The TV highlight of the weekend was NTV’s annual 24-hour telethon. And as usual the centerpiece of the marathon broadcast was the charity marathon run by a celebrity. This year’s runner was veteran comedian Hagimoto Kinichi (66), who took over 26 hours to complete a 70km course from Kanagawa Prefecture to the Nippon Budokan in central Tokyo. “Kin-chan” completed his run at 9:05 on Sunday night, ten minutes after the scheduled end of the broadcast, having fought off the humid summer heat and intense pain in his legs and feet. From Sunday afternoon his left leg was numb and, with just 10km left to go, his suffering was such that he could no longer put a brave smile on his face. But Tokyo residents lined the streets to cheer him and somehow he found the strength to carry on. He, the audience and presenters were all in tears as he struggled the last few meters down the Budokan’s steps to the stage. The theme of this year’s show was “The Moment that Changed My Life”, and Kin-chan’s hope was that his completion of the run would inspire other senior citizens to fight on. In another segment, comedian Kazama Kampei (58) completed a decathlon and set a new Japan Masters record for the 1500m. In its 15th year, the show had raised a record ¥363 million by the end of the broadcast.
• Popular TBS announcer Kaiho Chisato (31) revealed during her regular appearance on the live “Hanamaru Market” show this morning that she is engaged to be married. She will be quitting the network at the end of September and joining her new husband in the U.S., where he currently works.
• SMAP member Nakai Masahiro (34) and sexy pop star Koda Kumi (24) refused to comment over the weekend on rumors of their romance. A big Yomiuri Giants fan, Nakai was in New York to report live on a New York Yankees game. And on Saturday, Koda was among the major artists taking part in the “J-Wave Live 2000+7” event at the Yokohama Arena.