Showing posts with label JAPANESE STARS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JAPANESE STARS. Show all posts

HORIKITA MAKI

Posted by vie | 5:28 PM | | 0 comments »


HORIKITA MAKI

Profile

  • Name: 堀北真希 (ほりきた まき)
  • Name (romaji): Horikita Maki
  • Nicknames: Maki-maki, Homaki, Makinpo, Horikitty, Pori chan
  • Profession: Actress
  • Birthdate: 1988-Oct-06
  • Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
  • Height: 160cm
  • Star sign: Libra
  • Blood type: B
  • Talent agency: Sweet Power

Biography

Childhood

Maki Horikita was born the eldest of three girls on October 6, 1988 in Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan. She had been boyish during her childhood days. In middle school, she enjoyed playing basketball and baseball with her friends on holidays. as well as the captain of a basketball team. When she had been in junior high school, she preferred playing Dragon Ball Z with the boys than playing dolls with the girls. This was because with the girls, she couldn’t play the role of a princess the way she wanted to in the princess make-believe game.

When she attended as a guest on KAT-TUN's variety show, Cartoon KAT-TUN, she stated that she loved imitating her mother when she was younger.

Education

During junior high school, Maki served as the vice-president of their student council and the vice-captain of the basketball club. She was also described as the “Boss of 3-C” in a number of various writings, in recognition of her status as the class leader. As she became more active in the entertainment industry though, she put her club and council activities on hold. Being unable to meet her many commitments and after much deliberation, she finally withdrew from her school activities, concentrating only on her studies and her career.[1]

After completing her senior high school education, she passed the entrance examination for Chuo University. Maki had been asked if she would pursue Law, as Chuo University was famous for it's Law School, but it has remained uncertain whether she will study Law.

Career

Modeling

Horikita started modeling as she appeared for various advertisements in 2003, and took on roles in TV dramas and films in supporting roles. Her first photobooks featured her as a mild-themed gravure model. However, her career in the said modeling field had been short-lived as she gradually dropped gravure-themed modeling just when she started to get busy with TV appearances.

Her well-known commercials are her advertisements for Fujifilm (wherein she appeared alongside Japanese idol Nagase Tomoya) and Lotte (particularly for its sub-brands Ghana and Airs). Her current advertisements for the said chocolate brand are its Ice Yogurt and Shasha. In 2008, she had been chosen as Honda Cars Japan's endorser of STEP WGN.

Horikita has appeared in numerous men's and teenage magazines, most of them featuring her on the cover. Her semi-nude photoshoot in the October issue of AnAn Magazine and her latest photobook, entitled S, were both released in October 2008, in time with her twentieth birthday.

Media

Currently, Horikita is a constantly praised U-20 Japanese idol, her rise to fame seemingly gradual but certain.

Movie and television

Although Horikita had appeared in various commercials and dramas she gained much recognition in 2005 from her back-to-back TV dramas, Densha Otoko and Nobuta wo Produce. Her exemplary portrayal of the shy Nobuko Kotani in Nobuta wo Produce bagged her a Best Supporting Actress award in a Japanese award-giving body. The role propelled her into popularity and she starred in a TV special, Tsubasa ni Oreta Tenshitachi (Wingless Angels), a four-night special that featured four of the most popular young Japanese actresses, in different roles that depict the darker reality of the lives of young Japanese women in present time.

On the other hand, the chemistry between her character, Nobuko, commonly known as Nobuta, and Akira Kusano, played by Japanese idol and News member Tomohisa Yamashita, was recognized as well, leading both of them to star in another drama, Kurosagi. Playing the role of Tsurara Yoshikawa, a law student who disapproves of Kurosagi's swindling ways and who, ironically, fell in love with the con artist, Horikita bagged her second Best Supporting Actress award from the same award-giving body for her performance in this drama. Producers and scriptwriters have recognized her acting skills and soon she was given a lead role for Teppan Shoujo Akane, and in Seito Shokun!. She was also part of the Japan-South Korea collaboration movie, One Missed Call: Final, third and last of the One Missed Call franchise, with Meisa Kuroki and Jang Geun-suk.

Come 2007, her role as Mizuki Ashiya in the Japanese drama adaptation of the gender-bending manga Hana-Kimi, or Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, earned her a Best Actress award; her first one to date. After filming the series, she has been attending press conferences for her three projects: the Taiga drama, Atsuhime; the suspense movie where she plays the lead character who has a multiple personality disorder entitled Tokyo Shōnen, and the sequel to her breakthrough movie, Always: Sunset on Third Street.

All her exceptional work paid off when Horikita was chosen by Vogue Nippon as one of its eleven Women of the Year (award) for 2007[2]. Recipients of this same award include Ayase Haruka and Anna Tsuchiya.

