How come scientists are famous in Asia, and we get Kevin Federline?

Heisuke Hironaka, Fields Medal-winner for some of the most difficult mathematical proofs of all time, has appeared in advertisements and on billboards in his native country.

http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/05/big_in_japan.php

I have a lot of difficulty with a supposed Science magazine that can't look beyond the hype and hysteria about Global Warming, but the rest of the site looks pretty nice.