The "Aibou" movie continues to be a big hit at the box office, and on Wednesday it was announced that the film's run is being extended. It opened at the start of this month on a little over 300 screens and has so far grossed 3.2 billion yen. The movie was initially scheduled to run until at least June 6, but it has been decided that "Aibou" will continue playing in theaters beyond that, keeping its screen count close to 300.

Toei's current biggest hit is "YAMATO," which earned roughly 5.1 billion yen in 2006. So far, "Aibou" has outperformed "YAMATO" by a factor of 114% and appears to be on track to set a new record for the studio.

A few more cast members have been formally announced for the TBS drama series "Maou." The show, remade from a 2007 Korean series, was revealed earlier this month, starring Satoshi Ohno as a revenge-seeking lawyer and Toma Ikuta as a detective.

Hitori Gekidan will be playing an elite company president who is also Ikuta's older brother. Koji Ishizaka has been cast as their father, while Yuji Miyake plays Ikuta's boss.

It has also been mentioned that tarot cards will play a key role in the series. Gekidan commented that he has been studying tarot for some time.

Korean actress Choi Ji Woo has been confirmed for the voice cast of the "Winter Sonata" anime series, which is based on the popular Korean drama of the same name. She and actor Bae Yong Joon are reprising their lead roles from that show for the animated version.

The anime is expected to air in Japan and Korea in 2009.

According to this week's issue of Shukan Bunshun, TOKIO member Taichi Kokubun has found a new lover. The woman is reportedly in her early 20s, and she is said to be partly living with Kokubun in his Tokyo apartment. The couple was also seen enjoying a walk together in that neighborhood.

Kokubun dated singer aiko for 8 years before breaking up in 2006. This is his first rumored romance since then, but Johnny's Jimusho denies that they're living together and says the two are merely friends.

The International Flower Bulb Centre presented its 7th annual Miss Lily award on Wednesday, given to a celebrity who best matches the image of a lily. This year's recipient was actress Ryoko Hirosue, who seems to have kept her "pure" image despite a shotgun marriage with designer Takahiro Okazawa in 2003 and a subsequent divorce this past March.

Past honorees include Hitomi Kuroki, Takako Tokiwa, Yoshino Kimura, and Ryoko Yonekura (last year).

Yukie Nakama is joining boy band Arashi as one of the celebrity hosts of NTV's charity program "24 Hour Television," taking place on August 30-31. Part of the show will feature her in character as Yankumi from the "Gokusen" drama series, which is currently doing well in the ratings for its third season.

The annual telethon, whose theme is "Love Saves the Earth," is in its 31st year.

29-year-old actress Kotomi Kyono got married this past Saturday to a 30-year-old theater staff member. They met through work last summer and have been dating since around September. They have not yet scheduled a wedding ceremony or reception.

Kyono is perhaps best known for her roles in the television dramas "Hakusen Nagashi" and "Shomuni." Also active in film and theater, Kyono met her husband when he worked behind the scenes of a play she appeared in last year.

In addition to HALCALI's appearance at the Japan Day festival in New York on June 1 (previous news announcement here), the pop duo will be participating in a radio show recording at NYC's Kinokuniya Bookstore on Friday, May 30. The event is open to the public and will be followed by an autograph session.

J-Revolution has more information in a press release.