Early 2008, Maki had been chosen as one of the leads for NTV's two-part, four-hour special, Tokyo Daikushu, which was televised on March 17 and 18, 2008[3]. The drama was a special commemoration of the events in Japan during World War II. Alongside actor Tatsuya Fujiwara of the Death Note fame, she played the role of Haruko Sakuragi, a nurse whose father had been killed years ago due to the bombing of his factory. Fujiwara, on the other hand, is the man who saved her during her father's death, and later on is brought in to the hospital that Haruko worked in as a patient with a heart condition. Other actors in the drama special include Eita, Yuki Shibamoto, Ryoko Kuninaka and Miki Maya, with the drama's music composed by Yoshiki of the legendary rock band X-Japan[4].

Two years after starring in Kurosagi, TBS brought the television drama to the silverscreen and Horikita reprised her role as Tsurara Yoshikawa in Eiga: Kurosagi[5]. The movie was said to have earned approximately 15.5 million US dollars, whereas the movie had been filmed with only a budget of 2 million US dollars.

October of the same year, she was once again seen on television opposite Yuzu's lead vocalist Yujin Kitagawa, leading the cast of FujiTV's golden time slot in the drama Innocent Love. Maki played the tragic heroine, Kan'on Akiyama, a young woman who went to Yokohama to find a better life without people judging her based on her family background, only to find love in the form of a church pianist, played by Yujin Kitagawa.[6].

She also appeared in the TV Asahi special, Danso no Reijin as Ri Kouran, a famous actress in China and the United States during the 1930's, while the lead role of Yoshiko Kawashima, announced earlier that year, had been taken by Meisa Kuroki [7]. Ri Kouran, whose real name was Yoshiko Yamaguchi, had been closely linked to Kawashima at one point.

Towards the end of the year she had once again been chosen as the lead actress for a movie, this time a Hollywood-Japan collaboration movie directed by international-acclaimed director and self-confessed Japanese culture fanatic, Hans Canosa. She had been casted as Naomi, the female protagonist of Nakushita Kioku, the film adaptation of Gabrielle Zevin's popular novel, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2007).[8]. Ken'ichi Matsuyama and Jpop group NEWS' member Yuya Tegoshi also appear in the movie, which is slated to premiere on Fall 2009.

[ Radio

Horikita is also one of the six young female hosts of the radio show, GIRLS LOCKS!, a sub-portion of the Japanese radio program, SCHOOL OF LOCKS!, broadcasted by tfm. She usually gives her letter-senders a call as a form of reply and gives book recommendations to her listeners. Her stint is at ten in the evening, every third or fourth week of the month. Other hosts of this radio show include Yui Aragaki, Erika Toda, Chiaki Kuriyama, Nana Eikura and Riko Narumi.

Voice Acting

She has also debuted as an anime seiyu for a Doraemon animated movie, Nobita and the Green Giant Legend 2008‎ as the young princess of the "Green Planet," who transfers all of Earth's plants there because of the Earth's advancing environmental destruction. [9]

On January 20, 2008, she did a public 'after-recording' at a studio in Meguro, Tokyo for the Doraemon movie, along with other guest voice actors like Maria Genesis (GT). She already has done a voice recording for a video game series, Professor Layton series since 2006, but she said it's harder to get used to dubbing in the animation, than it is for the game. She was asked who, in the Doraemon series, is her favorite type of a boy. She replied that she has a lot in common with Nobita; a similar interest in sleeping, string figures, and shooting (as seen in western movies).[10]

TV Shows


Movies


Recognitions


Endorsements

  • Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (2007-2008)
  • Konaka (2007-2008)
  • Suntory Natchan (2005-2008)
  • Shiseido Seabreeze (2007-2008)
  • Lotte Ghana (2006-2008)
  • Fujifilm Fujicolor (2004-2008)
  • Lotte Airs (2005)
  • Try@HOME (2005)
  • Nissinbo Cotton Feel (2004)
  • Nintendo GBA Fire Emblem (2003)

External Links

YAMASHITA TOMOHISA

Posted by vie | 8:40 PM | | 0 comments »


YAMASHITA TOMOHISA

Profile

  • Name: 山下智久 (やました ともひさ)
  • Name (romaji): Yamashita Tomohisa
  • Former name: 青木智久 / Aoki Tomohisa
  • Nicknames: Yamapi, Tomo-chan, TomoPi, Pi, P-chan
  • Profession: Actor and singer
  • Birthdate: 1985-Apr-09
  • Birthplace: Chiba, Japan
  • Height: 175cm* (http://i18.tinypic.com/4z0te7t.jpg)
  • Weight: 60kg* (http://i18.tinypic.com/4z0te7t.jpg)
  • Star sign: Aries
  • Blood type: A
  • Family: Mother (Naomi) and younger sister (Rina)
  • Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment
Tomohisa Yamashita (山下 智久 Yamashita Tomohisa?, born April 9, 1985), also known as Yamapi (山P?) is a Japanese idol, title="Singer-songwriter">singer-songwriter and an award-winning actor. He has been a member and leader of the popular J-pop group NEWS since 2003 and has also achieved success as part of Shuuji to Akira and as a solo artist. Yamashita graduated in September 2008 from Meiji University's faculty of commerce with a degree in marketing.[2]

Biography

He entered Johnny & Associates when he was 11 years old and is affectionately called YamaPi (short for Yamashita and the colour pink) by his friends, which is a nickname given to him by Hideaki Takizawa. His closest friends call him by the name "Pi", which was first used by his best friend Jin Akanishi, who is part of the group KAT-TUN.

