Category Archives: Entertainment News

Top British actor Gary Oldman (50) has been in Tokyo for the last few days filming location scenes for the movie “Rain Fall.” A Japanese adaptation of the first book in the John Rain series by thriller writer Barry Eisler, the movie stars Shiina Kippei (43) in the title role of the Japanese-American assassin. At a pre-production event at the Toei Studio in Higashi Oizumi yesterday, Shiina said he could hardly believe he was working alongside an actor that he admired so much. They talked about scenes they shot in city locations such as Ginza and Shinjuku as Oldman’s character, CIA nemesis William Holtzer, pursues Rain through the capital. Also attending yesterday’s event were actress Hasegawa Kyoko (29), actor Emoto Akira (59) and director Max Mannix. The movie is scheduled to open during Golden Week next year.

Singer Saiji Hideki (53) found himself drowned out by the noise of Shibuya yesterday. On a rooftop in the popular Center-gai shopping street, he was taking part in a publicity stunt for online dating site Match.com. Due to the 20m height of the roof and the usual high noise level, only a few passersby even noticed that someone was “shouting out love” from the rooftops, and almost no one realized it was one of Japan’s top stars (yes, he is in the photo!). The gathered TV cameras and reporters were enough to cause a crowd to form, blocking the street. But the “guerilla” stunt didn’t have police approval and the authorities moved in and issued a stern warning to Media Concierge, the company that staged the event. Saying that he’d had a bad feeling about the event from the start, Saijo referred to a similar stunt in Shibuya by Go Hiromi back in 1999 that led to six people being prosecuted. He added that his fear of heights had made yesterday’s experience even worse. He never even got past the intro of his famous hit, a cover of the disco classic “YMCA.”

• Young actress Kuroki Meisa (19) has been romantically linked with handsome musician Ken, according to today’s issue of weekly magazine “Friday.” The two are said to have got together in New York, where Ken is based and he was recently spotted spending the night at Kuroki’s Tokyo apartment. He and his American musical partner perform as the unit 2Soul and have created hits for artists such as Hirahara Ayaka (24) and Ai (26).

Former idol singer Goto Yuuki (21) was sentenced to time in prison by the Tokyo District Court yesterday. The judge handed down a sentence of five and a half years – prosecutors had sought eight years – for robbery and assault. Goto and two teenage associates were arrested last autumn after robbing construction materials from a Tokyo site on several occasions last year. In announcing the verdict, the judge said, “As the accused committed repeated crimes for fun and financial gain, motivated by selfishness and greed, there is no room for lenience.” He added that Goto was “the ringleader, central to both the planning and the execution of the crimes.” In one case a security guard was beaten and suffered a broken nose. Goto was charged with that assault, though he insisted that one of his accomplices did it. In addressing this, the judge said, “The accused’s attitude is one of avoiding responsibility and as such he can’t be said to have sufficiently repented.” The younger brother of former Morning Musume member Goto Maki (22), Yuuki was briefly a member of the pop duo EE Jump back in 2001 but was suspended when caught drinking while underage. He later married – his wife was pregnant at the time – and they are expecting their third child in July. She was in the courtroom gallery with Goto’s mother yesterday and he gave them a smile after judgment was handed down.

• Actress Miyazaki Masumi (40) has been divorced since last November, she reveals in today’s issue of women’s magazine “Fujin Kouron.” She and her TV cameraman husband (54) married in Las Vegas in 1994 and, with their two children, lived in Los Angeles and Hawaii until Miyazaki returned to work in Japan in 2005. That led to tensions in the marriage and later that year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Miyazaki debuted in 1983 and appeared in the popular “Bebop High School” movie series from 1985-88. Her career has also included soft porn movies and nude photo books.

• Avex held a party at the Cannes International Film Festival yesterday to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The company has recently been expanding beyond its usual music base into movies, and actress Takaoka Saki (34) was on hand for the announcement that she is to appear in a movie produced by Hollywood star Danny Glover. “The hariyama Bridge” is a joint U.S.-Japan production and is to be premiered at Cannes next year. The party also featured, among others, actor Oshio Manabu (30) and singer Suzuki Ami (26), and performances from Kyoto geisha Katsuno and shodo (calligraphy) artist Kaneda Sekijo.

Comedian and talento Shimada Yoshichi (58) is to direct the latest movie adaptation of his best-selling autobiography “Saga no Gabai Baachan.” He announced at a pre-production event yesterday that he has lined up a pair of top stars to appear in his directorial debut: talento Shimada Shinsuke (52) as his inspirational school teacher, and Miyazaki prefectural governor Higashikokubaru Hideo (50) as a post office worker. Both are close friends since the early 80s when they were among the pioneers of the manzai (stand up comedy) boom. In his heyday as one half of the manzai duo B&B, Yoshichi was said to earn over ¥100 million a month. But he never lost touch with his impoverished roots, growing up in postwar Hiroshima. He lost his father to radiation sickness and spent his youth with his grandmother in Saga Prefecture, a period that became the basis of not just one but a series of books. The stories have previously been adapted to the manga, stage play, TV drama and movie formats.

• Actor Hosaka Naoki (40) is to appear on a live afternoon show today with the new love of his life. Hosaka, who was married to a Ginza hostess and later to actress Takaoka Saki (36), is now dating former talento Ishikawa Kanoko (29) and they will appear together on the NTV show “Houdou Miyaneya.” Hosaka revealed last year that he lost both parents to suicide when he was just seven years old.

