angels in demons

*it's not everyday that i get to go home at nine. so today's a gift. *

last weekend, i had the pleasure of catching "angels and demons" on the big screen. i will admit that i haven't read the book. i tried. a good three years ago. but somewhere, somehow i shelved the book for other readings. for less serious readings. i was thinking the "da vinci code" will do as far as dan brown is concerned.

but curiosity encouraged me to see the movie based on the dan brown book i hardly read despite how i didn't quite enjoy the movie translation of his first book which had the same director as "angels and demons".

again, curiosity encouraged me to pay. i wasn't disappointed much. "angels and demons" is a way better movie that the "da vinci code". now i feel the need to read the book. let's see if i'll be disappointed (on the book or the movie).

it helped that i didn't know what to expect...who the perpetrator is. so i was glued to the theater seat. the movie turned out to be the suspense whodunnit it was trying to be. although subtle clues -- who stands behind a shadow the first time he appears, the reason for a character's existence -- gave away the bad guy even before he revealed himself.

i shall no longer talk about the point the movie tries to put on the table. i leave that to dan brown, his collaboration with ron howard and the viewer's opinions and whatnots. at this point, i find it redundant to discuss such matter. i will not be the expert a lot of people pretend to be.

let it be known, however, that although i very much appreciate ewan mcgregor's presence in the movie, he was rather distracting. i got lost in the middle of his speech for the members of the conclave. i didn't understand a thing he said. not because he did not enunciate his words well enough. i was preoccupied with one thought. one poignant thought that circled the confines of my skull...

how the hell could one think dirty thoughts of the gorgeous ewan mcgregor when he is wearing a priest's suit?!

yes. it is easier to fantasize about him if you stare at him on that men's perfume ad that caught my attention in the airport a year ago.

yay! i should have called this entry "demons in angels."

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Now I realize that billboards do work their magic on potential moviegoers, thus explaining the sudden impulse to watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine with my brothers without thinking if it were a good idea or not.

It was NOT a bad idea. After all, what better way to spend time with my brothers than to see the movie that would show us where Wolverine, a house favorite (hero), came from. We literally took a detour to the mall instead of heading home.

So there we were, a few minutes later, sitting in a shared silence of marveled anticipation with the next X-Men adventure we were about to embark on. Little did we know that we were bound to have one disappointment after another.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine does not offer the same excitement and unforgettable scenes the other X-Men movies did. It promised a whole lot of mutants to see but I'm afraid the mutant characters dragged into the movie were underdeveloped, that the filmmakers could have randomly chosen any mutant and it would not have affected the plot.

OK so we see the young Scott Summers and his early display of leadership and "special connection" to Professor X. But The movie does not tell us why Stryker chose the young Cyclops for his "project." Why he was a vital ingredient to project 11. Why he had to be there other than to establish how he and Professor X meet. Cyclops' presence seemed contrived. He had to be in the movie because there can't be no X-Men when there's no Cyclops or Wolverine or Professor X.

Gambit, on the other hand, needed more substance other than being Wolverine's ride to the island where Stryker does his sinister experiments. Despite the absence of his French accent, he was charming. Too bad, the movie makers did not exploit that fact. They should have. After all, we had to wait for a fourth X-Men movie to finally see Gambit in the flesh.

The other mutants Wolverine and his brother Victor--who will eventually be called Sabertooth, Wolverine's very own nemesis--worked with in their pseudo gang were there a few minutes then they were gone. It was so easy to miss their names. The movie failed to establish why exactly they were rounded up by Stryker and what broke the gang after Logan left. I assume that most of them got infected by Logan's conscience. But I may be wrong.

X-Men Origins:Wolverine may have a stiffer take on the story of the famous mutants we all love. Perhaps we can say that the movie is more "mature" than the past X-men movies but I don't think that it should be an excuse for how boring the movie turned out to be.

There was nothing new in the movie, not even the humor. I don't think I would be quoting a funny line from it ever. The romance, deception and sibling rivalry were equally trite. We've all seen them before. Even the setting will make us yawn. The Canadian Rockies, although picturesque, appeared to be boring. Logan must have loved the beautiful Kayla THAT much to agree to live in such a lackluster place.

The transformation of Wolverine from an ordinary mutant to an indestructible one was anti-climactic. There were more pain and drama in the flashes we saw in X-Men 1 and 2. And the new metallic claw/blades that came out of Wolverine's hands which he examined inside the nice old couple's bathroom which he accidentally totaled didn't look intimidating in the adamantium-sort-of-way. They looked like a fat bunch of plastic sticking out of his hands. It's hard to believe that they were indestructible.

I'd say Hugh Jackman IS the movie's selling point. He is the reason one will go see this film. Other than that, it is better to say pass to this poorly thought film. Of course there are fight scenes which aim to resuscitate this movie but we've also seen them before--way back to The Matrix. If you want action, there are better movies.

