Veteran rock band THE ALFEE have planned the release of a new album, titled Shinsekai ~Neo Universe~, for March 10th.
This is the group's first album in almost three years, as the latest one, ONE -Venus of Rock-, came out in November 2006. It will go on sale in three different formats: the standard CD and CD+DVD editions and another one, featuring a special jacket.
Additionally, two new live DVDs have been scheduled to come out prior to the album on February 14th. 8.8 Burn Into Memory Night and 8.9 Burn Into Perfect Night will feature footage from the band's 2009 summer events, which took place at Yokohama Akarenga Park in August.
As a side note, it has been announced that THE ALFEE's song GET YOUR CHANCE has been chosen to be used as the theme song of this year's Osaka Marathon, which will be broadcast by KTV (Kansai TV) on January 31st.
The Gospellers 15th Anniversary Commemorative Live DVD
Five-member vocal group The Gospellers have set the release of a new live DVD, titled The Gospellers Saka Tour 2009 "15 shuunen hyouryuuki akifuyu", for March 24th.
The Gospellers celebrated their 15th anniversary with two long tours, covering all forty-seven prefectures of Japan. A spring-summer tour took them to 19 cities, while a special tour to commemorate the anniversary spanned 37 cities, with a total of 41 performances.
The DVD will feature two discs of the group's performance at Yoyogi Daiichi Taiikukan, in Tokyo, held on December 20th as the last stop of the tour. A third disc will also be included in the limited edition, including special a drama called "Love Notes 12 no kajitsu", based on famous musical works of the band. Lastly, the Blu-ray edition of the release will be released on April 14th.
After peaking at the third position in the Oricon weekly charts with their newest single A Look Around, released on the 13th, new wave/rock band sakanaction have a new album in the works: KIKUUIKI, due to come out on March 17th.
The title "KIKUUKI" is based on the Chinese reading of the ideogram combination "汽空域", which means "steam space"; a metaphorical phrase that gives a theme to the album, which is expected to feature the characteristic mixture of rock and club music made by the band.
KIKUUKI is sakanaction's fourth full-length CD and successor of their hit album Shinshiro, released in January 2009. No information regarding release formats and tracklist have been revealed yet.
great musicians always hailed from osaka... janne da arc... laruku... flumpool... scandal... making me to appreciate those rare gems from kanto like question? even more... because it's hard to fine such gems originated from kanto region...
Matsuyama Kenichi acknowledged relationship with Koyuki
Actor Matsuyama Kenichi (24, photo left) yesterday acknowledged for the first time his relationship with actress Koyuki (33, photo center). He was appearing at a preview screening of the movie "Darekaga Watashini Kiss Shita."
Though the movie is a domestic Toei Studios project starring Horikita Maki (21), it is directed by Hans Canosa, the director of "Conversations with Other Women," and already has distribution deals in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Negotiations for Europe and North America are underway.
When asked by reporters if his romance with Koyuki was going well, "MatsuKen" nodded and said simply "Yes, yes." The two worked together on last year's movie "Kamui Gaiden" and rumors of romance first appeared last spring.
The new issue of SHOXX magazine has just been released!! The cover feature is no other than 5-piece KARASU, which consists amongst others of MUCC's Tatsuro and Alice Nine's hiroto. The special Interview and pictures are summed up in 20 colorful pages!
Further, the Gazette, who had been having their Xmas special live in December and Ayabie, who reveal their thoughts about their new album "彩-irodori-" can be found in this mag as well.
Speaking of which...
Who would have actually thought that the GazettE are going to play..THAT song...
Well...it had been Christmas after all!! ;)
64th Mainichi Film Awards: "Shizumanu Taiyo" wins grand prize
Thu, January 21, 2010 (1:41am EST)
The presentation ceremony for the 64th Mainichi Film Awards has been scheduled for February 8. The winners were already announced on Tuesday, revealing that the Grand Prize is being given to Setsuro Wakamatsu's "Shizumanu Taiyo." The movie, starring Ken Watanabe (50), is based on the struggles of a real-life JAL employee in the aftermath of the Flight 123 disaster.