Johnny's Junior

Since joining Johnnys, he has been a member of Jr. groups B.I.G., Four Tops, and most recently NEWS. Yamashita began to appear in television dramas soon after he joined Johnnys. In 2000, at age 15, his performance in Ikebukuro West Gate Park earned him an award for "Best New Comer". That same year, he was voted first place in the Annual Junior Awards for "Best Boyfriend", "Most Beautiful", to name a few for the first time.

When Takizawa made his debut with Tsubasa Imai as Tackey & Tsubasa in 2002, he left as the leader of Johnny's Juniors. Around the same time, Yamashita and the three most popular Tokyo Juniors Toma Ikuta, Jun Hasegawa, and Shunsuke Kazama formed Four Tops. Four Tops then began to host the Junior television program, The Shōnen Club.

Post-debut

In September 2003, eight other boys from Johnny's Juniors had been chosen to form the group NewS with Yamashita, who became the leader. NewS's formation came as a shock not only to the fans of Four Tops, but to its own members as well. Yamashita later revealed that at the time, aside from Ryo Nishikido, he had barely talked to any of the other group members since they were all juniors in relation to his status within Johnny's. Moreover he had been informed that the group would merely be a temporary one-month unit, formed to cheer for Japan's Women's Volleyball team during the games held in 2003.


Career after Debuting

NewS made its formal debut on May 12, 2004, with the single Kibou ~Yell!~. Since its debut, NewS has had all consecutive #1 singles on the
Oricon Ranking Chart. To date, all 11 singles and albums have debuted at the #1 spot.[citation needed]

In October 2005, Yamashita and Kazuya Kamenashi from KAT-TUN had formed Shuuji to Akira to promote their drama, Nobuta wo Produce. The duo had been named after their characters in the show, Shuuji Kiritani and Akira Kusano. They also released a single, Seishun Amigo, which sold over one million copies in four weeks. Seishun Amigo was the number one best selling single on the Oricon Yearly Singles Ranking for 2005. NewS, however, had been temporarily disbanded and all group activities had been put on hold after the suspension of two of its members, who had both been accused of underage drinking.

In spring 2006, Yamashita starred in Kurosagi, a drama based on the manga of the same name. Yamashita once again worked with U-20 idol Maki Horikita who played Nobuko or Nobuta in Nobuta wo Produce, the chemistry between the characters they portrayed a few months prior having led them to work together on another serial drama. For this purpose, Yamashita recorded his first single as a solo artist.
"Daite Señorita" climbed to the #1 spot in the Oricon ranking, the same award-giving body that awarded him the Artist of the Year award, alongside Tackey & Tsubasa and KAT-TUN. His single was the 4th best-selling single of 2006, selling more than 600,000 records -- twice the amount of NEWS's record sales per single. Much to his success, rumors and speculations have gone around the entertainment industry that Yamashita will be pursuing a career apart from NewS as a solo artist. It was later proven to be untrue, as Tomohisa stated that he still preferred to stay with his group, and not even as their leader but simply as a member. His modesty and well grounded nature is much recognized not only by his band members but throughout the Japanese entertainment world and the fan community as well.

In June 2006, he became part of an unofficial group within Johnny's Entertainment called "No Border", which includes Jun Matsumoto of Arashi, Shingo Murakami of Kanjani8, Atsuhiro Satō of Hikaru Genji, Toma Ikuta of Johnny's Junior's, Koichi Domoto of Kinki Kids, Tatsuya Yamaguchi of TOKIO and Hideaki Takizawa of Tackey & Tsubasa. The group had been formed when the 8 members from different Johnnys groups met up for dinner and decided to name themselves No Border. They are known to interact freely, bypassing the senpai-kouhai relationship that had been imposed in the agency, which is rooted from the differring dates of their entry into Johnny's Entertainment. There is a 7-part round-robin on their jwebs about the formation of the group, and each member has a specific color - White, Black, Red, Pink, Purple, Gold, Blue, Grey. However, who holds which color is still unknown.

In the latter half of 2006, Yamashita and Thai brother duet Golf & Mike teamed up with Hiromitsu Kitayama (Kis-my-ft2), Kei Inoo (J.J. Express, later Hey! Say! JUMP), Shota Totsuka (A.B.C.), and Hikaru Yaotome (Ya-Ya-Yah, later Hey! Say! JUMP), to form a temporary unit called Kitty GYM, (though there had never been a second T). This unit had been put together to cheer on Japan's Women's Volleyball team, and they released a single in August called "Fever to Future", the name "GYM" actually being an acronym for Golf, Yamashita, and Mike.

