Wed, August 6, 2008 (10:57am EDT)
Oricon recently took the summer weather as an opportunity to survey a group of a thousand men and women, asking them which female beauties look best in a yukata.
The top choice was actress Nanako Matsushima, followed by Yukie Nakama. Up-and-coming stars Masami Nagasawa, Yu Aoi, Yui Aragaki, and Haruka Ayase ranked #3 through #6, respectively.
Model Yuri Ebihara was ranked #7, ahead of Aoi Miyazaki. Hitomi Kuroki and Norika Fujiwara rounded out the top ten.
The top choice was actress Nanako Matsushima, followed by Yukie Nakama. Up-and-coming stars Masami Nagasawa, Yu Aoi, Yui Aragaki, and Haruka Ayase ranked #3 through #6, respectively.
Model Yuri Ebihara was ranked #7, ahead of Aoi Miyazaki. Hitomi Kuroki and Norika Fujiwara rounded out the top ten.
Wed, August 6, 2008 (2:21am EDT)
Namie Amuro's "BEST FICTION" attained the No. 1 ranking on this week's Oricon album charts. The album's first week of sales totaled 681,000 copies, the best start by any album this year. It narrowly surpassed EXILE's "EXILE CATCHY BEST," which sold 680,000 copies during its first week this past March.
"BEST FICTION" marks Amuro's 7th #1 album since she went solo in 1995. This is a new record among female artists who were originally in a group; Amuro was previously tied with Takako Okamura of Amin.
Two other new releases made it into the top 10. R&B group COLOR reached #6 with their latest, while a tribute album for Yu Aku squeezed out the #10 spot.
On the singles chart, Mr.Children's "GIFT" ranked #1 with 194,000 copies sold. It was up against "Hi wa, Mata Noboru," the debut single from Aladdin the second, which sold 152,000 copies. That group consists of the members of Pabo and Shuchishin, the two popular "baka trios" from Fuji TV's "Quiz! Hexagon II"
THE ALFEE's Toshihiko Takamizawa made #4 with his new song, and C-ute was not far behind at #5. The bottom half of the top 10 saw new releases by Remioromen (#6), RIP SLYME (#7), ALI PROJECT (#9), and Kalafina (#10).
"BEST FICTION" marks Amuro's 7th #1 album since she went solo in 1995. This is a new record among female artists who were originally in a group; Amuro was previously tied with Takako Okamura of Amin.
Two other new releases made it into the top 10. R&B group COLOR reached #6 with their latest, while a tribute album for Yu Aku squeezed out the #10 spot.
On the singles chart, Mr.Children's "GIFT" ranked #1 with 194,000 copies sold. It was up against "Hi wa, Mata Noboru," the debut single from Aladdin the second, which sold 152,000 copies. That group consists of the members of Pabo and Shuchishin, the two popular "baka trios" from Fuji TV's "Quiz! Hexagon II"
THE ALFEE's Toshihiko Takamizawa made #4 with his new song, and C-ute was not far behind at #5. The bottom half of the top 10 saw new releases by Remioromen (#6), RIP SLYME (#7), ALI PROJECT (#9), and Kalafina (#10).
Wed, August 6, 2008 (1:57am EDT)
39-year-old actress Akiho Sendo became a mother on Sunday, giving birth to a baby girl. She announced the news the next day on her official website, revealing that it was a quick and easy delivery.
Sendo has been married since 2000 to a man who is currently the president of her management agency. Since then, she was undergoing infertility treatment, and she finally announced this past February that she and husband had successfully conceived.
Sendo plans to return to work in October.
Sendo has been married since 2000 to a man who is currently the president of her management agency. Since then, she was undergoing infertility treatment, and she finally announced this past February that she and husband had successfully conceived.
Sendo plans to return to work in October.
Wed, August 6, 2008 (1:48am EDT)
Hiroyuki Murata's comedy manga "Kogyoaika Volleyboys" is being turned into a live-action film. The manga originally ran in Young Magazine between 1989 and 2007, and spawned a sequel called "Koshokuaika Moto Volleyboys."
The story follows the friendship of the "3 Baka Trio," a group of three horny high school boys at a technical school. Looking to create a highlight in their adolescence, they end up forming a volleyball team in hopes of becoming popular. Details about the cast, staff, and production schedule are still unknown.
The series has previously had two live-action versions that were released directly to video. The first was in 1992, starring Nozomu Sato of comedy duo Dangerous. The second adaptation was a three-part series (one for each of the three boys) that was sold exclusively at Lawson convenience stores in late 2006.
The story follows the friendship of the "3 Baka Trio," a group of three horny high school boys at a technical school. Looking to create a highlight in their adolescence, they end up forming a volleyball team in hopes of becoming popular. Details about the cast, staff, and production schedule are still unknown.
The series has previously had two live-action versions that were released directly to video. The first was in 1992, starring Nozomu Sato of comedy duo Dangerous. The second adaptation was a three-part series (one for each of the three boys) that was sold exclusively at Lawson convenience stores in late 2006.
Wed, August 6, 2008 (1:09am EDT)
Singer-songwriter Eri Kawai died on Monday morning as the result of illness. She was being treated for a medical condition since earlier this year. Her age was not publicly known.
Kawai's discography included the theme song for Fuji TV's "Wordsworth no Bouken" and music for anime series such as "ARIA The ANIMATION" and "Utawarerumono."
Kawai's discography included the theme song for Fuji TV's "Wordsworth no Bouken" and music for anime series such as "ARIA The ANIMATION" and "Utawarerumono."
