 | Man busted for posting threats on Stereopony’s Website |
March 18, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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An unemployed man was arrested for attempted extortion by posting threats and demanding money on the Japanese message board for Stereopony. The man posted a total of 14 threats saying that he will break all their bones and that he was demanding money.
Stereopony is a female rock band on the Sony Music Records label.
Tags: Japanese Entertainment News, Stereopony
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| moumoon FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2010 |
March 15, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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The following is information on moumoon’s concert tour which begins in June. The concert “moumoon FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2010″ ticket information and dates are as follows:
moumoon FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2010（仮）】
日付 開場/開演
6月19日(土) 17:30/18:00 大阪府: 大阪MUSE
6月20日(日) 17:30/18:00 愛知県: ell.FITSALL
7月 6日(火) 18:00/19:00 東京都: ＣＬＵＢ ＱＵＡＴＴＲＯ
チケット料金：スタンディング\3,800
入場時1drink \500別 ※整理番号順のご入場となります。
※年齢制限：小学生以上有料。未就学児童は入場無料
※開場開演時間は、変更になる場合がございます。
≪受付期間≫
2010年3月9日(火)ただいま～2010年3月15日(月)18:00
※締切後の追加・変更は、お受け出来かねますので何卒ご注意ください。
※恐れ入りますが、予定枚数以上のお申し込みがあった場合、
抽選販売とさせて頂きます。予めご了承ください。
ご希望の方は下記の方法でお申し込み下さい。
Tags: FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2010, Japanese Entertainment News, moumoon
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| CHATMONCHY TO PERFORM ADDITIONAL DATE IN NYC @ CAKESHOP on MARCH 22 |
March 12, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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“Chatmonchy…have reached the upper- echelons of the Japan charts with three gritty, emotional, yet vivacious albums.”–– The Japan Times
Chatmonchy are three girls from Japan who rock. The band will be making their U.S. debut on March 19 at SXSW 2010, followed by a Japan Nite Tour with performances in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The band will also be performing at Cakeshop in NY on March 22, as well as the legendary Amoeba Music in Hollywood on March 24 and in San Francisco on March 26 (see below for details).
Playing raw, energy-infused melodic rock music, Eriko (guitar and vocals), Akiko (bass), and Kumiko (drums) have been making a buzz all across Japan since their 2005 major label debut. Now, with their latest Oricon chart-topping album “Kokuhaku” (Confession), they’re ready to infect North American fans with their catchy take on girl-rock power. SIN/Sony Music Independent Network has released three of the band’s full-lengths, including 2009’s “Kokuhaku” (Confession), “Miminari” (Ear Ringing), and “Seimeiryoku” (Life Force). The albums are available in a digital only format.
Chatmonchy—whose name means absolutely nothing!—burst onto the scene without any label backing in 2004, quickly catching the ear of Sony Music Japan. The next year, Sony’s Ki/oon Records released their debut EP, “chatmonchy has come,” and the band set off on their first nation-wide tour of Japan in 2006.
Inspiring fans with their feistiness and fire, Chatmonchy released their first full-length album, “Miminari” (Ear Ringing), in July of the same year. The album garnered a Top 10 spot on the national Oricon chart, and the girls were invited to perform at Japan’s most important summer festivals, including Summer Sonic, Rock In Japan Festival and the Nano-Mugen Festival.
After the success of their summer festival dates, Eriko, Akiko, and Kumiko did a national tour in the Fall of 2006, then headed back to the studio to finish “Seimeiryoku” (Life Force), the album they had started writing the year before. The album, released in late 2007, hit #2 on the Oricon charts, and Chatmonchy played sold-out shows all around Japan —including a two-night solo concert at the Budokan in the Spring of 2008 in front of more than 16,000 fans.
Following the first album, the rock-power girl trio released 4 singles that reached the Oricon Top 10, three that hit the Top 20, and 4 DVDs including music videos and passionate live performance footage. In addition, the single, “Dai Dai,” was featured as the theme song on the anime series, “Bleach”—their first step toward connecting to a worldwide audience.
