I know we haven’t been consistent with posting. Just hang in there, and things will be back to normal soon. Even Box Office Mojo is catching up on their Japan box office figures already, so there may be hope for us yet.

- Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea has officially crossed the 10 billion yen mark at the Japanese box office after 31 days in release. That’s 2 days quicker than Howl’s Moving Castle, which means it has a good chance of surpassing that film’s final take of 19.6 billion yen. However, it’s not likely to surpass the record-breaking gross of Spirited Away.

- In China, wall-to-wall Olympics coverage has temporarily turned people off from going to the movies, causing total box office gross to actually go down.

- It’s Japanese Oricon charts time! After a record-setting debut, Namie Amuro’s latest compilation is seeing its 3rd week at the top of the album charts. Meanwhile, SMAP’s latest single debuts at the top spot, but continues to only tie the record for the most top 10 appearance because the latest single by Southern All Stars (the record’s co-holder) is also on the top 10.

More at Tokyograph

- Forget Liu Xiang and Michael Phelps, major Olympics sponsor Samsung has a secret weapon that no one else has to promote their products in Beijing.

-  Taegukgi director Kang Je-Gyu is going to TV with a high-budget 20-episode series starring Lee Byung-Hun and a rapper named T.O.P.. I’m not joking about that name.

-  I’m not joking about this one either: Kaiju Shakedown introduces Japanese cinema’s latest way of dieting - through rock n roll! That theme song is bound to be a cult classic.

-  Japanese girls group SPEED is having their third reunion, although this time it’s said to be a full-on reunion that will go into 2009.

- Japanese AV star Aoi Sora is braching out into a serious acting career in Asia, taking a role in a 4-episode Korean mini-drama.