• TBS announced yesterday that they are to air a TV drama adaptation of last autumn’s hit movie “Koizora.” They are currently auditioning for the lead roles played by Aragaki Yui (19) and Miura Haruma (18), whose careers got a huge boost from the movie’s success. It made over ¥3.9 billion at the box office. The story was originally created as a “keitai shosetsu”, or a novel written on a mobile phone. The new drama will air in the Saturday night slot currently occupied by the baseball drama “Rookies.”

Popular “charisma” model Oshikiri Moe (28) has been dating Yomiuri Giants star Nomaguchi Takahiko (24) for the last three years, it was revealed yesterday. They first met in the autumn of 2004, when the right-handed pitcher joined the Giants as a free agent from the Shidax corporate league team, and started dating about a year later. They’ve been through one break-up in the meantime but getting their relationship back on course helped Nomaguchi get back into the Giants’ starting rotation last autumn. Known as a “charisma” model, Oshikiri has been the cover girl for fashion magazines “CanCam” and “AneCan” for several years and is also one of several fashion models who have become regulars on variety shows and TV commercials.

• Actor Mizutani Yutaka (55) has a Top 10 album for the first time in more than 30 years. As we reported here yesterday, he recently released “Time Capsule,” an album of self-covers of songs he released back in the late-1970s to late-80s. The album entered the latest Oricon chart at No. 2, Mizutani’s highest-ever ranking. The gap of 30 years and 8 months since his eponymous album entered the Top 10 is a new record, beating the 27-year, 8-month gap for the group Carol. meanwhile, one spot above him at No.1 is “Superfly” from the group of the same name. And Johnny’s Jimusho idol group KAT-TUN are on top of the singles chart with “Don’t U Ever Stop.”

• Actress Tanaka Minako (40) gave birth to her first child last week, she announced yesterday. The baby girl was born by Caesarean and a month early, to coincide with the birthday of her father, actor Okada Taro (34). Tanaka plans to return to work in the summer.

• The guitar-playing brothers Hirakawachi Ichoume are splitting up. The duo, made up of Hayashi Ryunosuke (20) and his younger brother Naojiro (17), announced that they will break up after their upcoming concert tour in August as Naojiro plans to enter university. The pair from Sado Island made a big splash with their debut single “Tokyo” in 2003. They only this week revealed for the first time why they became professional musicians – it was in an effort to find their mother, who had disappeared with their youngest brother. Ryunosuke says he plans to take time to think about his future, while Naojiro will continue his acting career, and is appearing alongside Koizumi Kyoko in the movie “GuuGuu Datte Neko de Aru,” set for release in September.

One of the country’s most popular and successful pop bands are taking an extended break. Though they have a series of big events lined up to commemorate their 30th anniversary this year, Southern All Stars will be on a sabbatical of unspecified length from next year. The members all have their own solo projects, with vocalist Kuwata Keisuke as usual being the most visible. But the band plan to release a new single in August, play a series of four shows at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama and otherwise keep fans happy for the rest of this year. The band debuted in 1978 with “Katte ni Sinbad” and have had dozens of hits over the years. They took their first extended break in 1985 and have alternated between band and solo projects ever since. They were reduced from six members to five in 2001 with the departure of guitarist Ohmori Takashi, ironically after having a best-ever year that included their historic 2000 live shows in Kuwata’s hometown of Chigasaki and the release of J-pop’s biggest-ever single “Tsunami,” which sold almost 3 million copies.

• Restaurateur and former comedian Ohshima Naoya (36) and former talento Takeda Kayoko (30) held their wedding ceremony and reception in Tokyo yesterday. Ohshima and Ishimoto Takeshi(34) made up the now defunct comedy group Dronz, who made their name in 1997 on the variety show “Susume! Denpa Shonen” but broke up in 2003. Ohshima now works as an actor and runs a nabe restuarant in the Ebisu district of Tokyo. Takeda is the great-great-granddaughter of Yoshihara Shigetoshi, the first ever governor of the Bank of Japan.

• Actress Suzuki An (21) has returned from her two-month English study trip to New York. Though she says she was reluctant to leave the Big Apple, she is looking forward to her next job. She will begin rehearsals for the stage production “Sisters,” starring Matsu Takako (30), which runs for a month in Tokyo from July 5.

• “20th Century,” the spinoff group from popular Johnny’s Jimusho idol band V6, finished their nationwide tour at the Tokyo International Forum last night. They announced that V6 will go on tour later in the year, starting at Osaka Castle Hall on August 1. They also announced that the new V6 song “Light in Your Heart” is to be the theme tune for the upcoming movie “Daikessen Cho-Ultra 8-Kyodai.” The movie, the latest in the long-running Ultraman superhero series, stars member Nagano Hiroshi (35) and opens in mid-September.

• Actor Mizutani Yutaka (55) is reviving his long-dormant singing career. A familiar face in detective dramas for several decades, he had a string of more than a dozen singles from the late 1970s but hasn’t released an original album since “Simple Man” in 1986. He gave a mini concert at a shopping mall in Kawasaki yesterday to promote “Time Capsule,” a new album of self-covers that was released last week. At one time married to American actress Miki MacKenzie, he is currently married to actress Ito Ran, a former member of the 1970’s idol group Candies. They have one daughter.

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.