Thu, May 28, 2009 (3:53am EDT)
The "ROOKIES" movie, opening this weekend on May 30, is looking to be a smash at the box office, based on advance ticket sales and fan response. Officially titled "ROOKIES -Sotsugyo-," the film continues the popular drama series that aired on TBS last year.
To help promote the movie's premiere, an event was held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on Wednesday, attended by the main cast members such as Ryuta Sato and Hayato Ichihara. Said to be the largest such event ever for a Japanese film, all 12,000 tickets (at 3900 yen each) sold out in just two minutes.
For the movie's opening, about 240,000 tickets have been sold in advance, surpassing even last year's hit drama-based film "Hana Yori Dango Final." That picture went on to gross 7.75 billion yen during its theatrical run, which was the second highest gross for a domestic film in 2008.
To help promote the movie's premiere, an event was held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on Wednesday, attended by the main cast members such as Ryuta Sato and Hayato Ichihara. Said to be the largest such event ever for a Japanese film, all 12,000 tickets (at 3900 yen each) sold out in just two minutes.
For the movie's opening, about 240,000 tickets have been sold in advance, surpassing even last year's hit drama-based film "Hana Yori Dango Final." That picture went on to gross 7.75 billion yen during its theatrical run, which was the second highest gross for a domestic film in 2008.
Thu, May 28, 2009 (2:47am EDT)
Lyricist Miyuki Ishimoto, who wrote roughly 4,000 songs during the past few decades, died of heart failure early on Wednesday, May 27. He was 85 years old.
Ishimoto apparently fell ill with diabetes ten years ago, and he had been repeatedly hospitalized since then. He also suffered from glaucoma and tinnitus. About a year ago, he was admitted to the Yokohama hospital where he eventually passed away.
As a young boy, Ishimoto loved poetry. He joined the navy in 1944, but during a hospital stay due to asthma, he discovered his interest in writing songs. In 1948, he debuted as an exclusive lyricist for King Records, and he found an early hit with Haruo Oka's "Akogare no Hawaii Koro."
Other famous works by Ishimoto include several Hibari Misora tunes, such as "Kanashii Sake" and "Minatomachi Jusan Banchi." In 1983 and 1984, he won two consecutive Japan Record Awards. He also served as the chairman of JASRAC from 1989 to 1994, and he received prestigious government decorations such as the Shiju Hosho in 1984.
Ishimoto apparently fell ill with diabetes ten years ago, and he had been repeatedly hospitalized since then. He also suffered from glaucoma and tinnitus. About a year ago, he was admitted to the Yokohama hospital where he eventually passed away.
As a young boy, Ishimoto loved poetry. He joined the navy in 1944, but during a hospital stay due to asthma, he discovered his interest in writing songs. In 1948, he debuted as an exclusive lyricist for King Records, and he found an early hit with Haruo Oka's "Akogare no Hawaii Koro."
Other famous works by Ishimoto include several Hibari Misora tunes, such as "Kanashii Sake" and "Minatomachi Jusan Banchi." In 1983 and 1984, he won two consecutive Japan Record Awards. He also served as the chairman of JASRAC from 1989 to 1994, and he received prestigious government decorations such as the Shiju Hosho in 1984.
Thu, May 28, 2009 (1:23am EDT)
Model and actress Anne (23) will be taking on her first heroine role in a television series this summer. She has been cast as the female lead in NTV's spy comedy that stars Tomoya Nagase.
Still lacking an official title, the show was first revealed last week. Nagase plays a convicted swindler who is recruited by the government to serve as a spy against terrorists. His role is being loosely labeled as a James Bond-type character, which means Anne will play the equivalent of a Bond girl.
Anne's character is a reporter for an evening newspaper, who is also the daughter of a family that runs a restaurant in Nagase's neighborhood. She becomes part of the spy team under the name Dorothy. Because Anne has an international modeling career, the show's producer felt that she would be a good choice for the "Bond girl" role.
The drama series is scheduled to start in July.
Still lacking an official title, the show was first revealed last week. Nagase plays a convicted swindler who is recruited by the government to serve as a spy against terrorists. His role is being loosely labeled as a James Bond-type character, which means Anne will play the equivalent of a Bond girl.
Anne's character is a reporter for an evening newspaper, who is also the daughter of a family that runs a restaurant in Nagase's neighborhood. She becomes part of the spy team under the name Dorothy. Because Anne has an international modeling career, the show's producer felt that she would be a good choice for the "Bond girl" role.
The drama series is scheduled to start in July.
