Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz hit town

Celebrity fever gripped Osaka in July when Hollywood stars Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz dropped in to promote Shrek 2.
The stars held a press conference on July 15th at the Hyatt Regency before moving on to Universal Studios Japan, where, by happy coincidence, there is a popular Shrek-themed attraction.

The actors were given a rapturous welcome by the objective and dispassionate press corps, and Myers, best known for the Austin Powers films, and Diaz, best known for all sorts of other things, took the stage accompanied by Shrek 2 producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and Japanese TV idol Norika Fujiwara, who supplied the voice for Diaz's character in the Japanese language version of the film.

While the media all but ignored Katzenberg and Fujiwara, Diaz demonstrated a strong working empathy with Myers and revealed a sense of humour. The pair found lots of interesting things to do with the drinking water other than drink it, and Myers went to sleep on the floor during one of Diaz's characteristically long answers. After a journalist remarked that he was handsome, Myers declared a 'man crush' on the bemused press man and offered his phone number.

Then it was off to USJ where the celebrities were mobbed by a crowd delighted at this extra 3D attraction.
Shrek 2 opened on July 24th. Check the KS film listings to find out where it is showing.

Hottest Dog

A Japanese man has broken the world's hot dog eating record — 53 and a half hot dogs in 12 minutes.

Takeru Kobayashi broke the record at a competition at Coney Island and the achievement was no fluke. Kobayashi, also known as “Tsunami”, is one of Japan's best known speed eaters, and has a particular technique that even has its own name: the Solomon technique, which simply involves breaking the dog in half before wolfing down the parts.

Japan evidently has a special relationship with hot dogs, or at least gorging yourself silly — the runner up in the competition was another Japanese man Noboyuki Shirota who managed a mere 38 dogs.

Third was a Korean-American woman Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas who set a new women's world record with 32.

According to the BBC, contest spokes-man Richard Shea told reporters "I think [Takeru Kobayashi] has proven, once again, that he is one of the finest athletes of any sport in the world".

Dance, Dance, Dance

This month OCAT in Namba hosts its annual dance contest. You may have seen the youngsters practicing hard in OCAT's Ponte Hiroba, getting down with the groove in all weathers, working out and honing their routines to the mirrored walls of the square. The spectacle of all these dancers practicing on one public space has gained fame to the point that it is mentioned as a must-see on at least one online tourist site.

This year the competition has attracted over a hundred dance teams — each team being a pair or a group.
The dancers will be presenting the results of their labours in OCAT's contest, an annual event, on August 8, 15 and 29 — each day's events kick off at 3:00pm, and there is no admission fee.
There are money prizes in the categories of technique, fashion and presentation — but for all participants, the reward will be the chance to show off all that hard work. If you miss the contest, you can see the dancers year-round in Ponte Hiroba.

If you know of any newsworthy events in the Kansai or Japan, if you are about to dive naked into a vat of hungry piranhas for a bet, be sure to let us know. mailbox@kansaiscene.com