Monthly Archives: September 2006

Koide Keisuke (22) and Saeko (19) are the latest young showbiz couple. The up and coming stars are not only popular actors but are also students at two of Japan’s top universities. Koide, who made his breakthrough in last year’s hugely popular NTV series “Gokusen”, is a senior at Keio University. Over the past year he has appeared in a number of hit series, including Fuji TV’s “Waterboys” and TBS’s “Byakuyakou”, and movies such as “Pacchigi!”. He lived abroad while an elementary school student and is proficient in English and Chinese. Saeko, who is currently appearing in the movie “Back Dancers”, started studying Human Sciences at Waseda University in April. The pair met when they played lovers in this year’s TBS spring drama “Oishii Puropozu”. They will be together again next month in “Nodame Cantabile”, Fuji TV’s adaptation of a popular manga, which will air in the prime Monday 9pm time slot.

• A recent survey by a magazine aimed at young people hoping to get into showbiz has revealed that readers are in less of a hurry to find stardom than before. Asked how long they would wait before giving up hope of making their debut as a “gravure aidoru” (pin-up girl), the average age has usually been in the teens. But the recent breakthroughs by such idols as Hoshino Aki (at the age of 23), Inoue Waka (at 20) and Kudo Risa (at 21) has led to over 70% of respondents saying they’d keep trying until their 20s (up to 20: 45%, up to 25: 25%). In the case of modelling, the current crop of magazine cover girls who’ve crossed over into TV, such as Ebihara Yuri and Oshikiri Moe, are in their mid-20s. So most survey repondents said they’d wait till 25 or 30 before giving up on a modeling career. In contrast, male respondents overwhelmingly chose “no age limit” for beginning an acting career.

• Former NTV announcer Nagai Minako (41), now a freelancer, has announced that she is pregnant. It will be the second child for Nagai and her husband, the U.S.-born Hori Kazutomo Robert (41), CEO of Internet company Cybird.

Actress Kimura Yoshino (30) is to make her Hollywood debut. She will star alongside Ishibashi Ryo (50) in the follow-up to last year’s “Masters of Horror” series. That series of 13 one-hour horror movies featured some of the giants of the genre, including Dario Argento (Suspiria) and Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), with Japan represented by Miike Takashi (Killer1 and One Missed Call). This time around, Japan’s representative will be Tsuruta Norio, the man behind “Ringu 0: Birthday” and “Yogen” (Premonition). “Dream Cruise” will feature Ishibashi as Ushijima and Kimura as his wife Yuri, in a tale taken from the short-story collection “Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara” (Dark Water). The title story was used for a movie of the same name. Ushijima is the client of Tokyo-based American lawyer Jack, to be played by an as yet unnamed Hollywood actor, who is also involved in an affair with his wife. Ishibashi has appeared in foreign movies before, including last year’s Hollywood remake of “The Juon”. Kimura has lived abroad and speaks good English. The movie is to start filming near Tokyo this autumn and is scheduled for release next year.

Orange Range have recorded the theme song for the upcoming TBS drama “Nichiyo Gekijo – Tetsuban Shojo Akane!” It’s the hugely popular Okinawan band’s third drama theme and 15th single, to add to the 4 albums and 3 DVDs since their debut in 2000. The new single, “Sayonara”, is just their third love song and if it does as well as either of the previous two, million-seller “Hana” and “Love Parade” (half a million), it’ll push their total sales over the ¥25 billion level. A remarkable achievement in a time when CD sales are in a prolonged slump. Orange Range are currently in the middle of a national tour.

• 2006 Miss Universe runner up Chibana Kurara (24) is to be a regular reporter for the NTV late-night news show “News Zero”. The Sophia University graduate speaks English, French and Spanish and has long dreamed of being a journalist, though she had a job lined up at a publishing company before coming so close at this year’s beauty pageant.

• The line up of stars scheduled to appear at the upcoming John Lennon tribute concert keeps growing. John Lennon Super Live 2006 has been organized by his widow, Yoko Ono (73), and will be held on November 4 at the Nippon Budokan, It will feature pop duo Sukimaswitch, singer Cocco (29), making a comeback after five years, as well as singer Sano Motoharu (50), actress Miyazawa Rie (33) and others.

Inumaru Rin, the manga artist and essayist who created the popular NHK anime character Ojaru Maru, committed suicide in Tokyo on Sunday. She was 48. She jumped from the roof of her 14-story apartment building in Tokyo’s Musashino suburb. Residents of the 5-story apartment building next door heard a loud noise and called police, who found her body on the roof. She left a suicide note to her mother, saying “I can’t work”. Ojaru Maru, popular with young children since 1998, continues to be broadcast on the NHK Education channel. It’s the network’s second longest-running anime series.

