Monthly Archives: October 2006

Mariah Carey (36) kicked off her fifth Japan tour at the Nippon Budokan last night. She sang a good number of her 17 No.1 hits and delighted fans with bits of Japanese like “Genki desu ka?” and “Aishite imasu!” She ended the show with an early Christmas present for the 9000 fans, performing “All I Want For Christmas Is You” complete with snow and a pair of big Christmas trees. The 1994 song is still her best-selling single here, with over 1.3 million copies sold. Surprisingly, though it’s a popular song in the U.S. it was never a hit on the Billboard chart due to rules regarding commercial releases and Christmas singles. The tour continues tomorrow in Nagoya, then Saitama on October 20 & 21 and finishes up in Osaka on October 24 & 25.

• If you’re promoting an already over-hyped movie, who better to do it than an over-hyped celebrity. Kano Mika, younger of the Gorgeous Kano Sisters was on hand yesterday, python around her neck, at an event to promote the Japan release of “Snakes on a Plane”. Set for release here on Saturday as “Suneku Furaito”, or Snake Flight, the Samuel L. Jackson movie will need a massive box office to reverse its disappointing run in the U.S., despite huge pre-release hype on the Web.

• Talento Kanda Uno (31) staged a fashion show of her original wedding dress collection at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York yesterday. She modeled some of the dresses herself and also had some help on the catwalk from Kill Bill actress Kuriyama Chiaki (22), who is with the same management agency.

A minor fire broke out Saturday on the set of “Oh-Oku”, the movie adaptation of the popular Fuji TV series. Ten fire engines were called to Toei’s Kyoto studios, but no injuries or major damage were reported. The fire is said to have been started by a lighting fixture. The movie stars Nakama Yukie (photo, 26) as one of the battling wives and lovers behind the warlords of Edo Castle and the story is an extension of the series which ran at the end of 2005. Nakama is a new addition to the cast, which sees the return of veteran actresses including Matsushita Yuki, Asano Yuko and Takashima Reiko, and also includes a whopping 31 female Fuji TV announcers. Directed by Hayashi Toru, the film is scheduled for release on December 23, the Emperor‘s birthday and a national holiday. There have been five TV series over the years, dating back to the first in 1968.

Official movie website (Japanese)

• Actor Oshio Manabu (28) was spotted out on a dinner date with young pin-up girl Nagasaki Rina (19). Photographers from women’s weekly magazine Josei Seven spotted the pair at the end of September having dinner and leaving the restaurant together in Oshio’s Ferrari.

• Comedian Ogi Hiroaki (35) revealed on Friday that he recently married the daughter of folk singer Moriyama Ryoko (58). Ogi announced on the live TBS show “Ogi Yahagi no Megane-Biiki” that he and musician Moriyama Naho (34) registered their marriage on October 10. They plan to hold a wedding ceremony and reception. Naho is also the elder sister of singer songwriter Moriyama Naotaro (30).

• The Tokyo office of My Promotion Inc, the agency that represents theater director Ningagawa Yukio and actor Tsutsui Michitaka among others, was recently burglarized. Five computers and over ¥2 million in cash were stolen.

What the hell’s going on with Akanishi Jin (22)? A member of the hugely popular Johnny’s Jimusho group KAT-TUN, he is supposedly taking six months off to study abroad. A Johnny’s spokesman insisted that Akanishi is not retiring or leaving the group permanently. But as they only made their recording debut this year and are currently riding a wave of popularity, that official explanation sounds bogus. Then again, there is a precedence: in 1996 Mori Katsuyuki (32) quit fellow Johnny’s group SMAP to become a bike racer at around the same stage of his career. The five remaining members survived the ordeal and have stayed on top of the showbiz world since. KAT-TUN, minus Akanishi, recently recorded the theme song for NTV’s new drama series, “Tatta Hitotsu no Koi” and will continue to perform as a five-member unit. Akanishi joined the Johnny’s agency in 1998, at the same time as fellow KAT-TUN members Kamenashi Kazuya (20) and Nakamaru Yuichi. The group was formed from six former members of Johnny’s Junior in April 2001. They supported several of their fellow Johnny’s artists over the years, building up a fan base before finally making their hugely successful CD debut in March of this year. Several members have started out on acting careers too, starring in some of the most popular drama series of the last few years. Akanishi was in the NTV series “Gokusen” and “Anego”.

