Tue, September 29, 2009 (3:09am EDT)
29-year-old singer-songwriter Ryota Mitsunaga announced on his official blog that he got married on Sunday. He and his wife have been friends since childhood.
Mitsunaga is perhaps best known for his major-label debut single, "Always." The song was used as the theme song of Fuji TV's Monday night drama series "Itsumo Futari de" in 2003, which starred Takako Matsu and Kenji Sakaguchi.
Mitsunaga is perhaps best known for his major-label debut single, "Always." The song was used as the theme song of Fuji TV's Monday night drama series "Itsumo Futari de" in 2003, which starred Takako Matsu and Kenji Sakaguchi.
Tue, September 29, 2009 (2:35am EDT)
Yutaka Yamamoto, known for directing several hit anime series such as "Kannagi" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," is working on his first live-action movie. Titled "Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai," the film stars Umika Kawashima (15) of the teen idol group 9nine.
The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by author Akira, which won in the 1st Renai Shousetsu Contest in 2004. Kawashima plays Yamako Iriomote, a high school student on a tiny island in Kyushu. She finds herself unable to confess her love for the upperclassman Minami (Jingi Irie), despite countless attempts at writing a love letter. Unfortunately for her, her letters get discovered by the "smelly, disgusting, and annoying" upperclassman Fuwa (Satoshi Kanada of comedy duo Hannya), turning her quest to confess into a major ordeal.
The rest of the cast includes Kinuyo Kodama, Mei Nagano, Natsumi Ogawa, and Nobuhiko Takada. The film is scheduled for a summer 2010 release.
The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by author Akira, which won in the 1st Renai Shousetsu Contest in 2004. Kawashima plays Yamako Iriomote, a high school student on a tiny island in Kyushu. She finds herself unable to confess her love for the upperclassman Minami (Jingi Irie), despite countless attempts at writing a love letter. Unfortunately for her, her letters get discovered by the "smelly, disgusting, and annoying" upperclassman Fuwa (Satoshi Kanada of comedy duo Hannya), turning her quest to confess into a major ordeal.
The rest of the cast includes Kinuyo Kodama, Mei Nagano, Natsumi Ogawa, and Nobuhiko Takada. The film is scheduled for a summer 2010 release.
Tue, September 29, 2009 (2:04am EDT)
Actress Saki Aibu (24) will tackle her first stage role next year in "The Left Stuff," a new work by playwright Hirohito Goto's theatrical troupe Piper.
"The Left Stuff" is a comedy about seven researchers cohabiting in an underwater base while searching for a new energy source. Aibu plays the heroine role. Actor Yoshinori Okada (32) and comedian Hiroki Kawata (36) of Garage Sale are also part of the cast.
The play will be performed next April at the Honda Theater in Tokyo. Performances are also planned for Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Sendai.
"The Left Stuff" is a comedy about seven researchers cohabiting in an underwater base while searching for a new energy source. Aibu plays the heroine role. Actor Yoshinori Okada (32) and comedian Hiroki Kawata (36) of Garage Sale are also part of the cast.
The play will be performed next April at the Honda Theater in Tokyo. Performances are also planned for Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Sendai.
Tue, September 29, 2009 (1:45am EDT)
NHK's newest morning drama series is off to a disappointing start. The first episode of "Welkame" aired on Monday, and it drew only 16.0% ratings in the Kanto area, which is the second worst Asadora premiere in history. In the Kansai area, it scored 11.8%.
In recent years, Asadora ratings have typically been declining. The 2007 series "Dondo Bare" set the record low for a premiere episode at 14.9%, though it managed to average a 19.4% rating by the end of the series. The recently-finished "Tsubasa" started out better at 17.7%, but its overall average was a mere 13.8%, the worst in history.
"Welkame" stars Kana Kurashina (21) as a young woman working for a small publisher in her hometown in Tokushima. The series is expected to run until March 27, 2010.
In recent years, Asadora ratings have typically been declining. The 2007 series "Dondo Bare" set the record low for a premiere episode at 14.9%, though it managed to average a 19.4% rating by the end of the series. The recently-finished "Tsubasa" started out better at 17.7%, but its overall average was a mere 13.8%, the worst in history.
"Welkame" stars Kana Kurashina (21) as a young woman working for a small publisher in her hometown in Tokushima. The series is expected to run until March 27, 2010.
Tue, September 29, 2009 (1:23am EDT)
Fuji TV NEXT, a pay channel operated by Fuji TV, will soon broadcast its first original drama series. Established last year as Fuji TV CSHD, the channel was renamed at the start of April, along with the network's older pay channels, Fuji TV ONE and Fuji TV TWO.
The drama, titled "News Sokuho wa Nagareta," is written by Ryoichi Kimizuka and produced by Toru Ota. Set in a television newsroom, it is described as a "real-time" suspense drama, in the style of the popular American series "24." The story focuses on an incident that unfolds during the hours between late night and morning.
Hiroki Narimiya (27) stars as a rookie assistant director, with Kaoru Kobayashi (58) playing the editor-in-chief. Other cast members include Wakana Sakai (29), ARATA (35), Masato Hagiwara (38), and Kosuke Toyohara (44).
The series is set for ten episodes, starting on November 18. New episodes will reportedly air every other week at 9:00pm on Wednesdays, though they will be rerun at other times. The premiere episode will also be shown on Fuji TV ONE and Fuji TV TWO.
The drama, titled "News Sokuho wa Nagareta," is written by Ryoichi Kimizuka and produced by Toru Ota. Set in a television newsroom, it is described as a "real-time" suspense drama, in the style of the popular American series "24." The story focuses on an incident that unfolds during the hours between late night and morning.
Hiroki Narimiya (27) stars as a rookie assistant director, with Kaoru Kobayashi (58) playing the editor-in-chief. Other cast members include Wakana Sakai (29), ARATA (35), Masato Hagiwara (38), and Kosuke Toyohara (44).
The series is set for ten episodes, starting on November 18. New episodes will reportedly air every other week at 9:00pm on Wednesdays, though they will be rerun at other times. The premiere episode will also be shown on Fuji TV ONE and Fuji TV TWO.