Yamashita returned as a member of NewS on 31 December 2006 at Johnny's Countdown 2006-2007, where the group had been re-launched as NEWS, shortly after which they had released their 7th single, Hoshi wo Mezashite. The single had debuted at the #1 spot in the Oricon Weekly Singles Ranking.

Early 2007, Yamashita, along with KAT-TUN's Koki Tanaka and Taisuke Fujigaya of Kis-my-ft2, had starred in Byakkotai, a two-part mini-drama for TV Asahi that retells the story of Mineji Sakai and the young samurais of the Byakkotai group.

Kurosagi, a movie that had been spun-off from the successful TBS drama, had premiered on March 8, 2008. Yamashita, who had played the character lead in the television drama, starred in the film, making the film his first movie. With only a budget of 2 million US dollars, the movie had grossed approximately 15.5 million dollars. Such success is expected to result to more movie offerings for Tomohisa.

In August 2008, Yamashita had been cast to play the aloof and level-headed intern flight doctor in the FujiTV drama Code Blue, along with other popular actresses Yui Aragaki and Erika Toda; the two-hour special of which had been aired last January 10, 2009.


TV Shows


TV Show Theme Songs



Movies

  • Kurosagi (http://www.kurosagi-movie.jp) (2008)
  • Shinrei Surfer no Shi (1996)

Endorsements

  • RUSS-K (http://russ-k.com/)
  • LAWSON (http://www.lawson.co.jp/index.html/) (2008)
  • Toshiba (http://dynabook.com/pc/index_j3.htm) Toshiba Note PC
  • Weider in Jelly (http://www.weider-jp.com/index.html)
  • Kikko man (http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/) Rakubeji
  • Misau Home
  • MOW
  • Pringles
  • Kiss Mint
  • Coca Cola
  • TBC Beauty Salon
  • TBC Yoga Classroom
  • TBC 30th Anniversary
  • TBC Dressing Room
  • TBC Summer
  • TBC Live Naturally

Recognitions





KAZUYA KAMENASHI

Posted by vie | 8:22 PM | | 0 comments »


KAZUYA KAMENASHI

Profile

  • Name: 亀梨和也 (かめなし かずや)
  • Name (romaji): Kamenashi Kazuya
  • Nicknames: Kame, Kame-chan, Ka-kun
  • Profession: Actor, singer and host
  • Birthdate: 1986-Feb-23
  • Birthplace: Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan
  • Height: 171cm
  • Weight: 54kg
  • Star sign: Pisces
  • Blood type: B
  • Family: Two older brothers, one younger brother, and one niece
  • Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment

Kazuya Kamenashi (亀梨和也 Kamenashi Kazuya?), often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, television personality and radio host. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the renowned Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and lead vocalist of the popular J-pop group KAT-TUN in 2001. The group officially debuted in 2006 and has since achieved a string of chart successes with all three albums and eight singles reaching number 1 on the Oricon charts.[1]

Kamenashi has also established himself as an actor with award-winning roles in Nobuta o Produce and the second season of Gokusen and has regularly appeared in various television dramas since 2005.[2] He is also a co-host of KAT-TUN's late-night NTV variety/talk show, Cartoon KAT-TUN, and a radio host with his own program aired by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting.

Early life

Born in Edogawa, Tokyo on February 23, 1986, Kamenashi is the third child of his parents. He has two older brothers, Yūichirō and Kōji, and one younger brother, Yūya. He also has one niece from his second brother's marriage. His given name comes from a character from the manga, Touch, written by a famous mangaka, Mitsuru Adachi. Incidentally, bandmate Tatsuya Ueda was also named after the twin brother of Kamenashi's namesake.[3] An avid baseball fan and player like his namesake, Kamenashi once represented his country in the junior world league as shortstop though he had to give up the sport professionally due to lack of spare time after he was accepted into Johnny's Entertainment despite having the support of Johnny Kitagawa, the agency's president, to pursue both careers.[4] During the audition stages for the agency, he was coincidentally in the same interview group as current KAT-TUN bandmates, Jin Akanishi and Yuichi Nakamaru.


Recording career

[edit] Pre-debut

Made up of five other members (Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Ueda and Nakamaru), Kamenashi is the "K" of KAT-TUN and together with Akanishi, he is one of the two main vocalists and arguably the most popular members of the group. Although he is the youngest of the six, he is considered their unofficial front man being good at public speaking and often acting as MC for KAT-TUN on television programs and concerts.

