Fri, May 16, 2008 (10:38am EDT)
Kazuhisa Watari, the vocalist and pianist of the trio Fumido, got married at the end of April, it was learned on Thursday. According to a close source, the 30-year-old Watari wedded a woman in her 20s.
Watari is the second member of the band to marry, after drummer Katsuya Nakatomi became a couple with ZIP-FM disc jockey Etsuko Tsuzuku in December 2006.
Watari is the second member of the band to marry, after drummer Katsuya Nakatomi became a couple with ZIP-FM disc jockey Etsuko Tsuzuku in December 2006.
Fri, May 16, 2008 (10:37am EDT)
The National Congress of Parents and Teachers Associations announced the results of its annual survey on parents' attitudes towards their children and television.
One question asked them which shows they don't want their children to watch, and for the 5th year in a row, the variety show "London Hearts" was at the top of the list. It was followed by "Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!," "Crayon Shin-chan," "Enta no Kamisama," and "Shimura Ken no Baka Tonosama."
When asked which programs they want to show their children, the educational "Sekaiichi Uketai Jugyo" ranked highest. More education-themed shows filled the rest of the list: "Doubutsu Kisou Tengai!," "3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei," "Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai," and "IQ Sapuri."
One question asked them which shows they don't want their children to watch, and for the 5th year in a row, the variety show "London Hearts" was at the top of the list. It was followed by "Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!," "Crayon Shin-chan," "Enta no Kamisama," and "Shimura Ken no Baka Tonosama."
When asked which programs they want to show their children, the educational "Sekaiichi Uketai Jugyo" ranked highest. More education-themed shows filled the rest of the list: "Doubutsu Kisou Tengai!," "3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei," "Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai," and "IQ Sapuri."
Fri, May 16, 2008 (2:32am EDT)
Director and writer Shigeru Tsukada died of a stroke on Tuesday at a Tokyo hospital. He was 82.
Tsukada joined the Toho movie studio in 1945. He started out as a theater director but eventually moved on to writing for television, working on shows like the music program "Yoru no Hit Studio" and the variety show "8 Ji da yo! Zenin Shugo," as well as NHK's year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen. In his 40s, he also became active as a talento, making his own appearance on "Yoru no Hit Studio."
Tsukada joined the Toho movie studio in 1945. He started out as a theater director but eventually moved on to writing for television, working on shows like the music program "Yoru no Hit Studio" and the variety show "8 Ji da yo! Zenin Shugo," as well as NHK's year-end Kohaku Uta Gassen. In his 40s, he also became active as a talento, making his own appearance on "Yoru no Hit Studio."
Fri, May 16, 2008 (1:56am EDT)
Actor and singer Manabu Oshio is looking to refresh his career. It was announced on Thursday that he has now signed a contract with Avex's management division, joining other talents like Shido Nakamura, Koyuki, and recent addition Yu Darvish.
Oshio has been unsigned since leaving Ken-on in December 2005, and in late 2006 he married actress Akiko Yada, whose career took a dive after her clean image was tarnished by her association with the bad boy Oshio. The couple had their first child last November.
According to Avex, negotiations started in February. Having previously lived in Los Angeles for eight years as a child, Oshio has been looking to expand his career internationally, and he approached Avex himself due to the company's overseas efforts.
Oshio's contract with the company officially started on Thursday, though no new work projects have been revealed yet for the actor.
Oshio has been unsigned since leaving Ken-on in December 2005, and in late 2006 he married actress Akiko Yada, whose career took a dive after her clean image was tarnished by her association with the bad boy Oshio. The couple had their first child last November.
According to Avex, negotiations started in February. Having previously lived in Los Angeles for eight years as a child, Oshio has been looking to expand his career internationally, and he approached Avex himself due to the company's overseas efforts.
Oshio's contract with the company officially started on Thursday, though no new work projects have been revealed yet for the actor.
Fri, May 16, 2008 (1:03am EDT)
CHEMISTRY has been chosen to provide the theme song for the anime series "Antique" (also known as "Antique Bakery"). The show is based on Fumi Yoshinaga's hit comic series that was turned into a drama in 2001 starring Hideaki Takizawa, Kippei Shiina, Naohito Fujiki, and Koyuki.
In an unprecedented move, CHEMISTRY's song will serve as both the opening theme and ending theme, but with a different arrangement for each. According to Chemistry Club, the song is titled "Life goes on" and will be released on August 20.
"Antique" starts airing on Fuji TV on July 3, in the 12:45am time slot.
In an unprecedented move, CHEMISTRY's song will serve as both the opening theme and ending theme, but with a different arrangement for each. According to Chemistry Club, the song is titled "Life goes on" and will be released on August 20.
"Antique" starts airing on Fuji TV on July 3, in the 12:45am time slot.
Fri, May 16, 2008 (12:43am EDT)
Yukie Nasu's shojo manga series "Here is Greenwood" is getting a television drama version this summer. Publisher Hakusensha has made an announcement on their website, and an official website has been launched for the show.
Other than the fact it starts in July, no details have been revealed. However, it appears to not be affiliated with any of the major networks, so it will likely air on independent stations like Tokyo MX.
Other than the fact it starts in July, no details have been revealed. However, it appears to not be affiliated with any of the major networks, so it will likely air on independent stations like Tokyo MX.
Fri, May 16, 2008 (12:32am EDT)
HAN-KUN, a member of the reggae group Shonannokaze, is branching out with a solo career. He will release his first album, titled "VOICE MAGICIAN," on July 9.
HAN-KUN started working on "VOICE MAGICIAN" about midway through last year. In December and February, he traveled to Jamaica to record the album, though he re-recorded parts of it after returning to Japan. The release is expected to contain 15 tracks.
Starting in September, HAN-KUN plans to embark on his first solo tour.
HAN-KUN started working on "VOICE MAGICIAN" about midway through last year. In December and February, he traveled to Jamaica to record the album, though he re-recorded parts of it after returning to Japan. The release is expected to contain 15 tracks.
Starting in September, HAN-KUN plans to embark on his first solo tour.
Fri, May 16, 2008 (12:24am EDT)
On Friday, Ai Kago departed from Narita Airport headed for Hong Kong to begin her acting career. She will be participating in filming for a new movie, which was first mentioned in the news last month.
The film's working title is being referred to as "Super Chef" by Japanese news outlets, while other sources are calling it "Kung Fu Chef." The cast apparently includes Vanness Wu (of the Taiwanese group formerly known as F4) and Sammo Hung.
In other Kago-related news, Oricon that her newly opened fanclub site (Biscuit Club) has been a big hit. According to the marketing firm NetRatings, the site ranked #1 out of all sites that launched in April. A lot of the traffic has been generated by postings on the Yahoo! news site, with 41% of the visitors being referred from there.
The film's working title is being referred to as "Super Chef" by Japanese news outlets, while other sources are calling it "Kung Fu Chef." The cast apparently includes Vanness Wu (of the Taiwanese group formerly known as F4) and Sammo Hung.
In other Kago-related news, Oricon that her newly opened fanclub site (Biscuit Club) has been a big hit. According to the marketing firm NetRatings, the site ranked #1 out of all sites that launched in April. A lot of the traffic has been generated by postings on the Yahoo! news site, with 41% of the visitors being referred from there.
