Sun, February 10, 2008 (10:49pm EST)
Actress Rina Uchiyama has been chosen to star in TV Tokyo's drama special "Sanjumannin Kara no Kiseki ~Nidome no Happy Birthday~."
The drama is a fictionalized account of the life of Takako Otani, who helped found and is currently involved with the Japan Marrow Donor Program. It is based on her book, "Ikiterutte Shiawase!" Earlier in her life, Otani was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, but she underwent a successful marrow transplant.
Masaru Nagai will play Otani's boyfriend. Takashi Naito, Keiko Takeshita, Chizuru Azuma, and Chiaki Hara have also been cast in the drama. Broadcast is scheduled for March 26 at 9:00pm.
The drama is a fictionalized account of the life of Takako Otani, who helped found and is currently involved with the Japan Marrow Donor Program. It is based on her book, "Ikiterutte Shiawase!" Earlier in her life, Otani was diagnosed with chronic leukemia, but she underwent a successful marrow transplant.
Masaru Nagai will play Otani's boyfriend. Takashi Naito, Keiko Takeshita, Chizuru Azuma, and Chiaki Hara have also been cast in the drama. Broadcast is scheduled for March 26 at 9:00pm.
Sun, February 10, 2008 (9:00pm EST)
A new movie by director Ryuichi Hiroki has been invited to two film festivals. Based on a short story collection by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, "Kimi no Tomodachi" features 15-year-old talent Anna Ishibashi in her first starring role. The movie is scheduled to open in Japan this summer, but its official world premiere will take place at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
HKIFF opens on March 17. Other Japanese films invited to the festival include "Saga no Gabai-baachan" and "Shindo."
"Kimi no Tomodachi" will then screen at the 10th Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, which starts on April 18.
HKIFF opens on March 17. Other Japanese films invited to the festival include "Saga no Gabai-baachan" and "Shindo."
"Kimi no Tomodachi" will then screen at the 10th Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, which starts on April 18.
Sun, February 10, 2008 (8:02pm EST)
This spring, NTV is adapting the manga series "Hokaben" as a live-action drama, starring Aya Ueto. Originally written by novelist/lawyer Hiroyuki Nakajima, the story deals with the growth of a novice lawyer.
The comic ran in Evening KC between 2003 and 2006, and is scheduled to resume in April. The protagonist is originally male, but producer Yoshio Yamamoto felt that a female character would get a better response from viewers.
Ueto plays Akari Domoto, an idealistic lawyer who wants to "rescue the weak." She joins a large law office, though she is assigned to a lowly department whose only other member is her boss, who was transferred there after making a mistake during a case.
While Ueto is known for her light-hearted characters in previous dramas, this series places her in a serious role.
"Hokaben" will air on Wednesday nights at 10:00pm, starting in April.
The comic ran in Evening KC between 2003 and 2006, and is scheduled to resume in April. The protagonist is originally male, but producer Yoshio Yamamoto felt that a female character would get a better response from viewers.
Ueto plays Akari Domoto, an idealistic lawyer who wants to "rescue the weak." She joins a large law office, though she is assigned to a lowly department whose only other member is her boss, who was transferred there after making a mistake during a case.
While Ueto is known for her light-hearted characters in previous dramas, this series places her in a serious role.
"Hokaben" will air on Wednesday nights at 10:00pm, starting in April.
Sun, February 10, 2008 (1:06pm EST)
Websites Jrock Revolution and JaME announced a strategic alliance on Thursday. Both sites share the goal of serving Japanese music fans overseas, and now they are uniting their resources for future projects.
On Sunday, the sites announced that they have obtained a limited number of international tickets for X Japan's reunion concerts, which are taking place at the Tokyo Dome on March 28 and 30. They are selling the tickets through a lottery system, starting on Monday, February 11 at 10:00am PST (19:00 CET).
More details will be announced on both websites later today.
On Sunday, the sites announced that they have obtained a limited number of international tickets for X Japan's reunion concerts, which are taking place at the Tokyo Dome on March 28 and 30. They are selling the tickets through a lottery system, starting on Monday, February 11 at 10:00am PST (19:00 CET).
More details will be announced on both websites later today.
Source: Jrock Revolution, JaME | Comments (0)
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Sun, February 10, 2008 (2:54am EST)
Singer Kumi Koda has been turning to respected celebrity Akiko Wada for advice about the "rotten womb" scandal, it was learned on Saturday. Wada says that for the past few days, she has been talking to the pop star over the phone about the matter.
According to Wada, Koda has been reflecting deeply on the incident. Currently, she wants to postpone her upcoming tour (which is slated to start on April 12), as she feels that it would be too soon to resume her activities.
An Avex representative said that the company is hoping to persuade Koda to proceed with the tour as planned. With 16 concerts scheduled, even a postponement could cost Avex several hundred million yen.
According to Wada, Koda has been reflecting deeply on the incident. Currently, she wants to postpone her upcoming tour (which is slated to start on April 12), as she feels that it would be too soon to resume her activities.
An Avex representative said that the company is hoping to persuade Koda to proceed with the tour as planned. With 16 concerts scheduled, even a postponement could cost Avex several hundred million yen.
