Monthly Archives: July 2005

Comedian Hata Yoku (30), who rose to fame last year as the Guitar Samurai, recently made his US debut. He appeared before 200 locals at the Frederick Loewe Theatre in New York, making jabs at George W. Bush, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson in his broken English. Hata spent the last two months practicing his language skills. He explained his catchphrases to the audience in advance, with “seppuku” being “harakiri” and “…tte iun janai” as “that’s what you say.” “I’m glad I went,” he said. “Next, I’d like to go to Italy and France!” Asked if he wasn’t worried about being sued for speaking his mind in the US, he said, “Well, I don’t have a million dollars, so I’ll just leave that to my agency to sort out!”

• The Tokyo District Court on Friday rejected a slander lawsuit by two executives of the Johnny’s Jimusho talent agency. Fujishima Julie-Keiko and Fujishima Mary-Yasuko each sought ¥11 million in damages from the publisher of the “Josei Shukan” magazine. An article in the September 2003 issue of the women’s weekly magazine reported a rumor that the pair had received “favorable treatment” as regular customers of a high class Tokyo boutique. The judge said that the article may have exaggerated the favorable repayment terms given to the two, but as the article was reported as a rumor, it could hardly have “lowered their social image” as they had claimed.

• Meanwhile, a juvenile members of the Johnny’s group News was taken into protective custody yesterday after being found drinking in a park in Sendai. As he was uner the legal drinking age of 20, police gave him a severe warning before releasing him. He did not appear on the following evening’s edition of “Music Station” with his fellow group members. The 8-member group are currently among the most popular in the all-male Johnny’s stable of idol groups, and have had a string of No.1’s in the year or so since their major debut. They were in Sendai as “special supporters” of the Japan women’s volleyball team, who played Canada in the World Grand Prix on Friday.

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.

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.”

Popular scriptwriter Mitani Koki (44) is to direct his third feature film. “The Uchoten Hoteru” (The Ecstasy Hotel) will be his first directorial project in four years, and with a cast that includes respected actors Yakusho Koji (49) and Matsu Takako (28), it’s sure to be another hit. The romantic comedy tells of a series of characters at a plush central Tokyo hotel who gather for a New Year’s Eve countdown. Mitani’s previous movies were “Rajio no Jikan” (1997, Radio Time) and “Minna no Ie” (2001, Everyone’s House). The new movie is scheduled for release next spring.

• Fukawa Toshikazu (39), a former member of the 1980s idol trio Shibugatai, made a rare appearance yesterday. “Fu-kun” was a guest judge at an event to choose an image girl for pachinko maker Sanyo. Together with celebrity choreographer Kaba-chan (36) and comedian Maeda Ken (34), he formed a one-day-only unit called Ocean’s 3. Shibugatai — Fu-kun, Motoki “Mo-kun” Masahiro and Yakumaru “Ya-kun” Hirohide — were one of the first and most popular male idol groups in the Johnny’s Jimusho stable. Mo-kun is a familiar face in movies and TV commercials and Ya-kun presents the TBS morning show “Hanamaru Market.”

Popular pro wrestler Hashimoto Shinya, known as the “King of Destruction,” died yesterday at a Yokohama hospital of a brain haemorrhage. He was just 40. While a high school judo star in his native Gifu Prefecture, he lost his mother to the same condition. He became a poster boy in the golden age of Shin-Nihon Pro Wrestling in the early 1990s. Later he formed his own organization, “Zero One,” before retiring in November of last year and undergoing shoulder surgery. He had a history of heart problems, including an irregular heartbeat, and recently had been suffering from sleep apnea.

• Soul balladeer Hirai Ken (photo, 33) is to provide the theme tune for the upcoming Fuji TV drama special “Tsumiki Kuzushi Shinsou.” The show, scheduled to air on September 2 and 3, will feature last year’s single “Omoi ga Kasanaru Sono Mae ni,” which was used in a tie up for Toyota’s Corolla Fielder TV commercial. This is the seventh time for a Hirai song to feature as a theme tune.

Actor Takashima Masahiro (39) and his fiancee, theater actress Sylvia Grab (30), will hold their traditional wedding ceremony in Kyoto on July 20. The ceremony will be held at the Shimogamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site that is open to members of the public for such ceremonies. They will then travel with about 50-60 guests for another ceremony and reception in Hawaii. The couple gave a press conference to announce their engagement last December and originally planned to only have a ceremony in Hawaii, as Grab is studying in Boston. She is the daughter of a Swiss father and Japanese mother.

• Singer Hitomi (photo, 29) looks to be making a big comeback. Very popular a few years ago, she pretty much disappeared from the media except for an occasional TV show. Now she’s everywhere again. With a new single, “Love Angel,” coming out August 24, she put on combined fashion show/concert yesterday in Tokyo featuring her own designs.

• The Shinjuku Plaza movie theater is the only cinema in japan that has shown all six episodes in the Star Wars seies. The theater welcomed its 1 millionth Star Wars viewer yesterday. The 26-year old company worker and his girlfriend received a Darth Vader figure and a signed photo of actor Hayden Christensen.

• Rap-metal band Rize and hip hop duo Def Tech played a joint gig at the Shibuya branch of Tower Records yesterday. About 150 fans were chosen by lottery from over 5,000 hopefuls for the event. The bands are both on the same Tensaibaka Records label. Def Tech released their smash debut album in January, becoming the first indie band to sell 1.5 million copies. Rize are on something of a comeback after their brief rise to fame a few years ago.