Despite everything, the bad idea about watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine is watching it at SM Megamall. We didn't get the free sticker they promised. They say they ran out of stickers although they still announce it in the papers that they are giving away stickers. They didn't give us raffle tickets. We had to inquire what the drop box was all about to get the raffle tickets any X-Men Origins:Wolverine moviegoer is entitled to. But the part that pissed me off which made me decide that I HAD to talk to the theater manager is the rude theater staff who seemed to be bothered that we were not leaving our seats while the credits were rolling. One guy went overboard and told my brother, "Sir, isang screening lang po tayo." I had to gesture that, "yeah we know." The cleaners stood in front of us as if they were not getting in the way of us reading the names of the people who made the movie possible. And the thing is, at the end of the movie credits, there still is a scene which those who left the theater early missed. We would have missed it, too if we allowed the pesky theater cleaners drive us away. Tsk. Tsk.

Into the Twilight (Zone)

Think teen romance with an Anne Rice twist. That’s Twilight, the latest book-turned movie sensation to hit the world. Or so they say.

Amazingly, the juvenile flavor of Twilight doesn’t work against it. If it were not for the story’s high school back drop, one can fairly say that the teenybopper mist is barely there. We are, therefore, spared from the typical cheesy love story and the usual youth angst we are tired of seeing on the big screen, not to mention on the boob tube.

In its subtle way, Twilight is refreshing. It presents stereotypical characters who find themselves in situations outside what is normally expected for them.

The main character, Bella, who was used to not fitting in the “in” crowd suddenly becomes the community and school darling when she moves back with her dad in the small town where she grew up. It has been quite a while since Bella and her dad had spent time together after her parents’ divorce. But Bella and her dad are far from being estranged. They know that they have lost precious time together but they don’t hate each other for it. There really is no you-weren’t-around-so-don’t-stick-your-nose-in-my-life moment between the two.

In school, Bella, becomes the latest sparkling new toy everyone wants to a get hold of. But it is Edward, a member of the gorgeous freak clique, who catches Bella’s attention. And it is not exactly love at first sight.

During her first day in biology class, Bella was assigned to sit beside Edward who didn’t display the most welcoming decorum in the world. Aside from appearing like he was about to throw up at the sight (or scent) of Bella, Edward goes out of his way to demand that the school administrator transfer him to a different class—a request denied by the school. Bella isn’t about to take Edward’s blatant gestures of avoiding her passively. She was ready to confront him but then, Edward skips school for days.

Finally Edward shows up in biology class, now more friendly to Bella. They chat but they don’t get to know more about each other until the parking lot incident.

Bella was standing beside her pick-up truck, absorbed in listening to her i-pod while taking an occasional glimpse at Edward and his fellow pale adoptive siblings. A car goes out of control and heads toward her. In a blink of an eye, Edward is next to her, shielding her from the car with his with super speed and mighty strength. Bella is unscathed unlike the car driver.

On the other hand, Edward and his special charms get exposed, at least to Bella. He saves Bella some more yet advises her to stay away.

Bella does her homework. The girl knows that cluelessness is outdated. She figures out that Edward and his family are vampires. She’s not afraid and she promises to keep mum about it. Edward clarifies the type of vampire they were. Like vegetarians, he says simply because they choose not to eat humans. Despite their obvious differences and after pointing out that Bella’s scent specially stimulates Edward’s appetite for human blood, the two grow fond of each other. And just like that, Bella and Edward were an item. None of that will-they, won’t-they drama, thank God!

I especially like the meet-the-vampire-family scene. Edward’s cold-blooded family, the Cullens, were nice and warm to Bella. I have to say it was cute!

The conflict enters when tracker James, a variety of the more vicious vampire-kind, thinks of Bella as his next hunt. Protective Edward and his supportive family work together to save Bella and to slay James for good.

I shall leave what happens next up to you to find out. After all, I recommend this movie.

Twilight is light, in that one does not have to sit and watch characters spend too much time attending to their inner struggles which is always painful to do. For a change, we witness individuals who have managed to accept themselves despite their imperfections.

The story could have easily indulged in good old sickening drama given that the main character is a 17-year-old girl with divorced parents; who moves back in the small town she left when she was a kid; who falls for a guy who, other than being a vampire, is pretty much OK; and who’s on the verge of being a fanged hunter’s next meal. Of course, the other characters have very convenient issues with themselves, too. But we are spared from those. Instead we are given the luxury of a plot that is not very much character-based, but rather rests more on circumstances.

The actions in the story just happen and the characters know how to react. If the plot were a beat, it will go bam-bam-bam.

Suffice it to say, nothing about this movie is dragging. The white foundation on the vampires’ faces was a bit distracting but other than that, I find nothing more to contest.

