Kitano Takeshi

[John Dougill]

>     My other question is a bit simpler.  I've never seen Japanese
>television (sorry for my ignorance), so I'm curious about the eight(?)
>shows Kitano Takeshi appears in (as host?).  What are these shows like?

Many are 'infotainment' in nature - i.e. Takeshi attempts to do something
vaguely educational - like talk with foreigners about world politics -
while dressing up in silly costumes with a big hammer and making it into a
form of entertainment for easier consumption.

I read an interview with him once in which he was asked how he managed to
do so many television programmes, and he replied something to the effect
that Japanese television was such that it didn't require either time or
effort...... I remember remarking on this to my Japanese girlfriend who
commented that he was so powerful a figure he could say anything he wanted
and get away with it.

Regards
John Dougill