Idol Shoko Nakagawa has been appointed as a regular guest on the TBS variety program "Private Lesson" (Wednesday nights at 12:55am), which features Akiko Wada learning about various topics. Nakagawa has appeared once on the show before. Last October, she introduced Wada to otaku culture while cosplaying as Haruhi from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya."

Norika Fujiwara and Tomonori Jinnai finally found time in their busy schedules to officially register their marriage. On Tuesday afternoon, they visited a government office in Jinnai's hometown of Kakogawa, Hyogo, where about 200 fans were unexpectedly waiting to give their blessings to the couple. The two were given "VIP treatment" - they waited in the treasury office until the city's mayor, Shoichi Tarumoto, personally handed them their marriage certificate.

Actress Misaki Ito and Yoshiharu Habu, generally recognized as the greatest living shogi player, will appear together in a commercial for a new addition to Nestle's canned coffee line, Nescafe Takumi. The commercial begins airing on the 13th.

Actress Koyuki has been chosen as the image character for Panasonic's new Viera plasma TV sets. The commercial begins airing on the 27th.

Nikkatsu Corporation held an event on Tuesday to announce its lineup of new movies. A total of sixteen films were revealed.

The biggest news of the event was the live-action adaptation of the 1970s anime series "Yatterman." The film will be directed by Takashi Miike and is scheduled for release in the spring of 2009. Filming is projected to begin at the end of this year or in early 2008.

Miike is aiming to recruit some big names for the cast. He reportedly offered the role of Doronjo, the leader of the villains, to actress Angelina Jolie, but she turned down the offer.

The anime series "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman," also from the 1970s, is being adapted into a live-action film as well, though no details were given.

Other announcements included "Naoko" starring Juri Ueno (adapted from Nobuhiro Sakata's manga), "ARCANA" starring Maki Horikita, "Atashi ga Sanran Suru Hi" starring Kaho, "Bokutachi no Suki Datta Kakumei" starring Masatoshi Nakamura (who also starred in the play of the same name), and an adaptation of Takuji Ichikawa's novel "Boku no Te wa Kimi no Tame ni."

Fuji TV and FUJIPACIFIC MUSIC are collaborating on a project called "mudra" ("music + drama") to create mini-dramas based on songs as a way of promoting the music. The short videos (approximately three minutes each) are then made freely available on the Fuji TV website.

So far, two dramas have been created. The first, consisting of three episodes, is based on "Aisubeki Hito" by new singer Kurumi Enomoto, and it stars Reina Asami. The second work, lasting five episodes, uses the song "Haru Biyori" by DEL. Shugo Oshinari and Megumi Seki play the lead roles.

The videos can be seen on the Fuji TV website.

Actress Maki Horikita will appear in her first jidaigeki role next year. She has been chosen to co-star with Aoi Miyazaki in NHK's 2008 taiga drama, "Atsuhime."

Horikita will play the part of the princess Kazunomiya Chikako, the daughter of Emperor Ninko and the wife of Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi.

Yumiko Inoue has been chosen as the winner of the 25th Kuniko Mukoda Prize for last year's NHK drama "Machiben." The award, which honors television drama screenwriters, is named after the late Kuniko Mukoda, a famous and prolific writer.

This is the fourth time that Inoue has been nominated for the prize, but this is her first time winning it.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that Hideo Nakata will direct the "Death Note" spinoff, currently titled "L." Nakata is best known as the director of "Ringu" and "Ringu 2."

Filming begins in August, and the theatrical release is scheduled for next year.