Monthly Archives: May 2007

Actress Shiozawa Toki died of cancer at a Tokyo hospital late Thursday night. She was 79. She had been battling the disease for most of her adult life since she was first discovered to have tongue cancer at the age of 30. She was at the peak of her popularity on the variety show circuit in 1984 when she was found to have breast cancer. She underwent a second mastectomy in 2004. In April 2006 she underwent surgery for the fourth time but the cancer had spread throughout her body. She was released from hospital in November but her health deteriorated again in February and she was re-admitted. She made her movie debut with the major Toei studio shortly after WWII and had her first and only starring role in 1954. With her outlandish hairstyles and glasses and crude humor, she shot to fame 30 years later on the Fuji TV afternoon talk show “Itadakimasu”.

• Romance has blossomed between actress Kimura Yoshino (31) and actor Iseya Yuusuke (30). The pair worked together last September on the upcoming Miike Takashi movie “Sukiyaki Western Jango”. They spent more than a month filming in a remote mountain location in Yamagata Prefecture and started dating after their return to Tokyo. They have recently been spotted shopping together for interior goods. It is the first reported romance for Kimura since her debut in 1996. Iseya was previously linked with actress Hirosue Ryoko in 1999 and with Yoshikawa Hinano in 2003.

• Movie director Kumai Kei (76) was taken to hospital on Friday after a newspaper delivery man discovered him unconscious outside his Tokyo home. He recovered consciousness later and is said to have suffered a stroke.

At the age of 46, comedienne Hisamoto Masami may have found love at last, according to today’s issue of the weekly gossip magazine “Friday”. The article says that a handsome company heir, named only as “A-san” and said to be in his early 30s, spends several nights a week at Hisamoto’s Tokyo apartment. In a press release from her management agency she said, “He’s a good friend. I may be buck-toothed but I’m also a woman, so I’m gonna go on a date now and then. Korekara mo Yorochikubiii!”. The last part is one of her famous nipple puns! Known for her often crude humor and a veteran of the Wahaha Honpo comedy troupe, Hisamoto often ranks among Japan’s most popular TV celebrities. A-san is the third generation heir to his family’s business and is said to resemble a “macho version of soccer star Miura Kazu”.

• Director Kawase Naomi (37) is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the third time, as her movie “Magori no Mori” is the only Japanese entry in the competition section. She was a guest, along with her 3-year-old son, at a reception for the Japan Contents Festival held yesterday. Kawase won the Camera d’Or award for best directorial debut with “Moe no Suzaku” in 1997 and had “Sharasojyu” in competition in 2003. As this year is the 60th anniversary of the festival, she says she doesn’t get much attention because a lot of big names are in town. But she reckons her latest feature is in with a chance of taking the Palm d’Or.

• Troubled enka singer Mori Shinichi (59) brought the curtain down for the final time on his “Jagaimo no Kai” charity concert yesterday. He started the annual event 23 years ago when he married idol singer Mori Masako (48). But a battle with hepatitis, a messy divorce and an artistic dispute that prevents him from performing some of his greatest hits have led him to call it a day. Not that he’s retiring – he gave the first performance of his latest single, “Jinsei Hitasura”, set for release on May 23. More than 20 acts were on hand yesterday to lend their support, as was Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

Former pin-up girl Aota Noriko (39) is one of the celebrities labeled “make-inu” in Japanese showbiz, a phrase that literally means “loser dog” and is given to female celebs thought incapable of getting married. But following the revelation yesterday that she’s been married and divorced, her reputation is probably worse than ever. It turns out she married a 38-year-old restaurant owner in 2004 at a time when her career was going nowhere. She told no one but family and close friends, not even her fellow former members of the popular 90s “sexy group” C.C. Girls. But her career took a strange twist shortly after her marriage. She was one of several women, including actress Sugita Kaori (42), former porn star Iijima Ai (34) and model Rinka (33), who were panelists on the new hit TV Asahi variety show “London Hearts”. Hosted by comedy duo London Boots, the key to the show’s success was its focus on the loser status of these and other female celebrities, most of them on the wrong side of 30. They ranked each other on things like who the public would say would make the worst girlfriend, marriage or sex partner. The success of the show and her new image as “Bubble Aota”, someone psychologically stuck in the bubble economy years of the early 1990s, led to more TV appearances. As her public persona became more and more divorced from her private reality, her husband filed for an actual divorce in 2005. But they remain close and have talked about possibly getting remarried once their lifestyles have settled down.