The 2010 SXSW Music Conference will be Chatmonchy’s first North American live performance, and the beginning of the next important chapter for these accomplished musicians—these three girls from Japan who rock.
http://www.chatmonchy.com/
http://www.myspace.com/chatmonchy
http://www.facebook.com/chatmonchy
CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
March 18 Austin, TX Typewriter Museum (Japan Preview)
March 19 Austin, TX Cafe Mundi (Girls Rock Austin SXSW Day Party)
March 19 Austin, TX Elysium (SXSW Japan Nite)
March 21 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (Japan Nite Tour)
March 22 New York, NY Cakeshop
March 24 Los Angeles, CA Amoeba Music (In-store)
March 26 San Francisco, CA Amoeba Music (In-store)
March 26 San Francisco, CA The Independent (Japan Nite Tour)
March 27 Los Angeles, CA Viper Room (Japan NIte Tour)
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| Warner Music Japan removing Jaywalk albums in stores after lead vocalist was busted for drugs |
March 11, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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Mainichi Daily News reported:
Several CD albums and singles by the band Jaywalk will be removed from stores following Tuesday’s arrest for drugs of frontman Koichi Nakamura, the band’s record label has announced.
Nakamura, 59, the band’s vocalist, was arrested in Tokyo in the early hours of Tuesday morning on suspicion of drug possession.
Warner Music Japan Inc. President Takashi Yoshida unveiled a plan at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday to cancel the label’s contract with the band. Warner Music Japan will also recall the band’s eight products released from the label between 2007 and 2010 — including the compilation album “R35 Sweet J-Ballads” that includes a popular song by the band — from stores across the country, and cancel the release of the band’s new single and album scheduled for later this month and in late April, respectively.
Satoshi Tomohisa, president of Jaywalk’s agency Freeway Corp., also announced at the press conference the cancellation of the band’s nationwide tour scheduled to start from May.
“We are not planning to break up the band at this point. We want to wait until Nakamura comes back,” said Tomohisa.
Tags: Japanese Entertainment News, Jaywalk
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| Three fans busted for stealing from AKB48 |
March 11, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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Mainichi Daily News reported:
Three teenagers have been arrested for stealing a signboard and other equipments from the set of a TV drama featuring popular all-girl J-pop group AKB48, police said on Thursday.
“We’re big fans of them and wanted to obtain whatever they used,” one of the boys were quoted as telling police.
Arrested on charges of theft were a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old and his 16-year-old younger brother. All three are residents of Hino, a Tokyo suburb, and have reportedly admitted to the allegations.
Tags: AKB48, j-pop, Japanese Entertainment News
 | CHiAKi KURiYAMA’s debut single “Ryusei No Namida”, theme song of “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn”out today! |
March 9, 2010 by Dennis Amith · View Comments
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CHiAKi KURiYAMA’s debut single “Ryusei No Namida” (theme song to Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn)
is now available on all major digital outlets
Dark-haired beauty Chiaki Kuriyama’s movie career started in full swing in 1999 with Shikoku.
Her impressive performance in 2000 movie Battle Royale caught the notice of movie wizard Quentin Tarantino and led to her Hollywood debut in 2003 in his movie Kill Bill Vol.1, where she played the unique role of Gogo Yubari, a teen girl in high school uniform who fights with starring actress Uma Thurman.
Her acting skills and strong presence was highly acclaimed, and she won the Best Fight category of the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.
In addition, the New York Times Magazine picked her as one of the “Great Performers 2003”, i.e., 21 best actors/actresses in Hollywood.
And now, actress Chiaki has just made her singer debut as CHiAKi KURiYAMA!
Her artist name derived from the 3 sides of “i” (=me) that exists inside “CHiAKi KURiYAMA”: “i as a normal girl”, “i as an actress”, and “i as a singer”.
www.chiakikuriyama.net
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
Chiaki recently made a special appearance at the premier of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
She surprised the audience as she dressed up as Audrey Burne, one of the main characters from the series.
Then it was turn for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn to surprise her with a big present!
In connection with Ryusei No Namida (=tears of meteor), and the Gundam series which is set out in space, Chiaki received an actual star named “CHiAKi KURiYAMA” in the Monoceros (Unicorn)!
To celebrate the opening for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and her artist debut as CHiAKi KURiYAMA, star “CHiAKi KURiYAMA” was given as a present through Australia’s Springbrook Observatory.
