According to Mainichi Shinbun, actor Shinichi Chiba attended a movie festival in Amakusa, Kumamoto, on Sunday. At the event, he revealed that next year, he will begin directing movies under the name of Rindo Wachinaga (和千永倫道).

It appears that he is already working on two films. One, titled "Bushido," depicts the life of Nitobe Inazo, the author of "Bushido: The Soul of Japan." The other movie is called "New Key Hunter," based on the television action series "Key Hunter" (1968-1973) that starred the late Tetsuro Tamba.

Chiba also mentioned on Sunday that he will continue his acting career under the name JJ Sonny Chiba (JJサニー千葉), keeping to his announcement this past summer that he would "retire" from acting under the name Shinichi Chiba.

On Monday, swimwear maker Sanai Mizugi announced its 2008 image girl, 19-year-old Chiaki Tani. She is the 7th person appointed to that promotional role, which was previously served by idols such as Azusa Yamamoto and Yukina Kinoshita.

Reggae singer MINMI revealed on her blog on Monday evening that she has given birth to a baby boy. The child weighed 2,980 grams at birth.

MINMI and Shonannokaze's Wakadanna announced the pregnancy back in June. At the time, they also said they were planning to officially register their marriage after the child was born. They have not yet publicly set a date for the marriage.

"Orochi," a classic mystery/horror manga by the legendary Kazuo Umezu, is being turned into a movie. The project is being produced by Toei, with Norio Tsuruta ("Dream Cruise", "Ring 0: Birthday") directing and Hiroshi Takahashi ("Ring" series) providing the screenplay. Yoshino Kimura will star, playing two separate roles.

The original manga series ran in Shonen Sunday from 1969 to 1970. The story revolves around two sisters, the older Kazusa (played by Kimura) and the younger Lisa (Noriko Nakagoshi). Lisa constantly lives in the shadow of her seemingly perfect sister, resulting in feelings of jealousy and vengeance. A tragic accident sets the action in motion and brings into the story a mysterious young girl named Orochi (Mitsuki Tanimura), who partly functions as the tale's narrator.

Kimura has also been cast as the sisters' mother. Taro Yamamoto plays Kazusa's boyfriend, while Kyusaku Shimada plays a butler in the sisters' mansion.

Filming has been scheduled for about two months starting on the 22nd. The movie is expected to open next fall.

"Ultra Music Power," the first single by new Johnny's unit Hey! Say! JUMP, sold 247,000 copies this past week, putting it at the top of the singles chart. This makes them the 13th artist to enter the charts at #1 with a debut single. This was last achieved in early 2006 by KAT-TUN with "Real Face."

On the albums chart, fellow Johnny's group KinKi Kids also claimed the #1 spot, selling 190,000 copies of their new album "Phi." With this, 12 of their 13 albums (including their 3 best albums) have been chart-toppers.

Meanwhile, voice actress Nana Mizuki's album "GREAT ACTIVITY" came in at #2 with 43,000 copies sold. This is the highest sales ranking ever for an album released by a seiyu. Mizuki also holds a similar record for singles released by a seiyu, having reached #2 with "SECRET AMBITION" earlier this year.

Veteran actor Fumiyo Kohinata will star in a Fuji TV drama series next season, titled "Ashita no Kita Yoshio." While Kohinata is well-known for his many supporting roles, this is his first lead role in a drama series.

Based on the novel "Jiyu Shikei" by Masahiko Shimada, the drama's screenplay is written by Joji Iida ("Rasen," "Dragon Head"). Kohinata plays Yoshio Kita, a debt-laden man whose wife (Manami Konishi) has left him. With his close friend's death anniversary only 11 days away, Yoshio chooses that date for his own death.

Ryuhei Matsuda has also been cast in the drama as a scout for a cabaret club who aims to profit from Yoshio's insurance money.

The series premieres in January and will air on Tuesdays at 10:00pm.