Monthly Archives: May 2005

The national PTA conference has released the results of its annual survey of the best and worst TV shows for kids. The survey ranks the shows that parents don’t want their kids to watch, and the lineup is much the same as last year. Top of the list is TV Asahi’s “London Hearts,” which features comedy duo London Boots exposing the immorality of Japan’s youth and getting lots of belly laughs in the process. Second was a personal favorite of mine, “Sui10!” named after its time slot of 10pm on Wednesday on Fuji TV. Also known as “One Night Rock n’ Roll” the hugely popular comedy show features a host of outlandish characters and often mayhem. Ranked third was TV Asahi anime tyke “Crayon Shinchan,” the 5-year old whose antics include dropping his pants and lusting after older women. Most of the other shows in the Top 10 were variety. Needless to say, many of the shows parents do want their kids to watch are the very ones they’re least likely to enjoy. NHK had four of the Top 10, and none in the other ranking. Most kids would rather do their homework than watch news and documentaries, but TBS travel shows like “Sekai Fushigi Hakken” (#9) and “Sekai Ururun Taizaiki” (#10) are pretty good. The parents’ favorite was NHK’s documentary “Project X”, followed by the “Doubutsu Kisoutengai!” animal show and long running “3-nen B-kumi Kimpachi Sensei” school drama, both on TBS.

• Popular band Southern All Stars are to play this summer’s 6th Rock in Japan festival, the biggest outdoor event in the country. It will be held at the Hitachi Waterfront Park in Ibaragi on August 5-7, and will be Sazan’s first outdoor festival performance since they played at the Seibu Stadium Super Fest 22 years ago. The band have a big few months ahead of them – they will release their 51st singles on July 20 and start a 21-show nationwide tour in the autumn.

Several Japanese films have received offers for foreign distribution at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival, including the latest movie starring young Yagira Yuya (photo, 15), who took the festival by surprise last year by becoming the youngest ever Best Actor award winner for his role in “Dare mo Shiranai” (Nobody Knows). In “Hoshi ni Natta Shonen” (Little Randy and Shining Boy) he takes on the real-life role of Sakamoto Tetsumu, who went to Thailand to become an elephant trainer. After returning to build an elephant park in Japan, he was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 20. The movie is based on a book by Sakamoto’s mother. With a music score by Academy Award-winning composer Sakamoto Ryuichi, there is already talk of an Oscar nomination for Yagira. Another film receiving offers from more than a dozen countries is “Ima Ai ni Yukimasu” which stars kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) and Takeuchi Yuko (25), who announced their wedding engagement just this month.

• It was revealed yesterday that talento and former NTV announcer Uozumi Rie (33) and Mori Keisuke (26), currently with the network, have divorced. The couple married on New Year’s Day 2004, eight months after they started working together on an afternoon show. Uozumi quit NTV last April and went freelance, working in radio, narration and TV commercials. Mori is in his fifth year at NTV, considered to be the hardest time.

• Kabuki actor Matsumoto Koshiro (62) has been recognized by the province of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain for his more than 1,000 performances over 36 years as Don Quixote in the stage musical “The Man from La Mancha.” Matsumoto was handed the award by his daughter, actress Matsu Takako (27), who is also currently appearing in the show in Nagoya. Koshiro will give his 2,000 performance at the Imperial Theater in Tokyo in June.

Popular TBS announcer Ando Hiroki (37) is engaged to marry talento Kawahata Yuka (29). “Andy” has something of a reputation as a ladies’ man and has been connected with a host of female celebrities. But he is said to have seen Kawahata as a marriage partner almost straight after they started dating a year or so ago. The pair first met in 1998, when Kawahata was a guest reporter on the TBS “Sekai Fushigi Hakken” travel documentary show. They plan to get married in the autumn.

• The Tokyo apartment of singer Hirai Ken (33) was broken into on May 13 and his personal computer was stolen, according to police. He returned home about 2:30am to find a window broken and called the police. The break-in happened the night of a live show that Hirai held in Harajuku to mark the tenth anniversary of his live debut. He started a national tour yesterday in his hometown of Iga in Mie Prefecture.

• Actress Sakai Wakana (24) admitted yesterday that she and comedian Kajiwara Yuuta (24) are an item. The couple were spotted together recently at a baseball game at Tokyo Dome by a weekly gossip magazine. Kajiwara is one half of the manzai duo King Kong.

• Mariah Carey (35) has been announced as a last-minute addition to the lineup for the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2005. The event will be held at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall on May 29. Carey was in Japan just two months ago to promote her latest album. Also planned for the MTV event is a new dance number by Gorie, the outlandish cross-dressing character created by comedian Gori (32).

