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news: survey
Oricon: best suited for... suits
Sat, November 3, 2007 (3:27pm EDT)
A survey conducted by Oricon asked which male celebrities look best in a suit. In typical fashion, Takuya Kimura ranked first, but he was unexpectedly favored more by men than by women. The female favorite, actor Koichi Sato, took second. Joe Odagiri and Downtown's Hitoshi Matsumoto tied for third, leaving Hiroshi Abe in fifth.
Best suited for suits:
1) Takuya Kimura (SMAP)
2) Koichi Sato
3) Joe Odagiri
3) Hitoshi Matsumoto (Downtown)
5) Hiroshi Abe
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artistes
SOUL'd OUT extends reach to outer space
Sat, November 3, 2007 (3:53pm EDT)
According to JAXA, hip-hop group SOUL'd OUT now has the honor of providing the world's first official "theme song" for a man-made satellite. The group's new single, "COZMIC TRAVEL," has now been tied in with the Kaguya lunar probe that launched on September 14.
The song will be played in an observation area at the Tanegashima Space Center (which launched Kaguya) and at planetariums and other space-related institutions across the country. It will be used for PR purposes as well. In addition, the Kaguya probe will appear in the song's music video.
"COZMIC TRAVEL" goes on sale November 28.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Ryo stars in "cross-media" drama series
Sun, November 4, 2007 (5:09am EST)
NTV announced a new drama project on Friday, titled "Okinawa Otoko Nigeta." The project is being labeled as "cross-media," incorporating both the Internet and television (including 1seg). In addition, the drama will include viewer interaction.
Actress Ryo stars as Miwa, a single 33-year-old office lady, whose boyfriend has suddenly run away to Okinawa. As a result, she begins keeping a blog to express her troubles.
The blog launched on Friday, and is being updated regularly. According to NTV, reader comments will shape the course of the plot. An episode on December 5 will cover the story up to that point and beyond, while a second episode on December 19 will be the conclusion. Both will air late at night, at 1:29am.
The project is being produced by Toshio Tsuchiya, who also worked on the reality/variety series "Denpa Shonen" in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: stage musical
"DEAR BOYS" musical stars Ryuji Ikeda
Sun, November 4, 2007 (6:07am EST)
Some details have been revealed for the recently announced musical based on the popular basketball manga series "DEAR BOYS." Authored by Hiroki Yagami, the manga follows young basketball star Kazuhiko Aikawa as he transfers to a high school with a struggling team. The role will be played by actor Ryuji Ikeda, who has so far had minor television roles and several magazine appearances.
The main cast includes Keisuke Minami, who has previously played Kunimitsu Tezuka in the "Prince of Tennis" musicals. A complete list can be seen on the official website.
Masanari Ujigawa, who handled the musical version of "Galaxy Angel," is directing. Chinatsu Kudo is doing the screenplay.
A total of 18 performances have been scheduled from December 20 to 29 at the Zenrosai Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Tickets are already on sale.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Kamenashi to star in Rumiko Takahashi adaptation
Sun, November 4, 2007 (4:30pm EST)
This winter, NTV is airing a drama adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga series "One-Pound Gospel." The drama will star KAT-TUN's Kazuya Kamenashi.
"One-Pound Gospel" combines sports, romance, and comedy. Kosaku Hatanaka (Kamenashi) is a skilled boxer who turned pro at the age of 19, but he finds himself facing a string of defeats due to his inability to control his appetite, which always puts him in a heavier weight class. One day after losing a match, he wanders into a church where he meets a naive, fledgling nun, and he immediately finds himself interested in her.
The series is scheduled for broadcast on Saturdays at 9:00pm, starting in January.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: actor
"Kamen Rider Den-O" star down with collapsed lung
Sun, November 4, 2007 (5:29am EST)
Actor Takeru Sato, the star of TV Asahi's "Kamen Rider Den-O," revealed on his official blog on Saturday that he is currently in poor health. According to Sato's management, he complained of pain in the left side of his chest on Thursday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung - a hole had opened in his left lung, causing air to escape and his lung to shrink.
Fortunately, it appears that the condition was not too serious. He has been ordered to rest for about ten days, forcing him to cancel a scheduled talk event at Kobe Gakuin University on the 4th. He will continue to receive medical treatment after the recovery period.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: singer/actress
Singer hitomi to divorce
Fri, November 2, 2007 (12:48am EDT)
According to Sports Hochi, singer hitomi will be getting divorced within the next few days. She has been married for almost exactly five years (her anniversary is November 3) to a former member of hip-hop group GAS BOYS. The cause for the split is said to be differences in their lifestyles.