Needless to say, I am in the Twilight zone.

Tinin-ninin-ninininin-ninininin…

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Check out the trailer:

Yentl…Lentil—What’s the Difference?

Yentl was on this afternoon at the MGM channel. I think few will know what the movie Yentl is all about or who Yentl is, for that matter.

The movie is a bit old. According to Wikipedia, Yentl premiered on November 16, 1983 (I was three years old then). It is a period film taking off at time most people would probably wish to forget, if not forgotten. Plus it is set in a boring town where people were too conservative, they almost dress alike, not to mention they themselves look almost alike. (Let it be said, however, that the film did well in its time, even winning an Academy Award for Best original score and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.)

To sum up the story, the movie is about a girl named Yentl (played by Barbra Streisand) who—despite living in an old-fashioned Jewish town that believed that the main requirement for receiving education is testosterone, lots of it—was raised with books and the passion to learn, thanks to her dad who unfortunately dies at the early part of the movie leaving poor Yentl in the dark and forever sentenced to being the typical woman; ergo submissive, uneducated and voiceless. Being that “girl power” is unheard of in their time, Yentl uses “guy power” to pursue the education deprived of her on the grounds of having the “wrong” genitalia. She cuts her hair, binds her bumps and dresses up with her dad’s clothes. (Well, where else could she have gotten her guy wardrobe?) Then she heads off to a new town where no one would know that she is just pretending to be a boy. (If she grew mustache and beard, she’d be pretending to be a man. But her face was as smooth as a baby’s.) She meets the dashing Avigdor who, despite being smart and all, had no idea she was a girl. Perhaps Yentl, changing her name to the masculine name, Anshel, made it impossible for Avigdor to doubt Yentl/Anshel’s sex.

So Avigdor and Anshel get along and become the best of friends. So much so that when Avigdor’s engagement to Hadass (the only glamorous character in the movie) was dissolved by his supposed future father-in-law, he forces Anshel to marry Hadass for him. And since Anshel/Yentl has fallen head over mules in love with Avigdor, she does what Avigdor demmands and marries Hadass. (Not very smart of her.) Anyway Hadass is the typical woman—submissive, uneducated and voiceless—Yentl refused to be. It only took little effort for Anshel/Yentl to delay consummating her marriage with Hadass without having to admit that she (who was pretending to be a “he”) didn’t have the thing Avigdor and guys like him have. Finally, Anshel/Yentl comes up with a plan: take a long trip with Avigdor and confess her secret when they’re all alone. At first Avigdor thought Anshel was kidding, but then he/she unveils her bumps. Viola! Avigdor's Ex-fiancé’s husband is a girl! Now that explains why Avigdor himself felt a bit gay when his and Anshel’s eyes would meet while they go tickling each other in the school grounds. Avigdor and Yentl profess their love for each other and begin planning their future. But Yentl takes a step back when Avigdor suggests that Yentl grow her hair back and study inside the house with locked doors and closed shutters. She is not too keen on the idea of being domesticated and having limited access to learning. In the end, they agree to part ways and keep in touch. Yentl gives her blessing to Avigdor to go and pursue her wife, Hadass. By this time Hadass is no longer a hundred percent submissive, uneducated and voiceless (thanks to their tutorial sessions which they did instead of doing what newlyweds do), she can defend her love for Avigdor to her disapproving father. Avigdor and Hadass get together; they might have gotten married. Anyway Hadass’ marriage to Anshel was null and void on the grounds that her husband, Anshel, was a girl. Meanwhile, Yentl boards a ship to, I guess, the US where she can come out of her closet, be the woman she truly is and study like she hasn’t studied before.

Whew.

Yentl is the perfect movie to show girls who enjoy the privilege of going to school, especially those girls who have the luxury to attend good schools. It kind of reminds them that not all people are as lucky they are. My high school English teacher must have the exact thoughts when she forced us to watch this film. Thus explaining why I know Yentl.

I don’t know how I did with my compulsory reaction paper for this film, being that back in high school; I suck at writing—big time! But I know that even if I almost had a Barbra Streisand-overdose through Yentl, the movie's theme has seeped through my subconscious and presently plays a lot on my feminist view on things. Lucky for me and the rest of womankind, we live in a time when wanting more and attempting to spread one's wings is no longer considered taboo.

Barbra Streisand best exemplifies the essence of the film by being the director, producer, and (treatment) story writer, apart from being the star who plays 2 different characters—well one character with two names. Proved that just like Yentl, she can be a woman who does lots of substantial things. (Whether she's good at all the fields she pursues is yet another story.)

I have to admit however that my classmates and I were snickering when the closing credits rolled because of the number of times Streisand’s name appeared as part of the production, connoting “epal-ness.” (It’s like hearing: "Starring Ronnie Rickets, directed by Ron Rick." Nyek!)

