Arnel Pineda has been getting a lot of publicity. The Filipino vocalist discovered from YouTube was selected by Journey to be the new vocalist of the band is currently featured in this month’s GQ magazine and was featured several days ago on the American talk show “ELLEN” hosted by Ellen Degeneres.

In a recent article on ABS-CBN.com, Ramil Digal Gulle wrote, “It’s hard to believe that only a year ago, Pineda was singing with his Manila band The Zoo at different venues, doing covers of various high-pitched pop and rock crowd pleasers. On YouTube, you can watch Arnel’s covers of stuff like Survivor’s “Ever Since the World Began” or even Air Supply’s “Makin’ Love out of Nothing at All”. And of course, his cover versions of hits by Journey.”

“Journey’s lead guitarist and founding member Neal Schon (he’s also a former member of Santana) found clips of Pineda on YouTube in 2007. He told GQ magazine that during his search, he deliberately tried to avoid a Steve Perry clone.”

“I didn’t think they had anything new to offer,” Schon says, “other than making us a nostalgia act, and I wasn’t interested in that,” he told GQ, explaining the he wanted a singer who could not only sing the hits made popular by Perry, but also help take the band in a new direction.

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[Disclaimer: Youtube videos are courtesy of youtube.com and are not on J!-ENT servers]

JapanToday.com reported, “Taichi Kokubun, 33, a member of Johnny’s idol group TOKIO, has been living together with his new girlfriend, weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reports. Last year, Kokubun broke up with singer aiko, 32, with whom he was in a relationship for eight years. According to Bunshun, Kokubun’s new girlfriend is in her early 20s, and the two have been living together for some time.”

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Nation’s Largest Anime and Manga Convention Welcomes Celebrated and Elusive Madhouse Animator

Anaheim, California (May 29, 2008) ‹Anime Expo® 2008 announces the 1st ever
global convention appearance of Madhouse animator Hiromi Kato as an official
Guest of Honor to this year¹s Anime Expo® 2008 held from July 3-6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.  More information can
be found on the website www.anime-expo.org <http://www.anime-expo.org> .

Mr. Kato learned about animation from renowned animator Yasuji Mori from the
age of 16 at Nippon Animation Co., LTD after being deeply impressed by the
NHK TV anime ³Mirai Shounen Conan² (FUTURE BOY CONAN).

Mr. Kato¹s first role as a key animator was for the title ³Peter Pan no
Bouken² (ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN).  He debuted as an animation director with
³Trapp Ikka Monogatari² (TRAP FAMILY STORY).  He  debuted as a character
designer with ³Daisogen No Chiisana Tenshi Bush Baby² (THE BUSH BABY).  He
also designed characters for ³Ai to Yuuki no Big Girl Tonde Buurin² (SUPER
PIG OF LOVE AND COURAGE), ³Hameln no Violin Hiki² (VIOLINIST OF HAMELN) and
other titles while at Nippon Animation Co., Ltd.  Mr. Kato was also involved
in the planning of ³Tenshi ni Narumon!² (I¹M GONNA BE AN ANGEL!) as well as
the production of ³Shoujo Kakumei Utena² (REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA).

Mr. Kato is a current member of Madhouse Studios working as an animation
director for BECK and PARADISE KISS as well as a character designer for
CLAMP IN WONDERLAND 2.

Hiromi Kato joins up and coming director Masahiro Ando, legendary American
voice actor David Hayter, famed POKEMON director Masamitsu Hidaka, the
dynamic duo known as Jyukai, celebrated veteran voice actor Toshihiko Seki
and the new Japanese ³It-Girl² Shokotan in Anime Expo® 2008¹s amazing line
up of Guests of Honor.

Attendees that have pre-registered can also update their information and add
on orders for main event tickets via the Anime Expo® 2008 Online
Registration Area at www.anime-expo.org <http://www.anime-expo.org> .

Free shuttle services for all hotel attendees will be provided. Regular
non-hotel attendees will have access to utilize the free shuttle services
during designated hours as well. All schedules and routes will be posted in
the lobby of each shuttle hotel. Frequency of service is pending local
traffic, road conditions and can change without notice.  Also, no shuttle
service provided to the Holiday Inn City Center and the Figueroa Hotel (both
are within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center).

