SMAP and Taylor Swift sing "Mine" and "You Belong With Me"

Happened to chance upon this at aramatheydidnt! I'm not a big fan of Taylor Swift or SMAP, but it's entertaining enough. :)

Picture flash: Arashi blokes, Ikuta Toma w glasses, KimuTaku and his wife etc.

Matsumoto Jun resting during filming (possibly for Natsuniji?)

 And Matsumoto Jun on a train? While I do think that he might take the train sometimes, this guy doesn't really look a lot like him...

Ninomiya in his own clothes.

Ohno (Arashi) and Ryo (Kanjani8) looking pretty chummy. Ohno is so cute!

Ikuta Toma hard at work(?). He looks just as good with glasses~



Kimura Takuya (SMAP) and his wife, Shizuka Kudo.

Sources: Matsumoto Jun filming - Janimoe; Matsujun train - choko44; Nino - choko44; Ohno and Ryo - Janimoe; Ikuta Toma glasses - Janimoe; KimuTaku and Shizuka Kuda - Auragazou

SMAP concert in Shanghai postponed (again)

Kyodo News is reporting that SMAP's concerts at Shanghai Stadium on October 9-10 may get canceled due to an escalating incident between China and Japan. Ticket sales for the shows have reportedly been suspended already due to the high likelihood of cancellation.
Last month, Japanese officers arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain on charges that he deliberately rammed his boat into a Japanese patrol boat. He is currently being detained by a Japanese court despite Chinese opposition, leading to strained relations between the two countries. On Monday, China took moves to suspend much of its political communications with Japan, and there have been reports of other measures being taken on a commercial level.
With the matter currently unresolved, holding the SMAP concerts in Shanghai may prove to be impossible. As a result, organizers are apparently putting the concerts on hold for the time being.
SMAP was originally scheduled to perform their first China concert at the Shanghai World Expo on June 13, but that was canceled by organizers due to safety concerns.
UPDATE: The Chinese company responsible for organizing the concerts announced on Tuesday that they have officially decided to postpone the shows, due to "practical reasons." Tens of thousands of tickets have already been sold, and those fans will start getting refunds on September 25. (Tokyograph)
 
How unlucky... I first read about this in the newspapers today (there was a really small mention) and I was hoping that the news was incorrect!

Kimura Takuya kicks guest, enraging some. Kitagawa Keiko injured, filming of Paradise Kiss postponed.

Yesterday, the latest episode of long-running variety show "SMAP X SMAP" was aired. Kimura Takuya, when ended up kicking a comedian who made fun of him for the poor ratings of his drama that was aired earlier this year.

Kimura Takuya has starred in numerous Japanese dramas, the most recent being the previous season's Monday 9PM drama, "Moon Lovers". Despite all the hype surrounding the drama, its ratings were mediocre. There were many complaints about the weak plot

During last night's episode of "SMAP X SMAP", the guest was a comedian named Ariyoshi Hiroiki, who is well-known for being sharp-tongued. He was inventing new names for the SMAP members, and decided to call Kimura Takuya a "getsu9 idiot" (I'm thinking that he said "getsu kyu baka"). After he said it, Kimura glared at him for a while, asked for the filming to be cut, then proceeded to kick Ariyoshi's back. Later, Ariyoshi Hiroiki once again called Kimura a "dorama idiot". Kimura brought Ariyoshi off the set and messed up his hair.

Many netizens have expressed their views on this matter. Some feel that this was already arranged between Kimura and Ariyoshi before the filming, while others are upset that Kimura kicked Ariyoshi when it was just in good fun.

Kitagawa Keiko injured
Kitagawa Keiko, the main star of upcoming movie "Paradise Kiss" suffered a minor injury during filming. Apparently, her fingernail had gotten caught in a jade chain. Although she has said that she is fine, the accident left an obvious scar on her finger. Since it is hard to conceal the scar, filming has been postponed. (Yule)

SMAP in Chinese newspaper - Shanghai concert, Kusanagi mocks himself

SMAP in 联合早报, 4 August 2010

I saw this article in the Chinese newspaper last week and wanted to translate it, but kept on procrastinating. :X Anyway, here goes.