Oh, one famous song that came out of Yentl is Papa. This I’m sure lots of people know.

Project Runway Philippines is Fierce!

To tell the truth, I’ve been itching to post an article on the show Project Runway Philippines for some time now. Good thing I’m doing this while there are still contestants left. Haha!

So here’s what’s up:

Jaz Cerezo, 25, who’s into designing wedding dresses and evening gowns left the runway tonight. Albeit being a consistent high scorer throughout the competition and besides the fact that she has never been in the bottom two before, she failed to wow the judges tonight in her attempt to turn indigenous fabrics into avante-garde fashion.

The contest is presently down to four Pinoy designers: Mara Reyes, 21, winner of tonight’s challenge and is a costume designer in the more real world outside “reality TV”; Philipp Tampus, 36, an evening and bridal gown designer in Saudi Arabia and Dubai; Aries Lagat, 25, a teacher in Fashion Institute of the Philippines, and Veejay Floresca, 23, a mini-fashion tycoon on his own—he has won prestigious fashion competitions and has been dressing up celebrities for a while now.

This is the show’s tenth episode, and it’s the third one I saw on TV. The other seven I watched through Youtube. (Clueless pa ako kung paano ko papanoorin ito when I was in SG. But—duh!—syempre meron sa Youtube! I needed Benz pa to tell me where I can catch it! Anyway, thanks again, Benz, for shedding light to my shunga moment!)

I am not a follower of the Project Runway series with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, but I watched it whenever it was on (and I wasn’t doing anything). That’s how I know Christian Siriano and “his” word, “fierce!” However, the teasers for the Philippine franchise for the show, which I managed to catch before I left for SG last June, were quite inviting. I was struck by curiosity. I just had to see how our version will live up to the American version which has already completed four seasons and which, I think, has started with its fifth.



So far, I find the local show fierce! Unlike other franchised reality shows, this one does not disappoint. It manages to keep its class and is has rather been proudly signed, “Pinoy.”

Teresa Herrera, although partly looks stifled at times, effectively handles the show. To think I didn’t know who she was prior to her stint here, but she has a way about her that exudes enough authority which makes her the rightful host for the show. Meanwhile Jojie Lloren is perfect for the “mentor” role. I mean, who wouldn’t agree that he almost always reminds us of our own personal mentors? And I am just glad he and Teresa are not copycats of their counterparts from the original show. They save our Project Runway from turning cheap. On the other hand, judges Rajo Laurel, Apols Aberin-Sadwhani, and all the previous guest judges throw in their share in keeping the competition as intense as it should be. They are not afraid to give their honest opinions, and the harsh ones they do their best to relay constructively without sugar-coating their point too much. (Comments of Pinoy Idol judges were too sweet, I almost threw up.)

I especially appreciate the sitners, featuring local sceneries which set the mood for the show and fill the gaps in between change of settings. Such style somehow promotes Pinas and I’m all for it!

The challenges are well-thought and the objectives for every challenge are well-defined. Also, they have their way of inspiring the contestants to flaunt their Filipino roots in their designs. They make the “Philippines” in the title work.

About the contestants, they are not bad at all. There is subtle backstabbing here and there which ultimately helps spice up the competition. We can’t really expect Pinoys to be blatant in criticizing their rivals especially when they know that they’re on TV. Yet the contestants are stepping up. We certainly get an idea on the contestants’ characters—who protects herself with sarcasm and endless excuses, who saves his face with a faux disappointment from the judges, who loves himself too much, who plays it cool and manages to help others along the way—that sort of things.

However, I still wonder if the contestants were required to speak in English because, although some do it effortlessly, majority of them consistently fumble with their words. I just want to click their translate-to-Filipino-buttons to save them from their pain and the viewers'. Grammatical lapses are always distracting. I commend those who voluntarily speak in Filipino.

Still I look forward to seeing this series through. I am keeping my fingers crossed and I am hoping that this show will remain consistent with its quality, if not rise above it.

Why do I say that Project Runway Philippines is fierce? Because unlike Philippine Idol which was resurrected to Pinoy Idol, Philippine’s Next Top Model, and those easily forgotten reality show franchises, this one definitely deserves a second season!

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Wikipedia has an helpful episode guide for the show. It is even more comprehensive (or, should I say, juicy?) than ETC's website.

Ako si Kim Sam Soon

O mai gas! Ako si Kim Samsoon, the overweight, middle-aged (?), wa-poise, single female whom everybody wishes to find a boyfriend soon.

Kinailangan kong makita ang aking sarili sa isang shalang restaurant at makausap ang isang Cyrus, mayamang negotianteng singkit na in fairness ay, in his own right, papable (although di ko siya type), para maramdaman ko na, siyet, ako si Kim Samsoon!

