search results for '2009/11'

  1. 2009/11/20 Bloody Monday 2 confirmed, others still rumored (12)
  2. 2009/11/20 Yahoo! Japan Search Word Ranking 2009 : Chiebukuro
  3. 2009/11/20 As 2009 comes to an end, which of biggest names in Mandopop will pocket the most earnings?
  4. 2009/11/20 "Nobu" Fever: Japan falls for a Blind Piano Prodigy
  5. 2009/11/20 Lindsay Ann Hawker suspect attracts support from Japanese women (7)
  6. 2009/11/20 Arashi's My Girl debuted #1 on Global Track Charts
  7. 2009/11/20 First Johnny's Sports Fest in 5 years
  8. 2009/11/20 Miyazaki turned down Kimutaku, twice!
  9. 2009/11/20 [Breaking News] Model Daul Kim, 20, found dead in Paris
  10. 2009/11/20 Ebizo, Mao on the Verge of Marriage
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Bloody Monday 2 confirmed, others still rumored

No category 2009/11/20 18:01
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The sequel to the dorama series "Bloody Monday" finally got confirmed via the newest edition of the Shonen Magazine. They are currently publishing the 2nd season of the manga and put up a 1-page ad confirming that the sequel is underway and will start airing in January.

The main cast will basically stay the same except for a few. Confirmed so far are Miura Haruma, Sato Takeru, Kichise Michiko, Matsushige Yutaka, Ashina Sei, Kawashima Umika, Narimiya Hiroki, Kurokawa Tomoka, Takashima Masahiro and Yoshizawa Yuu.

With this there are only a few free slots left for the upcoming season. Netizens are speculating that Shinohara Ryoko might get a shot at the Wednesday 10pm slot on NTV, but those are mere speculations without any evidence. Ueto Aya has been in the talks for that time frame as well. Another interesting dorama spot is going to be Tuesday 9pm on Fuji TV. Eikura Nana is leading the speculations, whether that’s going to be as the starring actress or the heroine. A recent single post on 2ch made some blogs believe that she might take a part in a Japanese adaption of popular Korean drama "Coffee Prince" next to Tamaki Hiroshi, but so far there’s only one anonymous post supporting this rumor. Whatever it will, it’s definitely going to be a season packed with many nice actresses, don’t you think?

kawaii-joyuu
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Yahoo! Japan Search Word Ranking 2009 : Chiebukuro

No category 2009/11/20 17:59
A ranking of topics that users ask and answer on Yahoo! Chiebukuro (Yahoo! Answers) between 1st January 2009 and 31st October 2009.

"Yahoo! Chiebukuro" is the largest knowledge retrieval service in Japan, and the Yahoo Japan Corporation has been providing this service since April 2004. Their aim is to connect people who want to question and those who want to answer, and the sharing of wisdom and knowledge among the participants.

Included random entries and some answers from the top 3 chiebukuro.

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1. ARASHI
・Is Aiba-kun the least popular member in Arashi?
When searching for Arashi members using Yahoo!, I get these results.
Matsumoto Jun - About 5,970,000 hits
Ohno Satoshi - About 5,660,000
Sakurai Sho - About 5,650,000
Ninomiya Kazunari - About 5,610,000
Aiba Masaki - About 3,670,000
Reply :
Please don't judge Aiba-chan just from numbers! All the Arashi members are special in their own way. Aiba-chan works hard in varieties. And he has an October drama. You shouldn't ask such a question. Arashi and Aiba-chan have many fans, it's such an insensitive question. Just because he isn't in movies does not mean he is not popular. Anyway, what is the point of your question?

・I'm going to lend a sister's friend an Arashi album, which one do you think is the best one to introduce to a new fan?

・Am I an Arashi otaku?
I've been an Arashi fan for 5 years and am now in 1st year of junior high. My friends call me an Arashi otaku. Am I one?
-Always buy the first press CD
-Always buy first press albums too
-Even if I can't afford it, will buy magazines featuring Arashi
-In the fan club
-Own their calendars
-Room full of posters
Reply:
Completely normal!!
All Arashi fans are like that☆
I'm a big Arashi fan too and the same.

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2. TOHOSHINKI
・My mom was cheated of her Tohoshinki tickets.
・I became a Tohoshinki fan after hearing Survivor, what about you?
・Do you feel embarrassed being a Tohoshinki fan?
The writer said she felt embarrassed because she's already 30. She got a reply from an Arashi fan who confessed that she's also 'old', a housewife with a kid as well but it does not interfere with being a fan.

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3. Sakai Noriko
・If you were the judge on the Oshio Manabu and Noriko Sakai case, what will your verdict be?
・Isn't it weird the way the media has reported on Noriko Sakai???
・Did you watch Noriko Sakai's apology?

