Sat, April 4, 2009 (4:46am EDT)
Tsugaru shamisen duo Yoshida Brothers recently announced a North American west coast tour for May. This is not the first U.S. tour for the award-winning brothers, as they have already found success with multiple albums. They attracted even more attention in 2007 when their song "Kodo" was used in North American commercials for the Nintendo Wii.
The Yoshida Brothers' tour starts in Los Angeles on May 8 and will take them to San Diego, San Francisco (for five nights), Portland, and Seattle, followed by two Canadian shows in Victoria and Vancouver.
Tour details and other information can be found on their official website. Their newest album, "PRISM," will be released next month by Domo Records.
The Yoshida Brothers' tour starts in Los Angeles on May 8 and will take them to San Diego, San Francisco (for five nights), Portland, and Seattle, followed by two Canadian shows in Victoria and Vancouver.
Tour details and other information can be found on their official website. Their newest album, "PRISM," will be released next month by Domo Records.
Sat, April 4, 2009 (4:15am EDT)
Singer-songwriter Naotaro Moriyama (32) was responsible for the injury of a man while driving his car, it was learned on Thursday.
According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday night in Tokyo's Meguro ward. Moriyama was making a right turn into a parking lot, but because of carelessness and poor visibility due to rain, his right front wheel ran over the foot of a male pedestrian in his 60s.
Moriyama immediately got out of his car to help the man. They exchanged contact information before Moriyama drove the man home. The man's relatives contacted emergency services after his pain failed to go away, and at the hospital he was diagnosed with three broken toes. He is currently receiving treatment.
The man is reportedly not pressing charges and is hoping to settle the matter out of court. Moriyama's agency publicly apologized to the media over the incident. It was further clarified that the incident will not affect Moriyama's schedule, and he will be going on tour later this month as planned.
According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday night in Tokyo's Meguro ward. Moriyama was making a right turn into a parking lot, but because of carelessness and poor visibility due to rain, his right front wheel ran over the foot of a male pedestrian in his 60s.
Moriyama immediately got out of his car to help the man. They exchanged contact information before Moriyama drove the man home. The man's relatives contacted emergency services after his pain failed to go away, and at the hospital he was diagnosed with three broken toes. He is currently receiving treatment.
The man is reportedly not pressing charges and is hoping to settle the matter out of court. Moriyama's agency publicly apologized to the media over the incident. It was further clarified that the incident will not affect Moriyama's schedule, and he will be going on tour later this month as planned.
Sat, April 4, 2009 (3:02am EDT)
The hit novel "Golden Slumbers" by Kotaro Isaka ("Shinigami no Seido," "Fish Story") is his latest work to get a movie adaptation. Directing it is Yoshihiro Nakamura, who handled the recent "Team Batista no Eikou" films, as well as the previous Isaka adaptation "Ahiru to Kamo no Coin Locker."
Masato Sakai stars as a man set up to take the fall after the Prime Minister is assassinated. As a result, he is on the run from the authorities, but fortunately his attempt to escape is aided by his ex-lover, played by Yuko Takeuchi. The pair previously acted together in "General Rouge no Gaisen," the second "Team Batista" film that opened in theaters last month.
The original novel, which takes its name from a Beatles song, has won several awards, including last year's Honya Taisho. With over 340,000 copies sold so far, the success of the book attracted more than 30 companies interested in obtaining the movie rights.
Shooting is scheduled to start early next month. The completed film is expected to open in 2010.
Masato Sakai stars as a man set up to take the fall after the Prime Minister is assassinated. As a result, he is on the run from the authorities, but fortunately his attempt to escape is aided by his ex-lover, played by Yuko Takeuchi. The pair previously acted together in "General Rouge no Gaisen," the second "Team Batista" film that opened in theaters last month.
The original novel, which takes its name from a Beatles song, has won several awards, including last year's Honya Taisho. With over 340,000 copies sold so far, the success of the book attracted more than 30 companies interested in obtaining the movie rights.
Shooting is scheduled to start early next month. The completed film is expected to open in 2010.
