Epic NEWS Pimp Post Part 1
EPIC NEWS PIMP POST 
The above men are collectively known as NEWS, a popular Johnny's Entertainment boyband. Their group name is admittedly a bit lame as it's an acronym for the cardinal directions (in other words those things you can find on a compass) North, East, West and South. And I'm sure you've all heard of JE, it's a huge idol-producing company and basically if you're in Japan, you'd be hard pressed to miss seeing one of these boys' faces on some sort of poster or advertisement. Johnny is old and horny a genius, and he manufactures these boys from a young age, teaching them how to dance, sing and entertain, in other words he teaches them how to sell themselves, who said the prostitution industry was dying?
NEWS started out as a nine-membered group, which soon became an eight-membered group after their debut when one of the boys, Moriuchi Takahiro dropped out. NEWS has been plagued by rumors and suspensions. In 2005, member Uchi Hiroki was caught drinking underage (and rumored to be doing various things that well, drunk people do) and therefore suspended. Following that lovely example, Kusano Hironori was also suspected of drinking underage and suspended in early 2006. As a result of the loss of two members, NEWS was forced into a temporary suspension for about a year. They announced their official come-back during the 2006-2007 Johnny's Countdown Concert.
NEWS is hugely under-promoted and the only boyband that does not have their own tv show (not to mention how they haven't had a decent single since Happy BarfBirthday). And while they mostly get Arashi's leftover happy pop songs, the boys are capable of singing a tune or two and if you'd give them a chance, you'll be suckered in for sure.
Members
Yamashita Tomohisa, 23.
So the story goes that as a junior, little Pi used to have a slight fetish for pink (a sign of the gay to come?) and therefore Tackey, leader of the Tokyo Juniors (whom we also endearingly refer to as Papa Pi) then bestowed upon him this lovely nickname of Yamapi, pi as a shortened form of pink. Dude has a weird habit of writing the characters for his name 山 and P on the bottom of the cup as a joke. (Admittedly the picture above is not the best one of Pi, but I have a thing for Pi in glasses and I'm also slightly OCD and wanted all of the NEWS individual photos to be from the same shoot. But there's lots of random links of him being hot, go click to your enjoyment)
Before his debut with NEWS, Pi was in popular Junior unit 4Tops (along with best friend Ikuta Toma, Hasegawa Jun and Kazama Shunsuke). It's well known that both Pi and Ryo entered into NEWS begrudgingly (as in they all used to hate each other and now they're really gay for love one another). Pi is also best friends with fellow label-mate, Kat-tun member Akanishi Jin.
Pi is the leader of NEWS (but we all know that it's really Ryo) and is also the most popular member (not to mention one of the most popular Johnny's in general). It's been said by fellow member Koyama, that without Yamapi, NEWS would be dead - sadly it's true. Pi acts. A lot. He's a popular idol actor, meaning he can't really act for crap. His most recent drama, Code Blue, has him starring as a narcissistic doctor who has a weird fascination with his hands. It's also known as the show in which Pi got a perm, let's not do that again ok? On the other hand, this you should show more of :DD Oh and he's got a monthly essay rotation too.
Another fact you should know about our lovely leader is that he's got moobs. To squeeze or not to squeeze? He's known Ryo since they were kids and therefore they're pretty much BFF, but as of late he's been hanging out with Koyama, getting it on spreading the member-ai. Still I'm a pretty big Ryopi shipper so have some random photos of them together xDD
Pi's the main rapper of the group and besides Tegoshi, he gets the most singing lines because a) he's hot and b) he's popular. Being so hot and popular is troublesome, I mean you get to release a slew of singles outside of your group : Seishun Amigo for drama Nobuta, costarring Kame. You've probably heard of that song and if you haven't you've most likely seen it being performed at the Countdown Cons, along with Daite Senorita, aka the song even the older Johnny's are force to dance along to. There's also Fever to Future, a song released with Thai (of all nations) brothers Golf&Mike. Yes it's random and yep Johnny is merely interested in how much money Pi's moobs talents will rake in. Oh and since he's so cool, Pi gets to record solo songs on every NEWS album so far while the others get to share songs (Ryo doesn't count because apparently he's cool too). Btw, Pi's newest solo, Mola, is obvious evidence that Jin is most likely a negative influence and obviously wasn't in LA to learn English but something else entirely (don't mind my biased rumblings). And what else comes with being popular but being admired? Pi's got fangirls and fanboys of all ages, sizes and types. Don't let his coolness fool you though, Pi is a gigantic dork whose nikki updates get all the fangirls' undies in a bunch because who wouldn't want to know what new english word he learned today (who wants to bet Jin taught him all the curses a long time ago?) and what else he's eaten (cos it kills me not knowing, really it does).
DL Links :
Gakkou e Ikou wherein Pi shows his mad skills with a pencil.
Hanamura 1 2 3 4 (told you he's popular). Naked!NEWS in onsen alert in the last clip, except Massu even tho he's huge.
Passionate Continent where cameras stalk follow Pi around for six months.
Saturday Night Chubaw 1 2 in which Pi dons an apron and cooks. Dude looks hot in an apron. Just saying.
Shounen Club Performance obviously a must watch because I love Taichi Pi is hot.
Tokyo Friend Park II where Pi promotes his sub-par acting skills in Kurosagi.
King of Chicken watch Pi fail. Horribly. You know you want to just so you can point and laugh :DDD
Haneru Tobira one word : Yamanorita. Watch or die.
Shounen Club Yamapi produced, theme Friends.
Shounen Club Yamapi appears as Mr. X and you get to hear him squeaky voiced and anorexic looking.
Nishikido Ryo, 24.
Popularly referred to as the "ass," Ryo is actually all bark and very little bite (unless you believe those rumors and besides I'm sure it's just a bedroom kink so don't worry). The epithet would've suited Ryo a few years back when he used to insult the other members (mostly Shige and yes he still does but it's more of a "there goes Nishikido-kun again" instead of a "let's run into the bathroom and cry" deal). And I'd just like to say, Ryo's idea of a fun day does not entail him going around and scaring Juniors. He's 24 and most likely horny (especially since about 75% of the fics depict him as so and come on, dude's a hot-blooded young man), and has better things to do with his free time. Like hanging at the bar with Jin and rear ending little ladies. In case all of you didn't hear yet, Ryo caused a three car pileup! Omgosh no! Okay, what the poor dude really did is not step on the brakes in time and therefore ended up rear-ending a car which caused a chain reaction. An old lady got whiplash and now Ryo has "voluntarily" given up his driving license and is going to be on the Shinkansen getting his butt groped like all the other people (or he can just get into a car with Pi).
Ryo is the only idol in Johnny history to be a full-time member in two different boybands, NEWS and Kanjani8 (of course Uchi would count if he hadn't taken too many sips of the bottle and desecrated public property). Ryo is Osakan and speaks with an accent (which I personally find hot, and yes this is my bias speaking) and he's loud (but surprisingly shy) and snarky. And also happens to be one of the more famous Johnny's alongside Pi. As a Junior, Ryo was quite popular and often given many chances to star in dramas and sing on stage. Because of that popularity, Ryo became arrogant and nonchalant about his work. Since then Ryo's learned his lesson (being jobless for a long time will do that to you) and is very serious about his work ethics.
He's also the actor of the group, having starred in many dramas and proven that he can actually back up that handsome face of his (still not biased). Some of his more famous roles include the rebellious and emo (he emos like nobody's business) role of Haruto Asou in 1 Litre of Tears, his hot psycho role as a girlfriend beater in Last Friends and of course his most recent gig in Ryusei no Kizuna as one of the brothers bent on revenge (okay but really it's known as the role in which Ryo displays his gigantic crush on Toda Erika who turns out to be boinking his Eito bandmate Hina. Awwwkward.)