Though the group was originally chosen and formed as backup dancers for Kōichi Dōmoto of KinKi Kids in 2001, their unexpected popularity led the talent agency to allow them to expand into a separate group which, strangely enough, was not allowed to make their debut until 5 years after their formation. Nakamaru later indicated that over time, the group had become increasingly worried that they would never be an established act and Kamenashi and Akanishi went to their agency's president to talk about the problem. They received assurances that the members needed only to concentrate on their present work and were told to keep the faith.[5]

Solo ventures

In 2005, Kamenashi co-starred in the television school drama, Nobuta wo Produce, with Tomohisa Yamashita of NEWS. The opening theme for the show, Seishun Amigo, was released as a single under the name Shūji to Akira ("Shūji and Akira"), after the names of their respective characters. Seishun Amigo was a massive hit debuting at number 1 upon its release on November 2, 2005 and sold more than 1 million copies in less than 4 weeks. It went on to spend 34 weeks in the Oricon weekly singles chart and became the best-selling single of 2005 in Japan. The song also continued its lengthy chart run into early 2006 and became the third best-selling song of 2006.[6] Kamenashi has also written and performed a song named Kizuna for the second season of Gokusen which was one of the B-sides on the Seishun Amigo single and also penned a duet with bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi called Special Happiness.[7]

Commercial success with KAT-TUN

KAT-TUN's vast fanbase made it one of Japan's most prominent J-pop idol groups by 2006 and the group officially debuted on March 22, 2006 with their single "Real Face", which debuted at number 1 on the Oricon weekly singles charts selling over more than 700,000 copies before going on to sell more than a million units by the end of the year. Their debut album, Best of KAT-TUN, featuring songs made popular during their live performances and some which were written for the album, sold more than 500,000 copies in its first week and also topped the Oricon album chart.[8] Two singles from KAT-TUN's second album, "Signal" and "Bokura no Machi de", debuted at number 1 upon their releases selling more than 400,000 units in July and December 2006 respectively in the first week.

Two weeks before the release of the album, the group's late-night talk show, Cartoon KAT-TUN, began airing on April 4, 2007 and is still broadcasted weekly on Wednesday nights on NTV. Their sophomore record, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You, was released on April 18, 2007 and continued their chart-topping act when it debuted at number 1 with more than 270,000 copies sold. KAT-TUN's extraordinary run on the charts continued when singles from KAT-TUN's third album, "Yorokobi no Uta", "Keep the Faith" and "Lips" all debuted at number 1 in June 2007, November 2007 and February 2008 respectively selling more than 1 million units altogether before the group's third album, KAT-TUN III -Queen of Pirates-, was released in June 2008. Their third original album again peaked at number 1 upon its release moving more than 240,000 copies in its first week. The group's seventh single, "Don't U Ever Stop", continued their success on the music charts when it debuted at number 1 selling 381,672 copies. As of July 2008, KAT-TUN has sold over 5 million records in just over two years.

Acting career

Kamenashi made his acting debut in October 1999 in the fifth season of 3 nen B gumi Kinpachi Sensei as Akihiko Fugakawa. Unlike most Japanese television dramas, the series ran for 23 episodes and ended in March 2000. He later reprised his role in the epilogue special episode which aired in 2001. Kamenashi also began appearing on stage in supporting roles of musicals, SHOW geki SHOCK, SHOCK is Real SHOCK and DREAM BOY from 2001 to 2004. In late 2004, he took over the lead role in DREAM BOY from Hideaki Takizawa and also played the lead character in later seasons of the musical in January 2006, September 2007 and March 2008.

Kamenashi only returned to the small screen as an actor four years later in 2005 starring opposite Yukie Nakama and bandmate Jin Akanishi in the second season of Gokusen as Ryū Odagiri, a troubled high school student. The show remained popular with viewers finishing its run with an average viewership rating of 27.8% and was awarded "Best Drama" while Kamenashi was awarded "Best Supporting Actor" at the 44th Television Drama Academy Awards. Additionally, he also won "Best Supporting Actor" for his performance at the 8th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix.[2] He also co-starred with Juri Ueno the same year in the special television movie of
Kinda'ichi Shōnen no Jikenbo taking over the role of Hajime Kinda'ichi from Jun Matsumoto who last portrayed it in 2001. Kamenashi capped the year with his lead role of Shūji Kiritani in Nobuta wo Produce which won him further acting accolades when he was named "Best Lead Actor" at the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards.[2] The show also won "Best Drama" at the 9th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix.[10]

In 2006, Kamenashi starred in Fuji TV's romance drama, Suppli, and was the lead character in NTV's two-part tv movie, Yuuki, based on a true story of a man who died at 23 years old after being diagnosed with an illness that started with the partial collapse of his cranial bone resulting in a subsequent battle with seven types of incurable diseases. This tanpatsu was highly rated with an average viewership rating of 22.7%.[11] Kamenashi also starred opposite Haruka Ayase and bandmate Koki Tanaka in romance drama, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, the same year. He only made one guest appearance in 2007 in the ninth episode of Tanaka's comedy series, Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go, before taking on the lead role of Kōsaku Hatanaka in the live-action adaptation of manga, 1 Pound no Fukuin, in 2008.

