Happy New Year!
Let's make 2007 a good year, 'kay? Let's make it better than 2006, though that won't be too hard.

I've avoided this place for some time now, a few days actually and I know that probably it seems pretty silly. But it's all because of NEWS' return and the Uchi/Kusano-deal. What really bugs me is how some quite a lot of people just refuse to think logically about this.

NEWS' return
They said they would be back next year with eight members. Tegoshi Yuya said when he was in Sweden, to some fans, that NEWS might not appear on COUNTDOWN but that they were definitely coming back. Due to that people weren't expecting them to come back to COUNTDOWN at all. As 2006 got closer and closer to its end and with Tegomasu forming, a lot of "fans" lost hope in their idols and were more or less convinced that they weren't coming back. Pissed me off, honestly. They said they would come back and then, the 30th it was announced that NEWS would appear on the traditional Johnny's COUNTDOWN. A few days before that the rumour of the new Sayaendou PV started and fans started to get paranoid. When the announcement was said from Johnny himself at the website fans suddenly got overly excited while some cried because it also stated that Uchi Hiroki and Kusano Hironori would not get back with them but would go back to training as trainees. To some that didn't matter though, NEWS would come back and that was all that mattered. The fact that they, just months, weeks or even just days, earlier had given up on them were forgotten. What's important now is not what was but what will come; a single and a concert tour.

Trainee
A lot of people, however, got really stuck on this "trainee"-thing. Sanspo and other various sources have said that it's below Johnny's JR status and thus fans got really upset about this. Assuming it was a way to bring Uchi and Kusano behind the stage and slowly have them quit Johnnys. A person (no names) also said that Trainee would be just back up dancing for Shounentai's concerts until they came to realise how useless it was and they'd quit one their own. That way Johnny wouldn't be the one to blame because it would be Uchi's and Kusano's own decision. Some people chose to believe in that, chose to believe that Uchi and Kusano will be made to quit and that NEWS will remain 6 members.

This is what pisses me off so damn much. People don't think - they spend no fucking time in thinking logically about things. About how things work. They want "their" Kusano back right now. Kanjani8 can't be eight without Uchi anymore etc. etc.

Uchi Hiroki
Got suspended in the middle of 2005 because of under age drinking. Both NEWS and Kanjani8 continued after that and with that there was a few releases that he missed:
1. NEWS' single - Hadashi no Cinderella Boy/Sayanedou
2. Kanjani8 Single - Sukiyanen, Osaka. Oh! ENKA, Mugendai
3. Kanjan8 Album - F.T.O ~10 new songs.
4. Kanjani8 Single - OSAKA Obachan ROCK
5. Kanjani8 Single - Kanfuu Fighting
Add to that all the tours Kanjani8 had during 2006. Their popularity have gotten up a lot. All in all that's material for 1½ year, the time he was gone. Suspended to live like a normal person for a while, not being an idol for (at the time) an unknown amount of time. Thus he didn't have to stress, he didn't have to wake up early, he didn't have to dance as much etc. etc.
Would he be thrown back in with NEWS in January 2007, he would have to get adjusted to that life immediately. He would have to go from 0 to 200% without getting time to warm up at all. Kanjani8 will have a concert in Osaka DOME in February. NEWS will get out on a tour around the same time. That would mean very little sleep for Uchi who would have to be at both places at once, would he be able to deal with it?

Kusano Hironori
Kusano got suspended in February of 2006, about one month before Hadashi no Cinderella Boy/Sayaendou was about to get released a month later. In other words he was in that recording, he already know the songs since the recording for it must have been done back in December/January. That included a PV as well. Getting suspended in February that immediately meant a lot of remixing for the mixers that worked with the single and possible re-recording for whoever it would be that took Kusano's lines. Probably Shige or Koyama.
So he hasn't missed as much, but being away for almost a full year, makes you easily adjust yourself to the life of a "normal" teenager and thus it's the same as Uchi's situation. Go from 0 to 100% without getting to warm up would wear him out immediately. Also remember, he's still not an adult but just 18 years old. Still a kid.

When Uchi turned 20
This is totally my own thoughts and what I believe. But here goes nothing.
In September 2006 Uchi turned 20 years old. The legal age in Japan for drinking and smoking is 20 and thus - if he would have a smoke or get drunk it wouldn't be illegal. This doesn't change the fact that he broke the law, but it definitely makes it easier for him not to do the same mistake again. Thus, I believe that Johnny allowed Uchi to get back at the end of September/beginning of October as a trainee. To take dance lessons, vocal lessons - to get in shape again. However, you do not catch up on 18 months in just two. Even if you'd work 24/7, there's simply no way it's possible for him to be prepared after just two months of training for a return in January.

Kusano 20
I've read at several places that some thinks that they'll be trainees until Kusano turns 20 as well. Or that Uchi will return before him and Kusano will have to wait for two more years. However that sounds very, very unlikely. The difference being that no matter how much we and the media and whoever believes that he drank that night, there's no proof for it. I'm pretty sure our dear Notti had a beer or two, not doubting it at all - but he's denied it. There are no photos of videos or whatever and thus there's no crime officially commited. Officially he hasn't broken the law, but he got accused for drinking and that was enough to create headlines. Thus he got put on hiatus.

How long
For how long will they be trainee's then? Seeing how quite a lot of people, fans, thinks they'll get kicked out this way there's a lot of people not assuming they'll be back at all. Personally I think of it differently. Remember that everything Johnny's about is business. It's a brandname and he, Mary and Julie no matter how much she sucks have to do about everything to keep their name clean if they want to continue to bring in money. It's true that they own more than ½ of Japan's pop-industry and probably wouldn't get to live on the streets in the first place. But still.
Anyway, there's a pattern with everything. Especially CD releases.

Kanjani8's single "Kanfuu Fighting" was released the 13th of December. Thus, according to some very easy calculations the next single should be out in March, which would mean that recording would start about now, in January or in the middle of February. Of course things doesn't have to be like this, but bands have followed his pattern for years and thus it's unlikely that they'll change it, unless something happens. For example when Uchi got suspended things took a bit longer, also after OSAKA Obachan ROCK, due to nation-wide tour.
Anyway. If they would release a new single with Uchi, that would mean he would have to be in recording in February and back in March - and that's simply not happening. Thus - unless they decide to be typical Kanjani8 there will most likely be another single without Uchi or a DVD release. Anything's possible though, with Kanjani8 being unpredictable and all.

NEWS however are not as unpredictable. They have a different image, especially after their year-long break. They will have a single out at the end of January or (most likely) beginning/middle of February. About then their tour will also start poor Ryo being super busy, probably go all the way to May which would be just when the new single should be out. Possibly the beginning of June, which would mean recording would probably happen in April/May. Question is, will it be another single without the other two or will they have come back around then?

While the rest of NEWS and Kanjani8 will have concerts, Kusano and Uchi will have lessons over and over again, getting their dance skills up, train their voice. Get scolded and prepared for the life as an idol again. Just as it's easy to get adjusted to the "lazy" life of a normal teenager, it will be fairly easy to get used to the early and busy schedule too if it's done in small but quick steps, which means that after four months of training they will be ready for something as simple as single promoting and would most likely be able to record a new NEWS single and promote it during summer. In August Uchi will be used to it and being able to deal with a Kanjani8 release too. Autumn could call for concerts and the end of the year, October-November they'll be ready and back as if they never was away.

Just my two very sensable cents.

Stop cursing Johnny, stop blaming him. Really. The guy's a genius, he knows what he's doing. He did not force those two to drink alcohol. Bringing them back this way is smart. As expected from him, really.