• Sawajiri Erika (19) is the first actress in almost 12 years to make No.1 on the Oricon chart with her recording debut. She’s using the name Kaoru Amane, her character in the TBS drama series “Taiyou no Uta”, which is also the title of the single. She’s also the first artist in almost 19 years to top the charts using a character name. Meanwhile, second on the chart is “Tarako, Tarako, Tarako”, the theme song used in the latest Kewpie TV commercial. The song is sung by Kigurumi, a pair of elementary school kids who are the youngest artists ever to enter the charts in the Top 10.

A Japanese comedian is the new Air Guitar World Champion. Ochi Yosuke (34), one half of the little-known Yoshimoto manzai duo Dainoji, beat over a dozen other finalists at the event in Finland to become the first Japanese winner. Wearing aviator shades and a lurid tiger print sweatshirt, he gave an inspired performance of “Are You Gonna be My Girl?” by Aussie rock band Jet. Ochi received a custom made Finnish guitar called Flying Finn and an amplifier, designed and donated by the Queen guitarist Brian May. Interviewed by Japanese media, Ochi said he had never played the guitar and practiced for the event for “about two days”. See the video of his performance:

• Japanese fans will be the first to have a chance to grab a copy of the first greatest hits album by British rockers Oasis. “Stop the Clocks” will go on sale here on November 15, five days before its release in the U.K. and Europe. Though guitarist Noel Gallagher has always insisted there would be no greatest hits album unless the band were breaking up, the new release marks only the end of their recording contract with Sony BMG. Gallagher reluctantly got involved, he said, to avoid the label releasing a “shit” album. The jacket is yet another nod to the Beatles, designed as it is by Peter Blake, the man behind the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover. The album’s 18 tracks were chosen by fans worldwide and include “Supersonic” and “Lyla”, the theme song for the Japanese movie “Sugar & Spice – Fumi Zekka”. The album also includes their latest single, “Acquiesce”, which goes on sale October 25.

• Utada Hikaru (23) finished her first national tour in six years with a show yesterday at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. She encouraged the 12,000 fans to get as loud as the 60,000 watching SMAP across town at the National Stadium. She seemed on top form and showed no signs of the huskiness that affected her performance in Saitama last month. She played to a total of 190,000 fans at 23 dates in 12 cities in support of her latest album “Ultra Blue”.

Actress Inamori Izumi (34) is to be the first female lead in the 29-year history of samurai drama series on TV Tokyo. A PR event was held in Tokyo yesterday for “Chushingura – Yozeiin no Inbo”, which will air over ten episodes on Tuesday afternoons from January 2. Inamori plays Yozeiin, the wife of Asano Takuminokami, in a new take on the famous Chushingura samurai story of loyalty and revenge. She and other cast members visited the Sengakuji temple in central Tokyo where ronin (masterless samurai) Ako Roshi, a central character in the story, is interred. Chushingura is a staple of traditional theater and has inspired dozens of movies.

• Avant garde artist Kusama Yayoi (77) is the first Japanese female to receive the Praemium Imperiale, awarded by the imperial family’s Japan Arts Association in New York. The five winners, including American minimalist composer Steve Reich, were announced yesterday at the Rockefeller Center. The awards will be presented in Tokyo on Ocober 18. Kusama had been previously shortlisted three times for both painting and sculpture. She first moved to the U.S. in 1958, establishing herself in the New York art scene the following year. In the late ’60s she took part in so-called “happenings” which got a lot of attention in the popular press. She moved back to Japan in the 70s and soon after was hospitalized for psychological problems. In 1977 she took up long-term residence at the Seiwa Hospital in Tokyo, where she set up a studio and has continued her work as an artist.

Veteran movie director Yamada Yoji (74) is teaming up with actress Yoshinaga Sayuri (61) for the first time in 34 years. “Kaabee” (provisional title) is a drama set in Japan in 1941 immediately before the start of the Pacific War. It tells of a woman bringing up two daughters alone after her husband is arrested for a white-collar crime. Yoshinaga is often regarded as the quintessential Japanese “haha” (mother), and this will be her 112th movie. She last worked with Yamada in 1972 when he was in the middle of the 48 movies that made up the “Otoko wa Tsurai Yo” series. She played the “madonna” role, the female romantic foil to star Atsumi Kiyoshi’s Tora-san, twice in the series. The movie is based on an autobiographical story by Nogami Teruyo (79), who worked as a scriptwriter with the late Kurosawa Akira. It is scheduled for theater release in 2008.

The news was just announced: A baby boy was born to Princess Kiko at 08:27 by Caesarian section at the Aiiku Hospital in central Tokyo. He weighed in at 2558g.

It’s the first male heir born to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 41 years. Regardless of how it may dent the hopes of those who wanted to see a change to allow a female heir to ascend the throne, it has to be seen as good news for Japan.

