AKB48 In Washington D.C.

News Coverage of AKB48`s trip to Washington D.C. and fans coming from all over to see them.
School kids ask them the hard questions, which no reporter wants to ask, lol.

AKB48 Team8 To be created

As part of the Saitama Super Arena concert series, it was announced that Team8 would be created to give the group five teams.

AKB48 producer Akimoto Yasushi said that there were a number of concerns about the future of the research members not selected to Team 4. He has decided that the remaining trainees will work with the goal for establishing Team 8.
No time table was given for the start of Team 8.

AKB48 Makes Team Changes, SKE48, NMB48 Transfers To AKB48

Day two of the AKB48 Saitama Super Arena concert series brought a number of news stories.

The first being roster changes.
Matsui Jurina has transferred from SKE48 to AKB48 Team K

Watanabe Miyuki has transferred from NMB48 to AKB48 Team B

These transfers are listed a temporary and both girls will remain members of their respective groups.

AKB48 Team 4 has now become complete with the promotions of the following girls
Kato Rena
Kawaei Rina
Iwate Karen
Tano Yuuka
Takahashi Juri

AKB48 Tokyo Dome 1,830M

It is the goal of all Japan based music artists to play in the famed Tokyo Dome. The Tokyo Dome along with the Nippon Budokan is viewed by music artists as the measuring sticks of success and mainstream acceptance.

In front of 25,000 fans in the first of three concerts that will see AKB48 perform in front of a total of 75,000 fans, AKB48 was presented with a video package with the news they have worked hard for to achieve.

The idol group who started with only a handful of fans had reached the dream and is heading to the Tokyo Dome.
In the video package the countdown number represents the distance in meters from the AKB48 Theater to the Tokyo Dome.

AKB48 Heads To America

AKB48 is going to America, this time Washington D.C. to perform at the U.S. ‘National Cherry Blossom Festival‘!
The festival runs from March 20 to April 27 and AKB48 will perform on March 27 and will visit a local school on the 26th of March. AKB48 wishes to thank the Americans for their support during the Earthquake recovery, while nothing else has been confirmed, some outlets are hinting that more stops of gratitude maybe in the works.
For those who wish to attend it will be at
Lincoln Theatre in Washington on March 27 (at 4 and 7:30 p.m.).

JKT48 + AKB48 Joint Concert March 3 YouTube

This is an advance notice At 7:00 pm Japan Standard Time JKT48 and AKB48 will be in concert on AKB48`s YouTube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/akb48

In JKT48 related news the girls have Google+ accounts 6:30pm JST, JKT48 Will hold a fan event on Google+ Hangout. With the addition of 25 members of JKT48, 217 members of the 48 family now have accounts.

AKB48 Add another TV Show

AKB48 are teaming up with SMAP`s Nakai Masahiro and actress Esumi Makiko as hosts for a new TBS music show. The untitled set to start in April TV show will

see the Senbatsu members joining Nakai and Esumi as MC for the new program. Each week AKB48 Senbatsu members will be show regulars with 2-3 serving as MC

on a rotating schedule.

Majisuka Gakuen Season 3

It was announced the other night on AKB48 All Night Nippon program, that there will be a season 3 of the drama. It`s also being reported that the show will be different from the first two seasons.
More details when they become available

AKB48 Just Miss 1 Million Day One Sales

AKB48 “GIVE ME FIVE” entered Oricon at #1 with first day sales of 966,529 this is the third record breaking first day release for AKB48. Unless there is a down turn in sales, this will be the 6th consecutive and 7th single overall to sale one million copies.

AKB48 GIVE ME FIVE

A sub team known as Acchan48.net has taken the time to sub the entire 34 minute version of AKB48 single GIVE ME FIVE!


Give Me Five (Full Version) Eng Sub from Acchan48 on Vimeo.

AKB48 GIVE ME FIVE Coupling PVs

Recently the videos for the AKB48 “GIVE ME FIVE” single have started to come out. Below is the videos for ”NEW SHIP” which is a story about JKT48 Melody transferring to a Japanese school by Special Girls A , and “Hitsujikai no Tabi” by Special Girls B.


“Hitsujikai no Tabi”

Hitsujikai no Tabi (Special Girls B) - AKB48 by mariixd20

“New Ship”
I think they did an ok job here with Melody from JKT48, in symbolizing that while the group maybe from outside Japan; they are a part of the 48 family.

Hirajima Natsumi & Yonezawa Rumi Leave AKB48

Oh boy, were to begin and how much should I say would best describe this post.

Hirajima Natsumi & Yonezawa Rumi are leaving AKB48 effective immediately, for idol contract rules violations.  Basically it comes down to this, wotas discovered that Yonezawa had a private twitter account and another site, where she talked about dating, friends with benefits relationships, co-ed sleepover photos. This resulted in the discovery of Hirajima having a private twitter account and more photos with Natsumi being involved with a boy.

This resulted in 24 hrs. of hate messages, posted anonymous threats to all the 48 groups, their places of work for being “unfaithful” idols. As a result both Hirajima Natsumi & Yonezawa Rumi have givin their resignations.

Natsumi sent out an official announcement, apologizing to fans for causing everyone trouble.
Natsumi went on to tell the fans, staff and everyone involved with AKB48 that she is truly sorry and hopes to one day receive the support of the fans again.

