Kohaku Utagassen

[thomas]

New stars call tune in Japan songfest

New Year's Eve national gala axes veteran performers as network tries to project new image to boost its ratings

Japan's traditional New Year's Eve gala - the Red and White Song Festival - is shedding many ageing stars this year in a bid to jack up viewer ratings, much to the despair of elderly fans of the nationally-televised show.

But this year, veteran singers will constitute only a third of the artistes performing in the show. Familiar faces like Aki Yashiro and Akira Fuse are making way for a motley crop of young artistes that include rap singers and 'acappella' groups. Even pop veterans like 80s idol Hideki Saijo have not been spared.

=> http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,163638,00.html

More about it from NHK

=> http://www.nhk.or.jp/pr/keiei/toptalk/k_e0112.htm

[Dutch Baka]

NHK announces celebrities who will appear in year-end singing contest:

Waa, Am I happy to hear this news, I have heard so much about this program, and I can't wait to see it.

So here comes the list:

The Kohaku Song Contest will be held from 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, and will be aired live on its general channel, satellite television and radio.

The singers who will appear in the program are:

White Team

Masafumi Akikawa

AquaTimez

Hiroshi Itsuki

w-inds.

ORANGE RANGE

Saburo Kitajima

Takeshi Kitayama

Gospellers

Kobukuro

Masashi Sada

SEAMO

Shikao Suga

Sukima Switch

SMAP

DJ OZMA

TOKIO

Hideaki Tokunaga

Ichiro Toba

Kiyoshi Hikawa

Akira Fuse

Takashi Hosokawa

Takao Horiuchi

Pornograffitti

Kiyoshi Maekawa

Kenichi Mikawa

Shinichi Mori

WaT

Red Team

aiko

Ayaka

Angela Aki

Sayuri Ishikawa

Miki Imai

Ai Otsuka

Miyuki Kawanaka

GAM & Morning Musume

Kaori Kozai

Kumi Koda

Natsuko Godai

Sachiko Kobayashi

Fuyumi Sakamoto

Yoshimi Tendo

Dreams Come True

Mika Nakashima

Yoko Nagayama

Rimi Natsukawa

Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayaka Hirahara

Ayako Fuji

BoA

Bonnie Pink

Kaori Mizumori

mihimaruGT

Masako Mori

Akiko Wada



To read the whole article check HERE (http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20061129p2a00m0et020000c.html)

[Iron Chef]

Nice to see some of my long-time favorites on there, especially Dreams Come True. No Ayaka Hirahara though, too bad. I always enjoy her televised performances.

[leonmarino]

I wonder what song Masasi Sada is going to sing this year.. His "Hiroshima no Sora" made me cry last year.. :(

Kumi Koda's "Cutey Honey" made me cry too, but for different reasons.. :D

Does anyone know how they choose who is going to be in what team?

[twinklestar]

This is one yearly Japanese music show I watch religiously since 1980's,it's via satellite to some designated Japanese-language TV stations on January 1 here in the USA.

There are movies and popular variety shows begin on New Year's eve,air until mid-night on NewYear's day.

[doinkies]

I wonder what song Masasi Sada is going to sing this year.. His "Hiroshima no Sora" made me cry last year.. :(
Kumi Koda's "Cutey Honey" made me cry too, but for different reasons.. :D
Does anyone know how they choose who is going to be in what team?
NHK sends out invitations to the singers, basically...

doinkies often looks forward to watching the 紅白 on New Year's, ever since doinkies got into J-pop...^^

Oh, and Iron Chef, Hirahara Ayaka is on the list.