In 2009, Kamenashi will star in another live-action adaptation of a wine-themed manga, Kami no Shizuku, as a leading actor. The drama will air on NTV in January 13 , 2009 at 10:00 PM ( Tokyo Time)

Other ventures

Radio

Kamenashi joined the rest of his KAT-TUN bandmates as a radio host on April 4, 2008 when he launched a twenty-minute radio segment, Kamenashi Kazuya Kase by Kase, which airs every Friday night in two parts. This is in addition to KAT-TUN's other existing radio programs, KAT-TUN STYLE, which is broadcasted from Monday to Thursday from 2006 onwards ( usually airing for 10 minutes) and hosted by Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka and formerly Jin Akanishi. R-ONE KAT-TUN, a 30-minute program broadcasted on Tuesdays has been hosted by Tatsuya Ueda and Yuichi Nakamaru also since 2006.

TV Shows


TV Show Theme Songs


Endorsements

  • NTT DoCoMo
  • SKY PerfecTV!
  • Contact Lens Solution
  • Lipbalm
  • Nintendo Gamecube Dance Dance Revolution (2005)
  • Oronamin C
  • Lotte Gum (Green Apple, Blue Citrus, Pink Berry)
  • Crunky Chocolate

Recognitions

JUN MATSUMOTO

Posted by vie | 7:26 AM | | 0 comments »


JUN MATSUMOTO

Profile

* Name: 松本潤
* Name (romaji): Matsumoto Jun
* Nicknames: Matsujun, Junji, King [by all Arashi], Jun~Chan, Matsumoto~kun, Do-S
* Profession: Actor, singer
* Birthdate: 1983-Aug-30
* Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
* Height: 173cm
* Weight: 58kg
* Star sign: Virgo
* Blood type: A-
* Family: Older sister
* Talent agency: Johnny's Entertainment

Jun Matsumoto (松本 潤, Matsumoto Jun?, born August 30, 1983), often called MatsuJun, is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, television personality and radio host. He is best known for being the youngest member of the popular boy band Arashi. Since the group's debut in 1999, it has achieved 20 number one singles, 6 number one studio albums, 1 number one greatest hits compilation album and has sold 9.9 million records in Japan alone to date.[1]

Matsumoto is also an award-winning actor and is primarily known for his roles in the Hana Yori Dango series, the first season of Gokusen, Bambino!, Kimi wa Pet and the third season of Kinda'ichi Shōnen no Jikenbo.

Early life

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Matsumoto is the youngest child of his parents. He has an older sister whose support of KinKi Kids influenced his decision to join Johnny's Entertainment in 1996. Thinking it might bode good luck, he sent his application to the agency on his elementary school graduation day and received a phone call weeks later from the president himself, Johnny Kitagawa, inviting him to attend a rehearsal. Due to this, Matsumoto is frequently referred to as an elite within the agency because he did not have to audition.[3]

Matsumoto began his career in the entertainment industry as a back-up dancer for other groups like many other Juniors in the agency before he was drafted into a five-member group named Arashi in 1999 at the age of 16. He graduated from Horikoshi Gakuen, a renowned high school known for its many performing arts alumnae, at the age of 18 with other contemporaries Kyoko Fukada and Ai Kato whom he counts as his high school senpai.



Recording and hosting career

[edit] 1999-present: Arashi

The group's debut was announced with much fanfare aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Honolulu, Hawai'i on September 15, 1999. The group's name, chosen by the agency, means "storm" and is meant to represent the group's ambition of "creating a storm throughout the world" through their music. Arashi's debut single, "A・RA・SHI", was a massive success upon its release reaching number 1 on the charts and selling over 970,000 copies at the end of its chart-run setting a new record for the highest first-week sales. A fan favorite, the group still performs the song during their live concerts to this day. Arashi's record would only be broken almost 7 years later by fellow JE boy band KAT-TUN's debut single, "Real Face", in March 2006.

All of Arashi's singles, album and DVD releases have been successful chart performers. The only singles that did not top the Oricon singles chart were "Typhoon Generation", "Tomadoi Nagara" and "Hadashi No Mirai/Kotoba yori Taisetsu na Mono". Their 2008 single, "Truth/Kaze no Mukō e", is their most successful release since their debut single and has sold over 600,000 copies as of October 2008.

In addition to music, Arashi are also prominent television personalities having hosted 12 different variety shows since 2001. Their first program, Mayonaka no Arashi ("Midnight Arashi"), lasted 38 episodes. Currently, the five are the hosts of two variety programs, Arashi no Shukudai-kun ("Arashi's Homework"), Himitsu no Arashi-chan ("Arashi-chan's Secrets") and a game show, VS Arashi.

