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The story
It’s been reported that NHK had approached comedian Bakarythm — currently writing the screenplay for an NHK morning drama — to host the year-end “Kohaku Uta Gassen” song contest, but negotiations broke down, and Masato Sakai was ultimately picked as host instead. The selection reportedly also factored in support for areas hit by the Kumamoto earthquakes, which sparked chatter since Bakarythm is from Fukuoka while Sakai is from Miyazaki. On the thread, plenty of posters voiced skepticism about whether a comedian is up to hosting Kohaku, with some bringing up Teruyoshi Uchimura’s past stint as overall host, and others arguing the job should just go to an NHK announcer.
[Behind the Scenes of the Kohaku Host Selection] Kumamoto earthquake relief support became a deciding factor — NHK approached Fukuoka-born morning-drama screenwriter Bakarythm, but talks fell through, so Miyazaki-born Masato Sakai got the nod
Lighting up New Year’s Eve as Kohaku hosts will be Masato Sakai and Kazunari Ninomiya, who play sworn brothers in “VIVANT,” alongside Mana Ashida.
Behind the picking of two stars from commercial-network dramas lies an approach to a popular comedian that never panned out, plus a “rule between husband and wife” in the Sakai household. [Part 1 of 2]
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Lmao, that's rating Bakarythm way too highly
As a TV personality he's just not popular, period
They should've just gone with Korokke and Kiyoko Suizenji instead
He was overall host of Kohaku four years running before Ariyoshi took over, and he's shown up since too — reuniting with Pocket Biscuits, serving as a judge — so he's probably done with hosting by now
Ariyoshi used to give off that same vibe back in the day
Tamori hosted it back in his own gloomy-era days too
There's a script and a pro in-house announcer right next to them, so even a total hosting novice like an actress-turned-talent can manage
He's not exactly the type who lights up a room just by standing there either
He was on Idoling!!! (a Japanese idol variety show) for nine years though
Maybe Kiyoko Suizenji will perform for the first time in 40 years
Local work matters more to them — Daikichi's said before he'd turn down a Kohaku offer even if one came
Let him give us his catchphrase 'bundle up and sleep' on New Year's Eve
Right, Cream Stew's from Kumamoto
And he's a Seiseiko High School grad too
That's just not a stage for comedians
Emiko Uenuma apparently got torn apart for it
In years the Tokyo-set morning drama flops, just let Hashikan do it
NHK announcers are plenty
The ones actually running the show every year are the announcers anyway
We don't need celebrity hosts
That announcer just stood there stiff as a board last year
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi was an NHK exclusive and she hosted it, right?
So true
NHK doesn't need to copy the commercial networks
We don't need someone untalented or overly quirky
And have them play the Sanadamaru theme while he sings it
Takashi Fujii will probably show up too
INMU KING
Why not him?
That guy just gives off serious "gonna screw it up if he hosts Kohaku" energy
Just take it at face value
It's like Waseda being your safety school below the Japan Institute of the Moving Image
Background and Key Points of This Topic
In most years, Kohaku’s hosting lineup pairs an NHK announcer with an actor or singer having a moment, and it’s rare for a comedian to be put in sole charge. Emiko Uenuma, whose name came up in the thread, drew criticism over her handling of the proceedings during her stint as host, and that episode is the usual reference point for the “comedians can’t handle hosting” argument. At the same time, both Hiroyuki Ariyoshi and Tamori have served as overall host in the past, so it isn’t as if comedians have been categorically excluded. One point easy to misread in this report is the link between hometown and selection criteria: while Kumamoto earthquake relief support is said to have factored into the decision, the article never makes clear whether that “disaster-affected area” framing applies to Bakarythm (from Fukuoka) or Sakai (from Miyazaki). The thread’s discussion largely skipped past that ambiguity, focusing instead on debating comedians’ popularity and hosting ability.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment & Sports Breaking News+) thread “[TV] Behind the Scenes of the Kohaku Uta Gassen Host Selection: NHK Approached Morning-Drama Screenwriter Bakarythm, But Talks Fell Through… Masato Sakai Gets the Nod.”
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