Wed, July 2, 2008 (1:20am EDT)
Considering the box office success of the "Hana Yori Dango Final" movie and the popularity of boy band Arashi, it isn't surprising that "One Love" topped the singles chart this past week with 314,000 in sales. It easily outperformed Shuchishin's second single "Nakanaide," which also did very well at 212,000 copies.
Porno Graffiti came in at #3, followed by Yuzu and seiyu Megumi Nakajima (under the name of Ranka Lee, her character in "Macross Frontier"). DREAMS COME TRUE entered the charts at #6, while Chatmonchy achieved #8 and misono made the cut at #10.
Meanwhile, the albums chart saw some big sellers over the week, with GReeeeN taking top honors as their sophomore album "A, Domo. Ohisashiburi Desu." sold 377,000 copies. Not too far behind was Ayaka's own second album, "Sing to the Sky," selling 315,000. Ketsumeishi also found success with 262,000 copies sold of "Ketsu no Police 6."
"COVERS," the first album released by the newest enka sensation Jero, ranked #5 with a more modest 42,000 in sales. This ties him for the highest chart position by an enka group's debut album, as Kanjani8 is considered part of the enka genre.
Porno Graffiti came in at #3, followed by Yuzu and seiyu Megumi Nakajima (under the name of Ranka Lee, her character in "Macross Frontier"). DREAMS COME TRUE entered the charts at #6, while Chatmonchy achieved #8 and misono made the cut at #10.
Meanwhile, the albums chart saw some big sellers over the week, with GReeeeN taking top honors as their sophomore album "A, Domo. Ohisashiburi Desu." sold 377,000 copies. Not too far behind was Ayaka's own second album, "Sing to the Sky," selling 315,000. Ketsumeishi also found success with 262,000 copies sold of "Ketsu no Police 6."
"COVERS," the first album released by the newest enka sensation Jero, ranked #5 with a more modest 42,000 in sales. This ties him for the highest chart position by an enka group's debut album, as Kanjani8 is considered part of the enka genre.
Wed, July 2, 2008 (12:51am EDT)
Singer Ayaka and duo Kobukuro are teaming up once again for a second collaborative single. The song, called "Anata to," will be released sometime this fall.
Ayaka and Kobukuro first worked together on the song "WINDING ROAD," which was originally only performed in concert. Due to demand from fans, it was finally released as a single in February 2007 as part of Nissan's promotional record label Cube Loves Music.
"Anata to" will be the 5th single released under the Cube Loves Music Label. Like "WINDING ROAD," the song was first performed live (at a festival last October), and fan support led to the decision for a CD release. The tune will also be used in the new Nissan Cube commercial that starts airing on July 4. Chaku-uta sales begin on the 30th.
Ayaka and Kobukuro first worked together on the song "WINDING ROAD," which was originally only performed in concert. Due to demand from fans, it was finally released as a single in February 2007 as part of Nissan's promotional record label Cube Loves Music.
"Anata to" will be the 5th single released under the Cube Loves Music Label. Like "WINDING ROAD," the song was first performed live (at a festival last October), and fan support led to the decision for a CD release. The tune will also be used in the new Nissan Cube commercial that starts airing on July 4. Chaku-uta sales begin on the 30th.
Wed, July 2, 2008 (12:22am EDT)
A surprising wedding announcement was made on Tuesday: Masato Nakamura, the 49-year-old bassist of DREAMS COME TRUE, has married 20-year-old Maki, a vocalist for the band HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR. The couple submitted their marriage registration on June 22.
Nakamura and Maki, whose maiden name is Onaga, reportedly met just this past spring, and they decided to tie the knot after only a few months.
The young Maki dropped out of school during her second year of high school to focus on her music career, debuting with HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR in 2004. In addition to her success with the band, she landed a starring role as an actress in the 2007 movie "Anata wo Wasurenai" (directed by Junji Hanado).
Maki also announced that she plans to drop out of HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR by the end of the year. The other members are said to be supporting her decision, and the group will remain active without her.
No date has been set yet for a wedding or reception.
Nakamura and Maki, whose maiden name is Onaga, reportedly met just this past spring, and they decided to tie the knot after only a few months.
The young Maki dropped out of school during her second year of high school to focus on her music career, debuting with HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR in 2004. In addition to her success with the band, she landed a starring role as an actress in the 2007 movie "Anata wo Wasurenai" (directed by Junji Hanado).
Maki also announced that she plans to drop out of HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR by the end of the year. The other members are said to be supporting her decision, and the group will remain active without her.
No date has been set yet for a wedding or reception.
