Top fashion model Ebihara Yuri (photo, 26) is to play the girlfriend of SMAP member Inagaki Goro (32) in a new light drama series on Fuji TV. The series, “Busu no Hitomi ni Koishiteiru” (“Love in the Eyes of an Ugly Woman”, Tues. 10pm from April 11), is based on essays by Suzuki Osamu, a writer on the SMAPxSMAP variety show and married to comedienne Oshima Miyuki of the trio Morisanchuu. The word “busu” means ugly, and is often used to describe the members of the trio. Meanwhile Ebihara, known to her legions of female fans as Ebi-chan, is the regular cover model for fashion magazine CanCam. Her “cute-stylish” look is imitated by thousands of OLs (office ladies) and university students. The drama series, in which she plays herslef with a minor name change, is basically a marketing tie up between Fuji and CanCam.
• Actor Saigo Teruhiko (59) and singer/talento Henmi Mari (55) are appearing on stage together for the first time since their divorce 25 years ago. The parents of recently married talento Henmi Emiri (29), seem to have put the past behind them. Saigo heaped praise on his ex, recently divorced for the second time, for her still fine singing voice and expressed his thanks to her for raising their two children. The two are part of a group on a 19-date national tour.
• Veteran movie critic Mizuno Haruo (74) looked slimmer but in good form after his recent hospitalization. At the end of January, the TV regular suffered internal bleeding and was unconscious when admitted to a Tokyo hospital. He remained in that state for a day and a half but recovered fully and was released on February 10. At a press conference yesterday, he apologized to media and fans for causing concern and promised that he would ease off on his heavy workload.
• Popular freelance announcer Kojima Natsuko (37) said by fax yesterday that she gave birth to her first child on Sunday. She plans to return to her regular job on Tokyo FM radio in April.