Rock band Remioromen recently collaborated with Nestle to create a limited run "Kit Kat CD Pack." The set, released on March 5, combined the chocolate treats with a special CD containing the band's hit single "3gatsu 9ka" and the song "Paradigm."

According to Nestle, there are now very few packs left, due to strong sales. Only 500,000 units were produced, and it is estimated that 350,000 of them sold during the first week.

Newscaster and actress Mao Kobayashi will begin hosting her first variety show this month when she joins the cast of Fuji TV's "Kiseki Taiken! Unbelievable." She is replacing former host Aiko Sato, who was on the show for eight and a half years.

It was also announced that singer/actress Saki Fukuda and model LIZA are joining the show as semi-regulars who will appear every other week. The two of them and Kobayashi are scheduled to make their debut on the show in a 2-hour special on April 12.

It was revealed at the end of February that Koichi Domoto will be starring in his first drama series in five years. The drama's name has now been announced as "Sushi Ouji!" Filming already started in Okinawa.

Domoto stars as Tsukasa Maizu, a martial artist training in the art of sushi. The series will also feature action scenes.

Yuichi Nakamaru of KAT-TUN will appear on the show as Tsukasa's partner Taro. This is Nakamaru's first regular role in a drama series.

Tomohisa Yamashita (NEWS), Ayumi Hamasaki, and Masatoshi Hamada (Downtown) are appearing in new commercials for Morinaga's Weider in Jelly drink. There are two versions, both of which can be seen on the official site. The commercials begin airing on the 8th.

The popular TBS documentary show "Sekai Ururun Taizaiki" (also known as "Homestay in the World") is undergoing a renewal.

"Ururun" has been on the air since 1995. Celebrities are sent to do homestays for a few days in various parts of the world, ranging from large cities to tribal villages. Their experiences are filmed and narrated, and the show includes a quiz format to present the local culture.

Starting on April 15, the show will be renamed "Sekai Ururun Taizaiki Renaissance." Narrator Atom Shimojo will be replaced by well-known actor and director Suzuki Matsuo. The show will also gets its first new theme song in four years, titled "Ichigo Ichie" and written by Miyuki Nakajima.

Author Yasushi Akimoto, who wrote the original "One Missed Call" ("Chakushin Ari") novel, is at work on a new horror film. The movie is titled "Densen Uta" and is being directed by Masato Harada.

"Densen Uta" tells the story of a song that is said to cause death whenever it is sung. Members of idol group AKB48 appear as high school students who discover the song by chance, while Ryuhei Matsuda stars as a third-rate reporter trying to find the truth behind the song. Yusuke Iseya also plays a lead role.

After the success of "One Missed Call," Akimoto had vaguely considered a movie revolving around a song. One day, his staff researched on the Internet and found that one existed. According to urban legend, the Hungarian song "Gloomy Sunday" caused many suicides. Based on the legends, Akimoto developed the story behind "Densen Uta."

Filming began in March, and the movie hits theaters in August. The deadly song, titled "Boku no Hana," is planned for a joint release with the movie. Like "One Missed Call," there is also the possibility that the movie will become a series if this first one is successful.

The winners of the 32nd Kazuo Kikuta Drama Awards were announced on Tuesday. The awards, which are named after playwright Kazuo Kikuta, give recognition to theater actors and actresses. The winners included Shinobu Otake, Kunio Murai, Kiyo Kurenai, and Rena Sasamoto. No Grand Prize winner was announced this year.

Sasamoto, at the age of 21 and ten months, is the youngest ever to win one of the awards. Last year, she starred as Sally Smith in "Me and My Girl" and appeared in "Marie Antoinette."

This is the third time that Sasamoto has set a record for being the youngest. In 1998, she landed the lead part in Horipro's long-running "Peter Pan" musical at the age of 13. Then in 2003, after just turning 18, she made the main cast of "Les Miserables" as Eponine.

The ceremony for the Kazuo Kikuta Drama Awards will take place on the 16th.

Actress Yoshino Kimura will star in a straight-to-DVD movie based on Hiroyuki Yasuda's manga "Rabi Papa." Yasuda is perhaps best known as the author of the "Shomuni" manga series.

"Rabi Papa" is currently being serialized in Manga Erotics F. The story is described as a surreal comedy about a violent but loving woman married to a no-good, human-like rabbit.

The DVD is scheduled to be released in October.

According to Oricon, spring is the season for celebrities to greatly develop their careers. So who will get a big break this year? Oricon conducted an online survey of 1,000 people to see which stars are expected to flourish. Because the age of 20 is said to be a turning point, Oricon limited its research to celebrities who are currently 20 years old.

Model and singer Leah Dizon came out on top by a large margin. Among male respondents, she was easily the favorite answer, but even among women, Dizon found plenty of support.

Mao Inoue took second place. She was the #1 answer among females, but males ranked her tied for third.

In third place was actress Erika Sawajiri, who was also ranked third by both men and women. Juri Ueno was #4, and Satomi Ishihara was #6.

The remaining five in the top ten were athletes, four of them male. Nippon Ham pitcher Yu Darvish was ranked #5, while Keisuke Honda, a midfielder for the Nagoya Grampus Eight, was voted 7th. Honda was followed in order by boxer Koki Kameda, figure skater Nobunari Oda, and golfer Shinobu Moromizato.