Monthly Archives: June 2005

The latest Japanese movie to get the Hollywood treatment is “Sengoku Jieitai 1549,” directed by Tezuka Masaaki and starring Eguchi Yosuke (37) and currently on release here in Japan. The Hollywood version is to be titled “Samurai Commando Mission 1549” and is the brainchild of “Lethal Weapon” producer Jenny Lew Tugend. It will have scenes added, as well as beefed up music and special effects. It will also be made easier to understand for those without a background in Japanese medieval period history. The “sengoku” of the Japanese title refers to the so-called “warring period” when the country was wracked by civil wars before being unified in the Edo Period. The movie tells of a timeslip, with a platoon of modern-day self defense personnel transported back to feudal times. The current movie is itself basically a remake of the 1979 classic “Sengoke Jieitai” (G.I. Samurai), that starred “Sonny” Chiba Shinichi. The original version has drawn a lot of international interest and contracts have been signed for 31 countries, breaking the record of 30 held by “Ringu.”

• And speaking of remakes, “War of the Worlds” is off to a flying start. The Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise blockbuster opened yesterday – a Wednesday opening is very rare – and pulled in over ¥400 million on its first day. It’s predicted to clear ¥10 billion easily. The only previous major Hollywood flick to open mid-week was “Matrix Revolutions” in 2003. That was an all-nighter, but it still only drew ¥16 million on day one. Before the screening of WotW, there was a sneak preview of Peter ‘Lord of the Rings’ Jackson’s latest, “King Kong,” with a recorded message for his fans in Japan. The giant gorilla is scheduled to hit Japanese screens in December.

Actor Hagiwara Kenichi (54) was found guilty yesterday at the Tokyo District Court on charges of attempted blackmail. He was handed down an 18-month prison sentence, as sought by prosecutors, though it was suspended for three years. Though he earlier challenged the charges, he said by fax that he will abide by the verdict and will not lodge an appeal. “Shoken” was kicked off a movie project last summer and later allegedly made telephone threats against producers, demanding he be paid his full fee of ¥18 million and dropping the name of a yakuza organization. He was arrested at his home four and a half months ago, with TV cameras capturing the scene. He made his name as vocalist of the “group sounds” band The Tempters back in the 1960s. He became a popular TV actor in the early 1970s. He was arrested for drug possession in 1983 and again for drunk driving in 1984.

• Veteran actor Matsumura Tatsuo died of heart failure on June 18, it was revealed yesterday. He was 90. he had been admitted to a Tokyo hospital with breathing difficulties on June 10. A rugby player in his youth, his vigor had allowed him to continue acting until quite recently. But he will be best remembered for his role as Oi-chan, which he played five times in the long-running movie series “Otoko Wa Tsurai Yo.” He also appeared in “Mada Dayo” directed by the late Kurosawa Akira. He is survived by his wife and son.

• Singer-songwriter Tanimura Yumi (36) announced yesterday that she gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, on June 21. She married Nihon McDonalds Holdings CEO Harada Eikou (55) in 2002 – he was head of Apple Computer Japan at the time.

Southern All Stars have set a new record by having 44 singles on the Oricon chart at the same time. Yes, that’s 44 singles out of the Top 100! The previous record was held by Matsutoya Yumi, who had 16 singles in the chart in July 1989. SAS re-released every single between their 1978 debut “Katte ni Sinbad” and 2000’s “Tsunami,” and the highest ranked was “Body Special II” at No.18. Only 2 singles by other artists made it to slots between #18 and #63. “Tsunami,” which made #20, has now reached total sales of 2.92 million copies, putting in third place all time. SAS timed the multiple release to fall on the 27th anniversary of their debut. They will release their 51st single “Bohbo No.5” on July 20.

• Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) and actress Takeuchi Yuko (25) announced via their agencies yesterday that they recently tied the knot. Nakamura is said to have registered their marriage at the local municipal office on June 25, an auspicious “taian” day in the traditional Japanese calendar. Takeuchi is expecting a baby within the year.

