Tue, September 30, 2008 (3:11am EDT)
Naru Inoue, a member of AKB48's Team B, officially graduated from the group on Monday. The 16-year-old had been part of AKB48 for about 1 year and 8 months.
Apparently, Inoue had been forced to take a break on several occasions due to poor health. During one of those periods, she made up her mind to leave the group. In an entry on AKB48's official blog, she mentioned that she will be working hard on her future career.
Monday also marked the finale of the group's show "AKB 0-ji 59-fun." Their new show, "AKBINGO!," starts on Wednesday.
Apparently, Inoue had been forced to take a break on several occasions due to poor health. During one of those periods, she made up her mind to leave the group. In an entry on AKB48's official blog, she mentioned that she will be working hard on her future career.
Monday also marked the finale of the group's show "AKB 0-ji 59-fun." Their new show, "AKBINGO!," starts on Wednesday.
Tue, September 30, 2008 (12:48am EDT)
Oricon recently ran a survey of 1,200 men and women under 40, asking them to identify which celebrities they felt represented their ideal image of a woman. The survey was divided into two categories, one for music artists and one for actresses.
In the artist category, Namie Amuro ranked #1, noted for her style and fashion sense. The rest of the top five were YUI, aiko, Ayumi Hamasaki, and YUKI.
Under actresses, Yui Aragaki topped the list, winning popularity with her cuteness and her smile. She was followed by Nanako Matsushima, Aoi Miyazaki, Ryoko Shinohara, and Maki Horikita.
In the artist category, Namie Amuro ranked #1, noted for her style and fashion sense. The rest of the top five were YUI, aiko, Ayumi Hamasaki, and YUKI.
Under actresses, Yui Aragaki topped the list, winning popularity with her cuteness and her smile. She was followed by Nanako Matsushima, Aoi Miyazaki, Ryoko Shinohara, and Maki Horikita.
Tue, September 30, 2008 (12:31am EDT)
Musician Ringo Shiina is collaborating with graphic designer Yutaka Kimura to form a creative team called "Shiro to Kuro." The two are producing a series of original shirts to be sold through Uniqlo UT.
Currently, there are plans for three varieties, called "Penguin," "Zebra," and "Dalmatian." As the names suggest, the shirts are modeled after black-and-white animals.
The shirts go on sale November 17. The designs can be seen at the Uniqlo UT website.
Currently, there are plans for three varieties, called "Penguin," "Zebra," and "Dalmatian." As the names suggest, the shirts are modeled after black-and-white animals.
The shirts go on sale November 17. The designs can be seen at the Uniqlo UT website.
Tue, September 30, 2008 (12:25am EDT)
NHK continues to experience low ratings with its latest Asadora (morning drama series). "Hitomi," starring Nana Eikura as an aspiring dancer, came to an end on Saturday morning, and viewership data indicates that the entire series averaged only 15.2% in the Kanto region. The show has set a new record low for an Asadora, breaking the 15.9% set by its predecessor, "Chiritotechin." In the Kansai region, it averaged only 14.8%.
Up until 2003, the NHK morning dramas averaged well above 20%. Before 1994, ratings were above 30%, with several exceeding even 40%.
The final episode of "Hitomi" had ratings of 17.5% in the Kanto area and 16.0% in the Kansai area, but the show's viewership had been much lower than that throughout its entire run. The premiere episode, which aired in April, had actually achieved the second-lowest start for an Asadora at 16.5% (Kanto).
"Dandan," the new Asadora that started on Monday (starring twins ManaKana), continued the streak of low ratings. The first episode achieved only 16.8% in the Kanto region, becoming the third-worst Asadora premiere.
Up until 2003, the NHK morning dramas averaged well above 20%. Before 1994, ratings were above 30%, with several exceeding even 40%.
The final episode of "Hitomi" had ratings of 17.5% in the Kanto area and 16.0% in the Kansai area, but the show's viewership had been much lower than that throughout its entire run. The premiere episode, which aired in April, had actually achieved the second-lowest start for an Asadora at 16.5% (Kanto).
"Dandan," the new Asadora that started on Monday (starring twins ManaKana), continued the streak of low ratings. The first episode achieved only 16.8% in the Kanto region, becoming the third-worst Asadora premiere.
