In 1985, the Japanese showbiz industry tried hard to make the world forget about Dan Ikeda. And until news of his death was revealed yesterday, a full two months after he had passed away, they succeeded. The musician died at a Tokyo hospital of respiratory failure on Christmas Day and a small funeral was held for him, presided over by his widow Setsuko. He was 72. In his heyday, Ikeda was a top session musician whose big band, “Dan Ikeda to New Breed”, accompanied artists every week on the hugely popular Fuji TV music show “Yoru no Hit Studio”. Ikeda worked on up to eight weekly shows and appeared 13 times on NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen”. But in 1985, angered that “Yoru” was moved to a later time slot and that TV in general was switching from from live to pre-recorded broadcasts, Ikeda quit as bandmaster. That November, he published a racy autobiography and was bold enough to include the real names of such established stars as host Inoue Jun and top idols Tahara Toshihiko and Matsuda Seiko. Having broken one of the industry’s biggest taboos, Ikeda was unable to work on TV ever again and was forced to seek work at regional music events. Though he admitted to having been lonely, he insisted he never regretted writing about things that he considered “common knowledge.” Born Ikeda Keisuke in 1935 in Seoul, South Korea, he moved back to Japan with his family after WWII. While in high school he worked as a folk dance instructor, known as a “dan-suke”, which earned him the moniker that became his stage name.
• Hollywood star Nicole Kidman (40) was in Tokyo yesterday for the Japan premiere of “The Golden Compass”, which opens at theaters on March 1. Five months pregnant, Kidman thanked fans on behalf of her baby for their messages of congratulation. Also attending the event was actress and former model Tamaru Maki (29). Asked about the rumors of a split with Terada Kazumasa (42), the president of fashion brand Samantha Thavasa, she denied there was even any relationship.
• One of the longest-running shows on Japanese TV is approaching its 2,200th edition. At the Tokyo International Forum yesterday, Fuji TV’s Saturday evening show “Music Fair” recorded a series of four special episodes that will air from March 1. The show will reach the landmark figure on March 15. One the air for 44 years, the show regularly features the biggest names in the pop world. Singer Moriyama Ryoko (60) has appeared the most times (104) and yesterday performed a duet of her famous hit “Nada Sou Sou” with her son Naotaro (31). Other acts collaborating for the show included vocal group Gospellers and Ayaka (20).
• Defunct pop duo I WiSH got back together for a one-off concert last night. During the show at the CC Lemon Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, pianist nao (27) announced that he and vocalist ai (22) got married in December and are expecting a baby in May. Yesterday was ai’s 22nd birthday. Though the duo split up in February 2005, they released a new CD on Valentine’s Day. “Love Songs 4 You” contains four songs, including a new recording that completes a “love cycle” started by their first three singles.