The Japanese media has reported that during idol group SMAP's concert in Sapporo the previous day (this article was published on 4th August so do the maths yourself), the group announced that they will be holding concerts in Shanghai, China on the 9th and 10th of October. These concerts are to make up for the cancelled Shanghai Expo concert, which was to be held in June this year (contradicts with earlier report). This will be the first overseas performance for SMAP in its 23 years.

The concert at the Shanghai Expo had been cancelled due to worries from the organiser regarding crowd control. According to the report, the Chinese government had approved of SMAP's upcoming concert on the 29th of July.

Recently, SMAP has been busy with their "We are SMAP! 2010 SMAP CONCERT TOUR". During their performace in the Sapporo Dome the other day, SMAP member Kimura Takuya suddenly announced "We will be having a concert in Shanghai!", causing the 50 000 strong audience to burst out in cheers.

The upcoming concert is to be held at the Shanghai Staduim, where famous singer Celine Dion has performed before. SMAP will be the first Japanese artist to perform there. They are expecting 80 000 fans over the two days of the concert. The concert will be similar to those they perform in Japan. As for whether SMAP will be singing any Chinese songs, they are still thinking about it.

SMAP has expressed their views on the upcoming concert, "We are looking forward to it! If everyone works hard together, we are sure it can become the best live concert!" Ingaki Goro even said that they must first learn how to greet their fans in Chinese.

SMAP also said that if the Shanghai concert goes well, they are planning to hold more overseas concerts. Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, who is fluent in Korean, said that he wants to hold a SMAP concert in Korea.

In April this year, Kimura Takuya starred across Chinese actress Lin Chi-ling in Fuji TV drama "Moon Lovers". This has increased SMAP's popularity in China. (the article didn't mention that the drama was a flop). SMAP's most recent album, "We are SMAP!", is selling well in China.

Dueing the concert in Sapporo the previous day, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi sang the song 归来的醉汉, which means "The drunkard which returns late". I don't listen to SMAP songs, so I have no idea what the actual title of the song is. This song has been widely-known as Kusanagi's "real-life song" after he was caught running around naked in a park n Japan last year after dring heavily. When arrested by the police, he confronted them, saying "What's wrong with being naked?". Before singing the song, Kusanagi made fun of himself, "This is a song that really suirs me, it will probably raise an interesting reaction."

As the song began to play, Kusanagi kneeled on the floor, moving his body slowly in time to the music, as if he was very drunk. The other four members of SMAP, who were at one side, could not help but laugh at hm. Kimura Takuya, after watching Kusanagi's performance twice, not only almost had a complete change in expression, he also gave a "red card" to Kusangagi, causing the audience to burst out in laughter.

Arashi has the #1 album this year, and SMAP's album outsells the other Johnny's groups

SMAP proves that they have still got it! Their latest single "This is Love" sold an impressive 276 000 copies, their highest first week single sales in over 5 years. This single has already outsold the latest efforts by NEWS, Yamapi, Kanjani8, Hey Say! JUMP and KAT-TUN.

Meanwhile on the album chart Arashi's Boku no Miteiru Fuukei sold 731 000, which already gives them the number 1 selling album of the year. (aramatheydidnt)

Oh Arashi, I'm so proud~

50 lucky fans will get to meet SMAP backstage

On September 15, SMAP will begin a series of concerts at the Tokyo Dome, part of a larger nationwide dome tour. With this tour, their total concert attendance over the years is expected to surpass 10 million, so the group is planning a special bonus for that first Tokyo Dome concert.
Via a lottery system, SMAP will select 50 lucky fans to be backstage at the concert. In addition, they will have the opportunity to meet the members before the show. SMAP's record label, Victor Entertainment, has also agreed to cover transportation, lodging, and the ticket cost for the chosen fans.
The project was revealed on Wednesday, the same day that SMAP's new single "This is love" went on sale. The limited edition of the single comes with a serial number that will be entered into the lottery, and the chosen numbers will be announced on the August 16 broadcast of "SMAP x SMAP." Victor Entertainment has launched a special website for the promotion. (Tokyograph)

SMAP to perform at China, and possibly some other Asian countries

SMAP has announced at their Sapporo Dome concert that they will be going to Shanghai after all. They have scheduled concerts at Shanghai Stadium on October 9 and 10, which will be their first overseas performances.

