Gaijin talento busted for drugs

Via Japan-Zone:

Russian talento S. Ivan (24) has been arrested for drug possession. He was questioned by police in Tokyo’s Roppongi district on July 1 because his car was illegally parked. They found 1.9 grams of marijuana in his rucksack. One half of Ivan & John, the first non-Japanese duo of assistants on the daily FTV variety show “Warratte Iitomo”, the Moscow native has lived in Japan since he was a boy. He and American John were the 12th pair of regular assistants on the record-breaking afternoon show, appearing for three years until March 2006. They would do a little dance routine to warm up the studio audience before the arrival of emcee Morita “Tamori” Kazuyoshi (61), who has hosted the show every weekday afternoon since 1982.

Such a successful career brought to an end by a couple grams a pot.  I will always have fond memories of  Ivan, who I used to call “that white guy who stands in the background of the Japanese TV show”.  I’m sure Japanese television viewers are going to miss looking at Ivan’s all-important presence as a token stylish gaijin.  Will FTV be needing more talented foreigners like Ivan?  If so, tell them to contact me: I’m really good and standing around and knowing my place.