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Look, Ma! I'm on TV!!

I just got off the phone with a fellow from a major TV production company. His company is producing a TV drama series for channel 6 (TBS). It will be shot in Ashikaga and its neighboring cities like Ota and Kiryu, he said, and they are looking for a car dealer to supply a SUBARU LEGACY for the shoot. He was looking through the phone book and calling every car dealer in the area.

My first reaction was, "WHY ASHIKAGA?". Maybe it will be just for a scene or two but if it was just for a couple of scenes, why would they come all the way down here?

We DO have some historical sites here in the city...

My guess is it is one of those murder mystery TV movie of the week type of things where the main character, a detective, travels to some scenic, historical spots while investigating a murder... but he did say it was gonna be a series.
Hmmmm....

This got me very curious. Will we see famous actors/actresses right here in our city?? Will there be an open call for extras?? Even a speaking parts for some local folks (like me)??
Too bad my company don't have any LEGACY in stock.


Our city Ashikaga had its moment in the spotlight once in the past when a then-very popular singer by the name of Chisato Moritaka wrote and sang a song called 渡良瀬橋 (Watarase Bridge). Watarase Bridge is one of the bridges over the river Watarase that runs through the city. I use it every day when I go to work.

The song is about a local girl's heartbreak over a guy who leaves her after she refuses to leave her hometown. Ms. Moritaka even shot the video for the song here in Ashikaga. The song was a huge hit and many people are familiar with the name of that bridge because of it.
I was not in Japan when all this happened so I missed out on all the hoopla. Even now, I sometimes get "Isn't that where Watarase Bridge is??" from people who have never been to Ashikaga when I tell them that's where I am from.

Could the new series be based on that song? Nah~ the song is like, 15 years old.

I will try to find out what exactly this "new series"is and when and where it will be shot as well as who is going to be in it. We could certainly use some excitement around here.
IF, in fact, the whole series were to be shot here, it would help the local economy tremendously, and boy, does it need the help!


My brush wth show-biz came back in the 90s when one of the 007 films was opening in the US. For a premiere event in the city of Boston, they were looking for someone to portray the part of "Odd-job"(the Asian dude with the hat"). A friend of mine who worked for a local casting agency asked me if I wanted the job. I had never been a big fan of the 007 films and I was not too thrilled about playing, out of all the roles, Odd-Job so I turned it down.
Talk about type casting.


Anyway, in a perfect world, the film crew will arrive in Ashikaga, start shooting a scene inside a Udon noodle shop....

"What? The guy who is supposed to play the shop owner is stuck in Tokyo and can't make it here?"

The director walks out of the shop to have a smoke to calm his nerves. That's when he sees ME among the on-lookers gathered outside for a glimpse of the stars.

"YOU! Yeah, you with the beard! Wanna be in the pictures?"

The rest will be history.

A man can dream, can't he?

Comments

ahahahahaha!
You're very funny ASHIKAGA-san!
That is interesting too...
I remember going to school one day and there was scene for the movie swordfish being shot on the street down from the school.
 
WHAT? Halle Berry was nekiddd just down the street from your school? ....and you didn't ditch classes and get down there to watch an Academy Award winning actress work because....???
 
hahaha I hope you stand out when they do shoot the scenes ^^; ガンバッテネ!

Unfortunately nothing like that has happened around my area...I remember once they took over a section of the freeway to film some godforsaken Nicholas Cage film.
 
Mr. Cage, despite of what you may think, could be an excellent thespian when matched with a worthy script! I suppose it wasn't the case...lol Which film was it?
 
lol! I went off and looked it up and it was for "Hell Rider".

I heard the movie bombed pretty badly :p

He also did another movie here about Time travel....he did a majority of the movie around Camberwell High School which is about 10 minutes from where I live (and coincidentally the main rival of my High school during Interschool sports).

Cant remember for the life of me what that movie was called though :eek:
 
Ahhhh.... you mean GHOST RIDER. OK, THAT was indeed a "godforsaken Nicholas Cage film".
 

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Ashikaga
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