Kumi Koda and Masahiro Nakai have split up?

Posted on: October 8, 2009
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Back in 2007, pop star Kumi Koda (26) and SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai (37) were widely reported to be dating, though their agencies never officially commented on the rumor. Now, the magazine Josei Seven says that the two have broken up.

The magazine’s article included some comments by a friend of Koda, who explained that the couple separated before the start of this summer. The friend said that Koda had been worried because she and Nakai had not been seeing each other much. Also around that time, Koda suddenly replaced her mobile phone.

Naturally, Koda’s and Nakai’s agencies have not commented on the matter.


Not good, they have been together for a while now. Hope both are alright and moving on.
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Live-action “Yamato” details revealed

Posted on: October 3, 2009
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The live-action “Space Battleship Yamato” movie had its cast publicly revealed on Friday, along with other new details about the project. The film is being directed by Takashi Yamazaki with a projected release date in December 2010.

As previously announced, SMAP member Takuya Kimura (36) will star as the protagonist Susumu Kodai, while Meisa Kuroki (21) has been confirmed as the replacement for Erika Sawajiri (23) in the role of Yuki Mori.

Two characters have been modified for the movie. Crew members Aihara and Dr. Sado have been changed into females, played by Maiko (24) and Reiko Takashima (45), respectively.

The other cast members revealed so far are Toshiro Yanagiba (as Shiro Sanada), Naoto Ogata (as Daisuke Shima), Hiroyuki Ikeuchi (as Hajime Saito), Shinichi Tsutsumi (as Mamoru Kodai), Isao Hashizume (as Heikuro Todo), Toshiyuki Nishida (as Hikozaemon Tokugawa), and Tsutomu Yamazaki (as Juzo Okita). The actor playing the antagonist Desslar has not yet been announced.

The CG-heavy film has an estimated budget of more than 2 billion yen. Filming will start later this month.

Look forward to it after the fiasco of recasting. My girl Meisa will do well in this film.
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Oricon: best-looking in glasses

Posted on: October 3, 2009
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http://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~osewa/ogiyahagi.jpg

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For the fourth year in a row, Oricon conducted a survey about celebrities who look best in glasses. A thousand men and women participated in the survey, which was completed last month. Comedy duo Ogiyahagi recaptured the #1 spot on the men’s list, pushing Masaharu Fukuyama back to #2. Korean actor Bae Yong Joon was #3. On the women’s list, comedienne Yasuko Mitsuura (of Oasiz) ranked #1, followed by Angela Aki and Rie Shibata.

Men: 1. Ogiyahagi 2. Masaharu Fukuyama 3. Bae Yong Joon 4. Shingo Fujimori (Oriental Radio) 5. Norito Yashima 6. Daisuke Miyagawa 7. Tamori 8. Yusuke Kamiji 9. Shohei Shofukutei 10. Kazuki Otake (Summers)

Women: 1. Yasuko Mitsuura (Oasiz) 2. Angela Aki 3. Rie Shibata 4. Yukie Nakama 5. Miho Takagi 6. Ami Tokito 7. Kaori Manabe 8. Keiko Kitagawa 9. Rie Kuwabata (Kuwabata Ohara) 10. Haruna Kondo (Harisenbon)

My picks- Men (Masaharu Fukuyama), Women: (Yukie Nakama)

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Shido Nakamura, Meisa Kuroki dating?

Posted on: September 21, 2009
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Sports Hochi reports that kabuki actor Shido Nakamura (37) and actress Meisa Kuroki (21) recently started dating. The unexpected couple met when they worked together in the play “Akai Shiro, Kuroi Suna” this past April.

Sources say that Nakamura began approaching Kuroki shortly after it was decided that they would be acting together. However, they reportedly started dating barely a month ago.

Since his divorce from Yuko Takeuchi (29) in February 2008, the media has reported rumors of Nakamura dating various women, including Sawa Suzuki (37) and a rekindled romance with Tomoe Shinohara (30). Nakamura remained silent about each of those rumors, but this time it seems that he has been openly telling his friends about Kuroki. They were also seen at a party looking happy while getting very close to each other.

In May 2008, Kuroki was reported to be dating a musician named KEN, but they appear to have broken up around July of this year.

Interesting pairing, my sweet Meisa looks way beyond her age but Shido? Hmm…personally don’t think it will go far, she is just but 21!
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Yamapi dating model Kagami?

Posted on: September 17, 2009
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http://milsean.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/yamapi.jpghttp://geino-news.zako.org/images/seira-kagami.jpg

NEWS member Tomohisa Yamashita (24) is rumored to be in a relationship with fashion model Seira Kagami (22). They are said to have been dating for about three months.