A popular afternoon “wide show” is the latest casualty of the shake up at Nippon Terebi. In September “Za Waido” (The Wide; Mon-Fri, 1:55-3:50pm), hosted by Kusano Hitoshi (63) and Mori Fumi (33), is to end its 15-year run as the mainstay of NTV’s afternoon schedule. Popularly known as Nittere, NTV was king of the audience rankings for ten straight years up to 2003. It held the top spot for “golden time” (7-10pm), “prime time” (7-11pm) and all day (6am-12am) rankings. But since it dropped to second behind Fuji TV in 2004, it has been making major changes to its lineup. Last year it dropped the news show “NNN Kyou no Dekigoto” after 52 years, replacing it with “News Zero”. “Za Waido” first came on the air in 1993 and was unusual at the time for the fact that it didn’t start on the hour, now common practice for news and info shows. It is co-produced by NTV and Yomiuri TV, but the latter has decided to pull out and NTV felt they couldn’t afford to continue financing the show alone. It’s still doing well in its 2-hour mid-afternoon time slot, but TV Asahi’s re-runs of popular drama series is top of the rankings. It’s likely that NTV will be looking to re-jig both that slot and the hour following it that it currently fills with a drama re-run.

• Actress Yonekura Ryoko has been chosen as Miss Lily 2007. Sponsored by the The Netherlands International Flower Bulb Center, the award is given each year to the woman who looks best holding a bunch of lilies. Of course, reporters were more interested in asking her about rumors that she has rekindled her romance with kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (29). She insisted that since their breakup at the end of 2005 they are just good friends, despite the fact that she flew all the way to Paris in March to watch him perform. Since their split Ebizo has been linked with actresses Sato Eriko and Takaoka Saki and a current, unnamed girlfriend.

The new pop trio Gyaruru has its second lineup before it has even got off the starting line. The group was first announced last month, with the members being former Morning Musume Tsuji Nozomi (19), “ogui” (glutton) talento Gyaru Sone (21, photo center) and “meganekko” (glasses girl) idol Tokito Ami (19, right). But Tsuji dropped out within weeks after announcing her pregnancy and impending marriage. The future of group was in doubt until yesterday, when a replacement was announced. Stepping in for Tsuji is Abe Asami (22, left), the younger sister of former MoMus member Abe Natsumi (26). She’s no stranger to “gyaru” fashion, as that was her look when she was first scouted as a high school student. With Sone taking the stage name ‘Sonene’ and Tokito going for ‘Amimi’, Abe will be known as ‘Abebe’. The group’s debut single, “Boom Boom Meccha Macho”, will be re-recorded in time for its scheduled June 20 release.

• Veteran newscaster Chikushi Tetsuya (73) revealed yesterday on his nightly “News23” show that he has lung cancer. The disease was diagnosed early enough that it can be treated, so he is going to take a break from the TBS show while undergoing treatment.

• It was revealed yesterday that actress Hosho Mai (30) recently got married. According to a source, she married 37-year-old graphic designer, named only as N-san, on March 6. The couple registered their marriage at a municipal office in Tokyo. They met through a mutual friend in 2004 and dated for about two years. They have no plans for a press conference or wedding ceremony. Hosho is best known for her roles in TV dramas such as Fuji TV’s popular “Shomuni”.

• The latest issue of weekly magazine “Shuukan Asahi” reveals that cross-dressing singer-actor Miwa Akihiro (72) failed to report a traffic accident in March. According to the article, Miwa’s car struck a motorcycle while both were making a right turn on the junction of Komazawa-dori and Kannana-dori in Tokyo. The motorcyclist reported the accident to local police an hour later, but Miwa failed to do so. Papers have been filed against him for professional negligence resulting in injury and failure to report an accident. His management agency says the matter has already been financially settled between the respective insurance companies.

