NEWS will be releasing their NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007-2008 - The First Tokyo Dome Concert DVD on August 13th. The limited edition will come with a 36 page booklet.
There’s not much news out on it (it’s not up on the official Johnny’s Entertainment site yet), but CDJapan states that it will have their first Tokyo Dome performance, Tokyo Dome MC, backstage documentary shots from the whole tour, and documentary shots from their 2007 Taipei concert as well.
So the Oricon half year charts are finally out. Out of the top 100 singles, the Johnny’s releases are:
I’ve yet to get started on looking through the summer 2008 dramas, but this one’s really caught my eye. Maybe it’s because I love Yamapi to death, maybe because I adore Gakki, maybe because I really like Erika, or maybe because I just have some perverse fetish for scrubs and helicopters - I am so, so ready for Code Blue.
Johnny’s subgroup Tegomass, of Tegoshi Yuya and Masuda Takahisa from NEWS, will be releasing their third single “AiAiGasa” on June 18. The title song is being used as the ending song for the Neo Angelique Abyss anime.
Tegomass have lovely, pleasant voices - they are currently the two best singers in NEWS and I personally consider Tegoshi one of the best singers in all of Johnny’s. Together, their voices match and harmonize pleasantly - some of their best songs are their ballads.
NEWS’ next single “Summer Time” will be released May 8th. The title song is used for RUSS-K’s summer 08 promotion, which is the third season NEWS has been promoting the brand and the second season their song was used as promotion.
The single covers were released first, and I was a little skeptical of the single quality - it looks like a no-effort design that even photoshop beginners can throw together. Plus, the title sounds extremely generic and cheesy - I mean, really, a song called Summer Time released in the summer time, unique. I was worried that NEWS was being shafted aside with a low budget production.
But then the CM using the song was released, as well as it being played on radio, and I really shouldn’t have worried at all.
This has been circulating madly amongst NEWS and Yamapi fans, but for those who don’t know yet: a few days ago, Yamashita Tomohisa (NEWS, probably better known now as Yamapi) went on a private trip to Korea with his friend Shirota Jun (D-Boy’s Shirota Yuu’s brother) and his manager. It went all well, but news of his trip somehow leaked on the sixth, and at the airport for his return flight… well, I’ll let the video speak for itself. (You might want to turn down the volume.)
The good thing about CDJapan alerts is you learn about releases before they even get posted on the official site. Anyways. NEWS will be releasing a new single on May 8th.
“New single release from NEWS features a refreshing song about summertime love. Limited edition includes bonus tracks “Liar” and “Summer Time (Original Karaoke)” plus three-sided, six-page jacket with different jacket artwork from the regular edition. Regular edition includes bonus track “Baby! Be My Baby!” not included on the limited edition, plus two-sided, four-page jacket.”
Limited Edition and Regular Edition are up for ordering at CDJapan; I’m sure links at other places are up now.
To do some speculation, “Summer Time” is probably going to be a cheery pop song - I will inevitably like it despite that it’ll probably sound cheesy. Only two B-sides this time apparently; any ideas? I’m going to pin “Liar” as being the mature, dark sounding song. Somehow, I’m curious how how in the world they’ll make a song called “Baby! Be My Baby!” sound good (maybe they won’t), but we’ll see.
This is pretty nice timing for me coinciding with their CD and DVD clearance sale and 500 yen spring coupon - looks like some goodies are going to be coming in the mail in May. (Also, I’ve just joined their affiliate program - so feel free to make any of your CDJapan purchases through my links or through the banner on the sidebar. 
)
NEWS’ Johnny’s School Calendars this year had an interesting format description: the members will show you a part of themselves… in cans.
What they really should have just said was coasters, really.
Since “Taiyou no Namida” is going to be released on Wednesday, NEWS has started their blitz of media appearances. There’s many more to come, but their first TV performance was on Music Station… where they performed and had water pouring down on them. Their “sun” isn’t just shedding some tears, it’s bawling. By the end of the song, after only about a minute and half of the downpour, they can’t make direct eye contact at the cameras with all the water coming down and are all soaked through. But the performance went well, and they looked happy despite being dripping wet, so it’s all good.
Of course, what would the world be like without leaks. It’s not supposed to be out until Wednesday, but… hey, not like there weren’t decent radio rips already, right?
Follow the links for song previews & downloads. 
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