NEWS' Tomohisa Yamashita recently went to France to film a new commercial for the milk vanilla ice cream product MOW. He plays a reporter asking people for their opinions after sampling the dessert. According to the report, Yamashita spent his 15-hour flight memorizing his lines in French.

The commercial begins airing on April 6.

On Saturday night, the ladies' free skating portion of the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships were held. According to Video Research Ltd., Fuji TV's broadcast of the event averaged a 38.1% rating in the Kanto region (43.0% in Nagoya, 34.8% in Kansai).

The highest ratings occurred at around 10:46pm, when skater Miki Ando was awarded the ladies' gold medal, after placing second in both the short program and free skating events. The ratings reached 50.8% in the Kanto region, 56.6% in Nagoya, and 49.7% in the Kansai area.

Fellow Japanese skater Mao Asada earned the silver medal, while Korea's Kim Yu-Na won the bronze.

Actress Karina and actor Hisashi Yoshizawa (formerly known as Yu Yoshizawa) are starring in a radio drama on the Nippon Broadcasting System. It is called "Wasurarenai Koi no Uta ~Harukaze~" and began airing today (Mondays to Thursdays at around 10:40pm).

The drama's motif is the song "Harukaze" by the folk duo Yuzu. The story is about a man and woman who always watched Yuzu's performances, and even though they were attracted to each other, they never confessed their feelings. After ten years of separation, they meet again.

The members of Yuzu also appear in the drama.

The winners of the Miss FLASH 2007 contest were announced on Monday. Gravure idol and actress Natsuko Tatsumi won the Grand Prix, while Asami Tani and Momo Yoshida both were awarded the Semi-Grand Prix. All three women are 19.

Keiichiro Koyama of NEWS graduated from Meiji University's Department of History and Geography on Monday. The ceremony was held at the Nippon Budokan.

On Monday, the female pop trio Harenchi Punch (ハレンチ☆パンチ) announced that it has changed its name to Hare Pan (80☆PAN). This is primarily just a cosmetic change, as the group was already often abbreviated as "Hare Pan," and their official website address already uses the "80 PAN" spelling.

Vocalist Tomomi Ogasawara said, "It's been 20 months since our debut. We want to show the evolving Hare Pan."

The group's new album, "8 Carat Princess," goes on sale on June 6. All of the songs on the album are being used as themes for popular video games.

For a limited time, Kirin will sell a "Black Lemon Ginger" variation of its Kirin Lemon beverage. The drink's theme is based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series.

To promote the drink, 16-year-old JJ model Alisa Urahama will dress up like Captain Jack Sparrow for a commercial. This is her first time in a television ad.

The drink hits shelves on the 27th, and is scheduled to discontinue when "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is released in May. The commercial begins airing on March 31.

Enka singer and idol Asami Hayashi (29) has announced that she is changing her name to Asami Mizumaki. She first debuted in 1996, and has decided to start anew, twelve years later. She will release "Koigoyomi Naniwa Shunju," her first single as Mizumaki, on May 23.