V6’s Okada Junichi has been picked up to star in the upcoming movie, “Tenchimeisatsu“. The movie is an adaptation of Ubukata Tou’s best-selling novel, which won the “Bookstore Award” for being the best book, according to consumers.
The movie is set in the early Edo period, where main character ‘Yasui Santetsu’ (Okada) works with a large organization to create a new Japanese calendar. Speaking on his role, Okada said, “I want to do my best in playing a man who had the support of the people, who lived honestly, and spent his life revising the Japanese calendar.”
Okada will be supported by actress Miyazaki Aoi, who will play the heroine ‘En‘. This is their second project together after 2008’s “Kagehinata ni saku“.
Reflecting on her partner, Miyazaki said, “Okada is the kind of person I can really be myself around. For that reason, I hope we will have many good moments together [during filming].” She also expressed how eager she was to begin filming. “After talking to Director Takita Yojiro, I really feel like I can understand the character of En. I’m looking forward to being her for several weeks.”
Nakai Kiichi will play Sensetsu’s friend and ally, ‘Mito Mitsukuni‘, who’s also the head of the Mito domain. Meanwhile, Matsumoto Kojiro will play Hoshina Masayuki, the head of the Aizu domain who appoints Sensetsu to create the new calendar. Other cast members include Sato Ryuta, Ichikawa Kamejiro, Sasano Takashi, Kishibe Ittoku, Yokoyama Yu, Watanabe Dai, Shirai Akira, and Ichikawa Somegoro.
But let’s go back to the actual story at hand.
Sensetsu, who finds mistakes in the calendar used for over 800 years, takes the initiative to create an original Japanese calendar. However, this means that he must fight the forces that govern the calendar – that is, the imperial court. Moreover, because the creation of a calendar requires a detailed understanding of the stars’ movements and precise calculations without error, it becomes a personal battle between heaven and earth for him. Sensetsu is supported by his wife, family, and many friends in love with the wonders of math and astronomy, and though he continues to receive attacks from the powers that be, he chooses to spend his life in the pursuit of his ideals.
Director Takita Yojiro will pick up the director’s megaphone for this film, and the movie will be begin shooting in mid-August. It’s expected to have a 2012 fall release date.
Stereopony has just updated their official website with news about their latest single!
According to the announcement, Stereopony will team up with Kariyushi58 for a new single titled, “Tatoeba Utaenaku Nattara“. Stereopony members AIMI (vocals/guitar), SHIHO (drums) and NOHANA (bass) will play alongside Kariyushi58’s Maekawa Shingo (vocals) and Shinya Yukihiro (guitar). The single is scheduled for release on August 10th.
Stay tuned for more information about Stereopony’s upcoming collaboration!
Hamasaki Ayumi is the new CM character for “S CUP” energy drink, and the CM was just released today!
The new CM’s catch phrase is “Guitto. S Cup”, and Hamasaki said that when people (in Japan) watch the commercial and are drinking “S Cup”, they will think of the phrase “guitto.” and will feel invigorated.
There are two versions of the commercial, and the first one released has Hamasaki sitting on a roof top while people watching below. With the idea of “guitto irona hito he” in mind, the people below her look up and take a drink of their “S Cup”, and it ends with the message, “Guitto. S Cup”.
The theme song to the CM is “Believe“, written by Sugimoto Ryuichi, and sung by students in elementary and junior high schools. Musashi Muto, who has worked with Hamasaki before he directed the new CM, said it was easy and natural to film her while drinking.
To help promote the drink, there will also be a promotion campaign. 5,000 people will receive an original T-shirt with Hamasaki’s “A” logo, along with Pyonchan, the SS mascot. 300 people will receive a special original T-shirt that is adorned with rhinestones and printed on lame (type of fabric), and an original T-shirt will be given to 2,000 people who collect 10 stickers (points) and send in the application. Additionally, 2,700 people will get an original QUO card if they submit the serial number via mobile site.
Sawajiri Erika was spotted at a restaurant with a friend earlier this month, and while her old image would assume otherwise, she bothered to have small talk with some of the other customers who recognized her.
At the restaurant she eventually revealed that she is about to start filming for a new movie, but obviously she didn’t say whether that is really going to be “Lupin the Third“, as it was rumored the other day.
