Up till now, the only guys to grace the cover of Marie Claire magazine have been foreign superstars. But on the cover of the June issue is J-pop idol Matsumoto Jun (22). A member of popular Johnny’s Jimusho boy band Arashi, “Matsujun” is one of the agency’s up and coming stars. On the magazine cover, he is shown in an embrace with a Russian model. Inside, he talks about his ideas of love and romance. In its 24 years, the women’s fashion mag has featured several foreign men on the cover, including soccer star David Beckham, but Matsumoto is the first Japanese guy.
• Rock duo Love Psychedelico played their first ever free gig as part of the global Earth Day events on Saturday. The performed eight songs, including a cover of the Beatles’ “Help!” which they will release as a single in June. Earth Day events took place in 140 countries worldwide.
• Singer/songwriter Otsuka Ai (23) played her first ever arena concert as part of her ongoing 9-city national tour. She performed 22 songs, including her current hit “Frienger”, for 15,000 fans at Yokohama Arena.
• Comedian Gori (33) is to try his hand at movie direction. He will not only take the megaphone but also write and star in “Keiji Bogey”, described as a “hard-boiled comedy”. The movie will be shown at the Short Short Film Festival 2006 in June. In its eighth year, the event is Asia’s biggest for short films. Gori, one half of the comedy duo Garage Sale, is best known for his garish, cross-dressing Gorie character.