This week, Nikkan Sports is revealing the winners of its 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix, one award each day.

The awards cover television dramas that aired between April 2007 and March 2008, with the nominees gathered from the quarterly awards.

All winners were chosen by public vote in late March.

The first award, announced Monday, is the Best Actor prize. It was given to Akanishi Jin for his role in the popular “Yukan Club” series that NTV broadcast this past fall.

Continue reading Akanishi Jin Wins Best Actor in Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix

Musician Gackt will act in his first Hollywood film. The movie, titled “Bunraku,” is an action film written and directed by Guy Moshe, starring Josh Hartnett and Demi Moore.

The film is named after a type of traditional Japanese puppet theater, but the universe it is set in also draws inspiration from origami, video games, and other sources.

Hartnett plays a drifter on a quest for revenge.

Continue reading Gackt Hollywood Debut

The main cast has been revealed for “Happy Flight,” the next film by “Water Boys” and “Swing Girls” director Yaguchi Shinobu.

The movie is set in the airline industry and bears the distinction of being filmed during actual flights.

Tanabe Seiichi stars as a co-pilot to a pilot played by Tokito Saburo.

Ayase Haruka has been given the female lead as a cabin attendant, with her colleagues played by Terajima Shinobu and Fukiishi Kazue.

Continue reading Tanabe Seiichi, Tokita Saburo & Ayase Haruka Cast in Happy Flight

Nakayama Miho will return to acting in a movie based on her husband’s work.

She married Akutagawa Prize-winning author Hitonari Tsuji in 2002 and last appeared in the drama series “Home & Away” before she and Tsuji permanently moved to Paris.

This will be her first appearance in a movie since 1997.

Her comeback role is in “Sayonara Itsuka,” based on Tsuji’s 2001 novel of the same name.

Continue reading Nakayama Miho Set For Acting Comeback

Comedian Kawashima Akira (of Kirin) has finally acknowledged in public that he and talento Manabe Kaori are dating.

The two were first reported as a couple last June, but Manabe Kaori repeatedly denied it.

However, this past Saturday was the first time she publicly indicated that she is in a relationship, prompting Kawashima Akira to speak up on Wednesday.

Kawashima Akira remarked that he and Manabe Kaori haven’t been able to meet lately.

When asked about marriage, he said it hasn’t been considered.

source : tokyograph

Former Morning Musume member Kago Ai excitedly revealed on her blog on Thursday that she has been given a part in a Hong Kong movie.

She barely announced her return to show business earlier this month, and had revealed that she was planning to move into acting.

However, Kago Ai did not reveal any further information about the movie, since she wrote that even she did not know the details of the film.

source : tokyograph

Talento and doctor Nishikawa Ayako will make her first movie appearance in the film version of the popular “Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi” drama franchise.

Her role includes a bed scene with starring actor Takahashi Katsunori.

The movie, titled “Tokumei Kakarichou Tadano Hitoshi: Saigo no Gekijoban,” opens in December.

Idol Akiyama Rina is also a part of the cast.

source : tokyograph

GLAY’s new song “STARLESS NIGHT” will be used as the image song for NTV’s soccer programming, including the regularly scheduled “Soccer Earth Monthly” and the network’s coverage of major soccer matches.

The band has a history with soccer, as both TERU and TAKURO were part of the soccer team in middle school and high school, and all four band members are big fans of the sport.

Continue reading GLAY Does Soccer Song

Kodansha’s free digital manga site MiChao! (part of its larger MouRa content site) launched a few new titles on Friday, including a new work by Kawaguchi Kaiji and another called “AKB48 Sprout.”

The “AKB48 Sprout” manga highlights Team B of the theater idol group AKB48, depicting events from the members’ debuts and other behind-the-scenes incidents.

Continue reading AKB48 Gets Manga (Comic) Project

Comedian Kimura Yuichi (45) and talento Henmi Emiri (31) announced to the media on Friday that they have decided to divorce.

They submitted the divorce papers earlier that day. This is the end of Kimura Yuichi’s third marriage.

The couple started dating in October 2005, which led to a quick marriage in January 2006.

They never had any children, however.

source : tokyograph