4. Diet
5. PSP
6. Kitano Makoto
7. iPod
8. Adultery/Extra-marital affairs
9. PS3
10. One Piece

unleashthegeek
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As 2009 comes to an end, which of biggest names in Mandopop will pocket the most earnings?

No category 2009/11/20 17:57
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Source : MediaCorp TV

With the year drawing to an end, it is also time for singers to earn their last and usually biggest ‘ang-bao’ (‘red packet’) for the year at the annual countdown parties. By estimation, the most lucrative deal will be the countdown performance in Shanghai, with popular Taiwanese singer Show Luo earning a whopping NT5 million (about $250,000). Show’s good friend, Jolin Tsai, may be missing out on the annual countdown but is definitely not losing out on earnings. She will be performing at “Hennessy Night” on the night before the countdown, and will be raking in NT8 million (about $400,000).

Show’s increasing popularity is opening more doors for him. The singer-actor is slated for the final performance before the countdown. Lasting for 40 minutes, Show will be performing a total of 10 songs, thus earning a total of NT5 million ($250,000).

Taiwanese singers David Tao and Kenji Wu will be performing in Shenzhen, and will be earning NT3.21 million (about $160,000) and NT3 million (about $150,000) respectively. Jam Hsiao, who will also be performing in Shenzhen, will be earning RMB400,000 (about $80,000).

Likewise, Taiwanese singer-actress Angela Zhang will join fellow songstress Christine Fan in the Shenzhen countdown and going by Angela’s usual rates, her earning base will start from NT2 million (about $100,000).

Even though the lucrative performances are held in China, many artistes still choose to perform in Taiwan. Taiwanese singer Wang Lee Hom, who performed in Shanghai last year, will be travelling via the Taiwan railway to get to three places, including Tai Zhong, Tao Yuan and Taipei for his performances. Each performance of his is estimated to rake in NT1.5 million (about $75,000).

Both Wang Lee Hom and Taiwanese hit band Mayday are due to perform in Taipei for the countdown to 2010. However, as Mayday will be presenting a special performance to the Taipei City Government, they are estimated to rake in more than NT2 million (about $100,000). Similarly, Taiwanese trio SHE, who will also be performing in Taipei, will be taking in close to NT1.5 million (about $75,000).
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"Nobu" Fever: Japan falls for a Blind Piano Prodigy

No category 2009/11/20 17:56
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As Nobuyuki Tsujii finished the last note of Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante by Chopin, the packed audience in Tokyo's Kioi Hall broke into an emotional applause. Executing each piece with energy and concentration, the 21-year-old classical pianist, who has been blind since birth, mesmerized the typically reserved Tokyo crowd in a two-hour solo performance on his latest tour. Kumi Araki, a 25-year-old from downtown Toyko, gushed. "I am so moved. Before I knew it, I was standing to applaud!" she says, wiping at tears.

Backstage, Tsujii's fans surrounded him to congratulate another great performance. Dramatically different from his stage persona, the soft-spoken and laid-back musician says, "Everywhere I go on this tour, people's reaction is amazing." After Tsujii won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, in June, the young performer has been launched into the unfamiliar world of Japanese mega-stardom. The sales of his first album debut, together with his second album and a live DVD, have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and the interview requests flooded in. Tsujii, the first Japanese winner of the competition, says he rarely has time to go to his school now, or to meet friends. "The medal is a bit of a burden," he admits, "But I enjoy playing in front of people, so I try to give a good performance every time."

Japan, it seems, has got itself a case of Nobu Fever, the latest object of affection in a culture that regularly gets obsessed en masse with everything from fad diets to Haruki Murakami's latest book. And while this kind of fame may be new for the artist, life as a concert pianist is not. Tsujii's talent for music was discovered by his mother, when, at eight months, she says he repeatedly urged her to play a CD of Chopin's Polonaise Op.53. Soon after, his parents gave him a toy piano, and he started lessons before he was two. At 10, he debuted on stage with a professional orchestra. Masahiro Kawakami, who taught Tsujii for 12 years, is amazed at his pupil's unstoppable charisma. "He has a strong desire to strike a beautiful note, and this conviction that things will go well. His music has a power to make people happy."

By day, Tsujii is a junior at Ueno Gakuen University, a music school in Tokyo. The round-faced, stout Tokyoite — he says he takes after his dad, except for the fingers — likes karaoke and swimming, and would like to find a nice girlfriend soon. Pretty ordinary stuff for a college student, but once Tsujii sits in front of a piano, he transforms. Classical music critic Yukiko Hagiya calls his sound "pure and crystal-clear. It communicates his joy of performing to an audience." Michel Beroff, one of the jurors for the Cliburn Competition told the monthly piano magazine Chopin, "The special thing about his performance is his sound. It has depth, color and contrast, the genuine music."