Ryo's had a few infamous hair debacles wherein he went blond twice. He's since sworn to his uncle (on his deathbed no less) that he won't be dyeing his hair anymore. Thank you God! Now all we need is for someone to tell Ryo that his recent "bowl-cut" is a mistake never to be repeated again. Ryo's sort of the "cool" one in NEWS, he and Pi are the ones that get sexed up and sexed down (as in half naked photos that make me cringe more than drool cos he's so damn skinny). But really, Ryo is about the biggest dork on the planet. And when he's excited and high, it's like he's on his own special brand of crack - and he doesn't share either D: There is this one hilarious video where he goes on a date with a girl and he ends up drunk and serenades her with the song from 1LoT. It amuses me and god I love Ryo so hard.
Ryo's a singer/songwriter, he's produced most of his own solos (composition + lyrics), Code, and more recently ordinary. He can play a variety of instruments including the guitar, some bass, and a bit of the drums. Ryo also gets a large number of lines to sing due to this rather distinct voice. When he's good, he's really good but other times he tends to sound like he's constipated and in need of a diarrhea pill. Ryo as a kid was extremely extremely cute. And when I say cute, I mean the kind you'd want to miniaturize and put in your pocket. Due to his lack of vertical growth during this time period (and let's face it, he's still short now), Ryo earned his nickname "Ryo-chan".
DL links :
Chichin PuiPui in which Ryo talks about his solo con (and how he cried like a baby)
Hanamura Cafe where Ryo displays how obviously shy he is and how he handles a salad mixer. Spin that thing! Er, yeah!
Hey!Hey!Hey! vtr watch Ryo fanboy his favorite singer.
Warrate Iitomo 1 2 Ryo promotes his drama Last Friends.
Shounen Club Ryo produced, theme is Pride
Shounen Club the infamous Ryo vs Ueda scenes. Wherein Ryo makes Ueda cry and lives up to his rep of being an ass.
Shounen Club Ryo's appearance as Mr. X and his masked voice is really funny lol.
Shounen Club Pi vs Ryo's team battle. I won't say who wins but the loser has to say "I'm a scaredy-pants". WATCH THIS.
Shounen Club Tegoshi produced, "How to Make a Nishikido Ryo". Ryo's blond lion hair makes an appearance.
Kato Shigeaki, 21.
Is known as the smartest member of NEWS. Shige is currently studying law at Aoyama Gakuin University, one of the top universities in Japan. And while he and Tegoshi are the youngest members in age, he's got an old school soul. Pi has said that while Shige is twenty-one, he acts like he's thirty-five. Shige's probably the most under-rated NEWS member and he's often overlooked because people seem to think he's boring or ugly (to which I say, Shige is hot stuff and if you don't like him, then it's your loss cos he makes a damn fine lawyer).
Shige is often recognized as both the worst dancer and singer in NEWS (makes for a fantastic idol really lol), needless to say, he doesn't get many singing parts and even if he does, they're often shared with his BFF Koyama. Pre-NEWS debut, he was in the group KKKity with fellow ex-bandmate Kusano and Koyama (well duh KKKity, can't fault Johnny for his creativity in names). Shige is also a fellow Osakan but moved around a lot as a child and is often ridiculed by Ryo for his lack of Kansai-ness. When angry or arguing with someone though, Shige will slip into Kansai-ben (which admittedly, I find hot again. I have an accent fetish, so sue me :D). Shige's also got an extremely husky voice, really good for radio shows and just for speaking in general (who else here wants Shige to do a series of audio books? xxx-rated kind welcomed!). He does also write his own lyrics and music, occasionally. Some of his solos, Cacao, Happy Music and there's also the lovely perverted duet with Koyama, Chirarizumu.
Shige's immensely talented in the other arts though, as both a photographer and writer. He's got a monthly essay rotation in popular magazine Myojo. He also has a photography column named "Photoshigenic" in Wink Up, in which he displays his awesome photo-taking skills. Shige also has a hilarious Jweb wherein he talks about his own life through the eyes of his imaginary cat Wagahai. Imaginary as in does not exist, as in Shige is actually allergic to cats in real life. The Jweb is titled, "Wagahi wa Shige dearu". Shige also acts, doesn't get many roles, but nonetheless he is also an actor. Shige's also known for his smiles, he's got a variety of them and it's kind of creepy, go look don't just take my word for it.
It should be mentioned that Shige fails. A lot. It's an endearing type of fail, where he trips over nothing while filming a CM. He's also usually the one that gets made fun of the most and he's very good-natured about it all. Shige's also quite fond of stripping, he's done it at least twice, albeit the second time it was Ryo's fault but hey, can't blame the guy, he's horny all the time. Shige also cross-dresses as a geisha and Koyama's response? To spit his rice out, real gentlemanly. I guess that's a hint as how cute Shige is as a girl. Koyama and Shige's friendship is epic. They're BFF and some love to slash em, I just think they're adorable and dorky together. Another popular pairing in NEWS fandom is Ryo and Shige. Somehow Ryo stopped making fun of Shige and starting being totally gay for him. And Shige has always been a huge Ryo fanboy.
Btw, Shige's a good talker. As in he's eloquent and sarcastic and not boring. Along with him being eloquent, he just did a segment in Kiseki no Kizuna where he goes to Bangladesh to interview a bag designer who donates her profits to help the poor in that country. It's definitely a must watch (and the links are below) because you get to hear Shige talk and see him interacting with the kids (some of which are homeless and lacking of a family). And he needs to speak more english and not be shy about it, but dude drinks black coffee. Not sure why I'm mentioning it but he drinks black coffee and is therefore not a wuss people lol.
I'd also like to take a brief moment and discuss Shige's appearance on SCP which apparently lost him a number of fans. I think everyone has to watch the interview and discover for themselves that Shige has a dry sense of humor. He's also incredibly self-deprecating and humble. He's not lying when he says he was sort of elite, he did indeed rise quickly in the idol business and the whole kingdom thing, that's a twelve year old kid speaking. His main point is how he's changed his view now. I mean discovering that you're basically fourth-tier to Pi's first tier sort of does that to you. Shige's definitely not stupid and he realizes that he's basically an unnecessary member. That and the part where he talks about his and Koyama's experience backstage at Countdown? Well...just watch it.
DL links :
Shounen Club Shige + Koyama talk.
Butai random clips about Shige's butai
Saturday Night Chubaw Shige cooks in an apron and discusses his mother's huge crush on Ryo (she's not the only one is she? :D)
Shounen Club Premium A MUST WATCH. Shige discusses how elite he is.
Shounen Club Guest MC 1 2 explanatory title.
Kiseki no Kizuna Shige goes to Bangladesh
Koyama Keiichiro, 24.
Koyama is the oldest of all the members and he also hosts Shounen Club with Nakamaru of Kat-tun. He's usually in charge of speaking for NEWS (him and Pi) and he also MCs often (i.e. for Teppan Note). He's also the one who coined the term, "member-ai", that describes how much the members care and are gay for love one another. He's actually got a blog titled "Member-ai", and no he doesn't just talk about how gay he is for Shige, because nowadays it's Pi who gets the most mentions. Sorry to say Shige, Koyama's moved on to the moobs (who can deny their attraction?). He's sort of like the mother figure in NEWS, because member-ai corniness aside, he really does care about his bandmates and loves them. And Koyama is about the sweetest guy ever. FYI, for those of you who think of Koyama as a pansy, think again, Koyama got hot. Although he still has those single-eyelids that Ryo mercilessly teases him about.
