Saburo’s blog

Added a bunch of songs to the old list.  Now I'm REALLY trying to figure out every mainstream (i.e. non-tokusatsu) song I've belted out in Nihongo.  Another update to come as soon as I can think of more songs.

Fukuyama Masaharu: Melody, Hello, Sakurazaka, Message, All My Loving, Peach!, It's Only Love, Koibito, Niji, Cosmos
Mr.Children: Tomorrow Never Knows, Dakishimetai, Sign, Innocent World
Komekome Club: Kimi ga Iru Dakede, Tegami, Shake Hip!, Roman Hikou, sure dance
KAN: Ai wa Katsu
Fujii Fumiya: True Love, Another Orion, Do Not
Shuji & Akira: Seishun Amigo
Checkers: I Love You, Sayonara
V6: Believe Your Smile, Change The World
Chemistry: Pieces of a Dream, Point of No Return, My Gift To You, Kimi wo Sagashiteta
Exile: Together, Choo Choo Train, Eternal..., Heart of Gold
Tulip: Saboten no Hana, Kokoro no Tabi
Kobukuro: Wadachi
Southern All Stars: Anata Dake wo, Tsunami
Kawamura Ryuichi: Julia, Koi wo Shiouyo
Moriyama Naotaro: Sakura
Hirai Ken: Hitomi wo Tojite, Rakuen
Saijo Hideki: Kizudarake no Lola, Bara no Kusari, Hageshii Koi, Kono Ai no Tokimeki, Chigireta Ai
Sawada Kenji, Anata e no Ai, Kiken na Futari, Toki no Sugiyuku Mamani, Tsuioku, Katte ni Shagare
Noguchi Goro: Orange no Ame
Go Hiromi: Otoko no Ko Onna no Ko, Yoroshiku Aishuu, Hana no Youni Tori no Youni
Sakamoto Kyu: Ue wo Muite Aruko (hasn't everyone?)
Hikawa Kiyoshi: Kiyoshi no Zundoko bushi
Sorimachi Takashi: Forever, Poison
Tamaki Koji: Den'en, Mr. Lonely
Kinki Kids: Flower, Natsu no Ohsama
SMAP: Oretachi ni Asu wa Aru, Shake, Lionheart, Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana
Field of View: Kimi ga Itakara, Totsuzen
Kusunose Seishiro: Shiawase Madakai
Ulfuls: Banzai, Guts da Ze, Asobou
Dual Dream: I Say Hello
Itsuki Hiroshi: Yozora
Kitajima Saburo: Otoko Michi
Hosokawa Takashi: Kokoro no Kori
Mori Shinichi: Eri mo Misaki, Fuyu no Tabi
Inoue Yosui: Shounen Jidai
Arashi: A-RA-SHI, Love So Sweet
TOKIO: Love You Only
Sharan Q: Single Bed, Zurui Onna, Yuuwake, Aruiteru
Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi: Kampai
Ozaki Yutaka: Oh My Little Girl
Luna Sea: Rosier, Storm, I For You
Glay: Beloved, Glorious, Winter Again
Unicorn: Subarashii Hibi

Will Carroll says it all about grumpy old farts who don't/can't adapt to modern ways.

groink's new dorama website is now open for business: http://www.doramasuki.com

Come one, come all.  Especially since the KIKU board has rotted away...

I used to comb Japanese websites for any and all information about my Musume gals and pass it on, like M&Ms, on any and all message boards I could register for.  There was an Musume-themed e-groups site that was later taken over by Yahoo (I hooked up there in mid-1999).  Jpopmusic still exists and you find several hundred of my posts there.  Dang, where were blogs in those days?  Oh yeah, just been invented.

Anyway I found this gem on the KIKU-TV message board (which has been infested with pr0n spam and indifference from company officials):
__________

Posted: 2002.09.17

Rumor of the week, taken from a Japanese website:

There seems to be a bra-stuffing contest between some of the Musume, just a week before Gomaki gets the boot from Mo-Musu.

