Actress Yuki Saito has been cast in the TBS daytime drama, "O Banzai!" She plays Kurumi, a mother of three and the head of a small construction company. After her husband (Hiromasa Taguchi) suddenly passes away, she opens an eatery so she can pay off the debts he left behind.

The series begins on September 3, airing on weekdays at 1:30pm.

Starting on October 2, TV Tokyo will air a live-action "Cutie Honey" drama series, titled "Cutie Honey: THE LIVE." The title role will be played by Bishoujo Club 31 member Mikie Hara.

The series is a project commemorating the 40th year of Go Nagai's career. Nagai wrote the original manga in 1973, and it has since then been adapted as another manga series and multiple animated works. In 2004, Hideaki Anno directed a live-action film based on the manga, starring Eriko Sato.

The upcoming drama series is scheduled for a late-night time slot, airing every Tuesday at 1:00am.

16-year-old actress Misako Renbutsu has been given her first lead role in a television drama. She will co-star with Atsuko Takahata in the TBS special, "Glass Tooth."

The drama is based on a true story of a probation officer (Takahata) dealing with youths. Renbutsu plays a young girl mistreated by her parents, and who winds up under probation after she gets caught doing enjo kosai.

Renbutsu won the Miss Phoenix audition in 2005, which was sponsored by Kadokawa Pictures and Sony Music. She was chosen from approximately 40,000 contestants. This year, she made her film debut in "Inugamike no Ichizoku," followed by major roles in "Battery" and "Tenkousei, Sayonara Anata."

"Glass Tooth" will air on October 6.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that TOKIO's Tomoya Nagase will star in a TBS drama series this fall, titled "Utahime." A few more cast members have been announced for the show. As was rumored, Saki Aibu has been chosen as the female lead. Ryuta Sato, Tadayoshi Okura (Kanjani8), and Yuki Saito will also appear.

Pistol Valve's U.S. debut album, "Tsunamic Girls from Tokyo," has made the Billboard charts after its first week of sales. The album is currently ranked #15 on the Top Internet Albums chart.

On Tuesday, Paramount Home Entertainment Japan held a lineup announcement in Tokyo. Comedy duo Cream Stew attended the event, where it was revealed that the two will appear in the fourth season of U.S.-based sci-fi series "The 4400."

The two comedians, Shinya Ueda and Teppei Arita, will play the roles of investigators. Filming for their scenes took place in Vancouver. The episode they appear in will be broadcast in the U.S. during August.

On Tuesday, actress Nanako Matsushima announced that she is currently pregnant with her second child. Her due date is in December. She plans to continue working while she monitors her health.

Matsushima has been married to actor Takashi Sorimachi since 2001. In 2004, she gave birth to their first child, a girl.

Weekly women's magazine Josei Jishin reports that actress Kumiko Aso and stylist Daisuke Iga are currently living together. The two met in 2004 while working on a commercial. Iga continued to handle her styling, and their relationship developed. Now they are said to both be living in Aso's apartment.

Aso's agency declined to comment on the matter.

On September 5, Dragon Ash is releasing its first best album. "The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes" consists of two volumes, with a new song recorded on each. The second of the songs will be a collaboration with Every Little Thing vocalist Kaori Mochida, titled "wipe your eyes." Mochida will also appear in the track's promotional video.

Actor Joe Odagiri has been chosen as the image character for Toyota's subcompact car ist. He will appear in 8 different commercials, one for each of the vehicle's available colors. The ads begin airing on Tuesday.

Rumor has it that Yokohama FC's Kazuyoshi Miura (also known as "King Kazu") may be cheating on his wife.

According to Shukan Josei, the J-leaguer took a one-week trip to Los Angeles earlier this month, accompanied by another woman. They are said to have met in early June at a goukon through Miura's friend, singer Toshihiko Tahara. The woman happens to be the same former TV Asahi employee who briefly dated kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa XI.

Miura has been married to actress and former model Risako Miura since 1993, and they currently have two children.

The full schedule for this year's Asian Film Festival of Dallas (August 23-30) has been revealed. The stellar selection spans several countries, but some of the highlights from Japan include: "Hana Yori mo Naho" (Hirokazu Koreeda), "Love and Honor" (Yoji Yamada), "The Taste of Tea" (Katsuhiro Ishii), "5 Centimeters Per Second" (Makoto Shinkai), and "Hula Girls" (Sang-il Lee), which is being listed as the festival's centerpiece film.

The complete lineup can be seen at the AFFD website.

On Monday, a press conference was held for the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival (October 20-28). The festival's finalized poster design was revealed, and a few lineup announcements were made.

Izuru Narushima's action/suspense thriller "Midnight Eagle" will be shown in the Special Screenings section. The segment also includes Francois Girard's international collaboration "Silk," Kenki Saegusa's "The Invitation from Cinema Orion," the Japan-China collaboration "Crossing Over," and three works by special effects master Ray Harryhausen.

Also being screened at the festival are Production I.G.'s animated works, "Ghost Hound" and "Tokyo Marble Chocolate."