Wed, February 27, 2008 (5:43pm EST)
The 15th Yomiuri Theater Awards were presented on Wednesday at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Hideki Noda was the big winner, taking multiple awards for "THE BEE," including the Grand Prize.
The winners were:
The winners were:
- Grand Prize, Best Play: "THE BEE" (Japan version, London version)
- Best Actor: Hideki Noda
- Best Actress: Takako Matsu
- Best Director: Hideki Noda
- Best Staff: Tamotsu Harada
- Haruko Sugimura Award: Rena Sasamoto
- Art Award: Ichiro Inui
- Special Committee Award: Isao Hashizume
Wed, February 27, 2008 (5:02pm EST)
Monthly Yoshimoto, a magazine published by Yoshimoto Kogyo, revealed the results of its "otokomae" (handsome) and "busaiku" (ugly) rankings for 2008. Close to 23,000 readers submitted votes for the rankings.
Jicho Kacho's Satoshi Inoue topped the otokomae list, followed by Kazuhiro Fujiwara of License (now known as The Charanporan) and Akira Kawashima of Kirin.
On the busaiku list, the "winner" was Nankai Candies' Ryota Yamasato, also known as Yama-chan. Hiroyuki Yashiro (Karika) was #2, and Takashi Yoshida (Black Mayonnaise) was #3.
This is the third year in a row that Inoue and Yamasato have been #1, which puts them both in the "hall of fame," making them ineligible for future rankings.
Jicho Kacho's Satoshi Inoue topped the otokomae list, followed by Kazuhiro Fujiwara of License (now known as The Charanporan) and Akira Kawashima of Kirin.
On the busaiku list, the "winner" was Nankai Candies' Ryota Yamasato, also known as Yama-chan. Hiroyuki Yashiro (Karika) was #2, and Takashi Yoshida (Black Mayonnaise) was #3.
This is the third year in a row that Inoue and Yamasato have been #1, which puts them both in the "hall of fame," making them ineligible for future rankings.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (3:59pm EST)
On Wednesday, a Tokyo court ruled that Toho Gakuen's expulsion of gravure idol Maya Koizumi was reasonable.
Koizumi, now 19, entered Toho Gakuen's girls' high school in April 2004. In July 2006, she released a photobook, and two months later posed in a swimsuit for a weekly gravure magazine. The school decided to expel Koizumi that October, a few months before graduation.
The idol took the case to court last year, hoping to be allowed back to school so that she can graduate. However, the judge ruled in the school's favor on Wednesday, explaining that Koizumi directly violated a school policy that prohibits students from being active in the entertainment industry.
Koizumi, now 19, entered Toho Gakuen's girls' high school in April 2004. In July 2006, she released a photobook, and two months later posed in a swimsuit for a weekly gravure magazine. The school decided to expel Koizumi that October, a few months before graduation.
The idol took the case to court last year, hoping to be allowed back to school so that she can graduate. However, the judge ruled in the school's favor on Wednesday, explaining that Koizumi directly violated a school policy that prohibits students from being active in the entertainment industry.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (3:11pm EST)
Actress Youki Kudoh has been cast in a new movie by indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, tentatively titled "The Limits of Control." Kudoh previously appeared in Jarmusch's "Mystery Train" in 1989.
The cast assembles Isaach De Bankole, Gael Garcia Bernal, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton, among others. Set in Spain, the movie follows a mysterious loner (De Bankole) working outside the law.
Filming started on the 11th. More details can be found at Coming Soon.
The cast assembles Isaach De Bankole, Gael Garcia Bernal, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton, among others. Set in Spain, the movie follows a mysterious loner (De Bankole) working outside the law.
Filming started on the 11th. More details can be found at Coming Soon.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (7:38am EST)
Talento Chinatsu Wakatsuki is back in business. She updated her blog for the first time since its closure two months ago to announce that she has relaunched her official website.
As was revealed by Wakatsuki last month, she traveled to Los Angeles in preparation for the launch of the site, which revolves around online clothes shopping. It is titled "Chinatsu Wakatsuki 24," due to her turning 24 this May.
While the true state of her career is still unknown, Wakatsuki wrote that she will be "studying life" and "trying her hardest" this year.
As was revealed by Wakatsuki last month, she traveled to Los Angeles in preparation for the launch of the site, which revolves around online clothes shopping. It is titled "Chinatsu Wakatsuki 24," due to her turning 24 this May.
While the true state of her career is still unknown, Wakatsuki wrote that she will be "studying life" and "trying her hardest" this year.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (7:26am EST)
J-rock promoter Tainted Reality has booked the band Versailles for a show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on June 3. The concert is taking place after Versailles' appearance at A-Kon in Dallas, which is being held May 30-June 1.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (7:21am EST)
Arashi may have had their 10th consecutive #1 single with "Step and Go" (324,000), but the big news this week was the debut of Jero, billed as Japan's first black enka singer.