The final standings:

3rd Place (tie): Rika, Gomaki

2nd Place: Nacchi

1st Place: Aibon

OK, this isn't as compelling as, say, stories of Playstation abuse. But ya gotta admit: you'll be taking a closer look at Aibon from now on...

Dang, I totally forget where I got THAT one!  Probably the same place that revealed that my gal Rika was a huge fan of the okama bars, taking some fellow H!P members with her.

So I clocked out from work at 5:00 PM.  It was the eighth inning of the baseball All-Star Game in The Bronx, New York.  I was thinking of hanging out at one of the local bars in Waikiki to catch the end but figured I might spend a little too much during "happy hour."

Instead I went down to Shirokiya and decided to watch the remainder of the contest there.  By this time (about 5:40 PM) it was the ninth inning, and the American League had already tied the game!  A 50-ish lady was also hanging out at the HDTV setup but instead listening to the radio broadcast (probably ESPN).  Understandable since Joe Buck and Tim McCarver can get on your nerves after a while.

Unfortunately there's usually a lag between the radio broadcast and the TV, at least two or three seconds.  And EVERY time something of consequence happened she'd blurt out the result: STRIKE-OUT! or HE CAUGHT THE BALL!  Umm, yeah thanks for spoiling things!

I didn't get that upset because the 9th inning turned to the 10th and then 11th...  Past 7:00 PM in Hawaii meant 1:00 AM in the Big Apple.  I noticed from her reactions that she had a rooting interest for the American League.  Turned out she's a Kansas native and a lifelong Royals fan who followed the misadventures of the KC Athletics in the fifties and sixties.  She still has a soft spot for Lou Pinella since he debuted with the Royals in '69, winning the A.L. Rookie of the Year.

Back to the game...  Inning after inning the A.L. had the winning run in scoring position but just couldn't get the job done.  My bones were aching from standing for damn near two hours.  Finally, a "sacrifice" fly in the 15th frame brought in the winning run and my National Leaguers lost AGAIN!

winning run

Springsteen performed "Thunder Road" several weeks ago in a tribute to Tim Russert.

I'm not sure if he even performs the song in concert any more but if he does I sure hope it's not rendered like this.  I mean, what happened to rhythm and stuff?  Plenty singers go off the track (you KNOW who they are) when they perform certain songs for the umpteenth time and it's a sorry thing when you hear it from one of your old faves.

Yep, I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing this one on DVD.  Starring my gal Nagasaku-san and co-starring Aoi Yuu!

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Nippon Girl's post about camping overnight in line to get the new iPhone had me thinking about the AT&T store near my apartment.

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The look at just past 7:30 this morning.  Not too bad, maybe 60-70 people.  Not like the crowds you see waiting to see a new "Star Wars" movie or anything.  Then again, an iPhone costs a bit more.

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(Via Corichan)

Entertainment Weekly's list of the top movies of the last 25 years.

Go through their list and BOLD the ones you have seen and underline the ones you own on video or DVD.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) (only seen the first two installments)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986) (one of the worst movies I've ever seen...)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988) (oddly, I've seen the second and third movies)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) (laserdisc)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998) (saw this on video by myself and it just didn't do anything for me)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003) (perhaps the most overrated movie I've seen on this list)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Seen: 48
Own: 7

Sunday.  Coffee.  The ultimate experience in relaxation.

ESPN Sportscenter.  Mets squeak by the Yanks.  And Spain seems to have won an important soccer game.  Good.  For.  Them.

A boatload of George Carlin torrents sparkle on my monitor.  Did he ever rant about the Internet.  Jerry Seinfeld said Carlin used four computers to store and manage all his material.  I wonder if one of them was used for "fun stuff?"

A high-school friend is visting this week.  A short respite from his 24/7 work life to relax, catch up on surfing, and gather up snapshots for his Flickr site, which has been mostly neglected for the last few months.  We'll hit our favorite yakitori restaurant this Wednesday.

Thursday: another epic (aren't they all) karaoke party at Toma with the work crew.  I'm not sure what the theme is but hopefully my friend can make it to this event as well so I can show off to him all the KEWL J-pop karaoke tunes I can belt.