Wed, September 3, 2008 (2:48am EDT)
Late last month, it was confirmed that Tetsudo Musume, a line of figures produced by Tomytec, would be turned into a live-action drama series, titled "Tetsudo Musume ~ Girls be ambitious." Now, cast details have been revealed, and idol Ami Tokito has been named as one of the main characters.
The drama is an omnibus series, portraying the lives of women working at railroad companies. Tokito plays an employee of Keisei Electric Railway, while Rin Takanashi plays an apprentice railroad idol. The rest of the main cast members are Idoling's Mai Endo, Erika Tonooka, and Erika Yazawa, along with AKB48's Tomomi Kasai and Sae Miyazawa.
"Tetsudo Musume" will air on six UHF networks, including TV Kanagawa, Television Saitama, and Chiba TV. Broadcast begins in October.
The drama is an omnibus series, portraying the lives of women working at railroad companies. Tokito plays an employee of Keisei Electric Railway, while Rin Takanashi plays an apprentice railroad idol. The rest of the main cast members are Idoling's Mai Endo, Erika Tonooka, and Erika Yazawa, along with AKB48's Tomomi Kasai and Sae Miyazawa.
"Tetsudo Musume" will air on six UHF networks, including TV Kanagawa, Television Saitama, and Chiba TV. Broadcast begins in October.
Wed, September 3, 2008 (2:18am EDT)
23-year-old actress Haruka Kinami has landed her biggest role yet, playing the key character Kyoko in the second chapter of the "20th Century Boys" movie trilogy. The film is scheduled for release on January 31, 2009.
In the story, Kyoko is a schoolmate of Kanna (played by Airi Taira), the niece of the protagonist Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa). Kyoko becomes an important character in unraveling the mystery of the "Friend" organization, whom Kenji and his friends are trying to stop. She appears briefly at the end of the first movie, which is currently playing in theaters. According to producers, Kyoko will have just as much importance as Kanna in the film.
Kinami has had numerous minor roles in television dramas, including "Dandori ~Dance Drill~" and "Asakusa Fukumaru Ryokan 2."
In the story, Kyoko is a schoolmate of Kanna (played by Airi Taira), the niece of the protagonist Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa). Kyoko becomes an important character in unraveling the mystery of the "Friend" organization, whom Kenji and his friends are trying to stop. She appears briefly at the end of the first movie, which is currently playing in theaters. According to producers, Kyoko will have just as much importance as Kanna in the film.
Kinami has had numerous minor roles in television dramas, including "Dandori ~Dance Drill~" and "Asakusa Fukumaru Ryokan 2."
Wed, September 3, 2008 (1:53am EDT)
Singer Kazumasa Oda has announced an extension to his current tour, which has been going on since April 5. With tickets in high demand for all 52 shows on the tour, Oda has tacked on four dome concerts. He will play at Tokyo Dome on November 26-27, Nagoya Dome on December 6, and Osaka Dome on December 20.
When he starts that leg of the tour, he will be 61 years and 2 months old, qualifying him as the oldest solo artist to hold a dome tour. This barely beats Kenji Sawada, who turned 60 in June and had announced dome performances in Osaka and Tokyo for later this year.
When he starts that leg of the tour, he will be 61 years and 2 months old, qualifying him as the oldest solo artist to hold a dome tour. This barely beats Kenji Sawada, who turned 60 in June and had announced dome performances in Osaka and Tokyo for later this year.
Wed, September 3, 2008 (1:39am EDT)
Singer Ayaka Hirahara is set to make her full-fledged acting debut with a role in the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Kaze no Garden," penned by popular screenwriter Sou Kuramoto.
Announced back in April, the drama stars Kiichi Nakai as a doctor who lost his wife to suicide. After learning that he has terminal cancer, he returns home to Hokkaido to live with his aging father (Ken Ogata), bringing his two children with him (Meisa Kuroki, Ryunosuke Kamiki). Hirahara plays a young woman who meets the doctor through a medical examination, and the two become lovers.
