Southern All Stars have set a new record by having 44 singles on the Oricon chart at the same time. Yes, that’s 44 singles out of the Top 100! The previous record was held by Matsutoya Yumi, who had 16 singles in the chart in July 1989. SAS re-released every single between their 1978 debut “Katte ni Sinbad” and 2000’s “Tsunami,” and the highest ranked was “Body Special II” at No.18. Only 2 singles by other artists made it to slots between #18 and #63. “Tsunami,” which made #20, has now reached total sales of 2.92 million copies, putting in third place all time. SAS timed the multiple release to fall on the 27th anniversary of their debut. They will release their 51st single “Bohbo No.5” on July 20.
• Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) and actress Takeuchi Yuko (25) announced via their agencies yesterday that they recently tied the knot. Nakamura is said to have registered their marriage at the local municipal office on June 25, an auspicious “taian” day in the traditional Japanese calendar. Takeuchi is expecting a baby within the year.
• Ken, guitarist with popular rock band L’Arc En Ciel, revealed on a radio show that he broke a toe while playing basketball during filming of a promotion video earlier this month.
• “A,” the NTV variety show hosted by popular newscaster Kume Hiroshi (60) has come to an embarrassing end after just 3 months on the air. The cancellation of the show had already been announced, but the final edition still managed only a 6.7% audience rating, despite its prime Sunday 8pm time slot. The show tried to use the Internet and other modern ideas to create a show based around an Asian theme.