ZARD vocalist Izumi Sakai's sudden passing on Sunday has left her fans in tears, and they have turned out in great numbers to pay their respects. As of yesterday, more than 1,200 fans had visited her agency's office in Roppongi, and about 800 more had shown up at the Osaka office.

Fans have also flocked to record stores to pick up Sakai's music, sending multiple albums back into Oricon's Top 100 list. The daily charts on Monday showed that "Golden Best ~15th Anniversary~," a compilation she released in October, leapt from off the charts into 6th place. The following day, it moved into 3rd behind the new BEAT CRUSADERS album and Mariya Takeuchi's latest.

ZARD's last original album, the 2005 "Kimi to no Distance," reappeared at #53 and then jumped to #30. Two compilations from 1999, "ZARD BEST The Single Collection ~Kiseki~" and "ZARD BEST ~Request Memorial~," resurfaced at #64 and #95, then climbed to #24 and #49, respectively.

Her other albums and singles are also on the rise. The 2004 "Tomatteita Tokei ga Ima Ugokidashita" has now appeared at #64, while her last single, "Heart ni Hi wo Tsukete," claimed 85th on the singles chart. Her two DVDs have also sold well, currently sitting at #9 and #15.

Singer-songwriter Lisa Halim is set to make her major label debut on August 1 with her single "Air Rhythm," to be released under Pony Canyon.

Halim has been gaining widespread popularity on the mobile site Mahou no iRando. Her indie mini-album "Daddy" was in the site's top 10 music ranking for seven weeks straight. "Air Rhythm" has also been chosen for a tie-in with women's surf brand ROXY, and will be used as a support song for a surf competition in Kanagawa on August 4.

Anime Expo 2007 has announced that director Michael Arias will attend this year's convention as a Guest of Honor. His highly-acclaimed "Tekkon Kinkreet" will also be screened at the event.

Actress and singer Megumi Okina revealed that she plans to retire from show business at the end of this month after finishing up work with her agency, Parfit. She stated that she has become tired of the industry, but she has also seen a substantial decline in work and a string of scandals in recent years.

Okina made her debut in the entertainment world at the age of 13, appearing in the 1992 Fuji TV drama special "Patio." She released her first CD, "Kono Kanashimi wo Norikoete," in 1995, and a year later, she won a Newcomer Prize at the 34th Golden Arrow Awards for her starring role in a stage production of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

In 2001, monthly magazine BUBKA reported that she was involved with actor Manabu Oshio. In 2004, she married IT businessman Susumu Fujita, but they divorced a year and a half later, rumored to be the result of an affair she had with a fellow actor. Last October, she was caught spending a night with actor Takumi Saito. Around the same time, she was also rumored to be dating another businessman.

Popular singer-songwriter Ayaka will sing the theme song for the summer TBS drama series, "Jigoku no Sata mo Yome Shidai." The song is titled "CLAP & LOVE," and it will be the first rock song for Ayaka, who is known for her ballads.

The song will be released in September as a double A-side with "Why," the theme song for the upcoming PSP game, "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII."

Child model Ayaka Wilson has been chosen to play the heroine in "Pako to Mahou no Ehon" ("Pako and the Magical Picture Book") a fantasy film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima ("Kamikaze Girls," "Memories of Matsuko").

This is the first acting role for the half-Canadian, half-Japanese 9-year-old, who began modeling at the age of 3. The part is a difficult one - her character, Pako, has a memory limited to one day, due to an accident.

The rest of the movie's cast includes Koji Yakusho, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Anna Tsuchiya, and Sadao Abe.

Filming began on April 10. The movie is scheduled for a fall 2008 release.