Talk-show host David Letterman obviously did the right thing when during a recent monologue he confessed to having had sex with some of his female staff. He made the admission to pre-empt news that he had been blackmailed for his indiscretions, but whatever the revelation said about Letterman's lack of workplace propriety and faithfulness to his significant other, it certainly proved he's a shrewd judge of publicity. His show's ratings soared afterward, probably because Letterman's viewers never thought he had it in him.

Some celebrities actually make a living off of such revelations. Junichi Ishida has always been described as an actor, though I've never actually seen him act in anything. The son of a well-known NHK announcer, he's a fixture on variety shows where he pimps his erudition, worldliness and unique sense of style — if you can call an aversion to socks a sense of style.

He is often hired to appear at publicity events because his presence guarantees that the press will show up. Sponsors know that Ishida loves to shoot the breeze about romance and his relationships with beautiful women. Ever since he said in 1996 that all great culture has been inspired by "infidelity," he's promoted himself as a charming home-wrecker, though a close look at his scandal rap sheet indicates he's really more of a serial monogamist. At 55, Ishida has been married and divorced twice, and he's about to get hitched again.