Artis Jepun [part II]

Kittie

Charts: Arashi sells half a million


Arashi's latest single, "Believe / Kumori Nochi, Kaisei," dominated the charts this past week. With roughly 502,000 copies sold, it has become the best-selling single of 2009 so far. It is also the first to break half a million in its opening week since KAT-TUN's "Real Face" (754,000) in April 2006. Arashi achieved the same feat once before with their debut single "A-RA-SHI" (557,000) in 1999.

New singles flooded the top ten, occupying the next seven spots behind Arashi. The releases came from GLAY, AKB48, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, Yuna Ito, YUKI, Ken (of L'Arc~en~Ciel), and ROCK'A'TRENCH.

On the album rankings, FUNKY MONKEY BABYS edged out a win with their aptly named third album, "FUNKY MONKEY BABYS 3." The album sold 80,000 copies, only 2,000 more than Chatmonchy's "Kokuhaku." Also in the top ten were JUJU, supercell, Mika Nakashima, Dragon Ash, Kalafina, and AI.


Credit: Tokyograph

Kittie

Toma Ikuta stars in jury drama series

Popular young actor Toma Ikuta has a solo starring role in a drama series for the first time. The show, titled "Majo Saiban," will be the first drama to tackle the issue of Japan's new "saiban-in" (lay judge) system.

This May, Japan is reintroducing the jury system, which was previously abolished in 1943. Since then, only judges have decide the outcome of criminal cases, but under the new system, cases will be decided by a combination of judges and lottery-selected citizens.

In "Majo Saiban," Ikuta plays a typical part-timer with little interest in social issues. However, he is unexpectedly chosen as a juror in the trial of a suspected female murderer. While the mystery surrounding the case unfolds, an unknown group is secretly attempting to bribe the jury.

Actress Ai Kato plays a housewife who is also selected as a juror, while Manami Higa plays Ikuta's girlfriend, a newspaper reporter. Yuriko Ishida takes on the role of the accused.

Fuji TV will air "Majo Saiban" on Saturday nights at 11:10pm. The series starts on April 25, about a month before the actual jury system goes into effect.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

GLAY rocks for "Blood: The Last Vampire"


Rock band GLAY has written the theme song for the Hong Kong-France collaborative live-action film "Blood: The Last Vampire" (titled "Last Blood" in Japan), which is based on the well-known animated film of the same name. The band was appointed to the task by producer Bill Kong.

The title of the song is "I am xxx." It will be used in the Asian releases of the film, which will start with 11 countries on May 29, including Japan, China, and Taiwan. GLAY hopes to also have their music used in the film's European and American releases.

GLAY leader TAKURO (37) commented, "Different from the past GLAY music, the song has a heavy and dark sound. We created it to match the image of the cries from the heart of the movie's heroine, who possesses a sad fate." The film features Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun ("My Sassy Girl," "Windstruck") and Japanese actress Koyuki.

GLAY's single will be released on May 25.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

Charts: KAT-TUN reaches 10





Last month, KAT-TUN sold their 9th consecutive #1 single with "ONE DROP." This week, they extended that streak to 10 with "RESCUE," selling 323,000 copies. They are now tied with NEWS for the second-longest streak starting with a debut single, but they are both still far behind KinKi Kids, who have 28 consecutive chart-toppers.

Popular male idol Yusuke Kamiji also had a strong showing on the charts, taking #2 with 219,000 copies of his first solo single, "Himawari." TVXQ came in at #3, followed by GReeeeN. VAMPS, Berryz Koubou, and Ryu Si-won also made the top ten.

Meanwhile, Remioromen's "Remio Best" topped the album charts at 281,000 in sales, forcing RADWIMPS to settle for second place despite selling 213,000 copies of their new album.

Hikaru Utada's "This Is The One" ranked in at #3, one spot ahead of Aqua Timez. The Gospellers and CHEMISTRY both made the bottom half of the top ten with their latest albums.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

Fujiwara, Jinnai reportedly divorcing after two years of marriage





TOKYO — Actress Norika Fujiwara, 37, and comedian Tomonori Jinnai, 35, are going to get a divorce after two years of marriage, tabloid media reported Thursday.

According to the reports, Fujiwara and Jinnai have already signed the divorce registration paper and will officially submit them to a local city office within a few days. The reports quoted sources close to the two as saying that they have irreconcilable differences and that they made the decision to divorce after Fujiwara finished her musical at the end of February.

