Celebrity Otoha (24) was named as the first student at the new Gaba “learning studio” in Ginza on Tuesday. Speaking at the PR event to promote the opening of the school, the pin-up “idol” said she hopes to develop enough English conversation ability to be able to interview Hollywood stars and to travel abroad alone. This despite the fact that she and popular comedian Takashi Fujii (33) recently gave a highly publicized press conference to announce their engagement. They will hold their wedding reception on July 30. Fujii has become even more visible in the last couple of years with his Matthew Minami character, even appearing alongside Bill Murray in the Hollywood movie “Lost in Translation.”
• Showbiz all-rounder Kitano “Beat” Takeshi (58) is to be a grandfather for the second time. His son Kitano Atsushi (24) has been dating Office Kitano talento Takada Yuko (29), who is eight months pregnant, for 5 years but the couple are not yet married. Takeshi’s daughter Shoko (22) had a baby girl in March.
• Former TV Asahi drama producer Katsuta Kozo died of stomach cancer this week. He was 76. He was best known for popular period dramas, such as “Dai Chushingura,” starring the late great Mifune Toshiro and several seasons of “Toyama no Kin-san.”