popular of them is Gorie, a garish female character played by Garage Sale’s Gori (34). Gorie became a fashion icon for teenage girls across the country, released a couple of chart-topping singles, and even got an invite last year to appear on NHK’s New Year’s Eve special Kohaku Uta Gassen. The show also spawned the pop duo Kuzu, made up of Yamaguchi Tomomitsu (36) and Miyasako Hiroyuki (35), who had a string of hits. Former pin-up girl Koike Eiko (26) showed her acting range and flair for comedy on the show, and this has helped her build a solid career that no longer depends on bikini shots. But the show also occasionally invited controversy. In 2003, a skit that made fun of Daiei Hawks manager and baseball legend Oh Sadaharu drew complaints from the team. An apology was swiftly issued but it was soon followed by another skit involving powdered baby’s milk that this time led to manufacturers demanding an apology. And the show also became a victim of its own success, with each episode featuring ever more promotions for its increasing number of commercial spin-offs and tie-ups.

• U.K. company EMI is to take over full ownership of its Japan collaboration with Toshiba, which is selling its 45% stake in Toshiba EMI for about ¥21 billion. The company, formed in 1960 as Toshiba Ongaku Kogyo, handles such popular artists as Utada Hikaru and Matsutoya Yumi.

• New York police have arrested a former chauffeur for Ono Yoko (65) after he tried to blackmail her and threatened her life. Koral Karson (50) said he would sell photos and audio he secretly took of John Lennon’s widow unless she paid $2 million.

• Popular Okinawan rock/hip hop group Orange Range finished off their 46-date national tour on Wednesday at the Olympic Gymnasium in Sendagaya, Tokyo. They entertained 8,000 fans with a set that ran to 25 songs. They are scheduled to appear on this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen by live feed from Okinawa.

Nagayama Takeomi, chairman of Shochiku and the man who raised kabuki from the postwar ashes, died yesterday from leukemia at a Tokyo hospital. He was 81. Recognized by the government for his outstanding cultural contributions and a recipient of the Kikuchi Kan prize, Nagayama first joined Shochiku in 1947 while still a university student. He started in the management of the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo. He was a director of the movie and theater company by the age of 42 and became president in 1984. Among his friends and collaborators were author Mishima Yukio, a high-school classmate, a just about every kabuki star of the postwar period. He also helped raised the profile of kabuki abroad, bringing it to the U.S. (1960) and the former Soviet Union (1961) for the first time. He was also involved in many other forms of theater, from the avant garde to musicals. Among the latest Shochiku movie projects are Yamada Yoji‘s much-anticipated samurai drama, “Bushi no Ichibun”, and the domestic release of “Lassie”. The company runs the country’s four main kabuki theaters in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

• The Broadcast Film Critics Association on Tuesday named Kikuchi Rinko (25) as one of six nominees for their best supporting actress award. Last weekend, Kikuchi was named by the National Board of Review in New York as the winner of their female Breakthrough Performance award for her role in the Japanese segment of “Babel”. She shared that award with Jennifer Hudson of “Dreamgirls”. Her performance as Chieko, a deaf mute high school girl dealing with her budding sexuality and her mother’s suicide, has been described as “extraordinary and brave” and “compelling”. The Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett vehicle also stars the always excellent Yakusho Koji as Chieko’s father.

Actress Fujiwara Norika (35) finally announced the date of her wedding to Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32). The media have been speculating about a date for some time since rumors of a wedding surfaced about a month ago. They held their official engagement ceremony at the Ikuta Jinja shrine in their hometown of Kobe last weekend. That made the shrine the almost automatic venue for the wedding. And indeed, sources close to the couple said yesterday that they will tie the knot there on February 25 (which just happens to be my birthday – a very good sign!). Fujiwara continued to stall on her blog yesterday, saying she herself was waiting for various details to be finalized before making an official announcement. The 1800-year-old Ikuta Jinja can hold about 200 people for a wedding ceremony, and the couple are likely to invite a lot of friends as well as family.

• An NHK director has been arrested for possession of marijuana, the latest of many scandals to hit the public network. Inose Hiroaki (46) was detained by police in the Tokyo district of Shibuya on Monday evening when found in possession of 7.1g of marijuana, which he said was for his own use. NHK say Inose was in charge of educational programming but had been on sick leave since September.It’s Official!

“Letters from Iwo Jima” is building up steam. The second of Clint Eastwood’s two WWII sagas has received more accolades in the U.S., being chosen as the top movie of 2006 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Sunday, and ranked by the American Film Institute in their top 10 movies for the year. Like its companion piece “Flags of Our Fathers” it is a Hollywood project, but all the dialog is in Japanese. While this was thought to make it a rank outsider for any major awards, the talk about it competing for Academy Awards on February 25 is now building. Eastwood was in New York Sunday for a screening of “Letters…” followed by a reception at the Time Warner Center. Also there basking in the praise were star Watanabe Ken (47), his wife, actress Minami Kaho (42), and co-star Ihara Tsuyoshi (43). The movie opens in the U.S. on December 20, but it has already made a strong start at the box office here. It pulled in over ¥200 million on its opening day on Saturday and is expected to reach ¥5 billion, while “Flags…” totalled about ¥1.5 billion.

