Tue, June 9, 2009 (4:49am EDT)
TV Tokyo is reviving the detective comedy series "Oretachi wa Tenshi da!" after 30 years. The original drama aired in 1979 on NTV, but the TV Tokyo sequel will bring a new cast and an updated title: "Oretachi wa Tenshi da! NO ANGEL NO LUCK."
The show focuses on a group of four young detectives calling themselves "angels." Joji Shibue (26) plays the leader Cap, originally played by the late Masaya Oki in the 1979 series. Shibue's fellow detectives are being played by Shouma Yamamoto (25), Kenta Kamakari (25), and Ray Fujita (20). Akira Onodera (65), who played a lawyer in the original show, will again be playing a lawyer in the new series.
"Oretachi wa Tenshi da!" starts on July 1, airing Wednesday nights at 1:20am. The same cast will also perform in a stage version of the show in August and September.
The show focuses on a group of four young detectives calling themselves "angels." Joji Shibue (26) plays the leader Cap, originally played by the late Masaya Oki in the 1979 series. Shibue's fellow detectives are being played by Shouma Yamamoto (25), Kenta Kamakari (25), and Ray Fujita (20). Akira Onodera (65), who played a lawyer in the original show, will again be playing a lawyer in the new series.
"Oretachi wa Tenshi da!" starts on July 1, airing Wednesday nights at 1:20am. The same cast will also perform in a stage version of the show in August and September.
Tue, June 9, 2009 (4:13am EDT)
Popular songstress Thelma Aoyama (21) has been tapped to provide the theme song for the Japanese dub of Richard Gere's upcoming movie, "Hachiko: A Dog's Tale."
Produced by and starring Gere, the film is inspired by the story of the loyal dog Hachiko, said to have waited outside Shibuya Station every day for ten years after its master's death. In "Hachiko," Gere plays the part of a university professor who takes in an abandoned Akita dog.
The movie, which has been in the works since 2007, is directed by Lasse Hallstrom. It will get its North American premiere on June 13 at the Seattle International Film Festival. The Japanese-language version, titled "Hachi: Yakusoku no Inu," opens on August 8.
Aoyama's "Wasurenai yo" will be her first theme song for a Japanese version of a foreign film. The tune will play in theatrical trailers across Japan starting this weekend, and is scheduled for release as a single on August 5, right before the movie's Japanese release.
Produced by and starring Gere, the film is inspired by the story of the loyal dog Hachiko, said to have waited outside Shibuya Station every day for ten years after its master's death. In "Hachiko," Gere plays the part of a university professor who takes in an abandoned Akita dog.
The movie, which has been in the works since 2007, is directed by Lasse Hallstrom. It will get its North American premiere on June 13 at the Seattle International Film Festival. The Japanese-language version, titled "Hachi: Yakusoku no Inu," opens on August 8.
Aoyama's "Wasurenai yo" will be her first theme song for a Japanese version of a foreign film. The tune will play in theatrical trailers across Japan starting this weekend, and is scheduled for release as a single on August 5, right before the movie's Japanese release.
Tue, June 9, 2009 (3:11am EDT)
SKE48, a sister group of idol collective AKB48, will be releasing their first major-label single on August 5. Titled "Tsuyokimono yo," the song will be sung by the group's Team S, and it has been chosen as the new ending theme of the anime series "Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen."
The single is being released through Lantis, which specializes in music from anime and video games. The bonus DVD will feature a special movie called "AKB48 to SKE48 no Hatsu Taiketsu."
The single is being released through Lantis, which specializes in music from anime and video games. The bonus DVD will feature a special movie called "AKB48 to SKE48 no Hatsu Taiketsu."
Tue, June 9, 2009 (2:10am EDT)
Comedian Mikio Date (34) of the duo Sandwichman announced his engagement last month, but it turns out that his comic partner Takeshi Tomizawa (35) has already beaten him to the finish line. Their agency revealed on Monday that Tomizawa has been married since April.
Tomizawa had been dating his wife for three years before they registered their marriage on April 2. The woman celebrated her 30th birthday two days later. The couple has no plans for a press conference, and no wedding ceremony has been scheduled yet.
Even Date said that he was surprised by the announcement, claiming that he had no idea that Tomizawa had gotten married.
Tomizawa had been dating his wife for three years before they registered their marriage on April 2. The woman celebrated her 30th birthday two days later. The couple has no plans for a press conference, and no wedding ceremony has been scheduled yet.
Even Date said that he was surprised by the announcement, claiming that he had no idea that Tomizawa had gotten married.
Tue, June 9, 2009 (1:34am EDT)
Porno Graffiti vocalist Akihito Okano (34) is preparing for parenthood. His wife, a woman in her 20s whom he married last year, is pregnant and due to give birth by the end of this year.
Okano's bandmate, Haruichi Shindo (34), recently became a father as well. Shindo's wife, actress Kyoko Hasegawa (30), gave birth to their first son last month.
Okano's bandmate, Haruichi Shindo (34), recently became a father as well. Shindo's wife, actress Kyoko Hasegawa (30), gave birth to their first son last month.
Tue, June 9, 2009 (1:18am EDT)
SMAP's Shingo Katori will be headed to New York later this year, as he has been given the starring role in the musical "Talk Like Singing," which will open off-Broadway in November. The musical, written and produced by the acclaimed director Koki Mitani, is said to be the first original Japanese production to have its opening performance in New York.
"Talk Like Singing" tells the story of a young man named Taro (Katori) with an unusual illness - there's a musical band inside his head. As a result, he has difficulty speaking normally, and instead expresses his thoughts and words through song. He winds up seeking help from a psycholinguistics doctor (Keiko Horiuchi) and a psychiatrist (Jay Kabira), who hatch up a plan to cure Taro by killing off the members of the band inside his head.
The music director is ex-Pizzicato Five member Yasuharu Konishi, who has produced hits such as Katori's "Shingo Mama no Oha Rock."
Although Katori has previously starred in musicals as part of SMAP, this will be his first team with a solo lead in one. The musical is said to be half in English and half in Japanese, but it will be presented without subtitles or translations.
13 performances are scheduled from November 12 to November 22 at NYU's Skirball Center, which has a capacity of 860 seats. The musical will be performed in Japan sometime next year, though no schedule has been finalized.
"Talk Like Singing" tells the story of a young man named Taro (Katori) with an unusual illness - there's a musical band inside his head. As a result, he has difficulty speaking normally, and instead expresses his thoughts and words through song. He winds up seeking help from a psycholinguistics doctor (Keiko Horiuchi) and a psychiatrist (Jay Kabira), who hatch up a plan to cure Taro by killing off the members of the band inside his head.
The music director is ex-Pizzicato Five member Yasuharu Konishi, who has produced hits such as Katori's "Shingo Mama no Oha Rock."
Although Katori has previously starred in musicals as part of SMAP, this will be his first team with a solo lead in one. The musical is said to be half in English and half in Japanese, but it will be presented without subtitles or translations.
13 performances are scheduled from November 12 to November 22 at NYU's Skirball Center, which has a capacity of 860 seats. The musical will be performed in Japan sometime next year, though no schedule has been finalized.