• Actress Yamaguchi Tomoko (41) yesterday appeared before fans for the first time in almost ten years. She is to appear in an NTV documentary about the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg on October 24. One of the most popular and visible actresses of the 90s, Yamaguchi has in recent years only appeared in commercials and the occasional TV special.

• Playboy Haga Kenji (44) has given details of his plans to finally settle down. He and finacee Yamada Mayu (29) announced their engagement recently and yesterday Haga told the media they plan to register their marriage on October 24 and hold a wedding ceremony in Hawaii on December 29. They will tie the knot at the Central Union church in downtown Honolulu.

It’s lucky 13 for actor and SMAP member Kimura Takuya (33). He’s been chosen as Japan’s favorite guy for the 13th year in a row by readers of women’s magazine an.an. He was way ahead of No.2 choice, singer Fukuyama Masaharu (37). As usual, SMAP dominated the rankings, with Nakai Masahiro (#3), Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (#6), Katori Shingo (#8) and Inagaki Goro (#9) all in the Top 10. Two other Johnny’s Jimusho artists and a pair of “ikemen” (handsome) actors completed the ranking.

1. Kimura Takuya
2. Fukuyama Masaharu
3. Nakai Masahiro
4. Okada Junichi
5. Kamenashi Kazuya
6. Kusanagi Tsuyoshi
7. Tsumabuki Satoshi
8. Katori Shingo
9. Inagaki Goro
10. Sakaguchi Kenji

• Senior rakugo comedian Yanagiya Kosen died from pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on Tuesday. He was 83 and the oldest active rakugo performer until his retirement in 2004.

• Actor Shimizu Shogo revealed on his blog today that the man who intimidated and robbed his son, model Shimizu Koshun (20), has been arrested. The incident happened in August when Koshun was almost hit by another car at a traffic intersection in Saitama Prefecture. The other driver forced his way into Koshun’s car and kept him there for two hours, before making him withdraw ¥80,000 from a convenience store ATM. Shimizu senior is best known for his role alongside a chihuahua in the popular Aiful TV commercials.

• Talento Sato Eriko (24) insists that she and popular kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (28) are just good friends. This week’s issue of women’s weekly magazine Josei Seven published photos of the pair having dinner at a monjayaki restaurant in Tokyo at the beginning of this month.

Details of the romantic relationship between actress Mizumo Miki (photo, 32) and actor Kitamura Yukio (32) have been revealed by a lost keitai (mobile phone). Yesterday’s issue of weekly gossip magazine Flash includes photos of the couple in a resaturant and in bed, photos believed to have been stored on Kitamura’s keitai, which he recently lost. The couple have known each other for about four years. Kitamura, the eldest son of veteran actor Kitamura Kazuo (79), was romantically linked in 2004 with the recently married Henmi Emiri (29). And romance between Mizuno and actor Odagiri Jo (30) was revealed in the summer of 2003. There was speculation about a possible wedding, but they split up last year.

• Popular duo Yuzu are teaming up with veteran Oda Kazumasa (59) to record a Christmas song. As YuzuOda, they will record a version of Oda’s song “Kurisumasu no Yakusoku” (Christmas Promise), which has only ever been performed twice. The single is due for release on November 29 and is a strong contender for the No.1 slot over the Yuletide season. All three artists are natives of Yokohama, and they have been friends for the last few years. They performed the song together on a year-end TBS show in 2003 and again at Oda’s Nippon Budokan concert last year. The single will also include an Oda cover of Yuzu’s “Itsuka”.

