Fri, January 2, 2009 (5:55pm EST)
Megumi Ohori, the oldest member of idol unit AKB48 at the age of 25, recently revealed that she has been having problems with her family due to a controversial publicity campaign.
In October, Ohori made her solo debut with a single titled "Amai Kokansetsu." However, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto had given her the condition that she had to sell 10,000 copies in a month, or else she would be forced to graduate from the group.
Ohori managed to avoid graduation, but to help increase sales, she participated in several "hug events" at various stores. These were like typical "handshake events," except that she treated fans to embraces rather than handshakes.
Her father felt that she was being too desperate in her actions, and told her, "You're not my child. Get out of this house." Ohori said she has become lonely as result, but explained that she had no choice in order to gain approval and succeed in the entertainment world.
In October, Ohori made her solo debut with a single titled "Amai Kokansetsu." However, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto had given her the condition that she had to sell 10,000 copies in a month, or else she would be forced to graduate from the group.
Ohori managed to avoid graduation, but to help increase sales, she participated in several "hug events" at various stores. These were like typical "handshake events," except that she treated fans to embraces rather than handshakes.
Her father felt that she was being too desperate in her actions, and told her, "You're not my child. Get out of this house." Ohori said she has become lonely as result, but explained that she had no choice in order to gain approval and succeed in the entertainment world.
Fri, January 2, 2009 (1:09am EST)
Near the end of last year, Oricon conducted a survey of 1,200 men and women, asking them which celebrities they considered as the "face of 2008," based on activity. The #1 man was Yusuke Kamiji, who mainly rose to fame as part of the boy band Shuchishin, while the #1 woman was young actress Aoi Miyazaki, the star of the NHK taiga drama "Atsuhime."
On the men's list, musician DAIGO ranked #2, followed by Olympic medal-winning swimmer Kosuke Kitajima. The rest of the list were Masaharu Fukuyama, golfer Ryo Ishikawa, comedian Sekai no Nabeatsu, Shuchishin (as a group), Masahiro Nakai, Arashi, and Yutaka Mizutani.
The women's list placed comedienne Harumi Edo at #2 and softball pitcher Yukiko Ueno at #3. Suzanne, Maki Horikita, Thelma Aoyama, Yukie Nakama, Namie Amuro, Aya Ueto, and Perfume also made the rankings.
On the men's list, musician DAIGO ranked #2, followed by Olympic medal-winning swimmer Kosuke Kitajima. The rest of the list were Masaharu Fukuyama, golfer Ryo Ishikawa, comedian Sekai no Nabeatsu, Shuchishin (as a group), Masahiro Nakai, Arashi, and Yutaka Mizutani.
The women's list placed comedienne Harumi Edo at #2 and softball pitcher Yukiko Ueno at #3. Suzanne, Maki Horikita, Thelma Aoyama, Yukie Nakama, Namie Amuro, Aya Ueto, and Perfume also made the rankings.
Fri, January 2, 2009 (12:43am EST)
The audience ratings for NHK's 59th Kohaku Uta Gassen have been announced. Ratings were up from last year, reaching 35.7% for the first half and 42.1% for the second half.
The news was a welcome change, as the past two years had dipped below the 40% mark. The second half of the show had ratings of 39.8% in 2006 and 39.5% in 2007, which are the 3rd and 2nd worst performances in the show's history.
The first half ratings were also an improvement, climbing up from 30.6% in 2006 and 32.8% in 2007.
This Kohaku Uta Gassen was the fourth consecutive victory for the White Team (male artists), bringing their overall total record to 31 wins and 28 losses. It was a convincing win, as the White Team received nearly 206,000 votes compared to the Red Team's 112,000.
The news was a welcome change, as the past two years had dipped below the 40% mark. The second half of the show had ratings of 39.8% in 2006 and 39.5% in 2007, which are the 3rd and 2nd worst performances in the show's history.
The first half ratings were also an improvement, climbing up from 30.6% in 2006 and 32.8% in 2007.
This Kohaku Uta Gassen was the fourth consecutive victory for the White Team (male artists), bringing their overall total record to 31 wins and 28 losses. It was a convincing win, as the White Team received nearly 206,000 votes compared to the Red Team's 112,000.
