Tue, October 9, 2007 (6:36pm EDT)
The 30th edition of "24 Hour Television" has raised more than 1 billion yen, NTV announced on Tuesday.
The charity program, which aired on August 18-19, closed its fund-raising campaign on September 30. The final total amounted to 1,015,442,574 yen, the 4th highest in the program's history. Sales of the charity T-shirts set a record with 437,651 shirts sold.
The charity program, which aired on August 18-19, closed its fund-raising campaign on September 30. The final total amounted to 1,015,442,574 yen, the 4th highest in the program's history. Sales of the charity T-shirts set a record with 437,651 shirts sold.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (6:22pm EDT)
On Tuesday, NHK made a cast announcement for next year's taiga drama, "Atsuhime." The series stars Aoi Miyazaki as the title character.
Popular actress Maki Horikita has been cast as princess Kazunomiya Chikako, the daughter of Emperor Ninko and the sister of Emperor Komei. She was briefly married to Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, who is being played by Shota Matsuda.
Other cast members include Masato Sakai, Takehiro Hira, Masao Kusakari, Hiroshi Tamaki, Toru Emori, Kinya Kitaoji, Keiko Matsuzaka, Izumi Inamori, Mayu Tsuruta, Yumiko Takahashi, Mayumi Wakamura, Atsuko Takahata, Yuriko Hoshi, Meiko Nakamura, and Kimiko Yo.
Popular actress Maki Horikita has been cast as princess Kazunomiya Chikako, the daughter of Emperor Ninko and the sister of Emperor Komei. She was briefly married to Tokugawa Iemochi, the 14th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, who is being played by Shota Matsuda.
Other cast members include Masato Sakai, Takehiro Hira, Masao Kusakari, Hiroshi Tamaki, Toru Emori, Kinya Kitaoji, Keiko Matsuzaka, Izumi Inamori, Mayu Tsuruta, Yumiko Takahashi, Mayumi Wakamura, Atsuko Takahata, Yuriko Hoshi, Meiko Nakamura, and Kimiko Yo.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (4:44pm EDT)
"Tsukiji Uogashi Sandaime," a manga series published by Shogakukan in Big Comic, is being adapted to film. Shochiku is distributing and Shingo Matsubara is directing.
The film tells the story of Shuntaro, a former bank employee who ends up working as an intermediate wholesaler at the Tsukiji fish market. Takao Osawa stars as Shuntaro, while Rena Tanaka plays the female lead. It is said that Osawa's grandparents worked at the famous fish market.
Filming began in September at the actual market, which opens very early in the morning. Some scenes are being shot at the Toho studio in Setagaya, Tokyo.
The supporting cast includes Tsuyoshi Ihara, Yoko Moriguchi, Shiro Ito, and Akira Emoto. The film opens in 2008.
The film tells the story of Shuntaro, a former bank employee who ends up working as an intermediate wholesaler at the Tsukiji fish market. Takao Osawa stars as Shuntaro, while Rena Tanaka plays the female lead. It is said that Osawa's grandparents worked at the famous fish market.
Filming began in September at the actual market, which opens very early in the morning. Some scenes are being shot at the Toho studio in Setagaya, Tokyo.
The supporting cast includes Tsuyoshi Ihara, Yoko Moriguchi, Shiro Ito, and Akira Emoto. The film opens in 2008.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (4:18pm EDT)
35-year-old comedian Wacky (of the duo Penalty) is engaged. He made the announcement on Tuesday, during a live broadcast of a "London Hearts" special episode. According to Yoshimoto Kogyo, the couple plans to register their marriage on the 13th, and they are already living together. There are currently no plans for a wedding ceremony or reception.
Wacky's wife-to-be is a 33-year-old Tokyo resident whom he referred to as "Ayumi." They initially met at an owarai event in Yokohama, and have now been dating for eight years.
Wacky's comedy partner, Hide, got married earlier this year, on July 7.
Wacky's wife-to-be is a 33-year-old Tokyo resident whom he referred to as "Ayumi." They initially met at an owarai event in Yokohama, and have now been dating for eight years.
Wacky's comedy partner, Hide, got married earlier this year, on July 7.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (2:20pm EDT)
The American Film Institute is holding its 2007 AFI Fest in Los Angeles on November 1-11. Two Japanese films are being screened at the festival. The first is Daihachi Yoshida's first feature-length film, "Funuke Domo, Kanashimi no Ai wo Misero" (also known as "Funuke, Show Some Love You Losers!"). It screens on November 5 and 7 as part of the International Feature Competition.
The second is "Sakuran," the directorial debut of Mika Ninagawa. The film is part of the Dark Horizons program and screens on November 8 and 10.
The second is "Sakuran," the directorial debut of Mika Ninagawa. The film is part of the Dark Horizons program and screens on November 8 and 10.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (3:32am EDT)
The 44th single by B'z, titled "SUPER LOVE SONG," sold approximately 181,000 copies this past week to debut at #1 on the singles chart. This is their 40th consecutive chart-topper, extending their previous records for most consecutive number ones and most number ones overall.
The single also marks their 41st consecutive single in the top ten, putting them in first place ahead of both SMAP and THE ALFEE, who both have a streak of 40.
B'z holds seven other records for singles: most copies sold, most consecutive years with a #1, most consecutive years with a top ten, most singles simultaneously in the top ten, most million-sellers, most consecutive million-sellers, and most consecutive years with a million-seller.
The single also marks their 41st consecutive single in the top ten, putting them in first place ahead of both SMAP and THE ALFEE, who both have a streak of 40.
B'z holds seven other records for singles: most copies sold, most consecutive years with a #1, most consecutive years with a top ten, most singles simultaneously in the top ten, most million-sellers, most consecutive million-sellers, and most consecutive years with a million-seller.
Tue, October 9, 2007 (12:12am EDT)
Studio Ghibli's next film, "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" (directed by Hayao Miyazaki), isn't scheduled for release until summer 2008, but the movie's theme song will already be available as a CD single on December 5.
The song, which has the same title as the film, is performed by a new unit consisting of the duo Fujioka Fujimaki and 8-year-old child actress Nozomi Ohashi. The three originally were asked just to make a demo tape for the song, but producer Toshio Suzuki liked it so much that he chose them to sing the actual version.
The song, which has the same title as the film, is performed by a new unit consisting of the duo Fujioka Fujimaki and 8-year-old child actress Nozomi Ohashi. The three originally were asked just to make a demo tape for the song, but producer Toshio Suzuki liked it so much that he chose them to sing the actual version.