The two had been friends before hitomi made her debut in 1994. They met again after a decade in 2002, and they married in November of that year. By that time, hitomi's husband was no longer in GAS BOYS and was working for a design company. He publicly stated that he felt their different career paths would not be a problem, but it appears to have been an obstacle after all.
In addition to singing, hitomi has recently started acting, making her big screen debut in Shinya Tsukamoto's "Nightmare Detective" in January and appearing in a play in August. Meanwhile, her music career is still going strong, and she is scheduled to release a best album on December 5.
The couple has not had any children.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Miike Takashi's 2000 film "Audition" was the only Japanese feature to be included in Time magazine's recent Top 25 horror films of all time. The listing is probably not one all horror fans will take too seriously (it includes Disney's 1942 classic "Bambi") but it would have been unforgivable not to have included at least one Japanese movie. Especially considering how influential Japanese horror has been in Hollywood in the last few years.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: movie
Young actor Watanabe Dai (23) seems to be making a name for himself in movies set in and around WWII. The son of Hollywood actor Watanabe Ken (48), who starred in Clint Eastwood's gritty WWII movie "Letters From Iwo Jima," he has his second movie leading role in "Saigo no Soukeisen", a college baseball movie set in 1943. It tells of a final send-off game between students of Waseda and Keio Universities before they head off to war. The project, directed by Kouyama Seijirou started filming in Nagano Prefecture last month and will being distributed by the independent Cine Qua Non, the company behind recent hits "Hula Girl", "Pacchigi!" and "Nobody Knows". Watanabe made his acting debut in 2002 and had his first leading role just last July in Miyazaka Takeshi's "Kikoku no Senjo" (poster above), set in postwar Hiroshima. has also appeared in the 2005 blockbuster "Otoko no Yamato", about Japan's most famous WWII battleship, and this summer's "Ora wa, Kimi no Tame ni Koso Shini ni Iku", about young kamikaze pilots and written by Tokyo governor Ishihara Shintaro.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: artistes
H&MC announces singles collection
Sun, November 4, 2007 (10:39pm EST)
Rock sextet HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR has announced the release of their first best album, which goes on sale December 26. Titled "10 COLOR SINGLES," the album is a collection of their ten singles released so far, from their debut hit "PRIDE" to their latest song "Dreams."
The album will be preceded by the band's 11th single, "Amazing," which goes on sale December 12.
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR has also scheduled a concert on January 26, the third anniversary of their major label debut. Fans who buy the album will have a chance of receiving tickets.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama SP
Horikita, Ishihara, Mizukawa cast in "Much Ado About Love" special
Sun, November 4, 2007 (11:13pm EST)
NTV has announced its fourth drama special based on the variety show "Koi no Karasawagi" (also known as "Much Ado About Love"). The special, known as "Love Stories IV," is composed of three separate tales, which star Maki Horikita, Satomi Ishihara, and Asami Mizukawa.
  
In "Namaiki na Onna," Horikita plays a sassy college student. "Koe ga Furueru Onna" features Ishihara as a woman whose voice trembles whenever she talks. Talento Ayako Nishikawa serves as the basis for Mizukawa's domineering character in "Koro#ai Onna."
"Love Stories IV" airs on November 30 at roughly 9:00pm.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: music
Charts: Another hit for Mr.Children
Tue, November 6, 2007 (9:49pm EST)
img]http://www.xamtv.com/images/goodies/mrchildren_800x600.jpg[/img]
Mr.Children has turned out another hit with their 31st single, "Tabidachi no Uta," which serves as the theme song for the movie "Koizora." The song sits at the top of the charts this week after selling 238,000 copies. With this, they have sold 27 consecutive #1 singles, stemming back to their 1994 hit "innocent world."
GLAY's "Ashes.EP" sold 79,000 copies to reach #2, becoming their 31st top ten single. Aqua Timez ranked two spots behind them with "Chiisana Tenohira," marking their fifth time in the top ten.
Meanwhile, new Hello! Project group Buono! reached #5 with their first single, "Honto no Jibun." Other acts in the top ten were Every Little Thing, FUNKY MONKEY BABYS, Mami Kawada, and AKB48.
The albums chart was dominated by the Backstreet Boys' "Unbreakable" for the second week in a row. The last Western boy band to do this was O-ZONE in 2005.
SEAMO's "Round About" was far behind with only 56,000 in sales, but it still managed a #2 showing. Masayoshi Yamazaki occupied the next two spots with two simultaneously-released cover albums. The only other new Japanese album in the top ten was Chihiro Onitsuka's "LAS VEGAS," which ranked 6th.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Tamaki, Ayase star in "Deer Man" drama
Mon, November 5, 2007 (5:05pm EST)
 
Fuji TV has announced a new drama series titled "Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi," starring Hiroshi Tamaki and Haruka Ayase.