Wada Akiko has called the recent announcements by Tsuji Nozomi (19) “irresponsible”. The former Morning Musume member revealed her wedding plans and her pregnancy just days apart. Tsuji and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) say that their decision to marry was made months ago, but “Akko” (57) – always one to speak her mind – said that the timing was obviously calculated. Wada, also known as the God Sister, appeared on her weekly Saturday show on NTV just two days after having surgery to remove polyps from her colon. Though clearly not back to full strength, she felt the need to put the young upstart in her place. “She says she’s going out with the guy, going to get married, then reveals she’s pregnant. It’s all too neat,” she said. “The kid has no sense of responsibility.” Indeed Tsuji’s untimely pregnancy has left a lot of people in the lurch. She dropped out of a stage musical and recently graduated MoMus leader Yoshizawa Hitomi (22) had to step in to cover for her. And the future of Gyaruru, a new pop trio that was launched just days before her announcement, is up in the air.

• Fuji TV announcer Watanabe Kazuhiro (30) is going for a Lucky Seven wedding. A presenter on the “Mezamashi Terebi” morning show, he announced yesterday that he is to get married on July 7. His met his fiancee while both were studying at Seijo University and they started dating on January 1, 2001. So the 7/7/07 date for their wedding seemed the ideal next step. It’s also the date of Tanabata, one of Japan’s most famous – and romantic – festivals. Also called the Star Festival, it comes from an ancient Chinese legend based around the one day of the year when the two stars Vega and Altair, usually separated by the Milky Way, come together.

Japanese-Taiwanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi (33) joined director John Woo (61) in Beijing yesterday to promote the troubled movie “The Battle of Red Cliff”. With a ¥9-billion ($75 million) budget, making it the biggest independent film ever, and the first of two episodes to be released before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the movie has drawn huge interest. But Woo has had a ton of trouble with his casting. Chow Yun-Fat was the biggest name on the bill but left just three days after shooting started last month, citing lack of preparation time. His role as Zhao Yun, a general of the Kingdom of Shu, was given to Hu Jun; Watanabe Ken was cast as Cao Cao, the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty, but was dropped following protests over a Japanese actor playing a Chinese historical figure; and Tony Leung rejected his original role and was lured back with Chow’s part; Taiwan-born Kaneshiro was brought in to replace Leung in the role of Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist of the Kingdom of Shu. The movie is based on the greatest battle described in the “sangokushi”, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the great Chinese historical novel written in the 14th century. As the battle of Red Cliff is said to have involved over a million soldiers, Woo has set up several units to film various scenes. Sangokushi is the Japanese reading of the Chinese classic, and has spawned a series of hugely popular manga, anime and computer games. Asked about his late arrival to the project, Kaneshiro said “I’ve been a big fan of the manga and game versions since I was small, so I know the story.” He is certainly no stranger to Chinese historical epics, having just finished “The Warlords” with Jet Li and Andy Lau.

• Popular actor Tsukamoto Takashi (24) is the latest young star to announce a shotgun wedding. His fiancee is a 31-year-old office worker who he met in the autumn of 2003. They started dating in May 2005, found out she was pregnant in February,and got engaged on April 14. Meanwhile, former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (19) and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) held a press conference yesterday to talk about their wedding plans. Sugiura said he proposed on March 10 though it wasn’t until a week or so ago that Tsuji discovered she was pregnant. They plan to marry on her 20th birthday but have no plans for a ceremony this year.

Japan Academy Award-winning movie “Ashita no Kioku” (Memories of Tomorrow) is set to open in the U.S. later this month. Despite his long career, Watanabe Ken (47) made his debut as a leading man in the movie and he was also executive producer of the project. Since it opened in Japan in May of last year, he has been jetting round the world promoting it to foreign buyers with the same passion he showed during the domestic promotion campaign. As he is based in Hollywood these days, a U.S. release was his main priority. His recent work on Hollywood productions, most recently Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima”, and his appearance as a presenter on the Oscars have opened a lot of doors for him. The story of “Ashita…” is about a successful middle-aged marketing executive and his wife as they struggle to deal with his early-onset Alzheimers, a theme that resonates beyond national borders. There’s also fact that, despite lacking the support of a TV network that is behind most Japanese movies, the feature made a solid ¥2.2 billion at the box office and received five Japan Academy Award nominations. Watanabe won for the first time as best actor. It opens on 120 screens today in South Korea, and in New York on May 18. It will be in theaters in Los Angeles from June 8 and in San Francisco from July 13.

