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SMAP
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-piece with Katsuyuki Mori, until his departure from the band in 1996. The name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People". After making their debut in 1991, the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. The group is often referred to as a "national treasure" and a "fortune and property of the country" in Japan. SMAP was regarded as an iconic group in Japan, after achieving an unprecedented level of success in numerous genres in the entertainment industry, including music, television, film, radio, and theater, as a group and individually. SMAP was credited for changing the Japanese entertainment and music industry, in terms of prolonging longevity of boy bands and broadening ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katsuyuki Mori
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-piece with Katsuyuki Mori, until his departure from the band in 1996. The name stands for "Sports Music Assemble People". After making their debut in 1991, the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm, becoming one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. The group is often referred to as a "national treasure" and a "fortune and property of the country" in Japan. SMAP was regarded as an iconic group in Japan, after achieving an unprecedented level of success in numerous genres in the entertainment industry, including music, television, film, radio, and theater, as a group and individually. SMAP was credited for changing the Japanese entertainment and music industry, in terms of prolonging longevity of boy bands and broadening ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SMAP×SMAP
''SMAP×SMAP'', often referred to simply as ''Sma-Sma'', was a Japanese television variety show hosted by boy band SMAP. Debuting on April 15, 1996, it was produced by Kansai TV and Fuji TV and aired on Fuji TV every Monday from 10:00 p.m. to 10:54 p.m. ( JST) until it ended on December 26, 2016. Since its premiere, the show has been critically acclaimed for its originality and unique, distinct format and has become an iconic television show in Japan. It quickly became the most watched television program, attracting an average of 20 million viewers per episode, often ranking at #1 in year-end ratings. It has become the show that features the widest range of guests in Japanese television history, including actors, singers, models, athletes, filmmakers, and politicians, both Japanese and from abroad. It is the eighth longest-running prime-time television program in Japan and the second longest-running prime-time television program on Fuji Television. History From April 10 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shingo Katori
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left Johnny & Associates on 9 September 2017, together with two other SMAP members, Goro Inagaki and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and entered CULEN, a Japanese talent agency. On 22 September 2017, they launched a new project, "atarashiichizu" ("新しい地図", meaning "New Map") as their common fan site, supported by various Japanese leading creators. Since then, Katori has been extending his activities also into artistic fields. Early life Katori was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa and moved to Tokyo to pursue his career. He has one younger brother. Career as a pop star Music In 1987, at age 10, Katori auditioned for Johnny & Associates, a Japanese talent agency that recruits and trains young boys, preteens to teens, to become singers and members of boy b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takuya Kimura
is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long Vacation'', in which he landed his first lead role, became a massive success, creating a phrase called the "''Lon-bake phenomenon"''. He was given the title, "The King of Ratings", as his subsequent television series continued to generate high ratings and each show became a social phenomenon as it aired. Five of his works are ranked in the 10 best-viewed TV drama series in Japan, the highest of which is his 2001 drama series, ''Hero''. He also starred in blockbuster films, including '' Love and Honor'' (2006), ''Hero'' (2007) and ''Howl's Moving Castle'' (as a voice actor, 2004). Kimura is also known for his work in the video games ''Judgment'' and ''Lost Judgment'', portraying Takayuki Yagami. Career Music In 1987, at age 15, Kimura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, and a former member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. Early life Kusanagi grew up in Kasukabe, Saitama, Japan. Career Music In 1987, at age 13, Kusanagi auditioned to enter Johnny & Associates, a Japanese talent agency that recruits and trains young boys, preteens to teens, to become singers and members of boy bands. After five of the other band members auditioning individually from 1986 through 1987, in autumn 1987, twenty boys, from ages ten to seventeen, were put together into a group called The Skate Boys, which was initially created as backup dancers for a famous boy band, Hikaru Genji (band), Hikaru Genji. In April 1988, producer Johnny Kitagawa chose six out of the twenty boys to create a new boy band and named them "SMAP". A year after the dissolution of SMAP, Kusanagi, alongside former members Shingo Katori, and Goro Inagaki formed the group, Atarashii Chizu. Acting He had the lead role in the movie, ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masahiro Nakai
