The lineup for Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi, Monday-Friday 1pm), which will air from April 27th to May 1st, has been announced. On the 27th, actresses Yaeko Mizutani and Kuriko Namino will appear; on the 28th, actress Atsuko Takahata; on the 29th, talent Cathy Nakajima and actress Junko Asano; on the 30th, singer-songwriter and rapper Chanmina; and on the 1st, singer Linda Yamamoto.
Namino is a true lady, having grown up in a family where her father was a Kabuki actor. Mizutani, on the other hand, was already a big star in the entertainment industry. Namino still loves cleaning, and apparently she cleaned her hospital room every day when she was hospitalized last year with acute bronchitis.
Takahata has reached 50 years in the acting profession. He says he's been astonished by the decline in his physical and mental strength since turning 70. He's apparently struggling to memorize his lines. He recalls that the late Toshiyuki Nishida treated him to so many meals that he could have built a house with the money.
Ms. Asano is the mother of actor Tadanobu Asano, and she and Cathy have been close friends for 60 years, since their teens. When they were teenagers, the two formed a girls' group called the Cleopatra Party in their hometown of Yokohama, where they enjoyed fashion and dancing.
Chanmina makes her first appearance. Behind her glamorous career lies a deeply wounded past and struggles, as she travels between Japan, the US, and Korea, experienced bullying in her childhood, received hurtful comments about her appearance after her debut, and spoke about the changes in her feelings after marriage and childbirth.
Ms. Yamamoto is 75 years old and this year marks her 60th anniversary since her debut. She performs nearly 100 shows a year, and she makes sure to maintain her physical fitness every day. In the studio, she passionately sings one of her famous songs and shares anecdotes about her husband, with whom she is celebrating her silver wedding anniversary this year.