• Music producer Kobayashi Takeshi (47) is on the verge of divorcing singer Akko, vocalist of his J-pop group My Little Lover, and looks set to marry singer Hitoto Yo (31). It was an affair with Hitoto, exposed in the weekly gossip magazine “Friday” in January, that brought an end to Kobayashi’s 11-year marriage. He and Akko, together with guitarist Fujii Kenji (38), formed My Little Lover in 1995. They married the following year and have two children. Fujii left the group in 2002, and it became Akko’s solo project last November. She kicked off a nationwide tour on May 7, with Kobayashi in attendance.

Rock singer-songwriter Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (50) is planning a comeback to the big screen after eight years. Movie director Fukusaku Kenta (34) was among the big names attending a PR event yesterday to launch Nagabuchi’s first album in four years, “Come On Stand Up!” The pair decided it was time to put some much-needed “macho” back into Japanese movies. “They say the Japanese movie industry is healthy these days, but it’s all weepies and comedy,” said Fukusaku. “The male action movies my father loved so much are dying out. I want to make use of Nagabuchi-san’s physique and make a real fight movie.” Their relationship goes back to the 1988 TBS drama “Tombo”, directed by Kenta’s father, the late Fukusaku Kinji (1930-2003). With the wiry, “junky” look of his younger days, Nagabuchi won rave reviews for his starring role as the yakuza Ogawa Eiji. These days he’s a lot more buffed and hangs out with such fighters as K-1 star Kohiruimaki Takayuki (29) and sumo grand champion Asashoryu (26), both in attendance at yesterday’s event. Fukusaku Kinji directed such violent classics as “Jingi Naki Tatakai” (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) and “Battle Royale”, but his death in 2003 forced his son take over at the helm of “Battle Royale II”. No details of the latest movie project are available but it will be Nagabuchi’s first movie role since the “Tombo” follow-up “Eiji” in 1999.

• Rocky Wada (53), a popular TV and radio personality in Hokkaido, has been arrested for paying for corrupting a minor. Police say that last summer he met a high school girl, who was 15 at the time, through a “deaikei” mobile website. He arranged to meet her at a hotel in Tomakomai City and paid her ¥15,000 for sex. Following his arrest in Sapporo yesterday, he said he has no memory of the incident. Real name Wada Norio, he is the host of two long-running shows based around his knowledge of western rock music. Both TV Hokkaido and FM North Wave are planning to cancel his shows.

The truth is out about Tsuji Nozomi (19). It turns out that the reason the former Morning Musume member recently dropped out of a planned stage musical is that she is two months pregnant and planning to get married on her 20th birthday. She and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) started dating last year and visited each other’s family homes at the end of the year. The diminutive Tsuji, who debuted with Morning Musume in 2000 at the age of 12, was always one of the group’s most popular members. After she “graduated” from the group in 2004, she formed the duo “W” with Kago Ai (19), only to see that go down in flames when Kago was fired from the Hello! Project in April. Tsuji was swiftly named to lead a new trio called Gyaruru just two weeks ago, but was diagnosed with an acute stomach ulcer days later. Given the news of her pregnancy, it’s likely she is also suffering from morning sickness and will most likely soon be on maternity leave so the future of Gyaruru is unclear. Of the more than two dozen girls who’ve been members of Morning Musume over the last ten years Tsuji will be just the third to get married. Sugiura made his break in 2001 playing the lead role in the “Ultraman Cosmos” action hero series on TBS. In 2002 he and his younger brother Takao made their singing debut as the duo Ex. Bold. His latest project is the movie “Zero Kara no Kaze”, scheduled for release in December.

• Happy news too for talento couple Fujii Takashi (35) and Otoha (26). The couple, who married in July 2005, are expecting their first baby in November. Fujii is best known for his character Matthew Minami, who appeared in the Hollywood movie “Lost in Translation”.

• “Spiderman 3” is off to a flying start. It broke the ¥3 billion barrier at the box office in just six days since it opened on May 1, a new record for a Hollywood movie. It’s been seen by over 2.5 million people, way more than the 800,000 who have been to see “Babel”, which opened three days earlier.