Production I.G.'s animated short, "Tokyo Marble Chocolate," is premiering at a special screening on the 27th as part of the ongoing Tokyo International Film Festival. Details about the film were made public on Tuesday, including an announcement that songs by hip-hop artist SEAMO and pop duo Sukima Switch are being used as themes for the movie.

"Tokyo Marble Chocolate" is set in the near future in a Tokyo where two towers stand tall above the rest of the buildings. It tells a love story between a young boy named Yuta and a young girl named Chizuru, depicting their first Christmas together.

The film is made of two episodes, each from the point of view of one of the protagonists. Chizuru's side is titled "Mata Aimashou" after the SEAMO song, while Yuta's side is titled "Zenryoku Shonen" after the Sukima Switch song.

Both artists make special appearances in the film. SEAMO plays the voice of one of Chizuru's senpais at the cafe where she works, while the Sukima Switch members play a pair of employees at a pet shop that Yuta is connected to. This is SEAMO's first time as a voice actor.

"Tokyo Marble Chocolate" is being released on DVD on December 19. Two trailers have been posted on the movie's website.

Kanjani8's seventh single, "It's My Soul," led the singles chart this week with 194,000 in sales. That figure was far more than the competition: Ryu Si-won's cover of The Tigers' "Hana no Kubikazari" took second with 37,000 copies, followed by C-ute's "Tokkaiko Junjo" in third with 28,000 copies. This is C-ute's first time in the top three.

Other new singles in the top ten were Dreams Come True's "Aishiteru no Sign ~Watashitachi no Mirai Yosouzu~" (#5), The Gospellers' "It Still Matters ~ Ai wa Nemuranai" (#6), Miliyah Kato's "LALALA / FUTURECHECKA" (#7), and KOTOKO's "Shichiten Hakki Shijou Shugi!" (#8).

On the albums chart, Tackey & Tsubasa's "Takitsuba Best" sold 85,000 copies to take the #1 spot. Right behind them was abingdon boys school with their self-named first album, which sold 50,000 copies. Two other albums broke into the top ten: Kazuyoshi Saito's "I LOVE ME" (#7) and a tribute album to composer Ryoichi Hattori (#10).

Actor Kenichi Matsuyama will be releasing a photobook next year - not as himself, but as the character L from the popular "Death Note" movies. The collection, photographed by Mika Ninagawa, will go on sale around the same time as the theatrical release of the "Death Note" spinoff, "L change the WorLd." The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on February 9.

Ninagawa is said to be a fan of L, and it was she that proposed the idea. The theme of the photobook is to depict L's everyday self. Photos were taken between August and September, at locations such as Shibuya Center Gai and the Hanayashiki Amusement Park in Asakusa.

Photographer Mika Ninagawa, who made her directorial debut earlier this year with "Sakuran," is currently in her eighth month of pregnancy. Ninagawa revealed the news in an entry on her personal blog, dated on the 20th.

The latest band to join the lineup at Pacific Media Expo 2007 is rock/metal group Head Phones President. They will also be attending a panel session and signing autographs.

The convention takes place on November 9-11 in Los Angeles.

KEIKO, the vocalist of pop group globe, is starting a new solo project at the start of next year. She will go by the name of KCO, not just as a music artist, but also as a TV personality. It is reported that part of her image change will include turning her currently blond hair to brown.

One of her first activities as KCO is a new single titled "snow story," produced by her husband Tetsuya Komuro. It will be released on January 23 under Universal Music.

"Suisei Monogatari," a novel by award-winning author Teru Miyamoto, is being adapted by TBS for a tanpatsu drama, airing on December 3.

The novel tells the story of a Hungarian man studying abroad in Japan, where he stays with a family of twelve and their pet beagle. Half-Japanese, half-American actor Colin Asanuma has been chosen to play the role of the student. Other cast members include Yoshiko Tanaka, Toru Masuoka, Shiro Ito, and Kenta Suga.

Fans of singer Takuro Yoshida were disappointed and concerned by the recent announcement that he is canceling the rest of his tour due to health problems.

Yoshida had scheduled 26 shows across the country starting on August 21, but illness had already struck by the second show, leading him to postpone several concerts. He was diagnosed with bronchitis, but seemed to have recovered by September 30. He proceeded on schedule with the next six performances, but a re-examination showed that the bronchitis had returned, accompanied by pleuritis. He was told by his doctor that he needs about three months of medical treatment.

As a result, he and his sponsors decided to cancel the remaining 19 shows rather than postpone them. Tickets are being refunded.

Less than three weeks after former yokozuna Masaru Hanada (Wakanohana) got a divorce, it was discovered that his ex-wife Mieko had an affair in the past. The newest issue of Weekly Gendai reported that in 2004, Mieko was seeing actor Kenji Aoki, who is eleven years younger.

The two met four years ago, when Aoki was dating another woman, from whom he had borrowed 2 million yen. Mieko paid off his debt, and she and Aoki began dating three years ago. Their relationship lasted for about six months.

The 27-year-old Aoki made his acting debut in 1997, appearing in television dramas and musicals such as "Prince of Tennis." He is currently a member of the four-man unit JACKJACK, and is also the vocalist of a newly-formed rock band called TRI△B.

On Monday, reporters approached Aoki after a JACKJACK event, and he confirmed the affair and apologized for the trouble. However, some members of the media feel that the timing of the announcement is suspicious, believing that Aoki may be using the incident as a publicity stunt.

Actor and singer Shinji Yamada died of interstitial pneumonia on October 15, it was learned on Monday. He was 70.

Yamada appeared in many films in the 1950s. His filmography includes starring roles in "Natsume Soseki no Sanshiro" and "Tokyo no Hito Sayonara," as well as a lead male performance in "Janken Musume," which starred Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri, and Izumi Yukimura.

As a singer, his biggest hit was the 1956 release "Aishu no Machi ni Kiri ga Furu." He also performed at the Kohaku Uta Gassen in 1959.

German company Rock Identity has announced a concert titled "JRock Invasion." The event is being held on December 29 at the Palladium in Cologne, Germany, and it features the following bands: Kagrra, alice nine., Kra, SuG, and SCREW. Presale tickets go on sale November 1.

Next February, Fuji TV plans to air a drama special titled "Aiba Monogatari." Based on a story by Hiroshi Ichiki that won the 2nd Kando Nonfiction Taisho (sponsored by Fuji TV and publisher Gentosha), it tells the story of a man who takes in a thoroughbred horse and his relationship with his family.

Goro Kishitani and Hiroko Yakushimaru star as the man and his wife.