As mentioned before, Koyama, Kusano and Shige formed the group KKKity. Koyama was also placed in B.A.D. and later on B.B.D. (again let us praise Johnny's creativeness in naming his boybands/units). Koyama also hosted the show Ya-Ya-Yah and appeared in it along side his two best friends. Koyama graduated from Meiji University (which he attended alongside Pi) with a degree in literature. He's not big on acting, but he has starred in a few doramas and is currently in a butai titled "Call". He's also done a Japanese version of HSM. Koyama, like Shige, doesn't get many lines in NEWS songs. Here he is performing Aoi Inazuma wearing a really ugly hat. Then there's his solo song performed at the concerts, Private Hearts. Another song by Koyama, Love Addiction, the song is actually pretty catchy and you get to see him pretend he can dance bboy style and there's also his choice of outfit (he actually looks hot here). And because I'm running out of things to say for Koyama, here have a video of him dancing. Also here's a performance he did with Nakamaru and Maru of Eito. Maru kicks ass at the bass. But um, not his pimp post lol.
Koyama also gets pranked and made fun of a lot as well. During an appearance on Hey!Hey!Hey!, Shige reveals how the members once texted Koyama that Pi would be leaving and in reply, Koyama said, "We'll be nothing without Yamapi." Now when discussing Pi and Koyama, one must talk about Ginza Rhapsody. The two of them co-wrote the song and the lyrics and their dance is hot. Like smoking hot. If all NEWS songs were like this, then they wouldn't be falling off the face of earth. Koyama hosts his own radio show called Kei-chan News, which the other members make regular appearances on.
If you notice by now, all of these boys are rather huge dorks. Like they're just incredible dorks masquerading as idols. And this is the appeal of Koyama, he's so adorable and he gives his all into each and every appearance. Dude's not afraid to make a fool out of himself either, and that's applaudable. I mean honestly, he sings an old Arashi song here (one I happen to love) dressed as a policewoman. Woman, not man, woman.
DL links :
Hanamura Cafe 1 2 seriously, this boy LOVES his bandmates. Epic amounts of love.
Shounen Club Premium discussion of the changing dynamics of NEWS from when they used to ignore each other to having orgies being all over one another.
Ya-Ya-Yah in which Koyama gets pranked
Bowling 2 3 4 Koyama goes bowling? There's also appearances by Toma <3
Ashita Tsukaeru Shinrikagu! Teppan Note! wherein which Koyama goes on a date with a woman.
Masuda Takahisa, 22.
Best known for his sunny personality and happy-go-lucky attitude. He's always got a smile on his face (believe me it was hard to find a picture where he's actually emo) and even when he's supposed to be serious, he still seems to be smiling. Massu is often associated with food (he loves it and it loves him back) and during the NEWS concerts in Taiwan, he introduced himself as xiao long bao, oh babe. He's also said that if he were to have a last meal of any type of food, it'd have to be gyoza. So if you plan on stalking Massu in Japan one day, do yourself a favor and buy some frozen gyoza, boy's not too picky.
Hands down, Massu is the most adorable one in NEWS (okay so maybe I'm biased again) and he sort of reminds one of a big cuddly teddy bear. Massu is a very real and has a genuine personality, not that the others are fake, but there's something about Massu that makes you want to squish love him, it's hard to believe but Massu is hugely underappreciated and underloved.. I told you Massu is cute, but just in case you're not inclined to believe me, here's some evidence. In this clip, Massu is asked to create an awkward atmosphere and all I have to say is..."PANDA!". He doesn't speak much during NEWS appearances so it's hard to gauge his personality, but he's known to blurt out random things. It's also important to note that Massu has hardly ever changed his hairstyle, I say hardly ever because essentially he's incapable of cutting his hair (and I wouldn't want him to) but he sort of had to for his new role.
Massu can sing. He's got one of the best voices in NEWS (after Tegoshi I'd say) and better yet, Massu can sing well live (or as well as we can expect from a Johnny). Massu's got questionable fashion sense, he seems to have an affection for baggy billowy pants that I really don't understand (and if you've noticed some recent pictures, Massu is actually packing and I don't mean the muscles). And don't be mistaken in thinking that Massu's love for food makes him fat or anything because a) he's not and b) he's actually the best at sports out of all NEWS members.
He is a great dancer and often thought to be the best in NEWS. Massu spent most of his Junior days backdancing for the sempais (which Johnny didn't backdance for SMAP or V6 to be honest) and was briefly a member of the unit Kis-My-ft. Like his fellow bandmates, Massu also acts (honestly they all act, whether they can or not is still up to debate but it's JE and they're idols, acting is a given) and recently he can be seen in the drama, Rescue, co-starring alongside Kat-tun member Nakamaru (of course the K-T member gets the lead role...)
During NEWS' brief hiatus, he and fellow bandmate Tegoshi formed a duo called TegoMass (look namesquish! how cute! it actually is TegoMasu but somehow fandom failed and it became TegoMass) and they released a single, Miso Soup and actually went to Sweden for their debut before releasing the song in Japan (once again, excellent choice of locations because of course a song about miso soup would make sense in a country where they eat mostly meatballs). Needless to say TegoMass was a successful grouping and later on they would release yet two other singles, Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song~ and Ai Ai Gasa (admittedly I love all three of their singles). They did a lot of promotions for their group, obviously and almost all of them are adorable and funny. And you know what? Don't think, feeeeeel. Here they are on Shounen Club. Both of them are good singers and apparently good enough to sing with legends too! TegoMass also does covers of other songs, including Natsuiro.
Downloads for any TegoMass duo appearances will be in Tegoshi's section.
Massu was also part of the special unit Tu-->Yu (along with Nagano of V6, Hikaru of HSJ! Kazama a Jr. Tetsuya, an actor) and released the commercial single Soba Ni Iru Yo. While Massu is often viewed as sweet and innocent, he really isn't. He has a solo song, Pumpkin, in which he sings about wanting to kiss, eat, touch, and hug said pumpkin. Now I don't know about you but either the boy is that obsessed and crazy about food or he's talking about wanting to "eat" something else. Here is a clip of him performing It's BAD. and yes the song is actually pretty crappy and most of the time you're wondering if you should be laughing at the Ba ba ba ba / Ah ah ah ah / Da da da da or cringing. But you'll also find yourself wondering, "When the hell did Massu get so hot?" cos the boy shows off some pretty hot moves. One of my favorite songs off NEWS' Pacific album is this one, Nantoka Naru Sa, and while it's technically a song with both Pi and Koyama, it's really Massu's song and it's the sweetest thing ever. Watch the performance and tell me his movements and dimple smile don't immediately put a grin on your face. His newest solo performed at the recent Diamond Cons is titled, Masuperman.
DL links :
Waratte Iitomo Massu talks about Swedish girls (obviously it wasn't just the food he enjoyed over there) and how he got into Johnny's.
Ya-Ya-Yah AiQ skits in which Massu and Yamashita Shoon pretend to be a married couple.
2ji Chao! in which Massu promotes his drama Rescue and shows us just how athletic he is.
Tegoshi Yuya, 21.