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Salamat sa GMA PinoyTV, nasubukan ko ring makapanood ang “Ako si Kim Samsoon” ni Regine Velasquez.





Not that fan ako. Pointless para sa akin ang mag-remake ng mga Koreanovela or nobelang nanggaling sa kung saan pa mang bansa. Insulto iyon sa mga writers natin. Para namang ang hirap mag-conceptualize ng plotline ng isang TV show. Malayo na ang narating ng creativity ng mga Pinoy writers. OK ang mga basic ideas for a show. Yung follow through na lang ng sumusunod na mga episodes ang madalas sumasablay. Wala yata kasi silang strict outline. That said, I still don’t think na posible silang maubusan ng idea for a new show. Masyado lang naniniguro ang mga producers sa investment nila kaya nagfa-franchise na lang sila ng imported plotlines na may sure na followers.

In any case, nakakatawa rin naman ang Pinoy Kim Samsoon. Mainly because of Eugene Domingo. Genius ang babaeng yon sa comedy. She can do one hell of a non-slapstick joke at matatawa ka talaga ng malakas. Patok siya sa akin.

About doon sa side story on Samsoon’s sister na ginaganapan nung anak ni Jean Garcia, di ko ma-gets where that is headed. I just hope ma-punctuate nila ang point nila na di cool ang magpaka-social climber to the extend na nangungunchaba ka na nga mga taong eextra sa make-believe lifestyle mo. The girl is pretty, though. Kaya lang kamukha niya si Angel Locsin so been-seen na ang look nya.

And then there’s Regine. Somehow naiisip nating lahat na ang show na ito ang pansuyo ng GMA sa star nila na muntikan nang tumalon sa kabilang bakod para sa isa ring re-make. Since hindi nga lumipat si Regine, she gets a show of her own. But GMA has its way of planting its revenge. Hindi glamorous ang role na binigay nila sa star. In fact, chaka siya dito. The fat body suit and unflattering camera angles make fun of the songbird in inconspicuous ways. Or is it inconspicuous? Sa aspetong iyon, natatawa na rin ako. At dahil nakikisakay naman si Regine, OKs na rin. At least nalaman natin na di naman siya pa-cute all the time. Willing din siyang magmukhang nyor-e on national TV paminsan minsan.

Perhaps the key to enjoying this show is to NOT take it too seriously. Yung mga rubbish parts e deadmahin na lang. Tapos deadma na rin sa mga artistang di ko ma-gets kung bakit tinawag na artista. Dapat wallpaper na lang ang tawag sa kanila. Hello? Wendell Ramos and Nadine Samonte? Anubayun!

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Parang patok nga ngayon ang mga kwentong pangit sa Pinas. Sabi nga ng daddy ko, favorite ng mga tao ang make-over. I think sign yon na di natin ma-outgrow ang fairytales natin. In this case, ang Cinderella-complex. Yung babaeng gusgusin, konting ligo lang at kumpas ng magic wand ng fairy-god ninang, pwede nang pumarty with the prince. Panalo! Parang everything is possible na!

Kitang-kita tuloy ang weight ng ibinibigay natin sa panlabas na kaanyuhan ng mga tao. Pero hindi naman exclusive sa Pinas ang "facial discrimination" (Uy, I'm coining this phrase!). Nangunguna ngayon ang mga Chekwa sa department na iyan. And it had the whole world to bear witness to how far one gigantic nation would go just to display cuteness.

Kate sent me this link. It speaks of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials commissioned a “cuter” kid to lip-synch for a talented young singer who didn’t pass CCP’s idea of cute. Nakakalungkot. Kinorrupt nila ang dalawang bata para lang sa isang show. Now the “cuter” girl will have to live with the fact na phony siya while the talented other girl will have a deep dent on her self-image. Lagi na niyang maiisip na chaka siya. Both girls will have to live with this for the rest of their lives. Ang China naman, nagmukhang shunga and, for lack of a better term, hypocrite. Everybody loses.

*******************Who is cuter?
Chinese Communist Party officials think the girl on top is a better picture of a typical cute Chinese girl so much so that they had her "represent" the voice of the the girl at the bottom who unfortunately did not pass their idea of cute.

This Post is NOT About The Dark Knight

I will spare my readers (Is pluralizing “reader” necessary?) from another one of those Dark Knight this and that by not writing about the movie despite me appreciating it and finding it as good entertainment.

Oops, forgive me for slipping that note back there.

I just feel lucky that the first movie I ever got to see here in Singapore is a movie worth-remembering.

* * *

At my dead hours here, some ingenious individuals somehow save me by uploading full episodes of TV shows I’d normally watch in a marathon. But I have to make do with what is available to me so even if I have to watch an episode from the 4th season of House in five parts, I don’t mind. (The only problem now is that I cannot find episodes beyond the 7th one.)