-Profile-
Born October 10, 1984
Debuted in film “Shikoku”
Played character Gogo Yubari in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol.1 in 2003 and gained worldwide recognition.
Since then appeared in various films, TV series, and TV commercials globally.
Favorite Artists: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, Avril Lavigne, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Manson,
Ringo Shiina, Tokyo Jihen, Hikaru Utada, Namie Amuro, L’Arc~en~Ciel etc…
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| HearJapan Gives You Presents For Hatsune Miku’s Day |
March 9, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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Yokohama, Japan – March 9th, 2010 - Why is March 9th Hatsune Miku’s day?
Well in Japanese 3 (mi) + 9 (ku) = Miku! To celebrate another year of
mesmerizing music from the world’s premiere Vocaloid singing idol
Hatsune Miku, HearJapan and Crypton Future Media are teaming up to
bring you, yes YOU, a load of presents for Miku’s day!
Well OK, there is a small catch. First you need to download a
selection of 10 free Vocaloid samples from Hatsune Miku Treasure Hunt at HearJapan.
No, really, they’re all free! The only problem is that they seem to be missing
their names. What you need to do is sift through the Vocaloid
collection on HearJapan (that’s over 150 releases!) by listening to
the 30 second samples and figure out the names of all 10 songs. The
songs are a selection of both new and old tunes, possibly even the newest
Avtechno “Free” and Reng “Nextone -Krnt Edit- “ releases. Ten lucky
winners will be randomly picked from the correct answers.
Oh, the gifts!
The 1st place winner will receive a Hatsune Miku Nendoriod Figure
(courtesy of Good Smile), complete with several expressions and even a
leek to spin, a Hatsune Miku calendar and 5,000 yen in HearJapan
credits.
2nd, 3rd and 4th place will get a figure of their choice from Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len or Megurine Luka, plus 2000 yen in
HearJapan credit.
5th through 8th will get a calender plus 1000 yen in HearJapan credit
9th and 10th will get 500 yen in HearJapan credit.
So hurry up and get the 10 free samples through the link below and
start tracking down those songs!
======
Links:
Hatsune Miku Treasure Hunt Contest:
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/Hatsune_Miku_Treasure_Hunt
AVTechNO! - Free
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/free_5
Re:nG - NextOne -KrnT edit-
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/NextOne_KrnT_edit
All Vocaloid Albums:
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/genre/1/74/Vocaloid
Tags: Hatsune Miku, HearJapan, Japanese Entertainment News
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| Takako Uehara has a new boyfriend? |
March 4, 2010 by Dennis Amith · View Comments
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Free Japan Travel Guide - Learn More A J!-ENT Exclusive!
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Takako Uehara. Image courtesy of Sankei Sports.
SPEED member Takako Uehara (27) is dating dancer AKIHIRO (27) according to gossip publications who claim the dancer/fashion designer stayed at the home of Uehara. AKIHIRO was a backup dancer for SPEED during their tour.
Uehara was romantically involved with Issa of DA PUMP and Jin Akanishi of KAT-TUN at one time.
Tags: AKIHIRO, Japanese Entertainment News, Takako Uehara, 上原多香子
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| 3-piece girl band CHATMONCHY to perform additional US tour dates! |
March 3, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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Chatmonchy are three girls from Japan who rock. The band will be making their U.S. debut on March 19 at SXSW 2010, followed by a Japan Nite Tour with performances in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (see below for details). Playing raw, energy-infused melodic rock music, Eriko (guitar and vocals), Akiko (bass), and Kumiko (drums) have been making a buzz all across Japan since their 2005 major label debut. Now, with t heir latest Oricon chart-topping album “Kokuhaku” (Confession), they’re ready to infect North American fans with their catchy take on girl-rock power. On March 2, 2010 SIN/Sony Music Independent Network will release three of the band’s full-lengths in a digital only format, including 2009’s “Kokuhaku”(Confession), “Miminari” (Ear Ringing), and “Seimeiryoku” (Life Force).
Chatmonchy—whose name means absolutely nothing!—burst onto the scene without any label backing in 2004, quickly catching the ear of Sony Music Japan. The next year, Sony’s Ki/oon Records released their debut EP, “chatmonchy has come,” and the band set off on their first nation-wide tour of Japan in 2006.