One of the customers shared her story with the tabloid ‘cyzo woman‘, so check out the details below!
“I accidentally shouted, ‘Ah, it’s Sawajiri Erika!’ It definitely was Erika-sama, even if she was wearing an ordinary T-shirt and jeans. She didn’t try to disguise herself,” the woman told the tabloid.
Apparently she was drinking white wine and had a fun conversation with her friend, before several of the customers had the courage to approach the actress.
The woman continued, “It looks like there was a fan among the customers who said, ‘I want to see you in a movie again!!’, to which she responded, ‘We decided on a movie. The filming will start soon!’ That person also requested to take a picture, but she kindly refused and said, ‘I’m without make-up right now, so maybe another time.’ Instead she shaked the fan’s hand.”
According to this woman, other customers were surprised by Sawajiri’s remark about wearing no make-up and pretty impressed by her natural beauty. They asked her whether that’s the effect of the “Takano Yuri Beauty Clinic” for which she is working as the image character. Sawajiri promptly promoted the clinic, “That’s right. The results are immediate!”
“I also shook her hand,” the woman added, “To be honest, I never really cared about Erika, but now she completely won me over as a fan.”
Dream Morning Musume members Fujimoto Miki and Ishikawa Rika recently took a picture together, celebrating their first ever “date”.
“This was yesterday, but I got up the courage and called Rika-chan,” wrote Fujimoto on her official blog. “We’re the ones who seemed like our opinions clashed (lol). It’s the first time we’ve hung out in private, but we went to eat together like mutual friends… I had a good time.”
In the picture, the two women pose cutely for the camera with peace signs. Fujimoto and Ishikawa were well known for not getting along during their Morning Musume days, making the two-shot a sweet moment for old Momusu fans.
Fans commented, “Your two-shot with Rika is so cute,” “Wow, this is the first time you’ve ever hung out with her?”, and “Seems like you had fun, so I’m glad.”
Ranking 8th in AKB48’s 3rd Senbatsu General Election, Itano Tomomi has been chosen to promote the popular foreign drama “NIKITA” on TV CMs. They’re appealing to fans by dressing Itano up in a sexy red dress, similar to the one the drama heroine wears.
McG, responsible for “Charlie’s Angels”, was in charge of remaking the hit movie “La Femme Nikita” (directed by Luc Besson) into a drama. Maggie Q, known for her action skills in “Mission Impossible: III” and “Live Free or Die Hard”, plays the beautiful assassin Nikita.
Itano commented, “Director McG also came to see AKB48’s performance. Maggie Q is a strong action star and she’s totally cool, so please check this out!”. The CM’s image song is called “Come on!” and is the the B-side to Itano’s second single “Fui ni”.
Warner Home Video explained the reason why Itano was chosen as the image character,“Because NIKITA has a ’strong, beautiful and stylish’ female image which fits Itano and she has a connection with McG, we felt that Itano Tomomi would be the best match”.
The “NIKITA” first season Vol.1 Blu-ray and DVD will be released on June 15th.
Last December, we posted a CM for “Eyeful Home”, which featured a song called “Little Dancer” by SPEED. Back then it was unsure if the track would ever get a release, but now Japan’s beloved group will release it as a single on August 10th.
This year, SPEED will be celebrating their 15th anniversary by releasing their 20th single. “Little Dancer” is the first single release by SPEED this year and was produced by BENNIE K member YUKI “Jolly Roger”.
The title track is a pop tune covering SPEED’s own tracks until debut, but also encouraging kids to dance. The coupling track is called “PRIDE” and features OHGA.
Solo singer JUJU made a splash in 2010 through her hotly anticipated cover album, “Request“, which revisited several hits from singers such as Amuro Namie, BONNIE PINK, and SPEED in the singer’s own style. The album, which was released in the latter half of last year, stormed to the top of the album charts, and has since sold well over 464,000 copies according to Oricon.
The singer is now set to release a brand new original studio album, her 4th overall, entitled “YOU“. The album will go on sale on the 13th of July and contains her singles, “Kono Yoru wo Tomete yo“, “Sayonara no Kawari ni/Negai“, and “Mata Ashita…“.
Check out the cover and track list below!
