It was rumored in December that actress Kyoko Fukada had been chosen for the part of Doronjo in Takashi Miike's version of "Yatterman." Now the rumor has been confirmed, placing Fukada opposite the Yatterman hero team, played by Sho Sakurai and Saki Fukuda.

Filming is set to begin in March, while release is scheduled for spring 2009. The casting for Doronjo's henchmen has not yet been revealed.

Oricon's most recent sales figures show that Kobukuro's "ALL SINGLES BEST" has sold more than 2.71 million copies since its September 2006 release. This makes it the best selling album by a vocal duo, surpassing CHAGE and ASKA's 1992 collection "Super Best II," which sold a little less than 2.70 million.

32-year-old TV Asahi announcer Masaki Nomura is four months pregnant with her first child, it was learned on Thursday. Nomura got married in 2004 to an advertising firm employee.

Popular group FUNKY MONKEY BABYS will do the theme song for Renpei Tsukamoto's movie "Bokutachi to Chuzai-san no 700 Nichi Senso," which is adapted from a popular blog. The film stars Hayato Ichihara and Kuranosuke Sasaki.

The song's title and release date have not yet been announced. The movie opens on April 5.

"Bakumatsu Junjouden," a popular play by dramatist Kohei Tsuka, is returning to the stage later this year with Tsuka directing. This is his first time directing it in 18 years.

The play, which was turned into a movie in 1991, portrays the Shinsengumi swordsman Okita Soji as actually being a woman. Satomi Ishihara will star in this role, previously played by Riho Makise for the film. Former Takarazuka top star Tsubasa Makoto will plays Sakamoto Ryoma.

Performances will be held at the Shinbashi Enbujo in August.

Director Michael Arias ("Tekkon Kinkreet") is working on a new movie titled "Heaven's Door," based on the 1997 German film "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." TOKIO's Tomoya Nagase and young actress Mayuko Fukuda are co-starring.

The original picture involves two men who both learn that they have an untreatable illness and are nearing death. When one reveals that he has never been to the ocean, they embark on a comical adventure to see the sea.

Arias' version features a young man (Nagase) and a girl (Fukuda) as the protagonists. Like the original, the movie is not meant to be sad, focusing instead on the relationship between the two characters.

The supporting cast includes Tomokazu Miura and Keishi Nagatsuka. Filming already started on the 7th. Theatrical release is scheduled for early 2009.

On Thursday, a press conference was held for the movie "KIDS," directed by Tatsuya Ogishima. It was announced that the movie will open simultaneously in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong on February 2.

Based on Otsuichi's story "Kiz/Kids," the movie stars Teppei Koike, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Chiaki Kuriyama.

Film magazine Kinema Junpo has announced its Best 10 for 2007. According to the list, the top Japanese film of the year is Masayuki Suo's "Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai," which also won three of the Kinema Junpo Awards: Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor.

The Best 10 domestic films are:

1. Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai
2. Tennen Kokekko
3. Shaberedomo Shaberedomo
4. Sad Vacation
5. Summer Days with Coo
6. Sidecar ni Inu
7. The Matsugane Potshot Affair
8. Tamamoe!
9. Yunagi no Machi, Sakura no Kuni
10. Funuke Domo, Kanashimi no Ai wo Misero

The Best 10 foreign films are:

1. Still Life
2. The Lives of Others
3. A Prairie Home Companion
4. The Queen
5. Babel
6. Irina Palm
7. Dreamgirls
8. Volver
9. Zodiac
10. Pan's Labyrinth

The awards ceremony for the Kinema Junpo Awards will be held on February 5. The winners are:

Best Director: Masayuki Suo
Best Screenplay: Masayuki Suo
Best Actress: Yuko Takeuchi
Best Actor: Ryo Kase
Best Supporting Actress: Hiromi Nagasaku
Best Supporting Actor: Tomokazu Miura
Best New Actress: Misako Renbutsu
Best New Actor: Kento Hayashi
Best Foreign Film Director: Jia Zhangke
Best Cultural Film: Himeyuri

The 58th Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17) has revealed several more films for its competition section. Among them is Yoji Yamada's "Kaabee" (also known by its English title "Kabei - Our Mother"), which stars Sayuri Yoshinaga.

The film is Yamada's 4th time in competition at the festival, and his 6th to be screened. Yoshinaga has also been to the festival once, for Tamasaburo Bando's "Yume no Onna" in 1993.

According to distributor Shochiku, Yamada and Yoshinaga will attend the film's screening, along with co-star Tadanobu Asano.