June 4, 2007

Anime Expo 2007 announces Anna Tsuchiya as guest of honor

Nation's Largest Convention Announces Newest Guest of Honor

Anaheim, California (June 4, 2007) -- Model, actress and singer Anna Tsuchiya is the latest addition to the hottest line up of Anime Expo® 2007 Guests of Honors for the highly anticipated 2007 convention June 29-July 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.

Ms. Tsuchiya has packed much into her short career since she first started modeling in her teens in the late 1990s. She has appeared in fashion shows, television commercials, performed as a stage actress and find time for a recording career. She did much to confound her image as a pop idol by starring as a foul-mouthed, leather-clad yakuza biker girl in the hit movie "Kamikaze Girls." Anna scored her first top 10 hit with her third single "Rose," the opening theme song to the anime television series "Nana," in 2006.

Born in Tokyo on March 11 1984 to a Japanese mother and American father, Anna Tsuchiya did not have to wait long for her introduction to the showbiz world, getting her first break modeling for the Japanese teen fashion magazine Seventeen in 1998, aged 14. This break led to appearances on television and her becoming the first Japanese model to model for the jeans brand Edwin. Her profile was raised when she starred in Tetsuya Nakashima's award-winning 2004 movie "Kamikaze Girls," alongside another idol, Kyoko Fukada.

Anna's music career began in 2002 as half of the rock duo Spin Aqua. The group earned a record deal with P-Vine, but quickly disbanded without making an impact, allowing Anna to pursue a solo career. The six-track mini-album "Taste My Beat," released in 2005 on the Avex Trax "indie" imprint Mad Pray, featured Anna on the cover in her characteristic panda-eye black mascara, but Anna's look was more sweet-sucking gothic vamp than Dusty Springfield's girl next door. Musically, the album was all polished, pop-metal riffing and power ballads with obligatory soaring string arrangements. An album of remixes was released in early 2006, featuring reworkings by respected house producers Shinichi Osawa (of Mondo Grosso) and Yukihiro Fukutomi, among others.

Anna continued to cultivate an edgy image, which had first begun with her appearance in "Kamikazi Girls," on her debut full-length, "Strip me?" (2006). The album peaked at number 11 in the Oricon charts and featured guest turns from A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese and session players who had previously worked with Garbage and Avril Lavigne. Most of the lyrics were in English and penned by Anna. The album also brought on board the hard rockin' rhythm section of Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) on "Rose," which was used as the opening theme to the anime Nana, based on a popular manga series of the same name. "Rose" reached number 6 on the Oricon chart and Anna capitalized on its success by performing a sold-out tour of Japan's club venues and performing at one of Japan's biggest summer rock festivals, Summer Sonic. The album was not without its brighter, poppier moments, though, encapsulated in the sprightly reworking of Cyndi Lauper's adult-pop hit "True Colors."

Also in summer 2006, Anna performed nine songs (and modeled) as part of the Japanese fashion, music and anime showcase, Tokyo Summer Collection in Paris, leading some excited sections of the French media to dub Anna "the Japanese Madonna."

(Official biography provided by David Hickey)

Despite a rise in her musical profile, Anna kept her hand in acting when she took on the voice of Lindsay Lohan's character in the Japanese-language version of the Disney film "Herbie Fully Loaded."

Ms. Tsuchiya will be performing a full one hour live concert at Anime Expo® on Saturday; June 30, 2007 at the Anime Expo® Main Events Hall (Long Beach Arena).

Anna Tsuchiya joins Tetsuro Araki, Michael Arias, Minori Chihara, Yuko Goto, Aya Hirano, Eisaku Inoue, Chiaki Ishikawa, Masaru Kitao, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Halko Momoi and ORESKABAND as Anime Expo® 2007 Official Guests of Honor.

Secure pre-registration can be done via online at https://secure.rhq.com/anime/anime2007/attreg/index.cgi.

Attendees interested in booking flights, car rentals and/or other hotels for Anime Expo® 2007 can do so via the AX Travel Store located at www.AXTravelStore.com.

AVEX OFFICIAL Website:
http://anna-t.com/index.html

U.S. iTMS Website:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=78950035

About Anime Expo®
Located in Long Beach, California - Anime Expo®, the nation's largest anime/manga convention, serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests of the general public and animation/ comics industry. This event serves as a key meeting place for the general public to express their interest and explore various aspects of anime/manga, as well as for members of the industry to conduct business. AX 2007 will be held June 29 - July 2, 2007 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California. SPONSORS: ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Copic Markers, Digital Manga, Gaia Online, Go! Media, Infinity Studios, ImaginAsian TV (IaTV) and the Los Angeles Times. More information can be found at its website (www.anime-expo.org).

About Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation
The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans. This organization is more popularly known by its entertainment property - Anime Expo®. More information can be found at its website (www.spja.org).

The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Anime Expo®/SPJA's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company's assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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