Crazy TV..

Karaoke is massive here in Japan - but not in the drunken-corner-of-a-seedy-pub-with-loads-of-strangers-watching style of England. Here it is taken very seriously, as the seemingly endless TV shows around New Year and the thousands of hotels dedicated to the pasttime show.

However, it unsurprisingly sometimes gets painted with the zany crazy brush that is Japanese TV, as shown last night. Essentially, comedians appear dressed as their chosen idol, and have to sing their chosen song, with an electronic rating popping up on the screen every 10 seconds or so. If at any time the ratings drops below 8.0, bright lights flash and icy water falls on the singer. Not surprising really, but what struck me as odd was the ridiculous score of 9.8 given to one of the contestants, who was little more than a screaming man in a ill-fitting school uniform...