The complete list of awards is as follows:
* Grand Prize: Shizumanu Taiyo (directed by Setsuro Wakamatsu)
* Best Film: Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki (directed by Daisaku Kimura)
* Best Foreign Film: Gran Torino (directed by Clint Eastwood)
* Best Actor: Kenichi Matsuyama (Ultra Miracle Love Story)
* Best Actress: Manami Konishi (Nonchan Noriben)
* Best Supporting Actor: Ittoku Kishibe (Osaka Hamlet)
* Best Supporting Actress: Kaoru Yachigusa (Dear Doctor)
* Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima (both for Ai no Mukidashi)
* Kinuyo Tanaka Award: Keiko Takahashi
* Best Director: Sion Sono (Ai no Mukidashi)
* Best Screenplay: Yozo Tanaka (Viyon no Tsuma)
* Best Cinematography: Daisaku Kimura (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
* Best Art Direction: Yohei Taneda, Kyoko Yauchi (Viyon no Tsuma)
* Best Music: Shigeomi Hasumi (Watashi wa Neko Stalker)
* Best Sound: Kenichi Ishidera (Tsurugidake: Ten no Ki)
* Best Animated Film: Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosoda)
* Noburo Ofuji Award: Denshin-Bashira Elemi no Koi (Hideto Nakata)
* Best Documentary: Annyeong Yumika (Tetsuaki Matsue)
* Tsutaya Fan Award (Domestic Film): ROOKIES -Sotsugyo- (Yuichiro Hirakawa)
* Tsutaya Fan Award (Foreign Film): Michael Jackson's This Is It (Kenny Ortega)
* Special Awards: actor Hisaya Morishige, actress/producer Takiko Mizunoe
Good ol' Johnny is finally catching up with the times
Johnny's Entertainment is known for having used strict upholding of laws relating to copyright and right to use of one's own image to strictly ban images and photographs of its idols from the internet. Banned on the firm's official website as a matter of course, their images are banned from news sites - not even the covers of magazines featuring a Johnny's artist can be shown. Furthermore, on any drama's official website, only the actor from Johnny's is missing, represented by a silhouette or illustration. Alternatively, an artificially rendered image of the idol can be given and used in that way.
However, this appears to be in the process of changing dramatically.
"The website of Sakurai Sho (Arashi)'s new drama, Toujou Kabachi! (TBS), originally had, in typical Johnny's style, Sho's image rendered as an illustrating. However, on the 15th of January, it suddenly changed into a normal photograph, just like the rest of the cast. Also, the images of Yamashita Tomohisa of 'Code Blue -2nd Season-' (Fuji TV) and Kamenashi Kazuya, Uchi Hiroki and Tegoshi Yuya of 'Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge' (TBS) have all become clear photographs. Because of this change in circumstance, it can surely be assumed that the images of the talents are now allowed to be used on drama websites." (Reporter specialising in Johnny's Entertainment)
Up until now, Johnny's Entertainment has said that the reason for the ban has been to uphold 'copyright and rights to use of image' laws. However, whenever Johnny's artists have done commercials, their images have been shown clearly on the client's website. Furthermore, any movie with the right amount of money or sponsoring behind it has been able to show clear images of the Johnny's actors on its site. It's true that this just cause has very large inconsistencies.
"Regarding the approval given to NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen last year, Johnny's Entertainment explained that, 'We are taking into account multiple factors - the modern diversification of media, the advancement in security on the internet and the rising public awareness of copyright and image laws'. This change of attitude has probably also led to the allowance on drama sites. Essentially, it has resulted in a 'lifting of the net ban'." (Same reporter as above)
Incidentally, the sites with the photographs of the idols have had security improved on their websites so that the images cannot be copied.
This change in Johnny's Entertainment - a loss or a compromise? At any rate, it's no mistake that the company is, if belatedly, finally catching up with the times.
Celebrating their fifth anniversary in 2010, rock band Jully will release a special compilation album called Kyoukyokushuu on March 3rd.
Formed in 2005 by former hotaru and Kalimero members, Jully quickly became a prominent name in the visual kei scene. However, the band distanced itself from the scene to focus on the rock underground niche, often perfoming in small livehouses and taking part in long tours with other bands.
Jully, in addition to the compilation, is also releasing ECCENTRIC NOSTALGIE, their split single with fellow rock group Pepin, in stores on January 27th. It was previously sold during concerts in 2009 and features two songs by each band: Rock'n Roll Star and Yogore chimatta kanashimi ni sasageru koi no uta by Pepin and Shouko and Akatsuki-2009 mix ver by Jully.
Visual kei rock act Doremidan have added a new bassist to their line-up: Yuu, who already joined the band during their concert at Tokyo LIQUIDROOM ebisu on January 23rd.
Doremidan recently debuted as a major band under Universal Music with the full-length album Don't Let Me Down, which was released in November last year. In December, the group saw the departure of their bassist, Shinji, due to his health problems.