• Ken, guitarist with popular rock band L’Arc En Ciel, revealed on a radio show that he broke a toe while playing basketball during filming of a promotion video earlier this month.

• “A,” the NTV variety show hosted by popular newscaster Kume Hiroshi (60) has come to an embarrassing end after just 3 months on the air. The cancellation of the show had already been announced, but the final edition still managed only a 6.7% audience rating, despite its prime Sunday 8pm time slot. The show tried to use the Internet and other modern ideas to create a show based around an Asian theme.

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) is having a very good year. Not only has he announced his engagement to the beautiful actress Takeuchi Yuko (25), who’s going to have his child within the year, but he is also going to make his international movie debut. He is lined up to star alongside Jet Li (42) in a Chinese film provisionally titled “Fearless.” To be diected by Ronnie Yu, the movie is the story of Fok Yuen Gap, a true Chinese hero who was also the inspiration for Bruce Lee’s 1972 classic “Fist of Fury.” Set for a 2006 release, it will be produced by Bill Kong, the man behind 2000’s Academy Award nominee “Green Destiny.” Nakamura is the grandson of the late Yorozuya Kinnosuke, one of the legends of post-war Japanese cinema who appeared in some 150 movies. He made his debut in the 2002 comedy “Ping Pong” (photo). Nakamura, who will play the hero’s Japanese opponent Tanaka, says he follows his grandfather’s advice to act from the heart rather than the head.

• Pop diva Matsuda Seiko (43) announced at the weekend that the last date in her 25th anniverary “Fairy” tour will be in Taiwan. The August 20 show in will be her first concert overseas. Her stage show will require 20 11-ton trucks to ship everything from Japan. Meanwhile, it was also announced that she will sing the theme song for the Japanese version of the new Nicole Kidman movie. “I’ll Fall in Love” , the theme for the Norah Ephron version of the classic 60s TV comedy “Bewitched,” goes on sale on August 24.

• Record label Avex held its 6th annual shareholders meeting/concert at the Tokyo International Forum on Sunday. Five of the label’s star acts performed, including its biggest earner Hamasaki Ayumi (25). She performed her new single “Fairyland,” which goes on sale on August 3. Others appearing were globe, one of the biggest groups of the 90s and fronted by Komuro Tetsuya (46), Otsuka Ai (22) and Suzuki Ami (23).

Some details are in about the Japanese leg of the upcoming Live8 gigs. The venue and date have been confirmed as the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba on Saturday, July 2, from 2-8pm. This will actually make it the first of the concerts worldwide to kick off. The biggest international name in the lineup that we’ve seen is Bjork and she’ll be joined by rockers McFly from the UK and Good Charlotte from the US. Otherwise, it will be mostly local bands like Dreams Come True, Rize and Def Tech. Admission is free, so I can’t imagine that attendance will be as low as the projected 20,000 people. Live8 is a series of concerts put together to raise awarenes of world poverty. It’s been organized by former Boomtown Rats frontman (now Sir) Bob Geldof, who put together the massive Live Aid shows in 1985, the day that rock changed the world. The timing has been chosen to fall before a summit of G-8 leaders at Gleneagles in Scotland on July 6. A Tokyo concert wasn’t originally planned, but Geldof hopes it will help prod the Japanese government to increase its development aid to poorer nations, as EU governments recently have.

• Could actress Sugita Kaoru’s fairytale be coming to an end? For the last few years, she’s been the butt of jokes as a typical unmarriable type of woman, sarcastically referred to in Japanese as “make-inu” (loser dog). So her marriage in January to Ayukawa Junta, the 44-year old heir of a huge family fortune, had many people gaping in disbelief, but also happy for the 40-year old former child star (photo) whose life and career has had its ups and downs. This week the media have pounced on rumors that the couple might already be living apart. Sugita refused to answer questions as she left Shinjuku’s Studio Alta after appearing on the “Waratte Ii Tomo” afternoon show. But reporters noticed that she wasn’t wearing the flashy diamond wedding ring she had showed off so proudly just a few months ago.

