Show Biz Soccer Charity

Fifty-three of Japan’s top show business personalities, including musicians, actors, and TV stars, have collaborated on a “We Are the World”-like charity project centered on the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament in Germany.

The single, which is titled “Yell From Nippon,” will be released May 31 sometime after the announcement of the members of Japan’s national team, which made the cut in the Asia block that will compete in Germany.

Proceeds from sales of the single will go to a charity that buys soccer balls for poor children all over the world.

Also on May 31, a special compilation album of soccer songs by some of Japan’s top rock and pop artists called “Football Music Album Yell” will be released.

Smash Corp. announced May 10 that The Strokes would be the headlining act on the final day of this summer’s Fuji Rock Festival, which takes place at the Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata prefecture July 28-30.

Fans of the festival have been watching the FRF Web site for weeks wondering who the final day “otori” (“lure” or “bait”) would be.

The opening day and second day otori, Franz Ferdinand and Red Hot Chili Peppers respectively, were announced many weeks ago.

Other late additions to the Fuji roster include Blackalicious, Gnarls Barkley, Junior Senior, rinocerose, The Raconteurs, Dirty Pretty Things, and Martha Wainwright.

In other festival news, Creativeman announced on May 16 that all two-day tickets to the Tokyo portion of this year’s Summer Sonic have sold out.

— Philip Brasor