Two concerts by popular idol singer Matsuura Aya (20) had to be cancelled yesterday for medical reasons. She has been diagnosed with temporomandibular arthrosis, a condition similar to arthritis that affects the joint connecting the jaw to the skull. Ayaya’s management say she has been using painkillers to continue working, though the condition has caused her to cancel concerts before. Doctors examined her yesterday and decided that performing was out of the question. She had been scheduled to perform two concerts in Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture. Management have scheduled a press conference for today but whether she herself will appear depends on her condition. It’s also undecided whether two concerts later this month in Tokyo will go ahead.

• AAA vocalist Uno Misako (20) made her Hollywood debut yesterday. She was at Knotsberry Farm for the world premiere of “The Grudge 2”, Shimizu Takashi’s Hollywood remake of his own smash hit horror flick, which was held at the famous tourist attraction near Los Angeles. It was legendary horror director Sam Raimi, the producer of this project, who decided he wanted to use AAA’s music in a film and invited Uno to try out for a part. Uno said, “I didn’t think I’d be scared seeing as how I’m in it, but I was. And I was surprised by my own acting!” She added, “We were chosen as Best Newcomer at the Japan Record Awards last year. It’d be great if I could win something similar at the Academy Awards!”

Yoshimoto Kogyo comedian Kato Koji (37) had some good news for a change. He announced on the Fuji TV comedy show “Mecha Mecha Iketeru” that his wife, actress Ozawa Rin (27), is expecting their third child in November. Known as Gokuraku Tombo, he and his former comedy partner Yamamoto Keiichi (38) were regulars on the show all during its ten-year history until Yamamoto got embroiled in an alleged rape and assault case this summer and saw his showbiz career come to an abrupt end. Kato has said he felt like “beating the crap” out of his former sidekick, but has been valiantly carrying with his solo career. He is a regular on several variety shows and presents the NTV wide show “Sukkir!!” In a typical move for Japanese TV, a recent special that looked back on the ten years of “Mecha…” had carefully edited Yamamoto out of all scenes.

• The 19th Tokyo International Film Festival has a new head. French director Jean Pierre Jeunet, whose 2001 movie “Amelie” was a huge sleeper hit in Japan, has been named to head the festival’s panel of judges. He replaces , who pulled out due to a work schedule conflict. Jeunet is best known in the English language market for directing “Alien 4”. He won the Gold Award at the 1991 Tokyo fest with his film “Delicatessen”.

• It was revealed on Saturday that singer UA (34) and actor Murakami Atsushi (33) divorced in August. They had been married for ten years and have one son, who is with his mother. Both have succesful, if somewhat ofbeat, careers and their busy work schedules kept them apart.

The organization that decides on Japan’s commemorative holidays has designated October 6 as “Tomu no Hi” or Tom Day in honor of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise (42). It is the first time a holiday has been named after an American star. Pre-orders are being accepted from today for the DVD of “Mission Impossible 3”, due for release on November 17. By the way, today is also “Suppon no Hi” (Snapping Turtle Day) and “Denwa Housou no Hi” (Telephone Broadcast Day) among others.

• Rock bands the pillows and Mr. Children played the first show of their joint concert tour last night. Some 2,250 fans at Zepp Tokyo saw two of Japan’s best rock acts together for the first time in 14 years. Friends since before they debuted, they both performed a cover of one of the other’s hits, ‘Misuchiru’ playing a version of “Strange Cameleon” and the pillows knocking out their version of “Tsuyogari”.

• Singer Oshima Hanako (32) announced yesterday that she is engaged. Her fiance is the 38-year old owner of a dojo for Brazilian Jujitsu. They plan to hold a wedding ceremony on the island of Maui in December. Oshima is the daughter of the late singer Sakamoto Kyu, who died in a JAL airliner crash in 1985 at the age of 43. He remains the only Japanese artist to have reached No.1 on the U.S. Billboard chart.