Each JE group has one member who can actually sing, and in NEWS that's Tegoshi. Tegoshi's got a great voice and he's good at expressing emotions too but he's still young and once he learns to control his voice more, he'll be even better. As I've said before he is the youngest (along with Shige) and currently attends Waseda University (I'm not sure what he studies there, something along the lines of Psychology, wiki lists him as studying Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences). But despite the fact that he's the youngest, Tegoshi talks to most people with an "I'm better than you" air, which truthfully speaking he probably is better than most. And because he's the youngest, he also gets babied a lot. Koyama, ever the mother figure, is always taking care of him and even Ryo gets protective of Tegoshi (and please they called each other Tego-nyan and Ryo-tan ONCE, let it go fandom lol). Tegoshi also seems to have this magical ability wherein which he gets all the sempai in Johnny's to treat him (including Nino of Arashi who is the stingiest person you'll ever meet)
Tegoshi is the most inexperienced in terms of years spent in Johnny's before debuting (a grand total of eight months as compared to the years Ryo and Pi spent.) in NEWS. Tegoshi was actually sort of dorky cute at first (and honestly a little ugly) and then he progressively got better looking and much cuter. Now he's gotten slutty and even his dancing has gotten more...provocative. Tegoshi has also been described as being "harmlessly self-centered". That may sound impossible but it really isn't, Tegoshi is charming and there's something about him that makes you let him have his way. Tegoshi is also commonly referred to as some type of God and I'm really not sure why but you'll find in many fics that Tegoshi never seems to do any wrong and he's mostly very cute and lovable (which in the beginning he really was).
Tegoshi is also known for his fail impersonations and gags. In other words, even though he acts high and mighty, kid is still as dorky as the rest of the group (and still gets kicked around). Also he's got a really loud laugh, it's sort of seems exaggerated but that's just how he laughs. He's also an avid soccer (or football for all the non-Americans lol) fan and recently participated in a JE tournament against the pros. Tegoshi also did a brief stint as a voice actor for the Japanese version of Happy Feet, in which he voiced the main character Mumble (flipping cute and you all should go watch it). Like all the others he is also an actor (and I hear he's not half bad too) and is currently filming a movie based on the novel Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. Tegoshi also appears regularly (solo) on a variety show called Itte Q.
As mentioned before, he's part of the duo TegoMass. It's worth mentioning that Tegoshi is often slashed with Massu (for obvious reasons) and they really make it quite easy for the fanfiction writers to do so. They're often paired up in photoshoots and they're good friends as well (seems like Massu was the only one who actually knew who Tego was when he first joined into NEWS). Recently Tegoshi has also had the habit of walking around backstage of NEWS Cons in nothing but a robe, that is often also untied. Therefore his "Tegoshi-kun" has been hanging free and for all to see. Of course, some, such as Pi, don't really prefer to see it, but hey I say it's Tegoshi's right to live life as he pleases and if he wants to be nude, so be it. (I just keep wondering now whenever I see a photograph of Tegoshi in a robe...)
Tego has learned to play the guitar (and can often be soon fooling around with Ryo's guitar). There's tons of clips of him singing, so I'll just link to some of them. Here he is singing Ai no Melody in SC. And here he's singing Stars while wearing a pimp-ish looking hat. Sunadoke at SC and looking really nice. And one of my favorite NEWS songs ever, Ai Nante, which actually features Shige and Ryo in the album version but Tegoshi owns it.
DL links :
(TegoMass)
Domoto Kyoudai 1 2 I really love this show in general cos Kinki Kids have a great sense of humor.
Making of Miso Soup well, they make the pv.
Making of Ai Ai Gasa and let's see, here they make the pv for Ai Ai Gasa! O.O
Hey!Hey!Hey! don't you want to learn how to be a real man? I know I do.
Music Fighter/Music Fair in which Massu talks to Usher. Yeah Usher ;D
Music Fighter in which Tegoshi is talking about soccer and Massu talks about food (chicken yum)
Music Japan TegoMass promotes Kiss.
Music Japan + random clip er, yeah just random TegoMass stuff where they sing and dance as usual?
Sakigake Ongaku Banzuke! Music Ranking Vegas what would TegoMass do if the world were to end tomorrow? Eat gyoza
Random clip is random, don't question it or me.
(Tego)
Making of Shissou Dead Run in which he's mistaken for a girl.
Mezamashi Tegoshi promotes Shabake.
Itte Q 1 2 3 4 5 6 his various appearances on the show, the festival ones are a must watch.
Shounen Club Premium seriously just download the interview, you never go wrong with SCP and Taichi.
VS Arashi Tegoshi appears to promote Shabake and I love sempai-kouhai interactions.
Shounen Club Tegoshi produced, theme is "What is an adult?"
Ex-Members
Uchi Hiroki, 22.
He was the first member of news to be suspended after he was caught drinking underage. Uchi is usually known as the princess and he's pretty much a whiny little thing. He also used to be a part of Kanjani8 and is Ryo's total BFF. They're slashed together a lot. Uchi, along with Kusano, was degraded in position in the Jimusho to trainee status (lower than that of a Junior). Uchi has since graduated from that status and seems to be on his way to a solo career after he's successfully held solo concert performances and another one has just been announced. So he's been forgiven guys, and honestly I don't feel much either way for him. I don't hate him nor do I love him, I probably would've had more of an interest if I saw more old NEWS stuff or old Eito stuff. He also acted in a drama where he played brothers with Ryo. Also he starred in dorama Onsen and I'm told he was hilarious in it. Uchi also showed up at the recent Johnny's 2008-2009 Countdown Concert and was allowed to sing on stage. Uchi's actually got an okay voice too and probably would've been the fourth best singer in NEWS if he had remained. Not much in terms of dl's for him, but here's an interview.
Kusano Hironori, 21.
I really don't know much about him since I joined NEWS fandom after both he and Uchi were suspended. He was also suspected of drinking underage and therefore suspended. I say suspected because I don't believe there was actual concrete proof because he was photographed with a bottle in hand but not photographed drinking (so either he's a good boy and was holding the alcohol for someone or he can hold his liquor). He was sent overseas to study dancing (apparently to NYC) but has now since returned to Japan. Kusano was part of KKKity before debuting with NEWS and is good friends with both Koyama and Shige (I believe they still keep in touch actually). Here he is singing She's All Mine on SC. A dl clip of him on Ya-Ya-Yah as KusaNO!man, very dorky yes. And here's more clips of him on Ya-Ya-Yah.
Moriuchi Takahiro, 21.
I know nothing about him at all except that he quit NEWS a few months after they debuted. (Btw, he's the dude on the left with the hat and the "hell yeah!" expression). Going by wiki, he would've been the youngest member and after watching some YT clips of him singing, seems like he would've also been the best singer of NEWS. Wonder what happened, the pressure of being an idol? He got sick of being molested by Johnny the spotlight? No in actuality it's because there was a girl and we all know how Johnny feels about them. Girls bad boys good! Anyway he has now since joined into a punk rock band called One Ok Rock. His vocals are really quite good and it's a pity he didn't stay in NEWS.
Epic NEWS pimp post brought to you by binmusic and much thanks to trivialaffair for her YT and DL link searching (and random beta'ing of my crap)
Part two
CREDITS : The bulk of NEWS scans used are from lady_mercury (almost all the magazine covers are from her), watchful21(whom I think I took some of the Shige @ FineBoys and Tego/Shige @ NEWSnoNEWS), inala (the bulk of the group photos are from her and anything concert or shop photo related) and there are some shots off Vendi's blog. If you click on the links, each picture has been uploaded onto my photobucket account so I haven't hotlinked anything (and would appreciate if you didn't hotlink off me either) and also, the pictures are credited to the original uploader in the title of each. Any YouTube videos are merely linked via search engine, I haven't uploaded any of the subbed videos found online. And the links to subbed download links lead to the respective subber/subgroup. If any of you are uncomfortable with having your scans/videos linked here, please message me, (binmusic) and I'll take it down.