Inspiring fans with their feistiness and fire, Chatmonchy released their first full-length album, “Miminari” (Ear Ringing), in July of the same year. The album garnered a Top 10 spot on the national Oricon chart, and the girls were invited to perform at Japan’s most important summer festivals, including Summer Sonic, Rock In Japan Festival and the Nano-Mugen Festival.
After the success of their summer festival dates, Eriko, Akiko, and Kumiko did a national tour in the Fall of 2006, then headed back to the studio to finish “Seimeiryoku” (Life Force), the album they had started writing the year before. The album, released in late 2007, hit #2 on the Oricon charts, and Chatmonchy played sold-out shows all around Japan —including a two-night solo concert at the Budokan in the Spring of 2008 in front of more than 16,000 fans.
Following the first album, the rock-power girl trio released 4 singles that reached the Oricon Top 10, three that hit the Top 20, and 4 DVDs including music videos and passionate live performance footage. In addition, the single, “Dai Dai,” was featured as the theme song on the anime series, “Bleach”—their first step toward connecting to a worldwide audience.
The 2010 SXSW Music Conference will be Chatmonchy’s first North American live performance, and the beginning of the next important chapter for these accomplished musicians—these three girls from Japan who rock.
http://www.myspace.com/chatmonchy
http://www.facebook.com/chatmonchy
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
March 19 Austin, TX Elysium (SXSW Japan Nite)
March 21 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (Japan Nite Tour)
March 24 Los Angeles, CA Amoeba Music (In-store)
March 26 San Francisco, CA Amoeba Music (In-store)
March 26 San Francisco, CA The Independent (Japan Nite Tour)
March 27 Los Angeles, CA Viper Room (Japan NIte Tour)
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| VIZ CINEMA & NEW PEOPLE ANNOUNCE ARTIST FILM FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND 3/6-3/9 |
March 2, 2010 by J!-ENT · View Comments
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SAMPLE NEW DOCUMENTARIES ON SIX OF JAPAN’S MOST ACCLAIMED CONTEMPORARY MODERN ARTISTS IN THE
NEW PEOPLE ARTIST SERIES
FILM FESTIVAL PLAYING AT VIZ CINEMA IN MARCH
Bay Area Art And Pop Culture Fans Invited To Screen New Films That Profile Artists Such As Hisashi Tenmyouya, Makoto Aida, Katsura Funakoshi And Yayoi Kusama
San Francisco, CA, March 2, 2010 – VIZ Cinema, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, will present the NEW PEOPLE Artist Series Festival, a special collection of six insightful documentaries each profiling a unique Japanese contemporary artist.
The 4-day festival runs March 6th – 9th and will feature the U.S. theatrical premieres of Hisashi Tenmyouya: Samurai Nouveau, Makoto Aida: Cynic in the Playground, and Katsura Funakoshi: Whispering Gaze, as well as encore runs of Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara, Yayoi Kusama: I Love ME and Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo. Special festival passes are available for $30.00 offering access to ANY screening at ANY time during the festival! General admission tickets for individual films are available for $10.00 each. Seniors (+62) and Children (under 12) are $8.00. More details and trailers for each film are available at www.vizcinema.com <http://www.vizcinema.com> .
Hisashi Tenmyouya: Samurai Nouveau; 3/6 Sat., 1:00pm & 3/7 Sun., 3:00pm
A graphic designer turned contemporary artist, Hisashi Tenmyouya brings his own style of Neo-Traditional Japanese painting to the art world. Born in Tokyo in 1966, Hisashi Tenmyouya is the one of the hottest Japanese painters. He has mastered the traditional techniques while also incorporating motifs taken tattoo, graffiti, and street gang culture to create his own ‘Neo-Japanese Painting’ style. In 2008, his rending of Gundam sold for $650,000 at the Christie’s auction in Hong Kong. Tenmyouya reveals his soul through melding of modern urban subjects with traditional methods of painting. DVD will be available on March 9th from VIZ Pictures in the NEW PEOPLE retail store.
