Gwen Stefani Rocks The Blaisdell

We went to the Gwen concert on Saturday night! It was a total blast. I'm so glad we purchased tickets for this performance. It was her second concert night in Honolulu and the grand finale of her international Sweet Escape Tour. We had pretty good seats, too. I was worried when I bought the tickets online because the pickings were mighty slim. It's my fault because I was dallying the day everyone else was scrambling for good seats. When I found out the best we could do was upper level seating (SEC 12 ROW K SEATS 1 & 2) I was worried we would only get to watch Ms. Stefani from the back for the entire show. Then again, she does have a nice back so it wouldn't have been a total loss, right?

Since I bought these tickets back in April 3, 2007 I've had some time to regret being a slowpoke. But everything turned out all right. As we approached our seats, we realized we had seats pretty close to the stage. Although there was zero chance of Gwen or the Harajuku Girls making eye contact with us, we were perched up in decent seats that afforded us an excellent view of all the Gwen-tastic action on stage right.

It's only Monday, but the concert is already one big, sexy blur. Here are the highlights though. Gwen opened with Sweet Escape and using my binoculars I could practically count every single eyelash on the girl. For a new mom, she looked incredible. She has a face that mesmerizes. Red lipstick and an impossibly perfect blonde updo. Black stilleto boots, sequined black shorts, black stockings and a tight fitted white long sleeve under a black and white tiny sweater vest. Although I was sad she didn't perform a single No Doubt song, she cranked out all her recent solo hits such as Rich Girl, Wind It Up, and Hollaback Girl.

What's most remarkable about Gwen is that no matter what she's singing, she really works up the crowd and you're loving every minute of it even if you're not familiar with a particular song. Like that one song that borrows from the Notorious B.I.G. As soon as we heard it, we had to shout, "I love it when you call me big poppa!"

Anyway, when the song starts, and the Haraujuku Girls appear in kimonos dancing seductively around dapper gents in Roaring 20s film noir suit and hats and you hear that shamisen or koto instrument being plucked to the Big Poppa hook, it's simply delicious for the senses. She's interactive with the audience, too. Between songs, she tells brief stories about how the baby slept until 1:30 in the afternoon and so did she. That's why she is so sleepy, she says. She also references the next day's trip to Maui where she'll play in the sand and get stalked by paparazzi. Don't hate her for having cellulite, she says.

At the end of the day, she's just a girl. Well, a regular mom having a nice time in the islands. She even happily accepts thrown flower leis and makes shout outs to kids carrying "Aloha, Gwen" signs. I wish we had seats on the ground level because near the end of the show, she streaked through the concert hall creating pandemonium in the cheap seats! She said she was sweating like crazy and asked anyone for something to blow her nose into. She accepted a gross bandanna from stranger and I kind of wished I had brought something to sail her way. She even performed a song literally on top of the cheap seats at the farthest point across from the stage.

I don't know what else to say. It was a fantastic show. Kinda short, but I have no complaints, really. Before the concert was over, she did change into a tiny tank and low rise pants, revealing her flat tummy and belly. My girlfriend pointed it out and I was happy. Everything was great. Even the little details. Just like parking several blocks away near Ward Theatres so we wouldn't get stuck in the lot after. Scarfing down a fillet of fish sandwich and chicken nuggets from McDonalds in the car 15 minutes before the show. That was a perfect night.

- Jason Soeda

That's Pretty Freaky, Jemaine!

Ah, the wonders of YouTube. Last night I was looking for Flight of the Conchords video clips. Since I don't have HBO, I have to catch episodes on YouTube. I'm not complaining. I consider myself a very lucky boy. You know what sucks though? Each clip is limited to around 8-10 minutes. That means every episode is divided into 3 parts. Anyway, during my search for hilarity I noticed the person posting episodes also had international clips of Jemaine Clement I had never seen before. So funny. Commercials Jemaine did for Outback Steakhouse that will never play in the U.S. Without YouTube, I would never have seen these hidden gems. I've made it easy for you to enjoy them, too. They're all here for you to enjoy.

My earliest memory of Australia...


Food From The Future


Boomerang


Semi-Veg


Chicken On The Barbie


Do Shrimp Sleep?


Jemaine's Birthday

Leggy Blonde Goodbye

Here's a tasty clip from the Flight of the Conchords. Nuff said. Enjoy.

Crazy Saturday

It's 10:01 PM and I'm a bit stressed out. So what else is new. I got a call at 9:30 PM from a girl who said my brother dropped his telephone somewhere and she's trying to find the rightful owner. I told her she was a good samaritan and I asked her to leave the cellular telephone at the business office where she found it. She was really cool. He got his phone back less than an hour later. Lucky guy. Earlier this evening, I scanned 30-40 basketball cards to sell on eBay. I really want to make some dough off those mint condition cards. What a pain it is to scan those little cards. Before that, I got a call from my family saying my dad couldn't be reached. What a worry.