The above men are collectively known as NEWS, a popular Johnny's Entertainment boyband. Their group name is admittedly a bit lame as it's an acronym for the cardinal directions (in other words those things you can find on a compass) North, East, West and South. And I'm sure you've all heard of JE, it's a huge idol-producing company and basically if you're in Japan, you'd be hard pressed to miss seeing one of these boys' faces on some sort of poster or advertisement. Johnny is old and horny a genius, and he manufactures these boys from a young age, teaching them how to dance, sing and entertain, in other words he teaches them how to sell themselves, who said the prostitution industry was dying?
NEWS started out as a nine-membered group, which soon became an eight-membered group after their debut when one of the boys, Moriuchi Takahiro dropped out. NEWS has been plagued by rumors and suspensions. In 2005, member Uchi Hiroki was caught drinking underage (and rumored to be doing various things that well, drunk people do) and therefore suspended. Following that lovely example, Kusano Hironori was also suspected of drinking underage and suspended in early 2006. As a result of the loss of two members, NEWS was forced into a temporary suspension for about a year. They announced their official come-back during the 2006-2007 Johnny's Countdown Concert.
NEWS is hugely under-promoted and the only boyband that does not have their own tv show (not to mention how they haven't had a decent single since Happy BarfBirthday). And while they mostly get Arashi's leftover happy pop songs, the boys are capable of singing a tune or two and if you'd give them a chance, you'll be suckered in for sure.
Members
Yamashita Tomohisa, 23.
So the story goes that as a junior, little Pi used to have a slight fetish for pink (a sign of the gay to come?) and therefore Tackey, leader of the Tokyo Juniors (whom we also endearingly refer to as Papa Pi) then bestowed upon him this lovely nickname of Yamapi, pi as a shortened form of pink. Dude has a weird habit of writing the characters for his name 山 and P on the bottom of the cup as a joke. (Admittedly the picture above is not the best one of Pi, but I have a thing for Pi in glasses and I'm also slightly OCD and wanted all of the NEWS individual photos to be from the same shoot. But there's lots of random links of him being hot, go click to your enjoyment)
Before his debut with NEWS, Pi was in popular Junior unit 4Tops (along with best friend Ikuta Toma, Hasegawa Jun and Kazama Shunsuke). It's well known that both Pi and Ryo entered into NEWS begrudgingly (as in they all used to hate each other and now they're really gay for love one another). Pi is also best friends with fellow label-mate, Kat-tun member Akanishi Jin.
Pi is the leader of NEWS (but we all know that it's really Ryo) and is also the most popular member (not to mention one of the most popular Johnny's in general). It's been said by fellow member Koyama, that without Yamapi, NEWS would be dead - sadly it's true. Pi acts. A lot. He's a popular idol actor, meaning he can't really act for crap. His most recent drama, Code Blue, has him starring as a narcissistic doctor who has a weird fascination with his hands. It's also known as the show in which Pi got a perm, let's not do that again ok? On the other hand, this you should show more of :DD Oh and he's got a monthly essay rotation too.
Another fact you should know about our lovely leader is that he's got moobs. To squeeze or not to squeeze? He's known Ryo since they were kids and therefore they're pretty much BFF, but as of late he's been hanging out with Koyama, getting it on spreading the member-ai. Still I'm a pretty big Ryopi shipper so have some random photos of them together xDD
Pi's the main rapper of the group and besides Tegoshi, he gets the most singing lines because a) he's hot and b) he's popular. Being so hot and popular is troublesome, I mean you get to release a slew of singles outside of your group : Seishun Amigo for drama Nobuta, costarring Kame. You've probably heard of that song and if you haven't you've most likely seen it being performed at the Countdown Cons, along with Daite Senorita, aka the song even the older Johnny's are force to dance along to. There's also Fever to Future, a song released with Thai (of all nations) brothers Golf&Mike. Yes it's random and yep Johnny is merely interested in how much money Pi's moobs talents will rake in. Oh and since he's so cool, Pi gets to record solo songs on every NEWS album so far while the others get to share songs (Ryo doesn't count because apparently he's cool too). Btw, Pi's newest solo, Mola, is obvious evidence that Jin is most likely a negative influence and obviously wasn't in LA to learn English but something else entirely (don't mind my biased rumblings). And what else comes with being popular but being admired? Pi's got fangirls and fanboys of all ages, sizes and types. Don't let his coolness fool you though, Pi is a gigantic dork whose nikki updates get all the fangirls' undies in a bunch because who wouldn't want to know what new english word he learned today (who wants to bet Jin taught him all the curses a long time ago?) and what else he's eaten (cos it kills me not knowing, really it does).
DL Links :
Gakkou e Ikou wherein Pi shows his mad skills with a pencil.
Hanamura 1 2 3 4 (told you he's popular). Naked!NEWS in onsen alert in the last clip, except Massu even tho he's huge.
Passionate Continent where cameras stalk follow Pi around for six months.
Saturday Night Chubaw 1 2 in which Pi dons an apron and cooks. Dude looks hot in an apron. Just saying.
Shounen Club Performance obviously a must watch because I love Taichi Pi is hot.
Tokyo Friend Park II where Pi promotes his sub-par acting skills in Kurosagi.
King of Chicken watch Pi fail. Horribly. You know you want to just so you can point and laugh :DDD
Haneru Tobira one word : Yamanorita. Watch or die.
Shounen Club Yamapi produced, theme Friends.
Shounen Club Yamapi appears as Mr. X and you get to hear him squeaky voiced and anorexic looking.
Nishikido Ryo, 24.
Popularly referred to as the "ass," Ryo is actually all bark and very little bite (unless you believe those rumors and besides I'm sure it's just a bedroom kink so don't worry). The epithet would've suited Ryo a few years back when he used to insult the other members (mostly Shige and yes he still does but it's more of a "there goes Nishikido-kun again" instead of a "let's run into the bathroom and cry" deal). And I'd just like to say, Ryo's idea of a fun day does not entail him going around and scaring Juniors. He's 24 and most likely horny (especially since about 75% of the fics depict him as so and come on, dude's a hot-blooded young man), and has better things to do with his free time. Like hanging at the bar with Jin and rear ending little ladies. In case all of you didn't hear yet, Ryo caused a three car pileup! Omgosh no! Okay, what the poor dude really did is not step on the brakes in time and therefore ended up rear-ending a car which caused a chain reaction. An old lady got whiplash and now Ryo has "voluntarily" given up his driving license and is going to be on the Shinkansen getting his butt groped like all the other people (or he can just get into a car with Pi).
Ryo is the only idol in Johnny history to be a full-time member in two different boybands, NEWS and Kanjani8 (of course Uchi would count if he hadn't taken too many sips of the bottle and desecrated public property). Ryo is Osakan and speaks with an accent (which I personally find hot, and yes this is my bias speaking) and he's loud (but surprisingly shy) and snarky. And also happens to be one of the more famous Johnny's alongside Pi. As a Junior, Ryo was quite popular and often given many chances to star in dramas and sing on stage. Because of that popularity, Ryo became arrogant and nonchalant about his work. Since then Ryo's learned his lesson (being jobless for a long time will do that to you) and is very serious about his work ethics.
He's also the actor of the group, having starred in many dramas and proven that he can actually back up that handsome face of his (still not biased). Some of his more famous roles include the rebellious and emo (he emos like nobody's business) role of Haruto Asou in 1 Litre of Tears, his hot psycho role as a girlfriend beater in Last Friends and of course his most recent gig in Ryusei no Kizuna as one of the brothers bent on revenge (okay but really it's known as the role in which Ryo displays his gigantic crush on Toda Erika who turns out to be boinking his Eito bandmate Hina. Awwwkward.)