While Fujiwara is based in Tokyo, Jinnai has commuted between Tokyo and Osaka for his regular TV programs. Insiders say the two have been stressed out due to the long-distance relationship since their marriage in 2007.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Fujiwara’s agency said: ‘‘We hear that they are talking about divorce, but we don’t know the details.’’

Jinnai told a TV program Thursday morning, ‘‘We are keeping our distance so that things will move in the right direction.’’


Source: Japan Today

whitedove

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Kittie

tuh ah... sedey... tak suker tul kapel2 yg sweet berdua tb2 pisah or divorce...

Kittie

Jinnai, Fujiwara Marriage to End After 2 Years





Just two years ago they were billed as one of the "super couples" of Japanese showbiz, but it looks like Fujiwara Norika (37) and Jinnai Tomonori (35) have come to the end of the road.

According to the Sports Hochi website, the couple have both stamped their seals on divorce papers and it's just a matter of days before they make the decision legal. Fujiwara is currently visiting Kenya in her role as a Red Cross ambassador. Their relationship is said to have taken a turn for the worse last autumn. Up until that time Jinnai had been commuting several times a week between their home in Tokyo and a TV studio in Osaka for the live morning show "Narutomo!" It was speculated that he quit the show in September so he could spend more time with his wife. But Jinnai is said to have been the one to obtain the divorce papers.

Fujiwara made up her mind to add her seal when a stage production came to a close at the end of last month. From the start there were those who said theirs was a mismatched marriage, referred to in Japanese as "kakusakon." A former Miss Japan, Fujiwara is a successful actress and one of the business's biggest earners with a string of commercial contracts, regular TV and stage roles, and also active in charitable causes.

Jinnai has established himself as a TV regular over the last few years but is still mainly seen as a "pin-geinin" or solo comedian. They held their elaborate traditional wedding on February 17, 2007 at the Ikutajinja shrine in Fujiwara's hometown of Kobe, with hundreds of reporters and thousands of fans craning for a glimpse outside. They invited 600 guests to the Hotel Okura the following April for a wedding reception that cost over

Kittie

Perfume to host "Chandelier House," "Music Japan"





Electropop group Perfume will have a new show on NTV starting next month. Titled "Perfume no Chandelier House," the 30-minute program will feature short comedic skits performed by Perfume and a secret guest.

"Perfume no Chandelier House" will air on Saturday nights at 1:40am, starting on April 11. Their current late afternoon show, "Perfume no Kininaru Ko-chan," will be ending on March 28.

Perfume has also been chosen to co-host NHK's music show "MUSIC JAPAN," joining the current emcee Mari Sekine. Perfume's first appearance on the show will be on April 5.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

"Maou" voted TVnavi's Drama of the Year


Readers of TVnavi magazine have cast their votes for 2008's Drama of the Year, and on Saturday it was announced that the winner is the TBS suspense series "Maou" that starred Satoshi Ohno and Toma Ikuta. Ohno also was named Best Actor for his role in that series.

Aoi Miyazaki was voted Best Actress for "Atsuhime." Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to Eita and Juri Ueno, who both appeared in Fuji TV's "Last Friends." In the Best Newcomer category, Ryosuke Yamada ("One-Pound Gospel," "Scrap Teacher") and Manami Higa ("Code Blue") received the most votes.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

Hitoshi Matsumoto's next film is "Symbol"





On Thursday at the Okinawa International Movie Festival, comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto (of Downtown) held a press conference for his next film. The piece is titled "Symbol" ("Shinboru") and like "Dainipponjin," Matsumoto is taking on the roles of screenwriter, director, and lead actor.

Filming took about four months starting at the end of last September, and the movie is currently in editing. Matsumoto is planning for theatrical release this coming September, but he hopes to have the film done in time for a possible screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

According to Matsumoto during the press conference, "Symbol" is about an imprisoned man who plans his escape but is caught up in various incidents. He also remarked that the film does not really have any cast members other than himself.


Source: Tokyograph

Kittie

Island brings Utada to Sephora





Island Def Jam recently announced that Hikaru Utada will be appearing at three Sephora stores in the U.S. to promote her new album, "This Is The One," which goes on sale digitally on the 24th.

The scheduled appearances are in Hollywood on March 24 (6-8pm), New York on March 25 (6-8pm), and Miami on March 27 (7-9pm).


Source: Tokyograph

Ley

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Kittie

tuh ah... mmg ramai tak sangka ni...

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Kittie

Yoshiki promises that X Japan's Tokyo Dome shows will go on





X Japan leader Yoshiki held a press conference on Monday, announcing that the band's Tokyo Dome concerts scheduled for May 2-3 will be going on as planned. Due to some reported trouble between bassist HEATH and his management agency, the group postponed two concerts in Korea earlier this month. They also delayed the ticket sales for the Tokyo Dome shows, leading to concerns that the shows would be canceled.

