New Romantic Comedy Manga Coming Soon

The February issue of Shueisha's Monthly You magazine is announcing on Tuesday that manga creator Kozueko Morimoto (Gokusen) will launch the romantic comedy series Takadai-ke no Hitobito in the next issue on February 15. Morimoto already published a one-shot "Takadai-ke no Hitobito" manga (pictured right) in the December 2012 issue, to mark the magazine's first full year as a monthly publication.
 
The one-shot manga depicts the romance between a quiet, day-dreaming female employee named Hirano and Takadai, the handsome male upper-tier employee who just arrived from the New York branch. Despite having trouble talking with people, Hirano is suddenly invited to eat with Takadai for some reason. As it turns out, Takadai can read people's feelings.

The upcoming series version will follow the other strange members of the Takadai family. According to the magazine, a series is launching after readers showed their support for more stories. 

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"The Break-Up Man" Rules in German Box Office

BERLIN -- German cinema had a tough 2012 but the new year came in with a bang with Matthias Schweighofer's rom-com The Break-Up Man blasting past The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to take the No. 1 spot on the German box office charts this past weekend.

More than half a million admissions -- or just more than one out of every four tickets sold in Germany this weekend -- were for The Break-Up Man, which Schweighofer wrote, produced, directed and stars in. With a total box office of nearly $6.5 million for 20th Century Fox in Germany, The Break-Up Man marks the best start for a German-language film in nearly two years.
 
The Hobbit -- entering its fifth week in Germany -- came in a distant second with 310,000 tickets sold. Peter Jackson's fantasy epic has ruled over the German box office for the past month and is closing in on a $80 million take for the territory.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola's Predictability for Romantic Comedy

Despite interesting themes and subplots, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a predictable romantic comedy that settles too often for easy jokes. Veteran Indian performers Pankaj Kapur and Shabana Azmi come off better than the leads, who find themselves boxed into a weak screwball setting. Broad and leisurely, MKBKM lacks the chemistry and plotting to build good word of mouth.

Harry Mandola (Kapur), a wealthy landowner with a weakness for alcohol, is a clown when drunk and sour when sober. He hires Matru (Imran Khan), a college-educated community activist, to keep him away from the local Gulabo liquor. Instead, both go on benders, stirring up local farmers against corrupt politicians—and Mandola himself.

Mandola plans to marry off his beautiful but spoiled daughter Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) to Baadal (Arya Babbar), the playboy son of politician Chaudhri Devi (Azmi). The union would turn Mandola's farmlands into factories, enriching the conniving Devi while displacing Mandola's tenants.


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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

France Picks Its Top Romantic Comedies

Comedies can sell as well as dramas. The 15th Unifrance Paris Rendez-vous kicks off with Daniele Thompson's "It Happened in Saint- Tropez," from Pathe. And over the next four days, a score of other laffers are set to unspool at the market with some of France's biggest film companies rolling out their top comedy picks.

'The Brats'

These include Gaumont's "The Brats," starring Alain Chabat ("Houba! On the Trail of the Marsupilami"), and Michael Youn's high-concept laffer "Vive la France."

“It Happened in Saint-Tropez” opens the Unifrance Paris Rendez-vous.

Plus, EuropaCorp will shop David Moreau's romantic comedy "Hit Boy," Philippe Lellouche's "Almost Charming" and Gerard Depardieu starrer "World Petanque Tour"; SND will push Gerard Lanvin starrer "True Friends," centering on three friends facing each other's white lies; Studiocanal will roll out comicbook-based retro-style comedy "Billy and Buddy"; and Films Distribution is showing "Queen of Montreuil," a dramedy from Iceland's Solveig Anspach, and bowing Brigitte Rouan's Greece-set ensemble comedy, "A Greek Type of Problem."

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Oscar Award Laughs with "Silver Linings Playbook"

Robert De Niro got his first nomination in 21 years for "Silver Linings Playbook";… (JOJO WHILDEN / Associated…)

Every cloud has a silver lining, and the 85th Academy Awards have Silver Linings Playbook.

The mood-swinging, Philly-centric romantic dramedy came away with eight key nominations as the Oscar contenders were announced Thursday morning in Beverly Hills. Among its coups: It's the first film since 1982 ( Reds) to win recognition in all four acting categories: Bradley Cooper for best actor, Jennifer Lawrence best actress, Robert De Niro (his first Oscar nomination in 21 years) for supporting actor, and Jacki Weaver supporting actress (her second in three years).

Silver Linings Playbook, filmed in and around Philadelphia in late 2011, is one of nine titles vying for best picture. David O. Russell also received nominations for best director and best adapted screenplay. Silver Linings is based on the novel by former Haddonfield High School teacher Matthew Quick.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Romantic Comedies Among Things to Look Forward to

WEST MICHIGAN – Looking for something to do during the cold, gray days of winter? Stay warm with these indoor events, which are all happening this week:


Watch a romantic comedy on stage

Enjoy the romantic comedy "Almost, Maine," which will run at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 10-12 at the Howmet Playhouse, 304 S. Mears Ave., in Whitehall.

The play includes 11 vignettes featuring the residents of the fictional town of Almost in Maine, who fall in and out of love in unexpected, and often funny, ways. The show will also be presented by the Mighty Mitten Players, a new West Michigan theatre group.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. Tickets are available in advance at Whitehall City Hall, 405 E. Colby St., or at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

"The Last Romance" Takes Center Stage

Layered with both drama and romance, Domino Theatre’s latest production promises audiences a warm play that is perfect for a cold January evening.



The Last Romance, directed by theatre veteran Ken Weston, and starring Gordon Muir, Barbara Dennett and Penny Nash, will run in the Davies Foundation Auditorium at the Domino Theatre Thursdays Jan. 10 through Jan. 27.

The play tells the story of Ralph, an 80-year-old widower sharing his home with his rather overbearing sister Rose.

An avid opera lover, Ralph missed out on a career as an opera singer because of an unfortunate incident in his youth.

On one of his daily walks, Ralph takes a different path than usual, and meets a woman named Carol. A romance develops between the two, and Carol, as a gift, decides to take Ralph to Italy’s LaScala.
As in many romances, things do not turn out the way they are planned.

“It’s a warm, touching and funny play,” said Weston of The Last Romance, which was written by Joe DiPietro.

“It is sweet, it has an unexpected ending. The play doesn’t end the way you think it’s going to,” Weston continued.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?