Comedian Hiroshi Neko announced that he is engaged. His partner is a nurse of the same age (29), though she stands 18cm taller than Neko, who is only 147cm tall. The two first met four years ago through a friend. He proposed to her with a 1.1-carat diamond ring on December 10 last year (the same day Norika Fujiwara and Tomonori Jinnai held their engagement ceremony). True to his character, he popped the question by asking, "Will you please become my owner?"

The marriage registration and the wedding ceremony are both scheduled to take place this year.

Horipro has been running the stage musical "Peter Pan" every summer since 1981. This July, a new actress will be taking on the lead role: 15-year-old Mitsuki Takahata. Takahata will represent the eighth generation of that role, following in the footsteps of actresses such as Ikue Sakakibara, Rena Sasamoto, and most recently, Mao Miyaji.

Takahata entered show business in December 2005, starring in a musical tribute to Momoe Yamaguchi titled "Playback Part 2 ~ Okujo no Tenshi." Currently an Osaka resident, she will be moving to Tokyo while also making the transition from middle school to high school.

Shingo Tsurumi will return as Captain Hook. The musical will run from July 20 to July 31 at the Tokyo International Forum.

TOKIO's Tomoya Nagase has been chosen as the new image character for GUNZE's male underwear line "BODY WILD." Commercials will begin airing on the 15th.

20-year-old female baseball player Ayumi Kataoka of the Ibaraki Golden Golds will make her first commercial appearance this spring. She has been chosen as the image character for POLA's cosmetics product Whitissimo. The commercials are scheduled to begin airing on April 1.

Sony has acquired the North American rights to the animated film "Tekkon Kinkreet." No details about release plans have been announced yet.