Monthly Archives: April 2006

Ichikawa Ebizo (28) is to take kabuki to Europe. The young “prince” of the traditional theater will put on the first ever performance of kabuki at the Opera Garnier theater in Paris next March. This summer, he will perform “Fujimusume” and “Kasane” at the Sadler’s Wells theater in London (May 31 – June 11) and the City Theater in Amsterdam (June 15-18). The Paris shows follow the success of a performance there in 2004 to commemorate the former Ichikawa Shinnosuke’s succession to become the 11th Ichikawa Ebizo. In that show at the Chaillot Theater he was joined by high school classmate Onoe Kikunosuke (28). Next year, he will perform for a week alongside his father, Ichikawa Danjuro (59), who has been recovering from a recurrence of leukemia. Ebizo will also make his big screen debut this year in “Deguchi no nai Umi”, due for release in September. The Opera Garnier theater has been one of the world’s most famous homes of opera and ballet since its construction in 1875, and was the inspiration for the famous Phantom of the Opera story.

• Yesterday, singer Mori Masako (47) appeared solo in front of fans for the first time in 20 years. Following her divorce from singer Mori Shinichi last year, the former top idol has decided to resurrect her career and will release a new single, “Barairo no Mirai” (Rose-colored Future) on June 7. She signed copies of her new book “Ashita he” (To Tomorrow) for 100 lucky fans at a bokstore in Ginza yesterday. So many people turned out to catch a glimpse of the star that she had staff put together a makeshift “stage” of two beer crates in front of the bookstore so she could speak to them. It’s been an emotional time for Masako, especially with the death of her father last week, and she ended yesterday’s event in tears again.

Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (46) has written his first book. The contents of “Dare? – Who Am I?” are based on a diary he kept while filming “Ashita no Kioku” (Tomorrow’s Memories), which is due to open on May 13. He is also executive producer of the film, in which he plays a man who develops early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Following a battle with leukemia that struck at the peak of his career in 1989 and ultimately led to his divorce last year, the last few years have seen a resurgence in both his private life and his career. He got re-married to the actress Minami Kaho (42) last December and has had appearances in a series of Hollywood movies, including “The Last Samurai”, “Batman Begins” and “Memoirs of a Geisha”. He set out to write the diary as a journey of self discovery. “When I found out I had leukemia, it was almost too much to comprehend and I think I bottled up my feelings of pain and sadness. But slowly over time I began to realize the need to let out those pent up feelings. The desire to make this film came from the deepest recesses of my heart.” The publication date of the new book has yet to be announced.

• Freelance announcer Fukuzawa Akira (42) lost 7 kilos when he found out he would be hosting the new TBS health/variety show “Piikan Badi!” (P-kan Body!). “I’m back to the weight I was at when I first joined NTV as an announcer. This show has given me a whole new outlook.” The show will be co-hosted by talento and model Rinka (32).

Actress Adachi Yumi (24) is a mother, after she gave birth yesterday afternoon to a baby girl at a Tokyo hospital. Her husband, comedian Itoda Jun (33), wasn’t present at the birth due to work. The couple married on Adachi’s birthday in September of last year. Adachi has already announced her return to work, doing a narration in June for this summer’s Anpanman movie.

• Actor/singer Matsudaira Ken (52) and former talento Matsumoto Yuriko (38) held a wedding ceremony and reception at the Akasaka Prince hotel in Tokyo yesterday. About 200 guests joined the couple in their celebration. Choreographer Majima Shigeki, the man behind the Matsuken Samba sensation, led his dance team as part of the entertainment. The new couple actually registered their marriage last October and had their honeymoon at the New Year.

• “Vijuaru-kei” (visual) rock band Pierrot are breaking up. The decision wasn’t unanimous – guitarists Aiji and Jun wanted to go solo, while vocalist Nozomu Kirito, bassist Kohta and drummer Takeo wanted the band to continue. The band has been successful – they celebrated their 10th anniversary a year ago, and all 15 singles have made it into the Oricon chart Top 10. Ironically, their farewell recording is titled “Hello”, and is due to be released on June 21. Kirito told fans on the official website that he was greatly saddened by the decision. “Taking fans’ feelings into consideration, we have discussed this seriously many times. I even thought about giving up my solo work if it would keep the band together, but I couldn’t change their minds.”

• Also breaking up are popular Fuji TV announcer Takashima Aya (27) and race jockey Take Koshiro (27). “Ayapan” lives in Tokyo and Take, the younger brother of racing legend Take Yutaka, is based at a JRA facility in Shiga Prefecture. The physical distance between them was only increased when Takashima was sent to Turin in February to cover the Winter Olympics. They had been an item for about three years and were said to be on the verge of marriage.

