Mon, January 29, 2007 (8:16pm EST)
Actress Yoshino Kimura will play the role of famous singer Teresa Teng in an upcoming drama special about her life, titled "Teresa Teng Monogatari: Watashi no Ie wa Yama no Mukou." The drama will air in the spring on TV Asahi, in honor of Teng's thirteenth death anniversary. This will be the first Japanese drama based on Teng's life.
Teng debuted as a singer in Taiwan at the age of 14 in 1967. She made her debut in Japan in 1974, and throughout her career she had many hits in both Chinese and Japanese. On May 8, 1995, Teng suddenly died from an apparent asthma attack while on a trip in Thailand.
The special will cover Teng's life between 1974 and 1995. Currently, 11 of her songs are planned to be used in the drama. Kimura is taking lessons to be able to sing in Chinese.
Teng debuted as a singer in Taiwan at the age of 14 in 1967. She made her debut in Japan in 1974, and throughout her career she had many hits in both Chinese and Japanese. On May 8, 1995, Teng suddenly died from an apparent asthma attack while on a trip in Thailand.
The special will cover Teng's life between 1974 and 1995. Currently, 11 of her songs are planned to be used in the drama. Kimura is taking lessons to be able to sing in Chinese.
Mon, January 29, 2007 (7:42pm EST)
Broadcaster NTV will be airing a 2-night "Shakespeare Series" drama special this spring. The series will adapt "Romeo & Juliet" and "King Lear" to modern times.
In the "Romeo & Juliet" adaptation, idol Hideaki Takizawa will play a garbage collector whose father (Shinji Yamashita) becomes a murder suspect, while popular actress Masami Nagasawa plays the daughter of the detective (Tomokazu Miura) involved in the case.
"King Lear" will be transformed into the story of a supermarket manager (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his three daughters. Mao Inoue will also star in the drama.
The screenplay for the series will be handled by writer Yumiko Inoue. The broadcast date has not yet been announced.
In the "Romeo & Juliet" adaptation, idol Hideaki Takizawa will play a garbage collector whose father (Shinji Yamashita) becomes a murder suspect, while popular actress Masami Nagasawa plays the daughter of the detective (Tomokazu Miura) involved in the case.
"King Lear" will be transformed into the story of a supermarket manager (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his three daughters. Mao Inoue will also star in the drama.
The screenplay for the series will be handled by writer Yumiko Inoue. The broadcast date has not yet been announced.
Mon, January 29, 2007 (7:26pm EST)
The most recent Oricon singles chart shows that Namie Amuro's new single, "Baby Don't Cry," was third in sales this past week. With that, Amuro has established a new record among female artists: she has released a Top 10 single for thirteen consecutive years, starting in 1995. Before this, she was tied with Kyoko Koizumi and Shizuka Kudo at twelve years.
