Sakai Izumi (40), lead singer of the popular rock band ZARD was found dead on Sunday after an accident which media has reported as a fall from a hospital.

Mainichi Shimbun reports, “Singer Izumi Sakai has died after sustaining head injuries in a fall from the edge of a hospital building in Tokyo, her management agency has announced. Sakai, a member of the popular group ZARD, was 40.”

“Sakai fell about three meters from the slope outside Keio University Hospital in Tokyo’s Shinjuku-ku, apparently after coming back from a walk. The slope was slippery due to rain.”

“A passerby found her lying on the ground at about 5:40 a.m. on Saturday. She had suffered head injuries, and was confirmed dead on Sunday.”

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CRIEnglish.com reports that Jackie Chan’s “Phoenix” has been sold to a Hollywood company.

According to the article, “Jackie Chan’s production company has sold the remake rights for the action-comedy “Enter the Phoenix” to a producer of “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

“The 2004 Cantonese-language original was directed and co-written by its star, Stephen Fung. The plot centers on the gay son of a boss whose dying wish is that he take over the family business. Chan was one of the producers.”

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With reports that RAIN may be leaving his current management company and start his own company representing himself, the K-Pop R&B star recently gave tribute to his outgoing manager according to Chosun.

According to the article, “The K-pop superstar Rain has paid tribute to the role of his manager Park Jin-young in his stellar rise. Park “taught me to fish instead of how to eat fish. He taught me many things, including how to sing, but he always stressed the importance of standing on my own feet,” Rain told reporters.”

“Dressed in pink dress shirt and black suit, Rain was discussing the end of his contract with Park’s management agency JYP at a press conference before a concert at Japan’s Tokyo Dome. Park “has taken care of me with great sincerity over the last few years. I thought I’d better give him some space,” Rain said. The singer will decide where to turn next once his world tour ends in June. He may either move to another management firm or set up his own independent company.”

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KETCHUP MANIA BRINGS GREETINGS FROM TOKYO TO DALLAS THIS WEEKEND

May 28, 2007 (Las Vegas, NV) –  Japanese pop-punk group ketchup mania arrives in Dallas this weekend for their USA debut at A-Kon in Dallas, Texas.

To celebrate this event, the band is releasing their best-selling CD “Greetings from Tokyo” on JapanFiles.com, featuring their hits “Namida Vacuum Sound” and “Jingle Berry.” J-rock fans can now legally download ketchup mania’s first three releases direct from JapanFiles.com.

JapanFiles.com will also be selling the domestic release of this CD exclusively at A-Kon, where fans will have the chance to get their CDs signed by the band after their live performance.

Music at: www.japanfiles.com/ketchup  <http://www.japanfiles.com/ketchup>

A-Kon website: www.a-kon.com  <http://www.a-kon.com/>

Her Portrai I by Dennis A. Amith [KNDY]

I was inspired to do this after seeing an ad on Gotham Magazine. It was a basic grayscale ad but I wanted to try and give my spin to it using a Victoria model with Ioli face injection, Heavenly Hair 5 brushes, Quarker Sapphire Fox hair, added eyelashes, using In the Mood lights and then postwork in Photoshop. And Unimesh and Occlusion Master for the render.

Software: Poser 6 and Adobe Photoshop CS2

Mainichi Shimbun reports that Japanese film “Mogari no Mori” won the Grand Prix Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

According to the article, “Japanese director Naomi Kawase’s stirring film “Mogari no Mori” (The Mourning Forest) won the Grand Prix at the 60th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.”

“The Grand Prix is the runner-up prize for best picture. The award is a notable achievement for Kawase, who won the prestigious film festival’s Golden Camera award 10 years ago for her debut work “Moe no Suzaku.”

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Chosun reports that South Korea’s Jeon Do-yeon has won the Cannes Best Actress Prize.

 According to the article, “South Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, who stars in a tragic movie on death and faith, “Secret Sunshine”, won the Cannes filmfest’s best actress award Sunday.”

“The 34-year-old actress was acclaimed for her brave performance as a grieving wife and mother in the South Korean melodrama, the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former South Korean culture minister.”

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Episode 222 - This episode features a J!-ENT 4-for-4, KNDY talks about the Fujimoto Miki (Morning Musume leader) scandal, the suprise announcement at J-Rock Revolution.  J!-ENT’s Wynne Ip interviews people at J-Rock Revolution and talks about both concert nights.  A talk with Japanese music event coordinator Jeff Kleist in regards to Yoshiki’s exciting announcement and much more.

Download the latest episode here

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In a recent article on Daily Yomiuri ala Televiews, Wm. Penn writes about Japanese and television ratings.

Penn writes, “Could global TV cooling, like global warming, be a worldwide trend that people are just beginning to take seriously? Recent news reports from the United States suggest TV viewership there has declined significantly in the last year. Japanese TV ratings data certainly indicates local viewers are tuning out, too.”

“Every week, the Video Research Co. offers the Top 10 ratings in eight categories–news, educational/informational, variety, music, drama, movies, animation and sports. You can check them out at www.videor.co.jp/data/ratedata/top10.htm. In the not-too-distant past, programs usually had to approach 15 percent to make the list. To be considered a major hit, a program would need to get close to 30 percent.”

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In a recent article on Daily Yomiuri, Steve McClure gives some information on m-flo.

A little snippet from the article reveals, ”

Several things you need to know about m-flo:

– The band’s name, according to one account, was originally “Meteorite Flow,” but that’s a bit of tongue-twister in Japan, so the name was shortened to m-flo.

– Verbal’s real name is Ryu Yong Gi. He is of Korean descent and was born in Tokyo on Aug. 21, 1975. Unusually for a J-pop artist, Verbal studied at the Jesuit-operated Boston College in Massachusetts. He graduated with a degree in business and philosophy.

– Taku’s full name is Taku Takahashi, and he was born in Kanagawa Prefecture on March 29, 1974.

More on Steve McClure’s info. on m-flo