Sun, February 24, 2008 (9:40pm EST)
Last week, an MSDF destroyer collided with a fishing boat, resulting in two missing persons, a father and son. The incident was widely discussed in the media, but one comment by idol Shoko Nakagawa drew some criticism.
During a discussion on TBS' live program "Sunday Japon," Nakagawa lamented the loss of the two men, referring to them as if they were dead. However, she corrected herself at the end of the show, saying that she had gotten too emotional and that she hopes the men return alive. She later repeated her apology on her blog.
During a discussion on TBS' live program "Sunday Japon," Nakagawa lamented the loss of the two men, referring to them as if they were dead. However, she corrected herself at the end of the show, saying that she had gotten too emotional and that she hopes the men return alive. She later repeated her apology on her blog.
Sun, February 24, 2008 (6:47pm EST)
Comedian Hiroshi Tamura (of Kirin) is taking on his first acting role in the NTV drama special "Tokyo Daikushu" that was announced last month.
The drama depicts love stories set at the time of the bombings on Tokyo during World War II. Maki Horikita and Tatsuya Fujiwara are starring as one couple, while Eita and Yuki Shibamoto play another pair. Tamura plays a wounded soldier who returns to a devastated Tokyo and begins a desperate search for his fiancee, a nurse (Ryoko Kuninaka).
NTV will broadcast the two-part drama at 9:00pm on March 17-18.
The drama depicts love stories set at the time of the bombings on Tokyo during World War II. Maki Horikita and Tatsuya Fujiwara are starring as one couple, while Eita and Yuki Shibamoto play another pair. Tamura plays a wounded soldier who returns to a devastated Tokyo and begins a desperate search for his fiancee, a nurse (Ryoko Kuninaka).
NTV will broadcast the two-part drama at 9:00pm on March 17-18.
Sun, February 24, 2008 (5:40pm EST)
Pop group Arashi has announced that they are doing a concert tour of the five major domes - Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The only other Johnny's artists who have done a "5 dome tour" are SMAP and KinKi Kids.
The tour, titled "ARASHI Marks 2008 Dream-A-live," consists of 10 performances, starting in Osaka on May 16 and ending in Sapporo on July 6. The total audience is expected to be about 440,000 people.
The tour, titled "ARASHI Marks 2008 Dream-A-live," consists of 10 performances, starting in Osaka on May 16 and ending in Sapporo on July 6. The total audience is expected to be about 440,000 people.
Sun, February 24, 2008 (4:36pm EST)
Masato Fujisaki's popular manga series "Wild Life" is being turned into a television drama and a live-action movie, both starring young actor Hayato Ichihara.
The manga tells the story of a veterinarian named Tessho who uses his extraordinary hearing to save animals' lives. It began serialization in Shonen Sunday in 2003 and ended last month. In 2006, it won a Shogakukan Manga Award.
Movie distributor GAGA initially had plans for a film adaptation, and they teamed up with NHK to first create a television version. Filming took place at the end of last year and included locations in Thailand and China. Three episodes were originally planned, but the death of a giraffe led to the cancellation of one of them. The other two episodes, dealing with an elephant and a panda, will air on NHK's Hi-Vision satellite channel on March 24-25.
The movie starts shooting next year and is scheduled for theatrical release before the year ends. Africa and the North Pole are said to be possible locations for the film.
For the television drama, Ichihara's supporting cast includes Riisa Naka, Tetsuji Tamayama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, and Akira Emoto.
The manga tells the story of a veterinarian named Tessho who uses his extraordinary hearing to save animals' lives. It began serialization in Shonen Sunday in 2003 and ended last month. In 2006, it won a Shogakukan Manga Award.
Movie distributor GAGA initially had plans for a film adaptation, and they teamed up with NHK to first create a television version. Filming took place at the end of last year and included locations in Thailand and China. Three episodes were originally planned, but the death of a giraffe led to the cancellation of one of them. The other two episodes, dealing with an elephant and a panda, will air on NHK's Hi-Vision satellite channel on March 24-25.
The movie starts shooting next year and is scheduled for theatrical release before the year ends. Africa and the North Pole are said to be possible locations for the film.
For the television drama, Ichihara's supporting cast includes Riisa Naka, Tetsuji Tamayama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, and Akira Emoto.
