Daily Japan 2008.02.19

February 20, 2008

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Misc entertainment news 2008.02.14

February 15, 2008
  • Shoko Nakagawa is still one of Japan’s top celebrity bloggers - her blog recently reached 1 billion hits. The milestone was announced earlier this week, at the same event she announced her first original album (and declared she would run naked through Nakano Broadway in the very unlikely event the album tops the charts).
  • Electropop trio Perfume had an achievement of their own. On Tuesday, their “Perfume Complete Best” was certified gold, which in Japan means that it has sold 100,000 copies. This counts sales of both the original release (August 2, 2006) and the re-release (February 14, 2007). While 100,000 isn’t really that high, it’s a pretty big step for a group like Perfume. They’re also releasing a new album, titled “GAME,” on April 16.
  • Though not nearly as bad as the Kumi Koda faux pas, 53-year-old announcer Ichiro Furutachi also found himself apologizing for an on-the-air comment he made on Wednesday. Some were upset about his use of the phrase “adult children,” which he intended to refer to adults who still had the maturity of children, often due to being raised in dysfunctional families.
  • Also making an apology is JAM Project. The website Canned Dogs found a story about the music group getting drunk and causing a ruckus while returning from Nagoya on the Shinkansen. Some blogger got angry and wrote about the incident, which probably led to JAM Project’s official apology.
  • The media reported that owarai duo Charanporan is disbanding, but there’s more to the story. Member Kojin Onishi was the one who sent the fax out about the breakup, but apparently his partner Makoto Tomiyoshi wasn’t told beforehand. Yoshimoto Kogyo was still discussing future plans with the duo, but it seems Onishi decided on his own that he wanted out. His contract has consequently been terminated (which is likely what he was aiming for).

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Daily Japan 2008.02.14

February 15, 2008

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Daily Japan 2008.02.11

February 12, 2008

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Misc entertainment news 2008.02.08

February 9, 2008
  • About two weeks ago, popular idol Aki Hoshino made the news with a lucky horse racing bet. She bought a 100-yen trifecta ticket and it won, paying out more than 24,000 yen (~$225). It was initially reported that her ticket had won over 140,000 yen (~$1,300), which would have been a much bigger story. Still, it was a decent win, and she’s apparently on a streak - she made a correct prediction the previous week as well.
  • Just over a week ago, pop group Globe announced that they are temporarily closing their fan club due to a lack of activity and services to offer. Members’ annual fees are being refunded.
  • Takarazuka top star Hana Hizuki (of the Cosmos Troupe) fractured her left ankle during a rehearsal last week. She is being replaced by Miou Kazune in the “Reimei no Kaze” production that just opened.
  • Yamapi fangirls got a treat in this week’s issue of anan magazine. The magazine ran a sexy pictorial of the young star, which included bedroom poses with a woman and a fully nude shot in the shower (from behind, at least).
  • Tutorial’s Yoshimi Tokui is apparently quite the playboy. FRIDAY magazine caught him on dates with 3 different women within a span of less than 2 weeks. First, he was seen with one woman at his home. A week later, he was with another woman at a goukon. Then only 2 days later, he was spotted sharing motsunabe with yet another girl. Is he actually romantically involved with any of them? Who knows. His agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, opted for a “no comment.”
  • What would Akiko Wada look like in animated form? Perhaps like this. In episode 8 of the currently-running “Yatterman” anime series (set to air on March 3), Doronjo and her team will command a mecha named Wada Akko. A fairly frightening interpretation…
  • Actress Sae Isshiki once again proves that she’s a bad driver. On Tuesday, she was stopped for violating the ban on the use of cell phones while driving. She at first tried to pin the blame on her children, but she later apologized and said she would reflect on the incident. Will she really? In the past 3 years, she’s committed more than 10 traffic violations from parking to speeding to not wearing a seatbelt. Her license has now been suspended for the second time.

