The media were even more keen than usual to cover the final qualifying for the 2005 Miss Universe Japan beauty pageant. The reason was the participation of Nishimura Miho (23), girlfriend of Livedoor president Horie Takafumi (32), whose battle with Fuji TV for control of radio broadcaster NBS has been all over the media for the last few months. But due to the increased attention, pageant organizers restricted media access. And the end result? Former Kirin Beer poster girl Nishimura failed to qualify.
• March 8 was designated “Samba no Hi” at Tokyo Dome as actor Matsudaira Ken (51) continued to milk the popularity of his “Matsuken Samba” boom. The actor best known for his TV drama role as the Abarenbo Shogun has undergone a huge transformation since his divorce from actress Daichi Mao at the end of 2003. Dressed in a sparkling lame gold kimono and samurai makeup, he’s now strutting his stuff on his first ever national concert tour. His “gyara” or appearance fee, has reportedly increased from ¥5 million to ¥8 million a pop.