• On Sunday, actor Maeda Kouyou (38) ran the Honolulu Marathon and then limped to his wedding with comedienne Unabara Tomoko (34). Maeda hurt his leg during the 42.195km race but reached the finish line in seven and a half hours. Unabara was in tears as he crossed the line. The couple registered their marriage in Japan in August. Also running the race, for the seventh year in a row, was model Hasegawa Rie. She was disappointed to be a bit over her personal best time of three hours fifteen minutes.

Welcome to Morning Musume version 8.0. 13-year old Mitsui Aika (photo center) is latest member to join the ever-changing lineup of one of the most successful J-pop projects of all time. She was chosen from thousands of hopefuls in the 8th round of auditions, bringing the group to a total of nine members. Mitsui will not take part in the group’s planned Kohaku appearance on New Year’s Eve, but will join them formally for their spring concerts.

Fujiwara, Jinnai Hold Engagement Ceremony

Actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto funny man Jinnai Tomonori (32) have taken the first official step in their much publicized wedding plans. Though they have yet to make a public announcement, they took part in a traditional “yuinou” engagement ceremony at the Ikuta Jinja shrine in Kobe yesterday.Both families held a traditional exchange of gifts and cash. The gifts, in odd numbers of 5, 7 or more, are food items and other things thought to bring happiness and good fortune. The money involved is usually 2 to 3 times a company employee’s monthly salary. With Jinnai estimated to make about ¥50 million a year, pundits have speculated that ¥100 million would be a suitably round figure! Over 100 fans mingled with dozens of reporters and TV cameras at the shrine hoping for a glimpse of the stars, who used “doubles” and several cars to throw people off the scent. Signs saying “Closed for construction” were placed on the gates to the shrine. Since the yuinou ceremony took place there, tradition dictates that Ikuta Jinja will also be the venue for their wedding ceremony, and February 25 is thought to be the most likely date (also happens to be my birthday – how much more fortuitous can you get!). The shrine has a history that goes back as far as 201AD, though it was largely rebuilt after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995.

• Rock musician Awanokoji Sho got married on Thursday. He made the announcement on his official blog on Friday night, adding that his bride was an “ordinary person” (the usual expression for someone not in showbiz) that he met earlier in the year in London. He said they hope to hold a wedding ceremony next June. Awanokoji, vocalist of the six-member “yankee rock” band Kishiden, has recently found chart success as DJ Ozma and he is currently on a solo tour. In 2003, he was romantically linked with Puffy member Yoshimura Yumi (31), but they broke up at the end of last year.

Newscaster Yamamoto Mona (30) just wants to put the scandal behind her. She got back to work this week for the first time since her affair with a married politician hit the headlines two months ago. At the time, she had just got her big break and joined the panel of the TBS late-night news show, “News23”, hosted by veteran Chikushi Tetsuya (71). The scandal meant she had to step down from the post after less than a week on the show. The man who brought her back from the edge of professional oblivion was Kitano “Beat” Takeshi (59), whose Office Kitano represents Yamamoto. The comedian invited her to take part in his “20-kai Beat Takeshi no Warai Ultra Quiz”, a popular quiz-variety show from the 90s that makes its comeback after ten years on New Year’s Day. Probably the humiliation that is par for the course on the show – which in this case includes wearing a giant Watermelon head – will be seen as suitable punishment for her wayward behavior.

• Talento Carousel Maki (64) returned to her Tokyo home late Thursday night to find it ransacked. The house in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward had been burglarized and ¥8 million-worth of jewelry and ¥3 million in cash had been stolen. The house was broken into through a first floor veranda door, and a safe on the second was forced open. Born Hirahara Tetsuo in Hokkaido, she underwent a sex change operation in Morocco in 1973. But it wasn’t until 2004 that she was legally recognized as a woman with the name Hirahara Maki. The stage name Carousel comes from the name of a gay bar in Osaka where she once worked.

• Model/actress Kawahara Ayako (35) is romantically involved with a 46-year-old music producer, according to weekly magazine Friday. The divorcee and father of two was the man behind SMAP’s 1998 mega-hit “Yozora no Mukou”.