If I wasn’t able to follow House, I would hate it altogether. But I guess that’s not the point of the show. House is the foil of all the protagonists we’ve met while growing up. House is grumpy, not at all a gentleman, suicidal, manipulative, harsh—in short House isn’t perfect.

The audience will just have to take pleasure in watching him make a fool of himself with how human he is. And even though House may seem obnoxious at times, he does throw in efforts to keep the integrity of his image.

I just had to chuckle for a scene in the 6th Episode of Season 4 (from 0:24 to 2:05) where House was discussing with his friend, Wilson, how he could be “that guy”—the usual guy who’d look and act stupid for a girl.



And just as Wilson said, every guy could be “that guy”—the person he never expected himself to be.

* * *

Speaking of "that guy," who would have thought that Christian Bale, the actor who plays Batman in The Dark Knight (and Batman Begins), will become “that guy” when he just played a highly righteous and prudent hero everyone is raving about? And when I say “that guy” I meant the guy who’d be arrested for assault as filed by his mom and sister.


So much for separating reality and fantasy.

* * *

Six months ago, we learned that Heath Ledger, the Joker for this year’s Batman franchise, was “that guy”—the guy who’d one day be discovered dead inside his own apartment. Everyone would think that he is special—talented, wealthy and good looking, too. But as it turned out he had his demons to battle with to which he somehow lost by virtue of intoxication “resulting form the abuse of prescription medication.”

I first became aware of Ledger’s existence through the movie Ten Things I Hate About You. During the time it came out, I was in the habit of buying Hollywood entertainment magazines and this Ledger guy was always present, one would just have to discover what the fuss about this Aussie boy was all about.


Heath later nailed a serious spot in Hollywood when he played Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot. Then he earned a regal status at least in the eyes of his fans when he became Sir William Thatcher in A Knight’s Tale which reminds me how I’ve always wanted to acquire a copy of that movie. I still believe that The Brothers Grimm is a sabotage project to Heath’s gifts. That movie is no good. But no worries, Brokeback Mountain later redeemed what-was-deprived-of-Heath’s-talent in The Brothers Grimm. He earned an Academy, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations for Best Lead Actor thanks to Brokeback. Plus he got to make out with Jake Gyllenhaal, the brother of Maggie Gyllenhaal whom Heath, as the Joker, kills in The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight is the last movie Heath completed. Dead or alive, everyone would agree how brilliant he was. He was successful in portraying the haunting and disturbing Joker. For that and the explosives he detonated in the film, we can say that he went out with a bang.


But the “joke” part is this: in the last movie where we can get our final glimpse of Heath Ledger from beginning to end (I read that he had a pending movie where another actor or CGI will take over his role) we do not see much of him. All we see is a smudged face of a scarred clown and behind it, a disturbed and probably sad young man.

New Kids On the Block

The Jonas Brothers, that’s what they’re called. It’s not difficult to explain why. They’re the sons of Mr. Jonas, hence the three are brothers. Couldn’t they have gone for something as simple as “Jonas” the way the Hansons and the Moffats did? Or they could have followed the footsteps of Jackson 5 and call themselves “Jonas 3”…yuck! OK I take that back.

Contrary to my title, these kids aren’t all too new. They’ve been around since 2005, making tours along with big names like Kelly Clarkson, the Backstreet Boys, and The Click Five. But back then, they called themselves—get ready for this—The Sons of Jonas. Now I appreciate “Jonas Brothers”!

I was just not aware of their existence until recently when my 15-year-old brother mentioned them with such pride, the kind which implies that you’re cool if you know them. I didn’t know them. And frankly, I don’t dig their songs.

I know that admitting to this magnifies the generation gap between me and my brother. But this is my effort to reach out. I’ve done some research and I’m actually writing about a band who plays the juvenile kind of music—not really my thing.

In fairness, the Jonas Brothers is a legit band, at least for the old school standards. They play instruments which is what a band is supposed to do. I still am baffled why Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Westlife, etc. fall under the boyband category when they only have their voices to boot.

Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Jerry Jonas, a.k.a. Nick Jonas, the youngest among the three plays drums, guitar and piano.

Joseph Adams Jonas or Joe Jonas plays the guitar, piano and percussion, specifically the tambourine. This boy is 18.



On the other hand, the oldest, 20-year-old Paul Kevin Jonas II—Kevin Jonas, for short—plays the guitar.



One interesting Jonas Brothers trivia I stumbled upon is that about them each wearing a purity ring on their left-hand ring finger. And by wearing these rings, they promise to stay pure until they get married. Yeah right! What with all the groupies at their trail by this time?! Good luck to them!

I have yet to listen to these boys’ songs to say something solid about their music. Maybe if I’m sure I’m not predisposed to having a migraine I will. Right now their high-pitched boy voices wouldn’t do me any good. It doesn’t matter if these boys have their Broadway background to credit their singing. I’d rather stay clear from them after this.

