Tue, August 12, 2008 (10:26am EDT)
Following in the same vein as PR fashion awards like Best Jeanist and Best Leathernist, Oricon conducted a survey asking a thousand people to name the best-looking celebrities in T-shirts.
Singer aiko led the list as best female "T-nist," relegating pop star Ayumi Hamasaki to #2. Talento Becky took 3rd, while Ai Otsuka and Kaela Kimura ranked behind her.
The duo Puffy came in at #6, followed by Aya Ueto and YUI. Haruka Ayase tied with Angela Aki to make the list at #9.
Among male celebrities, George Tokoro was voted as the best in T-shirts, surpassing even Takuya Kimura, Keisuke Kuwata, Yuji Oda, and Masaharu Fukuyama, who ranked #2 through #5, respectively.
The next three on the list were Kenji Sakaguchi, Takashi Sorimachi, and Eisaku Yoshida. At #9, Teppei Koike was the youngest of the top 10, followed by the slightly older Tomohisa Yamashita, who tied for #10 with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi.
Singer aiko led the list as best female "T-nist," relegating pop star Ayumi Hamasaki to #2. Talento Becky took 3rd, while Ai Otsuka and Kaela Kimura ranked behind her.
The duo Puffy came in at #6, followed by Aya Ueto and YUI. Haruka Ayase tied with Angela Aki to make the list at #9.
Among male celebrities, George Tokoro was voted as the best in T-shirts, surpassing even Takuya Kimura, Keisuke Kuwata, Yuji Oda, and Masaharu Fukuyama, who ranked #2 through #5, respectively.
The next three on the list were Kenji Sakaguchi, Takashi Sorimachi, and Eisaku Yoshida. At #9, Teppei Koike was the youngest of the top 10, followed by the slightly older Tomohisa Yamashita, who tied for #10 with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi.
Tue, August 12, 2008 (10:22am EDT)
AKI, a member of the vocal group MAX, is leaving at the end of August to pursue a solo career as a singer-songwriter. The news was announced through the group's official website and fan club.
AKI joined MAX in 2002 after lead singer MINA became pregnant and left the group. With AKI's departure, the group will be back down to three members.
AKI joined MAX in 2002 after lead singer MINA became pregnant and left the group. With AKI's departure, the group will be back down to three members.
Tue, August 12, 2008 (2:03am EDT)
It was announced last month that actress/model Karina is starring in the Fuji TV drama special "Real Clothes," scheduled to air on September 16. Now, it has been revealed that she will be joined on screen by her two older sisters, models Anna Nose and Erena. This will be the first time they have appeared together in a drama.
Based on a manga by Satoru Makimura, the drama tells the story of Kinue (Karina), a plain-looking department store worker who gets thrown into the world of fashion when she is transferred to the women's clothing department. Her boss Miki is played by Hitomi Kuroki. Anna will serve as Miki's assistant, while Erena plays Kinue's first customer.
Sousuke Takaoka, Taro Yamamoto, and Natsuki Kato have also been confirmed for the cast.
Based on a manga by Satoru Makimura, the drama tells the story of Kinue (Karina), a plain-looking department store worker who gets thrown into the world of fashion when she is transferred to the women's clothing department. Her boss Miki is played by Hitomi Kuroki. Anna will serve as Miki's assistant, while Erena plays Kinue's first customer.
Sousuke Takaoka, Taro Yamamoto, and Natsuki Kato have also been confirmed for the cast.
Tue, August 12, 2008 (1:49am EDT)
Rock band Dir en grey has announced an upcoming North America tour, starting in Florida on November 5 and ending in Colorado on December 5. A total of 22 dates have been scheduled, including stops in Montreal and Toronto. Touring with them is the Los Angeles-based band The Human Abstract.
More information about the schedule and tickets can be found here.
More information about the schedule and tickets can be found here.
Tue, August 12, 2008 (1:43am EDT)
11-year-old Ruri Namiki is launching her major music career on October 1 with a single called "Gakuen Tengoku." Namiki is known as a gifted guitarist, discovered through the TBS variety show "Sanma no Super Karakuri TV."
Her debut single is a cover of the hit song by pop group The Finger Five, originally released in 1974. Since then, it has been covered by popular artists such as Kyoko Koizumi in 1989. The single will also come with another cover, a guitar instrumental of "Tsunami" by Southern All Stars.
"Gakuen Tengoku" is being released through For Life Music Entertainment.
Her debut single is a cover of the hit song by pop group The Finger Five, originally released in 1974. Since then, it has been covered by popular artists such as Kyoko Koizumi in 1989. The single will also come with another cover, a guitar instrumental of "Tsunami" by Southern All Stars.
"Gakuen Tengoku" is being released through For Life Music Entertainment.
Tue, August 12, 2008 (1:26am EDT)
With the 11th "Pokemon" film still showing in theaters, the movie series is expected to reach a total gross of 50 billion yen on Tuesday. The movies have been released once a year since 1998, when the first one brought in over 7.2 billion yen. With the subsequent films averaging about 4 billion yen apiece, the series totaled about 46.5 billion before the latest one opened in theaters.
"Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Sheimi" has so far made more than 3.3 billion yen after four weeks, which means that Tuesday's box office receipts should push the franchise over the 50 billion mark.
"Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Sheimi" has so far made more than 3.3 billion yen after four weeks, which means that Tuesday's box office receipts should push the franchise over the 50 billion mark.
