Sun, December 21, 2008 (6:49pm EST)
Former Morning Musume member Nozomi Tsuji, whose career has been on hold since her marriage to actor Taiyo Sugiura last year, is expected to make a special appearance at a Hello! Project concert next year.
Tsuji will reportedly participate in the Elder Club graduation concerts in Yokohama on January 31 and February 1. Those will be Tsuji's first stage performances since January 2007.
However, there are currently no plans for Tsuji to make a full comeback. After the graduation concerts, Tsuji will return to her current lifestyle as a wife and mother.
Tsuji will reportedly participate in the Elder Club graduation concerts in Yokohama on January 31 and February 1. Those will be Tsuji's first stage performances since January 2007.
However, there are currently no plans for Tsuji to make a full comeback. After the graduation concerts, Tsuji will return to her current lifestyle as a wife and mother.
Sun, December 21, 2008 (6:26pm EST)
Last week, the nominees for the 32nd Japan Academy Awards were announced at a press event in Tokyo. Yojiro Takita's highly acclaimed "Okuribito" received the most nominations, competing in 13 categories. Yoji Yamada's "Kaabee" received 12 nominations, while Masato Harada's "Climber's High" picked up 10 nominations.
Those three films are competing for Best Picture, along with Koki Mitani's "The Magic Hour" and Hiroshi Nishitani's "Yougisha x no Kenshin."
The six recipients of the Best Newcomer award were also announced: Teppei Koike, Shota Matsuda, Ayaka Wilson, Ayane Nagabuchi, Saki Fukuda, and Yuriko Yoshitaka.
The winners in the rest of the categories will be revealed at the awards ceremony on February 20.
Those three films are competing for Best Picture, along with Koki Mitani's "The Magic Hour" and Hiroshi Nishitani's "Yougisha x no Kenshin."
The six recipients of the Best Newcomer award were also announced: Teppei Koike, Shota Matsuda, Ayaka Wilson, Ayane Nagabuchi, Saki Fukuda, and Yuriko Yoshitaka.
The winners in the rest of the categories will be revealed at the awards ceremony on February 20.
Sun, December 21, 2008 (5:10pm EST)
Vocal group GReeeeN has lined up another TV drama tie-in. They will sing the theme song for Fuji TV's "Voice" next season, which stars Eita, Satomi Ishihara, and Toma Ikuta.
The currently untitled song will be released as a single next spring.
The currently untitled song will be released as a single next spring.
Sun, December 21, 2008 (4:43pm EST)
Newspapers are reporting today that actress Erika Sawajiri (22) will soon be getting married to multimedia creator Tsuyoshi Takashiro (44). A source close to the couple has said that they will be registering their marriage around the start of the new year.
The relationship between Sawajiri and Takashiro was first discovered in September 2007, and early this year they began living together in London.
Ever since the discovery of her relationship with Takashiro and the PR disaster for the movie "Closed Note," Sawajiri's career has been relatively quiet. However, she is reportedly planning to increase her acting, singing, and modeling work next year.
The relationship between Sawajiri and Takashiro was first discovered in September 2007, and early this year they began living together in London.
Ever since the discovery of her relationship with Takashiro and the PR disaster for the movie "Closed Note," Sawajiri's career has been relatively quiet. However, she is reportedly planning to increase her acting, singing, and modeling work next year.
Sun, December 21, 2008 (5:32am EST)
On Friday, Oricon released its DVD sales rankings for 2008, based on data between December 24, 2007, and December 15, 2008. Boy band Kanjani8 dominated the list thanks to their live tour DVD "47."
"47," which was released in early December last year, sold 282,041 copies for a total of 1.97 billion yen. This made "47" the best-selling music DVD of the year in terms of Most Copies Sold and Most Money Earned, as well as making Kanjani8 the top artist at a total of 1.98 billion yen. "47" also counted as the highest earning DVD overall in 2008, though three DVDs actually outperformed it in number of copies sold: "Transformers" Special Collectors' Edition (365,000), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" 2-Disc Special Edition (336,000), and "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" Special Edition (298,000).
"47," which was released in early December last year, sold 282,041 copies for a total of 1.97 billion yen. This made "47" the best-selling music DVD of the year in terms of Most Copies Sold and Most Money Earned, as well as making Kanjani8 the top artist at a total of 1.98 billion yen. "47" also counted as the highest earning DVD overall in 2008, though three DVDs actually outperformed it in number of copies sold: "Transformers" Special Collectors' Edition (365,000), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" 2-Disc Special Edition (336,000), and "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" Special Edition (298,000).
