With the Tanabata festival approaching (July 7), Oricon has published the results of a survey it conducted June 22-26. Men and women ranging between the ages of 20 and 50 were asked which talento they would most like to spend Tanabata with. Among women, Masaharu Fukuyama was #1, followed by Teppei Koike, Tomohisa Yamashita, Tsuyoshi Domoto, Takuya Kimura, Junichi Okada, Joe Odagiri, Koichi Domoto, Gackt, and Naohito Fujiki. Among men, Ai Otsuka was #1, followed by Maki Horikita, Aya Ueto, Masami Nagasawa, Haruka Ayase, Yuri Ebihara, Kyoko Hasegawa, Saki Aibu, Yuka, and Manami Konishi.

According to the Anime News Network, Anime Expo 2006 attracted over 41,000 unique attendees to the Anaheim Convention Center over the July 1-4 weekend. In addition, the SPJA Charity Auction raised more than $21,650 to benefit Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC). This year marked the convention's 15th year anniversary. Anime Expo 2007 will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (known for its annual Academy Awards) revealed the names of 120 artists and executives who have been invited to become members of the academy. Among the names is renowned anime film director Hayao Miyazaki. Currently, the Academy has over 6,000 members, but recent policy has made the organization more selective about new invitations.