is a Japanese television host, actor, news presenter, radio personality. He was the leader of the now defunct boy band SMAP, which had been the best-selling boy band in Asia. While working as a member of a boy band, he worked extensively as a television presenter, hosting many of his own talk shows, variety shows, music shows, news programs, and several Olympic games as a sportscaster. His conversational method and technique has been critically praised, establishing himself as one of the most well-respected, iconic hosts in the Japanese entertainment industry. He is the host of six weekly television programs and one radio program. Since his first major role in the drama television series, ''Aji Ichimonme'' (1995), he has had a successful acting career, both in television and film. He has starred in many high-rated television series such as, ''Densetsu no Kyoushi'' (2000), ''Shiroi Kage'' (2001), ''Suna no Utsuwa'' (2004), and ''Ataru'' (2012), and a blockbuster film, ''Watashi w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in traditional music of Japan, and significantly in 1960s pop and rock music. J-pop replaced ''kayōkyoku'' ("Lyric Singing Music", a term for Japanese popular music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene. J-rock bands such as Happy End fused the Beatles and Beach Boys-style rock with Japanese music in the 1960s1970s. J-country had popularity during the international popularity of Westerns in the 1960s1970s as well, and it still has appeal due to the work of musicians like Charlie Nagatani and venues including Little Texas, Tokyo. J-rap became mainstream with producer Nujabes and his work on ''Samurai Champloo'', Japanese pop culture is often seen with anime in hip hop. Other trends ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sekai Ni Hitotsu Dake No Hana
is a song recorded by Japanese boy band SMAP. The Noriyuki Makihara composed song was released as a single in 2003 and sold more than 2.57 million copies, becoming the third best-selling single in Japan in Oricon history. Along with Hikaru Utada's "Colors", it was one of the only two singles to sell over a million copies in 2003, a year that saw CD sales declining due to the Japanese economic slump. The single made it to the top of the Oricon 2003 Yearly singles chart. As of December 2016 it is the third best-selling single in Japan, with 3.000 million copies sold. This song became popular in karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i .... Track list Charts and certifications Charts Certifications References {{Authority control 2003 songs 2003 sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goro Inagaki
is a Japanese musician and actor from Itabashi, Tokyo. Inagaki was a member of the Japanese pop group SMAP. A year after the group's dissolution, Inagaki, alongside his former bandmates Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori formed the group Atarashii Chizu. His international film debut was in the romantic comedy '' Private Lessons II'', playing the male lead role of a Japanese student who falls for his tutor. ''Private Lessons II'' also starred SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai. Filmography Drama * 1989: ''Seishun Kazoku'' (1989) as Daichi Agawa * 1991: ''Gakkō e ikō'' as Toru Fujii * 1992: ''Hatachi no Yakusoku'' as Akagi Junpei * 1993: ''Uso Demo li Kara'' as Nogami Fumiya * 1994: ''Tokyo Daigaku Monogatari'' as Naoki Murakami * 1995: ''Saikō no Koibito'' as Michio Yoshinaga * 1996: ''Subarashiki Kazokuryokō'' as Kikuchi Tadahiro * 1997: ''Kare'' as Okamoto Toshiya * 1997: ''Koi no Katamichikippu'' as Mori Shinichi * 1998: ''Sommelier'' as Joe Satake * 1998: ''A Strange Story ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny & Associates
is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rented an office space owned by Watanabe Productions, operating under its management as well. Six years later, Four Leaves, a boy band created by the agency, became successful. Four Leaves left a lasting legacy to the industry because it was produced as a "Group sounds band that does not play instruments", a product of Kitagawa's taste for emphasizing the attributes, personality and physical abilities of a performer. Since then Kitagawa has formed a number of successful acts, such as solo artist Masahiko Kondō, whose song, , won the 1987 Japan Record Award, and Hikaru Genji, the first Johnny group with three singles on the Japanese Oricon yearly chart in 1988. Johnny & Associates played an integral role in the post-war growth of Japanese boy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waratte Iitomo
was a Japanese variety show aired every weekday on Fuji TV. The show was hosted by Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita) and ran from 1982 to 2014. The show was produced in the Studio Alta building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The show featured a series of regular members who only appeared on a particular day of the week. These regular members were changed periodically. In October 2011, Johnny's Jr. members Yuki Nozawa and Yuma Sanada, known together as the "Noon Boyz", joined as the show's 16th "Iitomo Seinentai" team of assistants and dancers. The final broadcast of the program took place on March 31, 2014 after thirty-two years on the air. Guests appearing on the program's daily "Telephone Shocking" interview segment during the final week included Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Beat Takeshi, and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. The show had 8,054 episodes, making it the highest episode count in Japan. Cast As well as the long-running presenter (Tamori) and "Noon Boyz", the show featured certain regular members ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Kitagawa
John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name ; October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as , was an American-born Japanese businessman and talent manager. He was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including Tanokin Trio, Hey! Say! JUMP, SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence spread beyond music to the realms of theatre and television. Regarded as one of the most powerful figures in the Japanese entertainment industry, he held a virtual monopoly on the creation of boy bands in Japan for more than 40 years. From 1988 to 2000, Kitagawa was the subject of a number of claims that he had taken advantage of his position to engage in improper sexual relationships with boys under contract to his talent agency. Kitagawa denied these claims, and in 2002 was awarded an 8.8 million yen judgment against the ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
