Search - entertainment

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 2, 2014

Brash comic Kathy Griffin succeeds Joan Rivers on 'Fashion Police' TV show

Comedian Kathy Griffin will be joining cable television's "Fashion Police," replacing the late Joan Rivers on the show that critiques celebrity choices on the red carpet, E! Entertainment said on Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 30, 2014

Stage veteran invites Tokyoites to try treading the boards

While Ann Jenkins has taken roles in numerous Tokyo International Players productions during her 24-year involvement with the group, she is just as active behind the scenes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014

Documentaries at the margins of modern life

There is no film festival in Japan quite like the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014

Jigoku de Naze Warui (Why Don't You Play in Hell?)

Director: Sion Sono Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 25, 2014

Cosby's show nixed in Washington state after sex assault claims

Embattled comedian Bill Cosby's show in Yakima, Washington state, has been canceled, venue organizers said Monday, in the latest of several cancellations following decades-old sexual assault allegations that have surfaced in recent weeks.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 22, 2014

Is happiness worth the risk of addiction?

You'll have heard this story before, in one form or another. "Mr. B," 66, is a pachinko addict. Hard core.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2014

Abe dissolves Lower House for snap election

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolves the Lower House to pave the way for his Dec. 14 snap election, asking voters to cast judgment on his sputtering 'Abenomics' program.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Nov 19, 2014

Howard probed over child abuse

Authorities in Georgia are investigating child abuse allegations against Houston Rockets star Dwight Howard, police said on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2014

Little bang for the G-20 buck

The G-20 is not a meeting for learning or dialogue but for posturing and selfies.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 18, 2014

Many of China's TV shows, films are rubbish, top government official says

Many of the television shows, movies and publications produced in China each year are rubbish, and the solution is to banish decadent themes and concentrate on uplifting social values instead, a senior government minister has said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 18, 2014

Pop idol's funeral draws biggest crowds in Iran since 2009 unrest

The funeral of Iranian pop idol Morteza Pashaie drew the biggest crowds seen in Iran since mass protests in 2009 rocked the Islamic Republic.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 16, 2014

Cosby stays silent on allegations of sexual assault

Comedian Bill Cosby, in an interview that aired on Saturday, declined to answer questions by a National Public Radio journalist about accusations of sexual assault that resurfaced in recent weeks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Nov 14, 2014

I am Hello Kitty, hear me roar

The world-famous Hello Kitty has hit the big 40. To celebrate such a major milestone, Pioneer Electronics have come up with a new portable sound system in collaboration with the birthday queen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2014

Sharp develops smartphone feature that speaks for itself

Premium smartphone models have become powerful communications and entertainment tools with bigger and clearer screens, high-spec processors and camera quality as good as their compact digital counterparts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2014

'Super Smash Bros.' preorders set Wii U record, giving Nintendo hope for big Christmas

Advance orders for the "Super Smash Bros." video game for the Wii U console are at a record and may lift sales of the struggling console during the holidays, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 7, 2014

'S' is for 'Starting to teach your kids ABC'

My toddler is hissing like a pantomime villain as she runs along an S-shaped snake made from sticky tape curled across the living room floor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2014

Parasyte: Gory invasion of the cannibal body snatchers

The closing film of this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, Takashi Yamazaki's "Kiseiju: Part 1 (Parasyte: Part 1)," arrives in theaters with a lot of hype. Based on Hitoshi Iwaaki's best-selling manga about the stealth invasion of Earth by alien parasites, the film is the first of a two-part...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2014

Eien no 0 (The Eternal Zero)

Director: Takashi Yamazaki Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 5, 2014

Street-dance show's dazzling 'tribute to manga' hits the spot

Street-dance types in Japan can often be seen working on their moves in parks or in front of big plate-glass windows, but in Britain the dance movement is being taken to an entirely new level.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2014

Notorious 'JK' business exploits troubled high school girls for sex

Seventeen-year-old Momo shrugs and says she was aware of the dangers when she decided to join other girls in Tokyo's Akihabara district handing out racy fliers to male passers-by and flashing them coquettish smiles.
WORLD
Nov 2, 2014

J.K. Rowling reveals the inspiration for Harry Potter's enemy Umbridge

J.K. Rowling has revealed that the much-hated character Dolores Umbridge from her "Harry Potter" books is based on a teacher to whom she took an instant dislike — but whose name she has not disclosed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2014

Disney outlines ¥500 billion expansion of Tokyo theme parks

Oriental Land Co., owner of the Tokyo Disney Resort, announced plans for a ¥500 billion expansion of the Japanese resort.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 29, 2014

High drama at Festival/Tokyo

News in March that 38-year-old Chiaki Soma had suddenly been removed from the post of program director of Festival/Tokyo, which she had held since it started in 2009, set many theater lovers worrying about the future of the flagship drama event whose stature at home and abroad had only grown with her...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2014

Confidence key to female success, say panelists at Tokyo forum

Women's advances in society are now a "must" in Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration pledging to make every woman shine. But many still find it difficult to break the glass ceiling in a male-dominated society —mainly due to their lack of self-confidence, speakers at a recent Tokyo...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 25, 2014

Cutting-edge inventions showcased at Tokyo future-tech expo

Japanese technologies that engage multiple senses, such as virtual reality eyewear and wearable robotics, are being shown off at a Tokyo museum, offering the public a glimpse of a futuristic society.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2014

New trade chief slapped by S&M scandal after only three days on job

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is saddled with another scandal after new trade chief Yoichi Miyazawa's staff admits paying a bill for u00a518,230 to a sadomasochism bar in Hiroshima.
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2014

Casino bill delayed again, sources say

Japan's plan to open up to casino gambling has been delayed again, three people familiar with the process said, dealing a blow to one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy priorities and to hopes the first resort will open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 22, 2014

Japan's 'unknown' record-breakers eye high-tech horizons on stage and off

Siro-A is going where no Japanese performing artists have gone before, as the all-action troupe this month launched into not its first, or second — but its third three-month West End run since its "Technodelic Visual Show" in 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2014

Third Point sells Sony, takes new stakes in eBay, Alibaba

Third Point LLC, the hedge fund firm run by Daniel Loeb, sold its investment in Sony Corp. and bought stakes in eBay Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in the third quarter.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2014

Casino legalization delay likely, Komeito official says

The plan to legalize casino gambling has likely been delayed again, a senior Komeito official said Monday, dealing a further political blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear