Etsushi Toyokawa and Hiroko Yakushimaru will co-star as a married couple in "Kondo wa Aisaika," the next film from director Isao Yukisada ("Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World"). The pair last played a couple in the 1992 movie "Kirakira Hikaru," and this time their roles are just as unusual.

This romantic comedy is based on a play by the same name from 2003. Toyokawa plays a photographer who has become unable to take pictures, while his wife (Yakushimaru) is a health nut. One day just before Christmas, Yakushimaru suggests that they take a trip to Okinawa and try to conceive a baby.

Filming started in Okinawa on the 4th, but is already moving to Tokyo and is expected to wrap up in mid-January. Producers are aiming for a fall 2009 release at the earliest. The supporting cast includes Asami Mizukawa, Gaku Hamada, and Renji Ishibashi.

Oricon has just released its sales rankings for 2008, and this year the clear winner was EXILE. The group had been aiming to make this their "Perfect Year," and Oricon's numbers now show how well they achieved it. Counting singles, albums, and DVDs, EXILE sold close to 5.2 million copies for a total of 19.58 billion yen. In comparison, Kumi Koda was last year's top artist with only 7.3 billion yen.

Ayumi Hamasaki and B'z were the closest competitors this year, though they only achieved 7.19 billion and 7.16 billion, respectively. Namie Amuro was #4 (6.80 billion) and Kobukuro was #5 (6.69 billion).

EXILE's three best albums all landed in the year's Top 10 Albums list. "EXILE LOVE" ranked #1 at 1.47 million copies, edging out Amuro's "BEST FICTION" (1.45 million). "EXILE CATCHY BEST" was #4 at 1.22 million, while "EXILE BALLAD BEST" (released just last week) was #6 at 940,000.

1. "EXILE LOVE," EXILE
2. "BEST FICTION," Namie Amuro
3. "5296," Kobukuro
4. "EXILE CATCHY BEST," EXILE
5. "HEART STATION," Hikaru Utada
6. "EXILE BALLAD BEST," EXILE
7. "B'z The Best ULTRA Pleasure," B'z
8. "A COMPLETE ~ALL SINGLES~," Ayumi Hamasaki
9. "AND I LOVE YOU," Dreams Come True
10. "A, Domo. Ohisashiburi Desu.," GReeeeN

However, EXILE had no entries in the Top 10 Singles of the year. Instead, Arashi was the big winner with three of their songs making the list. They took the top two spots with "truth / Kaze no Mukou e" (618,000 copies) and "One Love" (524,000), while "Beautiful days" was #10 (422,000). Arashi is only the 5th artist to have the top two singles in a year, with the last one being Princess Princess in 1989.

1. "truth / Kaze no Mukou e," Arashi
2. "One Love," Arashi
3. "I AM YOUR SINGER," Southern All Stars
4. "Kiseki," GReeeeN
5. "Shuchishin," Shuchishin
6. "HANABI," Mr.Children
7. "Soba ni Iru ne," Thelma Aoyama
8. "DON'T U EVER STOP," KAT-TUN
9. "LIPS," KAT-TUN
10. "Beautiful days," Arashi

Singer/actress Kou Shibasaki has found a new boyfriend, says the newest issue of Josei Seven. She was recently spotted with TAKUYA∞, the vocalist of rock band UVERworld, which finally achieved its first #1 single last month with the "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" theme song "Hakanakumo Towa no Kanashi."

According to the magazine, the two were already acquainted, but they met again in the fall at a gathering with their musician friends, and they immediately hit it off. On December 5, Shibasaki attended UVERworld's concert at the Nippon Budokan. In addition, Josei Seven reported that they spent three consecutive nights together on dates. The magazine also published a photo of them at a Christmas illumination event in Roppongi.

Since 2005, Shibasaki had been dating actor Satoshi Tsumabuki, who co-starred with her in the drama series "Orange Days." Many thought they were headed for marriage, but in light of this news, it seems that they have already broken up.