The holiday season is upon us, and among the extended quiz specials and talk marathons there are monomane (impersonation) contests on every station. The king of impersonators is Croquette, whose repertoire of famous singers and actors numbers about 300.
Croquette's life and particular brand of performance art will be explored in a more personal fashion on "Katte ni Yatte Sumimasen" ("Pardon Me for Doing it My Way"; NHK-G, Mon., 7:30 p.m.), which celebrates his 30th year in show business. Having hit his stride at the tender age of 20 with hilariously spot-on impressions of Naomi Chiaki, Hiromi Iwasaki and his specialty, Kenichi Mikawa, Croquette turned monomane from a supplementary comedy skill into a specialized theatrical endeavor, complete with props and elaborate routines. Here he talks about his career in detail. There are also interviews with his family and some of the stars he impersonates, including some whose own careers were revived when Croquette added them to his act.
It's always interesting to see what the commercial networks throw up against NHK's "Kohaku Uta Gassen" song contest on New Year's Eve. TBS is presenting mixed martial arts, while Fuji TV is expanding its miracle-story variety show "Unbelievable" into a five-hour special. The boldest move is probably TV Asahi's six-and-a-half hour "Ichiman-nin ni Dai-anketto! Kyo Shitte Okanai to Toshi ga Kosanai" ("10,000-Person Questionnaire: Things You Must Understand Before Entering the New Year"; Fri., 7 p.m.).