TV Tokyo has already announced its plans for its annual "Shinshun Wide Jidaigeki" drama. The network started airing the special in 1981 as a 12-hour event, but it was later reduced to 10 hours. Last year, Izumi Inamori became the first woman to star in it, and this coming year Yukie Nakama will become the second.

The drama is tentatively titled "Nene: Onna Taikoki" and is based on a story by Sugako Hashida. The central character is Nene (also known as Kodai-in), who was one of the wives of the Sengoku period daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The story was also the basis for an NHK taiga drama in 1981.

"Nene: Onna Taikoki" will air on January 2, starting at 2:00pm.

Pop star Namie Amuro is taking a magazine publisher to court over alleged invasion of privacy. The June 10 issue of Shukan Josei ran an article with photographs of Amuro and her 10-year-old son while they were out for a walk and shopping at a convenience store.

Amuro's lawyer said the singer is filing a lawsuit as a measure to prevent future intrusions into her private life. According to the suit, Amuro is seeking 22 million yen in damages.

The magazine's publisher, Shufu-to-Seikatsusha, said they could not comment since they had not yet received the legal documents.

After the success of last year's "Dainipponjin," comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto is working on his follow-up film as a director. Not much has been revealed so far, but sources say that the script is currently being polished, and the project is expected to be completed in time for theatrical release sometime in 2009.

Gossip site Uraura Geinou has mentioned some unconfirmed details, saying that the film is supposed to be a tearjerker about an unsuccessful entertainer (played by Matsumoto himself) who suddenly becomes burdened with a stranger's child. Itsuji Itao (who appeared in "Dainipponjin") may be playing the father who abandons the child. Special guests are rumored to include Matsumoto's mother and his comedy partner Masatoshi Hamada.

The gossip site also reports that a sequel to "Dainipponjin" is being discussed.

Fuji TV's girl group Idoling!!! will release a new single on July 16, their first since the unit doubled in size in April. The big news is that the song, called "Kokuhaku," is written by popular singer Kaela Kimura.

Idoling's producers learned that Kimura was a big fan of the group's television show "Idoling!!! Nikki" and their song "Moteki no Uta," so they proposed a collaboration. Kimura quickly agreed and wrote the lyrics for "Kokuhaku," while singer-songwriter Saki put together the melody.

The song is being used in an advertising campaign for Microsoft's Windows Vista, which Idoling!!! is currently promoting.

In April, it was announced that hit mobile phone novel "Akai Ito" is getting a combined drama and film adaptation later this year. Fuji TV has now revealed that the lead characters will be played by teen stars Nao Minamisawa and Junpei Mizobata.

The story was one of the best-selling novels of 2007, similar to the success of "Koizora." "Akai Ito" revolves around the "red thread of fate" connecting the young pair Mei (Minamisawa) and Atsushi (Mizobata) and the trials they face.

"Akai Ito" will have the same cast and staff working on both the big screen and small screen versions, and the two will be closely connected. The drama series will start in December, with the first two episodes laying the foundation of the story. Then the movie will pick up the plot when it opens on December 20, incorporating the novel's main storyline and adding original elements. After that, the drama will continue to develop and finish off the story.

The project's website indicates that the supporting cast includes Ryo Kimura, model and actress Rei Okamoto, Anna Ishibashi, Nanami Sakuraba, and Tomo Yanagishita.

A special press conference for the "Hana Yori Dango Final" movie was held at the Nippon Budokan on Monday. With anticipation running high for the film's opening this coming Saturday, it was announced that TBS is going to air a one-hour special on Friday night at 10:00pm.

The special will include a mini-episode that takes place just before the storyline of the movie. It was quickly filmed on Monday morning before the press conference. The show will also be partly broadcast live, with Arashi performing a theme song medley. Members of the group will even make an appearance as themselves in the mini-drama.

"Hana Yori Dango" has had two successful seasons as a drama series, and this movie will finally bring the story to a close.

Popular actor Hiro Mizushima has just finished his first voice acting job for a movie. He was chosen to take on the role of protagonist Bruce Banner in the Japanese dub of the new "Incredible Hulk" movie, which opens in Japan on August 1. The character is played by Edward Norton.

Mizushima said that doing the voice-over was difficult. He also remarked that he has had a complex about his own voice for a long time, so he was happy when it was received well in show business.