SXSW Asia has organized a "Japan Nite" tour covering eight major U.S. cities. The featured bands are The 50 Kaitenz, HY, Pistol Valve, GO!GO!7188, ORESKABAND, THE EMERALDS, and ASAKUSA JINTA, though not all of them will play in all of the shows. The schedule is:

• 3/10 - Cambridge, MA
• 3/11 - New York, NY
• 3/13 - Philadelphia, PA
• 3/14 - Chicago, IL
• 3/16 - Austin, TX
• 3/18 - Los Angeles, CA
• 3/19 - San Francisco, CA
• 3/20 - Seattle, WA

See the full details at the official site.

Rei Kikukawa will star in the short drama series "Hoshizora Hospital." It will air in NHK's "dodra" time slot (Saturday 9:00pm), and is expected to last for six episodes. Broadcast begins on April 7.

Kikukawa plays the role of a genius doctor who keeps her heart shut off from others, but through contact with her patients, she gradually learns to open up. Toshio Kakei, Takeshi Kaga, and Masahiko Tsugawa also appear in the series.

Actor Joe Odagiri has been appointed the new image character for Canon's IXY series of digital cameras. The previous image character was former soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata.

On Thursday, broadcaster TBS announced two additions to its Saturday lineup this spring.

At 7:00pm is the child-oriented "Dokkan!," where owarai duo Oriental Radio will cover extracurricular lessons. The program begins on April 21.

At 8:00pm is "Captain DoMino," a game/variety show hosted by Minomonta. It begins airing on April 28.

On Thursday, the main cast was announced for the film adaptation of Mariko Ishihara's tell-all autobiography, "Fuzoroi na Himitsu." The role of Ishihara herself will be played by both 16-year-old Kazumi Horisawa and 23-year-old Risa Goto. Ryunosuke Kawai has been cast as Ishihara's former lover, Koji Tamaki. The remainder of the cast includes Yuri Adachi (mother of talento Yumi Adachi) and Naoya Oshima (formerly of comedy duo Doronz).

Actress Satomi Ishihara will play the lead role in a new Fuji TV drama, tentatively titled "Hanayome to Papa." The series, a romance and home comedy, begins on April 10 and will air on Tuesdays at 9:00pm.

Ishihara's character is a new employee at an apparel company who is hoping for an eventual marriage with her boyfriend (Junnosuke Taguchi of KAT-TUN), while Saburo Tokito plays her overprotective father. Kotaro Koizumi plays the role of her boss, and Miho Shiraishi is one of her co-workers.

Singer Shikao Suga had to cancel three live radio appearances on FM Sendai on Wednesday, due to an acute case of bronchitis. He is currently aiming to recover in time for his concerts on the 26th and 27th at the Nippon Budokan.