Born to a Canadian father and Japanese mother, Kagami made her modeling debut at the age of 12. In 2001, she gained attention on television for her appearance in a Zexy commercial. Kagami also debuted as a singer in 2007 and has had five consecutive songs on top of the iTunes dance charts.

The couple reportedly were introduced to each other by a friend earlier this year, and it developed into romance before the summer. In July, Yamashita was seen attending a live performance by Kagami. Witnesses apparently saw the two of them together, looking happy.

Neither side has commented yet on the rumor.

Cute girl. He has a unique taste, good for him.
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Kou Shibasaki leads star-studded cast in Koki Mitani drama

Posted on: September 11, 2009
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Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Fuji TV has announced a major television drama special titled “Wagaya no Rekishi.” Playwright and director Koki Mitani provided the script for the drama, which will star Kou Shibasaki along with many other big names.

The story takes place between 1945 and 1964, chronicling the lives of the seven members of the fictional Yame family. Shibasaki plays one of five siblings, along with Jun Matsumoto (Arashi), Ryuta Sato, Maki Horikita, and Nana Eikura. Their parents are being played by Toshiyuki Nishida and Sumiko Fuji, while the rest of the cast includes Masami Nagasawa, Yo Oizumi, Yuki Amami, Tetsuji Tamayama, Koji Yamamoto, Sawa Suzuki, and Junji Takada.

“Wagaya no Rekishi” will air on three consecutive nights during spring 2010.

Looks like a solid epic Fuji drama.
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Oricon: tanned beauties

Posted on: August 20, 2009
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Oricon has collected the results of its regular “tanned beauties ranking,” focusing on the women who have garnered attention for their suntanned skin. Beach volleyball player Miwa Asao grabbed the top spot again for a third consecutive year.Ranked behind Asao is pop star Namie Amuro, followed by talento Rikako Murakami. Along with Kumi Koda (ranked 7th), they have placed in the top ten during the last four years.

One unexpected name on the list was actress Masako Natsume, who died of leukemia in 1985 at the age of 27. Natsume was best known for playing the role of Tripitaka in the 1970s drama series “Saiyuki.”

  1. Miwa Asao
  2. Namie Amuro
  3. Rikako Murakami
  4. Anna Tsuchiya
  5. Meisa Kuroki
  6. Masako Natsume
  7. Kumi Koda
  8. Yukina Kinoshita
  9. Chinatsu Wakatsuki
  10. Kimiko Date

Well she is cute, but Namie still the best in my opinion.

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“Liar Game” sequel dated for November

Posted on: August 14, 2009
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On Thursday, a press conference was held to announce details about the planned “LIAR GAME” sequel. It was first mentioned in April that the popular drama series was getting a second season and feature-length film.

Based on a manga by Shinobu Kaitani, “LIAR GAME” originally aired in 2007. Erika Toda starred as an honest young woman who gets involved in a high-stakes game of deception, aided by an expert swindler (Shota Matsuda).

The sequel will continue from the first season, with the main cast returning, including Michiko Kichise, Kosuke Suzuki, and Ikkei Watanabe. In the drama, the players will face off in four games and a semifinal round, while the final game will take place in the movie, titled “LIAR GAME: The Final Stage.”

Yasutaka Nakata (of capsule) will once again be handling the show’s music.

This drama was excellent, lets hope they have enough material and time to pull off season two with an even better product, look forward to it and my Erika san.

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Yukie Nakama is “Untouchable”

Posted on: August 14, 2009
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With her “Gokusen” days apparently behind her, actress Yukie Nakama (29) will tackle her next comedy role in TV Asahi’s upcoming mystery series, “Untouchable.” The show is an original work penned by Hiroshi Hashimoto, who has worked on “Karei Naru Ichizoku” and the “Shomuni” franchise.

Nakama plays the role of Ryoko Narumi, a reporter who gets dismissed from a top-notch magazine and winds up at a third-rate weekly. Clumsy yet persistent, she notices details that other reporters overlook, leading her to the “untouchable” sides of criminal cases and, ultimately, to the truth. The story will be episodic, but the show will also include a larger mystery that gets unveiled as the show progresses.

The supporting cast includes Jun Kaname (28) as a rival reporter, Tetsushi Tanaka (43) as Ryoko’s editor-in-chief, Tomohito Sato (25) as a photographer, and Susumu Terajima (45) as a big-shot businessman. TV Asahi will begin airing the drama in October, on Fridays at 9:00pm.

I already like how the drama is set up,I think this will be pretty interesting. Look forward to it.

