Takashi Fujii's bio

Takashi Fujii (Japanese: 藤井隆, Fujii Takashi, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of Matthew's Best Hit TV (as the character マシュー南, Mashū Minami or Matthew Minami) and various other related shows on TV Asahi, a major television network in Japan.

On May 7, 2005, he officially announced his intention to marry Otoha(乙葉), a Japanese idol, and they were married on July 30, 2005 at the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo, with an audience of 340 guests including many famous Japanese personalities and celebrities.

On May 7, 2007, he and his wife Otoha announced that they are expecting a child.

Acting Career
An established celebrity among Japanese television, Takashi Fujii is most active as an actor and a comedic host.

Matthew Minami
In the western world, and particularly the United States, he is perhaps most famous for his appearance (as Matthew Minami, hosting his own show) with Bill Murray's character Bob Harris in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation. As Matthew, his trademark blonde wig and garish suits complement his effeminate but wacky personality. Apparently, his image is meant to parody a homosexual westerner.

Although Bill Murray has never been a guest, Matthew Minami actually hosts such a program, now called Matthew's Best Hit UV, and it is characterized by mindless banter and contests typical of many other Japanese shows. Largely consisting of musicians and popular Japanese talents, the show's guests are often subject to fierce competition by Matthew Minami himself. The character Matthew Minami also appears in a handful of programs and shorts related to Best Hit TV, with themes ranging as widely as cooking and kids.

Himself
Takashi Fujii is also a popular talent himself and appears frequently on many Japanese variety shows. He is considerably less flamboyant while appearing as himself, but his frequent seemingly random comments and odd gestures are all part of his signature performances. He has even made appearances in the U.S. and China showing off both his comedy and music.

Now Showing
Takashi Fujii is currently featured on the following programs (titles are loose translations):

発見!仰天!!プレミアもん!!! 土曜はダメよ! (Hakken! Gyōten!! Puremia mon!!! Doyō-wa dame-yo!) on ytv
ベリーベリーサタデー (Very very Saturday, Berī berī Saturday) on KTV
上海大腕 (Shanghai Daiwan) on TX as a travelling host
Matthew's Best Hit TV+ on tv asahi as Matthew Minami
サルヂエ (Monkey Wisdom, Sarujie) on CTV as a monkey (host)
藤井隆のスカパー110BANG! (Takashi Fujii's SkyPerfect 110BANG!) on Sky PrefecTV

Past Appearances
1999 天国のkiss (Heaven's Kiss/Tokyo Ghost Story, Tengoku-no kiss) (Drama)
2001 明日があるさ (There's Always Tomorrow, Ashita-ga arusa) (Drama)
2001 明日があるさ (There's Always Tomorrow, Ashita-ga arusa) (Movie)
2001 ビューティ7 (Beauty 7) (Drama)
2002 まんてん (Manten) (Drama)
2006 The School of Water Business (Drama)
Takashi Fujii has also made numerous other minor appearances as well as contributing his voice talent on various animated movies including 2004's Mind Game.

Music Career

OH MY JULIET!Although Fujii is less active as a musician, his style has transferred successfully into the world of J-pop. His most recent single, "OH MY JULIET!", was produced by popular J-pop artist Tommy february6 and was an instant hit.[citation needed] The song was subsequently featured in the soundtrack to the movie Babel.

Along with Tomoko Kawase, he has also worked with well-known artists such as Daisuke Asakura, Tetsuya Komuro, and Fayray.

In 2004, he did a "World Tour" concert in Los Angeles, U.S. and Shanghai, China.

As he is usually busy hosting shows and giving guest appearances, it is not unusual for him to release less than one single per year. close