Wed, July 23, 2008 (2:29am EDT)
Box office numbers for "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" are now in. The latest from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli opened on 481 screens nationwide this weekend, and its 3-day totals amounted to 1.57 billion yen on 1.25 million admissions. Compared to "Spirited Away," which grossed 30.4 billion over its lifetime, "Ponyo" took in 96.6% of that film's opening weekend earnings with 101.4% of the admissions.
According to a research sample taken by Oricon, women made up an estimated 66% of the audience. 32.0% of viewers were in their 20s, while 30.7% were in their 30s. Children apparently accounted for less than 20% of tickets.
The movie's theme song, which ranked #6 for the week, was able to take #1 on the daily singles chart as of Monday.
The new "Pokemon" movie also opened this weekend, ranking 2nd and pushing "Hana Yori Dango Final" into 3rd place.
According to a research sample taken by Oricon, women made up an estimated 66% of the audience. 32.0% of viewers were in their 20s, while 30.7% were in their 30s. Children apparently accounted for less than 20% of tickets.
The movie's theme song, which ranked #6 for the week, was able to take #1 on the daily singles chart as of Monday.
The new "Pokemon" movie also opened this weekend, ranking 2nd and pushing "Hana Yori Dango Final" into 3rd place.
Wed, July 23, 2008 (1:49am EDT)
Korean boy band TVXQ landed atop the singles chart this week, as "Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattan Darou?" pushed more than 68,000 copies. This is their third #1 single in Japan, which sets a new record among foreign artists.
Yui Aragaki's first single, "Make my day," came in at #2 with 53,000 copies sold. Supergroup Fukumimi entered the charts at #3, one spot ahead of Kim Jeong Hoon's new single. Idoling!!! and Hideaki Tokunaga also made it into the top ten list at #9 and #10, respectively.
Meanwhile, the "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" theme song saw a resurgence thanks to the movie's release this past weekend. It sold 16,000 copies to climb back up to #6 for the week.
On the albums chart, relatively new duo Kimaguren sold 41,000 copies of their album "ZUSHI" to take #1, barely edging out GReeeeN's second album, which was released three weeks ago but is still selling strong. Kimaguren has been active since 2005 but only made their major label debut this past February. According to Oricon, they are the first male duo to top the charts with a 1st album since CHEMISTRY did so in November 2001.
Long-lasting band TUBE saw their new album reach #3, while Aya Hirano's first album "RIOT GIRL" debuted at #6.
Yui Aragaki's first single, "Make my day," came in at #2 with 53,000 copies sold. Supergroup Fukumimi entered the charts at #3, one spot ahead of Kim Jeong Hoon's new single. Idoling!!! and Hideaki Tokunaga also made it into the top ten list at #9 and #10, respectively.
Meanwhile, the "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" theme song saw a resurgence thanks to the movie's release this past weekend. It sold 16,000 copies to climb back up to #6 for the week.
On the albums chart, relatively new duo Kimaguren sold 41,000 copies of their album "ZUSHI" to take #1, barely edging out GReeeeN's second album, which was released three weeks ago but is still selling strong. Kimaguren has been active since 2005 but only made their major label debut this past February. According to Oricon, they are the first male duo to top the charts with a 1st album since CHEMISTRY did so in November 2001.
Long-lasting band TUBE saw their new album reach #3, while Aya Hirano's first album "RIOT GIRL" debuted at #6.
Wed, July 23, 2008 (1:24am EDT)
28-year-old gravure idol Sayuri Aoyama announced on her blog that she got engaged on July 15, though she did not reveal details about her fiance. She also mentioned that she is four months pregnant, but she plans to continue working after the child is born.
In addition to her gravure work, Aoyama has been active as an actress, appearing mostly in theater. She is also currently enrolled in the literature department of Keio University and serves as the executive director of talent agency Queen's Factory under her real name, Sawako Uetsuhara.
In addition to her gravure work, Aoyama has been active as an actress, appearing mostly in theater. She is also currently enrolled in the literature department of Keio University and serves as the executive director of talent agency Queen's Factory under her real name, Sawako Uetsuhara.
Wed, July 23, 2008 (1:12am EDT)
Lehua Sandbo, once a member of the Hello! Project group Coconuts Musume, is currently in the running for the title of Mrs. United States. Sandbo, whose surname is now Nahina, was crowned Mrs. Hawaii USA early last month.
Sandbo, 25, was part of Coconuts Musume between 2000 and 2002. Less than a year later, she was awarded the title of Miss Congeniality in the 2003 Miss Hawaii pageant. She got married shortly after that and now has a 4-year-old daughter. Currently, she is studying as a nursing student.
The Mrs. United States National Pageant is underway in Las Vegas. The winner will be crowned on July 25.
Sandbo, 25, was part of Coconuts Musume between 2000 and 2002. Less than a year later, she was awarded the title of Miss Congeniality in the 2003 Miss Hawaii pageant. She got married shortly after that and now has a 4-year-old daughter. Currently, she is studying as a nursing student.
The Mrs. United States National Pageant is underway in Las Vegas. The winner will be crowned on July 25.
Wed, July 23, 2008 (12:57am EDT)
Anime News Network has spotted a report that 20th Century Fox is working on a live-action movie version of the hit anime series "Cowboy Bebop."
The project, being developed by producer Erwin Stoff, is still in its early stages. Stoff has producer credits on "A Scanner Darkly" and "The Matrix," among other films.
Bandai Entertainment, which distributed the original 1998 series in the U.S., has not commented on the report.
The project, being developed by producer Erwin Stoff, is still in its early stages. Stoff has producer credits on "A Scanner Darkly" and "The Matrix," among other films.
Bandai Entertainment, which distributed the original 1998 series in the U.S., has not commented on the report.
Wed, July 23, 2008 (12:40am EDT)
The mystery novel "Ryusei no Kizuna," written by popular author Keigo Higashino, is being turned into a television drama series this fall. The show will star Kazunari Ninomiya, Ryo Nishikido, and Erika Toda, with Kankuro Kudo penning the script.
Ninomiya, Nishikido, and Toda play three siblings whose parents were murdered when they were children. After being deceived later on in life, they bonded together as a team of swindlers, stealing money from the rich. One day, they find a man whom they believe is their parents' killer, and they start planning to take their revenge.
Ninomiya is taking the lead as the oldest sibling, Koichi. Nishikido plays the younger brother Taisuke, while Toda plays the sister Shizuna. Tomokazu Miura has also been announced as a cast member.
TBS will air the drama on Friday nights at 10:00pm, starting in October.
Ninomiya, Nishikido, and Toda play three siblings whose parents were murdered when they were children. After being deceived later on in life, they bonded together as a team of swindlers, stealing money from the rich. One day, they find a man whom they believe is their parents' killer, and they start planning to take their revenge.
Ninomiya is taking the lead as the oldest sibling, Koichi. Nishikido plays the younger brother Taisuke, while Toda plays the sister Shizuna. Tomokazu Miura has also been announced as a cast member.
TBS will air the drama on Friday nights at 10:00pm, starting in October.