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (33) appeared in public yesterday for the first time since apologizing for driving while drunk in July. Dressed in a black suit, he apologized again for the incident at a PR event for “Shido-ryu Mori no Ishimatsu”, a show scheduled to open on October 2. He wasn’t asked about his wife, actress Takeuchi Yuko (26), or their baby son, or about actress Okamoto Jun (23), who was reported to be in the car at the time of the incident. Nevertheless, he took no chances after the event, avoiding reporters backstage and slipping out a side door.

• “Nagai Sampo” (A Long Walk), the latest directorial effort from actor Okuda Eiji (56), has won the Grand Prix and two other prizes at the Montreal World Film Festival. The movie opens in Japan in December.

• Sayaka (19) is coming back into the spotlight. The daughter of pop legend Matsuda Seiko (44) had a falling out with her mother and has been on a hiatus from showbiz since May. Using her real name of Kanda Sayaka, she plans to make a comeback in December in a stage production starring Daichi Mao (50).

It’s that time of year again. Regular readers will know that we always bring you the results of the silly awards given out every year. One of the most established is the “Best Jeanist” awards, given to celebrities who look best in jeans. Kimura Takuya (33) and Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (32) of the Johnny’s group SMAP and pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi (27) have won the award so many times that they’re now in some denim hall of fame and no longer eligible. And this year’s winners? Johnny’s is represented by Kamenashi Kazuya (20, left) of KAT-TUN, while the pop diva is Koda Kumi (23, second from left). The other recipients were actress Shaku Yumiko (28, right), Olympic gold medalist Arakawa Shizuka (24, center), and Yokohama Mayor Nakada Hiroshi (41, second from right).

• Meanwhile, National Beauty Week was launched yesterday, with Nagasawa Masami (19) and “Kill Bill” star Kuriyama Chiaki (21) sharing the “Actress Beauty Award”. The “Theme Beauty Award” went to enka singer Sakamoto Fuyumi (39) for her elegant kimono and tied-up hair. The weeklong PR event is based around yesterday’s slightly more traditional “Kushi no Hi” (Comb Day) which was created in 1978. For your information, today is “Sekitan no Hi” (Coal Day)!

• Hollywood stars Keanu Reeves (42) and Sandra Bullock (42) were in Roppongi Hills yesterday to promote their latest movie. “The Lake House” (called “Irumaare” in Japanese) is their first project together since 1994’s “Speed”. About 1,000 mostly female fans turned out for the Japan premiere, letting out screams of “Kyaaa!” when Reeves introduced Bullock as a “wonderful actress and my good friend” and gave her a kiss. He also thanked the many fans who wished him a happy birthday, which was on September 2. The movie opens here on September 23.

The latest spin-off from Fuji TV’s “Odoru Daisosasen” series sees Yashima Norito (35) land his first drama leading role. Known in English as “Bayside Shakedown”, the series first aired on Fuji in 1997 and was a big hit. But it was the huge box-office success of two follow-up movies in 1998 and 2003 that turned it into a major phenomenon and re-launched the career of its star Oda Yuji. But rather than rely only on Oda, two further movies have focused on side characters. May 2005 saw the release of “Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi”, starring Yusuke Santa-Maria (35), and Yanagiba Toshiro (45) was “The Suspect: Muroi Shinji”, released in August of the same year. The latest spin-off is a TV series called “The Lawyer: Haijima Hideki”, which will air from October 28. Yashima has become popular in the last couple of years mainly through the Fuji variety shows “Trivia no Izumi” and “Miracle Type”.

• Actress Ueto Aya (22) was reduced to tears when talking about her role in the show “Taiyo no Fune”. A follow up to a 2004 production at the Nippon Budokan, the ¥1-billion show is directed by and tells the story of fashion designer Yamamoto Kansai (62). Ueto’s tears started when she talked about how moved she had been by the family bonds between the veteran showman and his daughter, actress Yamamoto Mirai, and her relationship with her husband, actor Shiina Teppei. The cast of 2,000 includes Matsuoka Masahiro (29) of the Johnny’s group Tokio as the young Kansai and such major names as former wrestler and politician Antonio Inoki (63) and actress Kudo Yuki (35). The show’s theme song is by Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (49). The production will be held on January 13 &14 at Tokyo Dome.

• Beyonce was in Tokyo for her 24th birthday yesterday. She told a press conference at a city hotel that the choice of location and date to launch her new album “B’Day” was a thank you to Japanese fans who have supported her since her days with Destiny’s Child.

• The latest figures from Video Research show that the average TV audience for Yomiuri Giants night games hit another all-time low last month. Traditionally, Japan’s most popular team, its ratings managed only 6.8% in the Kanto region for August, a month which saw the Giants spend time at the bottom of the Central League.