Makoto Aida: Cynic in the Playground; 3/6 Sat., 3:00pm & 3/7 Sun., 5:00pm
Known for his diverse and controversial works, Makoto Aida shares his art and private life as he creates his “Human Project” and “Shinjuku Castle.” Working in mediums of paint, video installation, and Japanese manga comics, Aida’s work exhibits dark cynicism and lowbrow humor as he tackles controversial subjects such as terrorism, pedophilia, and societal misogyny, but through his creative process, Aida’s unique character surfaces. Born in 1965 in Niigata, Japan, Makoto Aida now lives and works in the city of Chiba. He is represented by Mizuma Art Gallery in Tokyo and has had solo shows at London’s IBID Projects and at Lisa Dent Gallery in San Francisco. His group shows include The American Effect: Global Perspectives on the United States, 1990-2003 at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the XXV Biennale de São Paulo. His work is also featured in the permanent collections of the Tokyo Museum of Art and the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art.
Katsura Funakoshi: Whispering Gaze; 3/6 Sat., 5:00pm & 3/8 Mon., 7:00pm
Witness the visionary sculptor Katsura Funakoshi as he quietly breathes life into camphor wood. Audiences will follow the artist as he works in his atelier, preps for exhibitions, and speaks at lectures. The simple, warm and gentle figures carved by Funakoshi can be attributed to the juxtapositions of precise calculations and accidental occurrences. His human-like sculptures are said to draw in viewers with their distant marble gaze as if pondering philosophical thoughts and projecting subtle yet bold emotions.
Daido Moriyama: Stray Dog of Tokyo; 3/6 Sat., 7:00pm & 3/8 Mon., 5:00pm
Daido Moriyama has been a major force in the world of artistic photography since the late 60’s, but his true persona has been hidden behind a veil of mystery since he has refused any major media appearances – until now. This new documentary follows the charismatic Moriyama as he takes his first digital photos and displays his trademark photographic technique of taking quick snapshots without looking in the viewfinder. Often shot in black and white, out of focus and dramatically cropped or tilted, the themes of Moriyama’s images have been said to convey a sense of the disordered human condition and the conflicting realities of modern urban life. DVD is available from VIZ Pictures in the NEW PEOPLE retail store.
Yayoi Kusama: I Love ME; 3/7 Sun., 1:00pm & 3/9 Tue., 7:00pm
Artist Yayoi Kusama is an avant-garde sculptor, painter, and novelist and her visual style is often characterized by a liberal use of polka dots and nets to achieve a so-called “infinity effect.” This film documents Kusama’s creative process over the course of a year-and-a-half as she completes a series of 50 large monochrome drawings. As her work comes to life, one witnesses the essence of her artistic voice as it builds on themes about the conflicts between life, death, and love – sometimes quietly and sometimes not. Her self-confidence and dignified spirit is evident throughout the insightful film. Yayoi Kusama has been widely acclaimed by the international art world for more than 50 years. In 2006, she received the Japanese National Lifetime Achievement Award, one of Japan’s most prestigious prizes for internationally recognized artists. Her work has been exhibited with the likes of Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns and also shown at preeminent venues like the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. DVD is available from VIZ Pictures in the NEW PEOPLE retail store.
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara: 3/7 Sun., 7:00pm & 3/9 Tue., 5:00pm
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara was directed by Koji Sakabe and captures the journey that the artist, Yoshitomo Nara, took during the creation of his exhibit, AtoZ, in his hometown of Hirosaki, Japan. The film is notably narrated by Aoi Miyazaki, an up-and-coming Japanese actress who appeared in the acclaimed manga-inspired film NANA (VIZ Pictures). Yoshitomo Nara’s work has captured the attention of the international art world and his cartoon-like girl images with characteristic big heads, chubby-faces and slanted eyes have become icons of the artist’s style. His paintings and sculptures have been auctioned at Sotheby’s and his sculpture, Light My Fire (2001), sold for over $1.1 million. DVD is available from VIZ Pictures in the NEW PEOPLE retail store.
VIZ Cinema is the nation’s only movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX®-certified sound system.
NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located in San Francisco at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com <http://www.NewPeopleWorld.com> .
Tags: Artists Film Festival, Japanese Entertainment News, Viz Cinema