Good news for Japan’s Hollywood dreamers. On Wednesday, the National Board of Review in New York named Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” this year’s best picture, and newcomer Kikuchi Rinko (photo, 25) was recognized for her role in “Babel”. The success of “Letters…” in the first of the year’s movie awards could herald a big award season ahead for the gritty WWII tale and star Watanabe Ken (47). Though an established Japanese star, surprisingly this is his first leading movie role. His career took off after he was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in “The Last Samurai”. This time, he may be up against the likes of Forest Whitaker, who took the best actor award Wednesday for his portrayal of the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland”. Pretty much an unknown at home, Kikuchi shared the female Breakthrough Performance award with Jennifer Hudson of “Dreamgirls”. Her performance as Chieko, a deaf mute high school girl dealing with her budding sexuality and her mother’s suicide, has been described as “extraordinary and brave” and “compelling”. The Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett vehicle also stars the excellent Yakusho Koji as Chieko’s father. Also at the award ceremony in New York were “Letters…” cast members including Ihara Tsuyoshi (43), kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (34), and Ninomiya Kazunari (23). Johnny’s Jimusho idol Ninomiya’s performance was singled out by many in the U.S., and he is considered a dark horse candidate for an Oscar. The movie’s companion piece, “Flags of Our Fathers”, was also chosen among the best 10 movies of the year.

• Popular actress Zaizen Naomi (40) gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. She and Fuji TV producer Honma Ouhiko (43) have been married since 2003.

Famously eccentric actress Ishihara Mariko (42) held a press conference yesterday to launch her new book. “Fuzoroina Himitsu” not only includes revelations of her relationships with 13 stars, both comedians and top actors, but also gives their full names. The names include top comedian Akashiya Sanma, rock singer Kikkawa Koji, Johnny’s Jimusho idol stars Tahara Toshihiko and Kondo Masahiko, and actor Nakai Kiichi. When asked by reporters how she thought these people would feel about their names being revealed, she snapped “Ask them yourself!” The book also describes the domestic violence she suffered at the hands of a famous singer. She says she contacted his agency about the book but got no reply. Ishihara is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her acting debut and is making a full fledged comeback. She will appear in the movie “Ashita no Watashi no Tsukurikata”, directed by Ichikawa Jun (58) and due for release next spring. Among the many stories about Ishihara’s eccentricity is one about her finishing filming in Kyoto of a period drama and boarding a shinkansen for Tokyo still dressed in the elaborate kimono of a princess. She spent the night with a lover in the capital, then returned to the set in Kyoto the next morning, wearing the same costume. She spent 10 years in the U.S., having decided to mostly give up Japanese showbiz in 1995.

• A couple of other celebrities came clean yesterday about their love lives. Sato Eriko (24) and Kato Haruhiko (31) are not going out with each other, but they are co-starring in the upcoming horror movie “Kuchisake Onna”. At a PR event for the movie, Sato acknowledged her relationship with kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (29) for the first time to the media, saying she plans to be open about it from now on. Up to now, she has only referred to Ichikawa as “one of my friends”. Kato said his relationship with Chukyo TV announcer Honda Sayuri (30) was “going just fine”, the first time he has spoken about it to reporters. “Kuchisake…”, directed by Shiraishi Koji, is scheduled to open in theaters next spring.

Young singer Teshima Aoi (19) made her live debut at the Ghibli Museum yesterday. The teen, who was chosen to sing the title song and voice the heroine’s role for Studio Ghibli’s summer hit “Gedo Senki” (Tales from Earthsea), was accompanied on piano by Taniyama Hiroko, who wrote the song, “Teru no Uta”. The single sold about 300,000 copies. Teshima was clearly nervous as she performed 11 songs before a small audience of 120 at the museum in western Tokyo. When the movie’s director, Miyazaki Goro (39), shared the stage with her, Taniyama joked that it was like an omiai, or arranged wedding meeting. The son of anime legend Miyazaki Hayao (65), Goro took over the reins from his father for the first time to bring this project to the big screen. Inevitably compared to his father’s work, the movie got mixed reviews and the box office failed to reach the initial target of ¥10 billion. The movie has been shown in East Asia and is set for release in some 50 countries worldwide. Under contract terms, it will not appear on U.S. TV until 2009.

• Mother and son on stage together for the first time. Actress Matsuda Miyuki (45) and actor Matsuda Ryuhei (23) appeared together at a PR event for “Sekai wa Tokidoki Utsukushii” (Life Can Be So Wonderful), a ‘cinema poem’ in five parts directed by Minorikawa Osamu. The widow and son of screen legend Matsuda Yusaku don’t actually share any screen time in the collection of short stories. The film, due for release next spring, got less than enthusiastic reviews at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival.

(Editor: After a long weekend of rocking with U2, normal scheduling has now been resumed!)

Actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) are to be formally engaged on December 10 and will get married before the end of the year. The engagement is timed to coincide with the end of shooting for Fujiwara’s current TV Asahi drama series “Damenzu Walker”, while the ceremony is likely to be held at the Ikuta Jinja shrine in their mutual hometown of Kobe. If the ceremony is indeed held there, it will no doubt lead to a rush in bookings from other couples, especially those hoping to get in on the same day as showbiz’s latest “big couple”.

• World-renowned composer and musician Sakamoto Ryuichi (54) and singer/songwriter Yano Akiko (51) recently divorced, according to Yano’s management agency. The couple had been married since 1982 but had been living separately for more than ten years. Their daughter is musician Sakamoto Miu (26). Sakamoto won an Academy Award for his soundtrack to the 1987 movie “The Last Emperor”.