Thu, April 30, 2009 (2:30am EDT)
Actress and gravure idol Mai Goto (36) has been arrested along with Masanori Fujiyama (40), the former president of DVD production and distribution company Kingdom. Fujiyama has been charged with selling videos in violation of the regulations on obscenity, and Goto is being accused as an accessory to the crime.
The particular video in question is Goto's "Senya Ichiya no Yume," filmed in the United Arab Emirates in March 2008. It was labeled as an "image video," a term that has generally referred to a video featuring an idol posing in swimsuits. However, "image videos" have become increasingly racy in recent years, to the extent of showing their subjects completely nude without censorship. Out of the 50 minutes of this video, police say that Goto's genital area is visible during roughly 25% of the time, although there is no sex depicted.
This marks the first time that an "image video" has been officially classified as "obscene." Fujiyama had sold the video online around the end of last year, and all 5,000 produced copies were sold for a total of 9.68 million yen. Police learned about the video after it was advertised in a magazine, leading to a search of Kingdom's offices that turned up two additional works shot in the UAE.
Fujiyama has reportedly admitted to the charges, while Goto claimed that she had done the videos without knowing that they would turn out to be obscene.
Goto has been in show business since the early '90s when she achieved runner-up in the Clarion Girl competition. She was once part of the late-night variety show "Tonight 2," but since then she has mainly been active in erotic videos and as a nude model.
The particular video in question is Goto's "Senya Ichiya no Yume," filmed in the United Arab Emirates in March 2008. It was labeled as an "image video," a term that has generally referred to a video featuring an idol posing in swimsuits. However, "image videos" have become increasingly racy in recent years, to the extent of showing their subjects completely nude without censorship. Out of the 50 minutes of this video, police say that Goto's genital area is visible during roughly 25% of the time, although there is no sex depicted.
This marks the first time that an "image video" has been officially classified as "obscene." Fujiyama had sold the video online around the end of last year, and all 5,000 produced copies were sold for a total of 9.68 million yen. Police learned about the video after it was advertised in a magazine, leading to a search of Kingdom's offices that turned up two additional works shot in the UAE.
Fujiyama has reportedly admitted to the charges, while Goto claimed that she had done the videos without knowing that they would turn out to be obscene.
Goto has been in show business since the early '90s when she achieved runner-up in the Clarion Girl competition. She was once part of the late-night variety show "Tonight 2," but since then she has mainly been active in erotic videos and as a nude model.
Thu, April 30, 2009 (1:13am EDT)
Pop duo Puffy revealed the contents of their next album, "Bring it!," through their official website. The album is full of collaborations, with songs written and composed by artists such as Ringo Shiina, Kazuyoshi Saito, Takeshi Hosomi (of ELLEGARDEN), Masahiko Shimura (of Fujifabric), and Butch Walker.
"Bring it!" contains a total of 13 tracks, with the last one being their cover of Sugar's "Wedding Bell" that is being used in the Fuji TV drama series "Konkatsu!" The first press edition of the CD comes with a DVD of Puffy's 2005 performance in San Francisco.
"Bring it!" contains a total of 13 tracks, with the last one being their cover of Sugar's "Wedding Bell" that is being used in the Fuji TV drama series "Konkatsu!" The first press edition of the CD comes with a DVD of Puffy's 2005 performance in San Francisco.
Thu, April 30, 2009 (12:22am EDT)
Kazuya Kamenashi is making his big screen debut in the upcoming "Gokusen" movie, it was announced on Wednesday. Kamenashi previously co-starred with Yukie Nakama in the second season of the television drama in 2005.
In the drama, Kamenashi played the role of Ryu Odagiri, the delinquent leader of Class 3D. Now, Odagiri is returning four years later as a teacher in training, teaming up with his former teacher "Yankumi" (Nakama).
The movie's cast also features students from the show's third season and subsequent special, including Yuya Takaki, Haruma Miura, and Yuta Tamamori. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11.
In the drama, Kamenashi played the role of Ryu Odagiri, the delinquent leader of Class 3D. Now, Odagiri is returning four years later as a teacher in training, teaming up with his former teacher "Yankumi" (Nakama).
The movie's cast also features students from the show's third season and subsequent special, including Yuya Takaki, Haruma Miura, and Yuta Tamamori. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11.