South Korean actress Choi Ji Woo (29) has cancelled a 3-day visit to Japan on doctor’s orders. The actress was hospitalized on Wednesday after collapsing at her home, reportedly from exhaustion. She was scheduled to arrive yesterday for a reception in honor of the ongoing Japan-South Korea friendship year and to attend a press conference in Tokyo. TBS announced just days ago that it plans to work with South Korean companies to produce a TV drama series starring Choi and local heart throb Takenouchi Yutaka (34). It will be the first time for Choi to appear in a Japanese drama, though she has legions of fans here following the huge success of “Winter Sonata,” in which she starred alongside Bae Yong Joon (32), better known as “Yon-sama”. The drama, tentatively titled “Rondo,” will start filming in November – mostly in Tokyo and partly in Seoul – and is scheduled to go on the air between January and March 2006. It may also be shown on South Korean TV. Some of the buzz surrounding the popularity of Korean dramas has faded, but they remain popular among the middle-aged female audience and are still being aired regularly on several networks.

• It was revealed yesterday that the disease afflicting popular rakugo storyteller hayashiya Kompei (62) is multiple sclerosis. A regular on the NTV show “Shoten,” he was hospitalized between August last year and this May, and is said to be on the road to recovery.

• Ann (19), the model daughter of Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (44), attended a party in Tokyo yesterday given by French watchmaker Piaget. The popular show and magazine model revealed that she will make her first appearance at the Paris Fashion Week this autumn. “It’s a dream come true for me,” she said. “It’s my No.1 priority right now.”

It seems that the building put up last November in central Tokyo by rocker Yazawa Eikichi (photo, 55) may be illegal. The ¥1.5 billion building in Akasaka includes a private recording studio. There are said to be differences between the actual building and the plans submitted to the Minato Ward Office. officials and Yazawa’s architects are said to be looking into the matter.

• Singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru (22) is to provide the theme song for the upcoming movie “Haru no Yuki” (Spring Snow). Scheduled for general release on October 29, the film will feature “Be My Last,” Utada’s first new release in 17 months. The romance stars two of the hottest young names of the moment, Takeuchi Yuko (25) and Tsumabuki Satoshi (24) and is sure to be a big hit. The main reason Utada took on the job of writing the song was that the movie is based on a novel by the late Mishima Yukio, of whom she’s a big fan. The only movie theme she’s done to date was for “Casshern,” the debut by her husband, Kiriya Kazuaki (38).

• Mr. Children vocalist Sakurai Kazutoshi (35) and producer Kobayashi Takeshi (45) have put together an impressive lineup for their new summer music festival. The “ap bank fes’ 05” is happening in Shizuoka on July 16-18 and will feature nine major acts, including Hamada Shogo (52), Inoue Yosui (56), Nakashima Mika (22), Pornograffitti and Every Little Thing. It will be Hamada’s first outdoor appearance in 21 years. Sakurai and Kobayashi will play in a backing band.

Singer Amuro Namie (27) appeared at the J-Wave radio studio in the Shibuya HMV store yesterday to promote her latest album, “Queen of Hip Hop.” The promo video for the first single “WoWa” features a “cameo” by the Pink Panther cartoon character, as well as an original Namie Panther. It’s the first time that MGM have allowed the character to be used in a music video and it’s also the first time a female version has been created. The new album goes on sale July 13, and Amuro will be playing a 27-city nationwide tour from September 1.

• Former The Yellow Monkey vocalist Yoshii Kazuya (38) played the last gig of his latest solo tour at Zepp Tokyo yesterday. He’s ben playing under the stage name of Yoshii Lovinson since he went solo in October 2003, but announced at last night’s show that he’s planning another name change next year. The Yellow Monkey formed in 1989 and released a slew of albums and singles until their last gig at Tokyo Dome in 2001. They officially broke up last year.

• Talento Tsukitei Hachimitsu (28) became a father yesterday when his wife gave birth to a baby girl at an Osaka hospital. Tsukitei’s father, traditional rakugo storyteller Tsukitei Happo (57), said he was delighted to be a grandfather at last.

• Actor Tanihara Shousuke (32) and singer Kahara Tomomi (30) have the dubious honor of being this year’s “Natto King and Queen.” July 10 can be read as “natto” in Japanese, so that day is used for various PR events for the stinky, slimy but healthy fermented bean food.

“Mister” fans have been welcoming the legendary baseball star back. Nagashima Shigeo is the most popular player ever to have graced the Japanese baseball world and his recent bout with illness had fans, especially Yomiuri Giants fans, pretty worried. He was hospitalized in the spring of 2004 following a stroke that left him with a slight temporary paralysis in the right side of his body. He finally made his first public appearance at a Giants-Hiroshima Carp game at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. His appearance in a balcony seat was broadcast live on several TV networks. In the showbiz world, Giants fans have been singing his praises. Kabuki star Nakamura Kazaburo (50) and SMAP leader Nakai Masahiro (32) were among those expressing their undying admiration and support. As usual celebrity Tokumitsu Kazuo (64) couldn’t hold back the tears on seeing his old friend.

• Actress Nishida Naomi (33) is planning to get married sometime this month, according to a statement from her agency. Her fiancee is said to be in his 30’s but no name or occupation were given.

• Actress Sugita Kaoru (40) said on the Downtown-hosted show “Hey! Hey! Hey!” last night that she hasn’t seen her husband for three months (the couple only married six months ago!) She added that her husband, the extremely wealthy Ayukawa Junta (44) told her he didn’t want to see her face, kicked her out of his house and changed the locks. Rumors of a divorce have been rampant in the last couple of weeks. And there have been conflicting reports of one kicking the other several months ago while in a restaurant with friends.