Wed, September 2, 2009 (3:36am EDT)
NTV has revealed that its next "Koi no Karasawagi" ("Much Ado About Love") drama special will air on September 25. Based on the variety show of that name, this will be the sixth in a series of yearly specials that started in 2004.
Like the previous specials, "Koi no Karasawagi: Love Stories VI" will consist of three stories. The first is "Rival no Onna," starring Yu Yamada (25) as an unsuccessful entertainer who fights with a friend over a handsome actor.
In the second story, titled "Kyouso to Yobareta Onna," Yu Kashii (22) plays a nail stylist who mistakenly believes that the stares she receives are due to her beautiful face, rather than her oversized body. Using special costuming and makeup, her character will appear to weigh about 100 kilograms.
The last story, "Tsukusu Onna," stars Mitsuki Tanimura (19) as a woman who devotes herself to an ace baseball pitcher that has fallen into a slump.
Like the previous specials, "Koi no Karasawagi: Love Stories VI" will consist of three stories. The first is "Rival no Onna," starring Yu Yamada (25) as an unsuccessful entertainer who fights with a friend over a handsome actor.
In the second story, titled "Kyouso to Yobareta Onna," Yu Kashii (22) plays a nail stylist who mistakenly believes that the stares she receives are due to her beautiful face, rather than her oversized body. Using special costuming and makeup, her character will appear to weigh about 100 kilograms.
The last story, "Tsukusu Onna," stars Mitsuki Tanimura (19) as a woman who devotes herself to an ace baseball pitcher that has fallen into a slump.
Wed, September 2, 2009 (2:52am EDT)
Idoling!!! member Erika Yazawa is starring in a new television series called "Kodai Shoujo Dogu-chan" ("The Ancient Dogoo Girl"). The fantasy/comedy show was conceived by Noboru Iguchi, who is directing the series along with Takashi Shimizu, Keisuke Toyoshima, and others.
According to Nippon Cinema, the plot features Yazawa as "an ancient girl who's revived after 10,000 years to fight evil in modern-day society while capturing the heart of a socially withdrawn teenager named Makoto (Masataka Kubota)."
The regular cast includes Rina Kirishima, Tokio Emoto, Takaya Kamikawa, and Yuki Saito. The series will air in a late-night slot on MBS, starting on October 7.
According to Nippon Cinema, the plot features Yazawa as "an ancient girl who's revived after 10,000 years to fight evil in modern-day society while capturing the heart of a socially withdrawn teenager named Makoto (Masataka Kubota)."
The regular cast includes Rina Kirishima, Tokio Emoto, Takaya Kamikawa, and Yuki Saito. The series will air in a late-night slot on MBS, starting on October 7.
Wed, September 2, 2009 (2:31am EDT)
SMAP managed to come out on top of the weekly charts with their newest single, "Sotto Kyutto / Superstar." The song ended its first week with close to 105,000 in sales, overcoming the early lead taken by girl group AKB48's "Iiwake Maybe." The girls were not far behind at #2 for the week, with 91,000 copies sold.
For SMAP, "Sotto Kyutto" is their 11th consecutive (22nd overall) #1 single. It is also their 44th consecutive top ten single, which puts them one ahead of B'z. Ayumi Hamasaki is currently the only other artist who has released 44 top ten singles.
Three "K-On!" character singles ranked highly, occupying the #3, #5, and #6 spots. Spitz came in at #7, while abingdon boys school took #8 and Buono! took #10.
On the album charts, Arashi kept the #1 seat with their "All the BEST! 1999-2009," which sold an additional 233,000 copies for the week. On the daily charts of August 31, in the album's 13th day on sale, the album reached 1 million in total sales, making it Arashi's first million-seller. It is also the first album of 2009 to break 1 million.
Acid Black Cherry's new album charted at #2 with 78,000 copies sold. A pair of best albums by Vocaloid virtual idol Miku Hatsune ranked #4 and #5. Other new releases in the top ten were a drama CD for "Hetalia: Axis Powers" (#6), a best album by capsule (#7), a soundtrack for "PLAYZONE 2009" (#8), and a mini-album by Hiroshi Kamiya (#9).
