Keita Tachibana of w-inds. has been added to the voice cast of the Japanese dub of "Shrek the Third" (in theaters on June 30), playing the part of Artie. This is Tachibana's first role as a voice actor.

It was also announced that w-inds. will sing the image song for the movie. The title has not yet been announced, but its chaku-uta (mobile phone ringtone) release has been scheduled for June 20.

Talento Noriko Aota (also known as "Bubble Aota") was revealed on Wednesday to be formerly married. This comes as a surprise to many, as Aota has become known for her unmarried status.

In November 2004, while Aota's career was in a slump, she married a restaurant manager. Shortly after that, she found popularity as a personality on the "Kakuzuke Shiau Onnatachi" segment of TV Asahi's "London Hearts," where she became characterized as a "makeinu" - a term meaning "loser" but often applied to unmarried women over the age of 30.

Aota's work schedule began to fill up, giving her little time with her husband. In the fall of 2005, her husband suggested divorce. Aota agreed, but they mutually decided to continue as supportive partners, and their relationship since then has remained suggestive of married life. According to Aota's agency, they may eventually get remarried after their lives have settled down.

Former NEWS members Hironori Kusano and Hiroki Uchi will return to action this summer, but not with NEWS.

Kusano and Uchi were removed from the popular group last year for underage drinking, and were demoted to trainee status within Johnny's Jimusho. Since then, they have been working hard, and the agency has decided that Kusano and Uchi have done enough reflection on their actions.

The two are scheduled to appear in Shonentai's annual musical, "PLAYZONE," which starts on July 9 at the Aoyama Theatre in Tokyo.

Actress Misaki Ito will star in Fuji TV's summer drama, "Yama Onna Kabe Onna." The series is an adaptation of Atsuko Takakura's manga which was serialized in Kodansha's Evening KC magazine.

The story revolves around a woman working in a department store (Ito) whose meager bust has earned her the nickname of "kabe onna" ("kabe" means "wall" and "onna" means "woman"). Unfortunately for her, a well-endowed "yama onna" ("yama" meaning "mountain") gets assigned to the same department, heightening her insecurity.

There is no official word yet on who will play the role of the "yama onna," but rumor says it's Kyoko Fukada.

The series begins on July 5, airing Thursdays at 10:00pm.

Tamao Akae, a caster on TV Asahi's "Super Morning," is currently in a serious relationship with a director from the same station.

In 1997, Akae joined the Osaka-based Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, which is part of TV Asahi's ANN network. In 2003, she became a subcaster on "Super Morning." Around that time, she met one of the TV directors, and they began dating in the summer of 2004. They continued their relationship long-distance after Akae returned to Osaka in 2006.

In March of this year, Akae resigned from TV Asahi and became a free announcer, but she returned to "Super Morning" when it was renewed in April.

The couple seems to be doing well, but it is said there are no plans for marriage at the moment.

Isao Oginome, the father of actress Keiko Oginome and singer Yoko Oginome, died of stomach cancer on Friday afternoon. He was 74.

A long-running NTV wide show is coming to an end. "The Wide" (weekdays at 1:55pm) has been on the air since April 1993, co-produced by Yomiuri TV. But YTV recently withdrew its support, and NTV decided it couldn't afford to keep the show. The final broadcast will come at the end of September.