Talento and sometime rockabilly singer Mickey Curtis (69) recently married for the third time, this time to a woman 33 years younger. His management announced the news yesterday, saying that the couple met in May of last year. Curtis was at an outdoor cafe when the woman’s dog approached him. By the time they parted, he had her email address and took things from there. He proposed last Chritmas and they tied the knot at the end of January. Real name Kachisu Brian, Curtis was married to model and actress Yoshimura Mari (72) in the early 1960s, but domestic violence brought an end to that marriage after just two years. He was married again from 1971 to 2002, with a drawn-out and messy divorce following the drug arrest of his musician son Yuujin (Eugene, 35).
• Hip hop producer Pharrell Williams (34) was in Tokyo yesterday to help launch auditions for Japan’s next R&B diva. The man behind hits for Beyonce and Usher and Madonna’s upcoming album has teamed up with friend and fashion design leader Nigo (37) to organize the “Star Bape Search” (Nigo is the man behind the popular Bape, or A Bathing Ape, brand). Singers aged 15 to 26 are eligible to audition, with three rounds leading up to a final decision in June. The winner will be go into the studio with Williams and Nigo and release a debut single within the year.
• Asano Tadanobu (34) is to attend the upcoming Academy Awards, where “Mongol” has been nominated for a best foreign film Oscar. Directed by Sergei Bodrov, the movie is based on the early days of the great Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan, played by the “Ichi the Killer” star.