Ryo's had a few infamous hair debacles wherein he went blond twice. He's since sworn to his uncle (on his deathbed no less) that he won't be dyeing his hair anymore. Thank you God! Now all we need is for someone to tell Ryo that his recent "bowl-cut" is a mistake never to be repeated again. Ryo's sort of the "cool" one in NEWS, he and Pi are the ones that get sexed up and sexed down (as in half naked photos that make me cringe more than drool cos he's so damn skinny). But really, Ryo is about the biggest dork on the planet. And when he's excited and high, it's like he's on his own special brand of crack - and he doesn't share either D: There is this one hilarious video where he goes on a date with a girl and he ends up drunk and serenades her with the song from 1LoT. It amuses me and god I love Ryo so hard.
Ryo's a singer/songwriter, he's produced most of his own solos (composition + lyrics), Code, and more recently ordinary. He can play a variety of instruments including the guitar, some bass, and a bit of the drums. Ryo also gets a large number of lines to sing due to this rather distinct voice. When he's good, he's really good but other times he tends to sound like he's constipated and in need of a diarrhea pill. Ryo as a kid was extremely extremely cute. And when I say cute, I mean the kind you'd want to miniaturize and put in your pocket. Due to his lack of vertical growth during this time period (and let's face it, he's still short now), Ryo earned his nickname "Ryo-chan".
DL links :
Chichin PuiPui in which Ryo talks about his solo con (and how he cried like a baby)
Hanamura Cafe where Ryo displays how obviously shy he is and how he handles a salad mixer. Spin that thing! Er, yeah!
Hey!Hey!Hey! vtr watch Ryo fanboy his favorite singer.
Warrate Iitomo 1 2 Ryo promotes his drama Last Friends.
Shounen Club Ryo produced, theme is Pride
Shounen Club the infamous Ryo vs Ueda scenes. Wherein Ryo makes Ueda cry and lives up to his rep of being an ass.
Shounen Club Ryo's appearance as Mr. X and his masked voice is really funny lol.
Shounen Club Pi vs Ryo's team battle. I won't say who wins but the loser has to say "I'm a scaredy-pants". WATCH THIS.
Shounen Club Tegoshi produced, "How to Make a Nishikido Ryo". Ryo's blond lion hair makes an appearance.
Kato Shigeaki, 21.
Is known as the smartest member of NEWS. Shige is currently studying law at Aoyama Gakuin University, one of the top universities in Japan. And while he and Tegoshi are the youngest members in age, he's got an old school soul. Pi has said that while Shige is twenty-one, he acts like he's thirty-five. Shige's probably the most under-rated NEWS member and he's often overlooked because people seem to think he's boring or ugly (to which I say, Shige is hot stuff and if you don't like him, then it's your loss cos he makes a damn fine lawyer).
Shige is often recognized as both the worst dancer and singer in NEWS (makes for a fantastic idol really lol), needless to say, he doesn't get many singing parts and even if he does, they're often shared with his BFF Koyama. Pre-NEWS debut, he was in the group KKKity with fellow ex-bandmate Kusano and Koyama (well duh KKKity, can't fault Johnny for his creativity in names). Shige is also a fellow Osakan but moved around a lot as a child and is often ridiculed by Ryo for his lack of Kansai-ness. When angry or arguing with someone though, Shige will slip into Kansai-ben (which admittedly, I find hot again. I have an accent fetish, so sue me :D). Shige's also got an extremely husky voice, really good for radio shows and just for speaking in general (who else here wants Shige to do a series of audio books? xxx-rated kind welcomed!). He does also write his own lyrics and music, occasionally. Some of his solos, Cacao, Happy Music and there's also the lovely perverted duet with Koyama, Chirarizumu.
Shige's immensely talented in the other arts though, as both a photographer and writer. He's got a monthly essay rotation in popular magazine Myojo. He also has a photography column named "Photoshigenic" in Wink Up, in which he displays his awesome photo-taking skills. Shige also has a hilarious Jweb wherein he talks about his own life through the eyes of his imaginary cat Wagahai. Imaginary as in does not exist, as in Shige is actually allergic to cats in real life. The Jweb is titled, "Wagahi wa Shige dearu". Shige also acts, doesn't get many roles, but nonetheless he is also an actor. Shige's also known for his smiles, he's got a variety of them and it's kind of creepy, go look don't just take my word for it.
It should be mentioned that Shige fails. A lot. It's an endearing type of fail, where he trips over nothing while filming a CM. He's also usually the one that gets made fun of the most and he's very good-natured about it all. Shige's also quite fond of stripping, he's done it at least twice, albeit the second time it was Ryo's fault but hey, can't blame the guy, he's horny all the time. Shige also cross-dresses as a geisha and Koyama's response? To spit his rice out, real gentlemanly. I guess that's a hint as how cute Shige is as a girl. Koyama and Shige's friendship is epic. They're BFF and some love to slash em, I just think they're adorable and dorky together. Another popular pairing in NEWS fandom is Ryo and Shige. Somehow Ryo stopped making fun of Shige and starting being totally gay for him. And Shige has always been a huge Ryo fanboy.
Btw, Shige's a good talker. As in he's eloquent and sarcastic and not boring. Along with him being eloquent, he just did a segment in Kiseki no Kizuna where he goes to Bangladesh to interview a bag designer who donates her profits to help the poor in that country. It's definitely a must watch (and the links are below) because you get to hear Shige talk and see him interacting with the kids (some of which are homeless and lacking of a family). And he needs to speak more english and not be shy about it, but dude drinks black coffee. Not sure why I'm mentioning it but he drinks black coffee and is therefore not a wuss people lol.
I'd also like to take a brief moment and discuss Shige's appearance on SCP which apparently lost him a number of fans. I think everyone has to watch the interview and discover for themselves that Shige has a dry sense of humor. He's also incredibly self-deprecating and humble. He's not lying when he says he was sort of elite, he did indeed rise quickly in the idol business and the whole kingdom thing, that's a twelve year old kid speaking. His main point is how he's changed his view now. I mean discovering that you're basically fourth-tier to Pi's first tier sort of does that to you. Shige's definitely not stupid and he realizes that he's basically an unnecessary member. That and the part where he talks about his and Koyama's experience backstage at Countdown? Well...just watch it.
DL links :
Shounen Club Shige + Koyama talk.
Butai random clips about Shige's butai
Saturday Night Chubaw Shige cooks in an apron and discusses his mother's huge crush on Ryo (she's not the only one is she? :D)
Shounen Club Premium A MUST WATCH. Shige discusses how elite he is.
Shounen Club Guest MC 1 2 explanatory title.
Kiseki no Kizuna Shige goes to Bangladesh
Koyama Keiichiro, 24.
Koyama is the oldest of all the members and he also hosts Shounen Club with Nakamaru of Kat-tun. He's usually in charge of speaking for NEWS (him and Pi) and he also MCs often (i.e. for Teppan Note). He's also the one who coined the term, "member-ai", that describes how much the members care and are gay for love one another. He's actually got a blog titled "Member-ai", and no he doesn't just talk about how gay he is for Shige, because nowadays it's Pi who gets the most mentions. Sorry to say Shige, Koyama's moved on to the moobs (who can deny their attraction?). He's sort of like the mother figure in NEWS, because member-ai corniness aside, he really does care about his bandmates and loves them. And Koyama is about the sweetest guy ever. FYI, for those of you who think of Koyama as a pansy, think again, Koyama got hot. Although he still has those single-eyelids that Ryo mercilessly teases him about.