SMAP was originally expected to perform at the Shanghai World Expo on June 13, but the event was cancelled by the Expo organizers due to poor planning and concerns about safety. At the time of the cancellation, SMAP apologized to their fans but indicated that they hoped to have another opportunity to perform in China. Because the Shanghai World Expo concert was canceled just a week before the event, SMAP had already begun rehearsals, including practicing greetings in Chinese.

However, the Shanghai Stadium concerts were not scheduled to make up for the canceled show. It is reported that SMAP was originally planning the concerts at the same time that preparations for the World Expo were under way.

Shanghai Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in China, with a maximum seating capacity of about 80,000 people. It appears that SMAP is planning to have only about 40,000 fans at each concert, for a total of 80,000 over the two days.

In addition to the concerts in China, SMAP is considering holding shows in other Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. (Tokyograph)
 
Come to Singapore!!! (even though I haven't listened to any of their songs!

Top 10 influential people in Japan (and the Johnny's boys)

Around mid-June, eight prominent Japanese sites (Ameba, Infoseek Rakuten, getnews.jp, Niconico Douga, Hatena, @peps! Chips, Mobage Town, MSN Sankei news) conducted the same online poll and gathered all the votes received together - a total of around 265,000 votes - into one comprehensive ranking. The question asked was which Japanese person they considered most influential, and here are the top ten along with Arashi's rankings:

01. Kitano Takeshi (filmmaker)

02. Ichiro (baseball player)
02. Naoto Kan (Prime Minister)
04. Ozawa Ichiro (House of Representatives member)
05. Koizumi Junichiro (former Prime Minister)
06. Shimada Shinsuke (Talent)
07. Hatoyama Yukio (former Prime Minister)
08. Renho (Minister for Administrative Reforms)
09. Higashikokubaru Hideo (governor of Miyazaki)
10. Honda Keisuke (soccer player)
17. Kimura Takuya (talent)
24. Arashi (idol group)
38. Sakurai Sho (talent)
42. Matsumoto Jun (talent)
48. Ohno Satoshi (talent)
49. Ninomiya Kazunari (talent)
51. Aiba Masaki (talent)
89. SMAP (idol group)
No other JE groups or artists made it to the top 100. (arashi_on)

Masahiro Nakai injures back just before SMAP tour

His group starts their tour today, but it had been revealed yesterday SMAP’s Masahiro Nakai (37) has acute lower back pain, reports Daily Sports Online.
It had been reported Nakai had first complained of having some back pain on July 27.
He is currently wearing a medical corset. The injury has had no effect on his professional work, and he has been recording TV shows and taking part in SMAP concert rehearsals as usual.
SMAP’s We are SMAP! Tour 2010 starts in Hokkaido today. (MomoEdgewood's Mediawatch)

Heh, the civil defence bells just sounded! It's noon on the first day of the month~

Drop in ratings for MatsuJuns getsu9 dorama. :O

The ratings for Matsumoto Jun's currently airing drama "Natsu no koi ha nijiiro ni kagayaku" has dropped drastically, from 15.7% for the first episode on 19th July to 10.9% for the second episode, which just aired on 26th July. In the drama, MatsuJun co-stars with Takeuchi Yuko.

The drama airs on 9pm every Monday night, and is considered one of the most sought after time slots that constantly turns in the highest ratings.

This is bad news for Jun, who a popular member of Johnny's Entertainment group Arashi, as he has not been doing very well in his dramas since the extremely popular Hana Yori Dango series. It is also likely that the dorama ratings will drop further on.

The dorama on the same slot before this, Kimura Takuya's (SMAP) "Moon Lovers", also suffered from unspectacular ratings. (Entame)

Empty seats at SMAP concert due to overseas fans?

SMAP seems to have hit an all-time low, with rumors of them not getting on well and the depressing ratings of Kimura Takuya's currently airing dorama, Moon Lovers. However, it seems that they now have a new problem - Empty seats at their upcoming concert due to ticketing woes.

SMAP will begin their WE ARE SMAP! Tour 2010 on the 31st of July at Sapporo Dome. The entire tour consists of nineteen performances at five venues in Japan. The tour carries the same name as their new album, titled WE ARE SMAP, to be released on the 21st this month.

