42-year-old singer-songwriter Kohmi Hirose recently tied the knot, it was learned on Monday. Her new husband is a 43-year-old American working at a computer-related company in San Francisco. The couple filed their marriage in that city on October 12.

The two were introduced to each other by a friend about a year ago. Hirose has kept a house in Los Angeles for the past ten years, as she remains active as a musician in both the U.S. and Japan, splitting her time between the two countries.

Hirose has been married once before, to actor Takao Osawa. They wedded in 1999, but they separated in late 2006.

A live-action "Ninja Scroll" movie is under discussion again, as Warner Bros. has now acquired the adaptation rights. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way is handling production, though they will reportedly be working in conjunction with animation studio Madhouse, which created the original anime film.

The script is being written by Alex Tse, whose credits include "Watchmen" and "The Illustrated Man." No cast details have been announced, though it is said that DiCaprio is not planning to appear in it.

This is not the first anime property to be picked up by Warner Bros. and Appian Way. In February, they announced their plans to adapt the classic manga "Akira" as a two-movie series.

Adaptation rights for "Ninja Scroll" were previously acquired by Threshold Entertainment in 2002, but the movie never entered production.

Talento Kanoko Nishikawa is now officially divorced. She and her pastry chef husband Shigekazu Hayashi finalized the paperwork on Monday.

The couple married in 2005, but last month it was revealed that they had been living separately for several months. Sources say their separation stems from their 20-year age gap.

Nishikawa has been given custody of their 1-year-old daughter Chisaki.

The female pop group MAX is going back to its roots. Former lead singer MINA is returning to the group after an absence of six years, reuniting the unit's four original members. They already have plans for a new release and a reunion concert.

MINA left the group in 2002 due to her unexpected pregnancy and marriage, and she was replaced by singer AKI. However, AKI withdrew from the group this past August to pursue a solo career, reducing MAX to three members.

The reunited MAX will make their first public appearance together this Thursday on the Fuji TV program "Tokudane!" In December, they will release a best album called "NEW EDITION ~MAXIMUM HITS~," featuring new arrangements of 12 of their past hits, including a remix by Clazziquai Project. The album will also include a new song titled "Are you ready?"

MAX has scheduled their first post-reunion concert for January 31 at the C.C. Lemon Hall in Shibuya.

Toray has picked its 2009 Swimwear Campaign Girl. 17-year-old Tomoe Genzaki, a third-year high schooler, became the tallest model in the history of the campaign, standing at a height of 175cm.

Genzaki, who is also active as an actress, tried out for the same audition last year but failed to pass the first round. She trained hard to take the title this year, beating out about 200 other contestants.

A production of the Robert Thomas play "Trap for a Lonely Man" is being performed in Tokyo next February, directed by Kyoichi Itagaki. The play will star Kazuki Kato, while the female lead is played by actress Miho Shiraishi. This will be Shiraishi's first stage role.

The suspenseful story revolves around a man (Kato) whose wife mysteriously disappears. After reporting it to the police, a woman (Shiraishi) suddenly shows up at his house claiming to be his wife, though he insists that she is an impostor aiming to collect the inheritance of his wife's wealthy uncle.

The play's cast also includes Kengo Ohkuchi, Daijiro Kawaoka, Reiko Mizumachi, and Takashi Hagino. The show will run at the Theatre 1010 in Senju, Tokyo on February 14-22.