Monthly Archives: May 2008

High King is the latest pop unit to be launched from the Hello! Project ensemble. Made up of Morning Musume‘s Takahashi Ai (21) and Tanaka Reina (18), Shimizu Saki (16) of Berryz Kobo, °C-ute’s Yajima Maimi (16), and Maeda Yuuka (13), chosen from the Hello! Project Egg apprentice program, they will make their debut with the single “C/C (Cinderella Complex)” on June 11. Producer-guru Tsunku (39) said the members were chosen for their ability to dance and belt out dancable R&B numbers, adding, “As they’re girls they should really be ‘High Queen’ but it didn’t have enough punch.” He said their debut has a faster beat than anything he’s produced so far, using a triple rhythm like that in the Beatles “All My Loving.” High King is the 83rd pop unit formed from the dozens of starlets that make up Hello! Project, of which there are currently 21 groups and solo artists.

• TV writer Tsukada Shigeru has died at the age of 82. He was the man behind such major postwar TV hits as “8-ji Dayo! Zenin Shuugo” and “Yoru no Hitto Sutajio.” He started his career in 1945 when he joined the major Toei movie studio.

• Oshio Manabu (30) is getting his career back into gear. He dropped out of a promising acting career a couple of years ago to focus on music. But this week it was revealed that he has signed a contract with major record label Avex. No specific details were given about his plans, but it’s thought that he’s aiming to act in Hollywood. He spent his elementary school years in Los Angeles and regularly spends time there with his wife, actress Yada Akiko (29) and their six-month-old son. The couple married in November 2006. Avex has been recruiting more top acting talent recently, including kabuki star Nakamura Shido (35) and actress Koyuki (31).

• Actor Fujita Makoto (75) is said to be doing well in his fight with esophageal cancer. Doctors reduced the level of his radiation therapy last week. He is able to leave hospital at the weekends and recently spent the Golden Week holidays at an onsen resort.

• In its 25th year, the science fiction anime “Macross” is enjoying something of a boom. “Diamond Crevasse”, the ending theme for the latest series “Macross Frontier” has entered the Oricon singles chart at No.3, as did the opening theme, “Triangular,” on its release in April. The franchise was created by by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982 and has included three TV series (TBS), three movies, four OVAs, and 2 manga series.

• Baseball star Aoki Norichika (26) and TV Tokyo sports announcer Ohtake Sachi (24) are romantically involved. The two are said to have started dating at the beginning of the year. Aoki, an outfielder for the Yakult Swallows, has been one of Japan’s best hitters over the last few seasons and has woin several batting titles but is currently with the farm team recovering from a torn muscle.

• Watari Kazuhisa (30), vocalist and pianist of the group Fuumidou, got married at the end of April, it was revealed yesterday.

A couple of American music legends wowed fans in Tokyo yesterday. Pop star Cyndi Lauper (54) was her usual maniac self during a mini concert to promote “Bring Ya to the Brink,” her first original album in seven years. It went on sale in Japan yesterday, ahead of its May 27 U.S. release. At the Maru Building in front of Tokyo Station, Lauper performed four songs, including the track “Set Your Heart,” which has been receiving heavy airplay. During the first song, “She Bop” from her 1983 debut album, she launched herself into the invited crowd of 100 and hardly used the stage again after that, even removing her shoes as she got the audience up on their feet and dancing.

Meanwhile, Jazz giant Sonny Rollins (77) performed last night at the International Forum in the center of the capital. On his 24th visit to Japan, the tenor sax master performed a set of nine songs, including “In a Sentimental Mood” and “Saint Thomas”, from his 1956 album “Saxophone Colossus” and his most recognizable instrumental. He plays at the same venue again May 19.

• JASRAC has announced the biggest royalty-earning songs from last year. The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers based its rankings not just on CD sales but also things like digital downloads and karaoke. The top five earners were:

1. Flavor of Life – Utada Hikaru

2. Evangelion BGM

3. Lovers Again – Exile

4. DragonballZ BGM

5. Nada Sou Sou – Natsukawa Rimi, Begin, Moriyama Ryoko

• Pop queen Koda Kumi (25) has been replaced as the pitchwoman for Kirin’s chuhai brand. She appeared in commercials for “Kirin Chuhai Hyoketsu” for several years but the spots were all dropped back in February after Koda said some things she shouldn’t have on a radio show. A Kirin spokesperson said simply, “Ms. Koda’s contract was originally until this spring.” She has been replaced by actress Fukuda Kyoko (25).

