Saturday’s big wedding ceremony will be broadcast “almost” live. Yomiuri TV viewers in the Kansai region will be able to watch live coverage of actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) speaking to the media after they tie the knot at Ikuta Jinja shrine in Kobe. But with this being the biggest showbiz wedding of recent years, other stations in the NTV network are busy negotiating for broadcast rights. Fujiwara plans to wear the spectacular “junihitoe” or twelve-layered kimono, while Jinnai will don the “sokutai” or old ceremonial court dress. The traditional ceremony will be shown in pre-recorded segments, following which the couple will hold a live press conference for about half an hour from 4:20pm. About 400 security personnel will be on hand to keep the shrine and surrounding areas clear of fans and unauthorized media.
• Stevie Wonder (56) didn’t seem too upset that only about 10 fans turned out to greet him at Narita Airport. On his 15th visit to Japan, he will play a 6-date tour starting at the Saitama Super Arena on February 17/18. He was over an hour late for a press conference at his Tokyo hotel last night, but made up for it by giving a quick performance on his keyboard. He talked about how much he loved Japan, adding “I think I must have been born in Japan in a previous life”.