Certainly, being blind hasn't made it easy. Tsujii can use Braille music scores to learn new pieces, but this kind of translation is usually done by volunteers. Because demand is so low, the variety of scores available does not meet the needs of a professional performer, so Tsujii has devised his own method. A team of pianists records scores along with specific codes and instructions written by composers, which Tsujii listens to and practices until he learns and perfects each piece. Yukio Yokoyama, Tsujii's current professor says, "Usually people learn by observing how others use their fingers, their bodies and their breaths, but he can only touch and feel."

Tsujii hopes one day to shake the label of being Japan's "blind" pianist. "When I was small, I realized I was blind, but at the same time I said, 'But I can play the piano, so it's okay.' I'd like everyone to think that I am simply a pianist." He'll have his chance: As the winner of the Cliburn Competition, he is booked to perform worldwide for the next three years. "I am only at the starting line," he says. "I'd like to become a fine musician and play the piano as long as l live."

time.com
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Lindsay Ann Hawker suspect attracts support from Japanese women

No category 2009/11/20 17:55
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Tatsuya Ichihashi, the man suspected of killing the British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker, has become a bizarre object of admiration among a number of online communities of Japanese women.

Posting on social networking sites such as Mixi and 2Channel, some have even taken to referring to Ichihashi as The Fugitive Prince or Lord Ichi. Others have claimed that he could not possibly have committed the crime because he looks so kind.

"When he was arrested, I thought his dishevelled black hair and the line from his neck to his jaw made him look so attractive," one anonymous poster wrote. Others have commented on his lean physique and "bravery" in the face of police questioning into the brutal killing of Miss Hawker in 2007.

After Ichihashi's parents revealed that their son had been upset when the family dog died shortly before Miss Hawker's killing, some bloggers have commented on how sweet and caring they imagine he is.

One woman has even visited Gyotoku Police Station, where 30-year-old Ichihashi is being questioned, with a scrap book of photos of dogs.

Aya Matsumoto, a clinical psychologist, said: "It was a very cruel crime, but it seems that people here are treating it almost as if it were entertainment. It seems to me that anyone who appears on television here in Japan is immediately elevated to some sort of star and these people are unable or unwilling to associate Ichihashi with Miss Hawker's death.

"I would imagine that a lot of these women who are posting consider Ichihashi to be a helpless young boy and have fallen in love with that image. They almost have a mothering instinct and a need to care for him."

Police on Tuesday refused to comment on the number of letters or gifts that have been delivered to the station for Ichihashi, but did confirm that the suspect is still refusing to answer questions about the case and will not eat.

A doctor has examined Ichihashi, who has not eaten since he was arrested in Osaka on Nov 10. He had been on the run since evading police investigating Miss Hawker's death in March 2007. Her body was later found buried in sand in a bath tub on the balcony of Ichihashi's apartment in west Tokyo.

telegraph.co.uk
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Arashi's My Girl debuted #1 on Global Track Charts

No category 2009/11/20 17:54
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1. Arashi - My Girl = 358.000
2. Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway = 273.000
3. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling = 244.000
4. David Guetta feat. Akon - Sexy B***h = 240.000
5. Britney Spears - 3 = 237.000
6. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind = 232.000
7. Ke$ha - Tik Tok = 224.000
8. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance = 211.000
9. Jay Sean feat. Lil Wayn - Down = 199.000
10. Lady GaGa - Paparazzi = 190.000

united world chart
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First Johnny's Sports Fest in 5 years

No category 2009/11/20 17:53
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Johnny's Jimusho announced on the 19th that its 'Johnny's Selects Sports Festival', where many of its talents gather to participate in events like baseball, will be held in Tokyo Dome on 13th December.

Johnny's Sports Festival was held annually in autumn from 1990 to 2004. This one will be a Kantou vs Kansai showdown. Domoto Koichi (30) will lead the Kansai faction as its captain leading talents like Uchi Hiroki (23) and Nakayama Yuma (15) on his side. Kamenashi Kazuya (23) from KAT-TUN captains the Kantou side with Taguchi Junnosuke (23), Morimoto Ryutaro (14), Fujigaya Taisuke (22) and others on his side.

Other events include a relay and a mini-concert. The event is restricted to fan club members. Admission fee is 3500 yen and attendance is capped at 45,000.

unleashthegeek
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Miyazaki turned down Kimutaku, twice!

No category 2009/11/20 17:51
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Don’t worry, this is not about another new love rumor. As you know, actress Miyazaki Aoi (23) became quite a popular actress, even more thanks to her taiga hit dorama "Atsuhime", so it’s no surprise that she receives a lot of job offers for doramas and movies alike. Apparently Kimura Takuya (37) simply known as Kimutaku also tried to get her to appear alongside him, but surprisingly she really turned down his offers. Offers! Miyazaki didn’t just ditch him once but twice.