Attendees, Press and Industry Members are also encouraged to view the video
coverage site of the 2007 convention at www.AXBackstage.org
<http://www.AXBackstage.org> .

This year¹s Red & Black Sponsors are FUNimation and ImaginAsian Television.
Platinum Sponsor is Imagi Studios.  Gold Sponsor is Digital Manga
Publishing.  Silver Sponsor is Gaia Online.  Patron Sponsors are Central
Park Media and COPIC Markers.

About Anime Expo®
Located in Los Angeles, California - Anime Expo®, the nation¹s largest
anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests
of the general public and animation/ comics industry.  This event serves as
a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and
explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the
industry to conduct business. AX 2008 will be held July 3 ­ July 6, 2008 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California. More information
can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit
organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public
about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate
communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more
popularly known by its entertainment property ­ Anime Expo®.  More
information can be found at its website (www.spja.org <http://www.spja.org>).

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Anime presents Anime Expo® 2008.

WHO:             Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
Industry giants
Guests from Japan and the U.S.
Exhibit Hall
Main Events
Concerts
Live Programming
Artist Alley
Screenings
Dances
Arcade
Red & Black Sponsors include: FUNimation and
Imaginasian TV
Platinum Sponsors include: Imagi Studios
Gold Sponsors include: Digital Manga Publishing
Silver Sponsors include: Gaia Online
Patron Sponsors include: COPIC and Central Park
Media

WHAT:          Nation¹s largest 24 Hour anime/manga convention serving over
44,000+ unique attendees in 2007.

WHEN:          Thursday, July 3, 2008 through Sunday, July 6, 2008

WHERE:       Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street; Los
Angeles, CA 90015

ADMISSION:

Registration Type   Dates   Price
Children ages 5 and under   Anytime   Free
4-Day Child (children ages 6-12)   Anytime   $30

Regular   March 18th to June 1st
4-Day Attendee       $55
2-Day Attendee       $45
1-Day Attendee       $25

Late   June 2nd to July 6th
4-Day Attendee       $60
2-Day Attendee       $45
1-Day Attendee       $25

At the door*   July 3rd to July 6th
4-Day Attendee       $65
2-Day Attendee       $50
1-Day Attendee       $25

*At the door registration refers to badges purchased at the Los Angeles
Convention Center during the convention. Those who choose to register at the
Anime Expo® registration site will be subject to the fees listed in the ³At
the door² category. However, online registrations made during the convention
are considered ³Late² and will be charged according to the prices listed in
the ³Late² category. Please note that you will save $5 by registering
online!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:      Visit the Anime Expo® 2008 website at:

http://www.anime-expo.org or call (310) 869-8030

Here is the new music video featuring Koda Kumi and FERGIE titled “That Ain’t Cool”. Although it features FERGIE, interesting thing is the vocals are mostly FERGIE.

DISCLAIMER: youtube.com videos are courtesy of youtube and are not on J!-ENT servers

The MTV Video Music Awards 2008 was held in Japan and here are the results:

BEST MALE VIDEO: Ne-Yo - Because of You

BEST FEMALE VIDEO: FERGIE - Big Girls Don’t Cry

BEST GROUP VIDEO - m-flo and Hinouchi Emi, Ryohei, Emyli, YOSHIKA & LISA - love comes and goes

BEST NEW ARTIST VIDEO: Hata Motohiro - Uroko

BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR - EXILE - I Believe

BEST ROCK VIDEO - RADWIMPS - Order Made

BEST POP VIDEO - AVRIL LAVIGNE - Girlfriend

BEST R&B VIDEO - Amuro Namie - Hide & Seek

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO - RIP SLYME - I-N-G

BEST REGGAE VIDEO - Shonannokaze - Suirenka

BEST DANCE VIDEO - THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - Do it Again

BEST VIDEO FROM A FILM - Utada Hikaru - “Beautiful World” from “Rebuild of Evangelion”