As mentioned before, Koyama, Kusano and Shige formed the group KKKity. Koyama was also placed in B.A.D. and later on B.B.D. (again let us praise Johnny's creativeness in naming his boybands/units). Koyama also hosted the show Ya-Ya-Yah and appeared in it along side his two best friends. Koyama graduated from Meiji University (which he attended alongside Pi) with a degree in literature. He's not big on acting, but he has starred in a few doramas and is currently in a butai titled "Call". He's also done a Japanese version of HSM. Koyama, like Shige, doesn't get many lines in NEWS songs. Here he is performing Aoi Inazuma wearing a really ugly hat. Then there's his solo song performed at the concerts, Private Hearts. Another song by Koyama, Love Addiction, the song is actually pretty catchy and you get to see him pretend he can dance bboy style and there's also his choice of outfit (he actually looks hot here). And because I'm running out of things to say for Koyama, here have a video of him dancing. Also here's a performance he did with Nakamaru and Maru of Eito. Maru kicks ass at the bass. But um, not his pimp post lol.
Koyama also gets pranked and made fun of a lot as well. During an appearance on Hey!Hey!Hey!, Shige reveals how the members once texted Koyama that Pi would be leaving and in reply, Koyama said, "We'll be nothing without Yamapi." Now when discussing Pi and Koyama, one must talk about Ginza Rhapsody. The two of them co-wrote the song and the lyrics and their dance is hot. Like smoking hot. If all NEWS songs were like this, then they wouldn't be falling off the face of earth. Koyama hosts his own radio show called Kei-chan News, which the other members make regular appearances on.
If you notice by now, all of these boys are rather huge dorks. Like they're just incredible dorks masquerading as idols. And this is the appeal of Koyama, he's so adorable and he gives his all into each and every appearance. Dude's not afraid to make a fool out of himself either, and that's applaudable. I mean honestly, he sings an old Arashi song here (one I happen to love) dressed as a policewoman. Woman, not man, woman.
DL links :
Hanamura Cafe 1 2 seriously, this boy LOVES his bandmates. Epic amounts of love.
Shounen Club Premium discussion of the changing dynamics of NEWS from when they used to ignore each other to having orgies being all over one another.
Ya-Ya-Yah in which Koyama gets pranked
Bowling 2 3 4 Koyama goes bowling? There's also appearances by Toma <3
Ashita Tsukaeru Shinrikagu! Teppan Note! wherein which Koyama goes on a date with a woman.
Masuda Takahisa, 22.
Best known for his sunny personality and happy-go-lucky attitude. He's always got a smile on his face (believe me it was hard to find a picture where he's actually emo) and even when he's supposed to be serious, he still seems to be smiling. Massu is often associated with food (he loves it and it loves him back) and during the NEWS concerts in Taiwan, he introduced himself as xiao long bao, oh babe. He's also said that if he were to have a last meal of any type of food, it'd have to be gyoza. So if you plan on stalking Massu in Japan one day, do yourself a favor and buy some frozen gyoza, boy's not too picky.
Hands down, Massu is the most adorable one in NEWS (okay so maybe I'm biased again) and he sort of reminds one of a big cuddly teddy bear. Massu is a very real and has a genuine personality, not that the others are fake, but there's something about Massu that makes you want to squish love him, it's hard to believe but Massu is hugely underappreciated and underloved.. I told you Massu is cute, but just in case you're not inclined to believe me, here's some evidence. In this clip, Massu is asked to create an awkward atmosphere and all I have to say is..."PANDA!". He doesn't speak much during NEWS appearances so it's hard to gauge his personality, but he's known to blurt out random things. It's also important to note that Massu has hardly ever changed his hairstyle, I say hardly ever because essentially he's incapable of cutting his hair (and I wouldn't want him to) but he sort of had to for his new role.
Massu can sing. He's got one of the best voices in NEWS (after Tegoshi I'd say) and better yet, Massu can sing well live (or as well as we can expect from a Johnny). Massu's got questionable fashion sense, he seems to have an affection for baggy billowy pants that I really don't understand (and if you've noticed some recent pictures, Massu is actually packing and I don't mean the muscles). And don't be mistaken in thinking that Massu's love for food makes him fat or anything because a) he's not and b) he's actually the best at sports out of all NEWS members.
He is a great dancer and often thought to be the best in NEWS. Massu spent most of his Junior days backdancing for the sempais (which Johnny didn't backdance for SMAP or V6 to be honest) and was briefly a member of the unit Kis-My-ft. Like his fellow bandmates, Massu also acts (honestly they all act, whether they can or not is still up to debate but it's JE and they're idols, acting is a given) and recently he can be seen in the drama, Rescue, co-starring alongside Kat-tun member Nakamaru (of course the K-T member gets the lead role...)
During NEWS' brief hiatus, he and fellow bandmate Tegoshi formed a duo called TegoMass (look namesquish! how cute! it actually is TegoMasu but somehow fandom failed and it became TegoMass) and they released a single, Miso Soup and actually went to Sweden for their debut before releasing the song in Japan (once again, excellent choice of locations because of course a song about miso soup would make sense in a country where they eat mostly meatballs). Needless to say TegoMass was a successful grouping and later on they would release yet two other singles, Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song~ and Ai Ai Gasa (admittedly I love all three of their singles). They did a lot of promotions for their group, obviously and almost all of them are adorable and funny. And you know what? Don't think, feeeeeel. Here they are on Shounen Club. Both of them are good singers and apparently good enough to sing with legends too! TegoMass also does covers of other songs, including Natsuiro.
Downloads for any TegoMass duo appearances will be in Tegoshi's section.
Massu was also part of the special unit Tu-->Yu (along with Nagano of V6, Hikaru of HSJ! Kazama a Jr. Tetsuya, an actor) and released the commercial single Soba Ni Iru Yo. While Massu is often viewed as sweet and innocent, he really isn't. He has a solo song, Pumpkin, in which he sings about wanting to kiss, eat, touch, and hug said pumpkin. Now I don't know about you but either the boy is that obsessed and crazy about food or he's talking about wanting to "eat" something else. Here is a clip of him performing It's BAD. and yes the song is actually pretty crappy and most of the time you're wondering if you should be laughing at the Ba ba ba ba / Ah ah ah ah / Da da da da or cringing. But you'll also find yourself wondering, "When the hell did Massu get so hot?" cos the boy shows off some pretty hot moves. One of my favorite songs off NEWS' Pacific album is this one, Nantoka Naru Sa, and while it's technically a song with both Pi and Koyama, it's really Massu's song and it's the sweetest thing ever. Watch the performance and tell me his movements and dimple smile don't immediately put a grin on your face. His newest solo performed at the recent Diamond Cons is titled, Masuperman.
DL links :
Waratte Iitomo Massu talks about Swedish girls (obviously it wasn't just the food he enjoyed over there) and how he got into Johnny's.
Ya-Ya-Yah AiQ skits in which Massu and Yamashita Shoon pretend to be a married couple.
2ji Chao! in which Massu promotes his drama Rescue and shows us just how athletic he is.
Tegoshi Yuya, 21.