Actress Hirosue Ryoko (photo, 24) made her first public appearance in 18 months yesterday. The last time she appeared before the media was to announced her wedding to designer-model Okazawa Takahiro (29) in December 2003. She was also several months pregnant at the time. Yesterday’s event was to promote the upcoming Fuji TV Monday night drama series “Slow Dance.” Hirosue, who seems to have lost quite a bit of weight, will star alongside popular actors Tsumabuki Satoshi (24), Fujiki Naoto (32) and Koizumi Kotaro (26, son of the prime minister). Popular weather girl Kobayashi Mao (22) will make her dramatic debut in the series.

• Pop group SMAP are to have the first simultaneous single/album release in their 14-year career. The group are aiming to be just the 6th act to reach the top of both the singles and album Oricon charts at the same time with the July 27 releases. The album “Sample Bang!” will be sold as part of a 3-CD set that includes one disc of solo songs and one of remixes of some of their hits. SMAP embark on a 21-date national tour on July 30.

• Pop duo Kiroro are to have a joint wedding ceremony in the autumn. Vocalist Tamashiro Chiharu (27) and pianist Kinjou Ayano (27), both got married in the spring. Tamashiro got hitched in April and Kinjou was three months pregnant when she married a 31-year old restaurant “producer” in May. They plan to hold the joint ceremony in their hometown of Naha in Okinawa after finishing a concert tour. They’ll release a new single, “Ikite Koso” (Alive) on July 6 and a new album in December.

Studio Ghibli is moving into the music business. Famous for such anime classics as “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke,” the studio is producing the single “Dore Dore no Uta” by singer-songwriter Haigou Meiko (27). Haigou has written several ditties for TV commercials, and a clip from her latest song was used in a Yomiuri Shimbun TV commercial in the spring. It became very popular among young kids, who liked its simple melody. Ghibli producer Suzuki Toshio (60) says he sees the decline in CD sales as foreshadowing what could happen in the anime world. The studio’s venture into a new business area is an effort to keep up with emerging trends. He’s hoping the single, which goes on sale July 6, will be a million-seller and has already hinted at plans for a follow up.

• A couple of stars from yesteryear are reviving memories of a time 18 years ago. Former idol singer Minamino Yoko (38) is celebrating her 20th year in show business and plans to release a new version of her 1987 hit “Haikara-san ga Tohru.” Widely known as Nanno, the popular singer recently released a compilation CD & DVD box set of her 80s hits. And the 50th anniversary of late actor-singer Ishihara Yujiro’s (photo) 1954 debut sees the release of a whole range of merchandise. Japan’s biggest superstar of the 1950s and 60s, a collection of all his No.1 singles is being compared to similar albums of Beatles and Elvis hits that have sold well in recent years. In a historic first, the album will be on sale at post offices across the country, along with a set of commemorative postage stamps featuring jacket covers of some of his biggest hits. On July 17, the anniversary of his death in 1987, the biopic drama that ran on TV Asahi for five nights last autumn is also to be released on DVD, together with a couple of his early film posters. Although the box set goes for a whopping ¥42,000, advance orders have already reached the 5,000 mark.

Popular duo Kinki Kids have released their 21st single, and guess what? Yes, it’s yet another No.1. “Bilodo no Yami” (Velvet Darkness) makes 21 out of 21 since their debut, extending their existing Guinness world record. It also ties them for 5th in terms of total No.1’s with pop diva Nakamori Akina (39). As the Johnny’s Jimusho duo, Domoto Koichi and Domoto Tsuyoshi (no relation), are both still only 26, they should be setting records for some time to come.

• In a related story, a ground-breaking collaboration between Fuji TV and Disney was announced yesterday. In a world first for Disney, they will jointly produce a live-action TV show with Fuji. “Hoshi ni Negai wo” (Wish Upon a Star) will air on August 26, and will star Domoto Tsuyoshi as Ohira Takayuki (35), the engineer who developed the Mega Star mobile planitarium for home use. Other names lined up for the project include Yuka (24), Osgugi Ren (53) and Japan’s first astronaut, Mori Mamoru (57). The project has been 3 years in the making and a Fuji producer described it as like a fantasy version of the Touchstone movie “Pretty Woman.” Disney gave Fuji permission to use any songs from its extensive lineup of animation soundtracks. Filming starts on June 27.

