Today is the Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) national holiday. Congratulations to all you 20-year-olds who are adults as of this year.
• “Rinne” is the latest Japanese horror movie to be selected for a Hollywood makeover. Director Shimizu Takashi (33) is considered a hot property in Tinseltown after the success of “The Grudge” – his adaptation of his won film “Juon”, and over 20 movie companies were said to be chasing him for the rights to the US version. Shimizu, star Yuka (25) and other cast and crew were in central Tokyo for the opening of Rinne on Saturday night. The title refers to the Buddhist endless cycle of rebirth, and the US version of the movie is likely to be titled “Rebirth”.
• Actor and playwright Noda Hideki (50) has re-married, this time to an actress half his age. He sent a fax to the media on Saturday announcing that he and Fujita Yoko (25) had registered their marriage on December 12. They only met for the first time last spring. Noda married actress Takeshita Akiko, a member of his Yume no Yuminsha theater troupe, in 1986 but they split the following year. He was also romantically involved with award-winning actress Ohtake Shinobu, with whom he lived for five years. Fujita has appeared in several movies and can currently be seen in the Vodafone TV commercials.