Each JE group has one member who can actually sing, and in NEWS that's Tegoshi. Tegoshi's got a great voice and he's good at expressing emotions too but he's still young and once he learns to control his voice more, he'll be even better. As I've said before he is the youngest (along with Shige) and currently attends Waseda University (I'm not sure what he studies there, something along the lines of Psychology, wiki lists him as studying Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences). But despite the fact that he's the youngest, Tegoshi talks to most people with an "I'm better than you" air, which truthfully speaking he probably is better than most. And because he's the youngest, he also gets babied a lot. Koyama, ever the mother figure, is always taking care of him and even Ryo gets protective of Tegoshi (and please they called each other Tego-nyan and Ryo-tan ONCE, let it go fandom lol). Tegoshi also seems to have this magical ability wherein which he gets all the sempai in Johnny's to treat him (including Nino of Arashi who is the stingiest person you'll ever meet)
Tegoshi is the most inexperienced in terms of years spent in Johnny's before debuting (a grand total of eight months as compared to the years Ryo and Pi spent.) in NEWS. Tegoshi was actually sort of dorky cute at first (and honestly a little ugly) and then he progressively got better looking and much cuter. Now he's gotten slutty and even his dancing has gotten more...provocative. Tegoshi has also been described as being "harmlessly self-centered". That may sound impossible but it really isn't, Tegoshi is charming and there's something about him that makes you let him have his way. Tegoshi is also commonly referred to as some type of God and I'm really not sure why but you'll find in many fics that Tegoshi never seems to do any wrong and he's mostly very cute and lovable (which in the beginning he really was).
Tegoshi is also known for his fail impersonations and gags. In other words, even though he acts high and mighty, kid is still as dorky as the rest of the group (and still gets kicked around). Also he's got a really loud laugh, it's sort of seems exaggerated but that's just how he laughs. He's also an avid soccer (or football for all the non-Americans lol) fan and recently participated in a JE tournament against the pros. Tegoshi also did a brief stint as a voice actor for the Japanese version of Happy Feet, in which he voiced the main character Mumble (flipping cute and you all should go watch it). Like all the others he is also an actor (and I hear he's not half bad too) and is currently filming a movie based on the novel Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac. Tegoshi also appears regularly (solo) on a variety show called Itte Q.
As mentioned before, he's part of the duo TegoMass. It's worth mentioning that Tegoshi is often slashed with Massu (for obvious reasons) and they really make it quite easy for the fanfiction writers to do so. They're often paired up in photoshoots and they're good friends as well (seems like Massu was the only one who actually knew who Tego was when he first joined into NEWS). Recently Tegoshi has also had the habit of walking around backstage of NEWS Cons in nothing but a robe, that is often also untied. Therefore his "Tegoshi-kun" has been hanging free and for all to see. Of course, some, such as Pi, don't really prefer to see it, but hey I say it's Tegoshi's right to live life as he pleases and if he wants to be nude, so be it. (I just keep wondering now whenever I see a photograph of Tegoshi in a robe...)
Tego has learned to play the guitar (and can often be soon fooling around with Ryo's guitar). There's tons of clips of him singing, so I'll just link to some of them. Here he is singing Ai no Melody in SC. And here he's singing Stars while wearing a pimp-ish looking hat. Sunadoke at SC and looking really nice. And one of my favorite NEWS songs ever, Ai Nante, which actually features Shige and Ryo in the album version but Tegoshi owns it.
DL links :
(TegoMass)
Domoto Kyoudai 1 2 I really love this show in general cos Kinki Kids have a great sense of humor.
Making of Miso Soup well, they make the pv.
Making of Ai Ai Gasa and let's see, here they make the pv for Ai Ai Gasa! O.O
Hey!Hey!Hey! don't you want to learn how to be a real man? I know I do.
Music Fighter/Music Fair in which Massu talks to Usher. Yeah Usher ;D
Music Fighter in which Tegoshi is talking about soccer and Massu talks about food (chicken yum)
Music Japan TegoMass promotes Kiss.
Music Japan + random clip er, yeah just random TegoMass stuff where they sing and dance as usual?
Sakigake Ongaku Banzuke! Music Ranking Vegas what would TegoMass do if the world were to end tomorrow? Eat gyoza
Random clip is random, don't question it or me.
(Tego)
Making of Shissou Dead Run in which he's mistaken for a girl.
Mezamashi Tegoshi promotes Shabake.
Itte Q 1 2 3 4 5 6 his various appearances on the show, the festival ones are a must watch.
Shounen Club Premium seriously just download the interview, you never go wrong with SCP and Taichi.
VS Arashi Tegoshi appears to promote Shabake and I love sempai-kouhai interactions.
Shounen Club Tegoshi produced, theme is "What is an adult?"
Ex-Members
Uchi Hiroki, 22.
He was the first member of news to be suspended after he was caught drinking underage. Uchi is usually known as the princess and he's pretty much a whiny little thing. He also used to be a part of Kanjani8 and is Ryo's total BFF. They're slashed together a lot. Uchi, along with Kusano, was degraded in position in the Jimusho to trainee status (lower than that of a Junior). Uchi has since graduated from that status and seems to be on his way to a solo career after he's successfully held solo concert performances and another one has just been announced. So he's been forgiven guys, and honestly I don't feel much either way for him. I don't hate him nor do I love him, I probably would've had more of an interest if I saw more old NEWS stuff or old Eito stuff. He also acted in a drama where he played brothers with Ryo. Also he starred in dorama Onsen and I'm told he was hilarious in it. Uchi also showed up at the recent Johnny's 2008-2009 Countdown Concert and was allowed to sing on stage. Uchi's actually got an okay voice too and probably would've been the fourth best singer in NEWS if he had remained. Not much in terms of dl's for him, but here's an interview.
Kusano Hironori, 21.
I really don't know much about him since I joined NEWS fandom after both he and Uchi were suspended. He was also suspected of drinking underage and therefore suspended. I say suspected because I don't believe there was actual concrete proof because he was photographed with a bottle in hand but not photographed drinking (so either he's a good boy and was holding the alcohol for someone or he can hold his liquor). He was sent overseas to study dancing (apparently to NYC) but has now since returned to Japan. Kusano was part of KKKity before debuting with NEWS and is good friends with both Koyama and Shige (I believe they still keep in touch actually). Here he is singing She's All Mine on SC. A dl clip of him on Ya-Ya-Yah as KusaNO!man, very dorky yes. And here's more clips of him on Ya-Ya-Yah.
Moriuchi Takahiro, 21.
I know nothing about him at all except that he quit NEWS a few months after they debuted. (Btw, he's the dude on the left with the hat and the "hell yeah!" expression). Going by wiki, he would've been the youngest member and after watching some YT clips of him singing, seems like he would've also been the best singer of NEWS. Wonder what happened, the pressure of being an idol? He got sick of being molested by Johnny the spotlight? No in actuality it's because there was a girl and we all know how Johnny feels about them. Girls bad boys good! Anyway he has now since joined into a punk rock band called One Ok Rock. His vocals are really quite good and it's a pity he didn't stay in NEWS.
Epic NEWS pimp post brought to you by binmusic and much thanks to trivialaffair for her YT and DL link searching (and random beta'ing of my crap)
Part two
CREDITS : The bulk of NEWS scans used are from lady_mercury (almost all the magazine covers are from her), watchful21(whom I think I took some of the Shige @ FineBoys and Tego/Shige @ NEWSnoNEWS), inala (the bulk of the group photos are from her and anything concert or shop photo related) and there are some shots off Vendi's blog. If you click on the links, each picture has been uploaded onto my photobucket account so I haven't hotlinked anything (and would appreciate if you didn't hotlink off me either) and also, the pictures are credited to the original uploader in the title of each. Any YouTube videos are merely linked via search engine, I haven't uploaded any of the subbed videos found online. And the links to subbed download links lead to the respective subber/subgroup. If any of you are uncomfortable with having your scans/videos linked here, please message me, (binmusic) and I'll take it down.