Acting career

[edit] 1997- present

Matsumoto made his television debut as an actor in 1997 in the mystery-thriller series, Bokura no Yūki ~Miman Toshi~, opposite both members of KinKi Kids and band mate Masaki Aiba.[5] He appeared on the silver screen for the first time a year later in Shinjuku Tanteidan Shōnen[2]but his breakthrough did not come till 2001 however when he was cast as Hajime Kinda'ichi in the third season of Kinda'ichi Shōnen no Jikenbo taking over the role from senpai Tsuyoshi Domoto and co-starring opposite Anne Suzuki.[6] Arashi's single, "Jidai", was used as the theme song for the drama and was named "Best Theme Song" at the 30th Television Drama Academy Awards.[7]

Matsumoto gained further popularity as an actor in 2002 when he starred in the first season of Gokusen with Yukie Nakama, Shun Oguri, Tomohiro Waki, Hiroki Narimiya and Yuma Ishigaki. His portrayal of the troubled but highly intelligent student, Shin Sawada, drew acclaim and won him "Best Supporting Actor" at the 33rd Television Drama Academy Awards. He later returned with most of the original cast to star in the special epilogue episode in 2003.[8] His character also made a cameo in bandmate Shō Sakurai's comedy series, Yoiko no Mikata, in the same year.[9] Matsumoto took another high-profile role in the live-action adaptation of manga series, Kimi wa Pet, as Takeshi "Momo" Goda, starring opposite Koyuki the same year.[10] Arashi starred in their first film together in 2002 entitled Pika*nchi Life Is Hard Dakedo Happy and came together again for its sequel, Pika**nchi Life Is Hard Dakara Happy, in 2004. He also starred in the film Tokyo Tower as a womanizer with a preference for older women with senpai Junichi Okada in the same year.


In 2005, Matsumoto took the most prominent role of his career to date when he was cast as Tsukasa Domyōji in the live-action adaptation of shōjo manga Hana Yori Dango. Co-starring opposite Mao Inoue, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda and Tsuyoshi Abe, the series was a success with an average viewership rating of 19.6%. Matsumoto's portrayal as the air-headed and arrogant leader of four heirs to billionaire business empires won him "Best Supporting Actor" again at the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards.[11] The show's success spawned a second season which aired in 2007 and was an even bigger hit with television audiences with an improved viewership rating of 21.7% at the end of its run. The second series were lauded with more accolades when it was named "Best Drama" while Inoue and Matsumoto won "Best Lead Actress" and "Best Supporting Actor" at the Television Drama Academy Awards and the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix respectively.[12] TBS decided to end the series through a film, Hana Yori Dango -Final-, which hit the big screen on June 28, 2008 in Japan. The film stayed at number 1 at the box office for 3 consecutive weekends[13][14][15] and stayed in the top 10 for 10 weekends with returns of more than 6 billion yen at the end of its run.[16] The film was also released in Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea.[17]

In 2007, Matsumoto starred in Bambino! which won him his first "Best Lead Actor" trophy at the 53rd Television Drama Academy Awards. In the same year, Arashi starred in their third film together entitled Kiroii Namida while Matsumoto was cast in his most controversial role to date when he co-starred with Nana Eikura in the independent film Boku wa Imōto ni Koi o Suru as the lead character, Yūki Yori, who falls in love and develops a romantic relationship with his younger twin sister. Matsumoto also continued to choose more varied characters when he took on his first jidaigeki (period piece) role in a 2008 re-make of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, Kakushi Toride no San-Akunin: The Last Princess, with other award-winning actors Hiroshi Abe, Kippei Shiina and Masami Nagasawa. He also re-united with Bambino! co-star, Karina, in the special television movie, Myū no Anyo Papa ni Ageru, which aired as part of the 24 Hours TV charity special in 2008. He portrayed a man diagnosed with CIDP struggling to recuperate and return to normal life with his wife and young daughter. This tanpatsu was highly rated with a viewership rating of 25.6%.

Due to his highly acclaimed role as Domyouji Tsukasa in the Hanadan trilogy, Matsumoto was awarded GQ man of the year under the Singer/Actor category.

Personal life and personality

Matsumoto was once designated the "Comedy Leader" of Arashi but has more or less lost that image as he grew up. Now known more for his frank nature and sharp tongue, he has been called "DoS" ("extreme sadist") by his bandmates and openly admits to being rather neurotic and methodical.[18] Despite this, all of Arashi have stated that he cares most for the members and the group itself. He is close to his bandmates and has stated that they have never properly fought since they were brought together by the agency, mostly in part to the peaceful nature of the group's leader Satoshi Ohno and band member Masaki Aiba[19] -- a claim supported by bandmate Shō Sakurai.[20] He is also known for his serious work ethic -- often juggling several projects (music, television, film and radio) at the same time.

Matsumoto is a fan of American actors Johnny Depp, Kevin Spacey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt and enjoys kabuki.[3] He is near-sighted and usually wears contacts on stage and screen but reverts to glasses when he's not working. He has expressed a deep admiration for his label's president, Johnny Kitagawa, describing him as the biggest influence in his life.[3][19] He also enjoys surfing and drives to the beach alone whenever he has free time.


