[News] Kimura turn down the nominee!

Posted: Wed., Dec. 20, 2006, 6:26pm PT

Japan nominations to Yamada drama
But star rejects actor nod

By MARK SCHILLING

---

Yoji Yamada’s 'Love and Honor' drew a record-tying 12 nominations for the Japan Academy Awards.

TOKYO -- Helmer Yoji Yamada's smash drama "Love and Honor" was tops Wednesday with 12 noms for the 30th Japan Academy Awards, but Takuya Kimura, who starred as the blind samurai in the period hit, has turned down his actor nom.

According to a Japan Academy spokesman, talent shop Johnny & Associates, which reps the pop star-turned-thesp, rejected Kimura's nom after a week of negotiations, saying it didn't "want to put him in a position of competing with other actors for the prize."

Johnny's, known for mass-manufacturing young male talent hyphenates, has a longstanding policy of not participating in music biz contests and awards. Its rejection of a Japan Academy nom is a first, however.

Kimura is a member of the pop group SMAP and has been a TV drama megastar for more than a decade.

The 12 nominations for "Love and Honor" equal the record for a live-action pic.

Comedy "Suite Dreams" received 11 noms and dramedy "Hula Girls" took 10.

Noms are made by the 4,400 Academy members in a total of 15 categories, including picture, director, actor and actress. Awards ceremony will be held Feb. 16 in Tokyo.

In the 29-year history of the Japan Academy Awards, several individuals have rejected noms, including Akira Kurosawa, who turned down a director nod for "Kagemusha" in 1980, citing scheduling conflicts, and Ken Takakura, who rejected an actor nom in 2002 for drama "Hotaru," saying he wanted to make way for younger actors.

Kazunari Ninomiya, who has earned some Oscar buzz with his turn as a baker-turned-solider in Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima," is a Johnny's talent as well. Firm has not said what it will do if he scores an Academy Award nomination.

Date in print: Thurs., Dec. 21, 2006,, Los Angeles
source: http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117956161.html?nav=news&categoryid=1985&cs=1

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I really don't understand what happened anyway. Really sorry for Kimura and other talented actors from Johnny's v_v What a rules!

[Rev] Love and Honor Reviews

Love and Honor has been released last December 1st. Many reviews, positif and negatif, I'll post it here. Do not read if you don't like spoiler.

Takuya Kimura and Rei Dan in "Bushi no Ichibun" (c)LOVE AND HONOR FILM PARTNERS

Director: Yoji Yamada Running time: 121 minutes Language: Japanese

currently showing

click --> review by Mark Schilling

click --> review by Jason Gray

click --> review by Aaron Gerow for the Daily Yomiuri

[News] HERO to movie

Takuya Kimura's mega-hit TV drama to be filmized

The star of the recent hit "Love and Honor", Takuya Kimura, has been known for "King of J-drama". All the TV dramas that he starred became huge hits, and the biggest of them was Fuji TV's "HERO" in 2001. Kimura played a maverick prosecutor who pursues the truth in his own way, and the drama got the average rating of 34.3%, the highest among all Fuji dramas historically. A special one-time drama was also aired in July 2006, which also got 30.9% rating.

Fuji's hit-maker producer Chihiro Kameyama has been thinking of making it into a movie for 3-4 years, and finally decided to go ahead recently. The feature version's screenplay is currently written, and the same main cast, including Takako Matsu, Nene Otsuka, Hiroshi Abe and Masanobu Katsumura, are supposed to appear. Fuji is hoping the repeat of "Bayside Shakedown" pattern, the strong drama-movie combination with the same cast, with successful sequels and spin-offs.

The film's release is scheduled in September, 2007.

Oh, and by the way, I noticed Ryuganji already has more detailed report on his blog. See Ryuganji.

Source: SANSPO

December 06, 2006 posted at hogacentral

[News] Bushi no Ichibun

Source: Variety
Posted: Tue., Dec. 5, 2006, 3:05pm PT


Bond bested by blind warrior in B.O.
'Love' beats 'Casino' in Japan

By MARK SCHILLING

TOKYO -- A blind samurai beat James Bond to top the Japanese box office last weekend.

Helmer Yoji Yamada's "Love and Honor" (Bushi ni Ichibun), earned Y436 million ($3.8 million) beating fellow opener "Casino Royale's" $3.4 million.

Take was well up on the first weekend gross recorded by "The Hidden Blade," the second pic in Yamada's samurai trilogy, which finished its run with $7.9 million.

"Love and Honor" star Takuya Kimura is a member of the pop group SMAP and a TV megastar for more than a decade. He is helping to draw younger femme fans who would ordinarily never turn up for a samurai drama.

Distrib Shochiku predicts that "Love and Honor" will hit the Y5 billion ($43.5 million) mark, which would make it Yamada's biggest hit in a career that includes the 48 entries in the "Tora-san" series, itself a Guinness Book record.

[Movies] Korean movies

I watched Korean movies. On December 8-17, 2006 there's JIFFest event and me and friend found that they gonna show Korean blockbuster movie & won best director at KFA 'The Host'. We're so exciting and go get the ticket right away. It's rare to see Korean movies on big screen here.

Here's Korean movie - Weekend Box Office

11.24~11.26

Rank	Movie Title

1.	The Departed
2.	The Sunflower (Haebaragi)
3.	Step up
4.	Flushed Away
5.	The Devil Wears Prada

Source: http://english.chosun.com

[Data] L'Arc~en~Ciel

L'Arc~en~Ciel (from France word, means rainbow)
A Japanese rock band

The band build in 1991, and now consist of tetsu (bass, leader), hyde (vocal), ken (guitar) and yukihiro (drum). All member composed the songs and wrote the lyrics though most of the songs are by tetsu and hyde is the lyricist.
I started to like the band few months a go after saw their PV Jiyuu e no shotai on local TV. Untill now the song is one of my favorite that I never bored to heard it. Later I know about the band and that their genre is rock, Jrock. Never imagine that I listen to a rock music but later I hook on their music. Hyde's voice is something, their songs are something, and the four members are something (yes, including sakura- former drummer).

Their official story can read here by Tofu Records.

around 1996 - with former drummer, Sakura (on the right)


2004


2006

Official website http://www.larc-en-ciel.com/

[Data] HYDE

HYDE, the vocalist of rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel now also a solo artist since 2001. He had released 3 album already: Roentgen (released in March 27. 2002), 666 (released in December 3, 2003) and Faith released in 2006.

HYDE also do acting, appear in movie 'Moon Child' with Gackt (2003) and 'The Last Quarter' aka 'Kagen no Tsuki' (2004). From an interview he mentioned that actually Kagen no tsuki came first to him before Moon Child, though it filmed later.

I like his voice and his music too. My brother said that he is so cool, beside Kimura Takuya^^ My brother only watch Japan stuff that I watched xD Well, I don't know about 'cool' thing, but maybe I understand now. And I think hyde is much way cool then ;)

For his music, you can find here

Click image to see the DVD (English subtitle)

Click image to see the details of the DVD

For more info can read here at Tofu Records and you can see a video feature
on HYDE while in US is currently running on IMF's website here
HYDE official website is http://www.hyde.com/