Tue, March 6, 2007 (11:27pm EST)
Keisuke Kuwata of popular band Southern All Stars has been appointed as the new commercial character for credit card company American Express. Two versions of the new advertisement will be broadcast. Recording began at the end of January, and shooting locations included Kyoto, Okinawa, and Thailand.
The commercials will incorporate a new song by Kuwata, called "Konna Boku de Yokattara." This is Kuwata's first solo work since his 2002 album "ROCK AND ROLL HERO." However, there are no plans to release the song on CD.
Both versions of the commercial begin broadcasting on Wednesday.
The commercials will incorporate a new song by Kuwata, called "Konna Boku de Yokattara." This is Kuwata's first solo work since his 2002 album "ROCK AND ROLL HERO." However, there are no plans to release the song on CD.
Both versions of the commercial begin broadcasting on Wednesday.
Tue, March 6, 2007 (2:38am EST)
Pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki dominated the Oricon charts this past week with her two new compilation albums. "A Best 2 -White-" and "A Best 2 -Black-" took the #1 and #2 positions, respectively. The white album sold 475,000 copies during the week, only five thousand more than the black album.
Hamasaki is the second female artist to take the top two spots on the album charts. The last person to do so was enka singer Keiko Fuji (mother of Hikaru Utada) in August 1970, with her "Onna no Blues" and "Shinjuku no Onna / Enka no Hoshi Keiko Fuji no Subete." Unlike Fuji, however, Hamasaki's albums were released simultaneously.
On the 10th, Hamasaki's new tour kicks off at the Saitama Super Arena. The tour includes shows in Taipei on March 24, Hong Kong on April 7, and Shanghai on April 22.
Hamasaki is the second female artist to take the top two spots on the album charts. The last person to do so was enka singer Keiko Fuji (mother of Hikaru Utada) in August 1970, with her "Onna no Blues" and "Shinjuku no Onna / Enka no Hoshi Keiko Fuji no Subete." Unlike Fuji, however, Hamasaki's albums were released simultaneously.
On the 10th, Hamasaki's new tour kicks off at the Saitama Super Arena. The tour includes shows in Taipei on March 24, Hong Kong on April 7, and Shanghai on April 22.
Tue, March 6, 2007 (1:55am EST)
Actress Atsuko Sakurai will soon become a mother. She is currently about six months pregnant, with the baby due at the end of July. Sakurai and her husband Hiroatsu Shimakawa, a producer at TV Asahi, have been married for almost four years.
Sakurai discovered she was pregnant at the end of last year. At the time, she had already been cast as a regular in the currently airing drama series "Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi 3." This Monday, she finished recording all of her scenes, so she began maternity leave the next day. She will only return to work on the 25th to attend a release event for the DVD box set of last year's drama series "Utsukushii Wana."
Sakurai discovered she was pregnant at the end of last year. At the time, she had already been cast as a regular in the currently airing drama series "Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi 3." This Monday, she finished recording all of her scenes, so she began maternity leave the next day. She will only return to work on the 25th to attend a release event for the DVD box set of last year's drama series "Utsukushii Wana."
Tue, March 6, 2007 (12:59am EST)
At the end of this month, NTV's 2-hour drama time slot "Kayo Drama Gold" (Tuesday 9:00pm) will come to a close. For the program's finale on March 27, actress Yuko Hama will star in another episode of the long-lived "Coroner Akiko Muro" series.
"Coroner Akiko Muro" started in 1986, when the time slot was known as "Kayo Suspense Gekijo." One or two episodes aired every year until 2005, when the time slot became "Drama Complex." In total, 36 "Coroner Akiko Muro" dramas have aired to date.
The new special, tentatively titled "Saigo no Kaibo" ("Final Autopsy"), will center on the death of an assistant designer of a fashion company.
In addition to the main characters of Muro and her colleague Hamada (Tonpei Hidari), two special guests will make an appearance, both from "Kayo Suspense" dramas. One is Tsukuda (Teruhiko Saigo) of the "Assistant Inspector Jiro Tsukuda" series, and the other is Kasumi (Miki Maya) of the "Prosecutor Yuko Kasumi" series. Additional cast members include former Takarazuka actresses Jun Shibuki, Mai Kazahana, and Yuri Hoshina.
"Coroner Akiko Muro" started in 1986, when the time slot was known as "Kayo Suspense Gekijo." One or two episodes aired every year until 2005, when the time slot became "Drama Complex." In total, 36 "Coroner Akiko Muro" dramas have aired to date.
The new special, tentatively titled "Saigo no Kaibo" ("Final Autopsy"), will center on the death of an assistant designer of a fashion company.
In addition to the main characters of Muro and her colleague Hamada (Tonpei Hidari), two special guests will make an appearance, both from "Kayo Suspense" dramas. One is Tsukuda (Teruhiko Saigo) of the "Assistant Inspector Jiro Tsukuda" series, and the other is Kasumi (Miki Maya) of the "Prosecutor Yuko Kasumi" series. Additional cast members include former Takarazuka actresses Jun Shibuki, Mai Kazahana, and Yuri Hoshina.
