Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) has won the Oscar for best animated feature. The 2001 movie, directed by Miyazaki Hayao was described as a rare and deep animated movie, of the type that comes along only once every 50 years.
• Taira Tetsuo (56), former president of the Rising Production Co. talent agency, was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 30 months in jail. The company has since been renamed Freegate Promotion.
It’s been a busy time for actress Uchiyama Rina (22). In her debut movie “Sotsugyo” (Graduation), which just opened, she gets romantically entangled with a father she hasn’t seen in twenty years. In the popular TV series “Good Luck”, which just finished last night, she played an ANA flight attendant flying the friendly skies with SMAP member Kimura Takuya (30). And she also appeared in the recent NHK Taiga drama “Musashi.” In each case, she worked alongside actor Tsutsumi Shinichi (38), who plays her father in the movie. “He’s very open and honest,” she said, “but not my type!”