Yuu is not an unknown face in the visual kei scene: he is the former bassist of Shelly Trip Realize and TINC, as well as a current member of Brother. The band will celebrate their "new life" with a special concert called Doremidan Live 2010 [ Sai ], which has been set to take place at Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO, in Tokyo, on March 31st.
After releasing the smash hit single RIVER in October last year, 48-member girl group AKB48 has a new single, called Sakura no shoiri, scheduled to be out in stores on February 17th.
For this single, the girls formed new sub-teams within AKB48 called PB and YJ. Each of these new teams have recorded one new song to be featured in the CD, which are, respectively, Enkyori Poster and Choose me!. Team PB's song is included in the type A, while team YJ's track is part of the type B.
All four songs recorded for the single, Sakura no shiori, the b-side Magical Rock 'n Roll and both Enkyori Poster and Choose me! are included in the "theater" version of the release.
On the other hand, the types A and B are different from each other. In addition to having a DVD with the music videos of the title track and the b-side, each type also has the PV of its respective sub-team song and footage from the standing performances "Sotsugyou omedetou" (type A) and "Honto wa suki deshita" (type B).
Acid Blacck Cherry, solo project of Janne Da Arc's vocalist yasu, has planned the release of a new live DVD for March 24th.
Acid Black Cherry 2009 tour “Q.E.D.”, a double-disc set, will feature footage from ABC's concert at Nippon Budokan on November 2nd 2009, which was the last stop of the promotional tour of the album Q.E.D., released in August. Eighteen songs have been picked for the DVD, including two encores.
The concert will be included in the first disc, while the second one will contain two other videos as bonus footage. The first one is a documentary featuring off-shot scenes from the tour, while the other disc is a video with the concept history of Q.E.D.. Each videos is expected to last approximately thirty minutes.
Female pop-rock trio Stereopony have announced the release of their first single of 2010. Titled Hanbunko, it will hit stores on February 17th.
This is the trio's sixth single and first since Tsuki akari no michishirube, which came out in November last year. Hanbunko, however, is not an original song by the group, as it was first released in 2002 by rock band Bivattchee, who disbanded in 2008, making this Stereopony's first cover song.
As for the other songs of the single, the b-side cherry me... features a message about graduation and a new beginning. Dreamin', the third track, was chosen as the CM song of the Nintendo DS game "Utacchi". The music video of Tsuki akari no michishirube will also be featured in the limited edition of the release.
Among Japanese Visual-Kei fans, many unique words are used. Ypu can hear them often at live venues.... You might have come across them when getting interested in Visual-Kei! So do you know what they mean....?
Ok, so let's introduce some of the more complicated Visual-Kei words.
1. Korodai
=Roll over the crowd at live show
2. Hashi (Bridge)
=Jingu Bridge near Harajuku Station
4. Docen
=Do center (the middle at the front of the stage)
5. Bansha
=The car which the band members ride for transportation (Band is abbreviated as Ban 盤 (-> lit. board))
6. Te Ban
=To flap ones hands up and down along to the music
7. ****-Kei
=A band with costumes fundamentally black and heavy
8. Te Sensu
= To move one's hands with a Japanese folding fan along music.
Actress-singer Shibasaki Kou (28) and Uverworld vocalist Takuya (30) have split up, it was revealed yesterday. The couple's relationship started in the autumn of 2008 and was made public shortly afterward, and they were often spotted out on the town together. But sources say that they have both been so busy with work that they drifted apart and finally broke up at the end of last year.
2009 was a particularly busy year for Shibasaki, who made the movie "Shokudo Katatsumuri" (in theaters from February 6), the Fuji TV special drama "Wagaya no Rekishi" (on air this spring) and went to Scandanavia to shoot the photo book "0805." This year she'll be working on the big screen adapatation of the "Ooku" period drama and embarking on a nationwide concert tour. Uverworld, who spent six months touring last year, will be on the road again in 2010, their 10th anniversary.
Another J-pop divorcee, Amuro Namie (32), is the first Japanese female artist to top the weekly pop charts in five Asian regions. Her greatest hits album, "Best Fiction," made No.1 in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong when it was released last July. But her latest release, "Past-Future," has done better still, adding the Singapore chart to the list. The album stayed at No.1 for six weeks in Hong Kong, a first for a Japanese artist, and has so far chalked up four weeks at No.1 in Singapore. Amuro is currently preparing for a massive 8-month nationwide tour that starts on April 3 and will see her perform 73 shows. Despite some rumors to the contrary, she says her recently revealed romance with comedian Tamura Atsushi (36) is going just fine.
Post time 21-1-2010 09:43 PM
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