Anime Heats Up On Demand

Thank heavens summer is almost over. The heat is unbearable in the state of Hawaii. The heat is so unrelenting you want to take three showers a day. I have the autumn equinox marked on my calendar. Until then, I’m going to have to endure the merciless heat. The air conditioner is broken. This old Toshiba fan is my best friend right now.You know, the term summer is rather meaningless for adults anyway. The one bright spot is there’s less traffic in the morning. That’s about it.

What gets my mind off the heat? The answer has to be Network On Demand. What is better than watching hit anime shows for free? All right, technically you’re paying your local cable provider. But you would surely spend thousands of dollars if you purchased these anime at your local movie store. Why pay 27.99 for a 100 minute Nerima Daikon Brothers DVD when you can watch it on demand? Speaking of which, most of these anime are uncut and unedited. The lyrics in Nerima Daikon Brothers are completely obscene and definitely not for children! But if that's what you're into, you're going to laugh your ass off.

At this very moment, I am marveling at the selection of programs available at the press of a button. There are four categories of anime I can choose from: Bento Beat Box, Action Zone, Girl Power and Giant Robots. You can pretty much guess what to expect from these names. But I’ll sum it anyway.

Bento Beat Box

Bento Beat Box features a mixture of new and recent releases from ADV Films such as Nerima Daikon Brothers, Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat, The Super Milk-chan Show and You’re Under Arrest. For me, the highlight of Bento Beat Box is DVD Dojo, a monthly program that gives viewers previews of highly anticipated anime and Asian cinema in North America. Of course, all anime featured on the program are produced by ADV Films. The August 2007 show features 60 second previews of Air TV and Innocent Venus.

Action Zone

The second category is Action Zone. What I like about this category are the icons that appear in parental advisory before each show. For instance, before Innocent Venus Ep 01, you’ll see funny little icons representing violence, language, hyperactive teens (fiery smiley face), lost in translation (kanji character for “big”) and kawaii overdose (Japanese teddy bear mascot). Right now, you can watch the following programs on Action Zone: Elfen Lied, Mezzo, Mythical Detective Loki, Papuwa and Air Gear. I highly recommend Elfen Lied. If you love the blood and guts of Gantz, you’re going to love this show. Air Gear is wonderful, too. Fans of Full Metal Panic voice actress Luci Christian will undoubtedly love her work in Air Gear.

Giant Robots

The third category is Giant Robots. This is arguably the oldest anime theme. Gargantuan robots piloted by prepubescent pilots battling to save the earth while simultaneously dealing with trivial romantic issues. When it comes to anime, love truly is a battlefield. Here are this week’s programs: Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Godannar and Jinki: EXTEND.

Girl Power

The fourth and final category is Girl Power and I have to admit, it’s my favorite. There are some very entertaining series here. For example, this week you can catch Petite Princess Yucie, Air TV, Best Student Council. The funniest programs though are Excel Saga, Maburaho and Ninja Nonsense. Each of these series is jam-packed with fan service. If you don't know what fan service is, all you need to do is watch five minutes of Maburaho. Most 14-year-old boys will forget what they're seeing isn't real as hot female characters jiggle, bounce and defy the laws of gravity right across the screen.

After seeing most of these on demand, I have to own the DVDs. There you have it. A reason to live during the summer heat. If you don’t already have Anime Network On Demand, you should check with your local cable provider and ask for it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check what’s going on at entertainment on demand. I have to catch up on my favorite BBC programs Hotel Babylon and Jekyll. Or maybe I should see what Paula Deen and her sons are cooking up on Food Network on Demand. Whatever I choose, one thing is clear. It’s a great time be alive.

My Plastic Heaven

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ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES has re-energized Robotech mania. A big part of the madness are the toys. Check these out. Has anyone out there purchased one of these? I haven't seen them in stores yet. Come on, when is Toynami going to release these? The Toynami website doesn't give a release date. Where are they supposed to be sold anyway?

Felt Mascots Kick Ass

Want to learn to mak kick ass felt mascots? Why not learn from Brown Bunny and White Rabbit?

Sarah Connor Is Back...Summer Glau, Too

Here's another fantastic blast from the past invading our television sets. It's the new series from Fox called THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. It features yet another another sophisticated robot sent back through time to change the future for one lucky girl. This time, it's Summer Glau, the not quite right in the head stowaway chick from Firefly (and Serenity, too). Here's the trailer.