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Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Noripi

Posted on: August 7, 2009
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Sakai Noriko
The Japanese media are hitting fever pitch with the news that Tokyo police have issued an arrest warrant for actress/singer Sakai Noriko (38). Her management agency Sun Music Production, refused to comment on the latest development except to say they are checking the facts.
The news of her husband’s latest arrest for drug use, made her go missing with her son. Her son is now found, but she remains missing. I hope she is alright and will resurface after a few days. Now, the Japanese police is after her, in Japan unless the Police has strong evidence against someone, it is hard to get an arrest warrant. One would wonder she could also be related to her husband’s drug case and disappeared for that reason rather than humiliation. Let’s see how this drama pans out.

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17-year-old Yanagimoto crowned Miss Flash

Posted on: August 6, 2009
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Yanagimoto Emi 1st Photo Album -PURE SMILE

This year, about 550 women competed in the 4th Miss FLASH idol competition, which crowned its winner on Monday. Out of the ten finalists, 17-year-old high-schooler Emi Yanagimoto won the Grand Prix title with the largest share of the 53,000 votes cast.

The Semi-Grand Prix winners were 21-year-old fashion model Yukiko Taira and 16-year-old Yuri Murakami.

The competition’s past Grand Prix winners are Tomomi Sawada (2008), Natsuko Tatsumi (2007), and Miki Inase (2006).

No comment here… ;p
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Oshio Manabu Faces Drug Arrest

Posted on: August 6, 2009
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yw1.jpg image by msdump
It looks like talento Oshio Manabu (31) has got himself caught up in a very serious matter. Avex Management announced yesterday that they had cut him loose, saying only that he had broken the terms of his contract. It was later revealed that he has been arrested by Tokyo police for drug use and possible involvement in the death of a woman. Police at the Azabu station, responding to a call on Sunday night from a Roppongi Hills apartment building, found a naked woman dead on a bed. They are questioning the caller as well as Oshio, who is described as connected to…
This is serious…he looks pretty hard core guy with some following, I think his career may head south from here on.
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“Kochikame” premiere pulls in weak ratings

Posted on: August 4, 2009
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Despite the hype, the TBS drama series “Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo” (abbreviated as “Kochikame”) got off to a poor start this weekend. The first episode, which aired on August 1, managed to get only 12.2% ratings in the Kanto region.

“Kochikame,” starring SMAP member Shingo Katori, is an adaptation of a long-lasting comedy manga by Osamu Akimoto. In addition to Katori, the show features Karina, Mocomichi Hayami, and many guest stars – including Beat Takeshi, Hitori Gekidan, and Becky for the premiere episode.

The series airs in TBS’s Saturday 7:56pm time slot. Before “Kochikame,” that slot was occupied by “MR.BRAIN,” starring fellow SMAP member Takuya Kimura. “MR.BRAIN” started out at 24.8% and averaged 20.1% over its eight episodes.


Whacky comedies may or may not work well in Japan but judging from the casting, they are putting alot into it, it maybe the screen writing. Will definitely watch it and see.
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Oricon: young actresses to watch

Posted on: August 3, 2009
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In June, Oricon conducted a small survey of 350 high school girls, asking them which young actresses have most caught their attention. Now the results have been published, and 21-year-old Yuriko Yoshitaka tops the list.

Yoshitaka made her acting debut in 2006, and she won multiple awards last year for her role in the movie “Snakes and Earrings.” It was recently revealed that she is in a relationship with actor Hiroshi Tamaki (29).

1. Yuriko Yoshitaka
2. Yui Aragaki
3. Maki Horikita
4. Erika Toda
5. Umika Kawashima
6. Haruka Ayase
7. Kie Kitano
7. Mikako Tabe
9. Nana Eikura
10. Kaho

No surprise here with my cutie Yuriko. However, she certainly has propelled into the top ranks in the industry at the moment. Choosing the right roles and shining at the right time. If she keeps picking the right roles, she will shine for a long time to come.

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Nene Matsuoka wins Gravure Japan title

Posted on: July 16, 2009
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The results are in for the first Gravure Japan audition, which is a collaboration between Shueisha’s magazines Weekly Playboy and Young Jump. In the finals, held on Tuesday, 21-year-old Nene Matsuoka came out on top as the Grand Prix winner.

Matsuoka, who studied karate in junior high and high school, fought her way through a field of 1,200 contestants in this audition, which was decided by a combination of internet voting and other online stats such as blog page views. Matsuoka is currently active as a fashion model for magazines such as PINKY and CanCam.

The four runners-up were idols Aya Takigawa (22), Yuko Shimizu (20), Nana Seino (14), and Rin Aoi (13).


Looks quite cute and a bubbly girl next door vibe. Good choice.
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