BEST COLLABORATION VIDEO - Koda Kumi - LAST ANGEL feat. Tohoshinki

BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR - EXILE - EXILE LOVE

BEST BUZZASIA FROM JAPAN - AI - I’ll Remember You

BEST BUZZASIA FROM KOREA - Cherry Filter - Feel It

BEST BUZZASIA FROM TAIWAN - Andy Lau - One

BEST KARAOKE SONG - EXILE - Toki no Kakera

MTV VIDEO VANGIARD AWARD - MARIAH CAREY

MTV Rock the World Award - Kobayashi Takashi and Sakurai Kazutoshi

RED HOT AWARD - INFINITY 16

DISCLAIMER: youtube.com videos are courtesy of youtube.com and are not on J!-ENT servers

Japantoday.com reported, “Celebrity Uno Kanda, 33, has expanded her line of fashion items with a new brand—“UNO KANDA.” The new brand consists of handbags and accessories. Kanda has already made a fortune from her hosiery and wedding dress lines.”

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JapanToday.com reported, “South Korean heartthrob actor Bae Yong Joon arrived to a huge reception at Kansai international airport on Friday afternoon, with some 3,000 fans—mostly older women—crowding the terminal to greet him. The 35-year-old star — still the most popular foreign celebrity in Japan — will attend an event for the NHK drama “Taioshijinki,” in which he stars, at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Sunday.”

“Police said more than 3,000 screaming women besieged the arrival lobby as Bae emerged. Some women said they had flown to Seoul in the morning so they could take the return flight with Bae in the afternoon. Meanwhile, hundreds of fans had camped in the terminal from 6 a.m. to get the best possible vantage spot. Other women came from as far away as Tokyo on chartered buses. Around 400 police, including anti-riot squad members, were mobilized to control fans.”

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JapanToday’s Chris Betros recently interviewed the enka singer who has captivated Japan with his songs and also has become the first Black man in Japan to do so.

In an excerpt from Betros interview:

There are some days that Jero could definitely use a few clones. Ever since the enka singer made his debut in February, his life has been a daily whirlwind of promotional appearances, media interviews, radio and TV events. “Actually, I’m having fun and starting to get used to it, but I hardly have any time to myself to chill out,” he says, sitting back in the office of his management agency, Victor Entertainment. Of course, the fact that Jero, 26, is the first African-American enka singer in Japanese music history and that he blends hip hop with enka has a lot to do with his skyrocketing fame since he released his debut single “Umiyuki” on Feb 20.

Not too long ago, Jero was just Jerome White, an English teacher in Wakayama. His road to enka began a long time ago when his Japanese grandmother married a U.S. navy man in Yokosuka. They went back to Pittsburgh and raised a family. Jero eventually came along in 1981, and credits his grandmother for the beginnings of his love of enka. In fact, throughout the interview, he refers to his grandmother many times, dedicating his career to her.

His grandmother would sing to him the songs of such great enka artists as the legendary Hibari Misora and Sayuri Ishikawa. “I was singing enka in Japanese to my grandmother before I was 10, even though I didn’t speak any Japanese and didn’t know the meaning of the lyrics. She was so pleased,” he recalls. “My friends didn’t have a Japanese grandmother like I did. I took great pride in that and it made me want to learn more about her country and culture. Of course, growing up in Pittsburgh, I also listened to a lot of R&B and hip hop. Yet, in the back of my mind, I thought if there was ever a chance, I would love to become an enka singer. I knew that would be a long shot living in the States, so I kept it on the backburner.”

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I plan to rewatch the “Indiana Jones” trilogy before watching the new film. I’m glad to see the new film doing so well but I couldn’t help but create another 3D image. I know it maybe a little more Tomb Raiderish but oh well, here is Indiana Aiko.

Mainichi Daily News reported, “Actress Maki Horikita appeared Thursday at a Tokyo press conference for a new TV commercial for NTT DoCoMo’s mobile phones, in which she is starring.”

“In the commercial, the 19-year-old actress changes into 10 different clothes to match 10 new models of DoCoMo’s “One-Segment” mobile TV phones. “I played 10 different characters rather than just being myself. We carefully chose dresses and hair styles to emphasize the uniqueness of each character,” she remarked.”

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