For SMAP, "Sotto Kyutto" is their 11th consecutive (22nd overall) #1 single. It is also their 44th consecutive top ten single, which puts them one ahead of B'z. Ayumi Hamasaki is currently the only other artist who has released 44 top ten singles.
Three "K-On!" character singles ranked highly, occupying the #3, #5, and #6 spots. Spitz came in at #7, while abingdon boys school took #8 and Buono! took #10.
On the album charts, Arashi kept the #1 seat with their "All the BEST! 1999-2009," which sold an additional 233,000 copies for the week. On the daily charts of August 31, in the album's 13th day on sale, the album reached 1 million in total sales, making it Arashi's first million-seller. It is also the first album of 2009 to break 1 million.
Acid Black Cherry's new album charted at #2 with 78,000 copies sold. A pair of best albums by Vocaloid virtual idol Miku Hatsune ranked #4 and #5. Other new releases in the top ten were a drama CD for "Hetalia: Axis Powers" (#6), a best album by capsule (#7), a soundtrack for "PLAYZONE 2009" (#8), and a mini-album by Hiroshi Kamiya (#9).
Wed, September 2, 2009 (1:48am EDT)
Police have arrested a 25-year-old unemployed man from Fukuoka, suspected of mailing threats against voice actress Mai Kadowaki (28).
Authorities said that the suspect, named Satoshi Yamazaki, had sent at least one threatening letter to Kadowaki's agency last November. The message included lines such as "I will kill your parents within one month."
Yamazaki admitted guilt, saying that he was a fan of Kadowaki. He had read and believed accusations on the internet that Kadowaki was having an affair. As a fan, he felt that was unforgivable, so he threatened the actress. Police were able to match fingerprints taken from the threatening letter with those from a fan letter he had previously sent under his real name.
Kadowaki has done voices for many games and anime series, including "Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians" and "Fate/stay night."
Authorities said that the suspect, named Satoshi Yamazaki, had sent at least one threatening letter to Kadowaki's agency last November. The message included lines such as "I will kill your parents within one month."
Yamazaki admitted guilt, saying that he was a fan of Kadowaki. He had read and believed accusations on the internet that Kadowaki was having an affair. As a fan, he felt that was unforgivable, so he threatened the actress. Police were able to match fingerprints taken from the threatening letter with those from a fan letter he had previously sent under his real name.
Kadowaki has done voices for many games and anime series, including "Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians" and "Fate/stay night."
Wed, September 2, 2009 (1:20am EDT)
Popular young actor Haruma Miura (19) is set to star in an NTV drama series, tentatively titled "Samurai Seventeen." The show is based on an original script by writer Yumiko Inoue.
Miura plays Kotaro Mochizuki, a private high school student who is normally a mild-mannered, unmasculine guy. But after coming across a mysterious ancient document, he finds that whenever he gets into a difficult situation, he becomes imbued with the heroic samurai spirit of his ancestors.
The character of Kotaro will normally be seen in his school uniform, but for his first transformation, Miura will reportedly have a scene wearing a samurai outfit and engaging in a sword fight.
"Samurai Seventeen" will air on Saturdays at 9:00pm, beginning in October.
Miura plays Kotaro Mochizuki, a private high school student who is normally a mild-mannered, unmasculine guy. But after coming across a mysterious ancient document, he finds that whenever he gets into a difficult situation, he becomes imbued with the heroic samurai spirit of his ancestors.
The character of Kotaro will normally be seen in his school uniform, but for his first transformation, Miura will reportedly have a scene wearing a samurai outfit and engaging in a sword fight.
"Samurai Seventeen" will air on Saturdays at 9:00pm, beginning in October.
Wed, September 2, 2009 (12:31am EDT)
Singer Kahimi Karie (41) is expecting her first child, it was learned on Tuesday. Karie got married to tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai (32) in June.
Karie is expected to give birth in December. She will be taking a break from singing for now, but she plans to continue other work, such as magazine articles.
Karie is expected to give birth in December. She will be taking a break from singing for now, but she plans to continue other work, such as magazine articles.
