Ditzy pop star Kahara Tomomi (photo, 30) not only spells her name differently (it used to be Kahala) but is with a new record company and back in the charts. Her latest single “Kimi ga Ireba,” with Universal Music, entered the Oricon singles chart at No.15, her 23rd chart entry. It is the first cover of a Korean song to make the charts in 21 years. Kahara has had an up and down career that peaked under the Svengali-like eye of producer Komuro Tetsuya in the mid-90s. The two also had a brief romance, and the breakup led Kahara to problems with her weight, sleeping pills and a rumored suicide attempt.
• Actress Mizuno Maki (34) is four months pregnant, a funny coincidence as she plays a pregnant woman in the latest series of the TBS police drama “Kochira Motoikegami-sho” that starts next Monday. She married LDP politician Gotoda Masazumi (35) in March.