Thu, October 16, 2008 (2:40am EDT)
On Wednesday, a Tokyo court rejected an appeal by publisher Core Magazine, which should put an end to a case stretching back six years ago.
In July 2002, the publisher released a special issue of its magazine Bubka, featuring unauthorized photos of several female idols from their childhood, including pictures taken of them near their schools and homes. A class action suit was filed against Core Magazine, claiming invasion of privacy and violation of rights of publicity. The suit had 14 plaintiffs, including Norika Fujiwara, Kyoko Fukada, and a few Hello! Project idols such as Natsumi Abe.
The first trial in the case found Core Magazine guilty of invasion of privacy, and the publisher was fined more than 5 million yen. A second trial over the celebrities' rights of publicity finished in 2006 and brought the total fines to roughly 8.5 million yen.
Core Magazine had appealed the case, but their appeal was denied with Wednesday's decision.
In July 2002, the publisher released a special issue of its magazine Bubka, featuring unauthorized photos of several female idols from their childhood, including pictures taken of them near their schools and homes. A class action suit was filed against Core Magazine, claiming invasion of privacy and violation of rights of publicity. The suit had 14 plaintiffs, including Norika Fujiwara, Kyoko Fukada, and a few Hello! Project idols such as Natsumi Abe.
The first trial in the case found Core Magazine guilty of invasion of privacy, and the publisher was fined more than 5 million yen. A second trial over the celebrities' rights of publicity finished in 2006 and brought the total fines to roughly 8.5 million yen.
Core Magazine had appealed the case, but their appeal was denied with Wednesday's decision.
Thu, October 16, 2008 (2:07am EDT)
On Wednesday, Leah Dizon held a press conference regarding her sudden marriage last week, and a few more details have been revealed. In agreement with previous reports, her husband has been identified as the 29-year-old stylist "Bun," who is said to resemble Johnny Depp and is actually well-known in the industry. His looks include a trademark black hat and a moustache, and he has done styling for the Kobe Collection and for other popular artists, including BoA.
The two apparently met just this past January when Bun provided styling for Dizon in her "Love Paradox" music video. They quickly began dating, and it has been revealed that Dizon is already in her fourth month of pregnancy.
Although Bun is known for his skills, he also seems to have a reputation as a playboy. In the past, there have been rumors linking him to various singers, actresses, and talentos. At the press conference, Dizon said that she was attracted more to his mind and his simple nature than his looks, but Bun answered the same question by referring to Dizon's butt, calling it a "big peach."
Dizon was also asked for her thoughts on children, and she said she would like to eventually have two or three kids, with at least one boy and one girl.
The couple have already started their newlywed life together, but because Dizon is an American citizen, it appears that they have extra paperwork to take care of. Meanwhile, Dizon is taking a break from work to prepare for her delivery, though her comeback has not yet been scheduled.
The two apparently met just this past January when Bun provided styling for Dizon in her "Love Paradox" music video. They quickly began dating, and it has been revealed that Dizon is already in her fourth month of pregnancy.
Although Bun is known for his skills, he also seems to have a reputation as a playboy. In the past, there have been rumors linking him to various singers, actresses, and talentos. At the press conference, Dizon said that she was attracted more to his mind and his simple nature than his looks, but Bun answered the same question by referring to Dizon's butt, calling it a "big peach."
Dizon was also asked for her thoughts on children, and she said she would like to eventually have two or three kids, with at least one boy and one girl.
The couple have already started their newlywed life together, but because Dizon is an American citizen, it appears that they have extra paperwork to take care of. Meanwhile, Dizon is taking a break from work to prepare for her delivery, though her comeback has not yet been scheduled.
Thu, October 16, 2008 (1:42am EDT)
Angela Aki has been put in charge of her first movie theme song. She will provide a tune for Michael Arias' "Heaven's Door," which opens this coming February with Tomoya Nagase and Mayuko Fukuda as its stars. The film was previously announced in January of this year.
Since the movie is a remake of a 1997 German film titled "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," it was appropriately decided that Aki would cover the 1973 Bob Dylan song of the same name, which inspired the title of that film. However, Aki's version of the song will have original Japanese lyrics and is said to emphasize "life" more than "death."
It is currently unclear whether or not Aki plans to release the song as a single.
Since the movie is a remake of a 1997 German film titled "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," it was appropriately decided that Aki would cover the 1973 Bob Dylan song of the same name, which inspired the title of that film. However, Aki's version of the song will have original Japanese lyrics and is said to emphasize "life" more than "death."
It is currently unclear whether or not Aki plans to release the song as a single.
Thu, October 16, 2008 (1:05am EDT)
Four of the Takarazuka Revue's former top stars are putting together a temporary unit known as T4. The group consists of Jun Shibuki, Wataru Kozuki, Nao Ayaki, and Kei Takashiro, who are appearing together this December in a musical called "Ai to Seishun no Takarazuka ~Koi Yori mo Seimei Yori mo~." The musical is based on a two-part drama that aired on Fuji TV in 2002.
T4 will release a single on December 3, featuring two songs used in the musical. They plan to be active as a group until March, when they finish taking the show to other cities. Their activities as T4 will reportedly extend beyond the theater, such as making appearances on television music shows.
T4 will release a single on December 3, featuring two songs used in the musical. They plan to be active as a group until March, when they finish taking the show to other cities. Their activities as T4 will reportedly extend beyond the theater, such as making appearances on television music shows.