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Read more about the Jonas Brothers at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonas_Brothers http://jonasbrothersfan.com/Home/tabid/241/Default.aspx

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Surfing the net for infos and photos of the Jonas Brothers made me realize how lucky the kids of today are. Their favorite personalities are just a click away! It makes stalking their idols so easy!

He had me at Hello

David Cook may not have started off as a crowd favorite for American Idol’s seventh season, especially after his encounter with Simon Cowell where the harsh, truth-telling judge told Cook, “you’re problem is you don’t have a lot of charisma.”

Much to Cowell’s dismay (and may be even some of the viewers'), Cook tried defending himself by saying, “Fortunately I don’t have to win you over with my charisma. I have to win this people [points to the crowd] over. ”

Cowell couldn’t help but be ticked off by Cook’s quip which ultimately, rebutted his supposed “constructive criticism.” But the week ended and David Cook was safe. Actually, it’s a foreshadowing of the weeks to come.


Cook may not have the charisma but he sure has the voice and the knack for choosing the right songs. A non-American Idol follower officemate could hardly believe how possible it is for someone to have a scarcity of charisma. I helped her picture Cook’s predicament by saying, “Imagine Gabby Eigenman with talent.”

He’s got talent, alright. David Cook, I mean. And his performance of Lionel Richie’s Hello proudly punctuates his gift. That’s how he had me at "hello." After witnessing such strong performance, I had to say, “He’s gonna win!” [I said it the way Ms. Rhode Islands told Gracielou Freebush the same thing. Think Ms. Congeniality. My comment was annoyingly sincere.]

But Cook’s lack of charisma seems to always get in the way. During the top 12 week where he rendered an impressive Eleonor Rigby version, Simon Cowell told him something like, “if this were a talent show rather than a popularity contest, you can actually with this.” Cook deserved the compliment about winning the show for his talent. Week after week, he showed up on stage with “molten-hot” numbers!

About his looks, the department where he seems weak, let’s just say come the top 9 week, the Dolly Parton week, the haircut he had did him wonders. No more of that emo white boy (Baduy!) singing on stage. He was magically transformed into a man who doesn’t look bad at all. Thank heavens for makeovers!

By the time the contenders were reduced to the top two, there’s no doubt Cook deserved the throne more than the young David, David Archuleta. Of course the main thing that stopped Cook supporters from rejoicing prematurely over his probable win is if the young voting demographics and, maybe even the moms and grandmas, who’re more likely to vote for Archie, outnumber them.

After weeks of watching one vocal exhibition after another, America has voted. David Cook emerges as the American Idol.



It’s pretty much comforting. There may be hope for American voters, afterall.

As for David Cook, congratulations to him, I guess. And if it is worth anything, I wish him a stellar future with his singing career.

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A Jason Castro Quickie (no pun can possibly be intended)



OK, so I didn’t foresee the chances that Jason Castro will forget his lyrics when I wrote my American Idol: Fearful Forecast right after the top 4 were announced. Hence, he had to say goodbye earlier than Sayesha.

Yes, Sayesha deserved to stay longer as she seemed to have wanted to win more badly than Jason. But I would have LOVED, “love” being the operative term, seeing more of Jason.

Oh well, at least he had a solo number during the finals night. Halleluiah for that!

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Cook's Hello

American Idol: My Fearful Forecast

From my complimentary copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, I was able to read Nestor Torre’s fearless forecast regarding American Idol’s probable winner. I don’t find it surprising, however, how I agreed to most, if not all, of his opinions.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m no AI expert. The only AI season I religiously watched, apart from the current one, was that of Taylor Hicks beating Katharine McPhee. But I just have got to demand my turn to talk about it. American Idol season 7, that is.

Allow me to go through it starting from the first guy to be eliminated from the top 12 finalist.

David Hernandez was first to leave. They, the American voters, may attribute Hernandez’ lack of popularity to his flamboyant performances all they want but I think it has a lot to do with the scandal he found himself in during the week when they had to perform Lennon-McCarthy songs. It’s the mess regarding him being a gay lap dancer at one time in his life. I still feel sorry for this guy.


Amanda Overmyer was next to go. This one, I believe, is well deserved. I just don’t dig Amanda’s attempts to rock. It is, to me, what “trying hard” means. And, just like Simon, I don’t understand a thing Amanda is saying when she sings. Her inability to enunciate her words properly must have played a huge part to her downfall, after all what is a Beatles song without words?

Poor Chikezie had to leave third. Why? He wasn’t popular, that’s why. He forgot to offer something new to the audience with his rendition of a song that came out during the year he was born. We’ve got to admit, it really was a bit too boy band-y.

