Dai Watanabe: Forging his own path, away from the familiar
Though he rarely acknowledges the fact in public, Dai Watanabe is the son of Ken Watanabe: arguably Japan's most internationally known actor since Toshiro Mifune. Among Japanese media, the fact is common knowledge, though in interviews with Watanabe junior, the subject is often off-limits. Dai ...
Actor Ken Watanabe was nominated Tuesday for the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards in the category for best actor in a musical for his role in "The King and I." The other actors in the running are Marc Antolin of "Little Shop of Horrors," Kobna Holdbrook-Smith ...
Words of support pour in for swimmer Rikako Ikee after leukemia diagnosis
Words of encouragement poured in for swimming star Rikako Ikee on Tuesday after she revealed she had been diagnosed with leukemia. Ikee, an 18-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal hopeful who became the first female athlete to be named MVP at the 2018 Asian Games, ...
The 'King' returns and theaters look to Russia for 2019
Whether it's regular theater that gets you going these days — or you're skipping along more to musicals — as 2019's curtains rise, variety will be the spice of live stages this coming year. In the realm of musicals, American composer Dave Malloy's 2012 "electropop ...
Ken Watanabe: Japan's flag-bearer in the world of entertainment
Ahead of the opening of 'The King and I' in London on June 21, the award-winning actor calls on young Japanese to step outside their comfort zone.
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe has split with actress wife: agency
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, who has appeared in a number of American films including the 2003 period drama "The Last Samurai," has split with his actress wife Kaho Minami, their agencies said Thursday. The couple's divorce came about a year after a magazine reported that ...
There's no business like a star's personal business
If you've got a Twitter account in Japan, you've probably seen the promoted tweets for Netflix featuring comedian Sanma Akashiya. In these video spots, Sanma compares working for a streaming service to working for a commercial broadcaster, but doesn't mention the context for his ...
Van Sant plots a bleak hike through Aokigahara
At least Arthur Brennan didn't want sushi, an AKB48 concert or a night out on the town with a maiko (trainee geisha) on his arm. As Japan's ranking soars on the international travelers' destination lists, the more cliched their itineraries seem to get. But ...
Ken Watanabe to return to NY staging of 'The King and I' in March after recovery from cancer
Ken Watanabe will return to his royal robes on Broadway in "The King and I" starting March 17 after he recovers from stomach cancer treatment. Lincoln Center Theater said Thursday that the Tony- and Oscar-nominated actor will take over the role from Hoon Lee. Watanabe, the ...
Actor Ken Watanabe diagnosed with early stage stomach cancer
Actor Ken Watanabe has been diagnosed with early stage stomach cancer and has undergone endoscopic surgery to remove it, according to his agent. The 56-year-old actor released a comment Tuesday seeking understanding for the postponement of his return to the musical "The King and I" ...
Seeing 2015 through a fragmented media lens
Media literacy means understanding that objective reality is impossible to comprehend, and that the best you can do to make sense of the world is to know how to interpret signals. Part of that process is identifying what's at stake: Newspapers and broadcasters have ...
Conductor Ozawa's recording, Watanabe's musical nominated for Grammys
An opera recording by conductor Seiji Ozawa and the album from a Broadway musical in which actor Ken Watanabe starred are among the works nominated for the 58th Grammy Awards. Ozawa's recording is of Ravel's "L'Enfant et Les Sortileges" ("The Child and the Spells") performed ...