NHK has been hit by yet another financial scandal. It was revealed yesterday that a chief producer had swindled over ¥17.6 million in expenses up to April of last year. Ohshita Satoshi (43), in charge of sports programming in Sapporo, claimed expenses for 242 trips between the northern city and Tokyo over a five-year period up to shortly before his transfer to the capital last June. At the time, the national broadcast network was supposed to be cracking down following a revelation the previous year that another producer had pocketed money for fictional programs. NHK has been rocked by a series of scandals over the last few years that have led a growing number of people to refuse to pay their annual subscription fees. Executive Director General of Broadcasting Harada Toyohiko (58) gave a press conference on Monday and apologized for the scandal. There are expected to be calls for Chairman Hashimoto Genichi (photo, 62) to resign. Ohshita had been the No.2 man in the company’s sports department and was supposed to be in charge of programming for this summer’s World Cup in Germany.

• Crazy Cats, the comic-jazz band that was hugely popular in the 1960s, released their first new single in 20 years today. Singer/songwriter Matsutoya Yumi (52) wrote the song, “Still Crazy for You”, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Watanabe Productions management agency and performed it at a party last November. The single includes tracks recorded during live performances by now deceased band members such as drummer and band leader Hana Hajime (1930-93). Surviving members Ueki Hitoshi (79, vocals/guitar), Tani Kei (76, trombone), Inuzuka Hiroshi (77, bass) and Sakurai Senri (81, piano) are all still active in showbiz.

• Actress Hosokawa Naomi (31) is pregnant with her second child. She and actor Katsurayama Shingo (34) married in 2002 and had a daughter the following year. Hosokawa won a national beauty contest in 1988 and her baby is due on August 2, the day of this year’s contest.

• Another expectant mother, actress Adachi Yumi (24), has her next job lined up already. She will be the voice of the heroine in the upcoming Anpanman anime movie, “Soreike! Anpanman, Inochi no Hoshi no Dorii”. Recording begins in June, by which time Adachi will have delivered her first child with comedian Itoda Jun (33). The couple married in September of last year and are expecting their child on April 17.

Actor Tsumabuki Satoshi (25) is to make his Hollywood debut in the latest sequel to “The Fast and The Furious”. Known in Japan as “Wild Speed x 3 – Tokyo Drift”, the movie is about the local drift racing scene and set almost entirely in the capital. Tsumabuki plays a race starter and spent a week in LA filming several early scenes, though he has only one line – “Go!” The part is said to have been created for the popular young actor, described by director Justin Lin as “unbelievably handsome”, after plans for him to have a bigger role fell through. He and former “Seventeen” model Kitagawa Keiko – who has appeared in several Sailor Moon movies – are the only Japanese actors included in the cast list. Incidentally, a quick read of the storyline on the IMDB website raises questions of authenticity (US military officer living in “a cramped apartment in a low-rent section of Tokyo”! If you want to see for yourself, the movie is due to open during the summer.

• Singer/actress Ogawa Noriko (32) revealed at a launch event for her greatest hits album that she suffers from cataplectic deafness. Speaking to fans at the launch of “Golden Best” in Tokyo yesterday, she said she suffered sudden loss of hearing in her right ear in mid-January. She underwent medical tests but the cause remains unknown. The condition is similar to narcolepsy, in which strong emotions can cause sudden muscle weakness and collapse. Ogawa is said to be recovering and has started rehearsals for a stage production due to begin in May.

Actress Henmi Emiri (29) and comedian Kimura Yuichi (43) held their wedding ceremony and reception at a Kyoto hotel yesterday. The “at home” style wedding was attended by about 60 people, and other than immediate family almost everyone was in showbusiness. Hardly surprising as Emiri is the daughter of actor Saigo Teruhiko (59) and singer/talento Henmi Mari (55), who divorced 25 years ago, and “Kimuni” is a veteran of the Yoshimoto Kogyo talent agency. Emcee for the reception was Yoshimoto member Imada Koji.

• Yoshida Asami (31), the former wife of musician/producer Komuro Tetsuya (47), was admitted to hospital on Saturday, according to her official blog. The website didn’t give details, simply saying that her condition was not serious, but adding that an event planned for this Friday has been cancelled. The singer/dancer married Komuro, her musical partner in the duo Kiss Destination, in May 2001. They had a daughter but were already divorced by March 2002.

• In baseball, Hanshin Tigers star Kanemoto Tomoaki played his 904th consecutive full game yesterday, breaking the world record held by Cal Ripken. The player known as “Aniki” started his run while with the Hiroshima Carp and has managed to maintain a batting avergae of over .300 during that time. He has sometimes played through injuries, even going the full nine innings and getting a one-handed hit the day after having his wrist broken by a pitch in 2004.

Talento Aota Noriko (38) wants to revive the “bubble” era. The former member of “sexy group” CC Girls is to release her solo debut under the guidance of another “bubbly” star, musician and producer Komuro Tetsuya (47). Komuro has written the song “Jesus” and the whole thing is part of a project based around the TV Asahi variety show “London Hearts”. Aota is a regular on the show that features a panel of outspoken women and usually focuses on topics related to sex and romance. Aota hopes to break into the Oricon chart Top 10 and bring back memories of a time when Japan was rolling in money and young women like herself, dressed in mini skirts and waving feather fans, were packing out the mega-discos like Juliannas in Tokyo.

• Popular fashion model Ebihara Yuri (26) is romantically involved with a 30-year old beautician, according to weekly magazine Friday. Though both have been seen visiting the other’s home, Ebihara’s management agency has denied there is any romance.

• Comedian Udo Suzuki (36) is to give a press conference on April 16 with his sidekick Amano Hiroyuki (36) and is expected to talk about his wedding plans. It was recently revealed that he is living with a woman in her 20s who works as a sommelier. Suzuki and Amano go by the name Kyaeen and are regulars on the variety show circuit.

• Shinobu (26) is to leave popular group Da Pump. In February of last year he caused a traffic accident while drunk and has been “on probation” since. He has spent the last year at his home in Okinawa and plans to go solo and perform more Okinawan music. The remaining three members will continue as Da Pump and make their official announcement to fans at an event at the end of the month.

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.

The Teriyaki Boyz are making their move. They will be the first hip hop group to represent Japan at the MTV Asia Awards, held this year in Bangkok on May 6. The unit, led by A Bathing Ape fashion producer Nigo (35), follow in the footsteps of J-pop princesses like Hamasaki Ayumi (27) and Amuro Namie (28). The Boyz originally planned to start their world assault in Europe, but have decided to conquer Asia first. On April 1, Nigo drew 2,000 young people to the opening of his first BAPE store in Hong Kong, where the album “Beef or Chicken” was released on March 22. Releases in Taiwan and South Korea are due later this month. Europe is still on the cards, with a club-oriented 12-inch set for release this month, the single “Heart Breaker” in May and the album in June. The group also has had several invitations to play at summer festivals. All of this is expected to be followed by an attempt on the US market, where they played a few gigs last year.

• W-inds vocalist Tachibana Keita (20) had to pull out of a planned live radio performance by the popular hip hop/dance trio in Osaka yesterday due to health problems. The event went ahead with members Ogata Ryuichi (20) and Chiba Ryohei (21). Keita is said to have come down with a fever after a recent series of fan events in Tokyo.

• Baseball News – Hanshin Tigers player Kanemoto Tomoaki played his 900th consecutive full game yesterday. That puts him just four games short of the record held by Cal Ripken, who played 8,243 consecutive innings between 1982 and 1987 on the way to playing an astonishing 2,131 consecutive games. Playing against his old team, the Hiroshima Carp, “Aniki” marked the occasion with a home run in the 4th inning. Meanwhile, Yomiuri Giants pitcher Kudo Kimiyasu became the oldest player in franchise history yesterday, and got a win to boot. One month shy of his 43rd birthday, he pitched seven innings in a 9-2 win over the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium. He passed current Chunichi Dragons manager Ochiai Hiromichi as the oldest player to take to the field in a Giants uniform. With career win No. 213, he moved in a tie for 17th.

Saying that she wants to turn the whole world into one big dancefloor, Madonna (47) announced in New York on Monday that she plans to bring her Confessions Tour to Japan. No venues or dates have been announced, but would probably be Tokyo and Osaka and no earlier than mid-September. While she performed a few songs during a visit to Tokyo last December to promote the album “Confessions on a Dancefloor”, she hasn’t played an actual concert here for 13 years. The problem is that when announcing both of her previous two world tours, Madonna has mentioned Japan but the shows never actually happened. The reason is thought to be that she demands too much money. Tickets for the upcoming Los Angeles gig have sold out even though they were priced at over ¥40,000, a lot more than even top artists demand here. Tickets for the recently postponed U2 gig were priced at ¥10-15,000. Warner Music Japan has said that Monday’s announcement, though mentioning Japan, does not make shows here “official”.

• It was revealed yesterday that recently divorced talento Sonomama Higashi (48) and actress Kato Kazuko (48) will appear together on an upcoming edition of Fuji TV’s “Quiz $Millionaire”. They had already agreed to appear on the April 20 show, which was recorded on Monday, before their split in February. Reportedly Higashi – whose decision to return to his hometown and pursue a career in politics led to Kato’s filing for divorce – tried to convince his ex that they should get back together but was rebuffed.

• NHK’s latest morning drama serial has got off to a very bad start. According to Video Research, the ratings in the Kanto region for the first episode of “Junjou Kirari” only reached 17.7%, better only than last year’s “Faito”. In the Kansai region, the 14.6% rating is the worst ever for the slot. The pre-WWII story features popular young actress Miyazaki Aoi (20) as the heroine, and the series has a strong cast that includes Miura Tomokazu and Takeshita Keiko as her father and mother.