Korean star Choi Ji Woo (30) revealed a bit more of herself than she planned yesterday. The actress, hugely popular here following the success of several drama series, is known to Japanese fans as the “Queen of Tears”. She is in Tokyo to promote the movie “Renri no Eda” and appeared at the local premiere with co-star Cho Han Sun (24). As she left the stage, her shawl slipped off her shoulders revealing her bare back. One Japanese word to express mild surprise in such a situation is “ara!”. Which leads neatly into…
• Beating out almost 40,000 hopefuls in an audition for an upcoming movie was 19-year old Korean high schooler Ara (16). She will star alongside Sorimachi Takashi (32) in the joint Japan-Mongolia production of a biopic about Genghis Khan. The project has a budget of over ¥3 billion, huge for an Asian movie. Producer Kadokawa Haruki (64) said, “Altogether we’ve seen over 100,000 auditions and this girl is the most outstanding of all, male or female. She has an incredible aura and will be a big star.” Ara is already a proven talent in her home country, having starred in a recent drama series. She speaks almost no Japanese but promised to master it by the time the movie starts filming in three months.
• Talento Brother Tom (50) was rushed to hospital yesterday following a heart attack. He was preparing for a concert in Tokyo on Wednesday when he started suffering severe chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital. He is expected to undergo observation for the next 10-14 days. He appears on four regular weekly TV shows.