But Yoshiki reassured fans that despite the current complications, there will be no postponement of the Tokyo Dome concerts. Lottery ticket sales are starting on Wednesday, initially through Yoshiki's mobile site. He also announced another stop on X Japan's world tour, on May 30 at the Pan-Chiao Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan.

Yoshiki further revealed that his Violet UK project is doing the theme song for Kazuaki Kiriya's upcoming movie "Goemon" (in theaters May 1). The song is a ballad titled "ROSA." No release date for the single has been determined yet.


Source: Tokyograph

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Kittie

Kokubun reveals he has a girlfriend





Taichi Kokubun (34) of TOKIO has revealed that he is currently in a romantic relationship. In an interview with the weekly magazine Josei Jishin, Kokubun stated that he has been seeing a woman (31) since last May. He also hinted that he is looking towards marriage.

His management has commented on the interview, confirming that the magazine article is accurate.

Kokubun was previously in a lengthy relationship with singer aiko (33), but it ended after eight years in 2007.


Source: Tokyograph

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Kittie

Former Morning Musume leader 'Mikitty' to wed comedian Tomoharu Shoji in July





TOKYO — Singer Miki Fujimoto, 24, former leader of pop group Morning Musume and popularly known as “Mikitty,” announced via a fax from her agency this week that she is engaged and will register her marriage to comedian Tomoharu Shoji, 33, of comedy duo “Shinagawa Shoji,” in July.

The pair’s relationship was exposed by weekly magazine FRIDAY in May 2007 after they were photographed spending a couple of days together. Fujimoto had been appointed leader of Morning Musume just a few weeks earlier, and decided to leave the group in June and stepped down from singing performances until April the following year, when she began her solo career.

Fujimoto said in the fax that she was really happy she had found someone supportive and understanding, and mentioned that she was not pregnant and will continue working after she gets married. She did not say when the wedding ceremony or reception will be held.


Source: Japan Today

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Kittie

KAT-TUN extends Tokyo Dome run to 8 days





KAT-TUN has just added six more dates to their upcoming concerts this spring. In January, they announced that they would be performing for a record 7 consecutive days at the Tokyo Dome, but with the extra concerts, they have now upped that number to 8.

Approximately 385,000 tickets were available for the original 7 concerts on May 15-21, but there were reportedly about 850,000 requests for tickets during the pre-order period alone. In response, Johnny's Jimusho has scheduled three additional shows at Tokyo Dome and three at Osaka Dome.

KAT-TUN will now be performing at Tokyo Dome for eight days in a row on May 15-22. They will then travel to Osaka for three concerts on May 29-31, before returning to Tokyo Dome on June 14-15. Together, the 13 concerts will gather an audience of roughly 685,000 fans.


Source: Tokyograph

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Kittie

Fukuyama rocks for "Majo Saiban"





Masaharu Fukuyama has been chosen to do the theme song of the upcoming Fuji TV drama series "Majo Saiban." It has been nearly 4 years since he sang "Tokyo" for the drama series "Slow Dance," which was the last time he handled a drama theme on his own. For "Majo Saiban," he will be providing a rock-flavored tune called "Keshin."

The drama, which stars Toma Ikuta as a juror in a murder trial, premieres on April 25. No release date has been announced yet for Fukuyama's single.

Fukuyama has also revealed that he will hold his first Nippon Budokan concert later this year, in celebration of his 20th anniversary as a singer.


Source: Tokyograph

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Kittie

Utada becomes first Japanese musician in iTunes top 20





This week, singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada (26) became the first Japanese music artist to rank in the top 20 of the U.S. version of online music store iTunes.

Using the name "Utada," the singer released her new English-language album "This Is The One" on March 25. It reached 19th on the top U.S. albums chart. Ever since the iTunes music store went live five years ago, this is the first time that a Japanese artist has ranked in the top 100. The album also achieved 2nd in the Pop category.

The CD version of the album will be released nationwide in the U.S. this May, but with this level of popularity, there is a possibility that her new album will already appear on the U.S. Billboard charts on April 9.

For the past month, Utada's promotional activities have expanded across the country, which contributed to a great start. This is her second U.S. album, following up on "Exodus" in 2004. And even though "This Is The One" was already released in Japan on March 14, her representatives have set the U.S. market as their main priority, hoping to make it a great success.


Source: Tokyograph

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