Actor Kurata Yasuaki (57), who has appeared in something like 60 Hong Kong action movies, announced that plans for filming there in May have been cancelled due to the ongoing SARS scare. There have been no officially reported cases in Japan yet, though there are ‘rumors’.
• Sony Music duo Exceed (Iksi:d?) have broken up. I never heard of them but the news sites say they were popular, so… Made up of guitarist Kimura Ryo (28) and vocalist Kodama Kyo (23), they debuted in 1999 and had a hit with “I Will” the following year. Both members plan to pursue solo careers.