In addition to appearing throughout the whole series, Hirahara has been given the task of providing the show's theme song and an insert song. In 2005, Hirahara sang the theme song for Sou Kuramoto's "Yasashii Jikan."
"Kaze no Garden" airs on Thursday nights at 10:00pm, starting on October 9.
Announced back in April, the drama stars Kiichi Nakai as a doctor who lost his wife to suicide. After learning that he has terminal cancer, he returns home to Hokkaido to live with his aging father (Ken Ogata), bringing his two children with him (Meisa Kuroki, Ryunosuke Kamiki). Hirahara plays a young woman who meets the doctor through a medical examination, and the two become lovers.
In addition to appearing throughout the whole series, Hirahara has been given the task of providing the show's theme song and an insert song. In 2005, Hirahara sang the theme song for Sou Kuramoto's "Yasashii Jikan."
"Kaze no Garden" airs on Thursday nights at 10:00pm, starting on October 9.
Wed, September 3, 2008 (1:24am EDT)
Three members of AKB48's Team A have formed a new unit called No Sleeves, which is apparently being abbreviated as "no3b." The group consists of Haruna Kojima, Minami Takahashi, and Minami Minegishi.
The unit's name supposedly comes from the fact that they will be casting aside the typical AKB48 uniforms in favor of more casual attire. While AKB48 has produced a few other sub-units in the past, this will be the first one to consist entirely of Team A members.
No Sleeves will release their first single, titled "Relax!," on November 26. Their official website is now open.
The unit's name supposedly comes from the fact that they will be casting aside the typical AKB48 uniforms in favor of more casual attire. While AKB48 has produced a few other sub-units in the past, this will be the first one to consist entirely of Team A members.
No Sleeves will release their first single, titled "Relax!," on November 26. Their official website is now open.
Wed, September 3, 2008 (1:11am EDT)
Pop star Namie Amuro has achieved her 5th consecutive week atop the charts with "BEST FICTION." The album is still selling well at 63,000 copies, though the lack of other high-profile releases has also helped her keep the #1 spot. And with total sales reaching 1.25 million, the album has now surpassed EXILE's "CATCHY BEST" as the best-selling album of 2008.
The last album to top the charts for 5 weeks was GLAY's 1997 collection "REVIEW ~BEST OF GLAY~," while the last female solo artist to do it was Akina Nakamori with "Best Akina Memoirs" in 1983, back before the CD era.
A few other artists made the top ten with new releases: DJ MAKIDAI of EXILE (#3), livetune with virtual idol Miku Hatsune (#5), and RSP (#7).
Meanwhile, KinKi Kids unsurprisingly took the singles chart, selling 187,000 copies of "Secret Code." They now have 27 consecutive #1 singles since their debut, extending their Guinness World Record. L'Arc~en~Ciel unfortunately released "NEXUS 4 / SHINE" at the same time, which means they ended up at #2 even though their single sold 110,000 copies.
The rest of the top ten included new songs by Acid Black Cherry (#4), comedy trio Hisoukan (#5), Shonannokaze (#6), AAA (#9), and Every Little Thing (#10).
The last album to top the charts for 5 weeks was GLAY's 1997 collection "REVIEW ~BEST OF GLAY~," while the last female solo artist to do it was Akina Nakamori with "Best Akina Memoirs" in 1983, back before the CD era.
A few other artists made the top ten with new releases: DJ MAKIDAI of EXILE (#3), livetune with virtual idol Miku Hatsune (#5), and RSP (#7).
Meanwhile, KinKi Kids unsurprisingly took the singles chart, selling 187,000 copies of "Secret Code." They now have 27 consecutive #1 singles since their debut, extending their Guinness World Record. L'Arc~en~Ciel unfortunately released "NEXUS 4 / SHINE" at the same time, which means they ended up at #2 even though their single sold 110,000 copies.
The rest of the top ten included new songs by Acid Black Cherry (#4), comedy trio Hisoukan (#5), Shonannokaze (#6), AAA (#9), and Every Little Thing (#10).