Actress Tamura Eriko (33) is making a name for herself in Hollywood. She was in Tokyo yesterday to promote the Ichikawa Toru film “Dakara Watashi wo Suwarasete”, her first local project in five years. She said she has been auditioning for TV and movie work since her move to Los Angeles in 2001. And she revealed that she has already made her Hollywood debut. She played a surfer girl in “Surf School”, which was released in September. She has already landed a role in another movie, provisionally titled “Rock Point”. She described it as “an artistic film,” adding, “I believe there are plans to enter it in film festivals. I’m so happy.” Though she made her acting debut at the age of 13, Tamura best known as a teen pop idol in the early 90s, when she released 10 albums. Her best known TV role was in the docu-drama mini-series “My Beloved Ultra Seven” on NHK. She also appeared in the network’s major taiga drama series “Hideyoshi” in 1996. Though her U.S. promos describe her as a “superstar” in her native country, that is a bit of a stretch these days. “Dakara…” opens here on Saturday.

• U.S. website The Smoking Gun recently reported that Fuji Keiko, the mother of J-pop queen Utada Hikaru was caught up in a possible drug case in New York back in March. A fellow passenger at John F. Kennedy Int’l Airport had notified authorities of her erratic and suspicious behavior. She was found to have more than $420,000 in cash in her carry-on luggage while on her way to Las Vegas. Authorities seized the money, alleging that it was either the proceeds of drug sales or was to be used to buy drugs. Fuji made a series of claims and excuses, such as that she was suffering from a serious illness, that the money was gambling winnings and that she planned to donate it to an orphanage in Las Vegas. None of the claims could be verified.

• Actor Watari Testuya is Japan’s ideal boss. In a survey by the local subsidiary of U.S. pen maker Parker, Watari was chosen as the celebrity who would make the best boss. He moved up from the No.2 spot, which went to last year’s top choice, former baseball manager Hoshino Seiichi. Another baseball legend, Oh Sadaharu was in third. Ex-prime minister Koizumi Junichiro fell from No.3 to No.5 but was still five places higher than his replacement, Abe Shinzo.

• Three members of the defunct visual-kei rock band Pierrot played their first concert yesterday as the new unit Angelo. Led by vocalist Kirito, they performed 11 new songs at the outdoor stage in central Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park. The set included their debut single “Reborn”, which is set for release on November 11. The five-member Pierrot broke up in April.

Dentist turned singer songwriter Toda Kohei (27) revealed in a recent interview that he is actually the younger brother of popular actress Toda Naho (32). He says that while she is his number one fan, she was also the one most strongly opposed to his career switch. Active in music from his high school days, he was in his fourth year of dentistry school when he first told his family of his dream to be a professional musician. They were strongly against the idea and managed to persuade him to finish school and qualify as a dentist. He did so but quit after just one month at a Tokyo dental clinic. It took a further two years of performing on the streets and in the live houses of Tokyo before he finally made his recording debut in July. His latest song, “Yo ni Mukau” has been chosen as the theme for Fuji TV’s revamped Friday night entertainment show “Kinyou Presteji”, starting this week. The same day, he will also make his first TV appearance, on “Tokyo Beat” on the TV Asahi network. Kohei includes Led Zeppelin, Blur and Inoue Yosui among his favorite artists. Toda Naho has long been romantically linked with New York Yankees star Matsui Hideki. A second sister, Toda Maiko, had a brief career as an actress but is now studying to become…a dentist!

• Comedian Yamamoto Keiichi (38) seems to have a get out of jail card. The Hakodate District Court yesterday decided to drop its prosecution following his alleged rape of a 17-year old girl in the city in July. Yamamoto and the girl are said to have reached a settlement out of court. The former member of the duo Gokuraku Tombo was dropped by the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency the day after the incident and is unlikely to be able to relaunch his showbiz career.