01. Kono Yoru wo Tomete yo 02. Sayonara no Kawari ni 03. Tsuyogari 04. If 05. Negai 06. Voice 07. Love again 08. Memories 09. Piece Of Our Days 10. Trust In You 11. Mata Ashita… 12. Antique 13. YOU
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JUJU has also covered a track by the band GLAY, “BELOVED“, which is currently being used in a Sony CM.
It is not featured in her new album though, and currently has no release date.
Popular seiyuu and singer Mizuki Nana has announced the title of her newest single, “Junketsu Paradox“!
Mizuki’s latest single will be released on August 3rd, but for fans who can’t wait to hear her new song, “Junketsu Paradox” will begin airing as the ending theme to the anime “BLOOD-C” beginning in July.
“BLOOD-C” is the latest in the “BLOOD” series, which includes the 2000 anime film “BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE“, a light novel trilogy, video games, the anime series “BLOOD+“, and even a live action film. The latest series, “BLOOD-C”, will feature the popular manga group CLAMP as the story writers and character designers, and also Mizuki Nana as the voice actress for the main character, Kisaragi Saya.
Stay tuned for more information on Mizuki Nana’s upcoming single!
AKB48 held their first live performance on Music Station the day after AKB48’s 3rd Senbatsu General Election. The group did a medley of “Shoujotachi yo” and “Everyday, Kachuusha” and had an interesting chat with the host Tamori, who even put on the kachuusha (headband) that Maeda Atsuko and Oshima Yuko gave him.
Many fans have been wondering, “Is there bad blood between Maeda and Oshima now that Maeda has taken the #1 spot back?”. Well, Tamori decided to get straight to the point and asked the girls if there was any bitterness between them, and both girls quickly spouted back while smiling, “Really, we don’t have a bad relationship at all!”
Moreover, the day after the election, the official AKB48 blog had 7 million page views, whereas they usually only have around 500,000 a day.
On June 9th, ‘Ariyoshi AKB Republic’ aired a special live episode showing footage from the ‘3rd AKB48 Senbatsu General Election’.
Hosts Ariyoshi Hiroyuki and AKB48’s Kojima Haruna were joined by comedians Tsuchida Teruyuki, Yamasato Ryota, and announcer Tokumitsu Kazuo, who hosted both this year and last year’s results. The crew reviewed the top 21 members, as the results cut down the list one-by-one.
We’ve got videos below from the special, and since there was a lot of drama surrounding whether it would be Oshima Yuko or Maeda Atsuko who would get 1st place this year, we’ve also included translations of their acceptance speeches and messages to each other.
Oshima Yuko’s acceptance speech:
“These vote numbers, where one person gets many votes… can it really be called an election? Shouldn’t an election be one vote per person? People around AKB say a lot of things, but for us, votes means everyone’s love. We are loved, and so are able to hold an event like this on such a large stage, in such a large budokan. Last year, I was #1 and sang a song called ‘Heavy Rotation‘ in the center position. For me, it’s a very dear song. In the next single, I’ll be #2 but I won’t feel resigned, and I will dance and sing with all my power. Thank you for all the love.”
Maeda Atsuko’s acceptance speech: “Everyone, thank you so much. I was really able to feel encouragement and support from many people. Of course, I know there are people who don’t like me. There’s just one thing I’d like to ask: even if you dislike me, please don’t disklike AKB! This year, I want to deliver smiles to everyone with AKB48. Please take care of me.”
Maeda to Oshima: “To Yuko…this entire year… not just this year, I have thought, that it was Yuko, and not me, that always, always pulled everyone forward. I would be very happy if you could continue to support AKB48 together with me. Thank you!”
Oshima to Maeda: “Acchan is the face of AKB. As long as Acchan is smiling and looking forward, everything will be fine. Let’s continue looking forward together.”
On June 8th, the 23 Japanese finalists for the “Miss Earth” contest were revealed, and among them was Watanabe Shiho (23), a former AKB48 member.
On July 3rd, Japan’s representative will be selected to attend the world contest in Thailand in December. Similar to AKB48’s “3rd Senbatsu General Election” on the 9th, Watanabe is looking towards being “selected” as Japan’s representative. She was a first generation AKB48 member along with girls like Maeda Atsuko and Takahashi Minami.