However, it seems that the folks over at Johnny's are afraid that there will be empty seats during the concert because of people who buy more tickets than they need or buy the tickets but then do not turn up. It is common for overseas fans to get Japanese netizens to buy tickets to the concerts for them and then fly over later for the concert. Some people who are looking to make money also buy the tickets in bulk, then sell them to fans at a higher price. (I don't really know much about this since I've never tried, so maybe you guys can understand it better)

Apparently, their ticketing office or ticketing system (again I don't know how it works) has seen the same people buying multiple tickets for all days of all venues, so it is pretty obvious that these people are buying them to sell to others. While the highest amount for a single ticket is 8 000yen, that amount can jump up to outrageous amounts like 50 000 yen in online auctions and such.

However, all this overseas transactions also mean more trouble. Overseas fans might get scammed and be put off by the bad experiece, or buy the tickets and then not be able to make it for the concert due to travelling issues, etc. Also, native Japanese fans who can attend the concert may not be able to get tickets because of all these people who buy in bulk. The result? Empty seats and upset fans, not just in Japan, but worldwide. (Entame)

Everyone out there, please be careful when buying tickets from overseas! And if you do have tickets, make sure you do go (or pass your ticket to someone else) and have a smashing great time! :)

Oricon: 'Who has the most ideal body?' survey

Oricon Style took a survey on “Who has the ideal body?” and GACKT was chosen as the guy who had the most ideal body. GACKT gave a comment after the results, “Isn’t it natural for guys to work out to protect women?”
Below are the top 10:
1. GACKT
2. Fukuyama Masaharu
3. Yamashita Tomohisa (NEWS)
4. Kimura Takuya (SMAP)
5. Tamaki Hiroshi
6. Takahashi Katsunori
7. Inaba Koshi
8. Matsuda Shota
9. Higashiyama Noriyuki
10. Domoto Kouichi (KinKi Kids)
(tokyohive)

SMAP to publish a one-time magazine

SMAP is getting its own special one-time magazine issue, currently titled "Super-fashion & Music Assemble Photo-magazine" (abbreviated as SMAP). The issue will be jointly edited by the magazine houses of popeye and anan, with a target release date of August 25.
SMAP will fill the pages of the entire magazine (duh), which is planned to be roughly 140 pages in length. This is the first time they have undertaken such a project.
One of the highlights of the magazine is that it includes conversations between SMAP members and other well-known celebrities. For example, Goro Inagaki (36) spoke with manga artist Naoki Urasawa (50), while Shingo Katori (33) spoke with fashion designer Tom Brown. Other features of the magazine include a special essay by author Mariko Hayashi (56), previously unpublished off-shot photos of SMAP (some as old as ten years ago), a survey-based ranking of SMAP's songs, and various topics such as date fashion. (Tokyograph)

Who is the ideal father?

1. Tsuruno Takeshi

2. Tachi Hiroshi

3. Ohno Satoshi

4. Sakurai Sho

5. EXILE

6. Fukuyama Masaharu

7. Sorimachi Takashi

8. Sugiura Taiyo

9. Aiba Masaki

10. Aikawa Sho

11. Tokoro Jouji (George)

12. Kimura Takuya

13. Akanishi Jin

14. Sato Ryuta

15. Ichihara Hayato

(aramatheydidnt)

Lin Chi-Ling to take acting classes after dismal performance in "Moon Lovers"

Taiwanese model-actress Lin Chiling expressed her disappointment over the dismal ratings of her Japanese drama serial "Moon Lovers" and revealed that she hopes to take some acting classes next year, reported Chinese media.
Speaking to reporters while attending the high-profile Royal Ascot horse races in the UK, Lin was evasive and said, "Could we not talk about the ratings (of "Moon Lovers")? Frankly, I am a little depressed at the moment."
"I want to take this chance to take in as much air as I can. This can be considered a short break!" Lin added.
"Moon Lovers", despite starring Japanese superstar Kimura Takuya and other well-known actresses like Kitagawa Keiko and Shinohara Ryoko, managing only 13.4% in ratings. Its average ratings also lost out to other J-dramas this season.
The drama's producer, Fuji RV, was reportedly so disappointed that it intends to cut short the show's run to eight episodes instead of the usual ten for a drama in the 9pm time slot, with its finale scheduled to air on July 5 in Japan.
Many netizens had blamed the drama's poor ratings on a bad script and Lin's acting. Despite this setback, Lin said she "will improve in the areas I am weak in and satisfy everyone".
The 35-year-old went on to reveal that she hopes to make time for acting classes at the beginning of next year. (CNA)

The viewership ratings for "Moon Lovers" has been decreasing steadily, as shown below:

Episode 01: 22.4%

Episode 02: 19.2%
Episode 03: 15.6%
Episode 04: 15.5%
Episode 05: 17.4%
Episode 06: 13.4%

Average: 17.3%, and the ratings look set to drop further.

