Thu, July 19, 2007 (6:08pm EDT)
Talento Yasuko Mitsuura is scheduled to undergo head surgery next week to remove a potential tumor, sources said Thursday.
Mitsuura is currently active on several television programs, including "Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!" and "London Hearts." She is also a part of comedy duo Oasiz with Kayoko Okubo.
Mitsuura is currently active on several television programs, including "Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!" and "London Hearts." She is also a part of comedy duo Oasiz with Kayoko Okubo.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (5:45pm EDT)
Police have arrested 26-year-old Hiroko Tanaka for allegedly sending death threats to singer Tokiko Kato. Between November and February, Kato's management received multiple letters in which the sender threatened to kill Kato. The letters are believed to have been sent by Tanaka, a part-time worker at a tax accountant office and a member of Kato's fan club.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (5:10pm EDT)
Mangaka Rieko Saibara, best known for her award-winning "Mainichi Kaasan" series, has resumed work after a three-month long break following the death of her husband, photojournalist Yutaka Kamoshida.
Saibara is producing promotional artwork for Yasushi Sumida's "Waruboro," based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Gets Itaya. Saibara and Itaya have been friends for along time, having once studied together at an art school.
One of her illustrations will be printed on 50,000 seals and 2,000 postcard sets, to be given away for free at theaters and HMV record stores across Japan. A different drawing, depicting her giving a bouquet of flowers to Itaya, will be placed on 1,000 posters that will go up in bookstores later this month. Saibara was also responsible for the jacket of The Cro-Magnons' single "Girigiri Gagangan," which is being used as the theme song for the film.
"Waruboro," which stars Shota Matsuda and Yui Aragaki, opens in theaters on September 8. Saibara also has a special appearance in the movie.
Saibara is producing promotional artwork for Yasushi Sumida's "Waruboro," based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Gets Itaya. Saibara and Itaya have been friends for along time, having once studied together at an art school.
One of her illustrations will be printed on 50,000 seals and 2,000 postcard sets, to be given away for free at theaters and HMV record stores across Japan. A different drawing, depicting her giving a bouquet of flowers to Itaya, will be placed on 1,000 posters that will go up in bookstores later this month. Saibara was also responsible for the jacket of The Cro-Magnons' single "Girigiri Gagangan," which is being used as the theme song for the film.
"Waruboro," which stars Shota Matsuda and Yui Aragaki, opens in theaters on September 8. Saibara also has a special appearance in the movie.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (4:42pm EDT)
On Thursday, the magazine Oricon Style revealed the results of its annual "Favorite Artist Ranking." This year, the #1 spot was recaptured by Hikaru Utada.
Kobukuro and Mr.Children were the next highest-ranked artists. In another survey published at the same time, Ayaka was named the top artist of the next generation.
The "Favorite Artist Ranking" began in 2004, when Utada was first named #1. The next two years, aiko took the top spot while Utada slipped to #2, then #4. But now she has finally taken back the title, spurred by the success of her "Flavor of Life."
Music group EMI announced on Wednesday that "Flavor of Life" has become Japan's most successful digital single, with sales of over 7 million across all digital formats. The previous record holder is estimated to be O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei," which sold about 4 million units digitally in Japan.
According to EMI, "Flavor of Life" is also now the most successful single of all time in Japan, with more than 7.7 million in sales across all formats (digital and physical). Masato Shimon holds the previous record with his 1975 "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun," which had total sales of over 4.5 million.
Kobukuro and Mr.Children were the next highest-ranked artists. In another survey published at the same time, Ayaka was named the top artist of the next generation.
The "Favorite Artist Ranking" began in 2004, when Utada was first named #1. The next two years, aiko took the top spot while Utada slipped to #2, then #4. But now she has finally taken back the title, spurred by the success of her "Flavor of Life."
Music group EMI announced on Wednesday that "Flavor of Life" has become Japan's most successful digital single, with sales of over 7 million across all digital formats. The previous record holder is estimated to be O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei," which sold about 4 million units digitally in Japan.
According to EMI, "Flavor of Life" is also now the most successful single of all time in Japan, with more than 7.7 million in sales across all formats (digital and physical). Masato Shimon holds the previous record with his 1975 "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun," which had total sales of over 4.5 million.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (3:07pm EDT)
Public broadcaster NHK is currently working on a project to make its shows available online for up to a week. The service is expected to be available only to those who pay NHK's monthly license fee.
The success of the project depends on whether a proposed revision to the Broadcast Law passes the National Diet. If things go as planned, NHK will begin online distribution in 2008.
NHK hopes to make shows broadcast within the past week available to viewers over the internet. However, due to concerns over copyright infringement, the network will need to obtain consent from rights-holders to make shows available. It is not clear yet which programs will be willing to participate.
The success of the project depends on whether a proposed revision to the Broadcast Law passes the National Diet. If things go as planned, NHK will begin online distribution in 2008.
NHK hopes to make shows broadcast within the past week available to viewers over the internet. However, due to concerns over copyright infringement, the network will need to obtain consent from rights-holders to make shows available. It is not clear yet which programs will be willing to participate.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (1:45pm EDT)
According to the latest numbers from Enterbrain, domestic sales of the Nintendo Wii have recently passed 3 million, approximately three times the sales of the Playstation 3. Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS reached 18 million in total sales.
Thu, July 19, 2007 (3:40am EDT)
Starting with this past spring, the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix has returned to a seasonal voting format, with the top five in each category being nominated for the yearly poll next April. And for the spring season, "Proposal Daisakusen" achieved a complete sweep.
Votes were accepted via mobile phone and the web between the 2nd and 13th of this month. A total of 9,477 voters participated.
"Proposal Daisakusen" dominated the competition in each category. It received almost 4,000 votes for Best Drama, while "Sexy Voice and Robo" took 2nd with a little over 1,600. For Best Actor, Tomohisa Yamashita beat out Kenichi Matsuyama by a similar margin.
Best Actress was only slightly closer, with Masami Nagasawa getting about 3,119 votes compared to Miho Kanno's 1,747. For Best Supporting Actress, Nana Eikura won with a similar lead over Suzuka Ohgo.
In the category of Best Supporting Actor, Gaku Hamada topped the list with only 1,931 votes. However, 2nd place was fellow "Proposal Daisakusen" actor Yuta Hiraoka, who was one vote shy of 1,300.
The Top 5 lists can be seen in the forums.
Votes were accepted via mobile phone and the web between the 2nd and 13th of this month. A total of 9,477 voters participated.
"Proposal Daisakusen" dominated the competition in each category. It received almost 4,000 votes for Best Drama, while "Sexy Voice and Robo" took 2nd with a little over 1,600. For Best Actor, Tomohisa Yamashita beat out Kenichi Matsuyama by a similar margin.
Best Actress was only slightly closer, with Masami Nagasawa getting about 3,119 votes compared to Miho Kanno's 1,747. For Best Supporting Actress, Nana Eikura won with a similar lead over Suzuka Ohgo.
In the category of Best Supporting Actor, Gaku Hamada topped the list with only 1,931 votes. However, 2nd place was fellow "Proposal Daisakusen" actor Yuta Hiraoka, who was one vote shy of 1,300.
The Top 5 lists can be seen in the forums.