References

1. ^ Wikitheppn: Arashi profile; retrieved on October 17, 2008.
2. ^ a b DramaWiki: Matsumoto Jun; retrieved on October 17, 2008.
3. ^ a b c POP! Goes the MatsuJun (or Lessons Learned from a Japanese Idol), Asia Pacific Arts; University of California in Los Angeles; retrieved on October 29, 2008.
4. ^ Arashi no Shukudai-kun episode 23, 2007-03-17; retrieved on October 17, 2008
5. ^ DramaWiki: Bokura no Yuuki -Miman Toshi-; retrieved on October 17, 2008.
6. ^ DramaWiki: Kinda'ichi Shounen no Jikenbo Season 3; retrieved on October 18, 2008.
7. ^ 30th Television Drama Academy Awards; retrieved on October 18, 2008.
8. ^ DramaWiki: Gokusen Season 1; retrieved on October 17, 2008.
9. ^ DramaWiki: Yoiko no Mikata; retrieved on October 18, 2008.
10. ^ DramaWiki: Kimi wa Pet
11. ^ DramaWiki: Hana Yori Dango Season 1
12. ^ DramaWiki: Hana Yori Dango Season 2
13. ^ Japanese Box Office, June 28–29: HanaDan Final at #1, Anime News Network
14. ^ Japanese Box Office, July 5–6: HanaDan Stays at #1, Anime News Network
15. ^ Japanese Box Office, July 12–13: HanaDan's 3rd #1 Week, Anime News Network
16. ^ Japanese Boz Office, August 2-3: Ponyo's 3rd Week at #1, Anime News Network; retrieved on October 18, 2008.
17. ^ Release dates for Hana Yori Dango: Fainaru, IMDB; retrieved on October 18, 2008.
18. ^ Oshareism interview: Jun Matsumoto
19. ^ a b Shōnen Club Premium interview
20. ^ Oshareism interview: Sho Sakurai
21. ^ Oshareism interview: Jun Matsumoto


Filmography

Dramas

* Myu no Anyo Papa ni Ageru as Hayato Yamaguchi (NTV, 2008)
* Bambino! as Ban Shogo (NTV, 2007)
* Hana Yori Dango 2 as Domyouji Tsukasa (TBS, 2007)
* Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari "Imakiyo-san" (Fuji TV, 2006)
* Hana Yori Dango as Domyouji Tsukasa (TBS, 2005)
* Propose (NTV, 2005, ep1)
* Kimi wa Petto as Momo/Goda Takeshi (TBS, 2003)
* Gokusen SP as Sawada Shin (NTV, 2003)
* Yoiko no Mikata as Sawada Shin (Gokusen) (NTV, 2003, Cameo)
* Gokusen as Sawada Shin (NTV, 2002)
* Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo 3 as Kindaichi Hajime (NTV, 2001)
* Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo: Murder on the Magic Express as Kindaichi Hajime (NTV, 2001)
* Mukai Arata No Doubutsu Nikki ~Aiken Roshinante No Sainan~ as Kindaichi Hajime (NTV, 2001, Cameo)
* The Worst Dates as Yuusuke (NTV, 2000, ep2)
* V no Arashi as Matsumoto Jun (Fuji TV, 1999)
* Kowai Nichiyoubi "Furugiya" as S (NTV, 1999, ep10)
* Nekketsu Ren-ai Dou "Case 2: Leo A-type Boy" as Nikaidou Akira and "Case 11: Gemini B-type Boy" as Fukunaga Kousuke (NTV, 1999, ep2 & 11)
* Hitsuyou no Nai Hito as Ohno Takuji (NHK, 1998)
* BOYS BE... Jr. "Hakunetsu! Renai Shitai Shoukougun" as Yuu (NTV, 1998, ep1)
* Mou Hitotsu no Shinzou as Kitamura Tooru (NHK, 1997)
* Bokura no Yuuki ~Miman Toshi~ as Mori (NTV, 1997)
* Hoken Chousa Shigarami Tarou no Jikenbo Kijin Jiken (TBS, 1997)

Movies

* Hana Yori Dango Final (2008)
* Kakushi Toride no San Akunin/The Last Princess(2008)
* Kiiroi Namida (2007)
* Boku wa Imôto ni Koi wo Suru (2007)
* Tokyo Tower (2005) as iyot
* Pika**nchi Life Is Hard Dakara Happy (2004)
* Pika*nchi Life Is Hard Dakedo Happy(2002)
* Shinjuku Shônen Tanteidan (1998)

Stage

* West Side Story (2004)
* East of Eden (2005)
* Stand By Me (1997)

Commercials

* AU KDDI
* Pepsi Nex (solo)
* Tongari Corn
* C1000
* Pino
* O'Zack
* McDonald's
* Coca Cola
* Parco
* Petit

Awards
Year Awards
2007

* Best Actor (Bambino[1]), [53rd Television Drama Academy Awards][2]

* Best Supporting Actor (Hana Yori Dango 2[3]), 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Jan-Mar 07)

2005

* Best Supporting Actor (Hana Yori Dango[4]), [47th Television Drama Academy Award][5]

2002

* Best Supporting Actor (Gokusen[6]), [33rd Television Drama Academy Awards][7]

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