SMAP fans gather at cancelled concert venue

Today, about a dozen SMAP fans gathered at the Shanghai Expo, where SMAP was scheduled to perform today. As you might know, the concert was cancelled due to worries about crowd control after a few were injured following a rush during a Korean concert. The Expo Secretariat said that it had "no choice" but to cancel the concert.
Anyway, the fans, who were a mix of Chinese and Japanese, had met throught the Internet, with some coming from as far as Hubei and Sichuan. The fans were familiar with Japanese culture and some even spoke fluent Japanese. Shortly after 1:00pm, when SMAP had been scheduled to perform, the fans sang Yozora no Mukou, a hit song by SMAP. The fans also chatted with each other and took photos. (nikkansports)

Sigh... I feel so sorry for these fans!

SMAP secretly filmed for a drama special

The five members of SMAP will appear together in a television drama for the first time in approximately six years. The drama is a special titled "Doku Tomato Satsujin Jiken," said to be the industry's first "candid-camera drama" - much of it was filmed during taping for a variety show without SMAP's knowledge.


The variety show involved was the now-annual TV Asahi special "SMAP Ganbarimasu!" On the show, the five members took on various challenges: Masahiro Nakai (37) played a survival "onigokko" game on a remote island for 12 hours, Takuya Kimura (37) ate only tomatoes for three days, Goro Inagaki (36) sang at karaoke until he achieved a score of 100, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (35) climbed all of the hills in the Meguro ward within 24 hours, and Shingo Katori (33) lived a Jomon period lifestyle for an entire day.

During the taping for the show, which aired on January 10, scenes for the drama were secretly filmed. Actor Sei Hiraizumi (66), playing a police detective, visited each of the SMAP members' locations without them noticing.  (Tokyograph)

"Doku Tomato Satsujin Jiken" revolves around a fictional variety show called "SMAP Sekai no Yasai wo Kurau." The show's host, announcer Yoko Oshita (40), dies in her own home after eating a poisoned tomato, which came from the set of the show. The detective played by Hiraizumi takes on the case, searching for the SMAP member responsible for the crime. While the drama is a mystery, it naturally incorporates elements of comedy as well.

TV Asahi plans to broadcast the drama on July 1 at 7:57pm

Conflict between Masahiro Nakai and the other members of SMAP?

There has been talk of a widening rift between the members of popular band SMAP. The disagreement seems to be majorly between leader Nakai Masahiro (37) and the rest of the band. Apparently, the bandmates had never really been the "best of friends", but the situation is now worsening. It seems that well-known Kimura Takuya (37), has the most issues with Masahiro, and the rest of the band sides with KimuTaku.

Masahiro's words are now frequently ignored by his bandmates. A Fuji TV staff has said that while Masahiro generally accepts that KimuTaku will not listen to him, the other three members of SMAP have started ignoring Masahiro too, and he thought Nakai would "give up completely on the other three bandmates".

On SMAPxSMAP, SMAP's variety show, ot has been observed that while Nakai Masahiro is very talkative when it comes to the guests, he talks much less when it comes to his fellow bandmates.

It seems that Nakai is letting this isolation get to him and is losing his determination to work hard as a result. A staff at Fuji TV was quoted as saying that he feels sorry for Nakai. (Entame)

SMAP concert at Shanghai Expo cancelled

SMAP's first overseas concert since its establishment in 1988, to be held at the Shanghai World Expo on June 13, has now been cancelled. The reason for the cancellation, as given by the Expo Secretariat, was "to provide a better environment for general admission and ensure security at the Expo".

On May 30, a concert featuring popular Korean artists was held at the Expo Cultural Center. Thousands of fans who were unable to get in began acting violently, resulting in police involvement and many injured. This has caused the Expo organisers to rethink SMAP's concert.
SMAP's response mentioned that they "know our fans are very disappointed with the cancellation" and revealed that they had badly wanted to perform at the Expo. "Always, I'd like to have the opportunity to see our fans one day, so to everyone in China, kindly wait for me." (Sanspo)