Little Ramiele Malubay, every Pinoy’s primordial bet, said the fourth goodbye. Not that Dolly Parton songs didn’t do her good. Actually it seemed to be a matter of losing focus on the contest at hand. As it often translates, Ramiele’s concern rested on making friends and losing them. It appeared like she lost the drive to compete, thus taking away her voice’s wow factor.

Perhaps the most surprising elimination was that of Michael Johns’ who was fifth to take a bow. He was doing well and he wasn’t that bad with his inspirational song. Could it be that he joined the wrong franchise to this contest? He’s Australian, you know.

Everyone was relieved when Kristy Lee Cook’s time to leave finally came. She’s the pretty girl with nine lives, always finding herself at the bottom three but always manages to get away. In fairness to her, her Mariah Carey song is her only performance which I liked. Ironically it caused her her AI spot. She should just join Miss America next.

It is disappointing to see a contestant leaving when she did great prior to the elimination night. Although Carly Smithson isn't really my favorite (you may attribute this to her flair for gigil performances), her Andrew Loyd Webber song was not bad at all, but her road to the Idol throne ended with it. Conspiracy theory alert: Carly is Irish. Wrong AI franchise again? If there's any consolation, Carly left with something good to boast.

I didn’t think Brooke White’s journey will end at top five early in the contest, especially when she did her winning “Let It Be” number. But because of her less than impressive performances that followed, Brooke deserved to leave before Carly, maybe even before Kristy. (OA na.) Brooke was eventually bound to lose her magic given her sporadic performance blunders. It's quite disappointing. Her Neil Diamond performance, specifically the second one wasn’t that bad but after somehow stealing Carly’s slot, Brooke just had to go.

By now we are reduced to four contestants:

The two Davids, Archuleta and Cook; the guy with the dreads, Jason Castro, and the remaining rose among them thorns, Sayesha Mercado.


I’m predicting Sayesha will leave next in the event that she doesn’t come up with a spectacular performance, not that she is incapable, in fact she’s good. It’s just that unlike some blacks, Sayesha isn’t very charming. To tell the truth, she ain't my favorite. And the way things are going, Sayesha has become the new Kristy. It is only a matter of time before her nine lives get extinguished.

Now, Jason Castro, I don’t think he’d make it to top two. I’d be surprised if he did and I’d like it if he did--in fact, I wouldn't mind if he wins (may halong kilig yan)--but, you see, he’s going to have to leave sometime soon. He’s cute and all, and his “girls” (that’s how I call his fans/supporters) may vote like crazy for him but I don’t think he’s got what it takes to be the idol. He deserves credit for taking a stand where his type of music is concerned. But his vocal range has its limits. We've seen that when he struggled with Cat's "Memory". Although I have to admit, kinilig ako doon! Still Jason deserves a spot in Hollywood after all he is good at his preferred roster of songs, he is almost an original, he is charming, he has a lot of fans and, yes, he is sexy.

As Nestor Torre predicts it, it is most likely that the two Davids will go head to head on the finals night. Both are talented alright but of course I prefer one over the other.

The young David (Archuleta) is indeed raw. He lacks confidence and character. While watching him, you get the feeling that he’s a contender at some singing contest. It is hard to imagine how he'd sing outside a contest. His movements are stiff and studied. He’s just so tensed! Before he becomes the idol, he should get over his “contestant performance”. He should start performing like a star, drawing his spontaneous emotions from the heart. As it is, he seems to be swimming at the pool of uncertainty about himself. I don’t think he’s just being modest whenever he sighs when Ryan tells him he’s safe and that he can now sit on the couch. For these reasons, Archuleta isn’t convincing me that he is the next American Idol. The huge number of his fans may place him in the throne, though. Honestly, if ever that happens, I wouldn’t be happy about it.

For all its worth, I believe that the older David (Cook) deserves to win because he’s got the talent and is bold enough to know it. Allow him to go on a concert and he’d know how to handle his audience. I am aware that this guy doesn’t seem to be the most humble-looking wannabe on earth (just check out his big head, you can go literal on that) but he’s trying. He lacks the charm Archuleta is oozing with but he does something about this shortcoming by actually interacting/connecting with his audience. And as Paula says, Cook is not afraid to take risks. Unlike others who’d rather stroll along the safe zone, Cook dares to take a balance stick and cross a thin wire even during the toughest stage of the competition. And the good part is, he pulls off the stunts he orchestrates. Now that is an idol!

I just fear Cook, my bet talent-wise, will have to say goodbye because he isn’t the prettiest or cutest boy in America. But I’m sure one American record company will be smart enough to sign him up. If hearing his Mariah Carey song playing on Philippine airwaves (proof that Cook is crossing oceans) is no indication how bankable his voice is, I don’t know what is.

Good luck to America if they let Archuleta win.

Oh well, they'd live through it. They're surviving Bush, aren't they?


***All images are from http://www.americandol.com/