The hit group EXILE found their way to the top of the charts again by selling 200,000 copies of "LAST CHRISTMAS," their cover of the Wham! song that has long been a Christmastime staple in Japan. The tune has previously been covered several times by various artists, including BoA and Yuji Oda.

w-inds. took #2 on the charts with 48,000 copies of their new tune, "Everyday / CAN'T GET BACK," while Acid Black Cherry reached #3 with "Jigsaw." Several other artists made the top ten with new releases: °C-ute, JUJU, Mai Kuraki, L'Arc~en~Ciel, and Kurumi Enomoto.

Meanwhile, Junko Akimoto's "Ai no Mama de" climbed up the charts to land at #9. The song was released in January of this year, but this is its first appearance in the top ten. At the age of 61 years and 6 months, Akimoto is now the oldest enka artist and oldest female singer to make the top ten.

On the album charts, Mika Nakashima ranked 1st with "VOICE," selling 156,000 copies. At #2 was Shota Shimizu with 56,000 copies of "Umbrella," making him the first solo artist born in the Heisei era (1989-present) to have a Top 3 album.

The compilation album "Studio Ghibli no Uta" was #6 on the charts. BREAKERZ (#8) and SEAMO (#10) also managed to make the top ten.

Actress Eri Fukatsu has been given her first solo starring movie role since Yoshimitsu Morita's 1996 comedy "(Haru)." Fukatsu is taking the lead in "Onnanoko Monogatari," an upcoming picture by director Toshiyuki Morioka ("Requiem of Darkness") that already finished filming in October.

The movie, adapted from the manga of the same name by Rieko Saibara, features Fukatsu as a failure of a mangaka who idles away her days drinking beer and bathing in the tub. While the original comic focused on the woman's struggle to gain the courage to regain her life, the movie's timeline includes a period of her life beyond the manga's story.

"Onnanoko Monogatari" is scheduled to hit theaters in fall 2009.

The upcoming "ROOKIES" movie, a continuation of the TBS live-action series from this past spring, will feature a couple new cast members as part of the Nikogawa baseball team. "Ikemen" actors Yusuke Yamamoto and Takuya Ishida have been confirmed as the team's new recruits. Yamamoto has been cast as a talented player aiming for the Major League, while Ishida plays a gutless beginner.

Of course, the drama's main cast is returning, led by Ryuta Sato, Hayato Ichihara, Keisuke Koide, Yu Shirota, and Sousuke Takaoka.

The movie opens in theaters next May.

George Akiyama's 1970 manga series "Zeni Geba" is being turned into a live-action drama on NTV this winter. Rising actor Kenichi Matsuyama has been given the lead role. This is his second starring role in a drama series, after last year's "Sexy Voice and Robo."

Also known as "Money Crazy," the original manga tells the story of a young man who loses his sick mother as a child due to poverty. As a result, he becomes completely obsessed with money. The drama version follows the same premise, but is set in the present day instead of during the 1970s. Screenwriter Yoshikazu Okada is in charge of the script.

NTV will begin shooting the series in mid-December. The show will premiere in January, occupying the network's Saturday 9:00pm time slot.

25-year-old voice actor Mamoru Miyano, known for voicing Light ("Death Note" anime) and Setsuna ("Mobile Suit Gundam 00") among other roles, announced on Monday that he recently got married. His message to his fans also revealed that his wife is currently pregnant, though he provided no details about the woman.

Sayaka Nishiwaki, also known as Cha-pon of the idol group 9nine, is moving into the world of electropop. She is teaming up with Shuuji Ishii of GOATBED (and formerly of Cali Gari) to form a new unit called ORDINARY VENUS. Nishiwaki will be in charge of vocals while Ishii handles the tracks, artwork, and other aspects.

Nishiwaki also happens to be the younger sister of Ayaka Nishiwaki, who is best known as A-chan of the popular electro group Perfume.

ORDINARY VENUS will release their debut self-titled album on December 17.