The bizarre comedy is based on a novel of the same name by Manabu Makime, which was nominated for a Naoki Prize this past summer. Tamaki plays a good-for-nothing teacher who gets assigned to a girls' high school in Nara. He becomes a "deer man," working to prevent the downfall of Japan under the orders of the deer of Nara Park.
Ayase plays his partner, a teacher in the social studies department that is a "history otaku." In the original story, her character was a man, married with children.
Fuji TV will begin filming in mid-December. The show will air on Thursdays at 10:00pm, starting in January.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Gackt to release "Gundam album"
Mon, November 5, 2007 (6:25pm EST)
On December 19, Gackt will release an album titled "0079-0088." It will contain eight tracks, all of which are related to "Mobile Suit Gundam."
Gackt is known as a huge Gundam fan, having memorized much of the dialogue and being able to imitate the main characters' voices. He also provided a total of five theme songs for the three "Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam" movies in 2005 and 2006.
In addition to those five songs, Gackt's album includes three covers of Gundam tunes: "Suna no Juujika," "Ai Senshi," and "Meguriai." This will be the first time he has released a cover song.
Gackt plans to perform his version of "Ai Senshi" for the first time on next week's broadcast of "Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ."
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: idol
Shokotan announces first tour
Mon, November 5, 2007 (7:11pm EST)
Idol Shoko Nakagawa will launch her first national tour on May 5, her 23rd birthday. She will open the tour at the new JCB Hall (which opens in March), then will travel to Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sendai.
Nakagawa held her first concert on October 20 at the C.C. Lemon Hall. The 2,000 tickets sold out in just 25 seconds, and fans across the country have been asking for more performances.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: dorama
Fuji TV daytime drama adapts Nobuko Yoshiya novel
Mon, November 5, 2007 (7:48pm EST)
Filming began late last month for an upcoming Fuji TV drama series titled "Atakake no Hitobito" ("The Ataka Family"), based on a serialized novel by Nobuko Yoshiya in 1951. It was previously turned into a film in 1952.
The story's setting has been changed to the late 1980s. Kumiko Endo stars as Kuniko, the daughter of an attendant to a hotel magnate. She is forced to marry the hotel's mentally challenged heir Soichi (Shige Uchida), whose pure heart gradually attracts her. However, his sister-in-law (Akane Oda) has discovered that her husband (Takashika Kobayashi) is cheating on her, leading her to also develop a liking for Soichi.
The series will show on weekdays at 1:30pm. It premieres on January 7.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: artiste
Dreams Come True member Nakamura Masato (49) announced on his blog yesterday that their new album will be released a week later than planned. "And I Love You" was scheduled for an early-December release but everything was put on hold following the September 26 death of Sueda Ken, common-law husband of vocalist Yoshida Miwa (42). The new release date is December 12. The album includes the song "Moshimo Kumo Nara", for which Sueda filmed the duo's promo video in New York last year. DCT were scheduled to make TV appearances in support of the album, but the timing of Yoshida's return to work is still undecided.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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news: music/dorama
Mitsuru Hataraki is Ikki Sawamura
Tue, November 6, 2007 (5:34pm EST)
Mitsuru Hataraki, who sings the ending theme of the NTV drama series "Hataraki Man," is actually an alias for actor Ikki Sawamura, it was learned on Tuesday. The song, titled "Hataraki Man Ondo," is being released as a single on the 28th, marking Sawamura's debut as a singer.
Enka singers and comedians were originally considered to sing the song, but it was decided that the song should carry a sense of ordinariness. Sawamura, who plays a magazine editor on the show, was consequently chosen for the task. He underwent voice training for the first time before the song's recording.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: celebrities
Mika Mifune wins "Best Hair"
Tue, November 6, 2007 (6:00pm EST)
Talento Mika Mifune was named the winner of this year's Best Hair Award. The prize is given annually by the All Japan Beauty Shop Owner's Federation (also known as ZENBI), determined through voting by the organization's members.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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news: movie
Cast additions to "Kurosagi" movie
Tue, November 6, 2007 (6:30pm EST)
Several veteran actors have been added to the cast of the "Kurosagi" movie, scheduled to open on March 8. Aside from lead actor Tomohisa Yama$hita and co-star Maki Horikita, the film will feature appearances by Mao Daichi, Naoto Takenaka, Naoko Iijima, and Tsurube Shofukutei.
It is already known that most of the regular cast members from last year's drama series are returning, including Yui Ichikawa, Ryosei Tayama, Kaoru Okunuki, Sho Aikawa, and Tsutomu Yamazaki.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post time 9-11-2007 06:25 PM
