These days the ideal TV personality is someone who can talk nonstop about any subject for a long period of time. The person doesn't necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the subject, but he or she should certainly be funny. In this regard, comedian Sanma Akashiya is the gold standard. Several weeks ago, he hosted a 24-hour marathon variety show single-handedly, just to show that he could.
As part of Nihon TV's 55th anniversary celebration, Sanma will again hold forth on anything anybody can throw at him. On the two-and-a-half hour special "Akashiya Sanma ni Kikitakatta no wa So Iu Koto Datta no Ne" ("This is What I've Wanted to Ask Sanma Akashiya"; Friday, 9 p.m.), several dozen people bring the Osaka funnyman their questions, some personal, some general, many bizarre.
Among the questioners are Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, actress Hitomi Kuroki, celebrity Saki Aibu, the chief of an African tribe, and James Lipton, the head of the Actors Studio in New York who is famous for interviewing top stars.