Post Summer Gold

It's 9:42 AM. I just got out of the shower. I switch on the boob tube and there it is. The movie trailer for the new Mr. Bean movie! I didn't even know Rowan Atkinson was still going Bean movies! This one is called MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY. I can't wait to tell my girlfriend. We have seen the American film countless times. The part where he wrecks the painting of Whistler's Mother is absolutely insane. Thank God for Bean. Here's a trailer I found on YouTube. It isn't the short one I saw just now. But it's pretty good.

If You Love Jemaine, Bret & Murray, You'll Love The Radio Show

I just found this sweet gem on YouTube. If you need a hit of Jemaine and Bret, you gotta listen. I mostly just like to listen to the band manager Murray. He's hysterical!

Three Points of Articulated Goodness

Here are two close ups of the toys my girlfriend bought for me. She knows how much I love Transformers. I'm even luckier because she loves Transformers, too. Maybe she loves it more than I do. She saw the movie three times! I only saw it twice. Her third time was my second time. We saw it at Ward that time. I think that was the midnight show, too. Before that, we watched another sci-fi movie, I think. I can't remember what for some reason. Anyway, I loved Transformers but I wasn't crazy about the idea of the film in the first place. When I heard the robots in disguise would barely resemble the original cartoon versions, I was convinced it would be a disaster. Plus, I have little faith in anything from the guy who made Armageddon. Boy, was I wrong about this one. I'm rambling now so I will stop. The point of this blog is, I love these toys. I love my girlfriend for buying them for me.

Orguss Orgroid For Me To Love

I won this on eBay! Bidding ended on July 5. I believe there was only one other bidder. Orgroids in this kind of shape usually sell for ten to twenty dollars, but the seller listed this one as a "Macross toy." It's actually from the ORGUSS anime series from the 80s. I never saw the series, but I had one of these when I was a kid. I was all about Robotech when I was a kid. The original package showed 4 modes of transformation - Battloid, Gerwalk, Fighter and Tank modes. The one I had as a kid broke pretty easily, I think. I remember it lost its arm. Maybe it was two arms. I don't remember. I just know I've always regretted losing it or throwing it away. Thank God for eBay. I got a pretty good deal on this replacement. My winning bid was 2.51. I paid 1.50 for insurance and 5.00 for shipping & handling (total scam...it actually cost 1.00 First Class ). I paid 9.01 total for this beauty. The arms and legs are pretty loose, but I didn't expect tight joints. This is a knock-off. A cheap piece of plastic. I'm probably the 5th owner of this toy. But I wasn't looking for the actual Orgroid. I wanted the one I played with as a kid. The one my dad bought me at Longs Drugs. How I love this thing.

Eagle Vs. Shark VERSUS Giant Robot

I just picked up the latest issue of Giant Robot! My girlfriend discovered this on the magazine rack at Borders. When you see GR, you gotta pick it up. You never know when you'll see it again. Plus, they display it somewhere different with every issue. That's pretty infuriating for long time readers. I guess they don't know how to market a magazine targeted at Asian-American readers. Then again, I don't have an excuse for why I keep missing issues. All I have to do is subscribe, right? Anyway, the reason we had to get this issue is because it features an article on Taika Waititi, Kiwi director of EAGLE VS. SHARK. The usual Q & A that Martin Wong does so well. The other cool item in this magazine is a little section that features our great friend Anderson Le, director of programming at the Hawaii International Film Festival. He offers sage advice on the best international films of summer. Thank goodness for GR, the only thing worth reading, period.

The Cute Book

Here's a little book we picked up called THE CUTE BOOK. It's an English-language book, originally published in Japan. It contains directions on how to make the cutest little felt mascots we have ever seen. We are already huge fans of Ugly Dolls. I will never reveal how much money I have spent on these things. So it makes sense that I should make the dolls myself. I recently completed two creatures from the book. Monkey and Panda. My girlfriend did the stitching for the Monkey's face. Her sewing skills are legendary. My Triple French Knot and S-Stitch are complete disasters. I can't even thread the eye of my needle how I'm supposed to. My first instinct is to give up. But I think I'm just going to wait another week before I try another pattern. I really want to make White Bunny and Pinkie the Bear though.

Check out the official Aranzia Aronzo website here: http://english.aranziaronzo.com/

Flight of the Conchords

Here's the only thing that gets me up in the morning. Coffee just doesn't work anymore. I need a serious laugh and this does it for me every time. Long live the Flight of the Conchords. I hope HBO gives this series the support it deserves. Let's hope we have 10 more seasons. Damn. I think I jinxed the show.