• Freelance announcer Yukino Tomoyo (44) gave birth to her first child in Tokyo yesterday. The baby boy was born by Caesarean as her husband, a 41-year-old real estate company president, and parents waited outside the delivery room. Early in her pregnancy, Yukino was hopitalized for three weeks due to fears of a miscarriage. She plans to return to work in September and publish a book on her pregnancy and motherhood. She and her husband have a teenage son from his previous marriage.

• Actress Kimura Yoshino (32) and actor Iseya Yuusuke (31) are in Cannes for the 61st International Film Festival. A couple off-screen, the pair appear in the movie “Blindness” which opened the festival yesterday. The only Japanese among the cast, they play a married couple living in a town where everyone has been struck with a mysterious case of sudden blindness.

Any TV drama that stars SMAP member Kimura Takuya (35) is guaranteed to be a hit. But so far Fuji TV’s “Change,” which on Monday was the last series to launch in the spring season, hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. With an audience rating of 23.8%, it ranks second for the season behind NTV’s third series of “Gokusen” starring Nakama Yukie (26.4%). That’s the first time for a KimuTaku series to miss out on the top spot since “Nemureru Mori” in the autumn of 1998. In the latest series, he plays a school teacher suddenly thrust into the world of politics, reluctantly following in the footsteps of his late father. Even with the solid support of a cast that includes Abe Hiroshi and Fukatsu Eri, and an ending theme song by Madonna, the opening episode was somewhat flat. Despite the hype surrounding it, the series has the usual low production values and is riddled with dramatic cliches. And it lacks the glamor of KimuTaku flying an airliner or driving a racing car.

• Actress Oyama Nobuyo (71) suffered a mild stroke in addition to her recent heart attack, it was revealed this week. For many years the voice of anime robot cat Doraemon, Oyama was hospitalized in April and was expected to leave hospital at the beginning of this month. But following the discovery of the stroke, it was decided to keep her in for further tests and rehabilitation.

• Japan-based Korean singer Kye Eun Sook (46) has returned to her home country after being refused a visa extension. She was arrested by Tokyo police in November 2007 for drug possession and received an 18-month prison sentence suspended for three years. After a three-month investigation last year, police found amphetamines and paraphernalia in the Tokyo apartment she shared with her 85-year-old mother. Born in Seoul, Kye was a model before becoming a singer and first came to Japan in 1984. She had several hits between the late 1980s and early 90s, but also has also faced huge gambling debts and the suicide of her manager. On her return to Korea she is said to have undergone drug tests and is expected to check herself into a rehabilitation clinic.

• Actress and former Miss Universe Japan runner-up Mion (28) announced yesterday that she and actor Takashima Masanobu (41) are planning to have two weddings. In addition to the previously announced ceremony and reception in Tokyo in August, the half-Korean Mion said they will also hold a wedding for family only in Hong Kong in December. She said that she and her future parents-in-law, actor Takashima Tadao and former Takarazuka top star Sumi Hanayo, are flying to Hong Kong today to make arrangements. The couple plan to honeymoon in Tahiti.

Prosecutors at the Tokyo District Court are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for former idol singer Goto Yuuki (21). During the closing argument of the trial yesterday, they said the likelihood of a return to crime was high and that Goto should be put away. He has admitted to the charges of robbery at several construction sites, for which he was arrested last October and again in December. Although he has denied the charge of assault on a security guard, insisting that an accomplice was responsible, he admitted that he paid the guard ¥200 million in an out-of-court settlement. Appearing in the courtroom with his head shaven and a tattoo peeking over the collar of his suit, Goto said “I committed the crime because I needed money for my living costs.” In the courtroom were his mother and wife, who is expecting their third child in July, but there was no sign of his sister, idol singer and former Morning Musume member Goto Maki (22). The court’s verdict will be handed down on May 21.

• The Victor Entertainment record company has described as “pure conjecture” the recent newspaper story claiming that rock band Southern All Stars are on the verge of breaking up. Tokyo Sports said in an article published yesterday that the hugely popular band, led by charismatic singer Kuwata Keisuke, were planning to split next year after their 30th anniversary concert tour. Victor said they will make an official statement on May 19.

• “Heart Station”, the latest album from Utada Hikaru (25) is another million seller. Each of her six albums released to date have broken the mark, and her total album sales are over 20 million. Digital downloads of “Prisoner of Love,” the theme tune for Fuji TV’s drama “Last Friends,” and other tracks from the new album have already reached 15 million.

Happy news for a pair of established actresses. Management for Shinohara Ryoko (34, photo left) informed the media by fax yesterday that she gave birth to a baby boy at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday. Her husband, actor Ichimura Masachika (59), was present for the birth and expressed his happiness saying, “God sent us an angel!” The couple have been married since December 2005. Meanwhile, actress Sakai Miki (30, photo right) is engaged to marry a 34-year-old doctor, she informed the media by fax on Friday. She and her fiance first met in New York four years ago and started dating after meeting again last summer. Sakai says they had their formal yuinou (exchange of engagement gifts) in January and plan to hold a wedding and reception in the autumn. She also says that she is not pregnant and plans to continue her career. When she was based in New York in 2004, Sakai was romantically linked with New York Yankees baseball star Matsui Hideki (33), who got married in March.