This year’s figures for the tax bills paid by the rich and famous in Japan have just been released. Topping the list in the showbiz world for the first time since 1999 is singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru. At the tender age of 22, she forked over almost ¥365 million in taxes, on income that was just a regular office worker’s salary shy of ¥1 billion. Utada moved up from the No.5 spot last year largely thanks to sales of her greatest hits album “Single Collection Vol.1,” which has shifted over 2.5 million copies, and her US debut album “Exodus” which sold about 1.3 million copies at home and abroad. But she was the only celebrity to make the national Top 100, coming in at No.75. Her parents didn’t do too badly, either. Her father and producer Utada Teruzane coughed up ¥67 million in taxes, while her mother, herself a former pop singer, got a bill for just under ¥60 million. The nation’s top taxpayer was an employee at an investment advisory firm, who paid an unbelievable ¥3.7 billion yen in income tax. Consider that these are just their tax bills and that the average salaried worker earns about ¥5 million a year.

• Other stars moving up the tax rankings include: SMAP leader and 2002 top earner Nakai Masahiro (32) earned over ¥500 million, largely thanks to lots of endorsements and 9 regular TV shows, and had a bill of almost ¥190 million; actor Watanabe Ken, now based in Hollywood, more than doubled his tax bill to just under ¥50 million; Ichise Takashige, producer of the movie “The Juon,” a Hollywood remake of the hit horror flick, paid out about ¥42 million; veteran director Yamada Yoji (73) paid just under ¥40 million thanks to the success of his recent samurai movies such as “The Twilight Samurai.” .

Filming started at the weekend on the 16th episode in the “Tsuri Baka” (Fishing Fool) movie series. Starring regulars Nishida Toshiyuki (57) as the happy-go-lucky salaryman “Hama-chan” and Mikuni Rentarou (82) as his boss, the latest movie also features hot actress Itoh Misaki (27) in the so-called “madonna” role and Kaneko Noboru (25) as her romantic interest. The movie is set in Nagasaki, Kaneko’s hometown. It is also close to the Sasebo US naval base, and making his acting debut as a US serviceman is up-and-coming Nigerian talento Bobby Ologun (32). The gormless Ologun was a regular on the “Sanma no Super Karakuri TV” variety show and made his debut as a K-1 fighter last New Year’s Eve. His unexpected victory in that event turned him into a national celebrity and the movie role shows that he’s cashing in on that.

• Popular Fuji TV announcer Sasaki Kyoko (32) married 43-year TBS newscaster Ikeda Hiroyuki yesterday. Both are graduates of the prestigious Tokyo University and have been romantically involved for three years. Sasaki plans to continue her TV career.

Leading Nippon TV (NTV) announcer Fukuzawa Akira (41) said yesterday that he is going to quit the network at the end of June. Though he will become a “free announcer,” he plans to continue with the two NTV shows he currently hosts. Known for his high-tension delivery and catchphrases such as “Fire!” and “Just Meet!” Fukuzawa first made an impact on the TV scene in 1991 when he took over as emcee on the popular show “America Oudan Ultra Quiz.” he said the job had been incredibly tough and he had considered quitting. But overcoming that had prepared him to take on any kind of job. he married a former flight attendant in 1995.

• Japan’s No.1 male vocalist Hirai Ken (33) held a concert yesterday at the Harajuku Ruido venue where he made his live debut on June 8, 10 years ago. The show was attended by just 150 lucky fans selected from 20,000 hopefuls. But it was also broadcast live to 8 big screens on street corners of 5 cities across the country. From next Tuesday he will start a 29-show nationwide tour.

• “The Promise,” a Chinese movie starring Sanada Hiroyuki (44) and Korean actor Jang Dong Gun (33) had its first sneak preview yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival. The 12-minute preview drew applause from over 240 movie critics from 35 countries. The film is scheduled to open in Japan next March. Meanwhile, the Kobayashi Masahiro-directed film “Bashing,” nominated in the competition section, was shown on Thursday but received three stars from only one of the nine judges.

Award-winning actress Terajima Shinobu (32) is to make her first starring appearance in a TV drama series. The series, provisionally titled “Otona no Natsu Yasumi (Adult Summer Vacation) will air on NTV from July 6. The “serious” actress will have comedienne Nakajima Tomoko (33) of the manzai duo Othello alongside her as they portray women running a house by the sea. Terashima was born in Kyoto into the kabuki family of national treasure Onoe Kikugoro and actress Fujii Junko, and grew up in the world of the stage and movies. She has won awards for such movies as 2003’s “Vibrator” and “Akame Shijuyataki Shinju Misui” (Akame 48 Waterfalls). She has appeared, but never starred in, TV dramas, notably the 2003 NHK taiga drama “Musashi.”

• It was revealed yesterday that comedian Nagura Jun (36), of the trio Neptune, and talento Watanabe Marina (34) got married on May 5. The couple announced their engagement last month. Watanabe is a former member of the 80s idol group O-Nyanko Club. Nagura is a Hyogo Prefecture native and decided to delay the announcement following the fatal train crash in Amagasaki on April 25.

• Fujiki Chiho (37), an announcer for Bunka Housou radio, said on air yesterday that she is getting married. She met the 42-year old A-san in January and he proposed at the end of March. They plan to hold a ceremony in July and Fujiki says she will continue working.