Originally from Pittsburgh, the 26-year-old Jero (whose full name is Jerome White, Jr.) grew up listening to enka due to his Japanese grandmother. He moved to Japan in 2003 after graduating from college, and last week he released his first single, "Umiyuki." It took 4th on the charts with almost 35,000 in sales. Not counting artists that originally were part of a group, this is the highest ranking for a debut single by a solo enka singer.
Shota Shimizu also had his first major-label single, "HOME," appear in the Top 10, right behind Jero at #5. Other entries in the Top 10 were Hikaru Utada (#3), Ken Hirai (#6), and BENNIE K (#9). BoA fell short of the list at #13.
On the albums side, the brilliant green's singles collection held the #1 spot with nearly 92,000 copies sold. Acid Black Cherry came close at #2, while Yuna Ito trailed them both to rank 3rd.
TOKIO (#6), SID (#8), and Quruli (#9) made the Top 10 as well. Buono!'s first album debuted at #11, and SHAKALABBITS' best album managed to reach #16.
Originally from Pittsburgh, the 26-year-old Jero (whose full name is Jerome White, Jr.) grew up listening to enka due to his Japanese grandmother. He moved to Japan in 2003 after graduating from college, and last week he released his first single, "Umiyuki." It took 4th on the charts with almost 35,000 in sales. Not counting artists that originally were part of a group, this is the highest ranking for a debut single by a solo enka singer.
Shota Shimizu also had his first major-label single, "HOME," appear in the Top 10, right behind Jero at #5. Other entries in the Top 10 were Hikaru Utada (#3), Ken Hirai (#6), and BENNIE K (#9). BoA fell short of the list at #13.
On the albums side, the brilliant green's singles collection held the #1 spot with nearly 92,000 copies sold. Acid Black Cherry came close at #2, while Yuna Ito trailed them both to rank 3rd.
TOKIO (#6), SID (#8), and Quruli (#9) made the Top 10 as well. Buono!'s first album debuted at #11, and SHAKALABBITS' best album managed to reach #16.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (6:56am EST)
Tabloid magazine FLASH ran an article in its most recent issue suggesting that talento Uno Kanda may be having marital problems.
Kanda left for Paris on the 20th, and the magazine reports that Alcazaba president Kunisuke Sadakata accompanied her for the trip. They were said to be unnaturally ignoring each other at the airport. FLASH also took pictures of the pair visiting the same temple for the new year. Rumor has it that Kanda and her husband, Nittaku Group CEO Takuro Nishimura, are not getting along well, despite getting married only a few months ago.
Kanda's agency stated that she went to Paris for business reasons. They had not yet confirmed whether Sadakata was also there, but they asserted that he and Kanda are not in a romantic relationship.
Kanda left for Paris on the 20th, and the magazine reports that Alcazaba president Kunisuke Sadakata accompanied her for the trip. They were said to be unnaturally ignoring each other at the airport. FLASH also took pictures of the pair visiting the same temple for the new year. Rumor has it that Kanda and her husband, Nittaku Group CEO Takuro Nishimura, are not getting along well, despite getting married only a few months ago.
Kanda's agency stated that she went to Paris for business reasons. They had not yet confirmed whether Sadakata was also there, but they asserted that he and Kanda are not in a romantic relationship.
Wed, February 27, 2008 (6:35am EST)
TV Tokyo is starting a major drama project titled "Keitai Sousakan 7." Takashi Miike is serving as the series director, while other big names such as Mamoru Oshii and Shusuke Kaneko will be directing some of the show's 51 episodes.
19-year-old actor Masataka Kubota stars as a high schooler who teams up with a mobile phone robot to fight against an internet-based crime organization. The supporting cast includes Yuko Ito, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Okamoto, Satoshi Matsuda, and Nao Nagasawa.
The drama's opening theme is being sung by Hitomi Shimatani, who may also participate as a cast member.
The series starts on April 2 in TV Tokyo's Wednesday 7:00pm time slot. Later that month, SoftBank will launch a promotional tie-in with a mobile phone modeled after the robot from the show.
19-year-old actor Masataka Kubota stars as a high schooler who teams up with a mobile phone robot to fight against an internet-based crime organization. The supporting cast includes Yuko Ito, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Okamoto, Satoshi Matsuda, and Nao Nagasawa.
The drama's opening theme is being sung by Hitomi Shimatani, who may also participate as a cast member.
The series starts on April 2 in TV Tokyo's Wednesday 7:00pm time slot. Later that month, SoftBank will launch a promotional tie-in with a mobile phone modeled after the robot from the show.