Watanabe appeared at the recital in a beautiful red dress. She commented, “I am a former AKB48 member and a reporter for ‘Ousama no Brunch’. I want to make the best use of my experiences up until now”. Out of 300 applicants, Watanabe was able to stand with 22 of her rivals and she was placed in the center; her appeal being her unique personal history.
“Miss Earth” is the 4th largest miss contest after “Miss Universe”, “Miss International”, and “Miss World”. Last year, 84 countries participated in the contest. Aside from looks, the girls are selected by global environmental protection knowledge and action. For the 11th time, this year applications were accepted starting in March. 80 women were then chosen to move on to the 2nd audition and from them the 23 finalists, between 18 and 26 years old, were chosen.
Watanabe was among 24 successful applicants in AKB48’s Opening Member Audition in 2005, which had a total of around 8,000 applicants. She also participated in AKB48’s debut song “Sakura no Hanabiratachi” in February 2006. She stayed in the group for about two years and graduated in October 2007. After graduation Watanabe became a reporter on TBS’s “Ousama no Brunch” and appeared in dramas such as “Bloody Monday”.
Beginning on August 16th, Hello! Project groups C-ute and Berryz Koubou will be starring in a female stage adaption of the popular sci-fi novel, “Sengoku Jieitai“!
The story revolves around a inexperienced battle unit who accidentally travels back in time to the Sengoku era, a time of social, political, and military conflict that eventually resulted in the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate . “Sengoku Jieitai” has already seen two movie adaptations, one starring Chiba Shinichi in 1979, and another more recent adaption starring Eguchi Yosuke in 2006.
Berryz Koubou and C-ute will do their own ‘female version’ of the story, which will open for the first time on August 16th at the Ikebukuro Sunshine Theater. In this version, each group will play two separate platoons. The twelve girls will also be split into two theater groups, allowing them to perform more often: the “Moonlight” group (Shimizu Saki, Tokunaga Chinami, Okai Chisato, Suzuki Airi, Tsugunaga Momoko, and Hagiwara Mai) and the “Whirlwind” group (Sudo Maasa, Kumai Yurina, Sugaya Risako, Nakajima Saki, Natsuyaki Miyabi, and Yajima Maimi).
“Hearing that Berryz Koubou and C-ute will be performing ‘Sengoku Jieitai’, which has been turned into a movie, makes me really nervous,” admitted Berryz Koubou captain Shimizu Saki. C-ute’s leader Yajima Maimi also chimed in, “I’m both nervous and grateful about being able to perform a wonderful work like ‘Sengoku Jieitai’ on stage.”
AKB48 member Oshima Yuko updated her official blog with cute behind-the-scenes photos from photoshoots for the idol group’s newest album, “Koko ni Ita Koto“!
“AKB48’s new album ‘Koko ni Ita Koto’ was released today!”, she wrote in her blog entry. “The limited edition comes with a photo book. We took the photos with a circus theme. A ringleader (Takahashi Minami), a tightrope-walking girl (Maeda Atsuko), a bear (Kojima Haruna), and a leopard tamer (Itano Tomomi), and her leopard (Oshima Yuko). There are other pictures that you won’t get to see much, so please enjoy them~”.
Fans commented, “I’m gonna go buy it tomorrow!”, “You guys are super cute”, and “Acchan’s so cute as a tightrope walker!”
Sandara Park releases an angelic CF for “Nikon”
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Nikon Imaging Korea has just released a jaw-dropping commercial with 2NE1‘s
Sandara Park.
The idol shed her quirky style and emerged as a gorgeous woman w...
Solo singer JUJU made a splash in 2010 through her hotly anticipated cover album, “Request“, which revisited several hits from singers such as Amuro Namie, BONNIE PINK, and SPEED in the singer’s own style. The album, which was released in the latter half of last year, stormed to the top of the album charts, and has since sold well over 464,000 copies according to Oricon.
01. Kono Yoru wo Tomete yo
On June 9th, ‘Ariyoshi AKB Republic’ aired a special live episode showing footage from the ‘3rd AKB48 Senbatsu General Election’.
AKB48 member Oshima Yuko updated her official blog with cute behind-the-scenes photos from photoshoots for the idol group’s newest album, “Koko ni Ita Koto“!