Actress Adachi Yumi (photo, 23) may have a new love in her life. Just weeks after the public split from boyfriend Kuroda Arthur (44), Adachi is now seeing Itoda Jun (32) of the comedy duo Speed Wagon, according to the weekly magazine Josei Seven. At a PR event yesterday for an autumn Fuji TV drama series, Adachi described Itoda as a friend, someone she occasionally meets for dinner. In the new drama, she will play a “yankee” (delinquent girl) who battles her father and domestic violence.

• Also rumored to be romantically involved is singer BoA (18). The weekly magazine Friday reports that the Japan-based Korean singer is going out with a 26-year old stylist, and published photos of the couple kissing in Odaiba, a popular waterfront date spot. It is her first romance made public. The popular singer is in the 4th year of a successful career, though she only recently had her first No.1 on the Oricon chart with “Do the Motion”. She is currently in Korea recording her new album, due for release in June.

• Uchi Hiroki (18), a member of the pop groups News and Kan Johnny 8, was admitted to hospital on Monday. The cause is said to be pneumothorax, a condition in which air escapes from the lungs into the chest cavity and compresses the lungs. He has undergone surgery and will need about three weeks to recover. according to the Johnny’s Jimusho agency, he experienced chest pains during his performance in a musical in Osaka on Sunday and went to hospital the following morning. As is the Japanese style, he apologized to his fans for worrying and inconveniencing them.

• Talento Nakayama Hideaki (37) is a father for the third time. His agency announced this week that his wife, former Takarazuka star and talento Shiraki Ayaka (37), gave birth to their third son, whom they’ve named Keigo, on May 6.

• Father and son Tokumitsu Kazuo (63), an announcer, and talento Masayuki (33) are currently making their first TV appearance together. The pair are in the TV commercial for the new album by Kawashima Ai (19). The elder Tokumitsu, a veteran Giants fan known for his ability to cry, is said to be a big fan. He and his son say they have been moved to tears by Kawashima’s latest album, “12-ko no Uta” (12 Songs), which goes on sale today. The singer-songwriter recently played her 1,000th “rojo raibu” (street performance).

Pop duo Puffy will play four shows in Japan in June and tour the US east coast in the autumn. They recently played to 2,000 fans at the legendary Fillmore in San Fransisco on April 27, rounding off their US concert tour, “Hi! Hi! Puffy AmiYumi Rock Show — Go West!!” The duo, Yoshimura Yumi (30) and Ohnuki Ami (31), went to see a SF Giants baseball game the night before the gig and were introduced on the big screen. the following night, they appeared on the popular late-night network show Jimmy Kimmel Live.

• We reported here about the wedding announcement of kabuki and movie actor Nakamura Shido (32) and actress Takeuchi Yuko (25), mentioning that Takeuchi was not pregnant. Well, it turns out she is. Nakamura gave a press conference yesterday at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo’s Ginza. The always ebullient Shido was unusually nervous in front of about 100 media reporters. He said they had decided to register their marriage in June and hoped to have a wedding ceremony within the year. He also revealed that Takeuchi is three months pregnant.

• It was revealed yesterday that comedian Uchimura Teruyoshi (40) and former TV Asahi announced Tokunaga Yumi (29) got married on April 23. According to Uchimura’s agency, the Amagaseki train crash on the morning of April 25, which caused 107 deaths, made the couple decide to delay the announcement of their marriage.

Another big showbiz wedding was revealed yesterday – popular young kabuki and movie actor Nakamura Shido (32) and actress Takeuchi Yuko (25) are to get hitched before the end of the year. The romance started when the two co-starred as a couple separated by death in last year’s movie “Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu.” They are said to have made the decision and announced it to family, close friends and, of course, their agencies at the end of last month. Both are planning to continue their highly successful acting careers after marriage. The beautiful Takeuchi is said not to be pregnant, a question that seems to be standard for showbiz couples. Shido, who is one of the young kabuki generation that have drawn fans back to the traditional theater, was thought to be connected with talento Shinohara Tomoe (26) since 2003, but he has denied that they ever actually dated. Having made his kabuki debut at the age of nine, he entered the world of movies with 2002’s “Ping Pong” and has been all over the small and big screen since. Takeuchi made her TV debut in a commercial in 1995. Her break came as the heroine of the NHK morning serial “Asuka” in 1999. She was voted No.1 last year in an image poll of the most popular talentos.

• Former Luna Sea vocalist Kawamura Ryuichi (34) and guitarist Inoran (34) have teamed up with songwriter H. Hayama (30) to form the new group Tourbillon. Hayama has written hits for Amuro Namie (26) and boy band W-inds.

• Heavy metal legends Judas Priest are back in Japan for the first time in 14 years. They kicked off their 6th Japan tour at the Pacifico Yokohama arena on Sunday. With Rob Halford back on vocals, they will play eight shows in seven cities, including the equally legendary Nippon Budokan on May 19.