Everything Kimutaku touches becomes gold it seems, so it’s usually a given to accept the offers to work with him on a movie or dorama. His first offer towards Miyazaki was for the upcoming big-budget movie "Space Battleship Yamato" that will now star Kuroki Meisa. The first choice was Sawajiri Erika, but we all know the story why she didn’t get to take part in this project. After that they immediately started negotiations with Miyazaki to become her replacement, but she refused to take the role in this huge project.

Normally you wouldn’t think too much into such a refusal, but things became more interesting when she even turned down another offer for a dorama. "They are currently doing the casting for Kimura Takuya’s Monday-09pm on Fuji TV that is going to air to sometime next year. As usual there are very high expectations for the ratings since it’s Kimura and so they were sure to get Miyazaki’s approval when they tried to get her for the role as the heroine… However, she really turned down this amazing offer as well."

Turning down such very promising roles twice, people immediately started to think of reasons for her behavior. "Could she be pregnant?" Thinking about her personal situations, this rumor quickly became the most prominent of them all, but you shouldn’t be too quick with your assumptions. "While turning down all of Kimura Takuya’s offers, it’s said that she accepted an offer from TBS and will appear in a Sunday-09pm dorama next fall. Rather than having a huge actor by her side, she’s more curious about a good script and concept in general."

If that’s true, there’s no way that she could be pregnant. While it may sound really bold to ditch Kimutaku twice, actresses and actors alike should always choose the roles they like best. Apart from that, Miyazaki isn’t at the level anymore where she would need somebody like Kimutaku to gain attention.

kawaii-joyuu
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[Breaking News] Model Daul Kim, 20, found dead in Paris

No category 2009/11/20 17:50
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Korean model Daul Kim, 20, was found dead in Paris this morning, NY Mag’s The Cut reports. Her cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but sources told the magazine she had committed suicide.

Kim was a favorite among fashion followers for her gorgeous editorials (in i-D, Dazed & Confused, and British, Korean, and Japanese Vogue, among others) and witty, honest interviews.

She maintained a blog, I Like to Fork Myself, for over two years, in which she shared her favorite videos, pictures, and insights about the modeling industry. Daul’s last posting, on her blog, had the headline: say hi to forever, featuring a Jim Rivers video whom she thought was the “best track forever”.

Daul’s modeling agents at Next issued a statement: “She was a top model and a great friend to all of us at Next. Please respect her family’s privacy at this time of sadness. We will all miss her very much.”

c: Zimbio + kbites
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Ebizo, Mao on the Verge of Marriage

No category 2009/11/20 17:49
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Playboy kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo (31) is on the verge of finally settling down. He and freelance newscaster Kobayashi Mao (27) spoke yesterday for the first time about their relationship and said they plan to get engaged in the near future. Ichikawa spoke to reporters in front of his home in Tokyo shortly before 11pm last night. "When I first met her last December I had a feeling this would be the person I would be with." He said he proposed at the end of June, adding "I will love her forever." Renowned as a playboy after relationships with such actresses as Yonekura Ryoko (34), Sato Eriko (27) and Takaoka Saki (36), he refused to be taunted when a reporter asked, "Is it time to pay the piper?" He replied by saying simply, "She's a wonderful person, so I guess it is."

Meanwhile Kobayashi was the one who started the media buzzing with a brief mention at a PR event yesterday afternoon, before making a formal announcement on the TBS "News Zero" show last night. She first met Ichikawa while interviewing him for the show on the subject of "an encounter that changed your life." An ardent kabuki fan, she watched Ichikawa perform every night for a week after that interview and is a regular visitor to the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo. The speed of the marriage plans has caused the usual speculation as to whether Kobayashi is pregnant but it's been reported that she's not. Ichikawa's father, Danjuro XII (who previously performed under the Ebizo stage name), is performing this month and both father and son have performances scheduled for January, so a formal engagement is likely to be held in December.

Ichikawa, formally Ebizo XI, is one of the "princes" of kabuki, coming from a long theatrical lineage. Together with other handsome young stars such as Nakamura Shido, he has helped keep kabuki popular with younger audiences. They regularly appear in movies and TV dramas - Ichikawa played the lead in NHK's yearlong taiga drama series "Musashi" in 2003. And their off-stage antics have helped keep them in the gossip columns.

Kobayashi, on the recommendation of her older sister Maya (30), also a freelance TV announcer, first made a name for herself on the Sanma-hosted NTV variety show "Koi no Karasawagi" while a student at Sophia University. She became a weather reporter for Fuji TV in 2003 and the following year had a part in a late-night drama. From 2005 she started appearing regularly in dramas on several networks. She joined the News Zero team when the show was launched in October 2006

japan zone
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