• Meanwhile, on top of the album chart is another record breaker. Oda Kazumasa (57) is the oldest artist to top the Oricon chart, beating his own record set with the 2002 release of a greatest hits album. With “Soukana” he’s also the first artist over 50 to reach No.1 with an original album.

• Comedian Golgo Matsumoto (38) of the duo TIM is planning to marry a 37-year old aromatherapist. Named only as Y-san, she is an old high school classmate and the couple met for the first time in 18 years at a school reunion last summer. They hope to get married this summer, or by the end of the year at the latest.

• NHK recently held a PR event for next year’s “taiga” period drama. The leading roles in the yearlong “Koumyo ga Tsuji” will be played by Nakama Yukie (25), who has helped several TV series reach the top of the rankings, and Kamikawa Takaya (40). No doubt, NHK are hoping her popularity will help rescue its floundering viewer numbers. As usual, the tired cast formula also includes the odd comedian, sports star and other attempts to draw fans of all types. Oh, and one or two people who can actually act, too.

The Kume Hiroshi-hosted NTV variety show “A” is on the rocks. The veteran newscaster made his comeback on this show in the spring after last year’s departure from the popular News Station, which he anchored for 18 years. But the Asian-themed show came at the wrong time, with relations between Japan and its closest neighbors, South Korea, North Korea and China all being at a low ebb. The Sunday evening show has had very poor ratings, only barely breaking 10% once in its first ten editions. Kume (photo, 60) is still popular enough that he can and should do much better, so he and the show’s sponsors have decided to call it quits. The show will go off the air at the end of this month.

• “Ima Ai ni Yukimasu,” last year’s hit love story that sparked a real-life romance between its stars, is to have a Hollywood makeover. “Daredevil” and “Alias” star Jennifer Garner (33) is to play the role portrayed by Takeuchi Yuko (25) in the original. She is said to have enjoyed the January screening in LA of a subtitled version so much that she approached Warner Brothers with the idea of a remake. No mention yet of who will direct the project or take the Nakamura Shido (32) male lead, but Garner’s fiance Ben Affleck has to be considered a candidate. Nakamura and Takeuchi announced their engagement in May and were to register their marriage this month. Meanwhile, the DVD version of the Japanese original goes on sale this week.

• Korean actor Bae Yong Joon (32) was hospitalized on June 19, right afterhe finished filming on his latest movie. Hugely popular in Japan, where he is known simply as “Yon-sama,” the star is said to have given his all on the last day on the set of “April Snow”. He collapsed from exhaustion shortly after returning to his home and was taken to a Seoul hospital.

Actress Okina Megumi (photo, 25) has denied rumors of a split with her new husband. She married Fujita Susumu (32), the president of IT company Cyber Agent, last year but there have been media rumors that the marriage may be on the rocks already. Appearing at a PR event for visiting Taiwanese theatre group, she said their relationship is just fine.

• The modest movie “Mura no Shashinshu” (Village Photo Album) and its lead actor Fuji Tatsuya (63) have taken the major awards at the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival. Directed by Mihara Mitsuhiro (41), the movie tells of a mountain village which is to be lost as part of a dam project, a story familiar to many in China.

• This is the time of year when companies nationwide hold their annual shareholder meetings. And showbusiness is no exception. Hori Pro, one of the biggest talent agencies, held its meeting yesterday in Tokyo. It was followed by an event hosted by comedy duo Summers and talento Hirayama Aya (21), attended by about a quarter of the over 4,000 shareholders together with family and friends.

• Oricon is the first music business-related company in Japan to offer free access to blogs written by famous stars and industry insiders. The new service is launched today: Oricon Blog site