• While such happy news is no surprise for such beauties, the announcement from comedienne Minowa Haruka (28) that she finally has a boyfriend came out of the blue. The lanky half of duo Harisenbon, whose comedy is largely based around their physical unattractiveness, Minowa revealed on a variety show at the weekend that she has been dating an assistant TV director for about six months.

• Singer Izumiya Shigeru (60) is already regretting his decision to give a marathon all-night concert in the autumn. Meeting the press before a show in Tokyo yesterday, his birthday, he wore the red “chanchanko” clothes traditional worn to commemorate the landmark occasion. He joked that he was having second thoughts about the October “60×60” show at Zepp Tokyo in which he has said he will perform 60 songs.

Prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence for disgraced actor Haga Kenji (46) at the Osaka District Court yesterday. In the ongoing trial that began in February, Haga is accused of attempted blackmail and fraud of over ¥370 million. Also on trial is former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (53), for whom prosecutors are seeking a four-year sentence. Both defendants have pleaded innocent. Haga, real name Toma Mikio, once again turned on the waterworks, shedding tears as he has done at most of the hearings over the last few months. But prosectors said he has shown no sign of repentance and there is no room for taking extenuating circumstances into consideration. The case dates back to 2001, when Haga sold an acquaintance shares in a medical consultancy business at three times their value. When the company went bankrupt in 2006 and the man came looking for his money back, Haga enlisted the help of Watanabe and others. Using threats of violence and worse, they coerced the man into forgiving the debt for a small repayment of ¥10 million. The court’s verdict will be handed down on July 15.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

The latest trial of rock musician Okamura Yasuyuki (45), who already has two convictions for the use of stimulant drugs, began at the Tokyo District Court yesterday. He was arrested in February for the use of the drugs at his Shinjuku, Tokyo home and is likely to face prison time for a third drug-related offense. Prosecutors are looking for a sentence of two and a half years, while lawyers for the defendant asked for leniency. The court will hand down a verdict on May 8. The singer, whose heyday was in the late 1980s, likes to invite comparisons with Prince and prides himself on his dancing and ability to play multiple instruments.

Singer Akko (35) was joined on stage by her ex-husband at an anniversary concert yesterday. She and Kobayashi Takeshi (48), along with guitarist Fujii Kenji (39), debuted as My Little Lover on May 1, 1995 and went on to release 21 singles and 11 albums with combined sales of almost 12 million. The pair were married for twelve years and have two children but divorced on New Year’s Day. “MaiRaba”, as the band became popularly known, has been Akko’s solo project for some time, though she remains with the management agency run by Kobayashi and they are clearly still on friendly terms. Yesterday’s concert was the first time for them to share a stage in almost 4 years. Since before their divorce, Kobayashi has been romantically linked with singer Hitoto You (31).

• Popular singer Anri (46) announced this week on her blog that she and American guitarist Lee Ritenour (56) have broken off their engagement. She says, “I still intend to continue my music activities at my own pace.” The two, both divorcees, announced their engagement in May 2005, and Anri has a house in Los Angeles. An insider said the break-up came because Ritenour, known as “Captain Fingers,” wouldn’t make the commitment on getting married.

• It’s the end for Coconut Musume. The group of five Hawaiian-born idols was formed in 1999 as part of the Hello! Project that grew from the success of Morning Musume. But after many member changes, the only one left since 2004 has been Ayaka (26). She announced on her website yesterday that she is leaving the Project to become an actress.

• A group of 23 celebrities performed a concert at the Four Seasons hotel in Tokyo yesterday to raise awareness of the fight against cancer. Led by talento Yamada Kuniko (47), one of several members who have spoken about their battle with cancer, the group call themselves the “Star Mixed Chorus.” Other members include singer Kobayashi Sachiko (54), actress Baisho Chieko (66), commentator Torigoe Shuntaro (68) and fashion designer Koshino Junko (68). The group plan to perform about once a month.

• Singer-songwriter Aiko (32) is to provide one of the theme songs for the upcoming movie finale to the popular TBS drama series “Hana Yori Dango.” Her bittersweet ballad has been provisionally named “Tsukushi’s Theme”, named after the heroine again played by Inoue Mao (21). The movie’s main theme is “One Love” by Arashi, whose Matsumoto Jun (24) again plays her love interest Domyoji Tsukasa. The movie opens on June 28.