Anyone who enjoyed last year’s popular school drama “Jo no Kyoshitsu” (Queen’s Classroom) on NTV will want to catch a special coming up next month. Over two nights (March 18-19), the special will reveal how the main character, “demon” teacher Akutsu Maya (played by former Takarazuka star Amami Yuki, 38), developed her strict and cynical style. The drama and the teacher who almost terrorized her pupils became a talking point and achieved high audience ratings when it aired between July and September. The final episode pulled in a rating of 25.3% and the show’s official website had almost 12 million hits over two days. The March special is at least in part a result of tens of thousands of posts on the website’s BBS from fans wanting to know more about the story and its background.
• The father of iconic folk singer Matsutoya Yumi (52) died of multiple organ failure on February 2, it was revealed yesterday. He was 93. Always the consumate professional, “Yuming” completed her series of 10 shows at the ski resort of Naeba in Niigata Prefecture, which ran until February 13.
• Poster girl violinist Kawai Ikuko (38) is expecting her first child. She married a 40-year old university professor and graduate of Tokyo University medical school last November. She is expecting the baby in mid-June and plans to be back at work promoting a new album in September.
• Guitarist Hotei Tomoyasu (44) has published his autobiography. In it he reveals for the first time that his father is Korean, as well as talking about life with his wife, actress Imai Miki (42). In his 25th year in showbiz, he looks back at his career in the hugely popular 80s rock band Boowy, the divorce of his parents, and the death of his father-in-law. meanwhile, Imai has done her first anime character recording in 15 years for the fantasy movie “Brave Story”. The movie features a stellar cast of voices, including Matsu Takako, Itoh Shiro, Tokiwa Takako and Takahashi Katsumi.