Monthly Archives: November 2006

Filming has recently finished on “Nana 2”, the sequel to last year’s hit movie based on the popular manga of the same name. Scheduled to open on December 9, it again stars singer Nakashima Mika (22), who shares the top billing this time with up-and-coming starlet Ichikawa Yui (20). Nakashima is the only surviving member of the original cast, which included young stars like Miyazaki Aoi, Narimiya Hiroki, Matsuda Ryuhei and Matsuyama Kenichi. But director Otani Kentaro is confident it will surpass the more than ¥4 billion it pulled in at the box office. Despite the recent evening chill during the final shoot by the Arakawa River in Tokyo, Nakashima donned her leather and miniskirt punk look, while Ichikawa was in a summer yukata. Both were in tears when Otani presented them with bouquets to mark the end of filming. The story of female friendship is similar to that of the first movie, about a chance encounter of two girls with the name Nana. Ichikawa started out as a in-up girl and made her movie debut in ther 2003 horror hit “Juon” (re-made as the Hollywood hit The Grudge). She has also appeared in several TV dramas and released a few pop singles. Nakashima is one of the most popular young female vocalists in Japan. Her debut album True (2002) was a million seller and she’s already released 20 singles.

Popular comedian Kato Cha (63) has been hospitalized and has had to cancel TV appearances. The exact nature of his condition has not been publicized but is thought to be a circulatory problem. He was admitted to a Tokyo hospital on October 30 and has been undergoing tests. He is expected to spend a significant time in the hospital. Several years ago he was diagnosed with hardened arteries and possible angina and has been undergoing treatment. He is scheduled to appear with Nakamoto Koji (65) and Takagi Boo (73) as the Kobucha Band in a dinner show tour next month. Both are fellow former members of The Drifters, Japan’s most famous comedy group of all time. The Drifters reigned Japanese TV from the late 1960s to the mid-80s. As a comedy band, they opened for the Beatles at the Budokan in 1966 and a few years later their show “Hachiji Da Yo! Zen’in Shugo” became a TV phenomenon. With rankings rarely below 40%, the irreverent comic variety show set new standards for live TV crudity. It was the show parents tried to prevent their children from watching but with little success. After the show’s demise in 1985, members Kato and Shimura Ken started their own series and they remain two of TV’s most recognizable faces, especially when in character.

Actress Takeuchi Yuko (26) is being inundated with new commercial offers. It’s probably no coincidence that her impending divorce from playboy kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (34) comes at a time when she is getting back to work. Her management are casting her in the divorce story as the victim (which she very well may be) of Nakamura’s womanizing, and a typical working single mother. The couple have a son of just 9 months. Takeuchi is currently appearing in four TV commercials, for which she is thought to have received about ¥50 million apiece. And given her recent publicity and the fact that it will likely boost her image among women, recent offers for new commercials are likely to make her over ¥100 million each. A similar phenomenon was seen after the divorces of such stars as singer Amuro Namie and actress Iijima Naoko. The TV wide shows have benn showing a video of the making of Takeuchi’s new movie “Saidokaa ni Inu” (Dog in the Sidecar), which recently started production and is due for release in autumn 2007. See yesterday’s story for more on her divorce.

• Aichi Prefecture police arrested a 26-year-old company employee for online ticket fraud. Over a period of 18 months, the Toyama Prefecture resident offered tickets, such as for popular Johnny’s group Arashi, for sale through a mobile BBS site. Through about 50 such swindles he made around ¥1.5 million.

• Actor and singer Matsudaira Ken has finally become a father at the age of 52. His second wife, former idol singer Matsumoto Yuriko (38), gave birth to a baby boy on October 31. The couple married at the end of last year. matsudaira was for many years best known for his samurai roles until he had a huge hit in 2004 with the pop single “Matsuken Samba II”.

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido really does seem to be messing his life up. And it looks as though his beautiful wife of less than a year and a half has had enough. The last few months have seen Nakamura (34) involved in a drunk driving incident and a series of alleged affairs. At a time when his stage and screen career are about to take off, it looks like the one taking off is actress Takeuchi Yuko (26). They are already separated and have started discussing a divorce settlement. Their marriage in June 2005 made them one of showbiz’s big couples, though the fact that Takeuchi was pregnant at the time was a warning sign. She gave birth to a son last November and the rumors of her husband’s philandering started soon after. According to sources, Takeuchi filed for divorce through her lawyer at the beginning of October. It seems that she and her son have basically been living at her management office since the time of Nakamura’s drunk driving incident in July. At the time, young actress Okamoto Aya (23) was in the car with him. He made very public apologies but was soon seen out on the town with stage co-star Takaoka Saki (33).