On Thursday, Asmik Ace announced its new movie lineup. Among the films named was an adaptation of Yumiko Oshima's popular manga "Gou-Gou Datte Neko Dearu." The movie, directed by Isshin Inudo, will feature Kyoko Koizumi in her first lead role since "Kuchu Teien" in 2005.

Other films revealed by Asmik Ace include Takashi Koizumi's "Ashita e no Yuigon" (starring Makoto Fujita) and an adaptation of Kotaro Isaka's best-seller, "Juryoku Pierrot" (also known as "Gravity Clown").

Actor Hiroki Narimiya and model/talento Asami Usuda will appear together in a commercial for Takara's new version of its chuhai drink, Takara Can Chu-Hi.

The new line, called "Jikashibori," features juice squeezed directly from the fruits. Four flavors will be sold: lemon, grapefruit, apple, and shekwasha.

The commercial begins airing on the 27th, when the drink goes on sale.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra will appear in a new commercial for Kirin's NUDA soft drink.

The band's members, wearing blue suits, appear in various situations drinking the beverage. At the end, the group performs a cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."

The commercial begins airing on the 24th.

Actor Naoki Hosaka announced on Thursday that he will be entering the Buddhist priesthood next month. On April 12, he will undergo the tokudo ceremony (the ordination ritual for Buddhist priests) at a Shingon temple in Koshi, Kumamoto.

Up until now, Hosaka had publicly stated that both of his parents died in a car accident. But in explaining his decision, he revealed that his parents had actually committed suicide when he was seven years old.

Hosaka currently visits his parents' grave in Shizuoka every month. He says that ever since he turned 26 or 27 (his parents' ages when they died), he thought about entering the priesthood to give something back to the world.

Unlike most priests, Hosaka said that he will not be shaving off his hair. He plans to travel between Kumamoto and Tokyo to train as a priest while continuing his work in show business.

On April 9, the famous singer Seiko Matsuda will appear in her first documentary. The program will air on NHK at 10:00pm. It has been tentatively titled, "Seiko Matsuda ~'Josei no Jidai' no 27 Nen."

The documentary will include an interview with Matsuda's daughter, Sayaka Kanda.

Popular singer-songwriter YUI will sing the theme song for the movie "Sidecar ni Inu," starring Yuko Takeuchi and directed by Kichitaro Negishi. The song is titled "Understand" and is expected to be released as a single in June. The film opens in theaters in early summer.

Singer-songwriter Bonnie Pink will sing the theme song for the Fuji TV drama series, "Watashitachi no Kyoukasho," which starts on April 12. The song, titled "Water Me," is her first theme song for a drama, and is also her first ballad in three years.

"Watashitachi no Kyoukasho" is a human drama starring Miho Kanno and Atsushi Ito. The drama focuses on the "light" and "dark" sides of humans, so Bonnie Pink was asked to write a song conveying the idea of finding light in the midst of darkness. She responded with a song about a thirsting plant in the desert.

"Water Me" is scheduled for release in June, coupled with the Nissan Moco commercial song "Gimme A Beat."

Singer-songwriter Michiyo announced on her personal blog that she is getting married. She also announced that she is expecting a baby in November, though she plans to continue her singing career.

Michiyo debuted in 1997 when she won a rock vocalist audition on ASAYAN. It was in that same audition that Hello! Project producer Tsunku took five of the runners-up and formed the idol group Morning Musume.

Actor Shun Oguri has been announced as the voice of Akio Asakura, the lead character in the anime "Wangan Midnight," which is based on the manga of the same name. The series is about expressway racers.

Reiko Suho will provide the voice of the heroine, Reina Akikawa. The series will air on SKY PerfecTV! starting in June.

It was announced on Thursday that the all-female teenage ska sextet ORESKABAND will be starring in a Hollywood-produced movie.

The Osaka-based band made their major debut last year. For promotional purposes, they created a video called "Hana no Ore Video," which presented the band's history from their formation in junior high until their debut. As their label's staff in the United States promoted the band, the video happened to be seen by Barry Rosenbush, the executive producer behind Disney's hit television movie "High School Musical." Rosenbush liked what he saw, and he visited the band in Japan last fall to discuss a movie possibility.

It has been decided that the band will star in the film, and they will also handle the soundtrack. Further details will be announced simultaneously in Japan and the U.S. in August.

The members of ORESKABAND graduated from high school earlier this month. They just completed touring with SXSW's Japan Nite in the U.S. and are following it up with a national tour in Japan. They also announced the release of a new single, "Tsumasaki," on May 9 and their first full album, "WAO!!," on May 23.

Popular idol Jun Natsukawa admitted on her official blog on Thursday that she is older than she has claimed to be.

Magazine reports had recently circulated stating that Natsukawa was born in 1980, three years earlier than her publicized birth date. When asked about it, she repeatedly asserted that she is 23.

But on Thursday, Natsukawa admitted that she is actually 26. She explained that when she joined her current agency, the staff decided to change both her name and her age. She was represented as being 19 at the time to increase her appeal to teenagers.

"Today, I would like to start over as the 26-year-old Jun Natsukawa," she said.