Japanese horror directors really are the hot ticket in Tinseltown! Tom Cruise (42) is producing a Hollywood remake of the Thai horror flick “The Eye” and has picked Japanese director Nakata Hideo (photo, 43) to take the helm. Nakata’s “The Ring 2”, a US remake of his 1999 hit, made No.1 in the US box office during its recent opening weekend, bringing in $36 million. This follows the US success last year of Shimizu Takashi’s remake of his own horror film, The Ju-on. Nakata is credited with starting the current horror boom in Japanese cinema, in particular with Ringu (The Ring) and its sequel, as well as “Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara” (Dark Water, 2002). The latter is also being remade in the US, starring Jennifer Connelly.
• Popular singer Kuraki Mai (22) was one of 2,100 students who graduated from Ritsumeikan University yesterday. Dressed in a pale blue kimono, she said “It all passed so quickly. I had exams at the same time as concert tours, and I couldn’t join in club activities. But I made it, thanks to my friends.”