[0] Girls rave over Rickiiiiii!

It was an expensive, gorgeous production, a three-hour spectacle of light, dance and Latino pop songs. The only drawback was there were simply too many women in the audience. National Yoyogi Stadium's No. 1 Gymnasium was packed with girls--and about four guys--to see Latin heartthrob Ricky Martin.

I seemed to be the only male for a five-meter radius around my seat, which was on the extreme right, in about the 10th row, and everywhere I looked were girls, girls, girls, girls, standing and screaming "Rickkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" throughout the show.

Well, actually, there was a guy right next to me, but he was a security guard. Ironically, the man's expressions seemed to represent those of the few male audience members who may have been dragged to the show by girlfriends. Despite the high quality of production, and despite--or due to--Martin's good looks, slick dancing and hip gyrations, there was a general mood that made it difficult for men to genuinely …