Former idol singer Hori Chiemi (38) is making a comback after 18 years. The mother of five children will release an album of new recordings, “Hori Chiemi ’80s Idol Songs Collection,” on the Pony Canyon label on September 7. The album is a collection of covers of hits by other 1980s idols, such as Koizumi Kyoko, Hayami Yu and Matsumoto Iyo. There is also a bonus track, which is a medley of her own hits. This is in addition to a greatest hits album, which will go on sale September 20. She will also play her first solo concert since 1987 on September 17 in Osaka, and another on the 24th in Tokyo.
• The son of legendary animator Tezuka Osamu is to put one of his most popular creations on the big screen. Tezuka Makoto (43) is to make an animated movie version of “Black Jack,” a tale of two rival doctors. Osamu Tezuka drew on his knowledge as a physician in writing the stories, which first appeared in the Shukan Shonen Champion weekly manga. A TV anime series based on the popular manga has been a hit on NTV since last October. The movie version is scheduled for a December 17 release. “Black Jack” ranks alongside “Tesuwan no Atomu,” “Hi no Tori” and “Junguru Taitei” as one of Tezuka’s masterworks. (There was an earlier movie version of Black Jack in 1996, directed and written by Tezuka protege Dezaki Osamu)
• The TV ratings of the one-almighty Yomiuri Giants baseball team continue to spiral downwards. The latest record low was a paltry 6% audience rating for their July 13 night game against the Chunichi Dragons, which they lost 12-2.