  Yonezawa Rumi like Natsumi also gave a resignation release and like Natsumi, Rumi also apologized for causing trouble.

Being an idol and not doing anything to damage your image is a standard rule .What we see on TV or on stage is not often what really is. Onyanko Club members have in their post idol careers admitted that in their time as a group the members had boyfriends and generally it was a matter of not getting caught by media and fans. It is times like these when you can`t help but to think is your favorite idol next.


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Baby Blossom/AKB48 GIVE ME FIVE! PV Update

The PV for the upcoming single "GIVE ME FIVE" will be an amazing 34 minutes long.
The video was filmed in November by famed director Sugita Shigemichi as a mini drama set in a partime high school.

Maeda Atsuko plays “Ogata Atsuko” whose parents are divorced. Maeda in this role sees her work for her alcoholic father at his ramen shop.
Kashiwagi Yuki plays a girl who suffers the scares of being bullied, Takahashi Minami plays a girl who can`t stick to one job for long and Oshima Yuko plays a girl who sells herself to men to pay off family debts.

The girls find their way together and create the rock band “Baby Blossom”. It is through this band that these girls’ lives are changed for the better.

The single comes out February 15th

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Baby Blossom

Baby Blossom is an 18 member band created from AKB48 members .The core of the band is Maeda Atsuko (Guitar), Oshima Yuko (Bass), Takahashi Minami (Guitar), Kashiwagi Yuki (Drums), Kojima Haruna (Keyboards), and Watanabe Mayu (Keyboards).
The remaining Senbatsu members make up horn, percussion and backing vocals.

Baby Blossom was created for the single “GIVE ME FIVE” and spent the past five months rehearsing.
They are not all that bad, not ready open up for BABY METAL [Sorry I couldn`t resist that joke].

Seriously this is a fun little group they have put together for their next single. The girls worked very hard and I tip my hat to them as it`s a good job for five months training.





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Special Earthquake Concert

NHK is organizing a six hour concert to honor the memory of the great Tohoku Earthquake.

The concert will take place on March 10 and will be called “Shinsai Kara 1nen ‘Ashita e’ Concert” (1 Year After the Earthquake ‘For Tomorrow’ Concert).

This television broadcast will be hosted by SMAP`s Nakai Masahiro and will be held jointly at Chiba`s Makuhari Messe Event Hall and Fukushima`s Sukagawa City Cultural Center.

The goal is to deliver messages of hope to the troubled areas.
Artists confirmed for the event are as follows.

For Chiba
SMAP, AKB48, Perfume

For Sukagawa
Kitajima Saburo, Sakamoto Fuyumi, Hitoto Yo, Hirahara Ayaka
The full lineup will be announced later.

NHK is taking applications to attend the concerts.

Sashihara Rino Gets A Solo Debut

On January 8th AKB48 announced that Sashihara Rino will be making a solo single debut.
Sashihara`s debut will be released in March by Avex Trax and will be the as the theme song for her first starring drama “Muse no Kagami“.
Sashihara commented that “Though I’m not good at singing, and I am full of anxiety, I will be making a CD debut.  I will try my best.”
She asked her fans to look forward to her release.

AKB48 On TV

AKBINGO
HKT48 members join the cast and more


AKBINGO 120104 ラッキーガールランキング2012 by tennis800v

Ariyoshi AKB

有吉AKB共和国 120105 AKBドリームマッチ2012 by tennis800v

Shukan

週刊AKB 120106 スジアリ(前編) by tennis800v

AKB48 #1 Female Idol Group All-time

A little news catch up
Back on January 5th AKB48 became the top-selling girl group in single sales when the passed Morning Musume`s sales mark. In 25 singles since their debut AKB48 has sold 11,787,000 copies, 7,346,000 of that total was sold just in 2011. Morning Musume was the longtime holders of the record with 56 singles for 11,774,000 in sales .Third place is Pink Lady who in their career sold 11,037,000 copies on 23 singles.

AKB48 Wins Coveted Japan Record Award

AKB48 has at last landed on top of the music industry as they won the most coveted prize in our industry the Japan Record Award .The award was given for their sales of “Flying Get”.
Maeda Atsuko barely holding her emotions in after receiving the award made the following remarks “To all the people who have cheered us on, to the staff who have supported us, Akimoto sensei, we are so grateful for everyone. Thank you so much!”

2011 was a tremendous year for AKB48 and a strong year for the idol genre in general ,2012 looks to be another strong year ,can AKB48 continue their consecutive million sales streak or will a newcomer rise up to challenge them ? The answers will start to play out soon.

AKB48 Sashihara Rino to Star in First Drama

Current AKB48 member, Sashihara Rino, will star in her first drama, "Muse no Kagami". The drama will be aired in the Kanto region of Japan. Fukuda Yuichi will also take part in the drama along with Sashihara-san.

The role that Sashihara will play will be a girl who has nothing to recommend her. She will then get discovered by "Okita Ryu" and she starts to grow into a great actress.

Sashihara also states to her fans "To star in drama series for the first time, I feel full of anxiety about my acting, but I will try my best so that I wouldn’t have to bother my co-stars. I’m looking forward to see how the world of Fukuda-san will come out!!!"

The drama "Muse no Kagami" will be aired on Janurary 14th, 2012 every Saturday from 1:55am-2:10am. Please stay tuned~