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Daily Japan 2008.02.07

February 8, 2008

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Wish List: Utada at Anime Expo

February 5, 2008

I recently began thinking about this year’s Anime Expo. After the awesome lineup of musical guests last year (S.K.I.N., Anna Tsuchiya, ORESKABAND, Halko Momoi, Aya Hirano/Yuko Goto/Minori Chihara, Chiaki Ishikawa), I imagine expectations are pretty high for the upcoming guest list, and I’m curious to see who they’ll invite this time around.

Anyway, I was driving to work earlier today when Traveling started playing on my iPod, and a thought hit me - Utada! Could we possibly get Utada at AX?

Seriously, the timing’s perfect! While Hikki hasn’t been known for anime-related music (Kingdom Hearts was the closest), 2007 brought us Beautiful World, the theme song for the highly-anticipated Evangelion 1.0, connecting her to one of the most recognized anime franchises in history. And you can bet that AX will try to get the movie screened during the convention, which would make things even more awesome - imagine getting to watch Evangelion and see Utada perform the song live at the same event!

It’s also been reported since last year that Utada is considering a second English album. If so, AX could easily be tied in to any promotional efforts (if the album’s coming sooner), or just used as a gauge for the album’s reception (if it’s coming later). Either way, Utada benefits too.

Of course, I can’t pretend I know how much it would cost to get her to come to AX, or how much money AX has available, but based on last year’s lineup, it seems that they can somehow manage to get some pretty big names. With the right connections, you never know…

I know I’m being really optimistic here, but if there was ever a time to get Utada at an anime convention, it would be now. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

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Daily Japan 2008.02.03

February 4, 2008

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Daily Japan 2008.01.29

January 30, 2008

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Misc entertainment news 2008.01.26

January 27, 2008
  • Koichi Domoto had to cancel a performance of his musical “Endless Shock” on Wednesday afternoon. According to Toho, there was a computer malfunction shortly after the show started, and it was decided that the show couldn’t continue. The evening show went on as planned, however. The “Shock” series has had more than 500 shows since it started in 2000, but this is the first time one has been canceled.
  • Comedian Kenji Tamura ran into a bit of trouble on Tuesday. He was filming an interview in Osaka for a television show. The crew’s equipment accidentally hit a woman from a group of passersby, and a man from the group (who was in his 60s) kicked Tamura in his left thigh. Police got involved, and it was discovered that the man had been drinking. He apologized to Tamura, and since there were no injuries, Tamura chose not to press charges.
  • The tabloids are still reporting on the rumored relationship between Tomoya Nagase and Saki Aibu. Earlier this month, Aibu was seen entering Nagase’s apartment, and she didn’t leave until the next morning. Nagase was also seen driving Aibu in his car. Both of their agencies are maintaining the stance that the two are just friends.
  • Actress Yu Aoi attended a PR event for her WOWOW series “Yottsu no Uso,” a drama themed around lies. When asked about the topic, Aoi mentioned one of her own lies from her childhood. During junior high, she didn’t feel like going to school, so she imitated her mother’s voice over the phone and told the school she was sick. Unfortunately for her, the lie was completely exposed the next day.
  • Eikichi Yazawa is currently involved in a trial regarding his lawsuit against impersonator Ryudai Ishiyama. The proceedings have been merged with Ishiyama’s countersuit, and the first hearing opened on Friday. However, Ishiyama’s lawyer made a last-minute cancellation and failed to show up, leaving the judges and Yazawa’s lawyer bewildered. At this rate, Ishiyama’s case looks doomed for failure.
  • The blog of Idoling!!!’s Mira Takiguchi has been locked down due to some controversy. It looks like she mistakenly posted (and criticized) something she shouldn’t have (involving incomplete jokes taken from R-1 Grand Prix or something like that), and it led to lots of negative comments. She apologized and will still continue with her activities, but the blog has been suspended indefinitely.

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